Ancient Mariner's Port Visit

Mike will only be home for a week so we are focusing on quality time. My definition of quality time is "Mike fills the gas tank" and "Mike and Matt mow the lawn." Mike is so desperate to avoid these chores he's re-invented himself as a Party Animal. Who says a leopard can't change his spots?

Last night we had dinner with Yumiko and Jackie who will soon be moving to Spain for their next big Navy adventure. They took us to a wonderful Japanese restaurant in Kanondai near Yokohama, the sort of place I especially enjoy visiting with a Japanese native like Yumiko. We pigged out on tempura, sushi, and lemon pudding before I started launching into my usual sushi plate lecture - "Mike, you need to stack those plates in color order to make it easier for the waiter to total our bill!" - which Jackie politely interrupted with a reminder that we are in Japan where the waiters gracefully wave clever electronic gadgets along the side of the stack of plates and some mysterious computer eye differentiates between the various colors and prices. Jackie, by the way, is a native Oklahoman and has no idea why his Taiwanese parents chose to settle there. He and Yumiko met when he visited Japan as a student.

After we put Matt on the team bus for Misawa this afternoon, there's a 7th Fleet hail & farewell party on our agenda. Matt and his teammates will spend 12 hours on the road, sleep until noon, play Friday night football, and get back to Yokosuka early Saturday afternoon. Mike and one of his co-workers will catch a bullet train to Misawa right after their Friday morning briefing and should arrive in Misawa just in time for the opening kick-off. This will be their only opportunity to see their boys play all season so I hope it's a good game - or at least one with lots and lots of kick-offs.

I'm skipping the Misawa game. I need a little alone time to come up with a new wifely lecture now that the sushi plate stacking one is outdated.