Another Meal in Mito

I'm not even sure where we were dining, but we each had a bib tied onto us to keep our shirts clean.  I usually do ok with keeping my shirts clean, it's my dang pants that end up with stains from Korean BBQ.

A New Washer/Dryer

Humm....We purchased a brand new Washer and Dryer, "installation included". The installers show up bright and early (which is good!) and here's a near verbatim break down of our discussion. 

Installer: Oh, so sorry, we can't install the gas dryer-it's against code to install a dryer in the garage.  

Me: Well, ok, I'll take care of it. 

Installer: Oh, so sorry, we also can't install the washer, the on/off values for the hot/cold water are out of code too.

Me: Humm. So when you say installation included, this equates to you delivering them to my garage and I install them, right?

Installer: Correct sir, please sign here that it was an acceptable installation.

Me: But you didn't install anything.

Installer: We've noted the connections, leveling, placement and final verification as exceptions to the installation on the installation sign off page. Please sign here.

On the brighter side, the dryer just finished its initial run and sang a little song for me. While a lesser man than I would rush out and do all the laundry to hear the song again, I'll wait for Grace so that she can share the experience too.

A Mid-Summer Update

It’s been an interesting year so far. The earthquake in Japan brought my travels to a screeching halt. Whereas in a normal year I might spend two months in Japan, thus far this year I’ve spent two weeks in Japan. I’m returning to the hive at the end of August, one of the hottest times of the year. We’ll see how it goes.  Anytime that I can avoid Japan in the summer, I avoid it.

Since I’m not traveling so much, I’ve been trying to work on manufacturing my kitchen cabinets. I’m nearly completed with the assembly itself, and Grace is nearly done with the staining/poly, so next we move onto the demolition of the kitchen itself. I’m on a tight timeline, my travel swings back into gear in a few weeks, so I really need to finish now, or wait several months to complete it. I’m heading to Japan, Central America, the East Coast, West Coast and the Middle East w/in the next three months. I’ve never been to Central America, so I’m looking forward to it quite a bit. We’re meeting up with some friends and have rented a house for a week, and then we’re renting our own place for a week on a small island. Should be fun!

Moving on...

It's been fair amount of time since I posted.  2010 was a very successful year and I was able to sell a fair amount of equipment.  I'm happy to have sold equipment and happy to have new customers to support. 

I find myself questioning if I being a coward by staying with this job and not taking a chance on a different job that I might like more but makes a litlte less money.

I've done the unthinkable and updated my resume, now I just need to decide if I'm going ot look for a different job. 

Dresden

I was in Dresden Germany early this week working (cough cough) at a customer site. I flew in to attempt to clean up the mess of a colleague. The colleague in question had been a tiny dit dour during past technical discussions with a customer and I was trying to put a happy face on it. I failed. In any case, the scenery was quite nice.

Dresden is a interesting area. I stayed in the historic downtown area. A little reading up on the subject and I learned that the area was literally wiped off the map during WWII. The town has worked tirelessly to resurect itself during the past two or three decades. So it's a town that looks old, but is in fact, quite modern. I believe that the buildings with the dark bricks are buildings that have both old and new brick. The old was burned during the war, the new is just new.

I loved the beer.

Frankfurt

I very much enjoy the open plaza's of Europe.  The open spaces just encourage everyone to come out and stroll and visit.  I found this plaza in Frankfurt over the weekend.  There were flower vendors scattered throughout the plaza, and I found myself wishing that I could buy a few to take home with me.

I had lunch one afternoon when I wasn't working and opted to eat what the locals were eating, brats and fries!  The line was long, but, the payoff was great! 

I had to sneak my camera out to take a picture of the catsup and mustard dispensors.  To extract the catsup/mustard you had to squeeze in the middle, just like a cows udder.  It was very practical, but it amused me very, very much.

There were quite a few butcher shops operating outside the plaza in an area that was reserved for a farmers market.  I'd never seen so many butchers in such a small area.  The the shops were all mobile, and drove away at the end of the day.  I did find myself lusting over all the delicious looking cuts of lamb.  Being a bit of a lamb junkie myself, I loved the low prices and quality cuts they were providing.

Tsujiki Fish Market

One of my colleagues was nearly begging me to take them to the fish market in Tokyo on Saturday morning.  I've been to the fish market perhaps ten times, and to be honest I'm a bit fried on it.  To be a nice guy I opted to take the guy to the market anyway.  I've been fortunate enough to go quite a few times, so I know how to be a decent tour guide.

This was the first time I've visited in the dead of summer, and it was bloody hot and humid.  We hit the market at 5:30AM and by 8AM we were done and settled into a small resturant for "breakfast".  There are lots of outdoor venues to eat at near the market, but my colleage was seeking AC, so we ate inside.  Luckily, he paid!  Anyway, we had lots of sushi and shashimi plus several beers each.  At times it's hard not to like my job!  The fringe benefits can be wonderful.