Archive for June, 2006
June 22, 2006 at 1:02 pm · Filed under Sweet Finds
I cannot believe that I didn’t hear about this 2 months ago! AGFRAG Entertainment Group (that name doesn’t sit well on my tongue) bought the rights to a Bob Ross video game which they will develop for the Nintendo Wii. Can’t express how joyful that makes me. Did anyone catch my stupid grin during lunch time.
I was going to include a picture with this post because posts need pictures especially when they are about Bob Ross. But, when I went to the Bob Ross website and did a right-click on his face, I received a pop-up:
Reminder! The contents of this website are Bob Ross Inc. copyrighted. Downloading or reproduction of any part is strictly prohibited by law.
…and to pay respect to Bob Ross, I passed on getting the picture…even though…is linking to a picture online violating copyright laws? Writing this though, it occured to me that Bob Ross would probably want people to copy those pictures. I mean…isn’t that what his whole career was about?
June 21, 2006 at 1:28 pm · Filed under Addictions
I have a mean craving to sit down with a huge bowl of miniwheats and play the Sims for several hours. Alas! I don’t think I will be able to do that for a while. There is something about video games and cereal. Especially the Sims. I would like to make a Sims house out of cereal.
June 21, 2006 at 12:51 pm · Filed under Experiences
Sunday of this past weekend, we went to Nakashige-san’s house for an udon party. I was told that Nakashige-san is an expert udon maker and although I am not an udon connaisseur, I can judge from his ease with the dough, and from the tastiness of the end product, that this is true.
We got to see most of the noodle making process – all but making the dough which is a tricky part. The noodles consist of a ratio of flour, water, and salt and the ratio needs to be adjusted slightly depending on the season of the year (and maybe location?)…I think it has to do with the humidity. Anyway, the dough was there when we arrived and it needed to be stepped on. I was unfortunately initially lazy with my camera so I don’t have a picture, but basically, you put the dough in a plastic bag, put it on the floor, and step on it. Feet kneading(?) When that is done, the dough is further manipulated by rolling it around a thin rolling pin and across a table repeatedly. Eventually you get a thinner sheet of dough that should have a certain type of elasticity. I am doing a horrible job of explaning this…really should have taken more pictures. Anyway, once the elasticity is right, you can cut the noodles. You can see the professional noodle cutter in the pictures I did take. It automatically shifts along its track as you cut up and down so you get very precise noodle sizes. Absolutely amazing.
We all got to take some uncooked noodles home with us. I had udon again for supper, and then for breakfast the next day, AND I have more noodles in my freezer for another time. Entertainment during noodle eating was provided by Nakashige-san’s four-year-old daughter who is the cutest thing. She’s quite the energetic one! I could not understand most of the things she said, but after some repetition I could catch on. I think she knew I was a foreigner as occasionally she would break out into the ABC song. Already taking English lessons! Ahh it was a lot of fun : )
June 20, 2006 at 12:54 pm · Filed under On the Train / Bus
Three guys, maybe between 17 and 19 years old, wife-beaters (is it still okay for me to call them that?), chains, and baseball caps. Being all cool. Looking a little like they want to be tough, or appear tough. It is late at night and a long ride home from Tokyo. People sleep where they can. These guys are getting tired. Two squat on the floor of the train. One uses a box he has with him as a seat.
The ride goes on. More people get off. They can use the adjustable seats by the doors. Two sit on them. The other guy, the smallest of the three and the one who looks the most tired, still sits on his box. I fall asleep for a bit. I wake up and look over at them again. The smaller one is slumped over with his head resting in his friend’s lap. It is the most adorable thing and I wanted to take a picture but didn’t.
Would you ever see this in Canada? Would a guy dare to take advantage of close comfort from a friend? The complexity of Japanese personal space completely amazes me. In some ways I feel gaping voids of uncertainty but then in many other ways I feel welcoming and warmness. I can only interpret through experience so I am constantly left very curious as to what people are thinking and feeling.
June 20, 2006 at 10:35 am · Filed under Mostly Hilarious
…I read about the handful of mochi related deaths every year in Japan and this fact itself seemed quite funny to me. Oh I felt horrible chuckling about it but death by choking on any sorts of food seems a bit funny to me and that it is a common, annual thing makes it funnier.
On Friday night we had a work party. I brought mochi deaths up and I was informed that the emergency procedure in the case of choking on mochi is to use a vacuum cleaner to suck it out. Heimlich doesn’t cut it. This had me in tears laughing.
Now I am on a quest to find a mochi choking emergency procedure card (must have illustrations).
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