Ryan completed his first season of soccer competition in the Mt. Diablo AYSO U8 Division. His team, the Ninjas, were a good group of 7 and 8 year old boys that all got along quite well with one another.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Ryan is playing competitive soccer for the first time this year. He's playing in a Under 8 Division of the Mt. Diablo Soccer AYSO. His team is the Ninjas. Ryan says he came up with the team name.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Lyrics for Sukiyaki
Sukiyaki
Kyu Sakamoto
(Words by Rokusuke Ei, music by Hachidai Nakamura)
- released in Japan as "Ue O Muite Aruko" (I Look Up When I Walk)
ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
omoidasu harunohi
hitoribotchi no yoru
ue o muite arukou
nijinda hosi o kazoete
omoidasu natsunohi
hitoribotchi no yoru
shiawase wa kumo no ueni
shiawase wa sora no ueni
ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
nakinagara aruku
hitoribotchi no yoru
whistling
omoidasu akinohi
hitoribotchi no yoru
kanashimi wa hosino kageni
kanashimi wa tsukino kageni
ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
nakinagara aruku
hitoribotchi no yoru
(whistling)
-----------------------
Translation:
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Remembering those happy spring days
But tonight I'm all alone
I look up when I walk, counting the stars with tearful eyes
Remembering those happy summer days
But tonight I'm all alone
Happiness lies beyond the clouds
Happiness lies above the sky
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone
whistling
Remembering those happy autumn days
But tonight I'm all alone
Sadness hides in the shadow of the stars
Sadness lurks in the shadow of the moon
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone
--------
The story goes that the song was written by Rokusuke Ei when his heart was
literally broken by a Japanese actress, Meiko Nakamura.
Kyu Sakamoto
(Words by Rokusuke Ei, music by Hachidai Nakamura)
- released in Japan as "Ue O Muite Aruko" (I Look Up When I Walk)
ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
omoidasu harunohi
hitoribotchi no yoru
ue o muite arukou
nijinda hosi o kazoete
omoidasu natsunohi
hitoribotchi no yoru
shiawase wa kumo no ueni
shiawase wa sora no ueni
ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
nakinagara aruku
hitoribotchi no yoru
whistling
omoidasu akinohi
hitoribotchi no yoru
kanashimi wa hosino kageni
kanashimi wa tsukino kageni
ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
nakinagara aruku
hitoribotchi no yoru
(whistling)
-----------------------
Translation:
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Remembering those happy spring days
But tonight I'm all alone
I look up when I walk, counting the stars with tearful eyes
Remembering those happy summer days
But tonight I'm all alone
Happiness lies beyond the clouds
Happiness lies above the sky
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone
whistling
Remembering those happy autumn days
But tonight I'm all alone
Sadness hides in the shadow of the stars
Sadness lurks in the shadow of the moon
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone
--------
The story goes that the song was written by Rokusuke Ei when his heart was
literally broken by a Japanese actress, Meiko Nakamura.
Two Versions of Sukiyaki
Here's the original:
Here's a version used for a Suntory commercial that includes Tommy Lee Jones singing:
Here's a version used for a Suntory commercial that includes Tommy Lee Jones singing:
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Kids on Bikes!
I think we broke a record for spontaneous bike riding on our street today! We had kids on bikes with and without training wheels, scooters and even a motorized four wheeler. This totally unplanned!
After this, our kids got so jazzed we went on a bike ride on the canal trails in our county through Concord and Walnut Creek. We rode past Heather Farms, near John Muir Hospital, past Arbolado Park and underneath Ygnacio Valley Road before returning home. The ride included a crossing of one major signalized intersection in a bike lane and two other mid-block crossings. We even got a complement for safe biking from another biker on the trails.
After this, our kids got so jazzed we went on a bike ride on the canal trails in our county through Concord and Walnut Creek. We rode past Heather Farms, near John Muir Hospital, past Arbolado Park and underneath Ygnacio Valley Road before returning home. The ride included a crossing of one major signalized intersection in a bike lane and two other mid-block crossings. We even got a complement for safe biking from another biker on the trails.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Monday, August 08, 2011
Be Gentle, Kind and Beautiful...
... yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically.
The following is an article from on-line Shine from yahoo!
Is earning a black belt on your life list? Then this elderly woman in San Francisco just might be your ultimate hero.
Just two years before her 100th birthday, Sensei Keiko Fukuda has become the first woman to achieve a tenth-degree black belt—the highest rank in the martial art and combat sport Judo. Fukuda is now one of only four living people who've earned the tenth-degree (or dan) black belt. To put the accomplishment into better perspective, throughout history, only sixteen people have ever achieved this honor.
Fukuda began practicing Judo in 1935 and is the sole surviving student of its founder, Kano Jiguro. At her teacher's urging, she learned English to help spread Judo internationally.
During a time when getting married, building a family, and becoming a housewife was the norm, Fukudo bucked tradition, opting out of marriage to pursue the martial art.
"All I did was Judo...this was my marriage," Fukudo reflected tearfully to the San Francisco Chronicle. "This is when my life destiny was set. I just never imagined how long this road would be."
She described the Jiguro’s school, known as the Kodokan, as "old-fashioned and sexist about belts and ranks." In fact, an edict that prevented women from achieving any higher than a fifth-degree black belt kept Fukuda at that level for thirty years. She was finally elevated to sixth dan in 1972 when a woman's division was created.
Fukodo said she approached Judo and her life with the intent to "be gentle, kind and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically." Fukuda says this kind of beauty is decidedly not external. "A compassionate soul is inner beauty," she explained to the paper. "I believe this is true beauty...All my life this has been my dream."
Dream realized, the 98-year-old Sensei Keiko Fukuda continues to teach Judo three times a week at a woman's dojo.
The following is an article from on-line Shine from yahoo!
Is earning a black belt on your life list? Then this elderly woman in San Francisco just might be your ultimate hero.
Just two years before her 100th birthday, Sensei Keiko Fukuda has become the first woman to achieve a tenth-degree black belt—the highest rank in the martial art and combat sport Judo. Fukuda is now one of only four living people who've earned the tenth-degree (or dan) black belt. To put the accomplishment into better perspective, throughout history, only sixteen people have ever achieved this honor.
Fukuda began practicing Judo in 1935 and is the sole surviving student of its founder, Kano Jiguro. At her teacher's urging, she learned English to help spread Judo internationally.
During a time when getting married, building a family, and becoming a housewife was the norm, Fukudo bucked tradition, opting out of marriage to pursue the martial art.
"All I did was Judo...this was my marriage," Fukudo reflected tearfully to the San Francisco Chronicle. "This is when my life destiny was set. I just never imagined how long this road would be."
She described the Jiguro’s school, known as the Kodokan, as "old-fashioned and sexist about belts and ranks." In fact, an edict that prevented women from achieving any higher than a fifth-degree black belt kept Fukuda at that level for thirty years. She was finally elevated to sixth dan in 1972 when a woman's division was created.
Fukodo said she approached Judo and her life with the intent to "be gentle, kind and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically." Fukuda says this kind of beauty is decidedly not external. "A compassionate soul is inner beauty," she explained to the paper. "I believe this is true beauty...All my life this has been my dream."
Dream realized, the 98-year-old Sensei Keiko Fukuda continues to teach Judo three times a week at a woman's dojo.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Before You Move to Seattle or If You Already Live There
For those of you thinking about moving to Seattle or already living there check out this link.
Aaargghhhhhhhh!
Ethan: Here's what I look like when I have a bad hair day!
Ethan: Here's my surprised look!
Ethan: Here's my surprised look!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Nuttin' but the best...
We had a simple birthday celebration for Naomi. This is the way it is when you have a good swim birthday.
With swimming into its final stretch with league and city championship meets going on, there's very little time for anything else including birthday celebrations. We'll do something more substantial for Naomi later.
Here's a short video from part of our celebration.
With swimming into its final stretch with league and city championship meets going on, there's very little time for anything else including birthday celebrations. We'll do something more substantial for Naomi later.
Here's a short video from part of our celebration.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
One Year Later...
It has been exactly one year today now since our dear friend John Komaru passed on. Life has gone on, but certainly it has been different without him. We still think about him often and from time-to-time his name will come up in conversation.
One of his colleagues yesterday at John's former engineering firm sent out a very nice email. The email simply stated "All – just take a moment today to remember John Komaru. His unfortunate death a year ago tomorrow was a shock to us all. I still think about the good times we had on the 237/880 project and how John brought so much to our team. He was a good friend to us all and a skilled professional." ~ Jack Tone
In another recent conversation, we were talking about our backgrounds. One person mentioned that she is now a chief deputy in her agency but does not have a college degree. She was able to get to where she is because of a unique state program to train people who have no formal engineering education to become engineers. I shared John's story with the group. His undergraduate degree was also not engineering related, but he did graduate work in an engineering field. John persisted to pass the Engineer-in-Training test, which admittedly is probably the harder exam because it covers subjects spanning a wider range. Following this he sat for and passed the professional civil engineers exam. I always greatly admired John for this achievement.
I understand that John was also remembered at the Institute of Transportation Engineers conference that was held last week in Anchorage, Alaska.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, we were able to visit John at his resting place. Here are a few photos from our visit.
The following are places where donations can be made in John's memory:
Cal Opportunity Scholarship
http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/home/donate.htm
Friends of Rollo
http://www.friendsofrollo.com/
American Heart Association
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
One of his colleagues yesterday at John's former engineering firm sent out a very nice email. The email simply stated "All – just take a moment today to remember John Komaru. His unfortunate death a year ago tomorrow was a shock to us all. I still think about the good times we had on the 237/880 project and how John brought so much to our team. He was a good friend to us all and a skilled professional." ~ Jack Tone
In another recent conversation, we were talking about our backgrounds. One person mentioned that she is now a chief deputy in her agency but does not have a college degree. She was able to get to where she is because of a unique state program to train people who have no formal engineering education to become engineers. I shared John's story with the group. His undergraduate degree was also not engineering related, but he did graduate work in an engineering field. John persisted to pass the Engineer-in-Training test, which admittedly is probably the harder exam because it covers subjects spanning a wider range. Following this he sat for and passed the professional civil engineers exam. I always greatly admired John for this achievement.
I understand that John was also remembered at the Institute of Transportation Engineers conference that was held last week in Anchorage, Alaska.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, we were able to visit John at his resting place. Here are a few photos from our visit.
The following are places where donations can be made in John's memory:
Cal Opportunity Scholarship
http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/home/donate.htm
Friends of Rollo
http://www.friendsofrollo.com/
American Heart Association
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Snow in Late June?
On where, on where can this be? Check it out! This is a snow drift almost as high as the building. The picture was taken on our recent road trip.
Take a guess! We'll post the answer in a future entry.
Take a guess! We'll post the answer in a future entry.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Clover's Home
Clover will be three years old this fall. For those of you who have never seen her home, here are a couple of photos.
She's upgraded her home once courtesy of Dorothy's ingenuity, She definitely has plenty of room in her current digs.
Here's an aerial view of her palatial home.
Here's a close up of Clover in her sleeping room.
She's upgraded her home once courtesy of Dorothy's ingenuity, She definitely has plenty of room in her current digs.
Here's an aerial view of her palatial home.
Here's a close up of Clover in her sleeping room.
Debris from Japanese Earthquake Tsunamis to Hit West Coast
The experts are saying that debris from the Japanese earthquake tsunamis will eventually hit the west coast of the U.S. It's just a matter of time. We've bookmarked a site called "Beachcombers' Alert!" that can be found under our Links that has information on this subject. Check it out.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
We Was Flocked!
We awoke to a flock of flamingos on our lawn one morning.
They were everywhere!
Yes, that's right. We had been flocked! This is a school fundraiser.
They were everywhere!
Yes, that's right. We had been flocked! This is a school fundraiser.
Drug Relapse
Edgar Hansen on the Northwestern talks about a close friend and crew mate who missed "shove off" due to a drug relapse:
Shame
Guilt
No Dignity
Remorse
Lost
Sounds like someone coming off a relapse
Shame
Guilt
No Dignity
Remorse
Lost
Sounds like someone coming off a relapse
Cal Bears Baseball - Team of Fate?
Cal Bears baseball was on life support earlier this season due to the university budget cuts. Although the program has been reinstated because of fundraising and generous gifts from alumni, it seems that the team is still playing as if these are their last games.
The Bears don't seem to care to do things the easy way. In the regionals at Rice University this past weekend, the Bears promptly lost their first game to Baylor with their ace pitching. This meant that to advance to the super regionals, the Bears would have to play their way out of the losers' bracket in the double elimination format. They proceeded to advance by beating Alcorn State and Rice only to find the undefeated Baylor Bears waiting for them. In this double elimination format, the Cal Bears would have to beat their brethren Bears from Baylor twice to advance.
The Bears won the first game 8-0, a game that was not a must win game for Baylor. In the nightcap game for all the marbles, the Bears again with their ace on the mound promptly worked themselves into a 7-1 hole. The sun seemed to be setting on the Bears' season. No amount of fundraising would help them this time.
But due to a series of fated, fortuitous events that included...
1. With the Bears still down 7-3 to start the 8th inning, the first Bears quietly were retired, arguably two of the Bears' better hitters.
2. That's when the Bears sprang for a single and a home run to quickly make it 7-5.
3. But in the top of the 9th, due to 2 errors on one grounder, Baylor gets one run back to make it 8-5.
4. In the bottom of the inning the Bears get a lead-off single, a crack in the door.
5. The next Cal player hits a perfect double play grounder that goes through the legs of the Baylor infielder. More fate?
6. Now the Bears have runners on 1st and 3rd.
7. Next batter hits another ball that has double play written all over it.
8. To start the double play, Baylor throws to 2nd base for the first out; but as Baylor starts the second throw to 1st for the double play, the Cal runner on 3rd breaks for home.
9. Baylor catches this and charges the runner headed for home to get him into a rundown. Being that Baylor was up 3, the correct play for them would've been to complete the double play and let the Bears score their one run.
10. So the rundown ensues, but Baylor makes another error by forgetting to cover home plate. Cal gets a gift without getting the 2nd out recorded against them. Still 8-6 Baylor.
11. Cal scores another run to get to within one run.
The Bears find themselves in the situation in this video:
The Bears don't seem to care to do things the easy way. In the regionals at Rice University this past weekend, the Bears promptly lost their first game to Baylor with their ace pitching. This meant that to advance to the super regionals, the Bears would have to play their way out of the losers' bracket in the double elimination format. They proceeded to advance by beating Alcorn State and Rice only to find the undefeated Baylor Bears waiting for them. In this double elimination format, the Cal Bears would have to beat their brethren Bears from Baylor twice to advance.
The Bears won the first game 8-0, a game that was not a must win game for Baylor. In the nightcap game for all the marbles, the Bears again with their ace on the mound promptly worked themselves into a 7-1 hole. The sun seemed to be setting on the Bears' season. No amount of fundraising would help them this time.
But due to a series of fated, fortuitous events that included...
1. With the Bears still down 7-3 to start the 8th inning, the first Bears quietly were retired, arguably two of the Bears' better hitters.
2. That's when the Bears sprang for a single and a home run to quickly make it 7-5.
3. But in the top of the 9th, due to 2 errors on one grounder, Baylor gets one run back to make it 8-5.
4. In the bottom of the inning the Bears get a lead-off single, a crack in the door.
5. The next Cal player hits a perfect double play grounder that goes through the legs of the Baylor infielder. More fate?
6. Now the Bears have runners on 1st and 3rd.
7. Next batter hits another ball that has double play written all over it.
8. To start the double play, Baylor throws to 2nd base for the first out; but as Baylor starts the second throw to 1st for the double play, the Cal runner on 3rd breaks for home.
9. Baylor catches this and charges the runner headed for home to get him into a rundown. Being that Baylor was up 3, the correct play for them would've been to complete the double play and let the Bears score their one run.
10. So the rundown ensues, but Baylor makes another error by forgetting to cover home plate. Cal gets a gift without getting the 2nd out recorded against them. Still 8-6 Baylor.
11. Cal scores another run to get to within one run.
The Bears find themselves in the situation in this video:
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