December 23rd 2010

Hi everybody!

Which means Grainges and Grainges. Can't believe it's been around half a year... on this post that is, actually, I can.
Thought I'd just write one quickly here, assuming in the morning I'd have oodles of time now it's already seven after 2 play-dates and numerous happenings, soon Makoto is due home from diving exam ( yup a real winter activity ) and dinner is due so better get on with things.

FIRST of all thanks to Vesna and Ian AND Lara for all the Xmas prezzies, arrived one by one over the last 4 days, I think that they are all here and are waiting in the shoe cupboard anticipated by many. AND the one from Amazon; I know what it is but that you SOOOO much he's going to love it, my when I looked at all the postage it just really is too much, it costs HUge amounts to send from there. Very very sorry for the trouble and thank you so much, Nea is going to go berserk with Ponies galore and all prewrapped as well!!! In any case pics will be the thing.

I guess it is already Christmas eve over there, lots of stuff going on and all jolly.

It's gloomy, that is it's cheery inside but the weather is, we had to cancel the whole snow trip ( figured that losing 159 dollars on the cancellation was better than spending 900 to be in the rain in a hotel in the middle of nowhere) cause of the rain.
Here today is exactly the 10th day that it's been raining SOLID; I mean been chucking it down in buckets. Never seen anything like it. Roads have turned from splashes into rivulets into rivers and finally by now only atolls of occasional cement occasionally poke their heads out. Not much fun in LA where virtually everything is planned outside and even Leo who has been nagging for rain complains " YOu know I7ve really had enough of rain, now I know how lucky we are".

I was looking for a good turkey or goose to bake for the 25th but it seems ( didn't really notice last year) that in the US poultry is used up for Thanksgiving and they have massive hams everywhere, each one bigger than the rest, puhhh they might as well just smoke half a pig and throw them at you.
Somehow ham to me is easter and .. but I guess I could give it a try, when in Rome and all that.

Although I try and spend their energy levels at certain venues the two of them are like bombs ready to explode, I almost shitted myself with fright
when I was crawling out of bed at 6 30 and groping my way to the toilet when suddenly the two of them jumped out from behind a silent door in the dark; Leo with half a light sabre, a piece of some spy equipment he had made out to be a gun, shield and a mask, while Nea was outfitted in lighting up spy goggles (the ones from you last year Vens, they have been WELL used) and
a long sword and a stick; Nea screaming on the top of her voice " Get her now, it's the BAD GUY, DESTROY" (It's amazing what 3 year olds will pick up with an older brother) and Leo screaming and thrashing "Be careful she's dangerous and will KILL YOu STAND BACK and follow my moves officer!" (whatever that was)

.. SO you can imagine the rest of the day. He's really good though playing with Nea and although they have word fights occasionally they'll generally play together for quite a while. If she was just a tad more relenting it'd be easier. She's had a stuffed mountain cat we got in Okinawa an age ago that she called ( don't ask) Pakikomanya, during the rain and at last some free hours Leo started making
"Pakikomanya" books, and has been - publishing- (I buy them from him for 25 cents) one daily,
the recent best were "Pakikomanya's Christmas" and " Trouble for Pakikomanya" , " Pakikomanya and the incredible machine" and is just working on apparently "Pakikomanya goes on the train for the first time". Excellent stuff, Nea loves them and he gives them to her, she carries them around everywhere and he is forced to read them to her time, and time again.

Xmas tree of course up, it's quite nice inside actually and all the Gingerbread houses and palaver have been done. At least school is up, which is a relief, the last 10 days were excruciating. It's quite pleasant NOT to have to hurry up out of bed and do all the lunches and rush around here and there,
quite frankly except the every day things I7ve been rather taking it easy the past 4 days and actually lazing down a few times on the sofa watching a movie or two with the kids ( this hardly ever happens). usually I dismiss TV in a " Yeah yeah WOW that's great mmmh mhh right OK now it's time to go " sort of manner. Not a bad thing I guess, rain, once in a while.

I had masses of small happenings and things to report but somehow, it's all been lost of course. THe problem of not writing every day ( or even once a month) things get lost into the forever unknown and booze oblivion after 9pm. I really don't know how you do it V. The Xmas party as in pics before in MF was great, Leo and Nea were in centre of attention behaving VERY well and being at the same time entertaining as well, Makoto was quite beaming with everyone saying " There they are there are the Hirose kids! DId you see them?" Quite made one chuffed. Looking bleak all around Foreign Ministry wise as usual though, everything was much much downscale than even last year and even the lady of the house looked as if she needed a good dentist and some rest and food, not to mention the bingo presents. Of which we got none as usual ( no matter but I always am most disappointed, I feel they owe us so much) Leo was already envisioning is Bingo Card to be the winner of the Wii.

Then all the other Xmas parties came and went, thank the lord, but the most disappointing was a certain Saturday when they were supposed to have the whole CUlver city square in snow playtime for kids ( this is a yearly thing) and it was canceled due to rain. They had been looking forward to that.

Some new whisperings of certain colleagues moving here and there ( in Mako's work I mean ) and although nothing offered per se I have a strong sinking feeling that next time we might be STRONGLY forced towards Bosnia, and although not as bad as some places, very much too close to home if you get my mean for my liking and all together a bad venue school wise. Hmm. Of course none of it at all even said but you know, one has people who know people and generally things get around. Perhaps something will change but in those places there are precious few people and it's rather pathetic. THings might be worse though, and of course money wise it wouldn't be too bard. Well, we can but wait and see. Though, looking at the situation with Leo's next year inter-district school permits,
95 percent is that he won't be able to continue at this place anyway, which would mean putting him somewhere else, getting used to and then moving after a couple of months so in one way, I hope the relief will come soon, around summer I guess. Perhaps a tad later. By that time if we don't Nea should start school of some sort as well and putting in and taking out would just be wasting some 2000 dollars for the enrollment.

So much for completely unknown things and moody thinking. ALl in all waiting for Xmas to be over and get back to life, Yuki kun (Mako's nephew) is coming along on the 6th and we just closed our eyes and prayed to alah for mercy when we got what he wanted to go to; a Lakers Cleveland game. SHUCKS. We got seats equivalent to sitting on the floor in the bus but you should see the ones at the front (probably the Beyonce and Jack Nicholson lot) I mean that is 2 rows back actually, 2-3000 bucks a pop. Lovely. Absolutely ridiculous.

I love that you guys are going camping! I7d love to go, not to mention Leo. Husband is ALWAYS hankering me to get a tent and go camping ( Poor bugger never done it in his life!) and I look at him sideways and say "YOU?! You who goes crazy after not having a shower for 5 hours and wears flip flops out in the back yard? You who agitatingly scratches one mosquito bite for 7 days? You must be joking " and after thinking hard he says well, we could always use it in the house...What a joke. Absolutely too accommodated to city life, that one, doesn't even know how to light a dratted fire and I remember him looking admiringly at me lighting a barb in the earlier days.Not that I ever mind being admired for something, there isn't a lot. But I always so much want to
I think I'm going to get a good one here and do it sometime anyway, as long as Nea is just a tad bigger. THe tents these days are so spectacular! I wouldn't mind living in one of those. NO sorry, that was overdone.

Uuups better go. I hope I could get you all for a while tomorrow for Xmas, depending on where you are, I7m sure the kids and I very much want to say hi! And thank you Woofie and Whale always for the comments and kind words and lovely things as usual.

Lots and lots and lots of love for Christmas and kisses and hugs, ALL round and a HUGE one to Non! l

June 15th 2010

Long time, still- can't write every stupid detail on V's poor lovely blog, so choose to use this one-
somehow since I have the feeling that no one would really care to look unless out of obligation, it seems as if one was writing into open space; (if I write at the end of V's one more or less pushes oneself forcefully into the circle)
but there we are, maybe I am not.

Just an experience from yesterday to put down in a personal US living blog-
(don't let me start on all the hullabaloos that went on in the morning)
after all went out to the park after 4pm just for a "quick" romp and
bang- Nea got stung by a bee.
took the stinger out and cradled her
bawling for a bit until after 10 minutes her whole bloody hand turned
purple. Never seen anything like it, I7ve been stung and so has Leo
and it's a bummer but frankly... waited and put some antiseptic on for
another 20 minutes, obviously she wasn't going into any allergic
shocks but you should have seen that arm... gradually sweeping up the
arm in purple blotches and welts- after which I thought fuck it all,
she might be losing oxygen in the tissue and decided to for the first
time actually venture to the Emergency center- BOY did I make a
mistake. You can NOT imagine what those people were like- now I've
seen my fair share but this was the tops- took me about 8 minutes to
get in the doctor's head that it was a bee sting, the said physician
continued to ask me Oh but WHERE did this happen on what was the
bee... I said on what? On some clover dammit, (this of course makes a
huge difference, I wish he was on your penis) he says What? what do you
mean by clover? Leaves? YES! Oh, well, let's take a look then.. Hmm,
tell me how old.. yes yes, OK, listen to the lungs... can't hear
anything particular, you know, they sometimes go in to shock (very
importantly) YES I know and obviously it hasn't happened and isn't but
why the fuck is it the colour of aubergine and is that common? No no
definitely not... OK I tell you what to do, I will send the nurses in.

In come nurses with (not kidding) "Ask me where I got my lashes done"
badges on their attire; (!?!?!) One of them smearing (and later I saw
it was "joint and arthritis ointment?!?!?!) some stuff on as if she
had a snake in her midst, tried desperately to bandage the purple hand
( the other nurse says "oh she's scared because she just luuurves kids
) fails, almost faints and runs off into another room- other nurse
looks frantically around the place for help, finds none and gets someone
at length from another place- (in the meantime I had bandaged up her
hand myself) and says OH well it's done nicely- let's see, the doctor
prescribed... Urm hey Sheridan, wazzat waddidyacall that one? Oh this
one's for the swelling like, and that... (squints at the label) that's
like how old is she? Small kid right? Well about 2 teaspoons.. "
Here I object to not knowing what it was and what dosage (all this
while Nea is bawling her head off) call supposed doctor again who
affirmed it was anti-inflammatory and it's fine and rushed off- got a
2ml dose- then they got out this huge bottle (never seen anything like
it) of Amoxicilin and say "OK I want
you to like... fill the bottle with water to the top, like that much,
or maybe a bit less-urm- and like, shake it, then give it to her...
I'D say like, what, 2-3 times a day like" ... Slit eyes reply yes
that's an antibiotic and 250mg will go a long way, what's this whole
bottle and you sure she needs to take it, 2 teaspoons of that is far
too much - woman looks at me and says "You seem to know your stuff
ma'm, wow, you're also a nurse or somethin'? Yep, that's an
anti-antibio, and sure you take it till the whole bottle's emtpy (Kill
and elephant? )

More of the above, I can't even be bothered to go on you get the gist-
most of all, I looked up the medicine that she was given to keep on
taking for one week and it says.. here it is...

. IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED THAT DOSAGE REQUIREMENTS ARE VARIABLE AND
MUST BE INDIVIDUALIZED ON THE BASIS OF THE DISEASE UNDER TREATMENT AND
THE RESPONSE OF THE PATIENT. After a favorable response is noted, the
proper maintenance dosage should be determined by decreasing the
initial drug dosage in small decrements at appropriate time intervals
until the lowest dosage which will maintain an adequate clinical
response is reached. It should be kept in mind that constant
monitoring is needed in regard to drug dosage. Included in the
situations which may make dosage adjustments necessary are changes in
clinical status secondary to remissions or exacerbations in the
disease process, the patient's individual drug responsiveness, and the
effect of patient exposure to stressful situations not directly
related to the disease entity under treatment in this latter situation
it may be necessary to increase the dosage of prednisolone sodium
phosphate oral solution for a period of time consistent with the
patient's condition. If after long term therapy the drug is to be
stopped, it is recommended that it be withdrawn gradually rather than
abruptly.


......and I don't even want to start on what the primary use of the
medicine was (severe what-what- ) or what the side-affects were-
really.

And then to crown it all at the exit, I was presented with the end bit
of the bandage and the rheumatic ointment (this we'll give you for
free! said the Miraculous Eyelash nurse with a wide grin) and handed
back my credit card with the confirmation I had just been robbed in
broad daylight for 560 dollars emergency care.

Happy to say (no thanks to them) that things calmed down after a
while, she's still rather shaken and hand like a bit of a blodge but the blood
seems to have come back - so all OK generally but yet again- and I
actually was SO adamant not to go but then, one thinks...

Nice one hah? REally, really dangerous country this one. I'd give it a
lower grade than the Congo for some. Of course, different if you
happen to be Britney Spears.

So much of that for today's very forgettable post.

XOXOXS

this week-

Ｉ　really don't want to post this on top nosh since it isn't worth twopence; all made with similar ingredients, obentos and a few late night dinners, using up larder- one just sees how much I tend to plate things beforehand, and as we all eat at different times and different things- there are masses of ones looking a bit like the other but not quite. This week it's been a bit of more on the Japanese side but not quite- it changes always.

2 quick lunch with pork chops, cottage cheese
salad and the LOVELY sause I talked about with Cremini mushrooms, wine and peas etc featured on later picture with spaghetti; usable on anything practically, really yummy

3 kiddies dinner today; bacon,cheese and onion smiley rice cake (leo loves these) with Yasai no nimono- ito konyaku, shiitake, bamboo shoots, beef done in sesame, garlic and soy-mirin-bit'o cornstarch stuff, carrots of course

4 One of Mako's favorite spaghetti (notice they are always straight, this is not my choosing) maybe not for westerners- Mentaiko - spuicy cod roe (or ovum as they so nicely put it in the dictionary) butter, touch of mayonnaise, Kobucha (tea made from Konbu, seaweed) extract of mussels, touch cream, salt pepper, touch soy sauce, touch Dashi (fish stock powder) - topped with Nori and shiso leaves. Now you would think the combination was disgusting- actually it's delicious. As side
Swiss chard with garlic and bacon, leftover chipolte sausage.


Sorry, have to go now- have to cut this short- kiddies.anyway it's not worth it, more of a diary than anyone wanting to make it. xoxos

April 28th

The Story of Kanjis and Crystals

By Leo Hirose

"No mummy, don't be scared, you see, this isn't a scary picture. OK, Let me tell you the story.

Once upon a time, because all stories start with once upon a time, there lived a great scientist
called Leo Hirose. And he came up with an idea. This is the picture of the North Pole, and that is why it is dark- not
scary dark, it's just dark, because it is often dark at the North Pole. Here there is clear and clean water that comes deep deep down under the earth, and here in the picture is a factory- it's special. This special factory can transform the clean
waters into Kanji inside a special place hidden inside, I can't tell you how because it is a secret- but these kanjis are not ... aren't known to people yet, they are different from anything anyone has ever seen. They are made out of the water just like...just like the time we played with wax from the candle, you know how it changes when you put it on your finger when it's wet and then it isn't? That's how they change, in sub..subs... form. The lights you see here like lightening, this is not lightening, it's a special mag..nekit force, like the Maglev train, people call them the Northern lights but it's actually different. I shoot out a special beam from a super duper telescope I ... that is he, the scientist- made, and together they make a bit force, and shine down into the factory, into.. you see just before the conveyor belts? That is where it comes together, and then they form with a computer special kanjis. Now the Kanjis go down the belt, but the... stuff, the bits you know, that are left over, they are special crystals- ALL kinds of colours and shapes, and are VERY very beautiful. These crystals I can shape but they are special so they don't need to be shaped a lot, and they get shipped by trains and boats and cars ALL over the world, to... well everybody, like princesses, kings, but also just all people, do you know why? Because all my crystals are cheap- they cost just 1 dollar! That's because I want everyone to have some, but I still need a bit to buy all the things, the materi.... the things to make the factory. No mummy, I don't actually LIVE there- I live in LA, because I need to read all the books and know about more things, but I visit sometimes and see that everything is going just well, give the names to the kanjis and I get to travel on all my favorite trains. So that was the story of that picture, did you like it?


As narrated by, my coments and questions cut out of course. He asked me to write it down, so here'tis.

Now I have to go and give him a haircut! He's been super good today. XOXOXOXO S

Just the rest and Jogathon,Nea helping with the lunch and exhausted after the hot day in bed- they now sleep together in the bunk bed, it's so comfy!

April 25-26

OK so as quick as possible- just have to say thank you to Vens for the present again-WE TRIED OUT the FONDUE set- at last, eevry weekend it's been bad weather till now (or sunshine in England)- must admit that in the end I made it a whole lot too adult-tasting for the kids, I think a bit too much Gruyere and wine- but for us excellent! UNFORTUNATELY Mako said I was 0 at pre-calculating events (humph, well so were you man)
I didn't think of buying gel for the burner so with two hungry wailing kids we decided to use candles instead- not too strong, but the hot water was quite enough to serve us for the 20 minutes in which we gobbled everything down in.
AND had a chocolate one with bananas and strawberries afterwards- as Leo is so nicely demonstrating. I did the unfortunate thing of drinking two small glasses of champagne though- bad mistake, always have a splitting headache the next day from that. Sunday- Train museum, took us almost 2 hours to get there (you always end up doing what your kids want to do, I could think of a few more amusing things to go to- still) it was much more of a success than I thought, play-as-much-as-you want the whole day, and rode (for the first time) on a real steam engine, (Nea was rather frightened) apparently one that had been used on the film Changeling with Jolie woman, I think I saw it but can't remember. Then I had the unbelievable luck to meet the Mayor of the place (everyone seems to take an interest in where I7m from, can't think why since LA is made out of foreigners ) and he took Leo for a ONCE in a lifetime TURN THE TURN TABLE! It was fantastic, they usually only let you look at it but he took the chains off and actually pushed it around with the said Mayor for (at first I thought he was a weirdo when he said I'm the Mayor of Paradise, actually he'd said Perris which was the place we were in) a whole turn, wow did he have the time of his life. Needless to say Nea found all this rather boring and was squealing to get out of the place, not to mention in the Valleys it's around 15 degrees hotter than it is here- stifling. Lots to do still today so better get out of this blog- Leo did excellently at school and a good 5 days without accidents so I'd better give him a nice afternoon, Lots of love all around XOXOXO
(Oh and I have to add that I got hit on by a Finnish-Irish guy in Ross Dress for Less on Saturday at 9am, always very comforting to have said at that time of morning that one is beautiful and may I take you out to dinner- I retorted that wow I must be meeting all the Fins over here these days, thanks, you've made my day but unless you're willing to buy me a house with a jacuzzi and pay collage bills and hospital bills for two kids I'm afraid you're not worth bothering about- thank the lord he left me alone after that) always nice to feel that others can actually sometimes take you as a woman still out and about and not just a left over mop from last night's vomit- I told Mako very sneekishly who looked very unperturbed and just commented " Oh well I guess there are all sorts of manics out there"- after which I hit him in the shin of course XOXOX

Oh and this was just from the gymboree classes and I HAD to show you the moms always excersizing in the MALL with their kids always sitting like urchi

..chins and also just a couple of Leo off for his field trip - I7m afraid the pics are in rather bad order. Oh if you have any time Vens could you post this blog to the woofie? I just can't anymore- have to rush, and who knows when I7ll be doing it next. Love, SSSSS

more- sorry the otherone came back

Can you believe this,

I did one of yours! That is mine. I JUST spent 1 hour writing everything and EVERYTHING has gone- admittedly due to a clumsiness of mine- I just can't write again now. II7ll have to write eeverything again tomorrow , hope I can- and then resume withe the pics on My family- since one can only post 5 here, and that7s how I lost everything in the first place. Sorry about that, I could put this comp into a cannon and let it off with gusto at this moment- FFFFFFFFFF.
So much love, sorry, XOXOXOXO S

Just more pics

Sunday-Monday March 22nd

Hey think I should somehow send this to the woofies when I get the chance- it' s being rather a huricane here at the moment. Still not decided on the Croatia deal, guess we'll live somehow- in the meantime my teeth have actually started to throb as if in their last dying moment, not a moment too soon- so what happens happens. Nea is being the 2 and a half that she is, absolutely TERRIBLE, different from Leo in her own way- just NO NO NO the whole day and some really ancient ghost sounding squeals and throwing on the floor- ah, all the old stuff, how pleasurable, just near to a long trip, how delightful. STill have to go out and get a couple of birthday parties we've been invited to, plus some odd ones out ones, easter baskets for school too and small kids here, still have to think about getting the cold weather stuff out. There are so many things to do in fact, that I don't even know what the F I am doing writing a stupid report at this time; still seeing that I probably won't be able to in the next 2 weeks it's OK. Pics are from; Irvine (Orange county) yesterday, very nice weather and egg hunt, masses to talk and laugh about about the whole episode but I'll have to let the pics speak for themselves, anyway, Nea was bad tempered, showing her knickers, there was a great little zoo and cookie paintings, easter egg hunts and trains, it was worth the drive- after which Mako said he really wanted to do Okonomiyaki- I had never done it at home on the hotplate before but was surprised at how much fun and how good it was- had masses of seafood and pork, cabbage and noddles in them, the kids also walloped them down and rather cheap. With lots of booze to accompany. Sorry I held you on the phone the other day when you had to go for the fish; still so glad that you OBVIOUSLY got al the you wanted and more. so how did you do the octopus?L I always do the so standard one- you know the garlic, eggs, parsley, bit of shoyu and salt peppster, olive oil and some little things here and there- never feel like doing anything else, that one's so good. Oh, generally put a bit of lovely seasoning stuff that I discovered, a "scallop essence" - kind of like dashi, really gives a good feel all round in the palate. Anyway, oh, and the last ones are at the Skirball today (museum, the one with the Noah's ark) - they had an archeological dig thinminog going on, very entertaining indeed- if Leo had been just a bit bigger (like eight) it would have been even better, since "Ancient Israel, which was so and so, and so and so, and then there was sthe King's highway and that's why they built wells outside the walls dradradra, all very good for a 10 year old but....fell on dead ears really- I loved it) but they enjoyed getting the artifacts and thinking about why the city was built this way or that. All in all, very good.
Still, if one's already seen the Ark then 20 dollars for the three of us is a bit pricey (mako was out at work again)
Anyway. really HAVE to go. SOOOOOOOOo happy to have heard you and would coomment for oodles more but really hhave to wash nea's hair- it7s caked with sand and really bad. I shudder at the upcoming job. Sigh.

So much love and love, XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOS (oh I forgot this was a blog, not a letter)

Happy old Paddy day!

Tuesday 16th March

... I think. Went to do one of my own (it's going to be very sporadic ) Since the whales told me that the myfamily is going to be out of use for minions soon, so why not. The title was just something that made me laugh a moment ago when
Nea answered to a question of what she wanted for dinner and said " pornflakes and soddage"- hi hi hi . Anyway.
LOVELy that your stuff has come, SO pleased for you- and not to mention that you seem to have found a really nice friend as well, means so much! Been running around hither and thither these days, hope to perhaps give you a ring tomorrow- today I had another run in with California lovelies; I had DEFINITELY got Leo's date for the dentist today, was getting ready for going off at 6 in the evening, got myself "psyched up "" as they would say here to pay the fee, called up 4 hours before hand to confirm- wouldn't you know that they said that no it had been yesterday (bastards, no chance I would schedule it on a Monday since there is just too much to do on Mondays) and said hope to see you soon in any case, by the way, you owe 180 dollars for the cancellation fee. Now you know how I must have felt today, pissed and double pissed to say the least. I haven't got an email confirmation to prove my innocence, therefore, what can one do?! Excuse me, assholes to say the least. I hate this stupid place. In any case I just wanted to transfer my sorry state on to some poor sibling out there, and must say goodbye I7m afraid- it's late and the kids are running amok to say the least. I have an interview for one of Nea's preschools (parent coop, might be a tad cheaper) on Thursday, hope it goes well- don't know really. Still, I think she really will need something other than one hour classes starting fall, she's so willing to learn and be with other kids. I'll see. In the meantime it's HOT, I mean it ain't Australia but it was 32 degrees in the shade today, it's only just starting to cool down. I hope to attach a couple of pics, one of the Meatloaf or somethingother snapper (there seem to be many species) and brancini Nea was mimicking for Sunday (lovely fish! but I forgot the name, it was SO nice and firm) and probably one of the hummingbird that is sitting in her nest just on the lowest branch of the tree out in the yard, very cute indeed. Oh and one from a Kite flying contest in Redondo but the pics aren't much, what with the people and the angle of the kites .... Judging by what the kids are doing with the paint I might not, it's all luck. Sorry, rather in a depressive state today and just get this posted, so good luck to you all, love love love, XOXOXOXOS