tHE lIFE eMERY

2009-05-28T11:46:00.002-05:00

Home again, home again

Got back to Tampa the other day with Emi. We heard from Emi's father when we got back to the house that Fuji had gone into labor. Then on the morning of the 25th we heard that she had delivered a boy (still nameless). So Emi is an Aunt now! I'm sure she will spoil him :)

2009-05-22T19:04:00.007-05:00

Kamakura

Yumiko Mama took Emi and I out for lunch yesterday to Kamakura. It was about a two hour drive from Setagaya. As we drove down the coast we saw a lot of people enjoying the surf and the city scape slowly gave way country side until we game to Kamakura itself which didn't really seem like the rest of Japan to me. It almost looked like a Italian coastal town built up on a hillside, but also mixed with a Californian beach community with all the surf shops along the beach road.

Any way, we were there to eat and Yumiko Mama led us to a side street next to the base of the hill that part of the town is built on. We walked across some rail road tracks and up a small path between two houses until the path turned behind the row of houses and continued upward.

After walking for a few minutes we got to about the half way point of the hillside and made a turn and there (without any warning) was a beautiful little outdoor Italian restaurant overlooking the ocean.

After lunch we went to Enoshima and walked for a bit and enjoyed the nice weather. We finished the day at the Lon Cafe and had some tea before returning to Tokyo. This was such a short trip to Japan so we've been trying to stuff in as much fun as possible this week and yesterday was a great day to get out of the city! Yumiko mama ありがとう!

2009-04-19T11:31:00.003-05:00

Emi sent me a care package full of snacks! やった!

2009-04-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

I heard a rumor that California was a warm, sunny place. So far, not so much...

I spent about 3 weeks here in March, and it rained for two and a half of them. Now I come back a month later, and it's still raining. They actually wont let the people here water their lawns because of a drought. It must only rain when I'm in town.

Adam Duritz is from around here some where I think. Is this what he feels like too? Am I the Rain King...?

2009-04-05T11:14:00.005-05:00

Went out to eat last night to a restaurant called "Mint". It was delicious. I got the Pan Roasted Black Drum. Fantastic. Best food in Ridlgeland Mississippi! Actually, it was good food for any where. We might go back tonight.

This is my last night in Mississippi. Flying back to Sacramento tomorrow for a couple weeks before I can go home to Tampa.

2009-04-02T20:35:00.005-05:00

New Phone

I got a new phone today with Sprint PCS as part of a package with the Broadband connect card that I already have. It's the "Touch Diamond" by HTC. It comes fully equipped with a 3.2 megapixle camera with video. The biggest upgrade from my previous phone is that this one comes with full Internet functionality and unlimited data transfer. The standard OS is based on Windows Mobile 6.1 which comes with lots of goodies including a full version of Widows Live Messenger. The whole reason for this switch was to make it easier to communicate with Emi when I am travelling, and this package also has unlimited voice time, which means there are no day time minutes to worry about and keep track of. That's nice because the time difference between here and Japan does not always make it convenient to call after 7pm eastern time.

I wasn't able to keep my old number with this phone, so if you need to reach me or just want to have my new number, just shoot me an email. I'll be sure to get back to you since I can check my email from my phone now, like the rest of civilized society.

2009-03-31T23:33:00.002-05:00

I recently discovered the "Blogger Buddy"; a widgit for the Windows Vista sidebar. It allows its user to make a post to his or her Blogger site directly from one's desktop. So far it appears that I can't post pictures from my computer, just insert HTLM image tags from the web. Still pretty cool.

I made this post using the new widget and then went back and added these pictures later from the website as usual.

I guess this means it would be extreamly easy to make quick posts with just one click without ever even loading up the blogger website. Does this mean I'll be making Twitter style play by play updates 40 times a day? Not likely. But I could.

2009-03-30T14:20:00.003-05:00

I flew from California to Texas last week, just for a few days. This picture is from my last day in Texas. When I got up to pack my rental car to head to the airport there was frost on my hotel window and snow on the ground. I was in Lubbock, Texas which was just far enough north to catch the tip of a spring blizzard that was been going through the midwest for the last few days.

I am in Mississippi now and the weather is much nicer. I'll be flying back to the west coast in a week or so, and after that trip i'll finally get to go home. It's already been over a month since I left. By the time I get back to Tampa this will have been the longest work related trip I've ever had; almost two months. I think I can handle it as long as I don't see any more snow.

2009-03-15T12:46:00.002-05:00

大福

I found mochi in Sacramento. I really enjoy daifuku but sadly it is just one of those things that is not easy to get in the United States, especially on the east coast. It was not hard to find a Japanese grocery store in Sacramento just by doing a google search, but then Emi found this great little place, some what off the beaten path, called "Osakaya". They make all kinds of delicious mochi snacks fresh every day. I went there the other day and got some daifuku intending to let some of my work associates try them... some how once I got them back to my hotel room they disappeared before I could share them with any one. It only means that I will have to go back for more.

2009-03-13T16:13:00.006-05:00

Sacramento

I had a few days off last week here in Sacramento and the weather finally warmed up so instead of hanging around the hotel I went out and explored the city. I went down town and found a park and a museum called the Crocker Art Museum.

A new Buddha exhibit. Some of these figurines date to before Christ.

Japanese Buddhist artifacts.

1800 year old Buddha

Huge "Gallery" style room. In this style, paintings are hanged all the way to the ceiling, with the more popular pieces at eye level. Popular in Europe before 1900.

The Huge center painting is of turn of the century Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park. In the distance you can see El Capitan.

St. Joseph with the child Jesus.

I enjoyed my day at the museum. I think I paid $6.50 for my pass, which I consider totally worth it. There is a lot more in the Crocker Art Museum than I could put up here on the website, and if you're visiting Sacramento I think it would be worth spending an afternoon there. It's just a few blocks from the State Capitol building down town.

I'll be in Sacramento for a couple more weeks and I should have one or two more days when I'm not working so we'll see what else I can find.

2009-03-12T13:57:00.004-05:00

Japan Culture Lesson - Onigiri

This was one of those roommate bonding moments. It took place about a month ago. I wanted onigiri. Jason didn't know what onigiri was, but he wanted some too.

Jason doing all the work. I'm documenting.

Jason's first Onigiri

Various Styles

2008-12-04T18:04:00.002-05:00

MONA VIE Smoothie

1 cup vanilla yogurt
5 oz fresh strawberries
1 banana
2 MonaVie Active Gel packs

I made these today with Emi. They were delicious and it took about 3 minutes. We topped them off with some whipped cream and enjoyed the sunny 75 degree afternoon.

2008-11-30T18:00:00.004-05:00

Regarding me lack of posts recently; I have been very busy with work and also most recently, I have been occupied by moving into a new place in Tampa...

Its a much more central location compared to Hudson. No more driving an hour to church on Sundays, and no more 45 minute drives to the airport.
As I write this, there are still boxes every where that need to be unpacked, and all the floors need cleaning. And we are on a deadline because Emi is coming for a visit and she arrives tomorrow. So no time to waste! I'll just leave a few pictures of the new place and its back to cleaning!

2008-11-01T22:44:00.007-05:00

Happy OctoberFuss

This year we got together once again for the 3rd annual Watermark pumpkin carving contest. We had twice the attendance as last year and every body had a great time. People brought lots of delicious snacks and pumpkins for carving!

We had people working on their pumpkins all over the house and outside as well. There were some great entries this year but I didn't participate. I just didn't think I could top what I did last year.

After all was said and done we had about 20 great jack o' lanterns in the back yard and Tommy and Sarah's house. We have to thank them for hosting us all again this year and letting us wreck their house. I know that They cleaned all afternoon just so we could trash the place in an hour. But every body really had a great time and there is no better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than by getting really messy and carving a pumpkin!

2008-10-26T18:22:00.002-05:00

It was a whirlwind stay in Toronto and in fact I'm already gone. I took the last flight out of Pearson International into Edmonton. I had a little trouble at Budget but finally made it to the hotel. Edmonton is cold and barren. The people are strange and friendly. At least I'm getting my Tim Horton's fix.

2008-10-24T15:03:00.002-05:00

U.S Airways Fails at flying.

I was supposed to be well on my way to Toronto by this point in the afternoon, but thanks to US Airways I am still sitting in the Tampa airport. I had plans to go out to eat with my family and meet up with my best friend growing up, but instead of landing in Toronto at 6:30pm and going out to eat, I will be landing at 11:55pm and will have to go directly to the hotel to print out the documents I need for my workshop. Actually I'm guessing that after waiting for my bags and going through customs, then getting a cab to the hotel it will be close to 2:00am.

This is the second time this month, and the third time since I started working for GMS that US Airways has straight up canceled my flight. What are they doing to remedy the situation? Did they put me in first class? Did I get a free meal for having to wait and extra 6 hours at the airport? Did they even apologize for screwing up my weekend? No, they did none of those things. I have come to the conclusion therefore, that US Airways fails and they should be avoided like the bird flu.

So lets update the list of things that fail in 2008:

1. NY Yankees
2. Every Swimmer other than Michael Phelps
3. Socialism
4. Meril Lynch, Bear Sterns, AIG
5. O.J. Simpson
6. CERN particle collider
7. Joe Biden
8. US AIRWAYS

...and the years not even over.

2008-10-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

We're coming home today

2008-10-17T10:49:00.004-05:00

Tulsa Down Town

I found a great little mom and pop's bike shop here in Tulsa that repairs used bikes and does custom work. I bought this classic Huffy 18 speed that's been converted to single fixed speed. Its been raining in Tulsa so I haven't really gotten a chance to take it out until last night. I road around down town as the sun was going down and I got a few fun pictures.

I really like this picture with the three church steeples for some reason. Makes me wish I had a better camera.

2008-10-11T12:39:00.000-05:00

MUST WATCH

2008-10-01T16:56:00.002-05:00

Tulsa, Get Used to it.
Working in Tulsa, Oklahoma for 21 days. This is very exciting. Details to follow...

2008-09-24T12:14:00.002-05:00

Chimney Rock

Last week I was in Asheville North Carolina and currently I'm sitting in the Tampa Airport waiting for my flight so I can return there for another few days. What a beautiful place! I don't mind returning at all. The weather was perfect the entire time I was there. The sky was sunny and warm and the breeze was the kind of cool refreshing breeze that lets you know that fall is very nearly here, but not quite. I drove with the windows down and enjoyed the smells from all the trees that won't grow in a place like Florida.
I got some time off while I was there and I went to this place called Chimney Rock. So much better than sitting around a hotel all day!I thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the trails and seeing the sights at Chimney Rock Park and if you're ever in Asheville, I think this is one place that needs to be on your list.

This is the actual, "Chimney Rock". The base of the flag staff on the rock sits at 2880 feet above sea level. I was quite exhausted from the hike up to the viewing area on the rock even though most of it was man made wooden steps and board walk. Its still a lot of stairs to climb. I had to climb another 60 feet or so up the side of the mountain to take this picture.

Another point of interest at the park is the 400+ foot "Hickory Nut Falls". Its about a 35 minute walk from Chimney Rock but it's worth it.
Of course after walking all day you don't mind a cold shower. I mean... I walked way too far to not get in the water when I got there.

As I was leaving I found this river with all these huge boulders and rapids. Since I'm so nimble, I easily leaped across the rocks to the center of the river to take this picture as I sat on one of the larger stones. Basically I had a great time in Asheville. I thought to myself as I sat at about 3000ft looking down at the river valley how great my God is. I know scientists will tell me that these mountains were formed by intercontinental plates colliding into each other, one being pushed below the surface while the other is forced upward making up every thing I see around me. And I know they will tell me that the valley was formed by the river water slowly eroding the the rock and eventually forming the lake at the far end of the valley.
But none of that explains why I feel the way I do as I see all these things. It certainly doesn't explain why I see the same look on all the other faces that are seeing what I am seeing. Nothing in science will ever explain why I have this appreciation for God's creation. Some thing in us recognizes the beauty in nature and the universal response of sheer awe, I think, is appropriate.

2008-09-20T07:58:00.004-05:00

BEST SHOW EVER

I got home a few weeks ago from my Japan trip. I really should have updated my blog before now. There have certainly been some blog-worthy events since I got back. The first thing that happened was on the day after I got back. I was still in a jet lag induced haze, but that Saturday night I went to see the world's greatest living rock band, My Morning Jacket! This, by the way, is my new cure for jet lag...

I lifted this picture from my buddy Tommy's blog. He and his wife Sarah came with Jason and I to the House of Blues in Orlando for the show. We all agreed, best show ever. There was no opening act, and MMJ played a two and a half hour, 26 song set! I've never been to a show quite like it and it was, truly awesome.

Now that I'm back home that means I'm back to work. Which means I'm not home at all. Actually right now I'm in North Carolina and although I'm flying home tonight, I'll be coming back here next week, and then to Tulsa after that. In fact, I'm scheduled to be on the road 3 out of the next 4 weeks. It's not all work though. Yesterday I had the day to myself and I went to a national park here in in North Carolina. I'll post some pictures of my day soon when I get a chance.

2008-08-25T00:32:00.005-05:00

LIFE DOES NOT SUCK

The fact is, I'll be flying back to the States in a few days. That being the case, recently I've been doing my best to be as hedonistic as possible. My day routinely begins with a hot espresso or perhaps a latte made by Emi with my name written in foam on the top. I'm not sure how you common people live without this...

Last Thursday Emi and I got out of the house and did a little sight seeing. We went to Harajuku first and did a bit of window shopping. The main purpose of going all the way out to Harajuku was to check out Yoyogi Park which we heard was a nice place to spend a summer afternoon. On the way we stopped and took some pictures at Meiji Shine.

I got in trouble for taking this next picture. A security guard tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to move away. Apparently the center of the temple is too holy for some one to stand unless they are in prayer. I was obviously not a Shintoists to the guard, never mind praying. I did get a good picture of the actual shrine though.

There is a path through the forest from Meiji Shine to Yoyogi Park. Yes there is a forest in the midst of the busiest part of the busiest city in the world. You can't see through the trees enough to even tell you are in Tokyo any more. Just a faint buzz of traffic ruins the illusion.

We finally arrived at Yoyogi Park. All I can say is, what a great place to spend a summer afternoon! We were woefully unprepared however. If you ever deiced to visit Yoyogi Park do yourself a favor and bring a picnic lunch, blankets, and a frisbee or soccer ball. You can entertain yourself for a whole day and pay nothing. Not many places like that in Tokyo.

We stayed in Yoyogi until we began to see some dark clouds roll over head and we deiced if we left right then we could probably walk to Shibuya and beat the rain in time for dinner. We went to one of Emi's favorite places to eat. A crepe restaurant in a basement on a otherwise forgettable side street. At first I thought, "crepe for dinner?". I mean, I like crepes as much as the next guy, but it kinda always struck me as a breakfast food. I was wrong.

I ordered "Le Nordique". A stuffed crepe with cheese, tomatoes and salmon, topped with a salmon fillet stuffed with cream cheese and sour cream(!). Maybe it was because we had been walking all day and worked up an appetite, or maybe it had some thing to do with the fact that I was already in a great mood, but this crepe blew my mind.

The hits kept coming on the weekend. I was minding my own business, checking my email, and Emi came in and announced "I'm going to bake some bread!"
I was eventually conscripted into helping but who can mind helping in the kitchen when the finished product looks and tastes this good.

"Choco pan"

And on top of all of that, it was Shin's birthday this weekend so we went out to eat yakiniku (grilled meat). We also threw a little surprise party for Shin last night at he and Fuji's apartment. I'll try to get those pictures off my camera and make another post because there are a few really good pictures from the party.

2008-08-19T00:46:00.009-05:00

Travels in the 'Eastern Capitol' 東京

I've spent some time around Tokyo this week. By now, after three trips here, I think I've seen most of the city. Of course, I've seen some places closer than others, and I know my way around some neighborhoods much better than others. I recently went up to the top floor of the Carrot Tower in my adopted home town of Sangenjaya and took some pictures.

If you look directly in the center of the above photo you can see Emi's house, where I am staying this summer. Pictured below is a shot of down town Shinjuku as seen from the opposite side of the Carrot Tower. I'm seriously testing the digital zoom on my camera here; it is farther away that it appears.

Shibuya crossing; nearly empty on this particular day

Yesterday Emi and I went out to a Soba place for lunch in Sangenjaya. Soba is made from buckwheat and is typically served chilled with a cup of soy dipping sauce, although you can order it hot in a soup similar to ramen noodles. This place is fun because they give you your own wasabi root to make fresh wasabi for yourself. Much tastier when its fresh IMO.

Mmm...you're jealous :P

...As an aside; I went to a karaoke place for the first time last night. I've seriously tried to avoid this up until now, but it was a friend's birthday and I was feeling the peer pressure. The two songs I sang?

1. Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule the World
2. Marvin Gaye - Lets Get It On

2008-08-12T04:16:00.000-05:00

Good Advice

2008-08-06T20:57:00.006-05:00

To Yamanashi

I returned to Tokyo from Karuizawa Saturday evening. I checked my emails and discovered that Manny had been traded to the Dodgers. I also found out that they are making a sequel to 1982's TRON. Hmm..how should I feel? ...I went to bed. The next day I went to Yamanashi.

Yamanashi-ken (山梨県) is about 2 hours train ride from Tokyo. Most of the prefecture is either on or surrounded by mountains. Yama meaning mountian, and 'nashi meaning pear. Emi has relatives there who operate a peach orchard among other things, and we were invited to stay for a few days.

We always eat well when we are with Emi's family and this was not any different. Just as last year we were there just in time for Masaru-san's birthday. Last year we went out for yaki-niku, and this year he cooked for all of us! I've not eaten more in a single meal ever in my life!

We took advantage of all the nearby natural beauty while we were there. Here are Emi and I in front of a shrine. Of course that in itself is not very impressive...

Except that the shrine is half way up Mt. Fuji!

2008-07-30T17:47:00.001-05:00

Karuizawa in Sundown

I'm in Karuizawa for a week and the weather has been fantastic, and the vistas very breath taking. I didn't filter these photos in any way. The sky really was these brilliant colors of pink, yellow and orange. Just before the sun disappeared the whole sky seemed to be on fire.

I'm also trying to post a video on my youtube channel but my internet connection here is a bit slow and I'm having troubles. I'll give it one more try...

2008-07-25T05:53:00.003-05:00

Daifuku

Seriously, who doesn't like bean paste; inside of rice thats been pounded into a sticky mush?

2008-07-24T23:03:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to Luke asnd Yuko Elliot on the birth of their second child this past weekend. If you've been reading this blog for any time at you, you know that Luke is a good friend of mine and we've shared many adventures together, both in Japan and in our days as summer camp staff in Canada. This is an excerpt from an an email I received from Luke.

"We are happy to report that Yuko gave birth to 美信 (Mia) Faith naturally and efficiently at 9:28 a.m., Saturday, 19 July...美信 (read as "Mia" and pronounced as "me" plus "a" as in "a girl") is made up of the Japanese kanji characters meaning "beautiful" and "faith." When speaking English we address her by her middle name, which is Faith.
Weight: 3876g (or approximately 8.53lbs)--modest by North American standards, but considered rather large in Japan."

Luke has promised an update on his blog with some more photos but since he is currently (and understandably) busy, I thought I would break the news here.

2008-07-20T23:11:00.009-05:00

Its Hot!

Allow me to take this time to make a distinction. Florida is humid. I can deal with that. I live there. Tokyo on the other hand, is HUMID. And hot. In August, its VERY hot! According to my Google weather application its currently 35.3 degrees Celsius. That's hot how ever you translate it, but still bearable. Due to the humidity however, it feels several degrees warmer and every inch (or centimeter I suppose) of clothing is sticking to my body in thanks to a fine layer of sweat (which is saltier than normal due to all the soy sauce I've been enjoying recently).

Like I said, I'm from Florida. I'm no stranger to sweat. But make no mistake, this weather would keep most Miami residents locked in their condos with the AC cranked and blankets stuffed in the door cracks guzzling iced tea.

The Japanese seem to have come to grips with this wretched summer weather though. People still enjoy outdoor activities and no essential civic services are shut down. To help cope they even rate the "deliciousness and/or refreshment level" of beer each night on the news based on the humidity and temperature. They even choose this of all times to celebrate many of their local festivals.

One such festival was held in my adopted home town of Sangenjaya this weekend. Despite the heat I went to take a look...

Here I am pictured trading in money for some coupons. I later traded in said coupons for some tacoyaki. Mmmm... fried octopus makes me happy.

2008-07-18T21:56:00.002-05:00

Japan, Here I Come!

My pre-dawn departure from Tampa began with a 5am pick up by Bryan and a 45 minute drive to the Tampa Airport. I meant to thoroughly document the trip with pictures and video, but my motivation seemed to falter as consciousness left me...

This being my third trip to Japan, I wasn't necessarily surprised by the length of the flight. Its just that it never seems to get shorter. My attempts at sleep on the plane were only partially successful. I inadvertently became best friends with a Korean lady who did not speak English or Japanese. Aparently my over-developed skills at body language were the only way she could get what she wanted from the flight attendants. Some how I feel like the language barrier has never stopped this lady from getting what she has wanted in the past.

I snapped this picture as we began to make our approach over the land toward Narita Airport. It was very cloudy and raining at the time and I couldn't see any land out of my window until the plane made this final turn and I could see the coast. Any way... I made it. I'm tired and hungry. I can think of lots of ways to solve one of those problems. There is only one solution for the other.

2008-07-16T18:27:00.002-05:00

Ubuntu: Linux for Human Beings

Murphy struck once again just two days before I leave for Tokyo! My laptop suffered a near fatal error. After working on the problem for nearly 48 hours I finally brought it back to life.
It turned out to be a memory issue. I was still getting errors when I tried to reinstall Windows Vista, and so I tried a XP disk I borrowed from Brytor. It still crashed either during the installation process or immediately after boot up. So after swapping out some Ram and multiple formats later, I am now running Linux for the first time. Ubuntu to be precise.

I probably could have gotten Windows XP to work with help from Jason and Bryan, but there just isn't time for that if I want to take this laptop with me to Japan. So for now, I guess I'll learn Linux. After all, If Luke Elliot can do it...well, I digress.

2008-07-16T15:37:00.004-05:00

Some New Friends

This past Saturday, Jason and I met Larry at the book store and had a great conversation that ended with Larry inviting us over to his home for dinner. We went Monday evening and enjoyed the cooking of his wife, Luan and also got to meet his son, Shaun. Larry has been all over the world and has led a very interesting life. We had a great time and enjoyed listening to all his stories.

Luan is from Thailand and it was really nice to hear about where she is from and how she grew up... also she can cook :)

Larry is very much into the arts and he and Shaun operate a sculpting studio where they work with other artists, on anything from bronze to concrete. Their home has an impressive assortment of sculptures and paintings, as well as a quite respectable library.

We stayed longer then we expected and enjoyed our time immensely. The only unfortunate thing is that we met just before I am leaving for Japan for six weeks. But we've already made plans for our next dinner party and I'm very much looking forward to it.

2008-07-10T13:10:00.003-05:00

Tommy and the worship band from church released their first CD last week with some of the songs that we sing on Sunday mornings. They are all songs that Tommy has written. You can download it for free at presonphillips.com. Download it, enjoy it, share it. Feel free to leave a donation when you download, it will go towards recording the next album.

2008-06-18T11:01:00.004-05:00

At least I'm not in Cedar Rapids

About a month ago I was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa doing some workshops and since then, Cedar Rapids has been in the news quite a bit. Last week the town was hit with a "500 year flood" and it was completely evacuated. Its crazy to see these pictures because I was just there. In this picture, the big brown building on the extreme right is the hotel I stayed at. The second picture is the view of across the street from the hotel. As you can see, down town is totally under water.

The tall building in the distance was the building we had our first workshop at. It sits on a small island in the middle of the river. The island is no longer visable from the air.

So, as depressing as it is to be in Fort Wayne Indiana for a second week, I can take solace in the fact that at the very least, I'm not under water in Cedar Rapids

2008-06-15T19:08:00.002-05:00

After less than two days home from Indiana I got an emergency call last night from the office to go back to Fort Wayne to cover another workshop. The weather is about the same from when I left. The rain continues to fall here and its just as hot as Tampa at the moment. I'm Looking forward to being able to get back out to Watermark next weekend when I get home... Tonight I plan on watching the Celtic / Laker game in my hotel until I fall asleep.

2008-06-12T07:19:00.008-05:00

Indiana

If I had to describe my trip to Indiana in one word, it might be "wet". At least the first half of the trip was completely water-logged. It just so happens that my visit coincided with a record breaking number of tornado's this year in the Midwest and the resulting record amount of rainfall.

I heard one person on the radio say that over 2 million acres of farm land in the Midwest is now unusable for the entire season. That's means the price of corn goes up again... Corn was already inflated because of this nation's great 'bio fuel' experiment. Will we be the only society in history to exhaust our food supply for the sake of fuel economy? Well, I guess you know how I feel about it.

However, I did manage to navigate around all the washed out roads and detour signs to Andy and Abby's house on my day off. It was great to spend some time with them again. The last time we were in Indiana together was last year at their wedding. (Of course, now that Andy is married, Abby doesn't let him play Nintendo any more...yea right!)

Rainbow Road is tough!

2008-05-20T10:19:00.003-05:00

NEW MEXICO (its better than old Mexico 'cause you can drink the water)

I've been in Albuquerque for the past week enjoying the beautiful weather and impressive vistas. I've never been to a place where you can see so far, all 360 degrees around you. Every where you look you can see the desert and distant mountain ranges. I would love to come back here with some free time and enjoy all the out door activities available in a place like this.

And Emi sent me a package! It was filled with tasty treats from Gertrude Hawk. We used to indulge in some chocolates from Gertrude Hawk at the mall when we lived in Binghamton. My favorite was the caramel apple!

I'll be in Albuquerque until the 29th. That makes the month of May pretty busy for me. I will have been home a total of 7 days this month. It looks like June will be pretty similar. I'm looking forward to getting back home to challenge Jay and Bryan to some Mario Kart before I have to go back out again!

2008-05-10T13:59:00.008-05:00

Home Again

I'm finally back home in Florida. It was a bit too long in Iowa for my taste. Next week I'm going to Albuquerque for another two week trip but I've got a few days before I have to leave so I plan to enjoy them. Last night I went over to my buddy Pete's house to hang out and grill up some burgers.

Pete also had a super secret project going on while I was there. He's been working for a while getting the parts together for a new bike for his girlfriend, Jeanett. Last night we put the finishing touches on it and took if for a test spin before she got off work.

Pretty bad @$$ right?

I love Pete's bed room. It's basically a bike shop with a bed. The bike on the work bench in the next picture is one that Pete is putting together for his brother. He also made one for Jason last summer while I was in Japan. Maybe I'll need to get one since I'll be here this summer...

Also, as many of you know, I've become addicted to Teavana recently. Teavana is a high quality tea emporium that "creates a unique tea experience by encouraging a positive, healthy outlook for all who enter the Teavana environment"... or what ever. Any way, it's good tea and when I got back from the airport Jay made me some Jasmin Phoenix Dragon Pearls in his new Asian tea cups. It was just what I needed after spending all day flying home.

2008-05-09T16:21:00.002-05:00

Not Quite Stars On Ice

On my last week in Iowa I got to spend some time with the Financial Success Team. After spending nearly every night alone in my hotel room for about 10 straight nights I was really glad to accept their invitation to go out and doing some thing... and what does one do on a week night in the middle of Iowa?

Video to follow...

2008-04-28T16:33:00.004-05:00

Cedar Rapids

My first trip working with Get Motivated Seminars was to Cedar Rapids, Iowa... or as I like to call it, "fly over country". Not much happening in this town. Except trains rolling into town all through the night and sub-freezing temperatures in April.

I've been in town for almost four days and spent most of that time in my Hotel Room. Today is an off day, and I would like to get out and explore the town a little bit but today has been the coldest day since I got here, and even snowed this morning. Sadly, although I knew it would be colder than Florida, I didn't really pack enough warm clothes for this climate. I will have another day off on Thursday so I hope its warmer.
So far, the coolest thing about this place is The Veteran's Memorial Colosseum where we had the workshop. The huge stone building was built in 1927 and is actually in the center of the picture of Cedar Rapids above. It was a cool place but the ceiling was so high that we had a little trouble with the sound when we were setting up.

I would also like to take a minute to say congratulations to my good friends Shin and Yoko who are getting married in Tokyo tomorrow. I really wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys! God bless you as you start your new life together. お祝い !

The happy couple Cr. 2006

2008-04-24T18:31:00.005-05:00

Yes I love technology...

So I bought a new digital camera with my tax return and so far I'm very pleased. Its the Exilim EX-S10. I bought Emi an Exilim last Christmas and she really likes it so I stuck with my new found brand loyalty and got one for myself.

On top of that, I found a sale on laptop RAM while I was at Best Buy and decided it was time for an upgrade.

safety first

So I broke into lappy and I discover some thing interesting. One of my RAM sticks was manufactured in China, and the other in Korea. I'm not down with that..

Here's the new RAM next to a stick of the old stuff. Made in Japan. Thats what we call pro.

2008-04-23T22:48:00.004-05:00

Once Again: MEGA UPDATE

So here are the Cliff notes:

First was Chad's art show at The Bunker in Ybor. The Bunker is a really cool cafe and a great place for an art show.

I like this narwhal.Chad is the guy with the beard wearing the fedora in the next picture. He's a really cool guy, but he and his wife are moving back to Texas in a few weeks. So sad... They are both really active at Watermark and we're all really going to miss them. This show was mostly sketches. He did a lot more paintings at his last one.

Some days after the art show I was getting tired of the long hair and beard. It was getting hot. I do live in Florida... That said; it was time for my yearly hair cut.

YIKES!

Last Sunday was Dave Whitehead's birthday so we went out to lunch at a place called La Casa Dolce. Its a pretty fru fru little cafe type place, but the sandwiches they made us were good, with lots of cured meat, and the deserts really, really good and might just make me want to go back despit the prices.

Happy Birthday Fricker.

And finally, a couple nights ago we all went over to Jason Bylsma's house for dinner. It was the first chance we've all had to spend time with Dallas, who fell off his bike a couple weeks ago and had to have brain surgery.

Poor guy, they shaved his head. Or maybe he was just trying to copy me...

2008-02-17T14:00:00.004-05:00

Gator Hunt Part #1

There we are on the water. One can't ask for much more in a back yard...

Living in Florida provides some unique pass time opportunities. The other day my friend Bryan and I took a canoe and screwed around on the lake in my back yard. Our goal was to try and find some of the Florida alligators that I know are in this Lake because I see them all the time. Poor Bryan has not seen an alligator since moving to Florida nearly two years ago. I'm told by reliable sources that dusk is the best time to spot gators so we headed out after dinner. We had several possible sitings that day, but nothing confirmed and no photographic evidence. We haven't given up though. We're currently trying to track down some one with a digital camcorder with night-vision technology. I foresee this getting way out of hand.

----------------
Now playing: Eddie Vedder - rise
via FoxyTunes

2008-02-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

Super Late Christmas Update

Just the other day a friend told me that he checked my blog and was disappointed at my inconsistent updates. Once I knew that some one was actually checking this blog I knew I had to do some thing about it. So even though its just ridiculously late, I'm going to post those Christmas pictures I promised.

It was really great to have Emi be able to come and spend Christmas with my family. She actually got to meet many of the relatives she had only heard about in horror stories before. We flew into Boston and spent a few days with my grandparents in Maine before meeting up with my Parents.

Emi found some Christmas mugs at Starbucks that they don't sell in Japan.

Every year my Grandma Emery makes tree ornaments to give to the grandkids. This year it was snow men :)

Here I am at the L.L. Bean outlet mall in Maine. It was bitter cold that day, and there was a nice fire place so we took advantage of it.

And this of course is Gradma Brewer's Crhistmas tree (under all the ornaments).

I brought my Wii to my parents. My mom asked for one for next Christmas.

Here's the view of the loot Christmas morning.

Look! I got my very own Starbucks card with my portrait on it!

Emi got every thing she asked for...

...and a lot she didn't even know she asked for. We found room in the suitcase for every thing some how.

Tomorrow I'm starting a new job and hope to have a more stable schedule so I intend (probably like I intend to keep new years resolutions) to post with more regularity. Also I'm going to try this new 'Foxy Tunes' signature feature that allows you the reader; to know what I the writer, am listening to while I update the blog. *Here we go...

----------------
Now playing: Kings Of Leon - The Runner
via FoxyTunes

2007-12-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. It's not that it has been remarkably uneventful recently; it's just that the Internet at my house has been extremely unreliable. Verizon=gay. Some one from Brighthouse Cable is coming today to see if they can install digital cable at our place. Brighthouse=1337 (:
Also there is a rumor that Brian Newby, recently returned from Japan, may be coming for a visit next weekend. I will most deffinitly keep you informed of any Newby sightings.
Any way, the Word of Life have all gone on Christmas break so things are quiet once again around here. I myself am leaving on a Christmas Holiday next Sunday to my parents house in New Brunswick. I'm sure I'll take pictures... they may or may not find their way on to this website.

2007-11-12T17:23:00.000-05:00

This is my good friend and pastor Tommy singing one of the worship songs that he's written. Also make sure that you check out the church's website that I've linked under "My Bookmarks". And if your in the Tampa area, come check us out on Sunday morning.

2007-11-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

Making up for my lack of Posts with one Super Post!

It's been quite a while since my last update, and since then I've settled back into life under the Florida sun. I've come to realize that I enjoy the simple pleasure of grilling out doors knowing that it's snowing where I grew up.

This is a little garden that Emi and I got for Jason in Tokyo. It's supposed to be some Japanese red peppers. Jason loves spicy food and has always wanted to grow his own peppers, so this is a practice garden before he moves into his own place...

A couple weeks ago it was Halloween here (AKA, Octoberfuss) and we had a pumpkin carving contest with some people from church at Tommy and Sarah's house. There were some very daring designs this year.

Actually there are some very gifted artists at Watermark and some of the pumpkins were awesome!

This is the pumpkin that Jay and I made. It's the Headless Horseman. Pretty cool huh? we got an honorable mention....

Speaking of Watermark, here are a few pictures of the place where we meet every Sunday. Watermark has it's Sunday services at The Springs Theater in Tampa.

This is what the inside looks like when I arrive every Sunday to help set up in the morning... it's mostly empty.
After we set up chairs and the stage for the band it looks a lot nicer. This is a picture i sneaked a couple weeks ago from my seat in the back.

The Springs isn't really a theater at all any more. Actually a lot of bands and orchestras record there. This is a picture I took from the Springs Theater website of a local orchestra playing right where we have our morning service.

all kinds of crazy stuff used to happen at the Springs...

2007-09-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my last full day in Japan . I had a fun time with some good friends in Tokyo. I will try to post some pictures of our fun time when I get back to the states. I am leaving for the airport very shortly and weather permitting I will fly out this afternoon. I say that because there is another typhoon just south of us and it could possibly cause some delays.
I am sad to leave Japan, and thus once again put an end to my minor celebrity status among the locals, but I'm also looking forward to seeing my friends back in Florida.
Well that's all the time I have now...

Matisyahu Jerusalem

2007-08-22T23:36:00.001-05:00

2007-08-22T22:54:00.000-05:00

YOKOHAMA

China Town in Yokohama

Emi and I used our day off together to escape the heat in Tokyo and made the short trip to Yokohama. Since Yokohama is a port and right on the sea, we decided to take the ferry rather than the train when we got there. In this picture with Emi on the ferry you can see the Yokohama skyline and on the extreme left you can see just half of the Landmark Tower.

Landmark Tower up close.

We walked around and saw a lot of shops and ate lunch in China Town. Just before we had dinner we were killing some time at an arcade and Emi won this Rela Kuma (kuma means bear and rela is short for relax, so its a relaxing bear) at a UFO catcher!

Dinner was "Super Meatball Spaghetti!"

This was the view from our table at dinner. The huge Farris wheel is the biggest I've ever scene and it is part of the skyline in Yokohama and very recognizable

Also on the way home I bought the new Matisyahu CD and DVD set. I love it! I'll try to post a some from the CD later.

2007-08-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

Recent comings and goings...

Carrot Tower on a recent sunny day as seen from Taishido (our neighborhood).

Just a quick update concerning the past couple weeks. We had the final camp in Karuizawa. It was a church camp for Tokyo Christ Mission Church, which is Emi's church and the church that most of the wolbi grads attend here in Tokyo. It was a good time of fellowship and Steve Nicholes was the guest speaker. The theme of his meetings was "Community in the Body of Christ."

And just yesterday all the campers who went to New York camp arrived back safely in Japan. I believe today or tomorrow all the students who are returning from wolbi will be coming back as well.

I am leaving Japan on the 6th of September so there is still plenty of time to squeeze in all the exciting things I've always wanted to do and see in Tokyo before I leave. Today and tomorrow are off days for both Emi and I so we are planning to make the most of them!

I still have a mission while I'm here though: I am starting to work on a promotional DVD for Word of Life Japan Camps. I need to make sure I budget enough time to get that finished before I go.

2007-08-12T01:27:00.000-05:00

YAMANASHI

Last week I went to Yamanashi Prefecture with Emi to stay with some of her relatives for several days. It was some pretty countryside and not too far from the city. Where we stayed seemed to be set in a large valley in the midst of the mountains.

The family we stayed with grows Peaches, Grapes, and also Orchids. We helped out in the green house for a couple days while we were there, moving the Orchids. We also ate a lot of good food while we were there. On the first night we had all you can eat Yaki Niku, as part of the birthday party for Emi's cousin's husband. I'm glad we arrived in time for the party because that was the best yakiniku I've ever had.

Emi's cousin and her husband also have a little girl named Himeka (princess flower). She is very cute and she seems to know it. She is always ready to pose for the camera. We had fun playing with her and doing some fireworks while we were there. We also just heard a couple days after we got back that Himeka's mom just had their second baby, a boy. It came a little early so no one was expecting him.

After all the hard work in the greenhouse we spent our last day at Fujikyu Highland! This theme park has one of the fastest roller coasters in the world, and it has the two coasters that hold the record for the highest height and most loops.

The roller coaster that has the most loops is called eejanaika, which can be roughly translated "why not". For example one could say, "hey would you like to go on the most frightening roller coaster in the world?" And then you could respond "eejanaika". I'm told that it is actually not a typical way to respond and perhaps eejanaika is a southern way to say "iin janai". They both mean the same thing. Any way, this picture below is not of eejanaika, its Fujiyama, and it once held the record for the highest coaster in the world. Fujiyama and Eejanaika were both awesome rides, and I consider myself a judge of roller coaster quality.

2007-08-12T01:15:00.000-05:00

There is a new Photo Blog up for the WOLJ camps this summer.
Also there is a website set up for SYME Japan but this site is just temporary while the real website is being constructed. I will add both of these links to "My Bookmarks" section.

2007-08-09T07:44:00.000-05:00

Kid's Camp Water Fight

Well I posted a video for Teen Camp so here is one for Kid's Camp. It's filmed in a very documentary style as if the camera man was in a war zone... it kinda was.

2007-08-01T04:39:00.000-05:00

CRUNKED

At first I thought it said "crunchy".

2007-07-31T01:15:00.000-05:00

WOLJ Teen Camp day 2. We rent this facility one afternoon for each camp. Because SYME is built on the side of a mountain there isn't a lot of flat ground to do games so we shuttle the campers 15 minutes into town and use this gym.

2007-07-28T01:05:00.000-05:00

Summer: a time for camps.

Yesterday the campers who are going to the three weeks of New York Camp left Japan. A week ago I helped prepare the campers with some useful English phrases that they would likely encounter on their trip.

"Can I see your passport and entry card please?"

There are 21 campers going to N.Y. Camp this summer. 20 will go to Word of Life Island and one intrepid 5th grader is going to the Word of Life Ranch.

Also this week I went back up to SYME to prepare for the start of the Japan summer camps. The first day of camp is tomorrow. I will be driving back up with some of the campers tomorrow night. While I was there I enjoyed my first water melon smash off.

First a miss...

Then success!

2007-07-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

Recently I've been working on the opening video for the summer camp. I've been asked to play a significant part in the video due to my status as a minor celebrity here in Japan. I'll work on putting together a short preview clip for the blog but there is small problem. The camera's we are using film in HD, so to convert them to a format that I can edit on my computer takes an obscene amount of time and computer memory.
Never the less, I am committed to my faithful fans here at tHE lIFE eMERY so I will do what it takes!

2007-07-17T05:49:00.000-05:00

Japan Gets Hit Hard

Over the weekend a nasty typhoon named Man-yi hit the southern islands of Japan, mainly Kyushu and Shikoku doing a lot of damage. The latest report is that 4 have died in the flooding that followed and around 70 where injured. The typhoon was on its way here and we all prepared for the worst but it never came. We heard that it would hit Tokyo around 5 or 6am Sunday morning so we closed all the shutters and put the house on lock down. And when I woke up in the morning it was steadily raining but no worse then the day before. Basically the typhoon has stopped just off shore and had been dumping rain on the city all night. We waited for it to get worse all day but it never came, and by the evening we could see blue sky through the clouds.

Just a day after Man-yi passed, the main island of Honshu on the was rocked by two huge earthquakes near Niigata prefecture on the Sea of Japan side of the island. This caused even more immediate damage then the typhoon and at least 8 people were killed and about 800 were injured according to NHK. The initial quake measured 6.8 on the Richter scale and we could feel them all the way in Tokyo. The second quake hit around midnight and was measured at 6.6 and the A.P. reported that the second quake was not an after shock of the first, but an unrelated event. I read that skyscrapers in Tokyo swayed for almost a full minute and that's some thing because Niigata is about 130 miles away. NHK also reported that approximately 7,000 people have had to flee their homes because of the damage.

2007-07-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

BAKER BOUNCE a review by tHE eMERY

Finally I was introduced to my new favorite Burger Place in Tokyo, Baker Bounce. Well, here's the official review:

Photos Courtesy of Bakerbounce.com

To discuss Baker Bounce, one has to first describe Sangenjaya. Merely two stations away from Shibuya, one of the busiest burrows in all of Tokyo, Sangenjaya is a not so secret escape from the fast pace life style of Tokyo. It's like living in the suburbs but still having all the major convenience of the big city. And believe me, it's easy to get used to that kind of convenience. I am currently living a five minute walk from just about every thing I could want... grocery store, movie rental, dozens of restaurants, and of course the subway station. My poor girl friend actually has to walk four minutes all the way to StarBucks every day :(

Well, hidden away in one of those narrow streets that make up Sangenjaya is Baker Bounce. Of course the place has become so popular these days that they have opened a new more modern location in Ropongi Midtown, one of the more upscale districts in the city. But the heart and soul of Baker Bounce is still here in Sangenjaya and it's made up of a lot of that local flavor that makes this such a great place to live.

There is a sort of classic feel once you're inside. From the worn out stools at the bar, to the framed 1950's car advertisements on the wall, it feels like an American style diner in a legit way, that no other restaurant I have visited in Japan has been able to duplicate. In fact, the official slogan is "The Best Diner in Tokyo". I did feel it while I was there, but although there are sandwiches, soups and salads on the menu, it's really all about the beef. Baker Bounce is more of your classic burger joint than it is a diner. Actually under the main slogan there is another claim;

"Charcoal Broiled & B.B.Q. Burgers, Sandwiches have Real American Flavour"

I guess some one forgot to tell them that in America there is no 'u' in 'flavor'.

As for the food, the burger I got was awesome! I could have gone with the standard hamburger (945yen), or conversely, the more exotic 'Red Eye Bull' burger (945-1,522yen depending on the type of beef patty you want). Instead I chose the more moderate approach and ordered the Bacon Cheese Burger at 1,102yen and I was not disappointed.

The Portion size was generous. I was only mildly disappointed at the size of the side dishes, i.e. french fries. As is the custom in Japan, you don't really get a lot of fries with your order. I soon forgot about that after I saw my burger. I believe the word is "ginormous" (I recently read that ginormous will appear in the newest edition of Webster's collegiate dictionary so I'm using it)!

A fork and knife are a good method for those afraid of dislocating their jaw on the massive burgers.

I was impressed by more then just the size. The 'flavour' was indeed fantastic. The toppings on my Bacon Cheese Burger were top notch. The Veggies like tomato and lettuce tasted fresh and light, and the bacon was cut from a side of pork before my very eyes. And the beef itself was juicy and thick. It was delicious in all aspects.

Compared to say, McDonald's or Burger King it is a bit pricey, but then consider I spent about $10 on my meal and you are going to spend about the same at any upscale burger place in the U.S. like Ruby Tuesdays or TGI Fridays.

So Two Thumbs up for Baker Bounce. I'll be back again many times this summer I'm sure. My mission is to try to get my hands on a t-shirt or some other merchandise although it doesn't look like they sell any thing like that. I still need to try. The world needs to know about Baker Bounce.

2007-07-04T01:37:00.000-05:00

This Week at SYME

Actually, I have been at SYME for two weeks. Last week I was preparing lesson plans and helping type out some material for the staff. This past week I have been teaching the classes that I was preparing for last week. I am very much enjoying spending time with the students. Actually it's nice to see the building a year after later... Its looking much better. Also they have a Nintendo Wii in the lobby and that's a huge improvement (as opposed to no Wii at all, which would leave us basically where we started) .

Last weekend was "Friend Day" for the students. That is always on the last day of the semester. They were all practicing for weeks to get ready, and every student was involved in some way for friend day. It was held at Karuizawa Union Church.

We have Korean and Japanese students at SYME, and four of them were graduating on Friend Day. For the Korean students this really was the last full day they were in Japan before they had to go back to Korea for the summer. The reason I am still here is because the Japanese students have on more week of classes after the Koreans leave.

One of the Students who graduated this semester is Manna. She is a friend of mine that I met when she was at SYME in Korea, and I got to spend time with her last summer. I was even able to help her study her English last year while I was here, and I am really proud of her! She plans to go to school in New York in the fall. GOOD JOB MANNA!

2007-06-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

KID'S FESTIVAL!

This was the annual Kid's Festival at the Tokyo Christ Mission Church. We had a great time just like last year! In the first picture you can see Towa, one of my students from last summer, chasing after his little sister Noa~chan, who was not walking last summer.

All the workers did a great job and the puppet show was excellent this year! Thank you to all the Little Lamb staff for all your hard work, I'm sure the kids had a great time!

2007-06-22T20:18:00.000-05:00

The other day I had an English class with Saeka~chan. I had classes with her last summer and she was my most faithful student! Her English is much better than last summer so I was very excited. She has been taking classes with Emi over the year.

I think she was at least a little nervous at our first new lesson but I was just glad to see her again and I was really excited that her English was really improving!

2007-06-18T04:59:00.000-05:00

Hiroki no Okonomiyaki

Last night we went out to Hiroki for Okonomiyaki. It is a similar place to Bochi Bochi, where I went with Kazu, Amy, Shin, Fuji, and Emi last summer. It was really good, probably even better than Bochi Bochi. The appetizer was octopus and veggies fried in some sort of basil sauce. Very tasty!

Mine is on the top left. I ordered it with soba, chives, mochi and squid! I love eating okonomiyaki because you are always left feeling more than satisfied.

2007-06-17T22:37:00.000-05:00

Meeting Fuji~san

I spent the last few nights with Emi's brother Shin, at his apartment. I was here a couple times last year but it was later in the summer, after the rainy season was over and it was very hazy. Since its still early June the air was a little clearer this time and I was able to get my first view ever of Mr. Fuji.

Can you see him?

Here is the view with the help of a zoom lens.

Fuji~san 9:00am June 16, 2007.

2007-06-15T04:58:00.000-05:00

I made it. I am back in Japan. I missed this view.

2007-06-05T12:05:00.000-05:00

Just an update on my little family.

2007-05-30T17:53:00.000-05:00

The Summer is upon us!

I spent the afternoon outside the other day doing some odd jobs and clean the bugs off my car. I was struck by the fact that the Florida summer is in full force and it totally snuck up on me. It was the nicest afternoon that I've experienced in quite a while.

As I was washing the truck I noticed some thing odd in the spare tire. I hadn't really driven the truck since before the wedding so who knows what could have gotten in there...
...turns out a sparrow's nest has gotten on there. I let it be for now and the bird seems to come back every day even after I drive the car, and no matter if I park in a different spot! There are 4 eggs and I hope they hatch before I leave to Japan.

2007-05-18T17:40:00.001-05:00

DRUSKI'S WEDDING

The big day was last weekend and we all had a good time. I wanted to update sooner but most of the pictures I took were of the car ride up to Indiana and nothing very interesting. Today I got these pictures from the Blog of the photographer, Nichole Green.

I think the pictures turned out great! We had fun taking them :D . I am looking forward to seeing the rest. Andy and Abby should be back from their Honeymoon in a couple days.

2007-05-09T15:17:00.000-05:00

So I'm leaving tomorrow for Andy's wedding so I figure its time to get a hair cut. And yes.. shave. So here's one last look at the bearded me...

BEFORE

AFTER

2007-05-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

Brian Newby left us yesturday. He will be here in the States for a few more days before he goes to Japan for the summer to prepare for his new ministry in Thailand. Good luck Newby. I'll see you in about two months in Karuizawa.

2007-05-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

I saw "Hot Fuzz" last night with Jason. Its from the same guys that made "Shaun of the Dead" and its definitely in the same tradition. Its hard to top SotD but this movie did have some good laughs and great one liners.

Not your typical Action scene.

After the movie Jay and I went and got some decaf Tea at the book store because I have a bit of a cold and it felt good on my sore throat. I've been drinking the Amazake that Emi gave me too. Its very soothing. I hope I feel better soon. I will be the best man in Andy's Wedding next week!

2007-04-28T12:08:00.000-05:00

Music in the Life Emery

I've decided to add a mp3 widget to the blog to play some of my favorite music while you read my updates. I'll try to change it every couple days. I'm using a data hosting site called esnips.
Check it out.

2007-04-26T22:18:00.000-05:00

Routine Maintenance

Several weeks ago I decided I could no longer stand the squeaking sounds coming from my front brakes and decided to change my brake pads. And I thought that since I would have the car up off the ground and I would be taking apart the brakes, I should probably change the whole front brake system. So I got some new front rotors, pads, and calipers from Advance Auto Parts.

The job actually proved more difficult then I had planned because my Pathfinder has a type of Hub for the 4WD that I never seen before. Getting the whole thing apart was kind of a headache actually. Jason had to help me.

Eventually we got it all apart and back together again. If you look closely and the picture above you can see the new rotor, in comparison to the old one that Jay and I were working on in the other photos. Also, in this last picture I have the old brake pad on the left and the new one on the right. There was nothing left on the old pads, it was metal on metal so its good that I got it done when I did.

2007-03-11T10:53:00.000-05:00

Long Overdue Christmas Photos

I know its April, but I promised myself that I would put up some photo's from Christmas this year. So here they are: For the first time ever, the Emery family had Christmas away from home and relatives. Instead of me flying up to my parents, the whole family came down to me. The Florida sky is beautiful but it just didn't feel like Christmas some how.

Of course we had the annual Axis & Allies game...I don't really remember, but I assume I won.

We Also had a lot of fun visiting all the theme parks in Orlando. Of course the best part of all was that Emi could come all the way from Japan for Christmas!

We had lots of fun at all the different theme parks. It was a different Christmas then what I am used to thats for sure. And some how my mom avoided being in any pictures but she WAS there. Any way, I am in the process of catching up my blog with all the recent goings on so I expect there to be a flurry of updates...or at least, I hope so ;)

2006-11-16T16:14:00.000-05:00

Any one remember my post about a month ago where we found Kazu's Sushi? As it turns out, Kazu and his wife are Christians and were looking for help in their restaurant a few weeks ago so I put in an application. The money is much better then at Advance Auto Parts and it's a very pleasant, although some times high intensity working environment.

Here's Kazu behind the sushi bar.

I took these pictures the other day before we opened the doors to start serving lunch. It's quite the popular spot. Kazu does serve the best sushi in town so we get a lot of repeat customers but not too many Japanese people come in. I guess there just isn't a very large Japanese population in this area. Still, for me its a good opportunity to not get rusty with my Japanese and actually learn new vocabulary. Plus Kazu is a nice guy to work for.

But things are not perfect in dAVE land. Last night there was a pretty big storm and I was not home when it started. The dog (named Zelda) is absolutely terrified of thunder and lightning and while I was gone she urinated all over my bed, and in her nervousness tore holes in the MOGU micro bead pillows that Emi gave me.

In the picture above you can see her resting on my bed with my blue Mogu man still alive and well in the upper left hand corner. This was taken several days ago. Since I arrived in Florida Zelda has assumed partial ownership of my bed and often sleeps at the foot, and she also tends to go there when she has been scared by some thing. Sadly since I was not home until late last evening she apparently could not stop from wetting herself on my bedding. She has been appropriately punished and from now on the door to the room will be secured when neither Jason or myself is home.

Goodbye Mogu man...

2006-11-12T23:12:00.000-05:00

The Sights and Sounds are here Again

Its mid November and that means that the New York students are here to start practicing for the Sights & Sounds of Christmas. Its the most wonderful time of the year! Or atleast that's what I heard when I walked into their first walk through practice tonight.I'm excited because Fuji is here for the next month for the play! I hope I can spend some time with her while she is here, but I know that all the Collegians have a pretty busy schedule. I got to sit and talk with her for a few minutes tonight, but even though I have all day off tomorrow, I won't be able to really see her because she is practicing all day... oh well. There will be time later.

By the way, if you are having trouble remembering who Fuji is then refer back to my post on September 1st of this year.

2006-11-03T15:27:00.000-05:00

Letters From Tokyo

I got a some letters and post cards from Japan last week. First from Saeka, one of my Englsih students from the summer. She gave me lots of stuff!
Here's Saeka and I from the summer...

She sent me a paper crane and a maze that she made herself! I am looking forward to seeing her again next summer. She is taking English classes in school for the first time this year, and also is taking some English lessons from Emi now that I am gone.

I've also gotten a few letters and post cards from Emi since I've been here.

She sent me a Rela-Kuma folder to keep all my important documents in. I'm a big rela-kuma fan, but then again, who isn't?

I've got all the pictures and postcards that Emi sent on the shelf above my desk.

2006-11-03T00:08:00.000-05:00

I've been messing around with the layout and settings on my blog here and I think I've finally settled on this template.

2006-10-29T15:14:00.000-05:00

HAPPY OCTOBERFUSS!

Happy Octoberfuss every body! For those of you who are new to Octoberfuss let me give you a brief history of this special holiday.

The first Octoberfuss was on October 31, 1517, when a German Monk nailed up a list of stuff on the door of a hapel that held all the things he was fussing over concerning the condition of the Roman Catholic Church. Protestants have been fussing ever since! So this October 31st instead of dressing up in a silly costume and going to your neighbor's house's asking for candy, try the traditional Octoberfuss activity of getting together with your other reformed buddies and celebrating the fact that we are no longer slaves to the law but saved by grace!

Martin Luther, who's 95 thesis sparked the reformation, and the first Octoberfuss.

Sola Scritura, Solous Christus, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Deo Gloria.

2006-10-28T14:09:00.000-05:00

Newbypalooza

Last night was the first ever "Newbypalooza", an all night event for the guy students at the Florida B.I. Sponsored by the male dean staff we had nearly all the guys show up for the fun and games.

Brian Newby: the inspiration for Newbypalooza

Andy and Brian Nelson assemble the Xbox's

Of course all the students needed to recieve their war paint in order to take part.

I took inspiration from Peter Criss the drummer for KISS
We had guys playing video games, watching movies and playing board games all night.

The festivities lasted until 6:00 the next morning but Jason and I went back home and to bed around 1:00.

2006-10-19T00:12:00.000-05:00

I have, in times past, been quite the "bushy" fellow. Recently I decided it was time for a change of pace. This is my brother and I circa 2004.

Here's a sneak peak of the new me:

2006-10-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Since I get a pretty artsy audiance here on this blog, I thought this inspiring picture would not go unappriciated.

2006-10-07T19:32:00.000-05:00

CAMP FIRE

Tonight we cut down some of the rotting trees in the back yard and used the wood to make our second camp fire of the season...

It's still pretty warm here, even at night so there are mosquitos around. Hopefully in a month or some we can stay out all evening and not have to worry about being eaten alive.

Jason and I made this fire pit at the very back of the yard, by the pond and it's the best view of sunset.

2006-10-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

2006-09-25T14:59:00.001-05:00

You Are An INTP

The Thinker

You are analytical and logical - and on a quest to learn everything you can.
Smart and complex, you always love a new intellectual challenge.
Your biggest pet peeve is people who slow you down with trivial chit chat.
A quiet maverick, you tend to ignore rules and authority whenever you feel like it.

You would make an excellent mathematician, programmer, or professor.

What's Your Personality Type?

2006-09-23T23:31:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how many people are still checking this blog on a regular basis now that my exciting time as a minor celebrity in Japan is over but I thought I was still way over due for an update.

I arrived safely in New York a couple weeks ago and spend a few days in Scrhoon Lake with Kazu and Amy before making the 24 hour trek to Florida. For those of you who don't already know, I spent two years in Florida before I went to New York so this was a bit of a home coming for me. I have lots of friends here and its a familiar environment so I'm very glad to be back.

Now that its been a few weeks and life is once again returning to normalcy I am really starting to appreciate my time in Japan all the more. I miss the people the most, but also its just a different life style. Its very easy to get used to the kind of convenience one enjoys while living in Sangenjaya. I loved being able to walked to the grocery store, video store, and Starbucks, do all of my shopping, AND be back home in 15 minutes. Here the shopping mall is 15 to 20 minutes away by car and I consider that pretty close.

Being in Florida comes with its own special circumstances too. You have to remember, for instance, that it could rain at any time, even on the sunniest of days, and who knows when the power is going to go out because of a storm several miles away that you can not even see. Even though I love it here its hard to feel totally at home however...

I'm sure that growing up in Canada but being an American gave me a slightly (very slightly) more multi-national view of the world. I always found myself defending the American point of view when I was in Canada and vice versa when I was in the U.S. Perhaps one of the reasons why I was able to adjust to life in Japan so quickly is because I have always considered myself to be without my own country. Don't get me wrong, I am very proud to be an American and I love America. Still... I find myself (when life gets a little overwhelming) longing for the comparatively simple life I lead in southern Ontario. I don't unnecessarily feel 'home sick' , but if I were to feel 'home sick' I suppose it would be for the little town where I grew up and not for Florida or New York.

I'm very much looking forward to going back to Japan. My three months there went by too quickly. I think the pace of life in Florida is about half speed. I don't know if that will encourage Emi or not; to know that her time apart from me will go by twice as fast as it will for myself...

2006-09-12T21:05:00.000-05:00

Summer must be over because I'm back in the USA. I had a lot of fun in Japan and I will miss every one! Especially my English Students! I enjoyed teaching Saeka and Towa english every week. Saeke will be starting English in shcool this year and I hope my lessons will help her. I am looking forward to seeing them again next summer!

This is where I live now. Florida. The site of my future world famous Okonomiyaki restaurant.

2006-09-03T08:51:00.000-05:00

THE BATTLE

2:28

2006-09-01T01:14:00.000-05:00

This past week went by very quickly. This week I went on my last trip of the summer up to Karuizawa. We went there for just a couple of days to finish some of the painting and on the last day there the Kato's took me to some of the famous sites in Karuizawa. The first place they took us was to Ishi no Kyoukai. That can be said "Church of Stone" or just "Stone Church". It's a very beautiful place and it built to commemorate a very famous Japanese writer and Evangelist, Kanzo Uchimura.

After that we went to a place called Shiraito no Taki, which is roughly translated "White Thread Falls".

Also earlier in the week Emi and I went to Harajuku for Yosakoi Festival. It was interesting and it was a good excuse to go to Harajuku which I have seen many times out of the window in the subway as I rode to other places in the city, but I had never stopped there. I guess its a "young people's" town and, many tourists shop there. So again, the festival was pretty much just a good excuse to explore Harajuku, which we did.

And finally, last Sunday was Fuji's last day with the Little Lamb Club. After I leave it will be left to Sakiko, Yocheru, and Emi. Fuji is off to the B.I. in New York. I will see her next week when I fly back to the States and maybe in the winter if she decides to go out for The Sights and Sounds of Christmas play that I was in when I was a student because they do the play in Florida which is where I plan to be.
頑張って　フジ!!!

2006-08-25T22:22:00.000-05:00

BUGS & BIRTHDAYS

As a little thank you to Mr. Kato for this summer (and also to provide a more suitable gladiator training ground) I bought him a new bug cage for the beetles we found in Karuizawa. We originally brought back 3 with us but one has already perished. Apparently these bugs lack the ability to roll over if they fall onto their backs and have nothing to grab onto. Left in this state for more then a few minutes the beetles will simply give up on life and choose to die. I prefer to think of it as weeding out the weak.

This guy (or girl) is definitely the alpha bug. It controlled the other two and was the most aggressive by far. Now that the smaller male has died it has calmed down and spends most of its days under the dirt and moves around mainly at night.

This is Towa, one of my English students. He is three years old and comes once a week. Also he loves bugs!

And here are Hisako-san and I making some sweet obstacles for the new training area. We used chop sticks, tooth picks and wood clue. I love craft time!!

Also this week was SHINS BIRTHDAY!!!

We had tons of food and lots of fun. We decorated the living room all afternoon. Shin has been such a good friend to me this summer and it was pleasant bonus to have found another friend in Emi's family. Her oldest brother Kazu has already been a big blessing in my life and now getting to know Shin has been maybe even more special because he has been a pillar for me here in a strange place where I don't really know the language or culture. It was great to get the chance to spend his birthday with him!

2006-08-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

WORK CAMP

Last week was the work camp and it was a very productive week indeed. Every one worked very hard and it was also alot of fun. SYME is starting to look alot better... actually it looks much, much better then it did when I first went there.

The last night was a cook out! We put the grill on the balcony outside of the dinning room.

Also we found some bugs to bring home. I will devote the rest of my free time into training them to be champion bug fighters!

This was a good time for finishing projects that we started along time ago. There is still a lot of work to do but the list is getting smaller and smaller and thats good. I think it will be in great shape by April, when the first students arrive.

2006-08-21T05:21:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't already seen Operation Bearwatch The Movie, you ought to check out Gaijin For Life first.

OBW Special Edition is meant to be supplementary material to the movie, however it is still enjoyable on its own. The special features include:

-Never before seen footage
-Commentary by the Director and editor
-Actor commentary
-Behind the scenes look at the making of Operation Bearwatch

The movie (like all KEITAI CINEMA) was made with footage from Luke's keitai, or cell phone, and used only windows movie maker. Because of the length I had to use a lower resolution in the final video so it might not look great on a full screen. Enjoy...


6 min 27 sec

2006-08-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

Aomori Visit

The English camp run by Luke's parents was lots of fun and I was really excited to help out. As it was, they were going to be a little short staffed this summer for the camp so it was great that Emi and I were able to go.

Here is Lukes father, John Elliot, during one of the morning sessions.

And here he is as the proud new grandfather Elliot! I'm not sure, but I think that week was the first time he had seen Emma Grace.

The Camp was four days and three nights and we did lots of fun stuff with the "campers". It was more of a seminar then a camp but they want to have that camp feel to attract young people I guess so they do things like cook outs and camp fires... I really enjoyed it!

This was the small group that I had discussion class with every day. It was the oldest group and also probably the group with the strongest English.

Song time with Luke's mom!

And of course you can't have a camp without skit night. At least from a Word of Life Canada perspective. I mean, after all though s summers together Luke and I could pretty much do any skit we knew with little or no practice.

This was the whole group together on the last day, except for one or two who had to go home early because of work. There were 13 students I believe.

After the four days of camp Emi and I went to Luke and Yuko's home in Shimokita which is about as far north in Honshu as it gets. Actually I have a picture here that Luke took showing me standing at the "north pole" of Honshu. It was pretty awesome in Shimokita and when the sky was clear we could see Hokkiado which was less them 20 km away.

It was during those two days at Luke's that we filmed Operation Bearwatch The Movie. Which is finally up and paying on Luke's blog, Gaijin for Life.

The Special "Making Of" Operation Bearwatch should be finished and running on this website in a day or two.

2006-08-10T22:05:00.000-05:00

Sneak Preview

Last week was a lot of fun in Aomori. I even got to help Luke with the latest Keitai Cinema. Post production work has already begun at Gaijin For Life of "Operation Bear Watch: The Movie". Here at The Life Emery work will soon begin on the special edition, behind the scenes look at the filming of Operation Bear Watch. Until then please enjoy the release of these official Bear Watch photos.

The Official Keitai Cinema Cover:

Teaser Poster #1

Teaser Poster #2

2006-08-01T02:00:00.000-05:00

In approximately 7 hours I will jump on a bus with Emi and take a 9 and a half hour ride to Aomori for a joint week long mission with the Gaijin for Life Team. What dangers and adventure await us I cannot tell. The only certain thing is that it will be fun because well... who can't have fun with Luke Elliot? Then again... Has becoming a dad dampened his adventurer's spirit? Stay tuned for the answer and much more!

2006-07-27T23:18:00.000-05:00

We had a few more things to finish up before the new appliances arrived. We spent most of the day on Tuesday finishing the paint and cleaning the kitchen.

Finally on Wednesday morning the truck arrived with the new refrigerator and dish washer!

Now with the new paint and new fridge and washer the kitchen looks 100% better. We spent days last week just cleaning the grease from the stove and sinks. Also the floor is looking better but still needs a little work. At least now the kitchen is ready for the work camp, and we should be getting the gas turned on some time in the next couple weeks.

2006-07-24T03:22:00.000-05:00

We are leaving tonight for Karuizawa once again. I'll be gone until friday but I'm sure we will take lots of pictures. The new fridge and dish washer are arriving on Wednesday. We will be getting ready for the work camp that is happening next week. We are expecting over 20 people from the Church to come for 4 days and help clean up and renovate SYME. So the kitchen needs to be in working order before then because we need to use it to feel every one. We are hoping to have all the smaller projects finished before then end of August because a group from the Nehemiah Network is coming in September to do the major renovations.
I think we will be spending most of our time in the kitchen again this week...

2006-07-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Here is an update from our work at SYME. We did alot of painting in the kitchen this week, as well as cleaning the floors and scrubbing the sinks and stoves and counter tops. Since the last time I was there the floors and wallpaper in the student rooms has been finished. The 3rd floor bathroom is nearly finished also and, the 2nd floor bathroom will be done this week. New light fixtures have been installed in the shower room on the 2nd floor. That room has a large jacuzzi style bath that could easily handle six or seven people. It will be more of a lounge then a shower room now because the boys and girls bathrooms on each floors now have new showers.

Click on a picture to enlarge it. There are several before and after images.