the best pumpkins ever

Check out these carved pumpkins at Andrea's blog. I defy anyone to produce a cooler pair of pumpkins.

I suppose some people might find it a bit off color, so if you are very squeamish about vegetables perhaps you should not look at the link. Still, I don't imagine that anyone would have a problem with it.

bone marrow donors

I just heard that a friend's mother needs a bone marrow transplant.

Have you registered for bone marrow donation? I haven't, but apparently the process involves a mere 15 minutes and a swab inside the cheek. I will look into it. In the U.S., there is the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP) Registry: www.marrow.org.

Asian donors in the U.S. are uncommon.

gift from a new neighbor

Gee, the new neighbors recently have been very polite. Last month my new next-door neighbor presented me with two little sets of towels when he introduced himself. Then, last Sunday I found a big blue envelope with a message from my new neighbor downstairs. A JCB gift certificate for 1000 yen! I think the new neighbor is a girl, but it's just a guess. I was out all day so the neighbor couldn't introduce him/herself in person. I believe it's traditional to give soba (buckwheat noodles) to people who have just moved. So maybe this weekend I'll give them some. I need to find out what kind of soba is appropriate - regular stuff from the grocery store seems kind of weak.

manner mode

When I first moved to Japan and got a mobile phone, the term "manner mode" (マナーモード) quite baffled me. To begin with I wasn't quite sure what the katakana stood for. Guess what it means!