New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is called "Ohmisoka" in Japanese. It is certainly not for the night of partying Some do but going to shrines/temples in midnight with families is a tradition.  Japanese become quite lazy after Christmas. Many take a week off, special feasts are prepared and presented in special boxes (so they don't have cook for a few days), no house cleaning (usually from 29 Dec - 3 Jan. They consider is as a bad luck).... so all what they do is to eat, watch TV, and sleep. It sounds like Christmas for Christians, doesn't it? Ok enough about cultural lessons!

New Year's Eve plans have been changed several times this year. Originally, I was going to book hotel rooms in the downtown Denver, having dinner at restaurant, then going to a bar nearby or simply staying up until midnight while watching Dick Clark but some friends had to work until late afternoon (and some other silly reasons). I pretty much decided not to do anything with friends at first. Having my own time alone sounded darn good after dealing with so many people over Christmas in Iowa but the final decision was made on the 30th - having dinner with two guys in town and two friends from Denver. I am not a huge party go-er, especially when a size of party is relatively large - 4 to 6 is perfect in my definition of "party." 

We met up with all the guys, Gary#1, Gary#2, Mike, Ivan and Kirk, at 7 at Gary & Mike's place in town for wine and light snacks.  To be honest, I probably didn't need dinner after having them.  Anyway, these 5 guys are probably whom I care most in a circle of friends in Colorado. Mike is a psychiatrist, Ivan is one of deans at Regis University, Kirk is form. school principal... I don't know how we ended up being friends even if we work in total different fields but all of them are simply fantastic. At 8, we headed out for dinner at an Italian restaurant.... as always, I was a designated driver.  I wanted to get completely drunk as I wouldn't be able to remember anything happening a day before. Now I know why that has never happened to me. After opening 4 bottle of wines and seeing the guys being loopy already, I just couldn't let anybody else drive (and in the town of 150,000, it is hard to get a cab especially in holidays). We had a great dinner (more wine of course...), we shared each other's New Year resolutions and the biggest regrets of 2008, then chowed down super boozy rum cake at M&G's place.... Happy New Year at midnight.

Certainly not a wild party in New York nor Las Vegas, but I had a fantastic New Year's Eve. Except one regret, though.... I didn't even have a chance to talk and say Happy New Year to my friend in Utah whom I really wanted to be here, before midnight.... 

I am so grateful to have such caring people in my life. Thanks.

Post Christmas Blue

I was going to post something from the gift exchange event in Nashua, IA but it was disappointingly uneventful. Sure, there was a pile of gifts under a Christmas tree but it took only an hour. One person is really into giving one of those toy guns shooting out marshmallows. All guys in the family get it every year. I just don't see any point but she thinks it is a fun... Sure it could be a comical image that marshmallows fly during the gift exchange but think of it, 5 year old girl holding her daddy's marshmallow gun and giggling while shooting her 4 year old cousin. I saw this 3 year old girl drinking rum coke by accident - believed it was regular coke. I might sound like a goodie goodie but it is certainly not a pretty picture. One of my closest members in this family, Megan (20), brought her 21 year old boyfriend from Minnesota. It was quite entertaining to see his reaction towards the sceneries described as above.... he and I went upstairs in the middle of it to take aspirins. He is in navy. "Dan, what did you think about what was going on downstairs..." "No comment...." It was indeed quite a culture shock for non-family members like us.

I was so ready to come home.... on the 27th, all the "guests" were leaving at 7am.... it is the saddest moment for all the families. I really can see why there is a term, Christmas Blue, existing. For myself as a guy who didn't have a close family bond, it is such a beautiful scenery. After stuffing home made cookies in an empty ice cream bucket, I left Nashua behind... there was a major ice storm passing by in the area. Very slow driving for 2 hours. I-35 corridor got hit by the storm badly - just to avoid any potential troubles and delay, I took a country road located 30 miles west of I-35 to get to I-80 instead even if it added an extra hour in the long drive to Colorado. Hot chocolate, tea and diet Mountain Dew.... this temporally caffeine addict didn't realize how difficult to find a restroom along corn fields (everywhere could be rest stops I suppose). Finally, I found a tiny gas station in the middle of nowhere. Rushed in and took care of business... now I had a chance to look around... there was a huge vending machine selling "adult novelties." "French pleasure - French silk pie flavor. @#$%^&*$%$# It is a patriotic thing to do!" "Miracle from Phuket - Asian secret!" I think Target might want to learn some marketing techniques from such place rather than just putting Trojans and KY Jelly on shelves..... I grabbed a bottle of diet coke instead of condoms and headed to the junction for I-80.

Gaining one hour by crossing the time zone line is a good thing but it doesn't make any difference on the 14 hour drive.... I skipped lunch so decided to have dinner a bit early. I was in North Platte, NE where I bought the portable DVD player on the way to IA. There are several restaurant choices but I didn't want to have something I could have back in Ft. Collins. Three choices - Cedar Bowl (I have never had a meal at bowling alleys), Long John Silver's or oh, Hong Kong Buffet! After a week worth of holiday meals, I was so ready for Asian foods. I drove straight to this all-you-can-eat $8.50 buffet establishment attached to a small motel. Egg rolls / wonton soup with jasmine tea tasted darn good (I just ignored my wonder if they used MSG or not). Lo Mein with chili oil certainly stimulated my sleepy head. 3 more hour drive.... then Ft. Collins.... Clear sky with stars and city lights with the Rocky's silhouette. This moment always makes me think "I am so glad that I live in the west." It would be better if there were the ocean and it were in 70's.

Christmas 2008

I have been wanting to post something to conclude the chapter of my vacation in Hawaii but it has been 3 weeks since I returned. Too long to pretend I typed it in Hawaii so.... I will skip that part completely! There are photos to make up the last half of the vacation in Facebook. If you have an account, please check them out.

Here I am - Christmas day in Iowa. Cold but sunny. The scenery from windows here is like some painting you see in Hallmark cards. Farm houses, silos, velvet-like snow covered ground nobody has stepped in. It is indeed beautiful. At 9:00am, all Christmas meals were on stoves and ovens already. I am blessed not to be alone back home (not that Japanese celebrate Christmas as a family event but it is far better than being at work).

It takes about 14 hour drive from Colorado. Apologies that if some of you are from Eastern Colorado or Nebraska. 14 hour drive in this part of the country is deadly. You would be glad that your car has a cruise control. In winter, the scenery along I-80 is monochrome - McDonald's yellow arches are spot-able from miles away. If you think driving is boring in NE, sitting in a passenger seat is very irritating. Not comfortable to snuggle up with a blanket to read a book in car seat. Trance music in iPod could help my mind transport to somewhere else (lol) but it doesn't help in term of the scenery so.... I stopped by Walmart in North Platte, NE to get a portable DVD player....impulse buying but it is well worth to get time go fast. At least it has put me in a Christmas mood by watching Last Holoiday by Queen Latifah, the Holiday by Jude Law and Kate Winslet, Love Actually.... those are a few of my favorite things lol.

Since I got here Nashua, IA, I have not been doing anything. This is how Christmas goes, I suppose. Eating, sleeping, playing with kids. I have a soft spot for kids and no matter where I go, all kids love me for some reason. My mother used to say it was just because I had the same IQ level as 3 year old kids. Oh whatever....Far more relaxing than when I am on vacation. after giving them horsy rides, I ask "My back hurts - can you step on will ya?" Foods are amazing here. I used to get shocked by how Iowans fixed things. Microwaves are a must - every time they warm leftovers up, they put a stick of butter. Velveeta, sugar... but amazingly people are so fit here. My favorite dish is egg noodles fried with bacon and butter. I tried it at home several times but it never comes out as good as they make here. We had a big Christmas dinner at 1 on the 25th. It is 7:30pm - just had leftovers as dinner. Here comes a creative side of me. Rather than making my own TV dinner from leftovers which can be microwaved all together. Mixing mac & cheese which folks made for kids, turkey, corns, and fresh salsa from New Mexico and baked it until it turned golden brown. I bet some people here disgusted by my food but after having had farm meals for a few days, my stomach has been craving for a bit of kick.

A Christmas gift exchange at this place was insane until 3 or 4 years ago. Forget about recycling and eco-friendly. It took FOUR hours to open piles of gifts for all nearly 30 people.... they used to give me like 20 different kinds of gifts wrapped individually.... I don't know if they have figured some idea out on what I really like or what. They have been giving me one gift from everyone - a gift certificate from Banana Republic or Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com. Easy to take home and most of all, wrapping of my gifts won't end up being burned in backyard on the 26th.... This year, they decided to do this event on the 26th except for toddlers... I will post some photos tomorrow.

One thing - new discovery of Iowan culture. It takes FOREVER to leave a place after they say they are leaving. "oh close to the bedtime - better go home." If they say this at 9, it will be 10 by the time they actually step out of the front door. At least they need to talk about a few gossips in village....not only among ladies. Guys do the same thing here.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. 2 more days before heading back home.... I am think I am ready for New Year's.