art imitating life?

This morning I watched a TV show - it was a murder mystery show from the 80's - that had Latoya Jackson playing an insane, voo-doo practicing, incestuous fashion designer.

Hmm.

jackpot!

We finally sold our house in Edmonton!

Hooray for money!

Because the market is so crazy, we got $30,000 over our asking price!

It really does feel like winning the lottery. We certainly didn't do much to earn this money. Well, Phil did do a very nice job of finishing the renovations. But that certainly wasn't enough to warrant triple what we paid for it a mere 6 years ago.

I almost feel guilty - as if we were stealing.

When we were taking the offers, I felt tempted to interview each family, to find out which one needed it the most, instead of choosing the highest bidder. All this capital gain makes a poor little socialist feel a bit uncomfortable.

I'm sure, though, that I won't have any difficulty figuring out what to spend it on.

whirlwind tour

The train ride from Nagano to Nagoya was breathtaking. We travelled along a rugged river with a ton of dams, including one huge one with a resort. Someday, when I have lots of disposable income, I'd like to go back there.

Nagoya is Japan's fourth largest city, and is midway between Osaka and Tokyo along the coast.We only gave ourselves one day to rest and explore before heading back into the mountains.

It wasn't enough, but we made the best of it.

Downtown Nagoya is quite nice, with lively crowds of youth and good upscale restaurants along the canal. The best department store we went through in all of our travels was Tokyu Hands. There was a whole floor of hobby supplies; everything from model trains to silver clay.

Nagoya apparently has a wonderful crafts district and I really wanted to get some cloisonee beads right from the source for my sister, but there just wasn't time.

In the morning, we even tried walking to the Noritake garden with all our luggage before we caught our train, but we got lost yet again and ran out of steam.

I'll be back, Nagoya.

more monkey photos

They were so cute and fuzzy, I was compelled to take many, many pictures.

Jigokudani Monkey Park

We travelled inland from Tokyo, past Nagano to Yudanaka, a hotsprings resort town. We stayed at Uotoshi Ryokan, which is getting a little saggy, but the English-speaking owner is truly hospitable, as noted in the Lonely Planet guide. On the downside, it smelled of dog, and was festooned with mouldy jack-o-lanterns when we arrived at the beginning of Novermber. On the upside, it's the cheapest place in town, had the best traditional meals with homemade sweet ume pickles, as well as a glorious, super-hot natural spring bath, and comfy little quilted jackets to wear over our yukata. The owner drove us up to Jigokudani Yaen-koen, a mountain park filled with Japanese Macaque (snow monkeys).The name of the park translates as "Hell's Valley" because of the many hot springs and geysers sending steam rising from the valley floor. There is an old onsen hotel just across the river from the park. The monkeys sometimes visit and take a dip in the outdoor baths, but they have their own hot springs in the park, where staff scatter grain for them to munch on while they swim.
The monkeys will let you get very close. They actually ignore you for the most part, as if humans were not worth paying attention to. But be careful that you don't startle them from behind. Matt had one challenge him to a fight.
They are tough little guys, and scrap amoungst themselves constantly.

They also smel terrible.
And they have no modesty, showing off their bright red bums and scrotums shamelessly.

Stinky Revenge

We spent the Easter weekend in Prince George, BC, with Matt's parents.

The weather was pleasant, we ate a lot, and saw some old friends. It was a nice getaway.


Then, on the morning of our departure, the cat peed on my laptop bag. Nothing was damaged, thank goodness.

I think he was mad because I wouldn't let him outside. I was sitting at the table, looked over and saw him crouching akwardly on top of it. He was staring right at me. Then we all realized what he was doing and jumped up, shouting at him.

I could still smell it in the airport.

p.s. - I recommend the White Goose Bistro to anyone wishing to spend a lot of money on very tasty continental food while in Prince George.

Tokyo Bay, Tokyo

Tokyo Bay is worth a day trip. The views are lovely, the trails are nice, and there are some impressive buildings, a few nice statues, and a couple museums.
Palette town will keep you busy for hours. It includes 3 very expensive malls, the cleanest MacDonalds I have ever been in, and the Tokyo Megaweb Exhibition.
If you have any interest in cars, you should check it out. Admission is free, and the few activities with a price tag are pretty cheap.
Visit the History Garage Museum to see famous and quirky old vehicles, view the concept car display, learn about hybrid engines and handicap accessability options, and take a ride in a car that drives itself! You'll exhaust yourself before you see everything.
Before it gets dark, make sure you take a ride on one of the world's largest ferris wheels. If you're lucky and have the stomach for it, you might even get a glass-bottomed compartment.