Friday, May 14, 2010

Life is Change, Squid is Good



Living in Japan will change a man. Perhaps living anywhere will change ya. Perhaps just living changes all who are blessed to go on doing so.

Yesterday before sitting down to watch a day of sumo I drove out to my favourite squid place. A little BBQ place near Karatsu. It's on a secluded beach on the far tip of a peninsula that darts deep into the Tsushima Strait at the very bottom of the Sea of Japan. Sure there are closer places that sell s
quid. Hundreds I suppose. But this place is my favourite and the long drive through mountains and farm land is just part of the experience.

How strange this would have seemed to me a few (well ... it may actually be a few more than a few) years back. I had eaten squid before I came to Japan. It was a dare. Now I have a "favorite squid place". I recommend it to friends and when I haven't been there for a while I find myself missing it. "Life is change. Growth is optional." Indeed.

Mark

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tell me why I don't like Mondays


It was a beautiful weekend but the new week somehow brought yet another rainy Monday with it. How many weeks/months (years!?) can this unlucky trend last?

I had a small BBQ on Saturday night. Just a couple friends making Jerk Chicken and having a few drinks together. The weather in Arita is great right now. Warm in the days, but not oppressively hot like it will be in a few weeks. Then becoming cool and crisp in the evenings. Reminds me a lot of Canadian summers.

Mark