Okay oen more days of finals. Tomorrow is the big test grammar.
Jason Draper sent me this via email and thought I would share it with you all. He also turned me onto Glenn back, who I occasionally listen to.
I am also rather dissapointed that McCain won Florida . . . Feb 5th will determine what is going to happen!!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
okay 3 cents
I survived first day of Finals . . . 2 more days of testing left . . I saw this and copy and pasted it. I think it makes my point!
THE MCCAIN WAYATTACK REPUBLICANS
A Top 10 List…
1) Defending His Amnesty Bill, Sen. McCain Lost His Temper And “Screamed, ‘F*ck You!’ At Texas Sen. John Cornyn” (R-TX). “Presidential hopeful John McCain - who has been dogged for years by questions about his volcanic temper - erupted in an angry, profanity-laced tirade at a fellow Republican senator, sources told The Post yesterday. In a heated dispute over immigration-law overhaul, McCain screamed, ‘F— you!’ at Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who had been raising concerns about the legislation. ‘This is chickens—stuff,’ McCain snapped at Cornyn, according to several people in the room off the Senate floor Thursday. ‘You’ve always been against this bill, and you’re just trying to derail it.’” (Charles Hurt, “Raising McCain,” New York Post, 5/19/07)
2) In 2000, Sen. McCain Ran An Attack Ad Comparing Then-Gov. George W. Bush To Bill Clinton. SEN. MCCAIN: “I guess it was bound to happen. Governor Bush’s campaign is getting desperate, with a negative ad about me. The fact is, I’ll use the surplus money to fix Social Security, cut your taxes and pay down the debt. Governor Bush uses all of the surplus for tax cuts, with not one new penny for Social Security or the debt. His ad twists the truth like Clinton. We’re all pretty tired of that. As president, I’ll be conservative and always tell you the truth. No matter what.” (McCain 2000, Campaign Ad, 2/9/00; www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoXkCprdL4)
3) Sen. McCain Repeatedly Called Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) An “A**hole”, Causing A Fellow GOP Senator To Say, “I Didn’t Want This Guy Anywhere Near A Trigger.” “Why can’t McCain win the votes of his own colleagues? To explain, a Republican senator tells this story: at a GOP meeting last fall, McCain erupted out of the blue at the respected Budget Committee chairman, Pete Domenici, saying, ‘Only an a–hole would put together a budget like this.’ Offended, Domenici stood up and gave a dignified, restrained speech about how in all his years in the Senate, through many heated debates, no one had ever called him that. Another senator might have taken the moment to check his temper. But McCain went on: ‘I wouldn’t call you an a–hole unless you really were an a–hole.’ The Republican senator witnessing the scene had considered supporting McCain for president, but changed his mind. ‘I decided,’ the senator told Newsweek, ‘I didn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.’” (Evan Thomas, et al., “Senator Hothead,” Newsweek, 2/21/00)
4) Sen. McCain Had A Heated Exchange With Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) And Called Him A “F*cking Jerk.” “Senators are not used to having their intelligence or integrity challenged by another senator. ‘Are you calling me stupid?’ Sen. Chuck Grassley once inquired during a debate with McCain over the fate of the Vietnam MIAs, according to a source who was present. ‘No,’ replied McCain, ‘I’m calling you a f—ing jerk!’ (Grassley and McCain had no comment.)” (Evan Thomas, et al., “Senator Hothead,” Newsweek, 2/21/00)
5)In 1995, Sen. McCain Had A “Scuffle” With 92-Year-Old Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) On The Senate Floor. “In January 1995, McCain was midway through an opening statement at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing when chairman Strom Thurmond asked, ‘Is the senator about through?’ McCain glared at Thurmond, thanked him for his ‘courtesy’ (translation: buzz off), and continued on. McCain later confronted Thurmond on the Senate floor. A scuffle ensued, and the two didn’t part friends.” (Harry Jaffe, “Senator Hothead,” The Washingtonian, 2/97)
6)Sen. McCain Accused Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Of The “Most Egregious Incident” Of Corruption He Had Seen In The Senate. “It escalated when McCain reiterated the charges Oct. 10 in a cross-examination, calling McConnell’s actions the ‘most egregious incident’ demonstrating the appearance of corruption he has ever seen in his Senate career.” (Amy Keller, “Attacks Escalate In Depositions,” Roll Call, 10/21/02)
7) Sen. McCain Attacked Christian Leaders And Republicans In A Blistering Speech During The 2000 Campaign. MCCAIN: “Unfortunately, Governor Bush is a Pat Robertson Republican who will lose to Al Gore. … The political tactics of division and slander are not our values… They are corrupting influences on religion and politics, and those who practice them in the name of religion or in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America shame our faith, our party and our country. Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right.” (Sen. John McCain, Remarks,
Virginia Beach, VA, 2/28/00)
8) Sen. McCain Attacked Vice President Cheney. MCCAIN: “The president listened too much to the Vice President . . . Of course, the president bears the ultimate responsibility, but he was very badly served by both the Vice President and, most of all, the Secretary of Defense.” (Roger Simon, “McCain Bashes Cheney Over Iraq Policy,” The Politico, 1/24/07)
9)Celebrating His First Senate Election In 1986, Sen. McCain Screamed At And Harassed A Young Republican Volunteer. “It was election night 1986, and John McCain had just been elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time. Even so, he was not in a good mood. McCain was yelling at the top of his lungs and poking the chest of a young Republican volunteer who had set up a lectern that was too tall for the 5-foot-9 politician to be seen to advantage, according to a witness to the outburst. ‘Here this poor guy is thinking he has done a good job, and he gets a new butt ripped because McCain didn’t look good on television,’ Jon Hinz told a reporter Thursday. At the time, Hinz was executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. … Hinz said McCain’s treatment of the young campaign worker in 1986 troubled him for years. ‘There were an awful lot of people in the room,’ Hinz recalled. ‘You’d have to stick cotton in your ears not to hear it. He (McCain) was screaming at him, and he was red in the face. It wasn’t right, and I was very upset at him.’” (Kris Mayes and Charles Kelly, “Stories Surface On Senator’s Demeanor,” The Arizona
Republic, 11/5/99)
10) Sen. McCain “Publicly Abused” Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). “[McCain] noted his propensity for passion but insisted that he doesn’t ‘insult anybody or fly off the handle or anything like that.’ This is, quite simply, hogwash. McCain often insults people and flies off the handle…. There have been the many times McCain has called reporters ‘liars’ and ‘idiots’ when they have had the audacity to ask him unpleasant, but pertinent, questions. McCain once… publicly abused Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.” (Editorial, “There’s Something About McCain,” The Austin American-Statesman, 1/24/07)
THE MCCAIN WAYATTACK REPUBLICANS
A Top 10 List…
1) Defending His Amnesty Bill, Sen. McCain Lost His Temper And “Screamed, ‘F*ck You!’ At Texas Sen. John Cornyn” (R-TX). “Presidential hopeful John McCain - who has been dogged for years by questions about his volcanic temper - erupted in an angry, profanity-laced tirade at a fellow Republican senator, sources told The Post yesterday. In a heated dispute over immigration-law overhaul, McCain screamed, ‘F— you!’ at Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who had been raising concerns about the legislation. ‘This is chickens—stuff,’ McCain snapped at Cornyn, according to several people in the room off the Senate floor Thursday. ‘You’ve always been against this bill, and you’re just trying to derail it.’” (Charles Hurt, “Raising McCain,” New York Post, 5/19/07)
2) In 2000, Sen. McCain Ran An Attack Ad Comparing Then-Gov. George W. Bush To Bill Clinton. SEN. MCCAIN: “I guess it was bound to happen. Governor Bush’s campaign is getting desperate, with a negative ad about me. The fact is, I’ll use the surplus money to fix Social Security, cut your taxes and pay down the debt. Governor Bush uses all of the surplus for tax cuts, with not one new penny for Social Security or the debt. His ad twists the truth like Clinton. We’re all pretty tired of that. As president, I’ll be conservative and always tell you the truth. No matter what.” (McCain 2000, Campaign Ad, 2/9/00; www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoXkCprdL4)
3) Sen. McCain Repeatedly Called Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) An “A**hole”, Causing A Fellow GOP Senator To Say, “I Didn’t Want This Guy Anywhere Near A Trigger.” “Why can’t McCain win the votes of his own colleagues? To explain, a Republican senator tells this story: at a GOP meeting last fall, McCain erupted out of the blue at the respected Budget Committee chairman, Pete Domenici, saying, ‘Only an a–hole would put together a budget like this.’ Offended, Domenici stood up and gave a dignified, restrained speech about how in all his years in the Senate, through many heated debates, no one had ever called him that. Another senator might have taken the moment to check his temper. But McCain went on: ‘I wouldn’t call you an a–hole unless you really were an a–hole.’ The Republican senator witnessing the scene had considered supporting McCain for president, but changed his mind. ‘I decided,’ the senator told Newsweek, ‘I didn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.’” (Evan Thomas, et al., “Senator Hothead,” Newsweek, 2/21/00)
4) Sen. McCain Had A Heated Exchange With Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) And Called Him A “F*cking Jerk.” “Senators are not used to having their intelligence or integrity challenged by another senator. ‘Are you calling me stupid?’ Sen. Chuck Grassley once inquired during a debate with McCain over the fate of the Vietnam MIAs, according to a source who was present. ‘No,’ replied McCain, ‘I’m calling you a f—ing jerk!’ (Grassley and McCain had no comment.)” (Evan Thomas, et al., “Senator Hothead,” Newsweek, 2/21/00)
5)In 1995, Sen. McCain Had A “Scuffle” With 92-Year-Old Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) On The Senate Floor. “In January 1995, McCain was midway through an opening statement at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing when chairman Strom Thurmond asked, ‘Is the senator about through?’ McCain glared at Thurmond, thanked him for his ‘courtesy’ (translation: buzz off), and continued on. McCain later confronted Thurmond on the Senate floor. A scuffle ensued, and the two didn’t part friends.” (Harry Jaffe, “Senator Hothead,” The Washingtonian, 2/97)
6)Sen. McCain Accused Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Of The “Most Egregious Incident” Of Corruption He Had Seen In The Senate. “It escalated when McCain reiterated the charges Oct. 10 in a cross-examination, calling McConnell’s actions the ‘most egregious incident’ demonstrating the appearance of corruption he has ever seen in his Senate career.” (Amy Keller, “Attacks Escalate In Depositions,” Roll Call, 10/21/02)
7) Sen. McCain Attacked Christian Leaders And Republicans In A Blistering Speech During The 2000 Campaign. MCCAIN: “Unfortunately, Governor Bush is a Pat Robertson Republican who will lose to Al Gore. … The political tactics of division and slander are not our values… They are corrupting influences on religion and politics, and those who practice them in the name of religion or in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America shame our faith, our party and our country. Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right.” (Sen. John McCain, Remarks,
Virginia Beach, VA, 2/28/00)
8) Sen. McCain Attacked Vice President Cheney. MCCAIN: “The president listened too much to the Vice President . . . Of course, the president bears the ultimate responsibility, but he was very badly served by both the Vice President and, most of all, the Secretary of Defense.” (Roger Simon, “McCain Bashes Cheney Over Iraq Policy,” The Politico, 1/24/07)
9)Celebrating His First Senate Election In 1986, Sen. McCain Screamed At And Harassed A Young Republican Volunteer. “It was election night 1986, and John McCain had just been elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time. Even so, he was not in a good mood. McCain was yelling at the top of his lungs and poking the chest of a young Republican volunteer who had set up a lectern that was too tall for the 5-foot-9 politician to be seen to advantage, according to a witness to the outburst. ‘Here this poor guy is thinking he has done a good job, and he gets a new butt ripped because McCain didn’t look good on television,’ Jon Hinz told a reporter Thursday. At the time, Hinz was executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. … Hinz said McCain’s treatment of the young campaign worker in 1986 troubled him for years. ‘There were an awful lot of people in the room,’ Hinz recalled. ‘You’d have to stick cotton in your ears not to hear it. He (McCain) was screaming at him, and he was red in the face. It wasn’t right, and I was very upset at him.’” (Kris Mayes and Charles Kelly, “Stories Surface On Senator’s Demeanor,” The Arizona
Republic, 11/5/99)
10) Sen. McCain “Publicly Abused” Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). “[McCain] noted his propensity for passion but insisted that he doesn’t ‘insult anybody or fly off the handle or anything like that.’ This is, quite simply, hogwash. McCain often insults people and flies off the handle…. There have been the many times McCain has called reporters ‘liars’ and ‘idiots’ when they have had the audacity to ask him unpleasant, but pertinent, questions. McCain once… publicly abused Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.” (Editorial, “There’s Something About McCain,” The Austin American-Statesman, 1/24/07)
Monday, January 28, 2008
My 2cents
So most people know that I am pretty apathetic when it comes to our government officials. I mean when you get to it most of them are making a career of being politicians and do very little, in my opinion.
With that said I have been following the election coverage pretty well and have read a lot of stuff about each candidate and want to make an appeal for those of you to maybe consider Mitt Romney as the person who should get your vote.
Why have I chosen Mitt Romeny? I bet most of you think it is because he is Mormon. Actually, the opposite is true. I was at first turned off of Romney because he was LDS and thought most people would not elect a LDS person to begin with. Though Romeny is a religious person with a deep devotion to his faith, his Christian values are not at the center of his campaign. Unlike Huckabee, I have not read about Romney going to a LDS congregation to try and get votes from the people. If you are looking for someone running on that kind of agenda Huckabee is for you . . . not Romeny.
Romeny is also not a career politician. His platform has been as someone with real-world experience in the business sector that knows how to get things done. McCain is a career politician there is not mistake about it . . . he knows very little about the business world and is perhaps the lease experience of all the candidates in this area. How many of the presidential candidates can say they have had to actually had to turn around failing companies around?
A lot of people have also accused Romney of using his person wealth to propel his campaign forward. He made a great point sometime ago, why should he ask friends to give him money for his campaign when he is not willing to contribute a few bucks from his own pocket. I mean does it cost that much to fly McCain’s mom around and speak on behalf of her son. It is also interesting that McCain has not used of his own personal finances into the campaign.
McCain has said that the US needs a leader and not a manager. While I understand his point, I also think we need to stop sitting around the table and debating till we are all red in the face. I think Romeny is definitely the managerial type, but that he is willing to make hard decisions and put them into play.
In reality, the US government since 1980 has had two different governments. The Regan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. has had many of the same insiders working for them over this period. There is a reason while some of the same people keep popping up over and over again. Many of these same people will reappear under a McCain presidency. If Monica Lewinsky’s ex-boyfriend’s wife is elected you will see a lot of the same people from the Clinton era as well. It’s kind of like those stores that put up signs that say “Under New Management,” but we all know it's the same people working inside. If you look at several of Romney’s chief aids and many of those who are backing him in his political corner, you will notice it is a new crowd. I found it interesting that Ross Perot recently gave an interview in support of Romney because he felt Romeny is the only one who can really change the government.
Okay there I think I said my peace. But, like anything I highly encourage you to study it out for yourself. The only downside is can Romney beat either Obama or Clinton in the general election. Well those recent poll numbers are not that good, but why not take a chance and vote for Romney . . . in the primary election when it counts the most!
I am interested in what your opinions are back in the States about each candidate.
This most likely will be my last post till finals are over.
With that said I have been following the election coverage pretty well and have read a lot of stuff about each candidate and want to make an appeal for those of you to maybe consider Mitt Romney as the person who should get your vote.
Why have I chosen Mitt Romeny? I bet most of you think it is because he is Mormon. Actually, the opposite is true. I was at first turned off of Romney because he was LDS and thought most people would not elect a LDS person to begin with. Though Romeny is a religious person with a deep devotion to his faith, his Christian values are not at the center of his campaign. Unlike Huckabee, I have not read about Romney going to a LDS congregation to try and get votes from the people. If you are looking for someone running on that kind of agenda Huckabee is for you . . . not Romeny.
Romeny is also not a career politician. His platform has been as someone with real-world experience in the business sector that knows how to get things done. McCain is a career politician there is not mistake about it . . . he knows very little about the business world and is perhaps the lease experience of all the candidates in this area. How many of the presidential candidates can say they have had to actually had to turn around failing companies around?
A lot of people have also accused Romney of using his person wealth to propel his campaign forward. He made a great point sometime ago, why should he ask friends to give him money for his campaign when he is not willing to contribute a few bucks from his own pocket. I mean does it cost that much to fly McCain’s mom around and speak on behalf of her son. It is also interesting that McCain has not used of his own personal finances into the campaign.
McCain has said that the US needs a leader and not a manager. While I understand his point, I also think we need to stop sitting around the table and debating till we are all red in the face. I think Romeny is definitely the managerial type, but that he is willing to make hard decisions and put them into play.
In reality, the US government since 1980 has had two different governments. The Regan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. has had many of the same insiders working for them over this period. There is a reason while some of the same people keep popping up over and over again. Many of these same people will reappear under a McCain presidency. If Monica Lewinsky’s ex-boyfriend’s wife is elected you will see a lot of the same people from the Clinton era as well. It’s kind of like those stores that put up signs that say “Under New Management,” but we all know it's the same people working inside. If you look at several of Romney’s chief aids and many of those who are backing him in his political corner, you will notice it is a new crowd. I found it interesting that Ross Perot recently gave an interview in support of Romney because he felt Romeny is the only one who can really change the government.
Okay there I think I said my peace. But, like anything I highly encourage you to study it out for yourself. The only downside is can Romney beat either Obama or Clinton in the general election. Well those recent poll numbers are not that good, but why not take a chance and vote for Romney . . . in the primary election when it counts the most!
I am interested in what your opinions are back in the States about each candidate.
This most likely will be my last post till finals are over.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Harajuku to Shibuya
Finals are this week and last week I had to give a speech in Japanese that I had to memorize. Needless to say I am really stressed out. My friend Katsuku though it would be fun to do something to help me get my mind off things. So after class on Friday we walked from Harajuku to Shibuya and took pictures along the way and looked at a lot of the shops. Harajuku is rather famous for being a place with a lot of clothing shops that are suppose to be cheap. The styles vary, but most of the pics I took are of some of the crazy stuff they wear and oh they do wear it. It is pretty crazy the price people pay for cloths. Some shops by clothes from A&F, Old Navy and other such stores bring it back to Japan and sell it for 4 to 5 times what one can get it in the states for. But, even GAP (GAPU if you are Japanese) sells clothes at a ridiculous price.
We spent about 5 hours looking at places and walking and had dinner before we called it a day. It was really fun and it helped to get me a little more relaxed going into finals. To see the rest of the pics check out my flickr account.
We spent about 5 hours looking at places and walking and had dinner before we called it a day. It was really fun and it helped to get me a little more relaxed going into finals. To see the rest of the pics check out my flickr account.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Snow
Today, we had the first snowfall in Tokyo. It was actually rather nice and most of it is sticking. But, living in this concrete jungle most of it seems to be melting. It was nice to experience snow yet again. I briefly walked around where I lived and took some quick picture. I wanted to take some of these three shrines that are close to where I live. You can see them on teh flickr account.
Only one more week of the regular semester left. I am hoping to have a B in the class. I have struggled at times, but I have to say now that I have a good language partner, Katsuki, my Japanese is really improving. We been meeting about twice a week now for 2 weeks and we try to chat online when we can. Katsuki also has a sister who just received international nursing license and plans on going to Australia to practice next year and also wants to maybe to language exchange. One of the problems I think that is slowly me down is outside of class I really do not speak Japanese as much as I would like to because so many of my friends are Westerners. Hence I have been trying to make Japanese friends who are out of college and want to practice English and let me practice Japanese. It also has started to help that I have been sending cell phone emails in Japanese. People “text” each other here instead of talking directly to one another.
Okay well I will probably write my next entry after finals.
Only one more week of the regular semester left. I am hoping to have a B in the class. I have struggled at times, but I have to say now that I have a good language partner, Katsuki, my Japanese is really improving. We been meeting about twice a week now for 2 weeks and we try to chat online when we can. Katsuki also has a sister who just received international nursing license and plans on going to Australia to practice next year and also wants to maybe to language exchange. One of the problems I think that is slowly me down is outside of class I really do not speak Japanese as much as I would like to because so many of my friends are Westerners. Hence I have been trying to make Japanese friends who are out of college and want to practice English and let me practice Japanese. It also has started to help that I have been sending cell phone emails in Japanese. People “text” each other here instead of talking directly to one another.
Okay well I will probably write my next entry after finals.
Tsukiji Fish market
So last Friday night, I was coming home and as I was leaving my station I ran into about 8 of my friends and they were going to go to the Tsukiji, the worlds largest fish market. I did not have my camera and there was no time to get it either. So the pics are from friends.
The idea was to get to the fish market at about 4:30 am so that we could get in line to have some really fresh sushi. We got within a 20-minute walk of the place and spent 3 hours at an internet café to sleep. Later I will do a separate blog entry about Internet cafes . . .they are interesting.
The place was really busy and I have never seen so much seafood in my life. The restaurant we went to opened at 5:00, but despite being there so early we waited outside to get in for 2 ½ hours and I was so cold and tired. I actually left and went home early because I was just exhausted. My back has been killing me ever since going. But, it was one of those things that you just have to go and see and experience while you are in Tokyo!
See the rest of the pics on my flickr account
The idea was to get to the fish market at about 4:30 am so that we could get in line to have some really fresh sushi. We got within a 20-minute walk of the place and spent 3 hours at an internet café to sleep. Later I will do a separate blog entry about Internet cafes . . .they are interesting.
The place was really busy and I have never seen so much seafood in my life. The restaurant we went to opened at 5:00, but despite being there so early we waited outside to get in for 2 ½ hours and I was so cold and tired. I actually left and went home early because I was just exhausted. My back has been killing me ever since going. But, it was one of those things that you just have to go and see and experience while you are in Tokyo!
See the rest of the pics on my flickr account
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Crunch Time
Well, I have been getting into my regular routine back in here Nihon. To bad that the semester is over at the end of the month. This mean I have been really working hard and studying my butt off to make sure I do well. Not that I don't study a lot but I am just making sure that I am getting it.
Work has been going well. I really do like teaching and the income is deffinetly needed. Everything is so expensive here. Mr. Kotaki, the guy I am out sourced to, mentioned that a company is perhaps interested in me going there once or twice a week to teach English to its employees. While I have no problem doing that, Mr. Kotaki is also aware that my schedule is limited and that I will only do so much work. I think he maybe getting to big and may need to hire another teacher in addition to me in the future.
For the last month or so I just feel like we do not get enough fruit in our diet. Last week I started counting how many servings of fruit and vegatables I was getting and it was really wacked. About 12 servings of vegtables . . . no joke . . . and 1 serving of fruit. Some days it was 0. So I bought some pears and oranges and been eating them to get the extra servings. My room has a nice orange smell which I honestly do not mind.
I have uploaded some of the pics from Ueno Koen up to my flickr account so go ahead and check it out. Also I just realized I wrote this straight on here and not in Word first. Oh well . . . . .
PS Mike I am trying to do better with the blog thing!!
Work has been going well. I really do like teaching and the income is deffinetly needed. Everything is so expensive here. Mr. Kotaki, the guy I am out sourced to, mentioned that a company is perhaps interested in me going there once or twice a week to teach English to its employees. While I have no problem doing that, Mr. Kotaki is also aware that my schedule is limited and that I will only do so much work. I think he maybe getting to big and may need to hire another teacher in addition to me in the future.
For the last month or so I just feel like we do not get enough fruit in our diet. Last week I started counting how many servings of fruit and vegatables I was getting and it was really wacked. About 12 servings of vegtables . . . no joke . . . and 1 serving of fruit. Some days it was 0. So I bought some pears and oranges and been eating them to get the extra servings. My room has a nice orange smell which I honestly do not mind.
I have uploaded some of the pics from Ueno Koen up to my flickr account so go ahead and check it out. Also I just realized I wrote this straight on here and not in Word first. Oh well . . . . .
PS Mike I am trying to do better with the blog thing!!
Monday, January 7, 2008
busy busy
I am busy studying and writing this speech for my class. I have pics of Ueno park that I took on Saturday and will uplaod them when I get a chance. Sorry! Things are going good here in Japan . . . not to much to report.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Orange Bowl
YEEEEEEAAAA!!!!!! KU won the Orange Bowl!!!!
Kansas 24 Virginia Tech 21
I was able to listen to the game live from a radio station in Kansas City.
Most people know that I hate the special treatment that a lot of the players, particularly basketball, get. But, it was good to see KU do well and show that they could beat VT even with so many doubting.
So I hope this teaches my brother-in-law, Brian, a lesson!!!!!!!!
ROCK CHAUK JAYHAWK!!!!
Game Recap:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/recap;_ylt=AlmfCyurFIutb1Qa1jZX7P85nYcB?gid=200801030016
Kansas 24 Virginia Tech 21
I was able to listen to the game live from a radio station in Kansas City.
Most people know that I hate the special treatment that a lot of the players, particularly basketball, get. But, it was good to see KU do well and show that they could beat VT even with so many doubting.
So I hope this teaches my brother-in-law, Brian, a lesson!!!!!!!!
ROCK CHAUK JAYHAWK!!!!
Game Recap:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/recap;_ylt=AlmfCyurFIutb1Qa1jZX7P85nYcB?gid=200801030016
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Japanese do it better!
Yesterday was my first time flying on Japanese Airlines (JAL) and it was by far the best airline I have ever flown. The only thing that I can say I like better on other airlines are the seats on Midwest . . . all of their seats are the big first class size seats and two per aisle instead of the normal three you generally find in economy. As my flight was leaving the counter staff that helped us board the flight, all 13 of them instead of the normal 4 or 5, came out and were on the ground and waved to our plane as we left. There are also more stewardesses on the plane, you have more movie options (like 8 in economy) that are continually running, better meals and drink options, and if you ever want anything they will get it for you.
JAL is just a better airline because the customer service is just better. This is also true with Japanese businesses in general. You would never have the disgruntled employee who does not even look at you or acknowledge you while they are ringing up your stuff in the process of having a conversation with another co-worker only to stop and tell you the total amount you owe. Even those at the Wal-mart owned Seiyu maintain a higher standard then most American businesses, but it is really low in comparison to other Japanese stores. It rather interesting that most Japanese do not like Seiyu for the reason that they place a lower value on its employees and its customer service.
Anyways, the better customer service does come at a price, but the ticket I got was pretty cheap. Even if JAL were a $100 or so more then another ticket I would still choose JAL.
Its weird to be back in Japan. Most of the people who lived in my dorm are gone and some are leaving today to go north to go skiing.
JAL is just a better airline because the customer service is just better. This is also true with Japanese businesses in general. You would never have the disgruntled employee who does not even look at you or acknowledge you while they are ringing up your stuff in the process of having a conversation with another co-worker only to stop and tell you the total amount you owe. Even those at the Wal-mart owned Seiyu maintain a higher standard then most American businesses, but it is really low in comparison to other Japanese stores. It rather interesting that most Japanese do not like Seiyu for the reason that they place a lower value on its employees and its customer service.
Anyways, the better customer service does come at a price, but the ticket I got was pretty cheap. Even if JAL were a $100 or so more then another ticket I would still choose JAL.
Its weird to be back in Japan. Most of the people who lived in my dorm are gone and some are leaving today to go north to go skiing.
Christmas in Cali
Well I know I have been slacking at doing the whole blog thing, but I will try to do better. Christmas in California was a lot of fun. It was really good to see Erin and was hard to leave her yet again. However, I will see her in February . . . so not to long of a wait. It was also good to see a lot of people I have not seen in a long time. I was so amazed at how fast my nieces, nephews, and cousins have grown.
One thing that I noticed that really bothered me about being back in the U.S. was how much stuff we just waste. I am not sure why, but it just seems like we waste a lot of things, particularly food. Now I am not saying I am perfect, but in Japan I guess I have just use to not throwing food away.
Also this was my first Christmas without my grandmother (Granny) so I found it really hard to be in here house without her there. It was much harder then I imagined, but I was able to get through it.
I was happy that I did get my fair share of Mexican food and was able to eat at In-N-Out.
I also went on a hot date with my father-in-law to see I am Legend. I enjoyed the movie.
4x4, four peices of meat and cheese, from In-N-Out
Ma and Pa Barker
One thing that I noticed that really bothered me about being back in the U.S. was how much stuff we just waste. I am not sure why, but it just seems like we waste a lot of things, particularly food. Now I am not saying I am perfect, but in Japan I guess I have just use to not throwing food away.
Also this was my first Christmas without my grandmother (Granny) so I found it really hard to be in here house without her there. It was much harder then I imagined, but I was able to get through it.
I was happy that I did get my fair share of Mexican food and was able to eat at In-N-Out.
I also went on a hot date with my father-in-law to see I am Legend. I enjoyed the movie.
4x4, four peices of meat and cheese, from In-N-Out
Ma and Pa Barker
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
