Getting Geared Up For The Trip

I realized yesterday evening that this blog is turning into much more than I had anticipated.

You see, many of my dearest friends have made it painfully aware that I am basically a bore! Not something one ends to recognize on their own; sort of like a fish never realizing that they are always wet.

I promise this is going to get a heckuva lot more tawdry and exciting once the plane hits the ground and I begin to tear through the streets of Japan (no black Godzilla jokes!). You'll see! And to prove it I have pre-ordered a one-of-a-kind outfit from an artist in that country. It should be done just in time for my arrival:

http://www.enterthemothership.com/artists/artist_detail.asp?artistID=8

Todays "Honey-Do" List

This is for James...

... not much going on relating to our trip. My wife, the poster child for organization, gave me a number of instructions and a "to-do" list to pass on to Ross. Things like "call your bank and make sure they know you will be spending tons of cash overseas, or else they will shut your card down!"

My wife also mentioned that she was thinking of letting the dogs have access to the back part of the house via the doggie door. This is great news since I was thinking the same thing but was waiting for the right moment to spring the idea. This way they can get away from the elements should it rain or snow while we are away (it can snow in Los Angeles!).

Today I am going to buy a Minnie Mouse backpack for Emma, the cute daughter of one of our friends in Tokyo. I might also pick up some little Disney trinkets as gifts for those I may have forgotten or run into by chance; things like Disney golf balls, commemorative pins, etc.

Oh! And I am going to buy a Kobe Bryant jersey for my wife's cousin Yoshiyuki... probably tomorrow after work since I have Japanese class until 9PM tonight.

T-Minus 5 Days, And Counting...

It is just past midnight, so I guess early Tuesday morning. My wife and I will board our flight midday Sunday but I've still so much to do before then. Buy gifts for my wife's family and our friends. Wanna buy some new shoes. Get all my cold weather clothes dusted off. And a thousand other tasks I have not yet realized I need to do.

I tossed and turned all last night thinking about buttressing the gate in our backyard. I didn't get a wink of sleep actually. You see, we are keeping our dogs at the house and our neighbors will look in on them and feed them. We have taken care of dogs for a few of our neighbors when they have been away on vacation... just the kind of neighborhood we live in.

Our older dog Charlie will stay in the house and we'll leave the doggie door open. The two puppies, Genie and Sam, will stay in the backyard on the east side of the house and sleep in the garage. That way they can run around as much as they want & not dismantle the house while we are away. But Genie is a climber and we have spent many an hour chasing her down after she has miraculously escaped from our yard.

Just last weekend they both got out and we still haven't a clue how! After doing yard work my wife and I came inside, started to relax then we looked over and asked each other, "Where are Genie and Sam?!" Their usual rumblings around the house were conspicuously absent. Lo and behold, they were gone. Once it was established they were gone we jumped in our respective cars and went searching for them.

Turns out they got tired of their little adventure and came home all on their own just as I was finishing my second sweep of the surrounding neighborhoods! Distressing that they still like to get loose but reassuring that they chose of their own accord to make their way back home. One has to eat after all!

But everything will be fine. I will try to replace the lock on the eastern gate and that should be that.