muji tricycle

muji tricycle
Originally uploaded by renfield

She hasn't quite got the pedaling concept down but she is loving the trike. Methinks it has serious birthday present potential. Comes in red, yellow, and white. Love the parental handle, too.

shrimp shumai

shrimp shumai
Originally uploaded by renfield

Hooked up with P and headed over to Roppongi Hills for some dim sum. Tonchan was sleeping and woke up just in time to inhale some shrimp shumai.

bucks break

bucks break
Originally uploaded by renfield

She can drink a whole tall ice soy chai latte, so I have to get a grande just to make sure there's some left for me to drink.

fathers day card

fathers day card
Originally uploaded by renfield

Being a dad is SO cool.

english breakfast dinner

english breakfast dinner
Originally uploaded by renfield

Net net massively crappy: political turmoil, economic crisis, friendly fire and beheadings...typical day in the middle east? Or in the office?

After the last nail in the coffin, headed with some of the lads to the pub for a right proper dinner: The Full English Breakfast. Baked beans and buttered toast and sausage and bacon and fried eggs and fried tomato and fried mushrooms.

Absolutely. Brilliant.

pizza

Various new hires in the so-called support areas on my team, so I took the posse out for beers and pizza at Pizzakaya. Actually quite the bargain and damn fine eats, too. Much reveling and silliness and eating and drinking. I suspect a good time was had by all. Which is key because I am unforgiving bastard who demands absolute perfection at work, so at the very least I can buy everyone the occasional pie.

breakfast grumpy

breakfast grumpy
Originally uploaded by renfield

Tonchan, sweet and dear love of my heart, when you grow up and read this, don't think ill of me. I really do love you. Really. But god DAMN you can be a grumpy little punk in the morning!

killings in akiba

Every now and then someone goes wacko in Japan. This weekend, a guy drove is truck into a crowd and started stabbing people in Akihabara. I guess we can be thankful that it wasn't the USA, in which case he would have had a machine gun and instead of seven people dead it would be more like 70.

taikai

Ah the taikai. Well, as expected I got my ass handed to me first round. Luckily I was utterly defeated by the H-Bomb, who went on to win all of the next 3 rounds and then dominated the final 5-0. Last time I won a couple years ago I beat her, so fair is fair.
After the taikai we did the typical eating and drinking and general rabble-rousing thing. Some photos here. And a bunch more photos here and here.

new toilet

new toilet
Originally uploaded by renfield

The old toilet in the master bedroom died. Long live the new toilet! Tonchan certainly likes it, and is always flushing. Here she poses majestically with her new friend, after the evening bath.

iphone in japan

Finally. And with Softbank, which is even better. Gives me an excuse to leave Docomo after 11 years.
However some questions remain, as my current NEC handset has built in wireless IC digital money (I use it for purchases at convenience stores and as my rail pass on all subways, trains, and buses), plays digital broadcast tv, shoots and plays video, music, and flash, and runs various java apps.

However I will give all that up if the iphone allows me to seemlessly switch between WiFi and cell network, so that I can use an unencumbered Safari browser to surf teh internets, using a all-you-can-eat packet plan.
Bonus if jailbreak works, too.

authentic

Had a perfectly acceptable pastrami sandwich from Authentic for lunch today. Actually I didn't eat it until about 3pm because I went to the dojo at lunchtime to get me some healthy. So on the day I was net flat, possibly a bit long delta but with some theta that will offset tomorrow I suspect.

you are not welcome

I can think of no better way to ensure that people are even less encouraged to travel to the US than to require them to register online before travelling. And this is for the citizens of the countries that are strong US allies, requiring no visa.
I, for one, am now even less motivated.
Assuming Tonchan really, really likes Hawaii...then we'll just go to Okinawa alot I guess.
Plenty of Japan still left to see!

class of 2008!

class of 2008!
Originally uploaded by renfield

Hosted this year's graddies for some eats and drinks. The restaurant made us this lovely cake...and then a waiter proceeded to break a wine glass all over it, so the cake was replaced with lots of little puff-pastry balls filled with cream. Anyway the cake says "Congrats on Joining the Company!" and probably would have been delicious if it weren't liberally springled with shards of broken glass.

more yakiniku

Gosoke took us out to some cheap and absolutely killer yakiniku. Nothing finer than grilling meat and talking shop.

machida

Got up EARLY and headed down to Machida to help out with the 32nd Annual Toyamaryu Tournament. Lots of representatives from the US and I was drafted as interpreter for the day.
Afterwards we hit Hataya's shop and then walked down to the station for a celebratory dinner.
Finally got all the gear packed up, got on the train, and checked into the Hotel Kuroda by 1am. Tired like crispy bacon.

jiji horsey

jiji horsey
Originally uploaded by renfield

papa bumped his head on the bus

papa bumped his head on the bus
Originally uploaded by renfield

Luckily an orange bandaid saved him from hemorrhaging to death.

hiroshima

R1011058
Originally uploaded by renfield

Did two nights at Sekitei in Hiroshima.
Flew down, took the bus to the station, train to Oonoura, and then the ryokan van. As expected, most excellent room. First floor had two rooms off of each side of the entrance, plus a little lounge and access to the main garden. Upstairs was another room with a big wooden bathtub in the middle. Totally. Awesome.
They also have a new private bath; a two story affair with a big bath in the middle of the downstairs and a shower in the ceiling, and then a lounge upstairs with a small bath on the balcony. This one is all modern and clean design, different from the one we used last time which was all old school and homey.
Perfect weather for two days too so we wandered around Miyajima in a sunny but breezy way.
Tonchan was a trooper; only broke two glasses and hated the band-aid on her hand more than the minor cut. She also inhaled momiji-manju (red bean paste sweets) and was generally eating the whole time. She ran around during the day so much she slept soundly all night the whole time.

taco rice @ eat more greens

taco rice @ eat more greens
Originally uploaded by renfield

Met Chiepon for lunch -- Happy Birthday! -- at Eat More Greens. We walked up to Roppongi Hills and played at Børnelund, then walked up to Midtown and got some bevvies. Took a taxi to National Azabu and stocked up on groceries (mostly animal crackers and apple juice) before heading home and ordering pizza. Tomorrow: Hiroshima!