Friday, April 6, 2007
Hong Kong Day 1
And they're off! We are at the airport, waiting to board the plane. Drew is so excited he can't sit still. Don't know how he is going to last on the plane for 5 hours. Ugh.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Red Wings Update
This is not good. With the playoffs just around the corner, the Red Wings' defensive line is taking some serious hits. First Lebda, now Kronwall and Lidstrom. Lidstrom should be back to full health by playoff time, but Kronwall is going to miss the entire post-season. It's never a good sign when a team has to call up a defenseman from the minors with one week left in the regular season.
Still, the Wings have been playing outstanding hockey all season, and they have amped it up at just the right time. With luck, they'll take the President's Trophy and lock in home ice advantage for the playoffs.
Still, the Wings have been playing outstanding hockey all season, and they have amped it up at just the right time. With luck, they'll take the President's Trophy and lock in home ice advantage for the playoffs.
Monday, April 2, 2007
The Little Storm that Couldn't
After all the preparation and running about like boonie chickens with our heads cut off, turns out it was much ado about nothing. Kong-rey has turned north and will leave Guam relatively unscathed. Maximum sustained winds are not expected to exceed 40 mph here.
Of course, our gain is Saipan's loss. The Eye of the Typhoon (hmm, sounds like a song), will pass directly over Saipan in about 18 hours. Keep them in your prayers. Kong-rey is a small typhoon, by recent standards, but winds are expected to top 110 mph and can still do significant damage.
Of course, our gain is Saipan's loss. The Eye of the Typhoon (hmm, sounds like a song), will pass directly over Saipan in about 18 hours. Keep them in your prayers. Kong-rey is a small typhoon, by recent standards, but winds are expected to top 110 mph and can still do significant damage.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Big Giant Voice
Big Giant Voice (hereinafter BGV) spoketh:
"COMNAVMAR is in Condition 3. High winds are expected in less than 48 hours. Remove all missile hazards from yards. Secure your personal property."
BGV is a loud speaker system that reaches all Navy housing across the entire island. The system itself is not that unusual, but the effect is seriously unsettling. There you are, working in your yard, thinking you are alone, when out of nowhere, this booming voice from the heavens begins to give you orders. I fear the operators of BGV may one day recognize the absolute power they have and begin to demand other things:
"COMNAVMAR is in Condition 3. High winds are expected in less than 48 hours. Remove all missile hazards from yards. Secure your personal property."
BGV is a loud speaker system that reaches all Navy housing across the entire island. The system itself is not that unusual, but the effect is seriously unsettling. There you are, working in your yard, thinking you are alone, when out of nowhere, this booming voice from the heavens begins to give you orders. I fear the operators of BGV may one day recognize the absolute power they have and begin to demand other things:
- "Mow your lawn at least twice a month"
- "Separate your trash from your recycables"
- "Eat your vegetables. I'm watching you."
I also imagine what I would say if someone left the door to BGV unlocked:
- "Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller"
- "And I say unto you, you shall mow the lawn and trim the hedges of your neighbor, especially that one bald guy who is a Navy lawyer"
- Karaoke - "American Pie" - enough said
Cold Sushi and Warm Sake
Is there anything better than warm sake? I doubt it.
Mary K said, "Hey, let's go eat sushi tonight since we're not going to be able to for a few days." Why not? So, off we went to our favorite restaurant in Guam - Rotary Sushi. Actually, the real name is Super Kaiten Sushi Taiyro (Kaiten-Zushi is the Japanese term for conveyor belt sushi, Tairyo is Japanese for 'fish harvest'). You sit at a counter while a moving belt carries fresh sushi around the restaurant. See something you want, just grab it. Each plate is color-coded to indicate how much that particular dish costs - $1, $2, or $3. For a family of four, we spend about $60 each time we go.
Drew likes the salmon, whereas Anna likes the salmon roe. I stick to fish, mostly salmon, but sometimes white fish or tuna. Mary K - she eats anything. Just like Mikee.
The best part is the warm sake. I used to order it by saying "hot sake," but I kept getting "Asahi." (Say it to yourself, you'll understand.) My Japanese is terrible.
Anyway, the sake really mellows you out. Mary has to drive home every time, while I sit in the passenger seat and pontificate on how lucky we are to be living on a tropical island where we can enjoy strange foods and meet interesting people.
Mary K said, "Hey, let's go eat sushi tonight since we're not going to be able to for a few days." Why not? So, off we went to our favorite restaurant in Guam - Rotary Sushi. Actually, the real name is Super Kaiten Sushi Taiyro (Kaiten-Zushi is the Japanese term for conveyor belt sushi, Tairyo is Japanese for 'fish harvest'). You sit at a counter while a moving belt carries fresh sushi around the restaurant. See something you want, just grab it. Each plate is color-coded to indicate how much that particular dish costs - $1, $2, or $3. For a family of four, we spend about $60 each time we go.
Drew likes the salmon, whereas Anna likes the salmon roe. I stick to fish, mostly salmon, but sometimes white fish or tuna. Mary K - she eats anything. Just like Mikee.
The best part is the warm sake. I used to order it by saying "hot sake," but I kept getting "Asahi." (Say it to yourself, you'll understand.) My Japanese is terrible.
Anyway, the sake really mellows you out. Mary has to drive home every time, while I sit in the passenger seat and pontificate on how lucky we are to be living on a tropical island where we can enjoy strange foods and meet interesting people.
Kong-rey Cometh
Hatches battened? Check.
Generator tested? Check.
Fuel cans filled up? Check.
Candles and flashlights? Check.
Food and water stocked up? Check.
Beer stocked up? Ooops, be right back.
Looks like we will finally have an opportunity to use that emergency generator I purchased last year "just in case" a typhoon came through. We've been here for a year and three months and I thought we would never see one. But, Kong-rey (gotta love that name) is about 35 hours away and promises to bring winds over 100mph.
Yep, that's Guam under that menacing purple ampersand labeled 03/00Z, which means midnight Zulu time on 3 April.
We went to Typhoon COR 3 a few hours ago, and are staged to go to COR 1 tomorrow at 1400. Our base will be locked down then, and only necessary personnel will be allowed to move about. As a lawyer, I'm really not that important. Which means I'll be staying home, eating popcorn, and live-blogging what happens (if we keep power) .
As for Mary K, well, she is one of those important personnel, but is designated a COR 4 person, meaning she will stay home until the typhoon passes, then will be off to the hospital to relieve those that stood watch through the storm.
The kids think it is a big camping expedition. They are a little afraid, since no one knows what to expect, but they look forward to camping out in the living room, playing games by candlelight, and watching the typhoon pass overhead. All-in-all, should be an interesting experience for them. How many 6 or 8 year-olds do you know that have been through a typhoon? Well, a lot out here in the Western Pacific, actually.
Generator tested? Check.
Fuel cans filled up? Check.
Candles and flashlights? Check.
Food and water stocked up? Check.
Beer stocked up? Ooops, be right back.
Looks like we will finally have an opportunity to use that emergency generator I purchased last year "just in case" a typhoon came through. We've been here for a year and three months and I thought we would never see one. But, Kong-rey (gotta love that name) is about 35 hours away and promises to bring winds over 100mph.
Yep, that's Guam under that menacing purple ampersand labeled 03/00Z, which means midnight Zulu time on 3 April.
We went to Typhoon COR 3 a few hours ago, and are staged to go to COR 1 tomorrow at 1400. Our base will be locked down then, and only necessary personnel will be allowed to move about. As a lawyer, I'm really not that important. Which means I'll be staying home, eating popcorn, and live-blogging what happens (if we keep power) .
As for Mary K, well, she is one of those important personnel, but is designated a COR 4 person, meaning she will stay home until the typhoon passes, then will be off to the hospital to relieve those that stood watch through the storm.
The kids think it is a big camping expedition. They are a little afraid, since no one knows what to expect, but they look forward to camping out in the living room, playing games by candlelight, and watching the typhoon pass overhead. All-in-all, should be an interesting experience for them. How many 6 or 8 year-olds do you know that have been through a typhoon? Well, a lot out here in the Western Pacific, actually.
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