New Year's Resolutions: 6 Months In...

So I suck at this.  But maybe posting about it will motivate me...  Maybe...
Below are my New Year's Resolutions and where I stand with each.  It is isn't pretty...

In 2013 I will... 1. Lose weight. Seriously this time. I'm sitting at 75 kg and want to get down to 62. Added to this is to run... something. Thinking a 5k in May at Tottori. Will be consulting Lenny and Maggie for help with this. And will be packing a map this time...   Missed the 5k in Tottori because I wasn't prepared and because I had guest coming the following week and wanted to clean house.  Quite pathetic, but running is not really my thing...  I have lost some weight, but more just to getting further away from having a baby.  Really need to step it up. 2. Keep up with email/mail/and my blog in a timely manner.   Nope- not happening....  Being a stay at home mom meant I was laaaaazy.... 3. Document Robin's first year with a scrapbook/baby book. I have a friend who does a page a month and I think I can do that.   I have been taking pictures but haven't printed them out.  But I did make a shutterfly book for the first six months.  That counts... right? 4. Quit being depressed and resentful about motherhood and will start enjoying it. This includes coming to terms at aspects I fail at (BFing) and focusing on things I rock at (CDing, burping).   OK- now we're getting somewhere.  I have definitely done this.  Though I still do let not being able to bf (we stopped awhile ago) upset me now and then, I am pretty cool with motherhood.  Especially since Robin has become more fun.  Her laughing and being able to interact has helped a lot.  She's actually like a person now. 5. Keep up with book club despite being a new mother.   This I have done as well.  In fact it was my main release for awhile.  Though our group has dwindled in numbers, we have a lot of fun.  And the books have been really good this month. 6. Save and manage my money (and inheritance). Also learn how to file taxes and invest... stuff.   This one I have done ok on.  I actually haven't spent too much because I haven't gotten out much.  Except for my days traveling with Connor and my time in the US, I have been very good about not buying stuff for myself.  I haven't learned how to do the taxes (I am talking about on the money I am getting from my parents) but will do that this summer. 7. Work on training Tom. He is doing ok on the toilet training front but he needs some more basics to keep him safe and us sane.   I can't take credit for it but Tom is doing wonderful.  Mostly due to Motoaki teaching him how to sit, and him just growing up.  He still chews up stuff he finds but as long as you keep him occupied, he is great. 8. Steal the show with my awesome karaoke and dance skills at Mags Stalter and David Weber's wedding.   Wait for it.... 9. Have Robin be the best dressed kid at daycare next spring (with large help from Anne Monsma's hand-me downs).   I must admit she rocks it every day, though my taste might not be what others would pick.  She wears a lot of gender neutral clothes that are cute but not traditional.  I love dressing her in cool shorts and t-shirts. 10. Will skype Amy White every (or every other) weekend.   Fail...  but mostly because Grandma can't remember how to use skype.  I do call her once a month though.  But need to get better about that.       Here's to stepping up my game these next six months.

The Infamous Proust Questionnaire

I started reading Vanity Fair when I came to Japan.  All of the foreign magazines are really expensive (like $20)  so I picked the longest/thickest one in order to have it last.  I fell in love with its mix of pop culture and current events as well as its in-depth coverage of the past, such as an article on when Jackie Kennedy got into publishing or the guy who introduced John Ford to Monument Valley.  Anyway, at the end of the magazine is "The Infamous Proust Quiz."  It's a series of questions they ask writers/actors/directors/etc.  Here is a website on the origin of the actual quiz, the infamous Proust quiz


I thought I would answer the quiz myself because I am a bit bored.  There is nothing particular about it, just something I read every month.  If you do a google search you can find a lot of interesting people along with their interesting answers.


1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
With all due respect to my husband, a good book, a hot bath, and a small terrier curled up and napping on the bathroom rug.


2. What is your greatest fear?
That I will live an unlived life.


3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I am too chatty and get jealous too easily.


4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
I hate cockiness.


5. Which living person do you most admire?
As for people I know, my friends Ashley, Wyatt, and Bud.  All of them are such achievers.
As for someone famous, Tina Fey seems like such the perfect woman.


6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Flights between the US and Japan.


7. What is your current state of mind? 
Sightly bored, slightly conceited (in that I think people will read this).
In the larger picture, I am pretty content at the moment but still feel as if things haven't quite gotten started yet.


8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Bravery


9. On what occasion do you lie?
Working with students and people of a foreign culture, I lie at work.  All.  the.  Time.


10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My height and weight can't seem to strike a happy balance.


11. Which living person do you most despise?
Haha...  For this I shall just stick to famous or infamous people.  I would say the selfish Americans who make the US look ugly to other countries.


12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Humor and an easy-going nature.


13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Humor and an easy-going nature.


14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
like, In America..., anyway


15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
As much as I would love to say Motoaki, I think books have been and will be with me longer.


16. When and where were you happiest?
I think the fall when I first met Motoaki and was living in Tsuyama with Eddie, Genesis, Gemma, Sanyu, Lauren, Andy, Ben, Lenny, etc  There was such a feeling of fun and freedom that being an expat gives you.


Or spring semester of my first year at University.


Or being on the State 4-H council.


17. Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish I was better at languages and sports.  Is having a photogenic memory a talent?

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I wish I was generally more considerate of others.


19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
So far, staying for the most part true to myself.


20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A hymn or a hymnal.  Or a terrier (one of the fluffy ones).  Or a book.  Something daring that children would read hidden under their comforters with a flashlight and that adults would reread into their adult lives.

21. Where would you most like to live?

I am happy where I am at now, but if we had to move, Tsuyama, Des Moines, the Twin Cities, or Sydney.


22. What is your most treasured possession?

My mother's copy of Little Women, my Paul Frank quilt made by my grandmother, my United Methodist Hymnal.


23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Losing a loved one, the thought that there is a good chance my life is half way over or more than half way over.

24. What is your favorite occupation?
Teaching, although I would love to be a writer or dancer.

25. What is your most marked characteristic?
My voice- talking, singing, writing

26. What do you most value in your friends?
Their willingness to keep in touch despite distance and time.  Their ability to selflessly meet and support me whenever I happen to be in the US. And their humor.

27. Who are your favorite writers?
As much as I love books, I am not as loyal to writers.  My favorite books are Behind the Attic Wall, The Poisonwood Bible, As I Lay Dying, The Time Traveler's Wife, How the Garcia Girl's Lost Their Accents, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Baby-Sitter's Club, The American Girl series, Me Talk Pretty One Day


I do find that if I buy an Anita Shreve book, I will like it.  The same goes for David Sedaris.




28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Huckleberry Finn, Peter Pan, Jo March, Curious George

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Arthur Hart-Synnot, from the book Sword and Blossom, and, in regards to his quote that "I cannot live without books," Thomas Jefferson.  I was brought up to greatly admire Harry S. Truman and I do, but I can't say that I identify with him.



30. Who are your heroes in real life?
My grandmother(s), my mother, my aunt, my husband, my father, my friends.

31. What are your favorite names?
George, Robin, Truman, Fitch, Nora, Ella, and Jane

32. What is it that you most dislike?
People who complain or who can't take care of themselves.  Sadly, that includes infants.
And centipedes and snakes.

33. What is your greatest regret?

I hope it isn't the decision to stay in Japan.  There have been a lot of lost chances to say what I really felt or meant and too many chances where I said what I shouldn't have said.

34. How would you like to die?

In my sleep, in a warm room, old and ready.

35. What is your motto?

Don't walk in front of me, I might not follow.  Don't walk behind me, I might not lead.  Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Life's like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending.

I cannot live without books.

Trivia Night

On Saturday we had our second Tsuyama Trivia night.  The pressure was on since last time I (and my partners)  won.  Of course last time one of the bonus questions was to write in all of the US states and the final round was to sing a song at Karaoke (really, no contest).  This time was a lot more difficult.  Despite being paired up with two very intelligent guys, we came in third.  For those in the know, I was with Sean and Ben and our team name was, "We knew Lenny when..." (Sean, Ben, and I have been in Japan for a long time now and we there for Lenny's, the host of the Trivia Night, big entrance into Japan).  We would like to say that part of it was due to our team being the only one without a Japanese member, but really the other groups did well.

Anyway, here are the questions.  I won't put in the answers since they can be found online and so you can have a chance to guess for yourself.  They are out of order and I might have gotten them slightly wrong...  I also don't remember all of them...

*Music Category*
1. What is Freddie Mercury's real name?
2. What musician supposedly bit the head off of a bat?
3. What is the top selling album of all time?
4. Name a subgroup of the band, Morning Musume?
5. What studio did the Beatles record most of their albums at?
6. Who sang, "My Humps?"
7. Who created AKB 48?
8.
9.
10.
Bonus  Name as many Johnny's groups as you can.  (again, needed a Japanese person for that)

*Japan Category*
1. What is the original name of Tokyo?
2. What is the kanji for apple?
3. When was the Meiji Restoration?
4. Who was the last shogun?
5. What is the language of Okinawa called?
6. What is a Kendo sword called?
7. What is the current emperor's name?
8.
9.
10.
Bonus Name the prefectures of Kyushuu.

*Movies/TV Category*
1. What was Tom Cruise's call name in Top Gun?
2. In Back to the Future, what is Doc's real name?
3. Who played the lead character in Bridget Jone's Diary?
4. Who is older, Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt?
5. Who directed The Seven Samurai?
6. Who composed the music for Star Wars, Jurassic Park, etc?
7. What was the flight in Lost?
8. What is the longest running Japanese anime?
9. What is Bart Simpson's middle name?
10.
Bonus Name all 8 Harry Potter films.

*Sports/Olympics Category*
1. What country got the most medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics?
2. How many medals has New Zealand won in the Winter Olympics?
3. What was the 1992 American Basketball Team's nickname?
4. Where were the first winter Olympics?
5.  By 2020, which city will have hosted the Olympics 3 times?
6. Which Japanese male figure skater got some medal?
7. "Japnese Name" got medals for which event?
8.
9.
20.
Bonus: What 7 countries have won the most medals ever?

Will try to add the other questions if I remember them.

Stitchin-Addiction

So every year or so I fall for a new craft form.  Two years ago it was Applique (which I will resume once my nights are a bit more free) and last year it was card art.  I think it might have something to do with the weather and being lazy but still feeling like I should "do something."  This year it looks like I've fallen for cross stitch.

Actually, last summer when I went to Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home near DC) with my dad and sister I bought a small cross stitch kit that had T. J's famous quote, "I cannot live without books."  At first I was just going to buy a postcard with the quote (because it absolutely fits me) but then I decided to try the cross stitch.  In the excitement of summer, though, I put it in my suitcase and forgot about it.  Then after getting back to Japan and having the exhausting chore of unpacking and washing/putting things away (not to mention moving, getting an intern, hosting a friend from the states), it got put in a corner and forgotten about again.  But last weekend while doing a bit of cleaning/organizing I found it and decided to give it a go.  And it has been love ever since.

OK, OK, puppy love- it has only been a week.  BUT I have been thinking about it non-stop and have expanded to new projects.  The TJ sampler was pretty easy and I was sad when it finished so quickly. It took me the length of the first three Twilight films that were on TV last week (another plus- I can do it while watching TV!).  So the next day at work decided to search around for some "hip" cross stitch that I could do for myself and as possible gifts (warning to all of you who I normally give stuff to), and I found "Subversive Cross Stitch," or basically the punk version of the granny art form.  Here are some examples of what they do..

Love it love it love it!!  I have always been a huge fan of quotes (does that even make sense? doesn't everyone like quotes?) and love the clash of traditional stitching with blunt comments- "Don't make me cut you" is hilarious. And the great thing about cross stitch, for simple things like words it is pretty easy to DIY without a pattern.  Because you are working with making x'es in little boxes, it is pretty easy to just count the boxes and make your own pattern based on images you find on Google (again, I said for simple things like words, hearts, zig-zags, etc- for pictures and stuff you need a pattern).  Not that I wouldn't mind buying the book that these sayings came from, but I don't want to spend a lot of money before I really decide that this is what I like doing (again, comment about every new year brings a new craft).

The actual fabric and cloth was really cheap at the local craft store, and I like the fact that the fabric is the canvas so I can cut it up and use it for several projects.  There are two that I want to do for upcoming birthdays, but I bought a Wizard of Oz kit to practice on first.  It has some trickier techniques than the TJ quote so I am glad that I am doing it first.  I don't want to spoil the surprise about what I am making for birthdays, but here is an example of the Wiz of Oz sampler (will try to put up real pictures this weekend).

I'm thinking I'll leave the mouths off since I think it makes the tin-man look like a pig, and will have to figure out how to put Toto* in there somewhere.  GOOD LORD I'M A DORK!  Watch out Judy Gardner*!  Your competition has arrived!

*Notes: 

*Toto, the dog from the Wiz of Oz, is a cairn terrier and my family loves cairn terriers.  We have two and the black one is just like Toto, only mean.  And the Wiz of Oz is one of my parents favorite movies.  We have a Wiz of Oz tree every Christmas and they sang, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at my mom's funeral.  So I figured with the above sampler, I can always give it to someone in the family.

*Judy Gardner is my friend Ashley's grandmother.  She did a copy of Van Gogh's Starry Night in cross stitch.  It is unreal!

3 Song Party in Hiroshima

I got an invite from a coworker to go to a party in Hiroshima.  She is actually sort of my boss but a very chill person.  Anyway, the party will be held at a pub/dance place but there is a catch.  All of the guests need to bring a CD that has their three favorite dancing songs on it.  Normally I would say that Hiroshima is too far to go for a party (it's about 3 hours away) but this is such a fun idea that I have decided to go (and make a weekend of it- the boss says I can cash with her).

Now to pick my three favorite songs...  What would you pick??  This is hard because you don't want your choice to be too obvious (in case someone else picks it) but you also don't want to pick something obscure that no one will dance to (so maybe no Bjork...).  If I knew the guest list (like for my wedding) I would easily be able to imagine what songs would go over well, but not knowing who will turn up makes it harder to guess the mood for the night.

Here is what I have narrowed it down to and why...

1. Club Can't Handle Me by Flo Rida http://youtu.be/SgM3r8xKfGE
First off this is my current favorite dance song and it always goes over in the clubs.  It is a bit risky in that someone else might pick it, but I wouldn't mind dancing to it twice in one night.  I love the lyrics to the song (in a dance sense- not something I would quote in conversation) and the beat is good.  Very uplifting music in a "I'm out and I want to have a good time."

2. Moves Like Jagger by Maroon Five http://youtu.be/iEPTlhBmwRg
This one is overplayed in America but you don't really hear it in Japan.  I was at a birthday party in Osaka and requested it at a club.  The DJ had it, played it, and a lot of people got up and danced.  It has fun lyrics and isn't too fast.

3.Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes http://youtu.be/rjFaenf1T-Y
This would be a gamble in that it is very quirky and probably unknown.  However, the boss who is throwing the party is from Scotland and it has a bit of a jig feel to it (come to think of it, I should do Brigadoon- jk) so her friends might be up for it.  I just love this song and didn't get a chance to play it at my wedding (I learned about it after) and would LOVE to be in a room full of people dancing to it...

4. Ray of Light by Madonna http://youtu.be/x3ov9USxVxY
This one is an old one and not one of my favorites, BUT I did dance to it on my high school drill team (that's dance team to a lot of you) and it is fun.  You can't really go wrong with Madonna and especially with the age of the crowd that is likely to turn up, it will take people back to when they were in middle school, high school, college, etc  My only worry is that it is a little fast.

5. The Beautiful People by Christina Aguilera http://youtu.be/SsRltCivI4s
This is a cover so it might appeal to the people who don't like pop music per say and yet also appeal to people who live for pop music.  It is more of a song for a dance team but it could work for the party.  Again, part of me just wants to be in a room full of people to dance to this since it doesn't get played at clubs.

6. Roll Away Your Stone by Mumford & Sons http://youtu.be/3eEobPFhpws
This is also a song that would appeal to the people at the party who aren't really dancers.  I'm thinking US/UK guys who came with Japanese girls.  I can dance to ANY M&S song but I figure this one would be the biggest crowd pleaser.

7 September by Earth Wind and Fire http://youtu.be/nfLEc09tTjI
This is just a fun old song that others probably wouldn't think of but that a lot of people would know.  Classic disco seems to beat pop at every wedding/school dance/etc you go to.

8. Wake Me Up by Wham http://youtu.be/pIgZ7gMze7A
George Michael has one of the best singing voices ever and this song is pure 80's bubblegum fun.  I imagine a lot of people going "OMG- I LOVE THIS" especially if it came up after they were well warmed up and had been drinking for awhile.

9. Folding Chair by Regina Spektor http://youtu.be/uCvgXmg0m1g
If I want to be "all cool" and go for "obscure" music I would definitely play this song.  I put it on at my wedding and I don't think many people danced, but you can dance to it and it is really sweet.  And I guess it would provide an opportunity for people to go and refresh their drinks...

10. I Don't Feel Like Dancing by Scissor Sisters http://youtu.be/4H5I6y1Qvz0
Contrary to the title, this is a fun dance song that doesn't get played in clubs but that would probably move people to get up and boogie.  And, though I am not positive, I think we might be playing to a "gay crowd" at this party, so this song would be a winner.  Not to stereotype...




So that is the list I am thinking of but I need to get it down to three...  Any thoughts?  Or what would you pick??

Something Random

Read this blog entry and had to share.  HILARIOUS!!

http://thebloggess.com/2011/06/and-thats-why-you-should-learn-to-pick-your-battles/