A small taste of what's to come

Expanding the Red

create your own visited countries map

Back from Beijing

I arrived safely back in Toyama early this morning.
Will update with photos after I finish writing my application essay...in Japanese.

A quick update before I head to Beijing.

It's been a hectic month, and the past week was extremely busy at work. It's the end of the week for me. Graduation day is over and tonight I'll be on the night bus to Tokyo. Tomorrow I'll meet up with Mike, a former JET and good friend and we'll be off on a wild and crazy Japanese tour to Beijing. 4 nights and 5 days. I'll try not to eat anything too raw, as my mother warned me. And I promise to only drink bottle water.


I wanted to post images from today and the past month, but blogger is not working for me at the moment. It'll have to wait until I get back.

Saying good-bye

Ok, it's Friday. I've said good-bye to two classes of second years (grade 11s) this week. It's not fun. I has taken me a long time to get these guys to warm up to me. To not jump whenever they meet me around a corner or to not repeat everything I say and actually have a conversation with me. I was there when these guys started Grade 10 - they have grown a lot -both physically and socially. I hope that I've had some influence on the latter.

My only consolation is that I'll still be around until July and will hopefully be in Japan next March when they graduate. I wish I could introduce all of you to them. They put a smile on my face everyday - they're friendly, funny, awkward, goofy, smart, not so smart, shy, lazy, energetic - yeah, they're teenagers and I love them all.

How Smoking Destroys Blood Circulation

click here and check this out

Blogging Takes TIme

Well, the last semester is almost over.

I have 200 projects to grade this week before another 200 start coming in next week.

So much for blogging, or studying.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DAD

What can I say?? He's my dad.
He's smart, he's wise, he's funny, he's creative, he's adventurous, he's brave, he's patient, he's kind, he's generous, AND he can diagnose a car from a million miles away with only sound effects as symptoms.
He's the perfect Dad, good thing he married the perfect Mom!!

More Boarding at Seaside

Saturday was another funtastic day at the hill. The day started out kind of slow as we encountered expressway closures - AFTER we got on the expressway!!
Friday night had been unbareably nasty -wind and snow and roads that were not fit for driving. There was a 61 car pile up on the expressway that night -but in the opposite direction from where we were headed. Yet for some reason the roads were still closed.
At any rate, we had to back track, get off at the Kurobe interchange, drive back through Nyuzen and Asahi (where we go on) and we had no choice but to take route 8.

I didn't take us long to get over our road woes though. Once we were strapped into our boards we had a full day of fun in the powder. Conditions were perfect for trying new stuff. I got braver as the day went on and it wasn't long before Kirsten and Amber had convinced me to try to the jump again. The table top was also attempted but the most fun was had riding the powder!! Once you get the hang of it, there's nothing like it. We basically closed the hill down on Saturday, rode to the very end, had lift attendants closing the gates behind us.

The we and us's of the weekend included my regular partners in crime -Sista K, Johnny P and Cheeks. But to make the day even better we were joined by the Uozu, and Namerikawa crews and even some cool kids from farther down the ken. About 17 of us in all and that included Jamie who drove all the way from the other end of the ken to hang out. Even though she wasn't boarding due to some snowboarding craziness the week before, she kept down the fort at the bottom of the hill, tended to the sick and fed the hungry (nothing cures the winter chills like one of Jamie's RUM BALLS!!).

We finished the day as usual, a soak at an onsen and a chill night at Koshi.

Thanks to Amber for the photo and thanks to all who came out to Seaside.
Sorry you missed it Amy-chan, but I'm sure you'll make up for it this weekend!!

My 3-5s

School grades in Japan are designated by years, as they are in North America. However, instead of Grade One, Grade Two...Grade Twelve (or First Grade, Second Grade, Twelfth Grade if you're American) It's First Year, Second Year...to Sixth Year and then when you reach Junior High School they start again -First Year, Second Year, Third Year. AND again when you reach High School -First Year, Second Year, Third Year.

In addition, there are usually multiple classes of each grade, so they are given a number. At my school there are 5 classes of each grade, so they are given numbers like 1-2 (first year, class 2), 2-4 (second year, class 4), and 3-5 (third year, class 5).

This is quite a useful system especially for schools who have multiple streams of study, such as Science, Math, English, and as is the case at my school, Agriculture. So, for example if you are in the Math stream you're in X-2 class and if you are in the Agricultural Studies stream you are always in X-5.

Nyuzen High School is the only Agricultural school in this district. We are not known for our academics, we are known for our rice and fresh produce! The Agricultural stream is a special curriculum designed to give students hands on experience at farming. All throughout the year the staff are offered bags of fresh produce like tomatoes, eggplant, onions, cauliflower and lettuce (usually a dollar a bag!).
Our school has it's own rice fields and green houses and there is a trained group of teachers who spend more time in the dirt and on combines than they do in the classroom.

Thirty students (as opposed to forty which is the norm in the other streams) are chosen every year from over 80 applicants. Because of the smaller class size and the type of studying they do (getting muddy together) they tend to form stronger bonds with each other as compared to the other classes. They really are a unique group of students.

When I came to Nyuzen High School I didn't know much about this 'special' class. Quickly I learned that these students really didn't HAVE to learn English -there was no big test for them at the end of the year like the other streams had. As a result, most of the English teachers who taught them didn't hold high expectations. I was told to just 'dumb it down' a bit when I taught this class. Yet when I walked into my first class with the 1-5s (two and a half years ago) they were the keenest, liveliest, most eager group of kids who wanted to communicate in English more than any other class I had. Every week I looked forward to teaching them. Every week they didn't disappoint. Sure, their English wasn't great, but they COMMUNICATED better than the academic students did.

Now they are my 3-5s. -sigh- And they are in their last month at Nyuzen High School, with graduation in exactly 4 weeks. I haven't taught them since last spring, but they have managed to keep me involved in their goings on. I've gone out to the rice fields to harvest rice, I've been invited to watch all of their special presentations and they are always happy to chat if I drop in to their classroom at lunchtime or after school.

I know that a lot of who they have turned out to be has been a result of an amazing homeroom teacher who has really nurtured them over the past 3 years. He is a very caring and involved teacher who taught them to be polite, generous and most importantly, accepting of others. Let's face it, they're teenagers and it's difficult to be inclusive at times. The other classes are full of cliques -the cool kids, the nerds, the quiet kids...they're different, they know it and they stick to their own. But the 3-5s are not like this. They don't discriminate, they don't talk down to others and they never exclude anyone. How could I not love them?

I'm writing this today because last week I was given an invitation by the 3-5s to a buffet lunch held in honor of all the Third Year teachers. I'm not a Third Year teacher, but it just goes to show that they still consider me one of their teachers. I felt very honored and special. Today was the luncheon! It was amazing to say the least. The students prepared all the food, which ranged from sushi roles to macaroni casserole to bibimba (Korean food) to roast beef. We had fruit salad and chocolate cake for dessert. The students were their usual bubbly selves as they went around making sure all the teachers got enough to eat. I was so proud of them for putting on such a huge event.

These 30 kids were the ultimate reason I stayed for a 3rd contract term. I want so much to see them graduate and go on to prove and improve themselves in whatever path they've chosen. Don't worry, they're not all going to be farmers! Some of them are off to university to study Art, Science, and yes, even English. I've already had an invitation to visit one of my students in Kyoto once she's settle into her studies.

March 2 will be a bitter sweet day. These students have defined my NyuKo (Nyuzen High School) life.

Ridiculousness

here are the other choices my student had:

Laugh, Cry and Think -Jim Valvano

Time is very precious to me. I don't know how much I have left, and I have some things that I would like to say. Hopefully, at the end, I'll have something that will be important to other people too.

But, I can't help it. Now, I'm fighting cancer, everybody knows that. People ask me all the time about how you go through your life and how's your day, and nothing is changed for me. As Dick said, I'm a very emotional, passionate man. I can't help it. That's being the son of Rocco and Angelina Valvano. It comes with the territory. We hug, we kiss, we love. And when people say to me how do you get through life or each day, it's the same thing. To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.

I know, I gotta go, I gotta go, and I got one last thing and I said it before, and I'm gonna say it again: Cancer can take away all my physical ability. It cannot touch my mind; it cannot touch my heart; and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.

I thank you and God bless you all.




She Walks in Beauty - Lord Byron

SHE walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that 's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light 5
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face; 10
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow, 15
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!



The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald


Most of the big shore places were closed now and there were hardly any lights except the shadowy, moving glow of a ferryboat across the Sound. And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes - a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.

And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further... And one fine morning -

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.



KWAIDAN:
STORIES AND STUDIES OF STRANGE THINGS
by LAFCADIO HEARN
The Story of MIMI-NASHI-HOICHI

"Hôïchi!" the deep voice called. But the blind man held his breath, and sat motionless.

"Hôïchi!" grimly called the voice a second time. Then a third time--savagely:--

"Hôïchi!"

Hôïchi remained as still as a stone,--and the voice grumbled:--

"No answer!--that won't do!...Must see where the fellow is." ...

There was a noise of heavy feet mounting upon the verandah. The feet approached deliberately,--halted beside him. Then, for long minutes,--during which Hôïchi felt his whole body shake to the beating of his heart, there was dead silence.

At last the gruff voice muttered close to him:--

"Here is the biwa; but of the biwa-player I see--only two ears!... So that explains why he did not answer: he had no mouth to answer with--there is nothing left of him but his ears.... Now to my lord those ears I will take--in proof that the august commands have been obeyed, so far as was possible"...

At that instant Hôïchi felt his ears gripped by fingers of iron, and torn off! Great as the pain was, he gave no cry. The heavy footfalls receded along the verandah,--descended into the garden,--passed out to the roadway,--ceased. From either side of his head, the blind man felt a thick warm trickling; but he dared not lift his hands....



Before sunrise the priest came back. He hastened at once to the verandah in the rear, stepped and slipped upon something clammy, and uttered a cry of horror;--for he saw, by the light of his lantern, that the clamminess was blood. But he perceived Hôïchi sitting there, in the attitude of meditation--with the blood still oozing from his wounds.

Speech Contest

Every year there is a prefectural speech contest for high school students. Much like the music festivals we used to have in school. Students choose a poem or speech to recite, or they can write their own.

Here is the speech my student has chosen to recite. I commend her.


The Perils of Indifference
Elie Wiesel


What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means "no difference." A strange and unnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn, crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil. What are its courses and inescapable consequences? Can one possibly view indifference as a virtue? Is it necessary at times to practice it simply to keep one's sanity, live normally, enjoy a fine meal and a glass of wine, as the world around us experiences harrowing upheavals?

Of course, indifference can be tempting ---more than that, seductive. It is so much easier to look away from victims. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to be involved in another person's pain and despair.

In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a great symphony. One does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice that one witnesses. But indifference is never creative. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it.

Indifference elicits no response. Indifference in not a response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor ---never his vicitim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees ---not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own.

Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment.

a bold prediction...yeah, right

today, but really tomorrow in my 'home country', is election day.

as usual, i didn't vote. i think i've voted once in my years of eligibility...about 10 years ago -and only because it was the first time i could, so i did.

here's my prediction -knowing nothing about what any of the parties stand for or what's at stake.

the liberals will still lead Canada-land after January 23, 2006.

in other words, nothing will change. if something does and the bloc get in or the tories...well, maybe i'll pay more attention to politics.

maybe.

Free pass to Seaside!!

I have now visited the Seaside Valley Ski Hill enough times to get a free pass!
Seaside offers a stamp card and after 4 day lift tickets you can ride a day for free! I've actually been to Seaside 5 times already, but one was only a half day so I couldn't count it.

Saturday was another brilliant sunshiny day at my favorite hill. Amy, Kirsten and I packed up the Beetle and headed out bright and early Saturday morning. I hadn't even intended on snowboarding that day because I was meeting friends on Sunday at another ski hill and I didn't think two days was a wise thing to do. However, the lure of Seaside was too much to pass up.
So Friday evening was nice and relaxing -a visit to 'An' (my favorite spa) and pigging out at Kito Kito (my favorite sushi restaurant) with Kirsten and Amy.

We went strong all morning long, checking out as many of the runs as we could. The snow wasn't great, but that didn't stop us from having fun! We met up with a some of the boys from Koshi in the afternoon and picked up a few pointers from these much more experienced riders.
We left the hill around 4 - exhausted and totally satisfied with our day.

We all decided we could do it again on Sunday! ...but only a half day.

So, another early night, another early morning.
We watched the sun come up from behind the mountains, illuminating the snow-covered trees and valleys as we made our way to Raichou Valley - a very popular ski hill for those who live in and around Toyama City -it's right in their backyard.

On the lift before 9:00, we got in a warm-up run before meeting up with Owen -the skiier in our group (we tolerate it....). A few more runs to warm up and we were off to the gondola lift to meet up with my friends Ai and Kazu whom I met while working at NOVA. Ai is a pretty hard core boarder and Kazu follows her lead as she blasts down the hills. We had a great morning with them, stopping for a hot chocolate break and a tan line check before heading back down the mountain at 1:00. Lunch in Owen's home town and a blizzard on the way home....it was another enjoyably exhausting day.

I'm addicted.

Happy Birthday MOM!!!!

Thank you for your love, patience, wisdom and support.
Thank you for making me me!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

When all you've got ARE lemons....

After spending all day Friday trying to organize people, cars, and destinations we had our plans set for another Saturday of snowboarding: a 7:30 meeting in Nyuzen, pack everyone in the cars and head to the hills...

...6:30 Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of rain on my balcony. BLECH?
I got up anyway.
I switched on the TV to hear the weatherman prognosticating - rain, avalanches, road closures....-oh goody.
I started packing anyway.
Next, I got a phone call from one of the cars heading to Nyuzen, "Um yeah, we've been in a slight fender bender, we're not going to make it."
I made coffee and loaded up my gear anyway.

In the parking lot of my apartment were three cars full of not so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed snowbunnies.
I walked over to fetch Johnny from his apartment and this is where the fun began. Our friend Chika had also been listening to the road reports, ski reports, weather reports. It didn't take long for her to convince us that it wasn't going to be worth it to go anywhere that day. So we stood in the parking lot -in the rain-in our gear-wondering what to do at 7:30 on a Saturday morning.

The first and most obviously thing was to get out of the RAIN!!! So Kirsten graciously hosted 10 slightly damp, somewhat sleepy, and very disapointed people in her apartment. We huddled under the kotatsu and around the kerosene heaters, sipping tea and deciding what to do next. There had to be something we could do!

I'm not sure who suggested it first, but there are foothills about 20 minutes from my apartment -specifically there's a camping area with a nice big hill -perfect for SLEDDING!!!!

The conditions were nowhere near ideal, plus we didn't have sleds (we used plastic bags and snowboards....) but we did have fun! It took less than an hour for the event to deteriorate into a snowball fight. By this time (10:30 a.m.) we were wet, tired, and HUNGRY.

Next stop, Pizza Jamboree! Pizza Jamboree is still one of my favorite restaurants in the area. The owner studied in Seattle and while there learned to make amazing American-style pizza. Some of the gang had never been before so it was a great opportunity to introduce some of what the Niikawa area has to offer. I (shamefully) hadn't been to PJ in months. I was great to sink my teeth into real Italian sausage, real pepperoni and REAL pizza crust. I think I'll be making another visit this weekend...

With our bellies full, it was off to the next and most obvious destination...ONSEN. We loaded up the cars again, headed back to the foothills and one of our favorite places to scrub ourselves squeaky clean and soak our weary bodies - AKEBI Onsen, known for it's quiet, out of the way location and it's OBAASANS and OJIISANS (tiny, ancient, wrinkly, hunched over grandmothers and grandfathers). I love it, when the blonde brigade of Kirsten, Amy and I make an appearance - we're guaranteed to induce long gaping stares and 'gaijin-san' chatter. This time didn't help that we decided to be 'cheeky' and leave our bum prints in the snow...

There's nothing like a good onsen to make you....sleepy! In the cars once again, and back to where it all began, Kirsten's apartment for snacks, a movie and a little nap time. Our numbers had now dwindled down to 4...After the R&R we headed out to meet Chika for a bit of food before a games nite at our favorite Nyuzen hang out - KOSHI.

As usual, KOSHI brought friends together for a night of fun and games. We had a marathon round of Yatzee going - does anyone know who won?? And as always, the music's was playing, the atmosphere was relaxed, and the bartenders were friendly.

I'd have to say we made pretty good lemonade that day!

Tomorrow being Friday the 13th and all....

FRIDAY THE 13TH - how did Friday the thirteenth become such an unlucky day?
fear of Friday the 13th is rooted in ancient, separate bad-luck associations with the number 13 and the day Friday. The two unlucky entities combine to make one super unlucky day.
There is a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died and the Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned.
There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.
A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil.


In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.

Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.
It is traditionally believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday.
Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.



FRIDAY THE 13TH - how is fear of the number thirteen demonstrated?
More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor.
Many airports skip the 13th gate.
Airplanes have no 13th aisle.
Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.
Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.
On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.
Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue
In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate.
Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13.
If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.




the source

create your own visited countries map

I'm bored....this is what my 'countries visited' map looks like if I include stopovers in which I actually got off the plane, wandered around the airport and purchased something....sigh, it's really only two more countries.

Looks like I need to go south.

Another full weekend

This past weekend was another 3 day weekend here in Japan. Monday was 'Coming of Age Day', a day where all the boys and girls who turn twenty this year gather for a day of pomp and circumstance in their hometowns.


I took full advantage of the three days, starting with Friday night at my new favorite hangout in Nyuzen "Koshi". This is where Christmas Eve was celebrated this year...friends, food and wine, what more do I have to say?! (thanks for the photo Owen!)







Saturday, I and all the hooligans from the night before convinced ourselves that we should still go snowboarding as planned -despite the incredible amount of snow that had fallen overnight -and despite the fact that is was still snowing! We loaded up Johnny's car and after only a small delay (we had to boost the car) we headed for the slopes. By the time we got up to the moutain we could hardly see two feet in front of us, big white flakes falling straight down. But, we strapped on our boards anyway and headed up the lift. I was about to get my first lesson in riding powder...and my first lesson in how to dig myself out when the riding part doesn't go so well. It was an incredibly challenging and exhausting day, but with so many of us riding together -there were about 10 of us - it ranks up there as one of the most fun days I've had on my snowboard. (I stole your photo Matt, hope you don't mind!)

I spent Saturday evening recovering by soaking in the tub and reading one of three books I've got on the go- "The True History of Chocolate".



Sunday Kirsten and I decided to go shopping in Takaoka. We hopped in her little yellow plate and headed to AEON mall - with thoughts of Starbucks urging us through the snow covered roads. Takaoka is the only city in Toyama-ken that has a Starbucks. Toyama city has a Seattle's Best, but I'm sorry, it's not Starbucks. Being the "Coming of Age Day" weekend, we saw tons of young girls dressed in their kimono, walking around the mall with boys dressed in suits. It's quite a bizarre sight to see at a mall. Speaking of bizarre, I found the photo above on the internet, it was taken in Harajuku, Tokyo (an area known for it's 'odd' side)

We sat in starbucks and people watched for a while before hitting the shops. Of course I dragged Kirsten to the bookstore where I found another magazine with my photo from the car show in it. I HAD to buy it! It also had photos of friends that I have met through VW, very cool.

We ended our visit to Takaoka with dinner at an Indian restuarant we just happened to spot on our way out of the city. This particular restaurant is quite well known among JETs in the area, and now I know why. The proprietor is a very interesting gentleman. He spent the evening telling us how to get a man in Japan and why, we got an explanation on the differences between Japanese and Indian men, and at the end of the night was practically trying to set us up with the two Japanese boys whom he had seated at the table next to us! All in all, some great entertainment with our very delicious dinner.

And then there was MONDAY!! After what seemed like days of endless snow, the sun finally showed her beautiful face and gave us perfect weather for another day at Seaside Valley. So, with what is now becoming a nice little routine for John, Kirsten and I, we loaded up our boards, put on some tunes, and hit the expressway headed for Seaside. The hill was packed, but that didn't discourage us from putting in a full day in the sun! And what a day it was! I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Thanks Kaz

My friend Kaz came to visit me over new years. He drove his '67 Beetle all the way to see little ol' me!!
We drove into Nagano for the day, but couldn't find an open VW shop, so we sipped lattes at starbucks and took photos of cars in parking lots...

All and all a great day!

So, thanks for coming to visit Kaz!! Jaa-ne!