How do you know you have kids?

So, how do you know you have kids?
Today we were looking at our DVR and the programs recorded. I happen to see that the DVR was 17% full and to go along with some shows that we had 1,2 and 3 shows recorded we have 40 Dora the Explorers recorded. Our daughter likes Dora right now and we usually watch it right before nap time to wind down.

If you have kids, is it the same for you?

Well, we just put the kids to bed and are going to sit down to some TV for ourselves, for some relax time. I think we are probably going to put on our favorite TV show at the moment.......Dora.

p.s. - The other day we were reading books before our little ones went to sleep and our little one was trying to get to the older one and give her a big wet kiss (lick her face) and grab the book she had in her hand - when the older one turned stuck her hand out and said Swiper no Swiping, Swiper no Swiping (if you have seem the show you will understand this). But both Katy and I looked at each other and started laughing.
Kids are great!

The Teaching of Buddha

This weekend we are on the road again. Another home away game (it is one of our home games but we are playing more than 2 hours from where we are in Kyoto City). We have had many of these home away games this year so we have stayed in a lot of hotels as we are in a hotel for many of our actual away games too.
When we get to a hotel I always try to connect to the internet so I can talk to family (many places dont have WiFi but rather a LAN cord that you have to plug in). In my search for the internet cord to plug into the wall I happen to notice that there is a book that is in every hotel room here.
If I said there was the same book in every hotel room in the States you might guess that it is the Bible. But here in Japan Christianity isnt very common. So, when you open up the drawer the book you see is: The Teaching of Buddha. I know the Bible has many versions but every Teaching of Buddha I have seen look exactly like this.



Even though it is in every hotel room we have been at I cant say that I am well versed in what Buddha says. I think I may have picked it up twice and glanced over a page or two in all our stays.
After seeing this book though I was a little interested in what Buddhism is based on so I looked it up.
Buddhism is based on 4 Noble truths:
The first:  The First Noble Truth is that life is suffering. To live, you must suffer. It is impossible to live without experiencing some kind of suffering. We have to endure physical suffering like sickness, injury, tiredness, old age and eventually death and we have to endure psychological suffering like loneliness, frustrations, fear, embarrassment, disappointment, anger, etc. 
The second: The Second Noble Truth is that all suffering is caused by craving. When we look at psychological suffering, it is easy to see how it is caused by craving. When we want something but are unable to get it, we feel frustrated. When we expect someone to live up to our expectation and they do not, we feel let down and disappointed. When we want others to like us and they don't, we feel hurt. Even when we want something and are able to get it, this does not often lead to happiness either because it is not long before we feel bored with that thing, lose interest in it and commence to want something else. (Put simply, the Second Noble Truth says that getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness).
The third: The Third Noble Truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness attained. This is perhaps the most important of the Four Noble Truths because in it the Buddha reassures us that true happiness and contentment are possible. When we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time, enjoying without restlessly wanting the experiences that life offers us, patiently enduring the problems that life involves, without fear, hatred and anger, then we become happy and free. Then, and then only, do we begin to live fully. Because we are no longer obsessed with satisfying our own selfish wants, we find that we have so much time to help others fulfil their needs. This state is called Nirvana. We are free from psychological suffering.
The fourth:The Fourth Noble Truth is the Path leading to the overcoming of suffering. This path is called the Noble Eightfold Path and consists of Perfect Understanding, Perfect Thought, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood, Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness, and Perfect Concentration. Buddhist practice consist of practising these eight things until they become more complete. You will notice that the steps on the Noble Eightfold Path cover every aspect of life: the intellectual, the ethical and economic and the psychological and therefore contains everything a person needs to lead a good life and to develop spiritually.

The explanation of the 4 truths is taken from Buddha.net

Not sure what you think but I found this quite interesting. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

More food - Nabe

To go along with the other posts that I made about typical food here in Japan, I thought I would highlight another type of food that is pretty common here:
Nabe - pronounced Nah-bay
Nabe or Nabemono is a Japanese dish where you cook all the things you are going to eat in one pot.

Nabe is the broad term for cooking everything together in one pot, but each sauce has its own name, as there are many types of nabe. For example one type of nabe is Sukiyaki (pronounced Soo-key-yah-key). This type of nabe is usually with thinly sliced beef, slow cooked or simmered at the table in the same pot as vegetables and other ingredients. All the food is simmered in a shallow pot of soy sauce, sugar and mirin (a kind of rice wine with less alcohol content and more sugar than sake). With Sukiyaki, before the food is eaten the it is usually dipped in a small bowl of beaten raw eggs.
Sukiyaki is only one type of Nabe and there are many! The sauce aisle here in the grocery store is filled with sauces for Nabe and since many times everyone eats out of the same pot, it is considered a very social way to eat. And good too.
If your looking for something different to try for your next dinner, why not give Nabe a try. I am sure you can find many recipies online and since you can choose your vegetables and ingredients, you can basically make it to your liking.
Bon appetit or in Japanese,  いただきます (ee-tah-dah-key-mas)
 

Garbage Blues

Here in Japan there are very strict rules on how to get rid of your recyclables and garbage - thought I would share it with you.......do you do it in the same way or think you could?

This is what is says on the website about the garbage rules before it tells how to get rid of your stuff:
＊Illegal disposal of garbage is a punishable crime. Be aware that disposing of garbage in any but the prescribed manner is punishable with jail time or a fine.

For each different type of garbage there is a different kind of garbage bag that you have to use - and you have to use it.

The yellow bags are for garbage and the clear bag with green lettering is for recyclables and plastics (yes they are different)

＜Garbage＞

Garbage Type	How to dispose
Burnable Garbage kitchen garbage; paper; plastic, glass, etc. not used for packaging or as containers	Collected twice a week. ＊Place garbage at the designated collection point by 8:00 AM of the day it is scheduled to be picked up. However, you may not put the garbage out on the previous night. Please use garbage bags labeled「燃やすゴミ用指定ごみ袋」(Burnables Garbage Bag) ＊Before throwing out kitchen garbage, drain it thoroughly. ＊Throw out matches, fireworks, and cigarette butts only after they have been completely extinguished and dampened. ＊Flush feces on disposable diapers in toilets before inserting them into a plastic bag and then into the designated trash bag. ＊In order to prevent injuries to sanitation workers, wrap sharp objects such as glass and razor blades in thick paper before throwing away.
Recyclables Empty cans, glass bottles and PET bottles.	Collected once a week. ＊Place garbage at the designated collection point by 8:00 AM of the day it is scheduled to be picked up. However, you may not put the garbage out on the previous night. ＊Confirm the collection point for recyclable garbage as it may be different from the point for burnable garbage. Use garbage bags labeled 「資源ごみ用指定ごみ袋」“Recyclable-Use Garbage Bag” ＊Throw out glass bottles and PET bottles after emptying and rinsing them thoroughly. ＊Remove the caps and labels from PET bottles to throw out with the plastic containers and packages.” ＊Remove the cap of bottles. When the caps are metallic, throw out as “Burnable Garbage” and when they are plastic, as “Plastic Containers and Packages.” ＊Do not place hypodermic needles, skewers, cigarette butts, or other foreign objects into cans, glass bottles, or PET bottles. ＊Throw out cosmetics and medicine jars and bottles, glass cups, and PET bottles which contained liquids other than drinks and soy sauce as “Burnable Garbage.” Beer bottles and large sake bottles (Isshoubin) can be reused. Wash them well and return to the store where you purchased them or bring them to your ward office / branch ward office’s nearby collection point.
Plastic Containers and Packages Trays, plastic shopping bags/packages, bags, wrappers, bottles, cushioning, cups/packs, tubes, caps/lids	Collected once a month. ＊Place at the designated collection point by 8:00 AM of the day it is scheduled to be picked up. However, you may not put the garbage out on the previous night. ＊Throw out at the collection point for recyclable garbage. Use “Recyclable-Use Garbage Bag.” ＊When they cannot be easily cleaned, and when they are plastic items other than containers/packages, throw out as “household garbage.” ＊Throw out PET bottles for drinks, alcoholic drinks, soy sauce, vinegar, non-oil dressing, etc. as “cans, bottles, PET bottles” ＊Things mentioned below are not plastic 　containers/packages: 　Measuring spoons for detergent, toys, eyeglass cases, toothbrushes, cleaners’ plastic bags, ball-point pens, CD cases. Throw them out as “Burnable Garbage.”
Small Metal Items Pots, kettles, frying pans, cooking utensils spray cans, gas cartridge	Collected once a month. Place in a transparent bag, mark the bag metal (kinzoku), and place where recyclable garbage is collected. ＊Throw out spray cans, gas cartridges, etc. only after their contents have been completely expelled, Do not puncture them and throw out as small metal items.
Large Items Furniture, futons, etc.	By calling for an appointment, large items will be picked up for a fee. The fee will depend on the size of the item. First, measure the size of the item, and then call the Kyoto City Large Trash Collection Center to verify the price and make arrangements Kyoto City Large Trash Collection Center　TEL:0120-100-530（free-call） ※Mobile phone　　　0570-000-247（charge call） Everyday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ＊Open Holidays except for New Years Holiday (29th Dec. – 3 rd Jan.) After verifying the price, collection day and collection point, purchase an “Oversize Trash Disposal Sticker” at a convenience store, etc. and affix it to the item you want to be picked up.
Picking up dead pets.	I thought this one was rather interesting: First place the body in a plastic bag and then place the bag in a cardboard box. Do not place collars or any non-burnable items in the box. Fee: 4,600 Yen per animal ＊No charge for stray animals. Kyoto City Dead Animal Collection Center　TEL:0120-100-921(free-call) ※Mobile phone　TEL:0570-000-614(Charge call) Everyday 9:00 AM to5:00 PM ＊Open Holidays except for New Years Holiday (29th Dec. – 3 rd Jan.)

Delivery people

Here in Japan there are delivery people just like any other country. Pizza guys, other food delivery guys, postal workers, UPS type people - only here in Japan they look a little different.
Here are some of the delivery people in Japan:
Post office delivery people:



Pizza delivery

Here is a delivery motorcycle/bike equipped with a place to carry food that is supposed keep the food parallel to the ground - so nothing will spill.

Black Cat is a company like UPS or FedEx from the states. Here in Japan they use trucks (which are quite  a bit smaller than the massive U.S. delivery trucks we are used to seeing), but they also use bikes to get packages where they need to go in highly populated areas (in the big cities) or areas where it would be easier to get around on a bike (cities with many one way streets).