Sometimes after vacation, that first opening of one's work email box is one of the hardest things to do. Ugh. Usually insanity.

Yearly performance evaluation done. Yay!

Spent Thursday & Friday evenings doing my Ajax homework assignment. Not really sure if I like the teaching technique in the text. I managed to get it all done and uploaded with several hours to spare. Go me!

Had a very nice lunch at Kamakura with saruby, her partner Lisa & her son Jacob. 10 year old Jacob likes salmon roe & edamame!!! Figured out that Lisa had been at CSUH part of the time that I'd been there. Tried to figure out if we knew anybody in common. I knew lots of the audiology/speech therapy folk as dear friend Jules was in the program. After all those years, the names are gone. Eek! Also discussion of Fledgeling!!!

Going shopping with K is dangerous. Repeat - VERY, VERY dangerous to my pocketbook. We went to REI and I bought a new raincoat. It's purple! My last one died after I leaned against a freshly painted wall somewhere in Spain. (there were no warnings - grrrrr!!!) THEN, we went to Tokyo Fish Market where I resupplied my fridge and splurged on hamachi and maguro.

I have been thinking about buying a new suitcase. The dufflebag one I have is too bulky, the Samosonite sets that I have are too heavy and the American Tourister is too small. K had picked up a new expandable 24" suitcase which was regularly priced around $300. It's very light and very well thought out (double handle, hand grips in the appropriate place on the bottom, ability to pull little feet out to make to steady and lots of compartments) Life time guarantee against everything.

It was on sale again. I bought it =)

K & I had bento box dinners of grilled salmon, rice, tsukemon, veggies and gyoza. Yum! Then we went back to her place, and I picked up Alani for yet another sleep over. I do like watching Finding Nemo.

The party girl crashed early. Didn't even make it past the first chapter of The Book of Three on the snoopy speakers. She did wake up before 8am - all happy and perky - and wanting "old macdonald's" now. I think I've finally got it figured out. I just order her a kids' meal pancake breakfast and get a regular breakfast for me (though the breakfast burritos are better). She just wants a little bit of eggs and all the butter on the biscuit. She decided that she'd open up the syrup by herself, thank you very much. Next time I need to show her how to open it without using her teeth. Half the syrup ended up on her instead of her pancakes...

Dropped her off and K & I headed out to the Farmer's Market. Yay - Asian vegetable booth is open again! Kettle corn. Lumpia seller's back!

Dinner with K, G & kidlets. Kyle is really hooked on negihama! Somehow I got stuck with grinding up the daikon again. Alani's response - "eeeeww that smells!" Get used to it =) Alani is still not into sashimi, but she loves tofu and nori.