The Itinerant American

Spendorexia Nervousa

2010-03-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to cut back on my spending. Today I came up with some new rules to cut back and added them to the old ones:1. No drinking alcohol.2. No buying coffee, coffee grounds, tea, or soda. Only water, juice, and tea bags or loose tea.3. No eating between meals unless I'm hungry.4. No eating dessert, chocolate, or candy.5. No buying clothes.

Skillet Skones!

2010-02-17T03:56:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I came home during my lunch break and made a recipe for "Basic Bannock" from a backpacking book I made photocopies of because I'm too cheap to buy my own copy. Anyway, the recipe was really easy and you just put the little dough patties on a greased skillet and cook 'em till they're brown on the top and bottom and cooked through.They were good. When I went back to work, I started

Roma Numa

2010-01-25T23:21:00.000-08:00

Drip Pot Woodneck

2010-01-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

A friend gave me drip coffee maker. I finally used it the other day with overwhelming results. Overwhelming because I made coffee so strong Magic Carp was up all night.Here's a photo.Thanks, Mrs. Olson.

Lake Yamanaka Camping

2010-01-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

The snow on Fuji-san in the distance was a beautiful back-drop for the weekend. I was camping near Yamanaka Lake in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.View Lake Yamanaka in a larger mapAt nearly 1000meters above sea level Lake Yamanaka isn't so high up, but at the base of Fuji-san it's a lot colder than where I live! Last year at this time, the campsite was covered in two feet of snow with temps

Family History

2009-09-04T00:15:00.000-07:00

Genny and Kathy were walking around an outdoors man store and checking out camping equiptment.Genny drew Kathy's attention to a collapsible drip coffee maker.Genny: Hey, mom, look at this. That's useful.Kathy: Yeah it is. (Pause.) Or you could just use your sock. (Pause.) That's what my grandmother did.(Big pause.)Genny: Wasn't your grandmother a four foot eight Puerto Rican woman?Kathy: Yes.(

Rob Kostelnik The Amazing

2009-06-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

Grocery Shopping

2009-05-16T02:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I grocery shop, my mind wanders to odd places. If I got scurvy from my poor diet, would I either go to a doctor and have to pay the difference from the national health insurance deductible or buy an onion and eat it raw? If I got pregnant, would I either spend the majority of my money on a balanced diet or on doctor's visits? Sometimes I start thinking of my mother when she

Nara Trip: Chapter One: I Go to a Park Pictures

2009-01-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

Pictures from Chapter One on Picasa

Nara Trip: Chapter One: I Go to a Park

2008-12-28T04:28:00.000-08:00

This morning I found myself in Yagi-shi in the middle of Nara prefecture. So I decided to go to a park. In fact, I decided to go to Nara Park. After a brief stop at the Softbank store to see if they could fix my phone that got dropped in the toilet last night (no, they couldn't) and another at a Tully's to grab some coffee (left) I made my way to Nara Koen right near Kintetsu-Nara train

Sing When You're Winning

2008-10-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while and I'm working on something with a bit more substance, but this morning I wrote a cheer while drinking my coffee. You'll see a bunch of babble in the last verse; that's Japanese and I think different conjugations of our team name (Iku). Just use the ol' rise and fall of every other syllable of Shakespeare class:I drink.I sing.I rock.I dance.I party hard at every

Creeps

2008-08-26T04:28:00.000-07:00

Recently I've met the most creepy person I've ever met in my life. My list of creeps is short. When I lived in Europe, I was encountering creepy men everywhere. In college I just met jerks, but they were not creepy; they were just jerks. Now, I think that in "the real world" I have met a real creep. It's enlightening. Combining the sleaziness of being my superior and the annoyance of my own

Daily Commutes

2008-08-21T16:53:00.001-07:00

I'm currently in the process of looking at apartments I cannot afford. Because I am looking at the lower end of the housing bracket, finding conveniently located apartments is difficult since I work at two separate occupations separated by 1.5 hours of trains. One (Job A) of these jobs is consistently 5 days a week, but the other (Job B) is only one day a week with the possibility of more

Lost beach

2008-08-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

When I was in Hawaii, the people I stayed with took me to the Lost set. Here are some of the photos I took with my camera phone.This is a photo of the beach next to the set. There were dozens of giant sea turtles feeding just feet from where the water was hitting the shore. It was really beautiful there and, as you can see, the weather wasn't too bad either.These are my friends in front of the

Very Badly Burned

2008-08-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Do you know what sheet beating is? It is when you take someone out back, cover them with a bed sheet, and start wailing on them. That is what a sunburn feels like.

Parasol

2008-07-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

The other day I went to work at the preschool in the morning and my conversation school in the afternoon. This humidity and heat kills me, though, and even though I purposefully wore white and cotton, I had sweat about five gallons by the time I got to my conversation classes. So on my train ride, I made the decision to get myself a parasol and I stopped in the store next to my station and

Intellectuals v. Celebrities

2008-07-15T00:09:00.000-07:00

On a recent road trip, some friends and I were discussing the failure of Americans to view intelligent, smart people as famous. Celebrities known for personalities and looks are more likely to be household names than people who constantly analyze, challenge, and shape the way we think.Intelligent people should have a more prominent standing in today's pop culture, but a person's intelligence is

Bowtie!!!

2008-06-28T01:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the bowtie I made for my father for Father's Day. Having never seen him in anything but a necktie before, I must say he looks quite dapper. I used the pattern in the Knitter's fall 2005 magazine with Wildfoote sock yarn in the color tom cat. (linen stitch, two US#0 dpns)The dashing young man waiting for his date.A close up on the accessory.Prom Night '08: Woot!

Socks, cardigans, sweaters, and dresses

2008-06-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

As requested, here are the photos of the items mentioned in the previous post:Interweave Knits holiday 2007Interweave Knits spring 2006knit.1 spring 2006Knitter's fall 2005Interweave Knits winter 2007Vogue Knitting winter 2007/2008Vogue Knitting spring/summer 2008

What should I knit?

2008-06-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

Recently, my father bought me a tush-load of Wildfoote sock yarn. Now he's already told me that he doesn't want socks, so I'm going to make him a bow tie instead. It will not however take a tush-load of yarn to make a bow tie so I'll have plenty left over to do with as I please.Sock yarn is very exciting to work with. It is much thinner than the more commonly used yarns and the smaller gauge

The Adventures of G'Cinderella (it's a soft "g")

2008-06-09T03:37:00.000-07:00

In today's adventure: Cooking Magic!G'Cinderella was sitting at home playing with her mp3 player when her not-so-evil genetic mother came home one afternoon."Hello not-so-evil genetic mother," G'Cinderella said, "How were your meetings this morning?""They went really well. Did anyone call while I was out?""Why yes, Mary Lou called, but I told her you'd be in meetings all day. She left a message

Online Messaging

2008-06-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

In college, I was a big fan of Gaim. This software combined the features of MSN messenger, aim, and google chat into one program so you didn't have to have 3 separate programs running at once. Last week, I went to download Gaim only to find that it was now called Pidgin. Anyway, I downloaded the software and have been playing with it for about a week after setting up or re-activating my screen

Pride and Prejudice

2008-06-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

Riding a train during rush hour is like the worst high school dance ever. At my high school, they'd bus in kids from the other prep schools and cram us all into a space half the size of the gym. It was crowded and hot and thoroughly uncomfortable. You could walk from one side to the other in search of water or light and get groped from any direction. People were so compacted into the space,

Judyta from Poland

2008-05-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

An inquiry was submitted for ad #38768 posted on GaijinPotDetails follow:Name of sender: Judyta WilliamsEmail of sender: judytawi@email.comMessage: Hello, This is judyta from Poland.I am writing from the hospital in Cote d’Ivoire, therefore this mail is very urgent as you can see that I am going home. I was told by the doctor that I was poisoned and has got my

From the Wonderful World of Employment

2008-05-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have been with me from the beginning will remember my memorable tale of merriment and melancholy when I attempted to interview for a position at Baltimore's Museum of Industry. If you don't remember, here is the actual post. The other day I had a job interview in Tokyo just as memorable, both in the merriment and melancholy categories.A man I will call H.M. contacted me about

You Tube? "Cleaning My Nose"

2008-05-11T18:52:00.001-07:00

Mr. Herve

2008-05-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

An inquiry was submitted for ad #38768 posted on GaijinPotDetails follow:Name of sender: charlesEmail of sender: ch_herve100@yahoo.comMessage: From Charles HerveAbidjan Cote d'IvoireEmail: ch_herve100@yahoo.comMy dear,I am Charles Herve and I inherited an important sum of money from my late father who died in a recent crisis in Cote d'Ivoire. I wish to request for your assistance in investing

Earthquakes? How inconvenient.

2008-05-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

Earthquakes at night are okay. I live on the second floor of a house and sleep in a bed towered over by three ceiling-high bookcases. If the world was to fall apart around me, there's really not a lot I could do to save myself. So I roll over and go back to bed without much thought. I usually don't even remember there was an earthquake unless someone reminds me the next day. The other night, two

Metro East Regionals '08

2008-04-28T06:28:00.001-07:00

This Sunday I had the opportunity to watch Pitt women (Danger) play in regional's back door bracket for nationals. It was awesome. On Saturday, I unfortunately had to work all day, but I drove down to Princeton and booked into the same hotel as Danger. From what they told me, they came in to Saturday's play strong. Ranked third, they stomped G-dub (ranked 14th) and Messiah (ranked 11th), but

I only know that I'm sure I am hooked on the mem'ry of you

2008-04-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

'97 Saturn SL - MUST SELL - $1200 or best offer1997 Saturn 4-doorMust sell in next week!!!Well maintainedSaturn bike rack on roofJust passed PA inspectionAC and heatCD player/radio/AUX hook-upAsking $1200 or best offerI love my car, but am moving out of the country and can't take her with me. Please contact me with any questions or to set up a time to look at her/take her for a drive. Thank

Springtime, running, and shorts

2008-04-14T05:15:00.001-07:00

So springtime has finally come around to this quiet little Pennsylvania town. It is a time for change and rebirth. I decided that I am moving back to Japan. This is reason for excitement and anxiety, but goes well with the weather. One of the great things about going back to Japan is the possibility of playing ultimate on the regular again. In May alone there are at least two tournaments

Bold As Brass

2008-04-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

[This post contains material of the intimate variety and should not be read by my family. Don't say I didn't warn you.]I currently live with two very good friends of mine, Caley and Justin, who happen to be engaged to each other. This is a very good situation for me, but I understand their need for some personal space and try to make myself as scarce as possible at certain times. When they're

Paralyzer

2008-04-04T18:57:00.001-07:00

Why would you make a song about not moving that's so darn fun to dance around to? If this song was really playing and some chic was really "standing still," I would say she's probably deaf and blind.

PROMISES Message

2008-03-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

Dare to wink at someone driving past today. Listen to your heart beat fearless and love completely. Make your eyes dance. Be twinkle.

BAM!

2008-03-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Literally just finished a gauntlet with some of the yarn left over from my sock/tabi project the other day. Virb, you totally got this one.US#7dpn, 1 skein Lion WoolCO 36 and joinK1P1 rib for 10 rows6 rows stock stknit loose piece of yarn onto 6 stcontinue stock st in round for 30 more rowsK1P1 rib for 10 rowsBO[thumb]remove loose yarnpick up 14 st and joinknit 3 rows stock stknit 5 rows P1K1

Knit Now, Suicide Later

2008-03-28T06:32:00.001-07:00

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time sitting around wondering what I'm should do with myself. You know, occupationally. I could work at Giant, be a nanny, or go back to Japan and write a book, but the fact of the matter is, I'd much rather sit on my butt all day reading newspapers and knitting. This doesn't really get you out of the house much though. I'm reminded of a saying a resident

American Tabi

2008-03-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

[For those without knitting skilz, this may get boring/technical. For those with knitting skilz, the pattern is still probably going to be confusing. Virb, if you want to make them let me know and I'll send you a step-by-step.]I finished my first pair of socks this week. I wanted something I could wear around the house since it's always a bit on the cold side what with the wind around here and

Gotta Stay Stateside - My Show's On!

2008-03-26T06:47:00.001-07:00

As many of you know (I'm looking at you, TallE), I'm currently adrift in the seas of minimum skills, minimum wages, and minimum hours at my local Giant grocery's deli department. It's not bad work. It's not great either. Many are asking, "Genny with a 'g', you are a reasonably intelligent person with two degrees out of college. Why don't you get a real job?" Firstly, I kind of like the

New Freedom

2008-03-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long.I quit my job at Fossil Rim (sorry Rob, but no rhino scratching videos). I moved from Glen Rose, Texas to New Freedom, Pennsylvania stopping to see Charlie in Wilmington, North Carolina along the way. I now have a room in Caley&Justin's new home in New Freedom. As I explore my options for a new job, I've got a part time gig in the deli department at Giant's grocery

Video: Roan Walking Past

2008-02-29T14:58:00.001-08:00

Here is a video I took about two minutes ago of a Roan walking past my house. On the hill behind her, first you'll see four Hartman's Zebras and them another Roan.

Insomniatic

2008-02-26T00:58:00.000-08:00

I think there might be a connection between cooking, baking cookies, and insomnia. Have there been any studies on this? Symptoms:-Long periods of contemplation over ex-loves.-Imagined spider bites from imagined brown recluses between real bedsheets.-"Tired" missing from the menu.Possible Causes:-Homemade cookies.-Homemade chili.-Homemade ceasar dressing.-An open window with no screen and a

Still Knitting Strong

2008-02-24T17:55:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, not matter where I go I still knit. Two of my most recent projects have been a shrug and a head scarf. The shrug came from the Spring 2006 issue of Interweave Knits magazine. It is called the "Streakers Shrug" and was designed by Pam Allen. The recommended yarn is la Lana Wool Streakers!, but I used some Noro's Cash Lane I bought on sale instead. Except for only knitting a 3

Fossil Hunting & Cave Dwelling

2008-02-21T18:24:00.000-08:00

Today, when the other two interns were off, the education dept. went on a group trip to go fossil hunting. Our host, "Bussy", lead the 6 of us ladies, a volunteer from Fossil Rim, and two people from the local magazine doing a story up to a ranch where he showed us the best ways to find fossils then let us walk around for a bit collecting them. I didn't get any photos of the area, but I did get

Dinosaur Valley National Park

2008-02-20T19:09:00.002-08:00

Last weekend, my Janine and I took our day off to go to one of the other local parks near exciting Glen Rose, Texas. Dinosaur Valley National Park (DVNP) is a few minutes from Glen Rose in the middle of this gorgeous countryside (blackland prairies). The park is named for the various fossilized dinosaur footprints that have been preserved within the Paluxy River.This is one of the two "life"

US SE RT 08 Conclusion [Part 2]

2008-02-14T16:55:00.001-08:00

Saturday, 2 February, 2008I wanted to start on my trip at noon, but as my brother and I are sitting around having brunch I walk in to his kitchen to find it full of smoke. "Um, Charlie, have you lit anything lately?" Apparently the furnace broke. So after a late start I was on the road to Texas. Along 76/74 there were multiple "Ron Paul for President" signs. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go

US SE RT 08 Conclusion [Part 1]

2008-02-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

I have been without internet for quite some time now, so I was unable to give proper updates on how the road trip went. Fortunately, I have it now AND I have all the time in the world to send out the 411 so here it is:My travels began in Wilmington, North Carolina along the Atlantic coast. The great thing about Wilmington is location. Yes, it has your rows of strip malls up and down the city,

Fried Chicken Fries???

2008-01-28T19:35:00.001-08:00

Driving from Fayetteville to Wilmington in North Carolina along US 87, I stopped for a snack in a mom and pop's gas station. The sign on the builing said, "North Carolina's Best Hamburgers!" Reading this, I had to stop. I went in and there weren't any burgers. There was fried chicken, however. Lots of it. Personally, I'm not big on fried chicken and since I was hoping to eat while driving,

SE US RT 08

2008-01-25T06:22:00.001-08:00

Today I planned out the route for the great SE US RT 08 (South Eastern United States Road Trip of 2008). Below is said route:View Larger Map

North Caroliner: Couldn't Be Finer

2008-01-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

I travel a lot, relative to those who don't travel as much as me. In US though my travels have mainly been confined to the North East, except for the occasional trek south for spring break or to visit my brother here in NC. This time I'm in the South though, I'm here not for pleasure, but business. That's right, it is a straight-laced, no nonesense, keep your hands where I can see them and

2008: It's Gonna Be Great

2008-01-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

Two very important things going on right now:1. Going back to the states.2. Got an mp3 player.Let's start with no. 2. Ever since I touched Molly's Creative mp3 player, I knew I had to be just like her. Last Thursday I became the proud parent of a Creative Zen V: Plus. Unfortunately, I have been unable to name it. I've always named my computers (Matthew, Oscar, Samuel.) and I don't feel like

A Book And A Movie

2007-12-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, I both finished a book I've been reading and watched a new movie. The book was "Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants" by Robert Sullivan and the movie was I am Legend."Rats" was about the history and present state of Rattus norvegicus in New York City. Integrating science, history, and travel, this was a very interesting book

Holiday Greetings!

2007-12-24T01:07:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the old, here is a holiday letter to recap the last 12 months. Since this is my first time I went online to get some tips on how to go about composing a "holiday letter" and the following is the result.24 December 2007Dear friends,Please forgive this mass letter. Actually, it is only a mass letter if a massive amount of people read it. Since I doubt that will happen, please

Culture

2007-12-17T06:54:00.001-08:00

To follow up on my last post, I thought I should quickly give you a definition of culture. As an anthropologist, and a cultural one at that, this word holds a world of meaning. To use the most basic understanding, I could argue that culture is the result of a group of people sharing most if not all of the following traits:1. language2. religious practices and/or spiritual beliefs3. moral or

Battle Royale

2007-12-17T05:33:00.000-08:00

Dear my loyal readers,I too am a loyal reader. I am a loyal reader of many things: books, pamphlets, signs, warning labels, etc. Last night I picked up my brother's copy of Koushun Takami's "Battle Royal" translated by Yuji Oniki. Having just finished it about ten minutes ago, I can tell you is was really very good. No, maybe not my favorite book, but definately in the top three.Despite being

Clothes Shopping in Japan

2007-12-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I went shopping for some nice clothes for the holiday season, having packed none. Shopping out in Japan is difficult for me due to my height and size. I'm not saying I'm a fatty, but it can be difficult to find well-fitting clothes. I headed out to Machida and went right away to the Gap. Because the Gap is a familiar store, I easily found an appropriate dress in the

A Cautionary Tale for Achievers.

2007-11-19T23:19:00.000-08:00

I was going to name this post "How to go to a job with no concept of it's content and put in a passable effort," but I think that title is too long. Also, you would then be disinclined to continue reading if you planned on always being prepared and giving 110% effort. Go away, over achiever.This morning when my alarm clock went off (I wish I could download a clip of what it sounds like and insert

Halloween Ideas

2007-11-16T03:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry for no posting this week, but I've been busy and lazy (okay, more lazy than busy). I have volunteered to help out the community theater's production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and it has severely shortened my sight-seeing time. I was able to go on a lovely walk with my parents on Monday however. That story plus photos coming soon. Also, I have begun the jorb hunt once again (

Sagamihara Constitutional

2007-11-09T17:22:00.001-08:00

For the first time, I took a walk around Sagamihara yesterday. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, or Japan in general, the usual means of traveling (unless you're an American hooked on automobiles and traffic) involves a quick walk or bike ride to the nearest train station. In the spirit of adventure and having nothing better to do, I decided that I would walk up to Sagamihara station (

Leaving for Japan

2007-11-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

After sixteen days of sleeping on couches up and down the east coast of US, I'm finally off to Japan. For three months I will be busy mooching off my parents, participating in various sight-seeing activities, and job hunting. For the next twenty hours I will be busy watching television, playing video games, and eating food I can't get at my parent's house. That means Arizona ice tea, Wendy's