What we've been up to lately

I guess it's been a while since I have posted an entry. A little someone someone was asking what was up and I said "not too much ...nothing really worth writing about."

Things here have been really good. We are totally settled in our apartment and it feels more like "home" everyday.

Work is the same....lame, but it brings in the moola and at least the days seem to be going by quickly. We cannot believe we have been here for 3 months. Jame and I were talking yesterday and I said it seems like just yesterday we were at the airport ready to come here and now Christmas is just a month away!

Just a train stop away the FIVB (World Volleyball Championships) were taking place. Being the v-ball buff he is, Jame wanted to check it out, so we purchased some tickets for the women's gold medal match (Russia vs. Brazil). In addition to baseball and tennis, volleyball is pretty popular here, so it was neat to experience the game with all of the other thrilled Japanese spectators.

Once the teams came on to the court I was floored to see how tall some of them were. TALL!!!! The Brazilian team was pretty good looking, but I couldn't help thinking about the he/she character from "Dodgeball" while looking at some of the Russian players! I know...I'm bad, but the mullets and the tattys were a dead give-away. If you don't know what character I am talking about from this awesome movie -- rent it and watch it and then you'll understand!

It was a great match. It ended up going all the way to 5 straight games and although it was close, the Russians won. These women are so amazing and strong. It was awesome to watch!

**Only in Japan will you find your own little personal air vents. It was pretty hot in the gym, so they definitely came in handy!**

What else have we been doing? We started our Christmas shopping early because we wanted to make sure we left enough time for our gifts to be shipped home in time for the the 25th. Japan has sooo many kids clothing stores and now I know why every kid I see is so stylin' -- the kiddie clothes are super cute. We were buying some duds for the nephews and came across this shirt. Some of the Japanese/English translations are hilarious, but this one takes the cake -- especially considering it is a kids shirt and all.

**This is exactly what is written on the shirt-- "Disposition -- Heaven protects children, sailors and drunken men. Go to hell" ** ummmm......ok?!?!

A few days ago we went to an antique temple market. Some of Jame's co-workers had told him about it, so we decided to go check it out. It took place close to our old apartment and was held outside one of the neighbourhood temples. People lined blocks and blocks of the streets selling their goods. Some of it was junk -- literally, while other things were amazing. I could have spent a lot of money there, but I didn't want to go too crazy. I can always go back as it is held every month on the 21st :)

Some of the things for sale were kimonos, yukatas, wooden sandals, masks, scrolls, paintings, jewellry etc. Some things were new and others were old....hence it being an antique market. I bought a gorgeous cloth/felt bamboo picture in a silver frame. It is kind of hard to explain, but I love it. I saw it from a distance as we were walking down the street. It didn't have a price on it and I thought it was going to be expensive given the quality of the matte and frame. I asked and the man said "1500 yen" -- that is pretty comparable to $15.00. I was shocked, so of course I bought it and now that it is hanging in our place I love it even more. This is one purchase that is definitely going to come back home to Canada with us!