Girls' Weekend!!!!!

That's all.

For Jen

I Stand Corrected.

One of my saving graces from having a know-it-all personality is that I can also admit when I am wrong. Here is something I NEVER thought I'd write, let alone admit to: Glee is amazing!

I am very apathetic and cynical about singing-karaoke-cheesy shows. It's VERY HARD to pull off. Glee does. I'm going to go out on a limb at even say that season 1 (the only one I've seen) is one of the top ten season ones of all time. It can stand alone like "Freaks and Geeks" did. Yikes!

The character development, the acting, the humor, the heart...all well done. Excited for season 2.

Enjoy Pants Halloween!!

Some of my favorite shots from our Japan trip.

These were the LEAST gross fish I saw. 

(Remember, I am afraid of all things ocean related). 

Underwear Store 

It says, "Enjoy Pants Halloween"

Perfect Fruit. High, high, high prices. 

Literally fruit for $100+. Considered closest to perfect in the world. 

In remembrance of stillborn babies and miscarriages. 

Hundreds of them. 

Pretty. Outside the Imperial Palace. 

On a Brighter Note...

This company makes stuffed toys out of children's drawings: Child's Own Studio.

Iraq War is Over

Let's look at the things we COULD have done instead:

via Buzzfeed

Well Said

These days I do my very best to avoid headlines / news because our government sucks it on all levels and sides.  I just can't handle how horrible it is without going into a depressive state and obsessively worrying about my daughter's future. So, I missed this rant from August, which every person needs to hear (thanks JC):

Dictionary

Saw this headline yesterday: "25 Coming Out Stories that Shocked the World"

article here

I need to go back to school because I thought "shocking" meant something entirely different than "completely predictable" and "not surprising at all" and a "stupid article" and "who cares"?

Stay tuned for my STARTLING follow up story about sharks that swim in water.

A Few Tidbits

I am on my way to bed because I am still on Japan time (I literally did not sleep last night). A longer post to come later, but a few tidbits here:

1. I was surprised by the lack of diversity in a city as large as Tokyo. 99% Japanese.
2. If you want to make big bucks, start a tights/socks company in Japan. 90% of the women were wearing them.
3. I can count on one hand how many fat people I saw the ENTIRE week I was there.
4. I do not like Japanese food. Amy, if you're reading this, you should pack lunches when you go.
5. There are literally NO public garbage cans. Anywhere.
6. Japan is so civilized. Not one bike was locked up. I saw children as young as 8 returning from school by themselves on the train. I saw women walking in alleys at night. It is a weird feeling to not have to watch your back. And an awesome feeling.
7. I love the Japanese bow. So polite and welcoming. Really, truly nice.
8. I saw very few bald Japanese men and the ones I did were 80+.
9. People do not stare there. This is good for travelers who want to stare.
10. Everyone was dressed in public... no one was wearing pajamas, sweats, or even workout clothes. When they are out, they look nice (even the punks).

On A Brighter Note...

I leave for Japan tomorrow with my honey. I am so thrilled to see this wonderful country.

Regarding the gymnastics championships, apparently the Japanese have been the best hosts of all time. They are so grateful that the gymnastics community didn't move the Worlds to another country. They need this. They need the tourism, the support, the love.

I am still excited to the gymnastics too...even though the US team is broken. There are plenty of gymnasts I am excited to see...specifically the Japanese, who look wonderful in training.

Oh, USA Gymnastics, Why Do You Ruin Everything?

USA Gymnastics, the governing body of, well, USA gymnastics, is the most incompetent, embarrassing excuse for a governing body of a sport.

Worlds starts tomorrow. Here is a rundown of our women's team:

INJURED: Bross, Sacramone, Caquatto, Li, Memmel, Sloan

STILL WALKING: Raisman (ankle injury, but still competing), Johnson (slightly injured), Vega, Weiber, Douglas, Maroney (back injury, but still competing)

We are going on a decade of Marta Karolyi mismanaging the pre competition process. Too many competitions, mind games, training on hard equipment (old school),  traveling, etc. How is this STILL going on??

USA SUCKS even more though: covering up sexual abuse of young gymnasts in the 80s. A must read: 

http://articles.ocregister.com/2011-09-23/news/30202004_1_scats-usa-gymnastics-doe-yamashiro

By the way, the main gymnast in this article was one of my favorites. This is 1988 (she has already been being abused for 2 years). My heart breaks for her.

She's a Hipster

Laughing so hard right now. 

Jellyfish Lake

I keep telling people about this and they look at me like, "yeah right." So, in Palau, there is a lake called Jellyfish Lake. It is full of jellyfish (obviously), but they don't sting because they don't have any predators. Check out this somewhat cheesy, but amazing video of people scuba diving there.

PS I wouldn't do this if you paid me.

My Favorite Video

I've mentioned this video to all of my travel-loving friends, as it is a must if you are a travel buff. This guy has several and you should check them all out (here: Where the hell is Matt?), but this is my fav:

PS My fav clip is the Norway one. C R A Z Y ! Don't think I could ever do that!