On the Road Again

Greetings from Kyoto. The bullet train from Tokyo was about as smooth a ride as one could ask for - so very civilized as opposed to travel by plane. AND, the Japanese know how to run a railroad: the trains arrive PRECISELY on time, people queue up to get on them rather than push their way forward like Boston's commuter rail. AND, you could practically eat off the floor of the rail car, it's so clean:



Took about 2 and a quarter hours to get to Kyoto, and man, this place is HOT. It's not like a tropical heat, or a city in the midst of a humidity attack. It's just like a furnace. I didn't expect Kyoto to be as large a city as it is. It's not quite the small, quaint tourist town I had pictured, but it has its moments. Including this taste of the USA, which is posted here for my friend, Tex:



See, there's no avoiding the American influence, no matter where we go. But, on the same walk we took tonight, we also found a bamboo forest that was interesting:



But, our destination was a district called Gian Corner, which turned out to be quite picturesque:







And for the second night in a row, we were able to chow down at a restaurant that seemed to be full of locals. We had more sushi, tempura, yakitori (sp?) and grilled veggies, including eggplant and corn on the cob. Yummy.



Had an interesting conversation with a Chinese woman and a Japanese man sitting next to us. She had relatives in Cahl-eee-FOR-nia...a place called "Los". Turned out to be LA, but, hey, she gave it a try. Luckily, it seems that Americans are embraced in the places we've been - people make an effort to speak English and are as courteous as humanly possible - almost to a fault.

Enjoyed my first sake tonight, too. It is served warm, and has a decidedly licorice flavor. Way too easy going down, even in this heat.



When we arrived back at the hotel tonight, it appears to have been taken over by Hollywood as the perfect place for a wedding. Something tells me tomorrow is going to be a happy day for some lovely couple:



In the morning we're going on a half-day tour around Kyoto, do some relaxing in the evening, and heading to Shanghai on Sunday. So far, so good.

I apologize (again) for the lack of insight in these posts. I just want to get the facts down so I can sort through them later and hopefully make some sense out of them. This really is a trip of a lifetime. I just wish more of my loved ones were with me right now.

Love to all of you!

The End of Tokyo

This was our final day in Tokyo, and we finally found a new neighborhood to explore. We had worn a path between the office and the hotel and sought the help of a colleague to find out where we could kill the evening. She suggested we go to the Giza district, which is pretty much a combination of Fifth Avenue and Times Square. Lots of neon, lots of style, with the women (and men) outdoing each other with their interesting clothes.



The shop windows were decorated beautifully, showcasing everything from creative toys to designer clothes, to traditional Japanese fans and costumes. This window had some great textiles:



We went off the main drag to find dinner, and ended up in a real hole-in-the-wall where we were the only westerners. We had choices of raw fish, broiled fish, grilled fish...well, you get the picture. It was quite possibly not a very hygenic place but it was about as authentic as you could get in Japan, I think:



This was a hair crab that was on the menu:





I have more to say but I just ran out of steam and I have to pack for tomorrow's trip to Kyoto. I apologize profusely and am bowing to all of you to beg forgiveness. Talk to you tomorrow.

Japanese Collage

Rather than focus on food, which is a most interesting topic to me, I thought I'd share some images from the last day or two.

Let's start with the infamous toilet. Here's the small box hung on the wall next to it. It still spooks me when the toilet lid rises when I open the door of the water closet. There's a lot of automatic things that go on when you sit down, that I still haven't quite figured out. (OK, Bob, stop cringing, I'll talk about something more than bodily functions in this post.)



The office I go to every day is about 5 or 6 blocks from the hotel and this morning the sun was shining so I was able to take some photos on the walk. Between the hotel and the main street, we walked through this shrine. I haven't figured out precisely what this building is, but it sure is photogenic:



Our office is located in a commercial district that is not unlike corners of Manhattan, with many commuters and office workers on the streets moving purposefully to their workday. To serve these folks, there are many types of small lunchtime restaurants that serve all sorts of food. Yesterday, as I mentioned, we went to a nice sushi place. Today, we went out in search of a noodle lunch and ended up in what amounted to a pasta restaurant, called "Pronto," which serves the Japanese version of Italian food. The lunch restaurants are narrow spaces with small tables with people eating quite closely together. In some of the restaurants, you simply stand at a counter.

Today, what we didn't know when we entered Pronto, is that we were sitting in the smoking section. People were like freakin' chimneys - young men wearing business suits chattering away and lighting up repeatedly. Luckily, our food came quickly and was quite tasty, so we were able to move along promptly. I had a carbonara dish with a soft boiled egg on top. It sounds a bit nauseating, but was delicious, I assure you.



After lunch, we walked around the block near the office and saw many similar type restaurants, like the one below. Luckily many of them have menus posted with pictures, often with English subtitles, making it quite easy to order food. Nearly everyone, it seems, has some rudimentary English. And, we've found that pointing, smiling and bowing serves us well, when they don't.



Vending machines are everywhere on the streets, mostly serving juices, water and energy drinks. I haven't yet found one that serves beer, but I'm looking closely! I've even got my colleague stopping to look every time we pass one:



Although we often have heard that space is a premium in Tokyo, I haven't so far found it to be any more crowded than New York. However, it IS expensive, so I doubt that many people have a lot of space to live in. Many buildings in the neighborhood where we are look like the picture below. I imagine this building is full of small apartments and balconies:



This picture is out of the office window. If you look closely, you'll see two men enjoying their small spaces:



When I was walking home today, I passed many locals on bicycles. The interesting thing is they simply park them in front of a shop, settle the kickstand in place and take care of their business inside. It doesn't appear that they are worried about someone stealing the bikes at all. The picture below did my heart good. A young boy traveling through the city on his way to a ballgame, wearing his uniform, with his batting helmet in his bike basket and a leather bat carrier slung over his shoulder. Truly an inspiration for children everywhere:



Then, I stopped for refreshment. Anyone able to guess where?



As I mentioned yesterday, this is rainy season in Japan. While residents may not worry about their bicycles, it appears that umbrellas are considered more valuable. This picture was taken right outside the hotel entrance. It appears to be a place you can lock up your umbrella until you leave and need it again.



And now, my comfortable, zen-like bedroom. It is so very serene I don't want to leave it every day!

Greetings from the Land of No Sun

They tell me Japan is in the rainy season, and I believe them. The humidity here is stifling, and the air is thick - not from polution, but from regular old mugginess. It's hard to know what to wear because within minutes you start to perspire. Then when you get into a/c, you begin to be chilly. This is probably why I'm sitting here with a scratchy throat. That, plus being in a closed airplane for a long time, is a sure perscription for catching a cold. I'm mainlining tea, Musinex and advil in hopes of defeating it. Keep your fingers crossed.

After lounging a bit this morning before going to the office, it went pretty much full tilt today. Our colleagues told us the exact sushi restaurant to have lunch, and they were right - it was delicious, and cheap: only 9000 yen for 15 pieces. I believe that roughly translates to $9.00, but I'm no math whiz, so don't quote me on it.

Here's my lunch:



Prepared by these guys:



Luckily, we didn't eat here:



Prepared by this guy:



Starting to get the hang of Tokyo, where the secret to getting along is bowing, bowing and more bowing. Seriously, these folks couldn't be nicer or more accommodating. The hotel is chock full of people whose jobs are to make guests happy. There's the young woman in a kimono standing at the elevator bank merely to hold out her hand to the elevator that opens. I think I threw her for a loop tonight when I asked if she ever went home. She glanced at her watch nervously, but did whisper: "I go home in 20 minutes." So, for a moment, I saw the real person, I think. But there are young people in uniforms everywhere pointing the way, or eager to help in any way possible, continuously bowing, averting their eyes and holding their arms out to show you the way. It's interesting, but I'm not sure I like it all that much. I tend to enjoy people with a bit more rebel to them. In Japan it appears that you're not allowed to outwardly show your true self. This, of course, is a bit of a generalization, but I can only base it on the 30 or so hours I've been here.

Tonight, my colleague and I went to a Chinese restaurant - how's that for odd? It was delicious. So far, the food has been surprisingly good. So I can't really complain about much of anything.

But I'm exhausted, so I'll sign off for now. More to come tomorrow on the ongoing travelogue. Love to all back in the US of A.

The Other Side of the World

I made it! Writing this morning from beautiful, downtown Tokyo. The past 36 hours have been interesting and hopefully the start of some good times.

Just to recap: Sunday morning I was picked up by the airport van around 5:30 am. It's really hard to say goodbye to loved ones, and this particular part of the trip was NO fun. But Bob waved me around the corner, and I left with a lump in my throat. However, I also knew he was going to have some time to do the things he likes to do without me interrupting him, AND, presumably with good health.

Anyway, got to Logan and hopped on a little American Eagle flight to JFK - one of the planes with two seats on the right, and one on the left. I was in the second to last row, right in front of the screaming one year old. Niiice.

The flight from NYC to Tokyo was vastly overrated, time-wise. Instead of the 14 hours they said, it was only a little over 12. (That's for my friend Cyn.) In business class, the time flies by. They're either feeding you food, offering you a drink, or you're searching their video offerings, or sleeping.

Making decisions on TV shows to watch can be difficult ;-). I watched a couple versions of "House", a few episodes of "The Office." Also watched "The Shawshank Redemption" in its entirety. It's been a long time since I saw that movie without it being all cut up for TV. STILL one of my all-time favorites. Never did pull out any of my own entertainment - too lazy to bend down and get it organized from my carry on bag.

Arrival in Tokyo was around 2:00 pm local time. Going through customs and baggage claim was a snap. I think Japanese are probably the single most well-organized people on the face of the earth. Lots of bowing ensued, too. Can't beat that.

Off I went to catch the aiport bus that circles downtown Tokyo letting recent arrivals like me off at their hotels. I was surprised that the airport is a 45-minute drive or so from downtown Tokyo. Took a while to get here, but the scenery was just the same as in any big port city. Lots of industrial stuff, some commercial areas, the usual view of highways in a major metropolis. (Somehow I always feel that exotic locations, like this, should be different from everyday life, but they neve are.)

The hotel we're staying in is superb, but not the most expensive one at just around $240 a night (I'm finding everything in Tokyo to be expensive, so far.) It's right next to the Tokyo Tower:



While I took photos on the plane with the iPhone, I didn't take my real camera out till the hotel room and the picture above is the view from my room. When the room gets cleaned up after my first night's sleep, I'll take some more Also, you'll get a picture of the toilet, which is everything you've heard, and more! It slices, it dices, well....maybe not any of that, but just about everything else. You know what the best part is? It's located in its own "room" and the light turns on and the lid pops open when you open the door. Yeah, it's the little things that make me happy. But more to come on the toilet.

Went to dinner last night with my colleague, we'll call Tom. He's a nice guy, but we have next to nothing in common personally. He's the suburban father of two - and a Republican. So let's just say we've agreed to disagree on many occasions.

You know what's odd? Having a guy you work with knock on your hotel door to pick you up to go to dinner. That's when you truly start to miss your hubby. (Hi Bob!) Then, we walk into the Japanese steakhouse in our hotel and they seat us next to each other facing one of those grills where the chef cooks for you right there. Again, awkward. However, the food was excellent - and I made it through with the chopsticks! But when another guy came by and asked if we wanted our picture taken, cue up another awkward moment. Tom didn't know quite what do do and neither did I. But we took the picture and it's as awkward as it sounds. (No, I'm not posting it.) Do you get it now? It was AWKWARD. ;-) And I have 10 more days of this ahead.

But after a great night's sleep, I'm up and at 'em this morning. The weather in Tokyo apparently is taking its cues from Boston's recent weather. Overcast, humid. Now I get to get my head together and get to the office around noontime. (I got a reprieve for this morning since I arrived later than expected.)

Anyhoooo, more pictures to come. Hope you all are well.

(Go Sox!)

Preparing for Asia

The long-awaited business trip to Tokyo and Shanghai is growing near. This time next Sunday (Tokyo time), I'll be sitting in my hotel room after about 14 hours in the air. Lucky for me, my employer springs for business class seats for overseas travel, and puts us up in hotels I probably would not consider, if I were footing the bill.

The planning for the trip is tough. We'll be in three different hotels and taking a bullet train and a plane ride in between the flights to and fro, so I want to beware of overpacking. However, I do want to be comfortable and to bring as much 'home' as I can. So between packing my simple clothes, I'm also filling my iPod Nano with favorite tunes, my iPhone with familiar TV shows, and carrying several DVDs. Bought the third season of "Weeds," which will be my primary entertainment, along with the movie "Atonement," which I've wanted to see for a while. Mixed in with these, I'm bringing Part 3 of the Ken Burns "Baseball" series, "Bull Durham," and games 4 and 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. (Seeing a trend there, perhaps?) On the couple of times I was in Europe, I found myself longing to hear English being spoken, and I imagine it will be worse in Asia. So all of these comforts will sustain me, I have a feeling.

Another challenge is figuring out when I'll be able to catch Red Sox baseball while traveling and it appears that night games will be starting while I am getting ready for work most days. And the good buddies at "Surviving Grady" will take care of the rest - just reading game threads there is nearly as good as watching a game. Looking forward to taking a peek at Japanese or Chinese TV - wonder if there will be any English shows? I doubt it, unless CNN International is there? Don't know the answer to that one.

Food is another story. I like American-style Asian food, but I suspect the spices and cooking methods will be quite different. I've been practicing with chopsticks and think I can make my way through most meals ok. The plan is to steer clear of anything with eyeballs or feet still attached. To tell you the truth, I doubt whether I'll have much meat at all as I'm never sure exactly what it is...if you know what I mean? So, let's look at it this way - it will be a nice 12 day diet. And that wouldn't be a totally unwelcome occurrence.

Mostly, I want to survive the trip with no incidents: international or otherwise. My company takes good care of people when traveling abroad, so I am not worried about finances or health situations. Our colleagues in Asia will be great hosts and I'm just hoping I will have time, on occasion, to just relax and enjoy the hotel's bed.

Anyway, I hope to blog the trip, including pictures, so stay tuned (if you're interested).

RIP

Another major loss on the comedy front with word of George Carlin's death earlier today. This is the kind of guy you want to be around when times are tough and you need someone to point out the inanities of everyday life.

RIP, George. Have fun with Hunter.

Just to show us what we're missing, here are a few of his observations, from throughout his career.

* If you can’t beat them, arrange to have them beaten.

* Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time.

* Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.

* The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.

* Always do whatever’s next.

* When you step on the brakes your life is in your foot’s hands.

* Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn’t mean the circus has left town.

* Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

* When you’re born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you’re born in America, you get a front row seat.

* Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.

* Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

* You know an odd feeling? Sitting on the toilet eating a chocolate candy bar.

* One can never know for sure what a deserted area looks like.

* One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.

* I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don’t have as many people who believe it.

* Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.

* Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don’t have time for all that.

* May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.

* I think people should be allowed to do anything they want. We haven’t tried that for a while. Maybe this time it’ll work.

* Women like silent men; they think they’re listening.

* I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

* “I’m always relieved when someone is delivering a eulogy and I realize I’m listening to it.”

* I’m not concerned about all hell breaking loose, but that a PART of hell will break loose… it’ll be much harder to detect.

* Honesty may be the best policy, but it’s important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.

* I recently went to a new doctor and noticed he was located in something called the Professional Building. I felt better right away.

* If we could just find out who’s in charge, we could kill him.

* I don’t have hobbies; hobbies cost money. Interests are quite free.

* There’s no present. There’s only the immediate future and the recent past.

* The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.

* Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

Lest I Forget

I can't believe I didn't take note of the 2008 World Champion Boston Celtics! They celebrated with the traditional Rolling Rally through the streets of Boston today. Imagine being the poor Bruins, who haven't won a championship in 30+ years. The pressure's on, boys.

Congratulations - let's do it again soon!

It's The Oil, Stupid

Photo by Moises Saman for The New York Times

Does anyone believe the war in Iraq was about anything OTHER than oil now? The proof is in today's New York Times:

BAGHDAD — Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company — along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest fields, according to ministry officials, oil company officials and an American diplomat.

The deals, expected to be announced on June 30, will lay the foundation for the first commercial work for the major companies in Iraq since the American invasion, and open a new and potentially lucrative country for their operations.

::sigh::

A September 11 Mentality

Recently, Rudy Giulliani and Grandpa McSame have begun to take Senator Obama to task for his "September 10 mentality." Yes, it seems Senator Obama seems to think that we can manage terrorism as a law and order issue, without abusing our personal privacy or dismantling the Constitution. Imagine that?

"He seems to think [terrorism] is adequately dealt with merely by being a criminal prosecution," Giuliani, himself a famous prosecutor, said. "On every issue, he takes a softer approach."

Giuliani was referring to comments by Obama two days ago, in which he said that after the "first attack against the World Trade Center, we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial. They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated."

Giuliani said that statement -- and other comments Obama has made -- suggest Obama would go no further than criminal prosecutions in combating terrorism."

First of all, why does anybody take Rudy seriously anymore? Second of all, I say that Rudy and Gramps are suffering from a gigantic September 11 mentality. In their minds, we haven't moved beyond that day in ANY way. We have learned nothing. We have changed nothing. We aren't prepared to meet the challenges of the modern world. We are stopped and frozen in time. Frozen in those 3 or 4 days during which the world was united and the French famously said "We are all Americans now."

It's refreshing to hear Senator Obama talk like a grown-up, and someone who actually is interested in preserving our rights and going after the bad guys. Remarkable. Let's hope that Americans are interested in the future and not in looking back with fear.

Scottie Clears His Conscience

So. Scott McClellen is going to testify under oath, in public, about what was going on in the White House when they decided to out a CIA agent. And it appears that the questions could widen:

His hearing is expected to focus heavily on the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, an episode that McClellan has said was driven by political motivations from within the Oval Office. But the committee could press the former press secretary on other matters within its jurisdiction, including the possible authorization of torture by administration officials (though it remains to be seen how much knowledge McClellan has of that topic)

Things are getting hot in Washington, and not just the heat wave.

Photo from the White House website.

When Will He Blow?

The talk at our house is when will Grandpa McSame blow? From what we've read and heard, the good senator from Arizona is thisclose to blowing a gasket. I say the Obama campaign keeps on him until he loses his temper, whether at a reporter, or their campaign...whatever it takes. The man is NOT the one you want to have with his finger on the proverbial button. Here's more on this same topic.

41 Hours

In October of 1999, Nicholas White, a Production Manager at Business Week magazine, went out for a smoke break, and, on his return to the office, got into the slowest express elevator ever: he ended up being stuck for 41 hours.

What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator for 41 hours? Personally, I'm not sure I'd survive.

Promise

It's been a nutty day, and a slightly crazier evening, but I didn't want this day to pass without mentioning that this is the 40th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. There have been many tributes over the past few days, including some touching commentary from his kids.

Let's just say, I remember vividly being told of Bobby's death in the early morning of June 6. My mom, who was not an early riser, came to my bed to wake me up and tell me what happened. As a 14 year old, I had already been through the deaths of JFK and MLK Jr., and had developed the notion that this sort of thing was not all that abnormal, in a strange way.

It broke our hearts to watch another Kennedy family funeral, with Ethel wearing the veil this time. And, although it was a solemn affair, Bobby's situation was more touching...with people of all ages and colors watching the train carrying his body roll through their towns - from California to Washington.

I also remember being much more devastated by the loss of RFK and the promise that was snuffed out. Still pisses me off when I think of it. Imagine, no Nixon, no Watergate, a shorter Viet Nam war, most likely.

What might have been?

Paging Al Gore....

Hillary is finally facing reality and conceding the primary fight on Saturday. Hope Al Gore gives her a call to let her know just how one gracefully exits a political fight. While certainly frustrating, Hillary's problem is nowhere near as heart-rending as what Al faced back in 2000.

Turns out some of her staff turned her in to her Senate colleagues (according to MSNBC), asking them to finally get her to let go of the fight. Apparently, her colleagues organized the proverbial "come to Jesus" meeting. Can't imagine it was easy and that she and Bill folded up their tent without putting up a fight. But they need to do it. And we need to move on.

HRC for VP? Nah, sure hope not. Obama's successful presidency depends on a fellow change agent being on the ticket with him. Being saddled with the Clintons is NOT the way to go. Dispensing with Hillary and Bill will be a good test of Obama's diplomatic skills. So far, so good.

*Photo by Erik Sumption / Sipa Press

Super Tuesday!

It's been a long, strange trip, but Barack Obama has now received enough votes to make him the presumptive Democratic nominee for President. When I watched him make his announcement speech from Springfield, Illinois, more than a year ago, there was no way in hell I thought he'd be the nominee. Did I hope he would be? Yeah, but just like I wished that Teddy Kennedy was the nominee in 1980, or that Jesse Jackson was in 1988. It was the "pie in the sky" dream nominee that never, ever seems to come true. But, seemingly, it appears that tonight he's the guy.

As we watch the news tonight, they just played Grandpa McCain's speech. It was the most ineffective, lackluster, waste of airtime that I believe I've seen in a long, long time. He clearly looks like he's trying to improve his speech-making, but he talks in a sing-song, patronizing, unemotional voice. And reading the teleprompter is not one of his strong suits. At one point, he talked about providing hot water on babies. Huh? I think he meant clean water, but what the hell?

Luckily, the night gets better. Even Hillary's speech has to be an improvement. And by the time Barack bedazzles us at 10 pm with his own oratory, we'll see actual, real live, effective communication. I expect a barn burner.

Along with oratorical gifts Barack brings, he also brings a generational, millennial shift. If he brings half the change that his very presence delivers, I'll be one happy constituent. Do I think he really is Superman? Hardly. But he represents the next step for this country and I firmly believe that Mrs. Clinton represents the past (along with a very distasteful sense of entitlement).

So, tonight we get to soak up the success and get ready to embrace the future. Guess what? A black man could be president. That's just friggin' awesome.

Too Good Not to Post

Beckperson, the Body Person?

When I grow up and get the job of my dreams, this would be it: Body Person for a winning presidential candidate. You have incredible access, you get to ride on Air Force I and spend your days either traveling the country or in the White House, and you literally watch history unfold before your very eyes. I enjoyed watching "The West Wing" and seeing President Bartlett and his guy, Charlie. But this story today, of Senator Obama and his guy made my day.

Is there an age limit on Body Person?

Check out the slide show of the two of them working hard, and working out.

New York Times picture by Doug Mills.

Ding Dong School

Back in the fall, I posted a story about volunteering to read to a student in the school district in which my office is located. As I mentioned then, I had dreams of having one of those moments of connection that lead to a Lifetime movie or a visit to Oprah.

Well, the school year finished last week and I'm able to report that none of the above happened. As I mentioned earlier, Nicole was hardly the inner city child yearning to breathe the fresh air of literature. Nor was she the socially awkward young person dying to have an adult's attention so she could grow into a butterfly.

Turns out she was a normal kid, smart enough to figure out how to game the system by participating in this lunchtime reading group. The only thing she suffered from was a serious lack of ability to sit down and listen to someone reading to her. Oh, that and a complete lack of table manners. Neither of which doom her to a life of crime, I suspect.

We never were able to finish a book that suited her age group, but we did speed through a couple of storybooks written for kids years younger than herself. Toward the end of the year, the program administrator embarrassed Nicole into selecting a book more appropriate for her age, and we got through several chapters of it before calling it quits when the program ended.

We did share one small moment of learning. The word "gekko" appeared in that last book we read and I stopped to ask her if she knew what a gekko was. She furrowed her brow, and in spite of her best efforts to hide it, had to admit she didn't. I asked if she remembered seeing Geico commercials? She brightened immediately and said "Oh, yes!" And then said, "Oh, I get it - Geico...Gekko!" So there. My work with Nicole paid off in one short sentence.

The question now is whether to sign up again next year? Part of me wants to spend another year with her just to see if we could get another moment or two like this. And, judging by her clothing, she's a serious Red Sox fan. The other part of me says it's not worth the aggravation. We'll have to figure it out in the fall.

Having a Hard Time With The News