Easy there Scooter.

Images of another thoroughly enjoyed weekend, spent in excellent company:

1. Jeff swings by.



Jeff, conveniently back in Nagoya for some work training, hung out with us for the weekend. As usual we had fun playing around with his sweet camera. We also had plans with a couple of Tara's students (who are sisters) and their younger sister, and all of their boyfriends.

2. Le Gang en Fuzz



Jeff's new lens (he buys a new camera lens every time he comes to Nagoya) does not auto-focus.

3. At SEGA WORLD



4. The Guys Were Too Skillful...



5. And Too Cool For US



Nonetheless, we had a fun time. But the first two games were fairly embarassing as Jeff and I averaged 100, and the other guys were all scoring around 160. It wasn't until I switched to ...

6. Let's Go! Bowling!



One of these things is not like the others...one of these things is filled with luck, and the others are all broken. In the final game I managed to save face with a respectable score. Can you tell which ball is mine?

7. Scoot! Safety First.



Before everyone warns me to be careful, at least know I bought the best helmet I could find, and I have been practicing with short errands before I take it on any longer drives.

8. Scoot! Now Who's Cool?



To answer the "What's it like?" question: it feels like a rocket-powered bicycle.
Other details: There's under-seat storage that fits the helmet (while I'm in a store), or about 1 grocery bag worth of groceries (before things get squished. Brakes are handle-brakes just like a bicycle. Accelerator is in the right handle. Speedometer goes up to 60km/h, but I'll mostly be using it on the small local streets here, where the speed limit is 30km/h.

9. Brunch Done Right

This weekends greatest accomplishment was proposed by our friend Ryan (see "guy in cow suit at Halloween party" previously posted); a good ol' fashioned full-on Sunday brunch buffet. With a solid group effort we produced a meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes (with real maple syrup, courtesy of Ryan's parents), toast, sausages, coffee, and orange juice, the likes of which Japan has never dreamed of. This was a deeply satisfying experience for all. Despite there being a "Denny's" just 10 minutes away from our house, you just can't find this kind of meal in Japan.

And that sums up a smashingly successful weekend.

-ian

Blogger is taking way to long to load so I am going to do this post in 2 parts. These are some wonderful shots of our Halloween party! Despite Halloween not being widely celebrated here, all of our friends got in the spirit and we had an event filled evening!

Ian, not suprisingly, dressed up as Superman!! He even watched the new movie a few days before, to help him get into character! And I have to tell you, he made the costume entirely from scratch!! Definitely the winnner for best dressed, though Ryan (Ushi-san) came in a close second with the full on cow suit!!






Here is an 'almost' group shot. A few of our guests had work early the next day and missed out on the madness. It was a great turnout though - both of our upstairs neighbors came (good thing cause we were mighty loud!), as well as a whole lot of students-turned-friends. Even some of my old Nova students/co-workers came!

Naoto (an ex-nova student of mine) came with a bag full of costume pieces and throughout the night was seen wearing a variety of items...some which we were not too sure about!

Yoshi!! (One of our neighbors). He's not actually wearing a costume, since he is a doctor, but we'll give him props for the hat.

Now, I was a ninja, but as the night wore on the mask/shirt got a bit to warm and it eventually had to go. So this is the only picture of me in full costume unfortunately!

Yukiko also showed up with a bag full of things and after much coaxing got Minami (an old coworker of mine from Nova) to put on this one.....

Miho's costume rocked!! She was the coolest witch around. I especially loved the feathers!

The School Girl and the Cow. Or Yukiko and Ryan. Whichever you prefer.

Ok more to come!! Sleep time!

Love Tara