has anyone seen my Pekie??

Cricket went missing this afternoon and was gone several hours before he finally followed a nice man on a walk with his own little dog, right to our block. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway since this is my blog, I panicked and went from door to door search and calling for him with his picture. I sent a email with his picture to all the California animal shelters, using petharbor.com. I updated the contacts on his microchip.
First we searched the palms and brush in the backyard in case he had gotten caught, screamed himself to sleep and was still there snoring loudly. But no. We searched to nooks of the house and yard where he may have chewed on the wrong cord. Thankfully, no. I looked under the sink where I hid the ant "discouragement." No.
I fretted about who might be cooking up a batch of Peke soup for dinner, with bean sprouts and fresh ginger. I add the two ingredients in my mind since he is, after all, a Chinese breed originally bred to entertain the young girls of the palace. Starting with the wolf, over two thousand years ago. Frankie went in his room and laid down on his bed.
We drove around and called for him and even took Miss Peach for her help. Help, ha. Hell, I was afraid maybe she finally ate him!
Anyway, the man who brought him back didn't stay to witness the tearful reunion. He had things to do.

male bonding road trip

Jose and Nate have decided to take a little male bonding road trip back to MN to see his folks, get his motorcycles license, and take in some cross-country scenery. Frankie and I, who have been lost in Tokyo and Yokohama, in the car with Jose and have been to Nikko and back with him (seems like just yesterday...) have elected to stay in our new home. Well, staying in our home isn't quite accurate...

Nevertheless, Jose and Nate stayed overnight at the Luxor and took in a Criss Angel show. They were, for some reason, given front row seats instead of their cheap seats, and were very excited and happy.

I miss the two of them so much, can't wait till they get home this weekend!

Life in the States

Well, we are enjoying being back in the good ole U S of A. I love having things in English. However, we are having a bit of reverse culture shock over here, for example:

Why is everything centered around shopping at big stores that take up ungodly amounts of land, when another version of the same shops are a mile away? I mean, each little neighborhood is custom built around a little mall, like a Walt Disney planned neighborhood over here! The houses look the same, they are quite large and with small yards. So many were just bought to sell or rent.

These are not the family homes we saw in Japan, with the landlady who lives next door and built another house on her land to rent out. Everyone has a large master bedroom with a bathroom in it, and certain kinds of floors and counter tops. Everyone has HHA approved shrubs in the front yard, surrounded by a thick ring of sod. Why don't we have more open land? What has happened to the mom and pop stores?? It's a bit sad.

Why is everyone so loud when they talk? Why are they so rude and inconsiderate of eachother? I get struck by how strangers are not kind to eachother, they assume the worst and will mutter terrible things to people they don't know.

Why do people not smile at eachother, and they look tense and angry all the time when they are out in public. In front of their freshly watered sod washing suds into the street, they are relaxed and cheerful...

Ok, I have mostly noticed this phenomenon in parking lots and crowded shops. Ok, I have been learning to drive on the right side of the road again. People are in a hurry to get to a spot in a store or lot, and they will utter the most unspeakable things to eachother!

Why do people play music really loud, outside in the driveway, while they are washing their large gas-guzzling vehicles?

Why do people, who live in the desert basically, have plants that will not grow there normally and then have to waste good water in their underground sprinkler systems that the Home Owner's Association says we have to have, instead of putting desert-loving plants out?

Why is it so hard to get the short one into his neighborhood school, why is there a wait list for even the local kids, and why don't they hire more teachers? Why can't all schools everywhere be better? Why do the safer neighborhoods get good schools and the kids in the high crime areas get stuck? How are they suppossed to get a chance in life?

Why do people all over the world pay $3 for a cup of coffee, which costs Starbucks 50 cents to make? Which includes this writer.

On the plus side:

Whoa, the dessert here is huge!!! Whoo hoo! And the portions are huge, and cheap! Yay!!

San Diego is a cool and interesting melting pot. So many people and languages. One day Frankie, Yuri and I went to a Chinese supermarket, one day a mixed Asian market. Lemongrass, fish sauce, sweet rice, lime leaves, curry paste, live frogs!

One day we had Vietnamese for lunch, then authentic Mexican, then Greek, then Indian for dinner. We shopped in the Indian neighborhood and picked up spices I've never seen except on a recipe. From there some Toor Daal, cardamom, tamarind paste, frozen garlic naan for Frankie.

From the farmer's market, we got homemade Mexican pork and pepper tamales, hummus and pita bread, watermelon juice, and puppy treat samples.

Target is overwhelming, and so is Barnes and Noble. But in a good way.

We can see the lights of Mexico from my friend Yuri's house. Amazing!

There are no mosquitoes here, and I have not seen a centipede yet. But we do have a red ant issue in the kitchen. Whatever, I don't go in there anyway!

I worked on knitting a shawl on the beach in Coronado while Frankie jumped in the waves the with Ashely. The beach on the base is amazing...

I informed Jose that when we moved here, I would need a car with GPS, so that I would never be intimidated to drive here the way I was in Japan. Sure, I drove, but not with the spirit of freedom that I have now. GPS rocks, and all Navy wives should have one for when they move to a new area. In my humble opinion.

last days in Japan

Over the last month, our family has been anxious and excited to return to the States, but now feeling very sentimental about leaving beautiful Japan.
My camera, unfortunately, is out of commission: someone in this house who shall remain nameless, a female, packed the charger out with the rest of the express shipment....
But here is what we have been up to, for the record:

Jose has been on leave, and up with the sun every morning, in a hurry to get on a train to Tokyo, which he has been exploring on foot.

I had a goodbye lunch at the Japanese buffet in the New Yokosuka Hotel, with the gals from the thrift shop: all you can eat of everything you can imagine...

Jose had a goodbye party at a Thai place in Yokosuka, hosted by his Japanese interns at the hospital, including all you can possible stuff yourself of delicious Thai food, complete with armploads of flowers and one fabulous model ship, the Mikasa, the parts of which will not be lying around my living room later in San Diego...

We had a wonderful dinner at Appu Ghar, the Indian place overlooking the beach in Kamakura, with Emily and Josh - complete with takeout naan and mutton curry for the chaps, and of course brilliant conversation...

One last field trip in which I chaperoned the short one, took a ferry across Tokyo bay, a walk through an old fishing town, a gondola ride up a mountain, a picnic, and more brilliant conversation with fifth grade boys...

One afternoon at the 7 or 8 building craft place in Kamata, complete with the most awesome Korean food (bee been ba ???) for lunch, with Jose, carrying home on the train one bag of yarn I don't need, yet do need...

One trip with the kids and Jose to the Enoshima aquarium, to see the unearthly beautiful Jellyfish Hall, dip our hands in a pool and have them nibbled by "doctor fish", a walk and shopping around Enoshima Island...

Taking off the shoes I wore to Enoshima Island and without remorse, throwing them in a bag to donate to the thrift shop, then reaching for a band aid...

one trip to Koppabashi street in Tokyo with hubby, to drool over shelves of pretend food, purchase one life size fake cappuccino with heart-shaped foam which makes me smile every time I see it...

finding a Japanese company, Nittsu Transport, who will bring out Pekingese to the States during the warm month of June, via Japan Air, for the small sum of about $1500 USD, or should I say our Pekinge$e dog...

one magical night with our dear Japanese friend, who served us sukiyaki at her house, which a groaning tableful of fresh vegetables, meat, whole grain rice, homemade pickles, two kinds of soup, smoked salmon and pickled garlic eggplant and huge breaded prawn and homemade garlic mayo appetizer, followed by custard, ice cream, homemade plum shochu...
then when the sun went down, a hike in the warm breezy evening up the mountain, across creeks, up the winding woods, to a place where the fireflies were blinking...

and one more week to say goodbye to this amazing place, to prepare to return to our country, where mom can read a map, ask for directions, start on a diet, and the new shoes will fit...