Reason #27 for having children....bouncy castles!

(One of the great things about being pocket sized- I can fit inside small things...like a bouncy castle!!)
(Jude was invited to an American boy's birthday party last weekend...Husband and I couldn't resist the bouncy castle.)
(The b-day party theme was Backyardigans (if you have a 3 year old or know one...then chances are you know who the Backyardigans are)). Here I am wearing a Pablo mask...hee-hee!)

(Here is a Pablo the penguin pinata! Who knew we would smash a pinata in Japan!!!)

(Here is a picture of Jude wearing a party hat...cute kid, huh?!)

Last weekend we went to an American friend's birthday party. The kid turned 3. They had a bouncy castle, pinata, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, ice cream and cake. It was just like being in the states...it was awesome! Husband and I had a great time, as we always do! Jude had a fun time bouncing in the castle and eating ice cream. We had a great time!

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Mt. Fuji, but not really!

(This picture was taken next to one of the lakes surrounding Mt. Fuji...I can't remember which one...and yes...it was raining and cloudy..again!)
(This is the beautiful country side along the way to Mt. Fuji (granted- we couldn't effing see the tops of the mountains because of the stupid weather.)

(Another picture of the lake. You can see the cute swan boats that you can take around the lake....we didn't do it, though...too cold..too much rain!)

(This is as close as we could get to the sleeping volcano, Mt. Fuji, because of the damn weather. Usually you can get to the 5th station, but not on the day we went. So, the tour guide felt bad and took us to the place below.)

(I can't remember what this place is called, but it's in the foothills of Mt. Fuji. These ponds you see were formed millions of years ago and are filled with beautiful speckled trout and rainbow trout. Fishing anyone???!!)

So, this was our trip to see Mt. Fuji. But, because of the nasty weather, we weren't allowed to go to Mt. Fuji--it was closed!! That's right, closed! I felt like the freakin' Grizwalds in National Lampoons Vacation. How the Hell do you close a mountain??? I never found out, but they just effing closed IT!!! We got up at like 4:30 in the morning and took a 2 hour bus ride to see the stinking thing and it was FREAKING CLOSED!!!! DAMN IT!!! If I could have taken hostages and gone anyways like the Griswalds do in the movie, I would have...but, I didn't feel like spending the next 85 years in a Japanese prison. So, I remained calm and did what any normal person would have done...I bought a shit load of useless souvenirs at the gift shop at the visitor's center...because that was as close as we could get to the "Sleeping Giant."

My Japanese students warned me about going. They told me not to go because if I went, I would be sent back to the states. According to them, there is an urban legend that surrounds Mt. Fuji. According to the legend, if a foreigner living in Japan goes to see Mt. Fuji, the foreigner will be sent back to their homeland. So, they begged me not to go in the first place. Now, they believe that God has spoken. They believe God caused the bad weather to keep me from seeing Mt. Fuji, so that I can stay here longer....crazy, huh?!!

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Shiraito Waterfall

We went here on our way to Mt. Fuji. It was so beautiful but I had to pee really bad. And, seeing all the running water didn't help. Luckily, a sweet old Japanese lady let me use her toilet at her little gift shop.

Enjoy!

Great Buddha

(Here we are at the Great Buddha in Kamakura, Japan.)

(It was raining when we went, but it was still awe inspiring to see.)
(Beautiful, isn't it?!)

(This is Jude inside the Great Buddha. You can see how it was put together piece by piece.)

(Husband and Jude inside the Great Buddha- I think Jude was picking his nose...how awesome is that ?! How many people can say they picked their nose inside the Great Buddha of Kamakura?!!@!)

This is one of the places I had dreamed of visiting in Japan. It is truly a beautiful statue that has survived the test of time. (Sorry there are so many pictures of Jude and Husband, but I'm usually the one taking the pictures.)

Enjoy!

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Kamakura and Enoshima continued

(More shrines...at these shrines, people left prayers for good health and wealth.)

(A beautiful pond at the Japanese garden near the shrine.)

(Look at all the people!!! It was a Saturday afternoon and there were tons of people there. Women with new born babies come to the shrines in hopes of giving their children good luck and good health.)

(More people!!)

(This is the only wild life we have seen since we moved to Japan!!!)

(This picture was taken from the top of Enoshima Island.)

(Here is Jude and Husband in front of a tree that is believed to be 1,200 years old.)

(Here is Jude standing next to a scary statue guarding the 1,200 year old tree and shrine.)

Enjoy!

Kamakura & Enoshima

(Here we are on the Island of Enoshima at a famous Japanese Shrine...I can't remember the exact name of it...they all kinda look alike!)

(Here is Husband and Jude walking around Enoshima- it was raining when we went.)

(Here I am with Jude and a kitty cat in front of another shrine thingy.)

(More temples and shrines...)

(Husband and Jude at Kamakura shrine...I think.)

I had scheduled these trips for YaYa and PoPo. But, because of my grandmother's death, they had to go back to Texas and were unable to go with us. So, we went without them and had a great time. Enjoy the pics!

NO WAY!!

So, I dropped off Jude this morning at the bus stop. I was listening to the Japanese Radio station 76.1, and they played a song by Pennywise the American rock n roll band. HOLY CRAP! What are the chances that I just told you my story about Pennywise the clown, and now the Japanese radio station plays an American band, and it just so happens to be Pennywise. WOOOOOO! I guess someone out these IS watching me. Crazy, huh?!

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Pennywise

Okay. The other day I mentioned this scary fucking monster. (Sorry to drop the "F" bomb on ya but I felt I needed it just to emphasize just how effin' scary he is.) I feel like I need to inform my reader about the "hunt for Pennywise" since Rice Spice mentioned it in one of her comments.

When I was 12 years old or so (I can't exactly remember how old I was...maybe Rice Spice knows), I saw the move "It". "It" was originally a book written by Steven King and later made into a movie. I think I saw it on TV as one of those small mini series that appears in 2 parts. Anywho, I saw the movie, and it scared the piss out of me. I think Rice Spice saw it too, and it also scared the peejeebeeze out of her. So, on one hot summer afternoon, after the movie had aired, Rice Spice and I decided to go hunting for Pennywise. Of course, we were scared out of our minds and decided to enlist the help of a guy friend who lived close by--I'll call him A-Rod. (Rice Spice lived in the same deed restricted community as I did- about 10 streets away.) So, we went and knocked on A-Rod's door and invited him along for the hunt. He was game and accompanied our pansy asses just in case we found Pennywise. We knew we might need him for brute man strength. So, off we went into the drainage ditches and bayous of our neighborhood. Of course, we never found the fictional character, but we had a crap load of fun looking. We just walked around aimlessly chatting and discussing what we would do to Pennywise when or if we ever found him. Obviously, we never found him because we are both still alive to tell our tale. I'm not sure how long we were gone, but it must have been a couple of hours or so. My mom sent my dad to search for our dumb asses. Needless to say, he found us wondering around the neighborhood, and he wasn't happy. My dad, PoPo, took Rice Spice home, and then we went home. No words were spoken.

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Tama Zoo

(Here is a large male licking the side of the bus. EEK!)
(Here is a big female licking off the meat.)
(This male is licking meat off a bone chained to the platform.)
(Cool, huh?!)

(Go get it! Hit it like the king of beasts!! )

Okay, okay. I mentioned that I would tell you about my Tama Zoo adventure. Here goes...

At the Tama Zoo, you can ride a bus into the Lion's Den. You can get up and personal with the lions. The zoo keepers put little chunks of meat on the side of the bus and then drive you through the small lion's den. The lions come up to the bus and lick of the meat and juices. It's quite an interesting experience to be that close to the huge beasts. So, these are the pictures from our zoo trip. It was a bit nerve racking to see the lion's tongue only a foot away from my face.

(When we went through the den, the lions were doing the "nasty". Of course, I had to take a picture to share with you. I know, there's nothing better than animal porn! All the parents on the bus were giggling, and the children were curious about what the lions were doing. I thought it was hilarious!)

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Blog Anger

So, today I was standing in the kitchen getting some ice out of the freezer. We have a Japanese ice tray I bought from the 100 Yen shop. A 100 Yen store is just like a dollar store in the states except mo betta!! You can buy things there that you didn't even know you needed. I love it! So, the ice tray is super awesome. It is a regular ice tray with a container underneath it to house already may ice cubes. How awesome is that!!! And, it was only about a buck!

I went to get the ice tray and container out of the freezer and realized that the already made ice cubes in the bottom were all melted together. This sucks, I thought. Husband said that the ice must have melted the other day when SOMEONE forgot to put it back. So, there I am in the kitchen with a huge blob of ice that needs to go into Jude's Thermos for school. I was going to run the blob under cold water in hopes of separating the cubes, but Husband said "Stop, let me do it."

Oh crap, here he goes again, I thought. So, he reached over and got a butter knife and began to hit the ice blob with the handle. I was standing near by. He gave it a few whacks and the ice cubes started to separate. I was curious so I got closer to look. As I did, I swear he whacked the ice with more gusto than before. A huge chunk of ice flew up in the air and whacked me in my eye. Even though I was wearing my glasses, the ice managed to fly over them and right into my eye. DAMN IT! That was the 376th attempt on my life, I tell him. His response was..."Go put that in your blog!" Testy, testy I thought!

(By the way, Husband really hasn't attempted to kill me 376 times--I'm a bit dramatic ya know. Every time he does something silly like run a red light or cook something gross, I call that an attempt on my life because his actions could possibly result in my death. So, that's why we are up to 376.)

Just another day in Weenie's World!

YaYa and Popo's Visit continued...

(YaYa and Jude at the park playing.)
(Jude and PoPo at the park playing. See Jude is part monkey!!)
(YaYa, PoPo and Jude in front of a Japanese shrine.)
(YaYa, PoPo and Jude in Japan, duh!)

Honestly, I don't know computers, and I can't figure out how to add more pics. So, I have to do it little by little. Sorry for NOT being a computer nerd.

Enjoy!

YaYa and PoPo's Visit to Japan

(YaYa and PoPo on the train going to Jude's school for the first time.)
(YaYa and Husband at the Tama Zoo riding the lion bus. (I'll tell you about that later.))
(PoPo and Jude walking around the zoo looking for the rhinoceros.)
(YaYa, Husband and Jude at the Seibu Dome watching a Japanese baseball game.)
(Jude, me and PoPo at the Japanese baseball game.)

Okay. I can't sleep. It is 3:57 AM in Japan-- I know my posting time is different. Since I'm on Blogger in English, I think the computer thinks I'm somewhere in the states. So, please dismiss the posting times...they are posted for the Central time zone in the states, not Japan time. I digress. As as pot bellied Mexican, I must add spiciness to my pizza and now I'm paying for it. So, I can't sleep because of the pizza and half pound of dried crushed chili peppers I ate last night. And, Jude decided to play musical beds last night, too. Now, Jude is in my bed and Husband is in Jude's bed. There is nothing worse in the world than trying to sleep with a 3 year old Mexican jumping bean--I swear it's like he's playing freakin' Twister in his sleep. I digress again, sorry!! So, last night it was raining a bit so we decided to eat frozen pizza and beer and watch The Goonies on DVD. Jude loves The Goonies, as do I. It reminds me of the time Rice Spice and I went on a hunt for Pennywise in the bayou/drainage system of our hometown in Texas (do you remember that Rice Spice???-I know it was literally 18 years ago, but I still remember (hee-hee)).

I can't sleep because my guts are making really weird noises and my belly is slightly distended, so instead of laying in bed counting sheep being abused by my 3 year old monkey, I decided to finally download the pics from my parent's recent visit to Japan- why waste time trying to fall asleep, right?!

I hope you like the pics. Unfortunately, my parents didn't stay as long as they had planned. My grandmother died while they were here. They hopped the first plane out of here so they could attend her funeral back in Texas. This may sound really bad, but it was almost a blessing that she died. She has been bed-ridden for the last 30 years, and she lived with horrible pain every day. She relied on care givers for everything: feeding, bathing, using the bed pan, meds, etc... I really wasn't that close to her because she was stuck in the bed. I saw her about once a year or so, probably not as much as I should have. The last time I saw her was about 6 months ago right before we moved to Japan. These are the last words she ever spoke to me: "Be careful when you move to Japan...don't trust those slanted eyed mother fuckers, huh,...they can't be trusted." (Sorry for that horribly racist comment, but that's exactly what she said to Husband and I as we hugged her goodbye for the last time.)

So, these pictures are all that were taken from my parents trip. We had planned on going to many more places, but because of my grandmother's death, this is all that was accomplished.

FOOT NOTE!!!! It is now 4:25 AM and it is already daylight outside. That's right, you can already see the sun trying to peek out. Japan doesn't have day lights savings time like the states, so that freakin' sun is up every morning at the freakin' butt crack of dawn!! I guess that's why this place is called the land of the rising sun, huh?

Well, I hope you enjoy the pics.