ABCs

1. A is for age: 25

2. B is for beer of choice: Asahi Dry

3. C is for career right now: English Teacher in Japan

4. D is for your dogs name: I don’t have a dog!

5. E is for essential item you use everyday: deodorant

6. F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Supernatural

7. G is for favorite game: Texas-Hold’em Poker

8. H is for hometown: Shiner

9. I is for favorite instrument: harp or piano

10. J is for favorite juice: grape

11. K is for whose ass you'd like to kick? Ummm – no problems with anyone at the moment. Wait till I have my 3rd graders today, then I might be able to list a few.

12. L is for last place you ate out: The Pizzeria Friday night before PotC 3

13. M is for marriage: one day

14. N is for your name: Johanna Louise Darilek

15. O is for overnight hospital stays: zero (so far!)

16. P is for people you were with today: Katahigashi JHS

17. Q is for quote: The greatest risk is not taking one!

18. R is for biggest regret: not sure if I really have any or any that really come to mind now

19. S is for status: Single

20. T is for time you woke up today: 7:20

21. U is for color of underwear you have on now: purple

22. V is for vegetable you love: cucumbers

23. W is for worst habit: cracking my knuckles

24. X is for x-rays you've had: teeth, chest, etc.

25. Y is for yummy food you ate today: Hmmm…I haven’t really eaten anything “yummy” today so far.

26. Z is for your favorite zoo animal: giraffes

Himitsu-Bako (Personal Secret Box)

The “Himitsu-Bako (Personal Secret Box)” is a traditional Japanese puzzle box that was designed over 100 years ago in the Hakone region of Japan. The Hakone Mountains are noted for their great variety of trees. The Personal Secret Box takes advantage of this wide variety of natural wood colors and textures to produce their elaborate geometric patterns. The appeal of the Personal Secret Box is not merely in its entertainment qualities. It is valued as a Yosegi-Zaiku is a mosaic woodwork usually applied to small handicrafts such as trays, boxes and chests. This marquetry technique is originated in the late Edo Period, and in May of 1984, was designated a National Traditional Handicraft by the International Trade & Industry Minister.
Most Japanese Personal Secret Boxes (Puzzle Boxes) have a variety of difficulties ranging from 4 to 66 moves. From a puzzler’s point of view the 59-move box has the most interesting sequence of moves, even better than the 66. A few large puzzle boxes have exceptional numbers of moves, such as 78, 122, 119, or 125.

Puzzle boxes are not easy to make. Since they depend on friction to work properly it is very difficult to produce a box that is neither too loose nor too tight. This becomes more difficult the larger and more complex the box becomes. Boxes that are too tight can’t be opened. Boxes that are too loose are not much fun for the puzzler. The instability of wood itself presents quite a challenge to the puzzle box maker.

Jewelry used to be kept in trick boxes so that a potential thief would have problems seeing and stealing the contents. Puzzle boxes have been crafted all over the world, including Morocco, Poland and South America. By far the most intricate and beautiful is the Japanese puzzle box since it's covered in complicated patterns of rich wood and featuring complex mechanisms to open them.

Nature of Hakone

Mt. Fuji (Fuji-san) in the back left.

The view from our hotel room on the lake.

Cider Lane.

The flowers that were all over Hakone.

Numero deux et quatre

I know many of you have already done this, but here's mine:

Two things About ME!

Two names you go by:
1. Hanna 2. Jo

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. White GAP zipper jacket thingy 2. Indoor school shoes

Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship:
1. Laughter 2. Trust

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Reading 2. Goofing around with friends

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. the pile of papers on my desk to be already graded 2. sleep

Two pets you had/have:
1. Mallie 2. Drako

Two things you did last night:
1. washed 3 loads of clothing 2. watched The Family Guy

Two things you ate today:
1. Blueberry bagel 2. Some nasty squid for school lunch

Two people you last talked to:
1. Rigby-sensei for 4th period 2. one of my students who asked me for my cheese at lunch

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. working 2. running errands

Two longest car rides:
1. That bus ride to Hakone two wknds ago seemed like FOR-EVER (since I was sick) 2. The 8 hour bus ride from Niigata to Osaka - did I mention I HATE buses and get motion sickness quite easily?

Two favorite holidays:
1. Easter 2. Halloween
(Total opposites, eh?)

Two favorite beverages:
1. Lipton Peach Tea 2. Strawberry Milk

Four things About ME!

Things you may not have known about me:
1. I wanted to be an Archeologist when I was little. 2. I love to sleep with all my windows open. 3. I hate doing the same thing as everyone else, so I strive to always be different. 4. I don’t like people watching me while I eat.

Four jobs I have/had in my life:
1. English Teacher 2. Waitress 3. Chocolate chef 4. Museum assistant

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Bridget Jones's Diary 2. Shakespeare in Love 3. Ever After 4. Little Women

Four places I have lived:
1. Shiner, Texas, USA 2. Canterbury, Kent, England 3. Niigata City, Niigata, Japan 4. Austin, Texas, USA

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Sour dill pickles 2. Fresh bread 3. Cheese 4. Cucumbers

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. In bed 2. Shopping in Shibuya 3. On a road trip 4. Anywhere in Italy

One year ago today!

Dancing in the rain

Time flies and these pictures were taken exactly one year ago in Nikko.

Strange thinking that only Ros and I were the 2 of 6 that remained.

And then again, in another couple of months - we'll be gone as well.

Arrrrrghhhh.......

In honor of watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3 tonight with the girls, I thought I’d share the pics of my little pirate ship ride I had last weekend.

Hakone Shrine

That's me!

Konagatake Ropeway - Hakone

Gambare Ash!

Ash

Jo

At the bottom again.