Christmas and Scary Ghost Stories

On a local radio station, Chjristmas songs/carols are played 24/7 from around Thanksgiving until Dec 26. They play the usual mix of classics to contemporary, originals to covers. As I was listening, a rendition of "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" was playing. As the lyrics scrolled through my ears, I came upon a line that puzzled me. There is a mention of telling scary ghost stories. Granted, I was not born in the states but have lived the majority of my life here. In all that time and all those Christmas past, I had never heard of a single soul telling scary ghost stories during the holidays. No one ever huddled around the Yule log to exchange tales of disembodied spirits. Neither are the movie theaters filled with features in this particular genre.

However, this is not to say that there arent any ghost stories that float around this time of year. Most notably, A Christmas Carol does have 3 spirits that guide Scrooge along but they can hardly be considered scary or even ghosts in the sense of person who is no longer in the world of the living. It makes me wonder if this practice was sometnhing that people did when this carol was originally penned

Long Time No Post

Its been a few weeks since my last post and we are well into December. Well past the Thanksgiving Holiday and Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping insanity. We now plunge head long intot he Christmas season and all the periphery that goes along with it.

Nothing special has happened in the recent time that has passed. No mind splitting thoughts or idea to provoke the mind. I havent been to anywhere special on the job that hasnt arleady been reported on.

This doesnt mean that Im shutting down my blogue. There will still be the Travelogues that I post for firends and family. The occasional significant thoughts will make an appearance in addition to critiques of movies Ive seen. Im simply running out of gas and letting the momentum carry me the rest of the way uphill.

The California Roll-My Introduction To Sushi

Even though its been a few years since Ive had my first cali roll, I have still yet to jump on the wagon of eating the raw stuff. Firends rave about the freshness and quality of all kinds of sushi, cooked and raw, on our trips to Japan. However, I have not been able to get over my food phobia of a raw piece of fish. That is why I have raw sushi at most once a year. Normally, this involves salmon but I have taken to ordering spicy tuna. the chili sauce tends to take my mind off the texture of the fish. Thats my biggest hang up about it, having a raw piece of somewhat gelatinous fish in my mouth. It detracts from the flavor and prevents me from enjoying it.

Many years ago in college, people had just begun to eat sushi and the general populace were not as familiar with this iconic japanese dish as they are nowadays. At the time, I had assumed that all sushi was uncooked fish with rice. Little did I know that there were cooked items and other contects aside from just the fish. A friend practically had to shove one in my mouth in my first encounter and I have been enjoying them and other kinds of sushi ever since. Cali rolls are rolled with the nori(seaweed) on the outisde or on the inside. I have no particular preference but I find the nori on the outside less of a mess as I dont have any lingering kernels of rice stuck to my fingers after popping one into my mouth. The contents usually include crab in various forms. The crab could be real or imitation and it could me mixed with mayo or included as a solid piece. An odd pairing on first glance was the avocado. Accompanying it is usually come cucumber. My favorite addition is the organge fish eggs, tobiko, which give it a salty flavor and a crunchiness.

I have gone on to try other sushis. Unagi is cooked eel slathered with a sweet teriyaki sauce. Ebi is cooked shrimp. Spider rolls include deep-fried tempura crab. Other rolls have a comination of items and are called by different names depending on what restaurant you order them from. I will try to broaden my sushi horizon

When I Think About Going Away...I Think About Tokyo/Japan

There are certain places people think about when they daydream about getting away from work. Alot of folks probably think about going to some tropical paradise such as Fiji, Bali,or locally like Hawaii. Some harken back to the old world charms of Europe and/or Russia. Other places evoke sentimentallity that draws them back time and time again. Its no secret that my go to place is Tokyo/Japan. At times when my brain lapses and I begin to daydream, it never fails to flashback to trips that I have taken. The sights of the people, buildings, and lights become vivid in my mind. The background sounds of the trains, footsteps, and crows grow clearer. The smells of curry and ramen hasten the hunger pangs as mealtime apporaches. The touch of the rubber escalator handrails, push-to-open door handles, and plastic bento box containers all add to the sensory memory of my brief moments that I spent there

You could almost say that I get homesick for that one place that has always been the first place that I wanted to travel to internationally. Ove the last few years, I have consoled myself time and time again that I would not go back the following year. Time and time again, I find a way to rationalize a reason to go back or find some other convenient reason for making another trip. At this point, I have resigned myself to these yearly trips that I take abroad. This upcoming year, I have visions of visiting Japan in the summer. All of my previous trips have occured during the winter and spring seasons. Because of fears of the high heat and humidity, I have stayed away from the summer months because I tend to wilt in those conditions. This time, I believe its time for a change. Some of the things that I would like to do during the warmer months include walking around Tokyo in shorts, attending some of the many festivals that spring up this time of year, going to one of the 5th stations on Mt Fuji and visiting Sendai.

I sually have to pack warmer clothing on my visits. When visiting the Snow Festival in Sapporro, I have to bring even heavier, thicker clothes. Most times, the climate in Tokyo is not too different from what we have here at home. I dont have to bundle up anymore for a winter day in Tokyo than I do at home. However, that does usually entail long pants and a windbreaker/jacket of some type. I imagine it would be nice to bring a smaller suitcase with me packed with lighter clothing to take advantage of the sunny summer days. To walk around Shibuya/Shinjuku ins shorts and sandals on a warm summer eve is a vision that has entered my psyche on occassion.

On this year's trip, I passed through Aomori on the way to Tokyo via the train from Sapporro. I got to visit the Nebuta Museum that houses some of the awarding floats that travel the streets of the city during the Nebuta Festival held in early august. Although the floate were nice to see in a static environemnt, I think it would be a bigger impact to see them being paraded around the city after night has fallen. Many of the festicals are celebrated in summer and participants are seen walking around in yukatas, purchasing food from street vendors, and playing games for prixes at sidewalk tents. The air is festive with large numbers of people enjoying the nice weather well into the evening.

I heve never had delusions of being able to climb Mt Fuji. But, I have wanted to get up close and personal by getting up to one of the fifth stations that dot the mountain. There are a number of stations that climbers can stop at on their ascent. The last highest ones accessible via car or bus are the fifth stations. These are only open during the summer climbing season. During one late winter/early fall trip, some friends and I took the train to Gotemba and attempted to take the bus up to a fifth station on the south side of the mountain. Things looked bleak as we could only see the base of the mountain upon arrival at Gotemba station. Nonetheless, we purchased bus tickets but were disheartened when we were dropped off at a nearby military base as the bus did not proceed any furhter. We had not even step foot on the base of the montain.

Lastly, we had decided to skip Sendai on our way back to Tokyo this winter. A month later, an earthquake and tsunami had ravaged the area an I was heartbroken to hear of the tragedy. I wanted to put Sendai and the area surrounding it into my travel plans. I wanted to help by spending some of my tourism money in that area. I will never know what the area looked like in person before the tragedy. but, from pictures and reports that I have seen, the people are resilient and getting back to their normal way of life as best they can.

Recently, the Jpanese government has devalued the yen. Thats great news for me as I hope the exchange rate against the dollar improves so that my chances of a visit next year increases. Until now, the yen has reached an all time high against the dollar. This is great for american businesses but bad for American tourists. Im keepiog my fingers crossed and Japan on my mind

On The Job-East Mall, Japantown

I have posted about Japantown before.  Today, we have an area that infrequently visit in comparison to the other 2 major areas of the mall.  This thrid structure is much smaller than the Kinokuniya and Kintetsu building.  Ergo, there are fewer shops and restaurants whitin it.  Not to mention, there is no physical connection to the rest of the complex.  The other 2 are connected by an elevated walkway.  This is seperated by an open plaza, The Peace Plaza.

Throughout the entire complex, there are small areas that are built up to convey the Japanese feel and sensibilities.  Fountains and rock gardens evoke a sense of being in a faraway land.

This small hallway connects to a neighboring hotel that holds small animation conventions.  A small row of shops and a restaurant line the hall.  I dont believe that I have ever ate here

Most of this is a 2 floor structure with an open area to transition between the elevations.  Alongside a few Japanese restaurants in the second story is a Korean restaurant.  There are two discount stores that can be found here.  In the far corner is Ichiban Kan.  They sell a wide variety of housewares and food stuffs.  Several years after they opened, another discount store from Japan opened a location downstairs near the bottom of the stairs.  All items, unless makred otherwise, are $1.50.  Some items like drinks could be less than that.  They sell many of the same type of things as Ichiban Kan.  This store, called Daiso, originated in Japan and I have been to a few otheir locations their.

On The Job-Ocean Beach

There are several beaches dotted along the city's borders with the bodies of water that surround the peninsula.  The largest one, Ocean Beach, borders the Pacific Ocean.  This strip of sand takes up the majority of the western border of the city.  The tide was low during the time I was there so much of the beach is exposed.  From the Cliff House, it runs south to the SF Zoo.  A portion of that is adjacent to Golden Gate Park.  Along this mutual area, the Beach Chalet restaurant and some windmills make their homes.  The windmills are being restored but one is almost complete while the other hasnt entered is renovation stage.

Theres not much to see at the shoreline unless you are planning to take in the surf and the sun.  The waves around here are not known for being particularly tasty or awesome.  They are more know for the undertow than anything else.  Many solar orbital cycles, decades for that matter, there was a beachside amusement park called Funland.  It was never in competition with the grander boardwalks like Coney Island or even smaller local boardwalk in Santa Cruz.  Long existent even before my arrival to the city, it was the place to go in the city.  There were carnival rides and all the usual accutrements of attractions of that era.  Once gone, it never returned.  However, people have tried to petition to bring something similar back.

Overlooking the surf is a renovated Cliff House, where I took the previous pictures.  There are some gourmet restaurants with great views of the sand and water to accompany lunch or dinner.  A visitor's center provides information about the history behind the building.  A small distance away is Louis'.  This cafe has been in existence for quite a while and still draws a good crowd of people for breakfast or lunch.  the restaurant is situated above what used to be Sutro Baths

Not much is left of the baths except for its foundation.  The indoor pool was supplied by heated seawater from the ocean.  From pcitures that Ive seen, the building had high ceilings and looked to be very large.  Just off in the distance are rocks where birds and seals like to use as a rest stop or perch.  As cold and foggy as the city gets, an indoor pool versus outdoor pool was a no brainer.  However, there was an outdoor pool built near the SF Zoo called Fleischer(?) Pool



Innocence Lost-Halloween

Halloween is fast approaching.  However, if you've visited your local Costco or retail outlet, it feels like we've past Halloween and Thanksgiving and went straight to Christmas.  Many of our childhoods are spent anticipating the sacks of candy and sweets we could get while pandering on the streets of our local neighborhoods.  Even back when I was a child, there were the persistent rumours of tainted candy and the overwhelming fear of biting into an apple with a razor blade in it.  Unfortunately, this age old tradition has begun to lose its luster as I hear from parents and the news about the world around us.  Parents are gripped with fear at the thought of treats that may have been previously tampered with.  None of which are eased with the possibility of predators roaming the streets with their children.  The darkness of night helping to shield them and their nefarious plans.  Parents I know have told me of how they take their kids trick or treating but not allowing them to ingest any of their gains.  Instead, they buy items that they know are safe and trade them in for what they have recieved that night.  The unfortunate sweet tooths at the office the next day are left to be the canary in the mineshaft as they unwittingly partake of the previous nights returns..

Inside out or outside in?

I have noticed the way I attack a sandwich.  If the sandwich is uncut then I assume most people would eat it outside first and either work your way to the middle or plow through it row by row in a left to right and vice versa direction.  With a cut sandwich you can begin from the inside.  With one on a roll, I find that I begin in the middle and work my way to the end.  Do you still begin with the ends and work you way in?

On sliced bread, I dont follow the same convention.  Instead, I start at one of the ends that was bisected by the cut, proceed to the opposite corner then head to the middle.  By then, theres only the original corner.  On a regular sized slice of bread, the little corner can be taken as a whole.

On a round piece of bread that has been cut into wedges, I consume it as I would a slice of pizza.  Beginning at the inside point, I work my way out to the edge.  Very similar to the cut roll, its inside out..

This is my thinking.  When a sanwich is crafted, consciously, unconsciouly or subconsciously, all of the fillings are piled into the center of the contruct, all the good stuff is in the middle.  Hence towards the edges, there is very little except for bread.

On The Job-Mission Bay

This area of the city is located on the eastern shore along the bay.  Over the years, this area has developed at a quick pace after a very slow start.  It began with UCSF, just to the west, moving into the area followed by many others.

Many of the buildings are occupied by biotech firms and UCSF.   Some offices are used by high tech companies as well.  Both industries that have built up our little corner of the state

Remnants of the bygone days of this waterfront space are still visible.  Many if not all of the warehouses in this locale have moved on to different parts of the city to make way for these complexes

Expansion is not complete as more buildings are still being erected and open spaces are still available to build on.  AT&T Park is located just north of here.

A Modern Day Da Vinci/Edison-Steve Jobs

I was working in the office yesterday when my supervisor got word over his iPhone that Steve Jobs had passed away.  Steve may not have produced as many inventions as Da Vinci or Eidson, but his products have become just as commonplace and widespread  as anything those 2 great men ever came up with.  In the US and in most places in the world, you could walk to a person and ask if they own an Apple product.  I would bet that you would easily get a yes answer in less than 5 attempts.  However, I would have to answer "No" if you asked me that question.  Being in the minority,  I am surrounded by many who own many of Apple's portable products but not so much their Mac computers.  Though I have never owned an Apple product, I have always given Jobs his due for creating products that people would sell their birthrights for.  Products that were easy to use and worked well.

The timing of this news seems a bit suspect.  It seems more than coincidental that this is communicated the day after announcement of the new iPhone.  Fears of this overshadwoing the product release or a dip in stock prices makes me scratch my head.  Jobs has been known to be very private and would keep news like this very close to the vest.  Attribute this to the conspiracy theorist in me
Steve Jobs was a rennaisance man/great inventor of our age.  Though he may never win a Nobel prize, he will be remembered by throngs of consumers.   I bet he's listening to his iPod in the iClouds.  Maybe Apple should make a black iPad in his honor.

On The Job-Vaillancourt Fountain

The fountain is situated on the northern edge of Justin Herman Plaza.  Today the water was turned on and the fountain is running.  To me it looks like the remians of a demolished building where someone has not yet turned off the water supply.  Water pours out from many orifices on the structure.  Most fall from heights of 2 feet and aabove while a few gurgle out at water level in the basin.  Looking to the east, the clock tower of the Ferry Plaza is visible.

You can walk around, behind, and on this fountain  Here a path takes you behind the cascading waters of the structure.  However, you will not be free from getting splashed in a few locations

Peering out from behind, the Hyat Regency Hotel abuts the plaza

Moving along, this open area is a favorite brown bag lunch spot on bright warm days like today. Free lunchtime concerts are not uncommon.  Recently a zip line was installed.  For a fee, one can whizz by over the fountains

There are locations well above the water line that one can access and be one with the sound of falling water crashing onto water

Duty calls and I could not spend any extra time at this location.  So, heres the last picture that I took from behind the exit points of water

On The Job-Embarcadero Center

The Embaradero Center is comprised of 4 buildings linked together by pedestrian walkways.  The pedestrian bridge the connects building 1 to 2 is the only thats covered.  Below the bridge is Front Street which is a one-way street poiting north

All the other connectors are open to the sky to let you view the many skyscrapers in the area.  At each of the centers, there is an office building attached to it housing many big corporations and companies, Like the building to the right in the picture below

The walkways are landscaped and prvided with tables and chairs for the mealtime crowds.  Open areas on the second floors are usually occupied by restaurants and eateries that provide validated parking for the expensive underround garage parking

At the east end of the facility, anchored by the number 4 buidling, is the bayshore.  The Ferry Building butts up against the bay and the  Hyatt Regency is ideally loacted for those in the area.

Once you reach the end of the last building, it opens up to Justin Herman Plaza.  Vaillancourt Fountain sits at one end of the plaza.  Here, Bono of U2, while holding a free concert, vandalized the fountain and caused an uproar with the citizens of the city.

Lastly, we look back on our journey through the 4 buildings that make up this complex.  Offices and restaurants hve been alluded to as well as parking.  However, there are many retail establishements that reside here as well.  They range in size from the large well-known chain stores to small businesses.  Boutiques selling clothes and other fare but up against nationwide sellers of the same items all in the shadow of the Financial district

Travelogue-Chicago Departure

With a few spare hours open before my flight, I walked around the Loop area.  In the north around Lake and Clark, I ran across a lively farmers' market.  There are the usual fruits and vegetables.  alot of vendors were selling honey crisp apples, I guess they were in season.  Still others were selling baked goods and other wares.

This seller had peppers on sale.  There were a number of varieties on offer.  Different kinds were found on the rack behind this one.  It was a mix and match sort of thing.  There was even live music and when it reached lunch time, it was the place to be to enjoy a midday meal

Near my hotel was the Chicago Board of Trade on Jackson at LaSalle.

At this same intersection, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Bags packed, I boarded the Orange line to Midway airport.  for the first time in a long time, I was on a flight that was not filled to capacity.  Although the stewardesses would lead you to believe otherwise when people were boarding.  There was an actual open seat between myself and the traveller sitting on the aisle.  With no headwind, the flight made great time and landed 30-45 minutes early.  On top of that, my checked bag was among the first 15 to exit the carousel.  This good fortune was in contrast to what happened when I arrived at the airport.  First, I was pulled aside to be swabbed and tested.  Second, I had to go through the full body scanner.  I had no problem with it but it was my first time through one of these contraptions.  The workers were none too pleased when I had all kinds of papers in my pockets during the scan.  Well, excuuuuuse me!  I was expecting to go through the metal detecter and not expecting to be pulled into the full body scanner.

Travelogue-Chicago Day 4 Wrigley Field

I had tickets toa Cubs night game on my last full day in Chicago.  They would be playing the Cincinati Reds tonight.  The stadium is easy to get to.  I just take the Red line to Addison and walk a block to the gates.

As I strolled to the gate, I was bombarded by a number of folks selling Cubs branded clothing and souvenirs, roasted peanut vendors, and the usual scalpers.  The team is not doing all that well this year so ticket sales are a bit slow.  But, the scalpers will reduce their prices after a few innings have been played.

It was still hours before the first pitch.  I walked around the ballpark to look around.  My seat is down the left field line.  Not visible in the picture below

Right field

My camera has the widest field of view when its in stitch mode

Section 202 is where I will plant myself for the next couple of hours during the game.  The overhang provides a nice bit of shade during the day games.

The streets that border the ballpark are lined with buildings.  Some are tall enough to see over the walls of the stadium.  Thus, bleacher seats have been built on some of these rooftops to provide extra income.  A few were enjoying some tailgating and barbecues before the start of the game

As evening fell, the skies turned a shade of purple and pink.  The Cubs did not breakout first but managed to beat the Reds 6-3.

Travelogue-Chicago Day 4 Costco/Vienna Beef

Ok, I know that this post is well over due.  The fact is, I get lazy towards the end of the trip and am not so good about posting the last few days on time.  forgive me for wanting to get some sleep before I have to fly home.  Anyway, I had planned to go to the Vienna Beef plant for a tour of their operations.  Funny thing, whenever I brought this up, friends thought I was going to take a tour of the place that makes those tiny vienna sausages that you find in those itty bitty cans.  In fact, nost people who sell hot dogs in Chicago proudly display that they use the Vienna Beef brand of franks.  Coincidentally, I fount that Costco in Lincoln Park was just steps from the hot dog plant.

I stopped in to take a look around as I am want to do when a Costco is nearby.  As I strolled the aisles, I found nothing to make this too distinct from any other domestic location.  With that done, I went to the snack bar to see what tbhey offered.  Once again, I fouind the same menu items as I would back home.  I was, maybe, expecting deep dish pizza or Chicago-style hot dog.

Vienna Beef offers tours of their plant once a week for a limited number of people.  You can sign up online at their website.  Unfortunately, they had to cancel the tours for the week prior, my week, and the week following.  Apparently, the USDA was in town for some reason.

I decided to stop by anyway because they had a onsite cafe.  My choice was obvious.  One dog with everything, a side of fries and a drink.

I dont know what it is but Chicagoans insisted on intensely colored relish for their dogs.  The brighter the green the better it seems.  To me, its just not natural to see this color of green.  The color does not take away from the flavor of the wiener and its accompaniments.

On The Job-Beach at Aquatic Park

This foggy morning finds me at Aquatic Park and more specifically, its beach.  This beach affords the Dolphin Club members a place to start their daily swim in the cold waters of the bay.  The area is open to the public and lies just north of Ghiardelli Square and just west of Fisherman's Wharf.

Out just past the pier, A;catraz can be seen in its luxurious position in the middle of the bay.  When the weather is nice, this place makes for a great picnic area either on the sand or on the grassy area just above.

During the fireworks show on the 4ht of July or during the airshows around Fleet Week, this is the central vantage point to view the events.  If you can find a spot at the end of the pier, count yourself lucky for one of best seats in the house for seeing the rockets red glare and the bombs bursting in air or experiencing the display of aerobatics



Travelogue-Chicago Day 3 Chinatown

South of the Loop area, Chicago has their own Chinatown.  Im somewhat biased and theres no other Chinatown that Ive been to that can compare to the one we have back home.  The closest one in feel was the one in Yokohama, Japan.  No others have matched the density, feel, or energy to our original.

 

There are shops that run down either side of the street.  Retail,  restaurants, and grocery shops are mixed in with banks and community centers

 

There are a few people walking around in the area.   Since my Chinatown is located near the financial disrict, there are usually many people milling around.

In a shopping area a few blocks away, there were more pedestrians roaming this area.  There was a denser collection of shops.

The shops are sitauted on 2 floors which allows for more shops in the same area than the other location.  And, much to my benefit, there more places to find something to eat

I ran across this place.  It says its a noodle place but it was much more than that.  If its asian cuisine, they served it to some degree here.  Chinese, japanese, korean, vietnamese, and pearl teas are all at your fingertips on the menu. 

For some reason, I order beef pho.  It was like most #1 pho bowls in most vietnamese places.  However, there were a few differences like daikon, sliced intestine/stomach,  The large format menus had so many items that I was dizzy at all the options.  If I was thinking clearer, I woiuld have order soemthing else.  But this was ok, not the best pho Ive had.  The bowl was large and there was quite a mound of noodles sitting in ankle deep borth left over.