In the Pink on Girls Day

Matt bounded out of bed this morning and survived a long day of classes, track practice, and play rehearsal. Overcome with relief, his mother made dinner for the second night in a row. Feel free to place a bet on how long this dinner streak will last. Cooking is not nearly as addictive as knitting socks.

Speaking of which, those madcap Knitwits deluged me with a round of applause at Starbucks this morning. Either I'm making incredible progress on this sock or they really, really liked the raisin butts I brought for Girls Day. No doubt the latter, but my mentors insist I'll be ready to knit my first heel and something called a gusset after just a few more spins around those skewers.

With that applause ringing in my ears, I skipped off to Yokohama to chat with Dr. T. Enroute I retrieved my umbrella and Mimi's brewery souvenirs from Aoki bakery. A first grader can pantomime "umbrella" but I don't think the same can be said for "bag of Kirin brewery stuff" so I felt quite victorious when one of the clerks climbed up on a chair and pulled the bag off the top of a cabinet. I settled for a half dozen raisin butts in lieu of an Oscar.

Dr. T presented me with Girls Day gifts on behalf of his wife. Those are rice crackers on the left and pastel candies shaped like chocolate chips in the rear. No telling what's in the cute box, but I'll open it tomorrow for the Oakleaf knitters and Reiko.

Dr. T was in teaching mode and did most of the talking today, although I know you might find that hard to swallow. He says the best sake is produced in Niigata and Akita prefectures where superior rice is grown. I've filed that little tidbit away for future reference.

He also mentioned that the green tea he serves me every week is called Sen-cha Gyokuro and is quite famous. Dr. T drinks about a gallon of green tea every day. He prefers his tea at room temperature but pours my portion over ice. Although the FDA remains unconvinced the last I checked, people on this side of the world believe green tea has tremendous medicinal value in guarding against diseases of the heart and brain. Medical researchers are developing a taste for the stuff so maybe the rest of us ought to give it a try.

When I mentioned the Explorers will be heading to Mashiko at the end of the month, Dr. T raced over to one of his three computers and printed out directions. I am hoping this will satisfy Jen O who seemed less than impressed with my advance preparations for the Machida Shrine Sale trip the other day. ("It's somewhere after Zama but before Yokota, Jen. I'm pretty sure we'll see a sign.")

If boredom sets in on the trip to Mashiko, Jen can just turn the map over and skim my copious notes on Japan's eight major pottery towns. Those notes were carefully numbered under Dr. T's watchful eye to coincide with the other map he prepared for us.

He even pulled out a pink highlighter to indicate major bridges. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with this map but it's definitely a keeper.

I felt really guilty accepting his money today -- remind me to pick up a little something for him in Mashiko, okay? -- but I put some of it to excellent use on my way back to Yokosuka. Poking my head in a convenience store, as is my habit, I spotted a new flavor of our favorite cookie.

I am showing remarkable restraint and keeping this box sealed until the Oakleaf knitters arrive tomorrow morning. Is that a mound of brown sugar in the picture? I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, you might want to start placing bets on the home-cooked dinner streak. If you get my drift.