Should

It 's finally Friday evening, and there are a lot of things I should be doing.

• I should be going to Curves for a little workout.


• I should be studying some Japanese for the test that is just over a week away.


• I should be cooking a healthy dinner since I think I've fogotten how to even turn on the stove.

But I am doing none of these things, and I am banishing my guilt and the word 'should' for this evening. I am reading my photo mag while Brian cooks a healthy dinner. Tomorrow we head to Kawaguchiko, where we'll spend the night in preparation for the 27km race on Sunday.

So tonight, I bask in guilt-free, leisure reading and maybe a little blogging.

Comments, blog - maybe fixed?

I think I fixed the comments problem, and will hope that when I return from work today the blog is still up and running!

Blog Loss Scare!

So, I'm in one of my favourite business hotels in Shimada, getting some work done between work and going out for dinner with colleagues. I cruise over to Japan Rider.com and see - GASP! - no blog, just a hugely scary error message:

"Fatal error: Call to undefined method stdClass::set_prefix() [blah blah japanrider/wp blah blah] on line 268"

Now, I don't know much, but I know that errors that are fatal are never good! My admin panel and anything on the Japan Rider domain was inaccessible. Not good.

I did a net search, and followed a tip from this thread - http://wordpress.org/support/topic/288455

I accessed our Wordpress (blog) files via my hosting provider,  Bluehost (which is great!).  From the File Manager, I renamed the .htaccess file found in the root directory of the Wordpress installation (japanrider.com) to .htaccess.bak; and then, holding my breath, I went to my Japanrider.com admin panel and, voila - We  Are Back! I think renaming the file (the same effect as deleting it, except I can revert back if needed) forced Wordpress to create a new, non-corrupt file.

We've got years of precious blogging here, and this scare provided a wake-up call: we must definitely do regular backups!

JALT 2009

Once again, we are attending the annual conference organized by the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT), which is the largest event of its kind in Japan. We've been privileged to hear famous speakers in our field brought in from Canada, England, the U.S. and other nations, as well as local teachers and researchers, for the course of three days. Today is the final day of our attendance, then we get to rest a little before being back to work, (and hopefully implementing some of the inspiring ideas we've picked up here.

Here is a photo I took during one of the plenary sessions:

This year, the conference is pretty much in our own backyard in Shizuoka city, which is just a short trip away. Even though its not far, the company is putting us all up in a hotel for two nights, which is great for discussing the conference after-hours and general team-building - which we just happened to do at my favourite Mexcian restaurant.

And of course, the "big city" is already lit-up for Christmas:

Mt. Fuji

Work has been unusual and unusually hectic, but my morning hours are still mine to savour.

This morning I took a couple of photos from my balcony:

And a few minutes later:

Browsers

As I mentioned, I've been using Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) on my new Aspire One. And as many know, Fire Fox is my web browser of choice. It is open-source, has lots of add-ons, and recognizes web standards.

However, on my netbook, I've decided to give two other browsers a try. On my Ubuntu (Linux) side, I've been using Ephiphany. This is a nice, light browser, without anything extraneous. It is quick, and runs smoothly, and has a few (but not many) add-ons. I think my biggest issue is that it doesn't seem to have a spell-checker built in, and thhis is something I (and my readers) have come to expect! (so please be forgiving of any mis-spellings in this post).

On my Windows7 side, I've started using Chrome, the Google browser. Like Google itself, it is a clean, crisp, lightweight browser representing the best of simple functionality. I realy do like Chrome, and it does have a spell checker!

My issue with both browsers? They are not Firefox, they do not have all the cool-add ons.

Why try new browsers on my netbook when I already know I love Firefox? Netbooks are small with small processors, and basically the less memory something uses, the better, so I wanted to try using lighter browsers for my massive net-surving.

And of course, it is the add-ons that slows Firefox down - so I'll have to make the decision whether to stick with my favourite browser and have it be a bit heavy, or pare down to lighter browsers, giving up the added functionalities and personalizability.

Weekend

Two weekends ago (the 7th and 8th) we did a good motorbike ride. We have pics and Brian will post some soon, as he took some pretty good shots.

This most recent weekend (yesterday and Saturday) was less eventful. Saturday just rained long and hard all day, with heavy winds (at least here in Susono).  I had an appointment and some errands to take care of in Shinjuku, and the weather was simply not an issue. Brian stayed home and had some quiet alone time in which to get his new beer-brewing project off the ground. We should be enjoying his creation in a few weeks, as it has to sit in its 'barrel' for a while.

Yesterday, while not rainy, was too windy to make riding seem enjoyable. We ran in the morning - not as far or as long as we should have, considering that we have a 27km race coming up in just two short weeks (eek!). Then I was off to the hair salon, the post-office, the electronics shop, the photo-printing shop, the grocery store...you get the idea. Brian continued to brew his beer and... other home tasks.

I also managed to clean out yet two more 'closet' areas. One, my cupboard where I keep all my software CDs and blank Cds and DVDs. It had begun to explode with wires and chargers and cds stuffed into crevices where they weren't meant to fit. I threw away obsolete things, and organized our data cds (including photo backups) into nice little CD folders.

And I cleaned our little set of plastic drawers that hold various things like screw-drivers, peripheral wires, and my stationary (weird combo, I know)!

Oh - and I also did two humongous loads of laundry yesterday, too - and don't forget that almost nobody actually has a clothes dryer here, so lots of hanging out and taking in was invovled!

And now it is somehow already Monday morning...time to start work, I suppose!

Closet Cleaning

I think occasional closet-cleaning is necessary to maintaining general spiritual health. I know that sounds strange, but a wise person once said to me that you can't add anything new until you get rid of some of the old. And actually, physically cleaning out my closets does something to my inner-clutter as well.

I started spontaneously going through my 'cosmetics' closet/shelf since trash day for cosmetics bottles is coming up (only once every two months - must take advantage!). Before long, I'd moved away from old make-up and perfume bottles, to stuff half or not used, and then to clothes and other unused items. Most thrown away, but others maybe just brought into the light of day. I filled up several trash bags. I then took a long, hot bath, and I swear, my whole day felt somehow lighter, cleaner and freer.

A Zen story tells of a master who was so great that  "when he eats, he just eats, and when he sleeps, he just sleeps". So my advice is, clean your closets. While doing that, do nothing else, allow your mind to think nothing else - just clean out the old. My mental clutter has dissipated enough that now I feel ready for the new.

Clockworks Gathering Dust

For everything there is a season...or perhaps even an era.

It feels recently that while our era of mountain biking has not exactly ended, it has again shifted. We started as simple hard-tail basic mountain bikers (with V-brakes!), moved up to disc-brake more durable bikes, then to full-suspensions, then to full-on mambo-heavy downhill bikes, and finally simplified with 29er Single Speed hard-tail-one-gear bikes. We loved our simple one-gear life so much, we each had a frame custom built by Joel Greenblatt of Clockwork cycles. He did a great job, we still love our babies - but they have been gathering dust these days as we spend our mornings running and our weekends on our motorcycles!

PS - I'm blogging strictly from my newest Ubuntu (linux) install  - 9.10 Karmic Koala, UNR (Ubuntu Netbook Remix). Bugs seem to have been worked out, things are running smoothly...at least for now.

Ubuntu 9.10 - Karmic Koala (UNR)

Well, just because I love to procrastinate projects in progress, and love even more to start new things, last week, after getting my new Acer netbook, I downloaded and installed the latest version of Ubuntu (my linux OS of choice).

Ubuntu 9.10 (code named Karmic Koala) was released just days after I got my netbook, and I discovered that there was a version available especially for netbooks - Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR).

The interface is completely different than the usual desktop installs I'd become accustomed to, so I had to get used to navigating the OS. I also had a few hiccups, then spent some time configuring the wireless drivers to work with my Acer Aspire One (go to System - Hardware Drivers and install the Broadcom drivers!), then more time installing Scim Anthy so I could have my Japanese input system But I now have a beautiful dual-boot Windows 7 / Ubuntu system.

Here's a screenshot of my beauty (click for larger image):

Nikko Road Trip, part deux

I wanted to add a bit about my Nikko trip. Below is a map of the route I took there and back (excluding my unplanned Tokyo Tour!).


View Motorbiking to Nikko in a larger map

Here is a map of the Shuto expressway system of Tokyo. Trust me, it's not as simple as it looks. I came off the Tomei, onto Rt. 3; then somehow ended up on Rt. 4 and the Chuo Expressway (essentially having made a U-turn). I got off the Chuo at the first possible choice (because by then I finally realized that I was off-course), and after driving around the busy Tokyo streets for a while, I got back on the busy Shuto system and made my way over to S1 and eventually the Tohoku Expressway!

[caption id="attachment_1323" align="alignnone" width="438" caption="Shuto expressways"][/caption]

And finally, a couple of 'scrapbook' pages with a few highlights (note: most of these photos were taken with my little point-and-shoot S640):








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Yutanpo

First - my trip back from Nikko was just as long as my trip there, but not nearly so hectic as I took local roads and avoided going through Tokyo. More photos and tales to follow - but more importantly, it was downright chilly here today.

As homes on this mild side of Japan are not insulated, we really do feel the chill. So when I was out shopping and saw a yutanpo (??????hot water bottle) that was of the soft variety (versus the more traditional hard-metal (or ceramic) bottle types) I just couldn't resist.

Also, as I apparently have too much time on my hands (not!), and feel particularly geeky, I've been working more at Scrapbooking my photos. So, here, scrapped for fun, is my new yutanpo, which I am about to carry

Solo from Nikko

First - addendum to last post: Brian did get an Acer Aspire One D250, identical to mine. He is working on customizing it,  and also tending to work duties, while I escaped to Nikko for a long weekend.

I'd never been to Nikko,  but had kept hearing how beautiful it was. I also kept hearing how overwhelmingly touristy it was, and especially popular with non-Japanese folks. So, Brian and I both stayed away.

However, I decided that I really did have to see this mecca of shrines and temples and Autumnal beauty.  I booked Monday off work and, as Tuesday is yet another National Holiday, that gave me four days off.

And so, even as I type this missive, here I am in Nikko.

I decided to come by motorbike, and am so glad I did. This was my longest solo trip, and it went very smoothly; though the Tokyo portion was a time-consuming, stress-inducing endeavor,  it was so well worth it.

And today, I had the joy of hopping on my bike and heading off to Chuzenji-ko and Yumoto towns before returning to Nikko to enjoy a walk around Toshogu shrine.

[caption id="attachment_1312" align="alignnone" width="453" caption="Chuzenjjiko Lake"]

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The beauty of biking is you will see other bikers, and we do tend to gravitate toward each other. I chatted with several people during my journey; one was a man who was really checking out my bike, then mentioned the "Meguro". He was not a rider, but he did recognize the bike: the Meguro is the ancestor of the Estrella.

About 20 km outside of Nikko, on my way to Chuzenjiko, a fellow biker offered to take my picture with me and my bike (so my bike didn't always look so lonely).

[caption id="attachment_1313" align="alignnone" width="604" caption="Lone bikers are never really alone!"]
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I love love love this area! So gorgeous, but I won't have time to fully explore it. I could technically stay another day, but as I always like a 'recovery' day, my plan is to head back to Susono tomorrow. And the forecast is for rain.

But at least I've devised a route home that avoids the tortuous tortures of Tokyo...