I’m happy to report a successful weekend tinkering with technology. The server installed easily, and it seems to be working well. It is a relief to know that all our important files are being backed up. I also took the opportunity to organize some of the files and clean up the computers that I am running. There are still a few things I want to play around with on the server, but I think I can declare an end to major operations. Mission accomplished!
On Friday night I joined some students in Tarumi for dinner at Mayumi, a teppanyaki place that is popular because of the amount of garlic they put in their dishes. They had garlic okonomiyaki, garlic in the yakisoba, garlic sprinkled over the pork steaks – you get the picture. My students and I ate big and had a great time there. The signature drink they make there is called “buruhai” ブルãƒã‚¤ – a chuhai drink made with Bulgarian yogurt. It really helped to soothe the palate after all that garlic.
Saturday and Sunday were spent tinkering on the server and doing some shopping. I got an interesting message from Yoshi on Saturday. He heard that they are building a Costco in his neighborhood in Tarumi. That means that instead of the long drive to Amagasaki (which can be almost two hours) we will instead be able to get there in about 45 minutes. Very good news, indeed. We’ll have to exercise more to balance the increased calorie intake, however.
Finally, a weekend wrap-up isn’t complete without describing our dinners. Saturday I grilled some chicken thighs and several GIANT shiitake mushrooms. I think I finally discovered the right blend of seasonings for the grilled shiitake, and I’m thinking I might make vegetarian burgers out of them in the near future. Sunday it was Kuniko’s turn to cook, and she made homemade pizzas. We were a little impatient waiting for the dough to rise and we gave up on batch one. Batch two turned out great – and we were very happy with the results. The only problem is nailing that crispy crust – how do they do it? Batch one of the dough has been sitting out overnight, and we’ll try again tonight and see if we can get a crispier crust.
