Monday, August 31

VIP Treatment

So, I hope you don’t mind a little VIP treatment. I got selected to do the narration for the Airshow portion of FAG day, so you’ll get to be up in the Tower watching the airshow instead of in the hot sun on the flight deck with the huddled masses. The reason I got picked? Because of my performance as the news anchor in our Fo’c’sle Follies video. I think it’s funny. Hope you don’t mind. Love you! Did my last flight of cruise tonight.


Woot Woot!!!

Saturday, August 29

Two Letters

The first is from my Japanese conversation student, Osami. He and his family are going to Orlando, FL, Disney World next month. He's told me that he and his family will practice long walking to prepare for it.

Thank you for the mail.



I’m so happy I could tell you that we have been walking for a long time for that!



…..Sorry I’ve told a lie….anyway,, Monday would be good for me.



Hahahahah. Too funny.


The second one is from Dave. He had chocolate cake this week.

I’m tired again. Waving takes a lot out of you. I had a delicious piece of cake on the boat today, however. In fact, it may have been the most delicious piece of cake I’ve ever had on the boat. It was chocolate cake with chocolate icing and syrupy strawberries on top. Very delish. Sweet, but with a hint of tartness from the strawberries. That was the 2nd high point of my day. The first was doing badass things. Love you.


He keeps alluding to this "badass" thing he did, but he can't tell me about it for operational security reasons. I have some ideas, but nothing can be confirmed until he gets back, which is SOON! This will be a VERY long week!

Friday, August 28

Bazaar finds

Another Camp Zama Bazaar always produces something interesting. Maybe I'm just jaded and accustomed to Japan now, but i thought this bazaar was a little disappointing from my first bazaar here in May. The furniture section had some tempting offers, if i had a couple thousand to throw around, like an oak dining room table with 6 chairs (including two armed-chairs), and matching buffet table...... temppppppppppting....


My newest teaching aide - for $40, including years 2009-2014.


John's future birthday present - authentic "Kung Fu" outfit. Just like Kung Fu Panda!




My attempt at being trendy, a nifty little bracelet.

Summer Party

A few weeks ago I was hired to plan an American-style party in celebration of summer for Japanese students aged8-12 who are learning English. After two weeks of planning and crafting the day arrived. It began with presentations by the students in English.


Toyoma made "Fish Shaped pancake Stuffed with bean jam." I think these are made for Boy's Day, when fish are all around us. He gave the presentation in English, made two of the delicious treats, and everyone played rock-paper-scissors for who would get to eat it.




Yuri, assisted by Miyoko-san, read from the book "Swimmy."




The older kids presented a shortened book version of Peter pan.





My friend! I don't know her name, but she was sooo eager to spend time with me. Sitting next to me in every game, cupcaking, and all other times.





The youngest kids sang Doe-A-Deer from Sound of Music, their teacher played piano and led. It was suuuuper cute.


After their presentations, we played games (that's what i was in charge of planning). We played Musical Chairs, Hot Potato, Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Simon Says. Then it was noon, definitely time for some sugar. I'd baked 3 dozen cupcakes. The students each got one, and were able to frost it and decorate it. It was interesting. I put the icing on the table, and they just stared at me. American kids would be fighting over who gets the chocolate frosting before the icing was even on the table... They sat there and looked at me until i demonstrated.


One boy's cupcake - took all the different color gel icings and mixed them on.





Then it was time for outdoor activities. We had a waterballoon toss. But the balloons were childproof! They wouldn't pop! So this game lasted along time as all the balloons rolled around the ground. Then it was Pinata. I made the pinata myself...that's why it looks like a balloon, because I papier-mached over a balloon. They had a great time. As I was getting ready to walk to the train station, Miyoko - the lead teacher - asked if I would be interested in doing a regular bi-monthly conversation class for some high schoolers and their parents. So we'll see if that materializes. It was a lot of fun.




Friday, August 21

Bad Girl Ball

Today is the day! We've been preparing for about two weeks for today! Bad Girl Ball! Here are some photos from set-up this morning.


Our City-scape.




Who's that hot marshmellow man???




Carrier Air Group 5's Theme: Bad Bridesmaid Dresses.




Det-5's Theme: Classic Playboy Bunnies.





VAQ-136 (Prowlers) Theme: Vanity.





VFA-102's Theme: OktoberFest

Thursday, August 20

Southern Gentelmen

Borrowed - aka stolen - from my friend Amy's blog. As Amy said, "If only this were published in GQ!"


15 Ways to Charm Her
Want to impress a Southern girl? Just think "What would my grandfather have done?"
by Amy Bickers, Southern Living Magazine, July 2009

Number one: we still expect you to give up your seat for a lady. On a bus, at a bar, on a train... we don't care where you are. Unless you are at a restaurant and the only lady in sight is the one taking your order, stand up. Now.
On a recent Friday night at a bustling restaurant bar, two friends and I waiting for out table to be called. The bar stools were occupied so we stood patiently, sipping wine and chatting about the workweek. When a couple nearby stood up, another woman- who had been there less time than we had- swooped in, reaching across us to put her perch on the stool. This isn't the worst part. It's what happened next: Her male companion then slid onto the other bar stool
Hand on while I do a geography check. Are we not in the South? If ladies are waiting for a seat and you have a Y chromosome, do you sit down? No, sire. No, you do not.
We know modern life is confusing. The roles of men and women have evolved over the years. As Pink once sand "Shorty got a job, Shorty got a car, Shorty can pay her own rent."
But come on, let's keep some things old-school. My late grandfather- the of the East Texas upbringing, U.S. Navy captain status, and Cary Grant good looks- would never have allowed a woman to stand while he sat. And if you want a Southern woman to love you, neither will you. So, men, here's a short life of things Southern girls still expect fro you.

We still expect you to...


- Stand up for a lady- Actually this doesn't just involve chairs!
- Know that the SEC has the best football teams in the nation- Big 12 fan? Hmm, perhaps you should keep walking.
- Kill Bugs: Delta Burke as Southern belle Suzanne Sugarbaker on Designing Women said, "...Ya know,...when men use Women's Liberation as an excuse to not kill bugs for you. Oh, I just hate that! I don't care what anybody says, I think the man should have to kill the bug!"
-Hold doors open
- Fix things or Build Stuff: I once watched in awe as my stepfather built a front porch on the house he shares with my mother. He knew just what to do, cutting every notch, hammering every nail. The project was complete by sunset.
-Wear Boots Occasionally: Not the fancy ones I-paid-$1,000-for-these-kind. We're talking about mud-crusted, I could- have- just -come- in- from -the- field boots.
-Take Off Your Hat Inside
-Grill Stuff

- Call us: If you want to ask us out, don't text and don't email, pick up the phone and use your voice.
-Stand when we come back to the table: "Just a little half stand is enough to make a girl melt." my friend Stephanie says.
-Pull out our chairs: Wait, that's not all, scoot them back in before we hit the floor.
-Pay the tab on the first few dates: "If you ask me out, you pay, if I ask you out, you pay." Stephanie says. "If I ask you out, you should still pay." Listen guys, its just simpler this way.
-Don't show up in a wrinkled, untucked shirt: Care about your appearance, but not too much. Don't smell better than we do. Don't use mousse or gel. You shuoldn't look like you spend more time in front of the mirror than we do.
-Never get in bar fights: Patrick Swayze might look cool in Road House, but in reality, bar fights are stupid and embarrassing. You don't look tough. You look like an idiot.
- Know how to mix our favorite cocktail, just the way we like it: Fix your favorite too. Sit down on the porch (it's okay if you didn't build it), tell us how your day went, and we'll tell you about ours.

Wednesday, August 19

Pottery Bard Disaster

Usually, I would not be one to put those two concepts in the same sentence. I heart PB. But, PB, you have failed me. Granted, I'm not placing total blame on you. Some of it was my fault. But some of it was your fault, too.

Quiz: After reviewing the photos, please answer the following questions.

1. What's wrong with this photo?
a) two different color threads were used.
b) different stitching is overlapping.
c) All of the above.




2. What's wrong with this photo?
a) two different color threads were used.
b) why are your sheets so wrinkly, annie?
c) why are only your initials on the sheets? doesn't Dave sleep here too?
d) All of the above.


If you answered "All of the above" for each question, you get a gold star. Indeed, the thread color does not match, Dave's pillow cases' monograms are overlapped onto the design-stitching of the sheets - only accentuating that the two thread colors are different. Additionally, I didn't think that the sheets would be monogrammed (stupid me) and so yes, those are MY sheets, not dave's. poor dave. Also, i didn't realize the monogramming would be in a box. Uck. I also managed to choose the ONLY monogram that the middle letter isn't bigger... so now I'm Ann Wrigley Saunders and Dave is David Wrigley Jordan. So Smart. So that's how this is my fault.

However, this is how it is Pottery Barn's fault: First, monogramming available, but not in the same thread color?? Really? I chose the only blue on the list, believing that pottery barn is higher than not offering thread colors... Silly me. Second, Dave's monogram is poorly done. Period. It's just bad. Overlapping? Really? I checked to make sure the extra pillow cases I ordered were the same size that came with the sheet set, and yes, yes they are. Their fault.

So my first monogramming experience is a debacle. My first personal Pottery Barn experience is also a debacle. To add to this, monogrammed items cannot be returned or exchanged. Perfect.

Tuesday, August 18

Bad Girl Ball


On Saturday is the annual Bad Girl Ball. It originated last year - is it too early to call it annual? - because all the men were deployed for the annual Bad Man Ball. So instead, why cancel the party? Let's have it be just us girls! Hence, this year, NAF Atusgi found another reason to have Bad Girl Ball - touting it as our "Half-Way Party." The Half-Way party is usually held half-way through a deployment and is meant to support and encourage spouses that you're almost done with deployment! While it doesn't really work as a half-way party - ohwell, it's still a fun and distracting excuse to plan.

Every squadron has come up with a theme. Some of them include 1940's military, original not-skanky Playboy Bunnies, and Hippy. VFA-192 - my squadron - decided on a Ghost busters theme. Yes, the classic 1984 sci-fi comedy. It's not sexy, but it sure is fun! We've got table decorations, costumes, and even a roll-call to the tune of the Ghost Buster's theme song all lined up. The creme-de-la-creme is the 18' papier-mache Slimer that Laura and I have worked on. But it really is the icing on the cake... Here's a sneak peak at what we've got planned.

Kelly, don't get jealous!! ;)





Slimer, not yet assembled.


Please refer to the plot of the movie to place what we're creating.



It wouldn't be as fun if our husband's weren't with us somehow!



Check back next week for the big reveal!

The Kit-Kats

In Japan, there are many things that are different, like vending machines. They operate the same manner as those in the United States of America, though using a different currency - the En, or "Yen." The other major way in which Japanese vending machines are different than their American counterparts is their merchandise. Think about what you find in American vending machines. There are usually two types: Soda and snacks. Soda includes either Pepsi or Coca-cola products but not both; snacks includes 80% candy, 15% saturated fat, and 5% gum/breath mints.

There are a variety of vending machines available in Japan: Soda-Coffee-Tea, Vegetables, underware. Those are just the ones I've seen. Something conspicuously missing? Candy. Snacks. Gum. After five months in Japan, I found my first vending machine distributing candy. It was one of 15 options - the rest being soda-tea-coffee.

Not only did it take me five months to find a vending machine that distributes candy, but there was only one option of candy - the Kit-Kat. One needs only to see my friend, Sabine's, collection of random Kit-Kats that Japan produces. While America has just branched out from milk chocolate into the dark chocolate and white chocolate varieties, Japan is way ahead of the curve with flavors that include, but are not limited to: red wine, plum soda, soy sauce, baked potato, and apple and lemon vinegars, respectively. Although I have only tried lemon vinegar, it was tasty.

The other noticable difference in the Kit-Kat was its packaging. It was dispensed in a small glass bottle with a plastic lid - read: 100% recyclable. For 200Y ($2.10) I received four smaller-than-fun sized Kit-Kats.



Ohh, Japan.

Saturday, August 15

Bon Odori


Bon Odori is a festival held every August. It celebrates the spirits of your ancestors returning from the spirit world to have a visit with the living world and relatives. This three day long celebration starts with O-bon, when the spirits return, and ends with Bon-Odori, when the spirits go back to the spirit world. Each day the living relatives visit a shrine and leave specific offerings: a straw horse, for fast travel from the spirit world, mochi balls, fresh vegetables. The horse is lit on fire and the smoke tells the ancestors where to visit.

My friend Kelly summarized the traditions on her blog post. She's better at explaining it than I am :)

Sunday, August 9

Not Flat Cookies!!!

I have a "telent." It might be hereditary, on my mom's side, because my younger sister also has this talent. Our cookies - 90% of the time - come out flat. My nephews won't eat cookies I bake because they're flat. My older sister claims it's because i bake the dough right away, insisting i should leave it out for tasting, which in turn allows the baking soda etc to mix together. Well, Diane, you may be on to something....After NOT baking the dough right away, my cookies came out like this:



Cakey. Not perfect, but not flat.

Friday, August 7

VFA-192 on Youtube.com

Check out this youtube video about the recent change of command in Dave's squadron. These are some of the guys Dave works with every day.

The Band-Aid

A very wonderful thing happened to me today.

My story starts in Australia. I went on a mini shopping spree at Target. I bought shoes! Woot! Today was the first day I wore one of the pairs. I walked up to the train station, and sure enough, 5 minutes into my commute to meet a teacher and plan a summer party for 15 Japanese students, I've got blisters. Really bad blisters. On both feet. Ouch! I get on my first train, thankful to sit. During my transfer in Sagmi-ono, I'm limping along. As I wait for the doors to open, i feel a tap on my shoulder. A Japanese woman smiles and hands me a band-aide. How nice is that? Definitely wouldn't happen in the States.

How is it I climbed Mt. Fuji and didn't get any blisters, and I walk five minutes and get two?

Thursday, August 6

Annie Czapp's visit!

For semi-complete pictures of Ani Zappu's visit, check out my shutterfly website.

PS - the password is anniewrigley

Monday, August 3

Annie Czapp's visit!


Annie's welcome sign, with her name in Japanese.


Karaoke - in the authentic Japanese fashion.



Portable shrine day - once a year they parade the shrine through the streets.



I got to help carry it - my shoulder's still bruised 3 days letter.



Annie and I on the start of our adventure to climb Mt. Fuji






So attractive.


At the bottom! Again!


In our celebratory T-Shirts.



Today we went to Tokyo Disney!


Cinderella and Prince Charming - not asian.

Beauty and the Beast - also not asian.

Too fun. We have had an awesome fun jampacked 4 days. Tomorrow we are going to Yokohama and will watch the Yokohama Baysider's baseball team. Wednesday we are going to Tokyo!