Roots the Jack Russell Terror

Shopping Spree

2010-06-05T21:47:00.030+09:00

It's been busy around here lately so I haven't had time to write for quite some time. Mama and papa have been preparing for the arrival of my little sister and I've been doing some modeling gigs...
Mama and papa celebrated their wedding anniversary in April. They went to a restaurant in Hiroo and had a great meal.

I've realized that papa makes a great bed!

And so does mama's leg!

Actually, anywhere is a good bed for me...

As always, I love watching TV with mama and papa. I especially like game shows!

We were watching TV the other day and saw this really funny cat. I hate cats but this one was funny. It stands on 2 feet like a human!

Papa bought me a whole box of goodies a few weeks ago. I love the treats and the toys but mama says I am getting fat so I can't eat so many treats now... :-(

Papa was finally able to track down one of his favorite foods in the world. He's been searching Japan forever trying to find it...and now he has almost a kg of it. What is it you ask? Canadian back bacon of course!!! Now he's looking for kaiser buns to make the perfect sandwich...

A few of papa's gourmet creations lately...

Cold Chinese noodles

Katsu-don (fried pork with egg on a bed of rice)

...twice (had it again today)...

Lasagna...

Gyu-don (beef bowl)

Gyoza (fried Chinese dumplings)...

All of the dishes looked yummy but I don't know since dawgs can't eat that stuff :-(

Anyhow, as the blog title says, "Shopping Spree", what is that you ask??? Well, mama and papa have been buying stuff left and right in the name of the baby. How much stuff you ask? Well, put it this way, in the last 3 weeks, we have run out of space in the house...

If you're having a baby, of course you need a new rice cooker...

...and a new dresser with a wall hanger for the baby's stuff...

...and a DSLR camera (Nikon D5000) with a video camera (Canon HF M31)...

...and today the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner arrived...

Phew...what a shopping list!!! Oh yeah, I almost forgot, what would a baby do without an Apple iPad???

In case you didn't notice, there wasn't much in the shopping spree for Jack Russell Terriers...what a drag :-(

Mama and papa had a baby check up today. Still looks like I will have a little sister! She kind of looks like a little alien baby in the ultrasound images. In Japan, it seems we get an ultrasound at every check up. We're at 29 weeks and 2 days now and we've already had about 8 or 9 of them!

We have a new Prime Minister in Japan. Hatoyama was...ummmm...let's just say "ineffective"...papa uses other words to describe Hatoyama and the Secretary General Ozawa but I can't repeat those words here :-)
We're hoping this new guy, Kan, can get it done but we aren't holding out much hope because politics in Japan is hopeless. It's an old boy's club of self-perpetuating stupidity and they are all stuck in the old ways of back room deal making with little care for the people of the country because they are so out of touch with the general population. But anyhow, that's just the rambling of a non-partisan Jack Russell Terrier...

Sayonara to Sakura...

2010-04-18T21:33:00.012+09:00

We spent a lot of time over the past few weeks walking along Meguro River during the Sakura blossom season.....we and thousand of others...but it was a great time! It's even funnier at night when we can see a bunch of happy, drunk people hanging around under the cherry trees while they eat and get even more drunk. I love taking walks and chasing the cherry blossoms as they fall off the branches. Mama and papa don't think they are so tasty but I love eating them.

We had a great view of some Sakura trees from our house...

...but it's always sad towards the end of cherry blossom season when they fall into the river to be carried away until next year. I'd love to be philosophical now but I'd rather leave it at that and let the readers decide how you feel...

As always, a few of papa's creations for dinner lately. Omelet rice (chicken and tomato rice covered in an egg omelet)...

...and a pasta dish of fresh spinach and tomato linguine...

Papa was watching a cooking show the other day hoping to learn a new dish made with asparagus. This is what the TV show cook made. Looked a little over-cooked to papa...he was definitely not impressed. How could anyone televise a TV cooking show that burns asparagus??? It was awful!!! And they were serious about this recipe. It was supposed to be marinaded asparagus but papa called it marinaded carbon. The "chef" should be fired.

And, as always, I've been busy...

I generally break new toys in under 2 minutes so papa found toys made by Orka that I can't break and keep me occupied for hours when papa stuffs food inside...
Papa thinks it is one of the best investment he's ever made. The first time he put beef jerky inside and then wrapped the toy in cloth from his old pants, it took me an hour to get the food out. Papa and mama were so grateful for the hour of peace and quiet.

Mama and papa went to a maternity fair on Saturday. They are 95% decided on the stroller they will buy. They both love the Peg Perego Si. Aprica also makes some pretty good stuff. The biggest disappointment was Maclaren. So many people have Maclaren strollers but mama and papa found them to be inferior. Safety is the most important element of buying a stroller, but in Japan, items must also be compact, easy to use and convenient (i.e. can open and close it with 1 hand). The Maclaren strollers have a strange way of folding up and do not stand by themselves when folded. Anyhow, we only have another million decisions to make for the baby so we're getting there.

Halfway there...

2010-04-03T22:29:00.009+09:00

As you can see by the counter to the right, we are halfway there! My little brother/sister is just under 20 weeks away! I can't wait to meet him/her. We don't know the gender yet but the doctor seemed to hint at the last check up that I may have a younger brother...mama now thinks it's a boy...papa is just hoping that he/she is not as much trouble as me... :-)

A few weeks ago, mama and papa went to Suitengu Shrine to pray for a safe birth...

Since dogs have large litters which are birthed relatively easily and are healthy and happy, this is the symbol of Suitengu Shrine...

A few weeks ago, mama and papa went to a friend's place for dinner and papa made a bunch of brownies.

Papa has been busy cooking lately. Shepherd's pie...

Homemade mac and cheese based on this recipe...

...and a very typical Japanese dinner...so healthy!!!

Today and tomorrow are probably the best days for viewing the cherry blossoms in Tokyo.

All kinds of folks came out to see the cherry blossoms. Not sure what planet this dude is from...

Mama and papa went shopping for strollers today while I got a bath and grooming. They loved the Peg Perego Si stroller. It is durable, portable and not too heavy. Aprica has some good models too. We may wait until after the baby is born before we buy the stroller. Papa has spent more time studying about strollers and cribs than he did when he bought our house and car. They also went to visit Airbuggy in Daikanyama but the staff there are morons. They were more concerned about unpacking boxes than they were about helping customers. Disappointing. Good products but idiots for staff. They didn't offer to help customers or ask if we needed assistance. Papa liked one of the products but had to lift down from the shelf by himself while the staff stood there watching him. Then the staff walked off to continue unpacking a box while mama and papa struggled to figure out how to fold and unfold the stroller. Nice customer service. They'll be out of business within a year (hopefully).

Roots' Day

2010-03-07T22:54:00.004+09:00

OK, so, yesterday was apparently Roots' day...sounds great, eh? Well...it isn't. It seems that Roots' day consists of a shampoo and brushing...not fun :-(
Not sure if I like my new hairdo...I look like the Michelin man...

After I have a bath, I get this inexplicable burst of energy as I try to dry myself...

Gold

2010-03-07T21:33:00.009+09:00

We may not own the podium, but the top step is ours! Canada rocks!!! 14 Olympic gold medals! And the last one was the sweetest! Papa wakes up at 5:00am for 2 things - to play golf and to watch the Canadian men's hockey team kick America's butt for Olympic gold! The US team played a good game but...ummmm...yeah, thanks for coming out...too bad, but the best view is from the top of the podium. Papa was very happy that I joined him to watch the game. I also wake up at 5:00am for 2 things - Olympic hockey gold and to go pee-pee...this time was hockey, and what a great game it was! The US team gave us a minor scare with 24.4 seconds remaining when they tied the game to send it to overtime, but papa was pretty confident that we would prevail. Even the Japanese TV announcers were behind us:

Mama got these chocolates for papa for Valentine's day. They were so delicious that papa couldn't stop eating them!

Papa has been taking me on really long walks lately. We walk 5 to 7 km every day. A few days ago, we went to Ebisu Garden Place and met a 4 month old Jack Russell Terrier.

After all the walking, I like to relax...

...and relax some more...

Mama suggested risotto for dinner last night so papa made it. He used a recipe by Jamie Oliver as the base and added a few twists of his own. Mama said she thinks it's good enough to be in a restaurant! Papa already knew that :-)

The recipe he used as a base can be found here.

Handyman...

2010-02-11T22:03:00.020+09:00

I wish the weather would make up its mind. 2 days ago it was 20 degrees Celcius and sunny...currently, it is 2 degrees and raining with a chance of snow later tonight. Luckily for me, papa woke up early enough this morning to take me for a walk before the rain came. Today was a national holiday in Japan so mama and papa spent the day with me! I spent the day lounging around the house.

I really hate the cold weather though...

Papa built a cabinet for us today. We used to have an industrial looking metal rack shelf for house keys, wallets as well as miscellaneous items and knick-knacks. The shelf was an eyesore so papa finally broke down and bought a nicer cabinet. The downside...papa had to build it himself...and papa isn't what we would call a handyman :-)

The cabinet came in over 25 pieces...

...with over a hundred other parts like hinges, screws, plugs, and stuff that papa has never seen before...

So of course, papa needed my help to supervise him and make sure he didn't screw up my cabinet. The finished product came out great thanks to me!

Here I am admiring my handiwork...

Papa got some delicious looking chocolate macaroons for Valentines Day from the ladies at his office. Papa says they are yummy! Not that I would know because he refuses to give me one :-(

This Is It

2010-02-07T00:25:00.012+09:00

We just finished watching the Michael Jackson movie "This Is It". What a great movie!!! Papa was lost in the 80's for a while. He wasn't a huge MJ fan in the 80's, preferring Kiss, Aerosmith, Motley Crue and other obnoxious music (which he still likes) but he was really impressed with "This Is It". He says that Michael Jackson truly was a musical genius, whether or not you like him.

Mama and papa spent a quiet New Years with mama's parents. They opened a bottle of Montrachet which really pleased papa...

And the food was excellent!!!

I've been pretty busy lately as usual! I can't believe how good MJ is at dancing!!!But it makes me tired just watching...

I found a new favorite place...

Last week we got a little snow! Nothing like what papa is used to in Toronto, but it was nice all the same!

Goodbye to 2009

2009-12-31T18:12:00.007+09:00

Wow, another year has come and gone! This New Year's eve, mama and papa decided to spend a quiet evening at home with me instead of hosting their traditional nabe party. They put an O-kazari on our door today. It's a traditional Japanese New Year's decoration.

Mama also switched the pictures in the Roots calendar that we received from E-chan in Osaka. Some of the pictures in the calendar may look familiar!

I still love to bark at the TV, much to mama's and papa's dismay. The TV commercial that gets to me the most is one for Contac. You can see the video of the commercial here. I get really excited and almost jump through the TV when the samurai uses his katana. I also love barking at the Contac guy on the left. As soon as I see that guy, I jump up and down and don't stop barking until the commercial is finished. I even know the music for the commercial because no matter where I am in the house, as soon as I hear the beginning of the commercial, I stop what I'm doing and run to the TV. Mama and papa can't figure out why that commercial bothers me and I'm not going to tell them. I bark at Otosan on the Softbank commercials a lot too.
I'm loving my new bed. Papa used to come home and I would get up and follow him around. Now, with my new bed, I've become somewhat of a couch potato. Even when papa comes home from work, I stay in bed and relax.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Hot and Sour

2009-12-27T22:56:00.004+09:00

Papa tried his hand at Chinese food tonight. He made chicken chow mein and hot & sour soup. Both came out pretty good! Mama even had seconds of the soup! Papa thinks both of them can use some improvements but as a first try, we think it was not a bad try. Papa was surprised at how easy hot & sour soup is to make. This recipe was the basis of his soup but papa made a few changes which he says are secret until he perfects it. The chicken chow mein recipe (which he also modified but keeps secret) can be found here. In both cases, he thinks the flavor should have been deeper. He used the whole bag of mein that his family sent from Canada (which turned out to be too much for 2 people) but the flavour was so good! He has 2 more packages of mein to work with. As you can see, I was also busy supervising papa's cooking...actually, I was waiting for him to drop something delicious for me to eat :-)

Just 2 more days of work for papa and then he can spend December 30 to January 4 at home playing with me!!!

All I want for Christmas is...

2009-12-25T20:37:00.012+09:00

...a new 58 degree Cleveland CG15 wedge...wait a minute...huh??? That's not what I wanted, but that's what papa got for me. What kind of a present is that for a JRT??? I told him I can't use it so he said he would use it for me. Hmmmm...somehow I think I got the short end of the stick...or club in this case...

I got my real Christmas present a few days ago. Mama and papa got me a new bed!!! I love it! When papa comes home from work, I don't go to the door to meet him anymore...I just stay in my warm bed until he turns on the heater :-)

Even though Christmas day was a regular working day in Japan today, papa took the day off and took me for a really long walk. We went to Ebisu Garden Place to see the Christmas tree and the huge Baccarat crystal chandelier. There were tons of people there and we had a lot of fun walking around and soaking up the Christmas spirit. When I got home, I was a little tired so I just plopped myself down on the floor and slept for an hour. Mama made me a special Christmas dinner! In addition to my regular wet and dry food with chicken, I got 2 of my favorite things - carrots and cabbage!!! We opened our Christmas gifts tonight after dinner. Papa's sister got me a hoodie with my name on it (my name is Roots, not 1973 Athletics...)! Thank you Auntie S, Uncle D and Cousins A and A!!!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-20T21:31:00.006+09:00

The other day at work, papa experienced the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) on his Microsoft laptop for about the hundredth time this year. How do people put up with Microsoft Windows. What a terrible excuse for an operating system. This is the reason papa bought an Apple iMac at home...he says it's the best purchase he's ever made...

We've been getting cold weather lately...nothing like the North-East part of the US where I hear they expect 30 cm of snow this week, but we've started dropping below 10 degrees. I still love playing tug-o-war with papa. It's my favorite game. I especially love slobbering all over the blanket and then watching papa grab it and quickly let go because the blanket is all wet!
I also like playing fetch with papa. We play fetch with my blanket but it's so big that when I run with it, sometimes I step on it and trip myself. It makes papa laugh and he says I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer...whatever that means...

The Good Shepherd...

2009-12-08T21:37:00.008+09:00

Papa has almost perfected his recipe for Shepherd's Pie! The ingredients for the meat are just about right and he has almost figured out how to make the world's best mashed potatoes. This is the finished product and it is amazing...

...at least that's what he says. Jack Russell Terriers in this house are not permitted to eat Shepherd's Pie. It has something to do with fat dawgs not being cute or something like that...

I don't think he realizes just how active I am! I was the brains behind the dish. I spent endless energy supervising papa to make sure he didn't make a mistake...

And once the hard work of supervising was done, it took a lot of energy to find a place like this and then settle in...

Not to mention how active I am after dinner...
Of course, all of the above activity takes up about 3 minutes of my day. The other 23 hours and 57 minutes of the day I run around the house, bark at birds, attack the TV and vacuum and drive mama and papa crazy. I'd post pictures but papa says I can't sit still long enough to take a decent photo. He has to wait until I take my 1 minute nap to snap a picture. Most pictures papa takes of me look like this:

Fine Cuisine

2009-11-29T22:00:00.012+09:00

We had a pretty nice weekend with fairly warm weather. Papa locked me out today because I love to bark at the Dyson vacuum...

Tonight, papa made some fine cuisine for dinner...ok, well, maybe not quite so fine...but delicious all the same. He made some North American soul food! Buffalo wings and cheddar cheese filled potato skins!

Papa finally broke down and bought a Xbox 360 this week. He doesn't sleep much anymore...between playing Xbox and reading The Lost Symbol, papa barely has time for me :-(

Thanksgiving in Japan

2009-11-23T22:18:00.005+09:00

Mama's parents came over for dinner yesterday for turkey! It sure looked delicious, although I wouldn't know because no one offered any to me :-(
They had turkey, stuffing, roasted potatoes and a variety of veggies. Maybe next time I can score some turkey...
Tonight, mama and papa had turkey risotto for dinner. Yummy!!!

Today, papa went to play golf since it was a national holiday in Japan. He went to play at Rainbow Hills in Chiba. The back 9 was pretty good and papa shot a 47. Too bad the front 9 was a 56...papa was not happy...he thinks he needs a 64 degree wedge to improve his approach shots...I think he needs lessons, more concentration and a better teacher...
But at least he had the time tonight to fix up his golf balls and put a Roots paw print on them!!!

Back by Popular Demand

2009-11-21T21:35:00.025+09:00

Yes, I am still around even though I haven't written for 4 months. Papa neglected to help me write my blogs. Too busy playing golf...

2 days ago was mama's birthday so today, papa took her to Sushi Mizutani to celebrate. The restaurant only seats 10 people and the "omakase menu" is set daily by the chef. Sushi Mizutani has 3 Michelin stars, the highest rating possible, but papa thinks it deserves 5 stars. The sushi was superb, among the best in the world. It is now papa's favorite restaurant. The owner/chef was friendly and knowledgeable, and there are no words to describe how delicious the food is. So many subtle flavours mixed to perfection. Soy sauce was not necessary because the chef flavours the sushi for you using his own mixture of soy sauce, mirin and sake. The rice he uses is a little harder than in other sushi restaurants which is perfect because it prevents the rice from getting mushy and mixing too much with the fish. The harder rice allows you to fully taste the fish without being diluted by the rice. The price is about what you would expect from a top rated sushi restaurant but it is well worth it. For anyone who loves sushi, then Sushi Mizutani is a must.

Papa still loves his iMac (when mama lets him use it...). In fact, he loves it so much that he installed it on his Dell laptop...don't ask how...

He recently bought a Time Capsule to backup the iMac as well as a Magic Mouse. He loves them both. He calls me apple-head but I think he is the real Apple-head.

I was close to getting a sibling. Papa wanted to get another JRT...but then he realized that 2 Jack Russell Terriers are 10 times the trouble :-)

He saw these 2 and was so tempted...

We Jacks may be a handful, but we are very protective...

...and cute!!!

Papa has been on a gourmet roll lately! He still thinks he missed his calling as a world famous chef. Some of the recent dishes...

Beef Nachos

Korean Karubi Udon

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Fettucine Carbonara with Steak Diane and White Asparagus

Spinach & 3 Cheese Tortellini

Sweet & Sour Pork

For papa's birthday, mama took us to Karuizawa to play golf and enjoy being out of the city. I made a new friend...he doesn't say much though...

As always, I've been really busy lately. Life is so hectic sometimes...

But with the weather getting colder, make sure you all keep warm...

A few weeks ago, mama and papa went to see a rugby match in Tokyo featuring the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australia Wallabies (not a very cool name in my opinion...apologies to all my Aussie friends). Papa wore all black to the match and was happy when NZ won. He is now a big rugby fan (even though he still has no clue what the rules are). He also thinks football players are a little wimpy now. He saw the rugby payers hitting each other the same as they do in football but without the pads. Those rugby dudes are tough...and the All Blacks are the toughest. Papa was finally able to see the Haka which was awesome!!!

Papa taught me a new game called "hide and seek". I think I've become really good at the game!

Last weekend, mama and papa went to Club Q again where their friend Q-chan made a Thanksgiving turkey. Looks yummy!!!

Mama and papa received a gift of pears last month from friends who live in Utsunomiya and are related to papa's late Auntie Pat. The pears are bigger than my head!!! Papa calls me pear-head now.

Mama made me some chicken a few days ago. Papa still says I'm a spoiled little puppy but he's wrong...I'm not a puppy anymore...I'm a dawg!!! A dawg waiting for leftovers and scraps...

Mama's and Papa's Caddy

2009-07-11T22:00:00.019+09:00

Mama and papa took Friday off work and we all went to Tochigi for a few days. We got to Tochigi in time for lunch at an Italian restaurant called Canon (香音). Mama and papa shared spaghetti (Ragu) and pizza (Margherita).

Friday night, we stayed in a log cabin at Kinugawa Kogen Country Club. It was a pretty nice place. Dinner was Suki-Yaki. The room reminded papa of a log cabin in Canada.
Today we went golfing and I was the caddy! Well, I was trying to be a caddy for mama and papa. Apparently, the caddy is not supposed to bark during the downswing, nor is a caddy supposed to try to escape from the golf cart while it is in motion. Papa was pretty upset when I gave him some advice during his swing. I am not allowed to go golfing anymore :-(

The course was really nice though. It was near the top of a mountain about 1,200 meters high. The weather was perfect for golfing today. It was partly cloudy, about 25 degrees with a nice breeze.

After I was banned for life from golfing, we went to lunch and then for a walk at a nearby park. This was papa trying to take my picture:

I finally posed for papa...

On the way home this afternoon, we stopped and took a few pictures...

When papa was packing on Thursday night, I thought I would help. Papa didn't think stealing his socks was a good way to help him...

Papa also hates when I shed my hair for summer...especially when I shed on his shorts...

I'm still trying to get used to the new TV...I love watching TV!!!

But I hate when papa mistakes my head for a melon and wraps it...

And finally, my new present! Mama bought me a nice, cool blanket to sleep on during the hot summer!!! (because I chewed and destroyed my old blanket)

To Paradise and Back

2009-07-04T21:41:00.032+09:00

It's been over 2 months since my last post. If anyone's out there, sorry for the long gap in posts. Papa is lazy and doesn't help me. I'd type myself but papa hates when I chew the keys on his laptop.

In mid-May, mama and papa went to a friend's wedding in Hawaii on the big island. They've been to Oahu and Maui before but this was their first time to Hawaii Island. They flew there on Japan Airlines and were a little surprised that they had to walk from the plane to the airport on the tarmac...

They stayed at The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and had an ocean view room! The hotel was beautiful and the staff were so friendly. The first day in Hawaii was spent shopping and eating. Mama and papa had to buy clothes to wear at the wedding since it was on the beach and the dress code was beach casual. The next day, mama and papa rented a car and drove to the other side of the island to see the Kilauea volcano! They said it was really impressive to see a live volcano. Mama and papa managed to go golfing twice during their stay, the second time being on the day of the wedding. They played both the North Course and the South Course at Mauna Lani. The first round of golf on Wednesday was followed by a Lomi Lomi massage at the Mauna Lani spa. The courses were beautiful and extremely challenging. They were built in a lava field right beside the ocean. Miss the fairway and you'll find yourself trying to chip out of lava rock or pitch out of the water...

After the second round of golf on Thursday, they went to the main event of the vacation, the wedding of their friends. The wedding was really nice. The ceremony was on the beach at the Mauna Lani and was followed by an outdoor reception near the beach.
The food at the reception was delicious. Papa said that they had had a pig cooked specially for the wedding. It was wrapped and cooked in the ground for 8 hours. It was so tender and juicy! Papa had 2 plates of it!
The next day, mama and papa were in for some cold weather...is this really Hawaii???

Actually, the above picture is in Hawaii. Near the top of Hawaii to be exact. Mama and papa went on the star gazing tour. The bus picked them up at 3:30pm and they were off to the top of Mauna Kea at 4,207 metres where it was about zero degrees celcius. They were so high that they were above the clouds! The top of Mauna Kea provides some of the best views of the sky anywhere in the world so it is also the home of 8 observatories and a number of satellite dishes.

They got to the top of Mauna Kea in time for sunset. Mama and papa said the view was absolutely amazing...

As for me, well I got to stay at Log World again! I love that place! I played every day at the dog run and lived like a king. I was also very lucky that my friend Caina was there too! Her papa works with my papa. Caina's mama and papa went to Canada during the same time mama and papa were in Hawaii so I got to play with her for a few days!
After all the excitement of Log World and Hawaii, it was nice to get home and relax...
Papa made sweet and sour pork for dinner...
2 weeks ago, mama and papa got me a new TV, a 46" plasma Panasonic Viela. I sure look good on TV!
Mama and papa have been doing their best to support the economy with their own stimulus package. Before going to Hawaii, papa bought a new set of Cleveland CG7 Tour irons...

Then a few days ago, papa replaced his 10 year old, 20 degree Dunlop 5-wood with a 18 degree King Cobra S9-1 Pro...

Meanwhile, for her part, mama got a new Nike Xtreme caddy bag (which, by the way, match the shoes she bought in Canada)...
...and a Taylor Made R7 XR 3-wood...

What's with the crazy North Koreans launching 7 missiles today and testing a nuclear bomb a few weeks ago. Papa thinks they are either really stupid or smoking crack...probably both. And the response from the UN??? Sanctions!!! Hahaha, what a joke! Like, the North Koreans really care about sanctions. Obama and the rest of the world leaders might as well throw cotton balls at Kim Jong Il because the effect would be the same. Kim Jong Il must be laughing his head off at our pathetic response...

Takenoko

2009-05-02T21:52:00.034+09:00

Mama and papa went for their official anniversary dinner last Sunday to the Westin Hotel in Ebisu which is the same place where they were married and had their wedding reception. The food was good but not as good as the menu prepared by Chef Ohno who prepared the dinner for mama's and papa's wedding. This new chef, Nicolas Chevrollier, is not as good at putting courses together. He's too pretentious and arrogant with his mediocre food and he seems to barely tolerate his customers. He has Gordon Ramsay's attitude minus Gordon's talent.

Too bad mama and papa kept forgetting to take pictures of each dish to show me. Here are some of the dishes that they remembered to take a snap of...

The place setting...very cool!

The appetizer was maguro (tuna) and tofu carpaccio. It was a little too big for an appetizer but was quite good. Very light and clean tasting, but twice as big as it needed to be.

Papa's main course was veal. There was also ravioli but papa ate it before he remembered to take a picture of the dish.

And mama's main was Japanese Spanish mackerel.

After dinner, they had a special anniversary dessert compliments of the Westin Hotel. They also had espresso and ordered another dessert but they forgot to take a picture so I can't show you what they had.

Last Wednesday, the first official day of Golden Week holidays in Japan (papa loves these made-up holidays we have here), mama and papa were invited by their friend Q-chan to go to Tochigi prefecture to pick takenoko (bamboo shoots) which are a spring delicacy in Japan. The best thing was that I was also invited!!! It was my first time to see bamboo. It was also papa's first time to pick bamboo shoots. He was mighty proud of his first one...but it doesn't look that special to me...

After the takenoko is picked and cleaned, it must be cooked quickly to avoid having it become bitter. The best time to pick takenoko is after a rainfall when they are just coming out of the ground about 10 to 20 cm and the spouts at the top are yellow, not green. It takes about 90 minutes to boil the takenoko using a wood heated pot.

While the takenoko was cooking, everyone (about 30 people) had a barbecue lunch with nagashi somen.

It was so nice being out in the countryside and away from the noise and pollution of the cesspool we call Tokyo.

For dinner on Wednesday, mama made takenoko gohan and a stir fry with takenoko. Papa cooked up a steak. Mama's takenoko gohan was soooooooooooo delicious!!!
Mama and papa had takenoko again last night for dinner. This time, papa made the takenoko gohan. Papa has had so much takenoko lately that he thinks he is starting to look like a bamboo shoot.

Today we went to Jonan-jima park again. I love running around and playing with MY toys and then chillin' out in the shade with MY toys.

We went to the park with one of mama's friends and their puppies, Riku-chan the Miniature Dachshund and Maro-chan the Chihuahua.

There's so much talk and over-reaction about the Mexican swine flu. I mean, tens of thousands of people die each year from the regular flu, which is a tragedy, but comparatively, the Mexican swine flu has not claimed nearly as many people. You humans are too susceptible to panic...grow up and act like a dog! Or be like Joe Biden and advise people not to take airplanes or subways. What a paranoid putz! I wonder if he's related to George W.

Papa took Monday off to go golfing. That was his 4th time in April. Given how often he goes, you'd think he'd be much better :-)

Platinum me!

2009-04-22T22:49:00.007+09:00

Today is mama's and papa's 3rd wedding anniversary! Happy anniversary!!! They celebrated with sushi and Sauvignon Blanc. Next weekend they will have dinner at the Westin Hotel in Ebisu where they got married and had their reception. Papa got mama earrings. Look familiar? Platinum me???

We went to the park last weekend and I had fun playing in the mud. Mama and papa were not impressed...

The next morning, I was awake, alert and ready to play at 6am! But not papa...so I found a good place to wait for him...on top of him :-)

So much to catch up on!

2009-04-21T21:53:00.025+09:00

Papa has been so lazy lately and wouldn't help me update my blog for the past 6 weeks. And yet he still has time to play golf (3 times this month already)...

The cherry blossoms were amazing this year. With the warm weather we had in March and early April, the sakura were much more beautiful than in previous years and stayed with us for longer than usual. Mama and papa took me for a walk every night near Meguro River for o-hanami!

We also went to Yutenji Temple to see the cherry blossoms there...

...and to Yoyogi Park...there were quite a few people there to say the least... Even Meguro River was really crowded, especially on weekends. Mama and papa had Turkish kebabs for dinner a few times but it was so hard to walk along the river because of the people...and when you're my height, it's even more dangerous...but I have a good view of everyone's footwear. A few weeks ago, papa went to dinner with a few friends to an Italian restaurant, Il Pinolo, in Ginza. They were able to bring their own wine (no corking charge!) and the chef matched the meal to the wine. The 3 of them made it through 3 bottles of wine! The food was excellent and papa highly recommends this restaurant. Can you guess which bottle papa brought?
2 weeks ago, mama and papa went to see Corteo by Cirque du Soleil. They really liked the show although papa mentioned that he thought Dralion was better. As they were walking out of the building, papa thought he saw one of the clowns walking in front of him but it turned out to be a simple case of a fashion faux pas...some people really shouldn't be allowed to dress themselves.

The Formula 1 season has started again!!! Who would have believed that Jensen Button would win the first 2 races and be leading the championship??!??! I guess it goes to show what an average driver can do when he has a faster car due to an interpretation of the rules which allows the Brawn (formerly Honda) team to use a part which may or may not be legal...

Papa made Fettucine Carbonara with Veal Diane a few weeks ago. Man, I wish he'd share some with me.
I've been having a great time playing with other JRTs at Jonan-jima Park...

...and playing with my toys (which no one else is allowed to touch)...

...and keeping away from papa when he mentions anything about cleaning ears...
...and spending time playing in the sun on the roof balcony...Hello? Anyone home??? Will someone come out and entertain me???
...and then curling up for a nap with (on top of?) papa...
Papa calls me an old man just because I like to keep warm by wearing my favorite futon while I walk around the house.

But would an old man be able to do this??? I think I scared this Doberman! Of course, given our size difference (I'm somewhat bigger than him), it isn't surprising that I had him on the run!

Huh???

2009-03-09T21:56:00.005+09:00

OK, so, I can't help myself and papa won't let it rest until we get this off our chests. Korea is up 1-0 in the final game of the first round of the World Baseball Classic this evening. 8th inning, 1 out and Ichiro singles. With the meat of the order coming up, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th batters, the manager of the Japan team, Tatsunori Hara (roughly translated means "Freakishly Asinine"), inexplicably calls a sacrifice bunt...huh??? What was he thinking? Did he learn baseball from a video game? Or from "Baseball for Extreme Dummies"? Is that a meatball that he uses for a head? Sure, he gets Ichiro in scoring position, but at the expense of sacrificing a batter who's hitting .500, followed by a .364 hitter, and he guarantees himself 2 outs. I may be a Jack Russell Terrier, but even I know stupidity when I see it.

Then he switches pitchers. Darvish, a natural starter during the regular season, came in fresh as a reliever in the 8th and struck out the side. Again, inexplicably, the manager changes pitchers and Japan barely survived the top of the 9th, only managing to get out of the inning with a very lucky double play.

If Japan wins the WBC this time, it will be due to the skill of the team despite Hara. If they lose...well...Hara-Kiri??? :-)

Funny thing...none of the post-game sports casts that I saw showed the bunt. I feel like I'm living in a controlled news environment like North Korea...

Have mercy...

2009-03-08T22:14:00.014+09:00

We've been watching the World Baseball Classic for the past few days. Japan looks strong again! I'm hoping for a repeat of the 2006 WBC! Yesterday, Japan crushed Korea 14-2. It was a massacre. I couldn't even bear witness to the bloodshed...

It was the first time in Major League baseball that I've seen the mercy rule applied after 7 innings. Who even knew there was such a thing??? Papa mentioned something about Little League rules...

But it was the right thing to do putting Korea out of its misery. Funny thing is that Korea came back today and blew China away 14-0, and again the mercy rule was applied after the top of the 7th when China failed to score. Papa is not a fan of the mercy rule. These are professionals, not children...well...actually they quite often act like children...and whine like children...and they're very, very selfish...and they like to yell and scream at umpires when they don't get their way...OK, OK, so perhaps there is a need for the mercy rule after all :-)

It's been raining almost all week. I was wishing I could go outside but papa wouldn't walk me in the cold, slushy rain. Wimp. He was pretty disappointed that his golf day was canceled today. Me? I'm just longing to go outside...

So I just sleep in...

...and watch papa cook...

...and then sleep some more...

Today, mama and papa said I stink so papa gave me my monthly bath...and then he brushed my teeth...but when he tried to clean my ears, well, that was the last straw, so I found a safe place and waited him out. Eventually he relented and I was able to escape alive with my dirty ears in tact. Tomorrow will be another day. But for today, I'm safe and happy and feeling pretty good about myself!
So happy in fact, that I have had some extra energy to burn off...

And now it's bed time!!! Oyasumi nasai!!!

Fun in the Sun

2009-02-28T21:07:00.019+09:00

Check out this picture from a few weeks ago in Tokyo at Jonan Park. Notice anything weird? Look closely at the people...more specifically, what they are wearing...in the middle of February...hmmm, something just doesn't seem right when it is over 20 degrees Celcius at a time when it should be about 5 degrees or less...but I'm not complaining. It was an awesome day! Too bad it's been cold and rainy the past 3 or 4 days. It was nice last Sunday though. Papa played golf and it was about 15 degrees. The nice weather didn't really help his game though.

I met a friend at the park. I love the way he sits! I'm not sure of his breed (maybe a Cairn or Yorkshire Terrier?) but he reminds me of an Ewok from Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. He could even pass for a mini Chewbacca.

I'm trying to learn how to be happy and smile...
Papa says my smile is worse than the Canadian Liberal party leader, Michael Ignatieff...

Mama and papa went out for a Valentines dinner a few weeks ago to an Italian restaurant called Cascina Canamilla. The food was exceptional! The only problem was that the food was so good that mama and papa kept forgetting to take pictures of the dishes so they only have a few.

Ravioli in a basil sauce:

Pasta in a cheese sauce with beans:

Dessert:

Today was pretty nice, although it has cooled down a lot recently. We went to Komazawa Park for an hour. I love playing with the big dogs like me! I also made a few other friends. I always get along with Airedales and I was lucky to meet one today.

I also had a race with a French Bulldog. They're a lot faster than they look!

Last night, we watched a Japanese movie called Detroit Metal City, obviously named after the Kiss song Detroit Rock City from their 1976 album Destroyer. It was a pretty funny movie about a small town geek who goes to Tokyo to try to become a pop singer but ends up as the front man for a death metal band and starts to develop multiple personalities. Papa rated it a B on Yahoo! Movies. It might have been a B- but papa liked the cameo appearance by Gene Simmons.

Sweets!

2009-02-11T23:27:00.015+09:00

A few weeks ago, mama bought papa a warm, new fleece outfit to wear around the house so papa gave me his hand-me-downs. It was a little worn out and tattered (to say the least) but papa managed to put it on me...now he says I really look like a homeless person living in Shinjuku...

Remember that deal on strawberries that papa wrote about a few weeks ago? Well mama decided to buy one. They said it was actually really good and very sweet. A little on the expensive side but it was definitely the best strawberry papa has ever tasted. Mama took a picture of it beside a lighter to give you a sense of its size. It was almost as big as a small apple! Papa said it looked like my head...whatever the heck that means...

A few days later they got dessert at a local bakery and had it with ice cream and espresso. Sweet!

I wasn't allowed to eat any sweets so I found a nice, comfortable place to chill out...

Last week, papa made some peanut butter cookies. I did my best to help him bake...And in the end, thanks to my great skills as a pastry chef, I was able to guide papa to the final result, and were they ever delicious...or so I hear...Last weekend, we went to Komazawa Park to enjoy a sunny day at the dog run. I met a Corgi who just wouldn't leave me alone. Mama and papa were pretty amused. This Corgi followed me around for about 30 minutes. I couldn't shake him. He was like my shadow. I wonder if he was a stalker!

This past weekend, as we were about to drive to see one of mama's friends, we couldn't start the car. It appears the battery died due to the cold weather lately and the fact that we haven't driven for a few weeks. The Nissan dealer was really good about it. They came to our place, helped us start the engine and then recharged the battery for free. It took 24 hours so in the meantime, they lent us a Nissan March. Papa wasn't very impressed with the colour and refused to drive it so mama did all the driving last Sunday...

Google Gaffe...

2009-02-01T11:20:00.000+09:00

The explanation for yesterday's mistake made by Google...
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/this-site-may-harm-your-computer-on.html

Google...the new Microsoft???

2009-02-01T00:14:00.007+09:00

Papa thinks that Google must be exclusively hiring ex-Microsoft employees...how else can you explain why a Google search for "Google" would result in a Google warning that it's own page may be dangerous??? Google warns of its own page, "This site may harm your computer."...boneheads.....

Papa said that if you look up Microsoft in the dictionary, it should read:
Microsoft noun. A blunder so incredibly stupid that it brings into question the very existence of the one who made it. i.e. During sudden death overtime in game 7 of the championship series, although under no pressure from the opposition, Bob shot and scored on his own goal to lose the game, prompting the crowd to break into a chant, "microsoft, microsoft, microsoft...".
adjective. A descriptive of something that functions unacceptably and completely counterintuitively. i.e. As John put his microsoft car into drive and turned right, the car suddenly went backwards, turned left and then the dashboard lights turned blue...
verb. To do something so dumb that it defies any credible explanation. i.e. Jane admitted that she microsofted and voted for Stephane Dion in the Canadian Federal Election.

It seems that every search result on Google may harm your computer...someone's a little paranoid...

I'm sure it's a bug and Google will fix it soon but to make a mistake like that is very unprofessional. I wonder if they tested whatever change they made before they put it into production...

2009-01-26T22:15:00.022+09:00

It's been a busy start to the year but I finally got papa to help me post a blog today. He's been busy with work and has had a pretty tough month given the current economic turmoil...and it's only going to get worse.

Fortunately, there may be hope. Unlike Canada and Japan, the US has elected what appears to be a strong leader in Barrack Obama. Papa and I watched the inauguration on CNN. It was inspiring to hear a political leader with vision and charisma, someone with conviction who is committed to change. Time will tell how his presidency goes, but given who his predecessor is, things can only improve. The meatball we have leading Japan probably scores lower than a snake's belly on IQ tests and the Canadian leader has as much charisma and vision as my stuffed animal friends.

A few weeks ago, mama and papa went to visit mama's parents. It was a beautiful day and they were able to see Mount Fuji during their drive. When they got there, they went to a local temple to pray for a good year. It was packed with people but mama and papa were able to make it close to the front. It's tradition to throw money as a donation into the box near the front of the temple before saying a prayer but mama and papa didn't dare get too close to the front because some of the elderly people didn't quite have the arm to throw coins the 10 or 15 yards required to get the coins into the box. Many of the coins ended up hitting the people near the front of the crowd in the back of the head!
I love this samurai guy! His name was Hijikata Toshizou. Click on the link as his story is quite interesting...

There were a lot of food stalls. The one that papa likes best is tako-yaki.

Speaking of food, I love to sit and watch papa cook. He often "accidentally" drops food which I am quick to gobble up.

Last week, mama and papa got dessert from a pastry shop in Roppongi Hills called L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. They had the cake with espresso. I wish they would share with me :-(

Mama and papa found a new way to keep me busy and out of their hair...

Mama and papa always make fun of me when I'm sleeping. Is there something funny about how I sleep?
A few weeks ago, we went to Yoyogi park to play at the dog run. There were a bunch of Jack Russell Terriers there and so we decided to play tug-o-war with an old glove. We had about 20 spectators cheering us on along the outside of the fence. It was a fierce struggle but in the end, all the practice I get with papa playing tug-o-war paid off and I was victorious!!!

Last night, we finally watched Kung Fu Panda. What a great movie! Papa's niece recommended the movie and sent it to us from Canada. It was a lot of fun to watch and we were surprised at all the famous movie stars who voiced the characters. Papa had to re-watch parts of the movie to listen to the voices so he could see if he could recognize them! Thanks, Lexie!

Welcome to 2009!

2009-01-01T22:47:00.016+09:00

Happy New Years!!!

Wow! 2008 came and went really fast! Mama and papa had a few friends over last night for a New Years Eve kimuchi nabe party. Kimuchi nabe is made by cooking veggies and meat (usually pork and chicken) in a spicy soup in a clay pot. It sure looked and smelled delicious. Too bad dogs can't eat it :-(

Papa found a great deal on strawberries a few days ago. They were about $2 each. Yes, "each", not for a pack...They have special lighting for Tokyo Tower this week:
Here are a few Christmas presents I received this year. The first is from papa's sister and the second is from my mama! It took me 1 minute and 18 seconds to make a hole in the toy. Fortunately, mama was able to fix it and it has held up pretty well since.
Papa doesn't like when I chew the sofa so he was upset at me...I don't like when papa gets upset at me...

But I do like when papa lets me sleep on the sofa with him!

Mama had to work last week and this week. Since papa took the past few weeks off, he took me to Yoyogi Park a couple of times. I made a bunch of friends including 2 other Jack Russell Terriers and a couple of doggies who were much smaller than me. This JRT was a lot of fun. We chased each other around for a while and then started picking on a Husky. This was us planning the attack...I still get the feeling I'm being followed sometimes...I thought we were at a park for dogs but someone let a bear in...
And once in a while I pick a fight with the wrong doggie. I felt bad because I obviously had an unfair size advantage over the Doberman...but I didn't realize he was in the military... Then this crazy Afghan started following me around......so I decided to tease him! Hahaha!

I wish everyone a Happy New Years and hope your 2009 is filled with health, happiness and love!!!

...And More Rules...

2008-12-29T00:17:00.003+09:00

1. You do not own Jack Russell Terriers. They own you!

2. You will never sleep alone again.

3. You will never sleep late again.

4. You will never go to the bathroom alone again.

5. It is your duty to entertain your Jack Russell during all waking hours. If you have other obligations, you must either cancel them or find someone to entertain your Jack Russell in your place.

6. Do not waste your hard-earned money on commercial dog food. Since Jack Russells do not think of themselves as mere dogs, they will eat dog food only as a last resort. Spend your time and money preparing sumptuous banquets for them instead.

7. Having two Jack Russells does not double your problems. It quadruples them.

8. Do not expect to go where you want when taking your Jack Russells for a walk. They will decide.

9. Do not expect to be the center of attention at any social event. This is your Jack Russell’s job.

10. Do not pick a fight with your Jack Russell unless you really want one.

The Rules

2008-12-28T23:05:00.014+09:00

I found some Jack Russell Terrier rules on the internet and mama and papa agree that they are very fitting for me...in fact, they realized that these rules have been in effect here for quite some time already:

Jack Russell Rules
1. The Jack Russell is not allowed in the house.
2. Okay, the Jack Russell is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.
3. The Jack Russell is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.
4. The Jack Russell is only allowed on the old furniture.
5. Fine, the Jack Russell is allowed on all the furniture. But is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
6. All right, the Jack Russell is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.
7. The Jack Russell can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.
8. The Jack Russell can sleep under the covers every night.
9. Humans must ask for permission to sleep under the cover with the Jack Russell.
10. In all cases of dispute…the Jack Russell rules!

Papa was walking in Shinjuku a few weeks ago when he saw this bus:
It has plasma TVs embedded in the sides! Only in Tokyo could this be done...in North American cities, the TVs would be stolen before the driver could start the engine...

When papa's aunt and uncle came to visit earlier this year, they brought me a hoodie. Apparently, there is a famous store in Canada named after me!

Papa was doing the laundry the other day and he realized something funny. The detergent we use is called Tide and apparently it is both effective and useless...

I got to run around the park again last week. It was a great day!

Papa was able to find some really good veal last week! It is not an easy thing to find in Japan! He made Fettucine Carbonara and Veal Parmigiana with sauteed spinach and mushrooms for dinner! It was delicious...apparently...I didn't get any...
After a hard day of playing, there's nothing like curling up in papa's lap for a snooze.

Papa is tired too. He went golfing on Christmas day (Sawara Golf and Country Club) and again today (Centleisure). He wasn't too impressed with his score but today he managed to sink a 40 foot putt! The weather was perfect both days. It was sunny with no wind and the temperature was about 15 on Thursday and 12 today.

'Tis the season to...pig out!!!

2008-12-18T22:55:00.028+09:00

Another of papa's "artistic" photos...

At papa's office, on the first of each month, a member of the leadership team makes a dessert for the staff. This month was papa's turn. He made Fudgy Chocolate Brownies based on a recipe recommended by his mama. Among the ingredients were 8 eggs and 16 ounces of chocolate!!!The recipe made enough for 3 large brownie molds plus 2 mini brownies so mama and papa could taste it first. Papa didn't want to make his co-workers sick so he thought it best to make test brownies...Papa put sliced almonds on top (mama's idea). Here was the final product, complete in Christmas themed cake molds. The staff really seemed to like papa's brownies. Or maybe they were just being nice...in either case, they sure look yummy! Mama and papa enjoyed them a lot!!!

A few weeks ago, papa made curry for dinner...

...and then a few days later he made ramen.

Last Friday he made a lasagna for dinner...

Papa thinks he will be a chef in his next lifetime. He's just not sure if he will be Italian, Chinese or Indian. I think he should be a Jack Russell Terrier in his next life :-)

Last weekend, mama and papa went to a place called Club Q for turkey dinner (Club Q is actually their friend's house).One of the guests who used to be a pastry chef made a cake for the party.So they all started eating the cake......and eating...
(is it just me or does it seem weird eating cake with chopsticks???)...and eating......and eating......and eating......and eating...until it was all gone!!!
Mama and papa took me to get groomed last weekend. I love the bath but I'm not too crazy about the nail cut. And what I'm really not a big fan of is the little Christmas wreath they put on my collar...What I really do love is taking a nap while papa helps me with my blog......and taking lazy afternoon naps...on papa...
I also like helping papa use his iPhone.
We went to the park last weekend. Some JRT was following me around and bothering me so, needless to say, I wasn't very happy. Mama and papa were surprised because I'm usually much nicer to females. I guess I was just in a bad mood because papa got a parking ticket.This is how I get mama and papa to pay attention to me when I'm bored and they are busy with things that don't interest me. Boy, do they ever hate it...papa says I am really "annoying", whatever the heck that means. I think it is another word for "cute, adorable and fun-loving"...

And on a final note, because I just can't help making the occasional political commentary, we were pleased that Stephane Dion's (a.k.a. the Canadian George W.) pathetic little attempt to circumvent the democratic process by trying a coup d'etat in Canada was thwarted by Stephen Harper. Not that we are Stephen Harper fans by any means, but we are fans of democracy and due process. Little people like Dion have no place at the big table with the other world leaders. The sooner he is gone the better for Canada. This is a time for strong leadership, not wanna-be also-rans who try to steal power by any means possible. Pathetic...

The Canadian George W.

2008-12-05T00:07:00.004+09:00

Papa thinks Stephane Dion is a pathetic little man for trying a coup d'etat in Canada. Does Dion really think he is in the same league as other world leaders? (Well, maybe he and George W. would be like peas in a pod...enough said...)

He should do the right thing and quit immediately so that someone who is competent can lead the Liberals to victory in an election. It's a little scary, bordering on treason, for him to make a deal with separatists for personal gain. I thought Canada was a democracy. We are not fans of Stephen Harper by any means, but he was fairly elected to a minority government and is not doing a bad job. Our support for the hapless Liberal party is waning. They need to lose Dion and choose a real leader. Papa was laughing to himself when he thought how pathetic Canada would look if we sent Dion to meet President-elect Obama next month...how embarrassing would that be??!!?!?

Not the sharpest knives in the drawer

2008-11-22T23:05:00.004+09:00

This past week, the wife of a former administrative vice health minister in Japan was stabbed at her home in Tokyo a few hours after the bodies of another former administrative vice health minister and his wife were found stabbed to death in their home in neighbouring Saitama Prefecture. A few hours ago, the "killer" turned himself in to police. I put quotations marks around the word "killer" because apparently the shoes he said he was wearing during the stabbings don't match the footprints found at the scene...weird. Papa thinks that there are far too many nuts walking the streets now. There doesn't appear to be any point to the stabbings. Perhaps this guy has a gripe with the health department and the state of health care but who doesn't??? Well, actually, I don't! I have a great vet who takes such good care of me!!!

Papa took a picture of one of the smartest people in Japan a few weeks ago on his way home from golfing in Chiba...This genius decides to build a fire to burn garbage...not a big deal, right? Not unless you decide to do it right next to a gas truck! Papa took this picture from a gas station across the street as he was getting his tank filled...needless to say he got outta there pretty darn fast! You really can't teach common sense...

Tonight, papa took mama out for her official birthday dinner. They went to Sushi Hashiguchi. Last year, they went to Kyubei for mama's birthday. Both places are excellent but they said that for food, Hashiguchi is better and for entertainment and atmosphere, Kyubei is the right choice. Prices are about the same at both. Tonight, they had most of their favorite sushi but couldn't decide on what they liked the best. It was a toss up between the chu-toro, uni, kohada, saba and anago.

On the way home, they passed the Prince Hotel which is already lit up for Christmas. When is Santa coming??!!?!?! I've been a very good puppy this year!!!

Happy Birthday to...Mama!!!

2008-11-20T22:30:00.009+09:00

Yesterday was mama's birthday! Happy birthday, mama!!! Papa will take her out for dinner on Saturday...probably to a place that doesn't allow dogs :-(

Look at the cute puppy on the cover of Vogue - look familiar? And what's on my nose???In fact, I am so famous that some guy named Andy Warhol once painted me... ...which got me on TV...
...twice!!! Now everyone loves me!!!Papa has to go for his annual physical tomorrow. It is one of his least favorite days of the year. He dreads the barium test the most. Papa says he's in his prime so he's not worried about the physical. We got a new scale that also measures BMI, body fat, calcium level and a number of other things. The scale also concludes, from its tests, how old someone's body is. Apparently, even though it is brand new, it's already broken because it thinks that papa has the body of a 25 year old! Papa was really happy with this result. Mama was even happier because the scale said she has the body of an 18 year old!

As for me, I'm content to hang out on the sofa while my admirers write newspaper articles about me!

Vintage Me

2008-11-17T23:56:00.003+09:00

Papa is trying to be artistic with his photos now...
I prefer being white and tan...I don't like being black and white and gray :-(

Good catch!

2008-11-08T11:22:00.003+09:00

Papa says I got lucky...I say it's skill...

I like causing trouble...

Who would have thought...

2008-11-06T21:57:00.012+09:00

...that Americans would ever elect someone named Hussein as President...interesting...

Then again, who would have thought that Canadians would yet again elect a minority government in a time when strength and leadership is needed...politics is for losers!

As you can see, the election really interested me. I am so engrossed by politics.

We were walking along the street the other day and the weirdest thing happened - I was attacked by a shark!!! A Hammerhead shark surfaced in a bucket on the street and I had to defend mama and papa from it! Papa calls me a hammerhead sometimes but I think he means it in the nicest possible way...
We go to the park every weekend now. Sometimes we go both Saturday and Sunday! Papa says I look like a little devil dog when I steal toys from other doggies...
The friend mama brought home to me from Canada says I'm a pain in the butt...I wonder why???

Papa has gone golfing 3 times in the last 11 days. Today, mama and papa took the day off work and went with 2 of their friends to Glen Oaks Country Club in Chiba. Papa said the course was very well kept and it was quite challenging. On Monday, he went to Sawara Country Club and said it was one of his favorite courses. These are the 9th and 18th holes. For both holes, you tee off on one side of the lake and have to cross the water to the fairway. Looks a little too easy to me :-)

Japanese hospitals are run by idiots and morons...or maybe they are run by politicians??? A short time ago, a pregnant woman had complications and went to 6 or 7 hospitals for help but was turned away because the hospitals claimed they didn't have the resources to help her. She died 2 days later. Yesterday, another pregnant woman was turned away from 6 hospitals when she started having health problems and sought help. All 6 hospitals turned her away!!! She is now unconscious. How stupid are these hospital workers? They are so very obviously not in the healthcare industry because they care about people. You would think that after the first woman died that it would never happen again but somehow hospitals here can get away with being incompetent. I hope I never have the misfortune of having to go to a hospital in Japan.

And on a final note, last week on the way home from golfing at an exclusive US military base golf course, some dumb-ass rear-ended papa on the highway. Thankfully, everyone was OK and there were no injuries. The Nissan dealer thinks that only the bumper needs replacing so hopefully we can get the work done within the next week. What pissed mama and papa off most was that the jerk who hit them and his insurance agent tried to pass some of the blame to papa. In a case where someone gets hit from behind, it is very clearly the fault of the driver who was behind. The first sign of guilt was when the loser called his insurance company before calling the police. At the end of the day, the moron's insurance will pay for all damages. It turns out that the incompetent driver runs a restaurant in Nagano called Sanmangoku (三万石). I think that translates to "Pig Diarrhea" so if you are ever in the neighbourhood, please drop by and crack him in the head for me. If he cooks like he drives then his food must taste like the anus of a jackass...

Jumping on the Rays Bandwagon

2008-10-20T22:23:00.007+09:00

We went to the park Saturday. There were about 6 JRTs there! I think we outnumbered all of the other dogs easily. This short JRT had a toy I wanted...So I took it...Then another JRT had another toy that I wanted...

So I took it too!Who's the king of the castle??!!?!

Papa had a laugh today at all the people who jumped on the Tampa Bay Rays bandwagon. They forget that just 4 years ago, Boston was the underdog having not won a World Series for 86 years, and I'm sure the bandwagon jumpers were rooting for Boston at that time. Papa has been a Bosox fan since he was a kid so he wasn't about to betray his team just for the sake of being on the winning side like so many others. It's a little pathetic that people switch loyalties so easily just to taste the flavour of the month...until the next bandwagon rolls by for them to jump on. I may get some comments on this so please make sure to leave your name and number so I can ring you up in 86 years to see if you're still a Rays fan...or more likely, how many dozens of bandwagons you've jumped on...

Anyhow, congratulations to the Rays...it was a well played series. The Bosox will be back stronger than ever next year!
(I wonder who the bandwagon jumpers will pick though...)

Happy Birthday to...ME!!!

2008-10-13T21:49:00.023+09:00

Saturday was my birthday and it was a blast! I am now 2 years old! Papa says that in dog years, that means that I am still 2 years old and still a little puppy...but I read on the internet that in dog years I am 21 years old so pass me the scotch!!! And get papa a wheelchair because in dog years he is 181! I'm going to start calling him McCain!!! I got a ton of presents from mama and papa including toys, treats, a brownie with a pumpkin on it, and a cookie with my name on it!

(by the way, I forgot, what does "spoiled" mean? I heard papa say that a number of times on my birthday...oh, wait, is that something like getting a new iMac, a new iPhone, a new golf bag, a new driver, 2 new utilities, a new 3 wood, a new putter and 2 new sand wedges since April???)

I got to eat part of the brownie, a quarter of the cookie, a dried ichijiku (fig) with cabbage (yeah, it's a weird combination but I love cabbage!)...
Mama and papa made me sit and be good before I was allowed to eat...I was so excited my eyes were glowing. Then it was time to dig in!!! ...and to paraphrase Keyzer Soze in one of papa's favorite movies, The Usual Suspects, "Just like that, it was gone..."...all gone...so sad...Earlier in the day, mama and papa took me to Komazawa Park to play. It was a pretty nice day so the place was packed with dogs and their humans...I met a bunch of other JRTs. After the dog run it was time to play at home for a while with the friend mama got me in Canada.Then it was finally time for bed...what a great birthday I had!!!Today was Sports Day in Japan, another one of those made up holidays we celebrate here for no apparent reason at all, but I'm not complaining because it means mama and papa can spend the whole day with me. They love the made up holidays as much as I do! Mama and papa took me to Jonan Park today. I met my friend Chip the Beagle who I haven't seen for about a year! He and I were in the same doggie school together last year.It was a great day of fun, sun and running with an Italian Greyhound!

The summer's out of reach...

2008-10-05T22:07:00.013+09:00

Wow, that was a fast summer! It seemed shorter than usual...of course, I've only been through 2 summers so what do I know??? Next week I'm going to turn 2 years old! Scary...makes me want to hide because I feel so old!A few weeks ago was papa's birthday! I would tell you how old he is but I can't count that high.Mama bought him a lot of gifts! He got an Adams #3 hybrid utility, a golf bag and pajamas! Apparently, my job is to protect papa's clubs... Last week, papa got a new 52 degree wedge (Cleveland CG14) and yesterday he got an Adams Insight XTD #3 hybrid fairway wood! He says his bag is now complete! (until the next time he decides he wants a new club...) Last Tuesday he shot a 94 at Chiba Yomiuri Golf Club. Nothing to write home about but it's his best score ever.

As for me, I've just been lounging around...
I went for grooming last week and they put a ribbon on me. Not very cool but mama thinks I look cute...I think I always look cute :-)Papa has obviously been golfing too much this summer...or he's been using whitening lotion on his feet... Yesterday we went to Jonan Park for a few hours. There were quite a few dogs there and I had a great time. I was beat by the end of the day and mama and papa had a quiet evening because I was sleeping.
Today, mama went golfing with colleagues from work. Papa took me to Yoyogi Park to play in the dog run there! 2 days in a row at the park for me! This tiny little black dog was afraid of me and kept walking away :-)It was a really fun day. I met a lot of friends and got to run around with them quite a bit:

Should be interesting times in North America for the next several weeks with the troubles on Wall Street and the elections in the US and Canada. We're not sure if we agree with the US financial bailout because it will not guarantee that the economy will recover. In fact we don't think it will help at all. Why should taxpayers subsidize the stupidity of the management of Lehman's and other corporations who basically produce nothing, making money on money but not actually creating anything of value??? But on the other hand, a meltdown in the financial sector will have far reaching consequences for the economy which could jeopardize other industries and cause widespread layoffs which will again hurt taxpayers. I guess taxpayers get screwed no matter what happens. I'm glad I don't pay taxes :-)
And the elections should be interesting. In both Canada and the US, there is absolutely no one who is even remotely appealing as a leader. In Canada, the incumbent, Stephen Harper, lacks vision and we really don't know what he stands for. Which is more than we can say for what's his name from the Liberal party who is the most uncharismatic person in the whole wide world. Stephane Dion couldn't inspire a rabid dog to bite him.
The US is no better. That 100 year old guy and his running mate who's young enough to be his grand daughter are enough to scare anyone into voting for the other party...until you look at the other party's candidates...Obama/Biden...is it just me or does that look like someone else's name...change a "b" to an "s" and add "n la" after the "i"...enough said...but not enough experience on the Obama side. In dog years he's mature, but in human years, he hasn't been around the block yet and is still too wet behind the ears.

Vacation!

2008-09-08T22:35:00.008+09:00

It's been a fun month! Mama and papa went to Canada to visit papa's family in August! They had a great time! They went to visit a few wineries in the Niagara region. This one is Jackson Triggs where they make some of the best ice wines in the world:
Mama and papa also went to the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. They had a dog show where there was an agility contest. The best was obviously a Jack Russell Terrier :-)
After the show, the JRT was the most popular puppy! I think it's because we are such a lovable breed!

Mama and papa also went on a side trip to New York City. They saw Hairspray on Broadway.
They stayed at a hotel 2 blocks from Times Square:
New York had a lot of interesting people...
...and the food was...well...a little too much...that sandwich is bigger than me!They went to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). Mama really enjoyed it and papa had fun even though he had food poisoning...they got to see works from Monet:
MoMA's gift shop also had souvenirs with a Japanese twist...too bad they have no idea what Tokyo a map of Tokyo looks like:
I guess this person figured it out and decided to sleep on the steps of MoMA rather than going in...
Where's Donald?
Mama and papa also visited the Rockefeller Center:
...and went to the "Top of the Rock":
They also went to Soho...but someone called the cops...
They got back to Toronto during sunset:
And they got tickets from papa's mama to see a Toronto Blue Jay game from box seats! It was quite an experience to see a game from such great seats. They had a wine tasting and got to see Godzilla Matsui hit a home run. At the end of the day though, Toronto beat the hapless Yankees 14-3!!! Toronto rocks!!!
After the game they saw the CN Tower lit up:
And all I got was this Hot Dog shirt...
But I got to stay at a really cool place called Log World in Chiba:
I had a great time! It was nice to get away from mama and papa for 10 days...
...and meet some new friends!!!

Finally!!!

2008-08-04T23:52:00.003+09:00

After 2 years, hundreds of hours of frustration and many, many new grey hairs, papa finally finished Zuma!!! 2 years ago when mama and papa went to Canada, papa's parents got them the PC game and since then, try as he might, papa was unable to finish the game...until tonight!!! August 4, 2008 is a historical day of victory in Roots' house! There are 13 levels in the game and papa had 12 frogs going into the 12th round (mama generally has 27+). It was scary for a while as papa lost frogs left, right and centre, finally completing level 12 with only 3 frogs left, looking defeat in the eye as he went on to level 13. He gained a frog in his first attempt at level 13 but then lost it, finally finishing the game by the slimmest of margins. It doesn't sound like much, but tonight was the culmination of 2 years of cursing and swearing and sweat and tears...(papa is a little weird sometimes...). But then again, small victories are sometimes the most important...

*Note: Mama was able to finish the game within a month of getting it 2 years ago. She generally finishes the game now with almost 30 frogs and scores about 2.8 million points (papa got a little over 1 million...loser...).

As for me, I just like chillin' with my posse...

Nice Evenings and Dark Knights

2008-08-03T22:27:00.017+09:00

It's been so hot in Tokyo lately. Low to mid 30's and humidity in the 70's and 80's. Mama bought me a new shirt that says "Roots Boy" (in case I forget my name and gender). When I go for a walk, mama wets it and puts it in the fridge before putting it on me for my walks. It's nice and cool so I don't get as lethargic and tired when I go out in this weather. I walk really slowly until we start heading home and then I will walk at a regular pace again.

Papa took me for a walk today to see the Naka-Meguro summer festival but it was so hot that papa thought that he would have to carry me home.

Sunset was beautiful a few days ago. Mama was able to capture the moment......and a few friends decided that I make a good pillow... I finally found my old friend the Lion today. He's seems to have been hiding for a few months but he's a lot of fun to play with...

I also figured out how to freak people out and win staring contests!
Yesterday, mama and papa went to see The Dark Knight. They said it was really good, much better than Batman Begins. They were lucky enough to get tickets to the sneak preview a week ahead of its Japan premier next week. Heath Ledger was perfect as the Joker. He was brutal with just the right amount of mental instability to make it gruesome yet believable. He and Christian Bale brought about a certain realism to a fictional story, interpreting a comic book to help us understand the crazy world that we live in today (papa also liked the disappearing pencil trick that the Joker did). Batman has finally returned to its roots as a dark hero in an even darker world where sometimes bad people do bad things for no reason at all...just for the thrill of "seeing the world burn". This movie showed the darker side of being a hero, and even of just trying to do the right thing. Not everything is black and white with a pretty ribbon nicely wrapped around it. Sometimes the best of a person also brings out the worst and vice versa...we see it in all of the main and supporting characters, and we see it every single day in our regular lives. We were taken on a journey through the darker side of humanity where there is a very thin line dividing psychopaths and heroes. Papa highly recommends this movie...so far it's his favorite of the year.

Friends

2008-07-26T21:05:00.015+09:00

We went to Komazawa Park with mama's friend from work and her JRT named Muku-chan. We are really good friends...except when he has something I want... I also ran into an old friend. Look familiar??? I think his name is Hannibal... Sometimes I hear noises outside and have to check it out. Unfortunately my legs are too short...but fortunately, papa helps me (unwittingly...)...It's been so hot in Tokyo lately. Today it was up around 34 degrees with humidity in the 80's. I spent my time lounging around with my friend...

...and being lounged on...

Mama bought me a new toy! She and papa put delicious treats inside for me to get...if I can...it's very difficult and frustrating...

...but I finally got one!!!

And to end on a happy note, papa finally broke 100 today in golf!!! He went to The Glenmoor Country Club near Narita which was designed by Pete Dye. The course looked pretty tough with a lot of water hazards and bunkers. Papa was expecting to score 120 but managed a 98! Check out the 9th hole! And the 18th!

Eggplant

2008-07-22T22:17:00.013+09:00

Last weekend mama and papa took me to Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture over the long weekend. Nasu also means eggplant in Japanese. Papa was so happy that he could eat nasu in Nasu! Mama thought it was a stupid joke...I agree...

Mama and papa stayed at a place called Niki Club. Mama got a discount through work so it was half price. We arrived in Nasu Sunday after a morning of heavy traffic from Tokyo. We went to a place called Nardius that had a dog run for me to play in. I got to run around until I was tired at which time I couldn't even stand up to drink. Papa had to give me water while I was lying down. He was muttering something about being lazy and spoiled...

I don't mind when papa makes fun of me sometimes because he provides me with necessities in life like shade when it's 32 degrees celcius... After running around Nardius, we went to a place called Sheik Omar for lunch. It actually wasn't as bad as the name would suggest...

After doing a little shopping at some local stores, mama and papa took me to a dog hotel called Suno House since I wasn't allowed to stay with them at Niki Club. The people who took care of me were nice but the place was a little dumpy. Mama and papa were a little worried but I was fine. Mama and papa really enjoyed Niki Club. It was located in a really nice place surrounded by trees and secluded from civilization. Mama and papa had French for dinner and then enjoyed themselves in the spa where there was an outdoor hot tub and sauna.

There was a greenhouse where they grow their own veggies for dinner as well as a rice field just behind the cottage where they stayed.
On Monday, mama and papa came to pick me up and we went to the new outlet mall in Nasu. There was another dog run there and I ran around and played with other dogs for a while. They had some agility equipment and I did a few jumps and ran through the tunnel a bunch of times but try as they might, mama and papa couldn't make me do the slalom.

Just before coming back home, mama and papa took me back to Nardius for a shampoo and trim. The owners have a Schnauzer... ...and one of the other customers had a polar bear...
It took 4 and a half hours to drive home due to long weekend traffic but we finally made it back last night. All in all it was a really fun weekend!!! But papa keeps making fun of me. Do I have something on my face again???

Muck Me

2008-07-07T20:55:00.008+09:00

Last weekend we went to Jonan Koen again and had a great time. Not only was I able to steal other dogs' toys, but I also found something new that I love to do - I love to find a puddle of mud and lie down in it, much to the dismay of mama and papa. Fortunately, they'd had the foresight to make a shampoo and grooming appointment for me that afternoon so I came home nice and clean!

Papa found some weird grape-sized fruit called "Miracle Fruit". Not sure what it does but it costs $5.00 for just 1 of them...

Ever get the feeling that you're trapped like a prisoner in your own home???

Or that you feel like you're boxed in with nowhere to go...

Papa went golfing again this past weekend with 3 friends to Gunma Prefecture. He played Saturday and Sunday but wouldn't tell me his scores...he probably can't even count that high...

I just love spending time lounging around the house with my friends...

Getting Away

2008-06-10T00:08:00.011+09:00

We went to Karuizawa for a few days and (unfortunately) came home today. Mama and papa took a few well-deserved days off work and took me to a bed and breakfast in Nagano to a place called Caro Foresta. We arrived yesterday around noon and went to my favorite restaurant for lunch, Dog Garden Cafe. Papa wasn't happy that they changed the menu and no longer have the awesome burgers that they had last year but he still enjoyed lunch. As you can see, mama bought me a new toy.

After lunch, we went to Sky Park so I could run around for a while. Mama and papa thought that it would tire me out enough that they could relax and have a nice dinner and a good night's sleep...boy, were they wrong...

After Sky Park, we went to the B&B to check in and I ran around their dog run for a little while and then we went for a walk before dinner. Instead of my regular food, mama and papa ordered me a special dinner of beef with veggies and a risotto. Dessert was one of my favorites - chicken!!! Mama and papa had a good dinner too but I wasn't really paying attention because they wouldn't share with me so I didn't care what they had. During dinner, I was a pain in the butt. Whenever another dog barked, I would bark even louder and pull at my leash which was fastened to a hook in the wall. It really annoyed mama and papa. I think they were really embarrassed because all the other dogs were being good and staying quiet for the most part except for me. There were a lot of poodles there...at least 5...but I managed to be even more yappy than them!

On Monday, we went to Sky Park again and then for a walk at Asama Farm...

...and at Sky Park, I got to play frisbee but I think I wasn't the only one who wanted to play...I had the feeling that I was being followed...
After dinner, mama and papa took a bath and then we went to bed...well, at least they tried to go to bed. Every time I heard a noise or another dog bark, I would bark even louder and longer. This went on throughout the night - at least twice an hour from 11pm to 7am I would suddenly bark really loudly and wake mama and papa from their half-sleep. Sometimes I would do it 3 or 4 times an hour if I thought mama and papa looked too relaxed and comfortable. I couldn't understand everything papa said but he used a lot of words that had 4 letters...and he also called me a lot of new names that I've never been called before..by the way, what does &'$(*%@#+?*$ mean??? It didn't sound very pleasant the way papa said it...

Not sure how this will work, but I thought I'd share a video of me playing with my new favorite toy...

It's a Dog's Life...

2008-06-01T21:45:00.015+09:00

This morning was so nice that I decided to lounge around on the roof balcony for a few hours...

Last weekend, papa went golfing for the weekend with 3 friends to Gunma Prefecture. Papa wouldn't tell me what he shot in either round but needless to say it probably wasn't very good. Mama and papa also went golfing last month for a weekend with 2 friends (I got stuck in a pet hotel). In addition to the driver that papa bought a few weeks ago, yesterday he also bought a hybrid iron:

He has a lot of nerve telling me that I'm spoiled...

This afternoon we went to a park near Haneda Airport to run around and play in the sun.

The weather got up to about 24 degrees so after I spent some time running around, I had to cool down in the shade...

(Note: apologies if the formatting or look of the blog is different. The iMac is great except it doesn't seem to play well with Google blogs and HTML. It keeps defaulting to strange fonts and messing up the HTML so that pictures cannot be opened in new windows or even expanded. I still like Apple, but not quite as much as I did yesterday...)

Finally!!!

2008-05-20T22:43:00.006+09:00

Papa finally came to his senses and bought me an iMac last weekend! It's about time!!! Now I can do my blog in style.
It's taking a little time to get used to the differences between the iMac and that other inferior operating system but Apple is so intuitive that it's pretty easy to make the transition. The iMac is so slick. It's no wonder that Microsoft copied so many of Apple's ideas when creating Vista. Too bad Microsoft can't copy the absence of blue screens. Papa has been thinking about getting an Apple for months but he got tired of all the blue screens lately which prompted the change. The iMac is so much better and has so many great features that papa is upset at himself for not making the switch sooner.

Last Friday, I decided that mama's stockings looked good so I ate one. Mama and papa were so worried because I wasn't my mischievous self for the past few days. They called the vet but the vet told them to wait a few days to see if it would come back out. If it didn't, they would have to take an x-ray. Fortunately, I threw it up today and luckily papa was home at the time. It came part way out and papa had to pull it all the way out. Now I'm back to my old self, running around and barking at the TV and generally annoying mama and papa!!!

Papa kept the stocking in case mama wants it back...
Anyhow, mama and papa learned a very valuable lesson - don't leave anything within my reach that might be dangerous. I've learned to jump pretty high now so everything has to be over 4 feet high or nailed down...

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!!!

2008-05-11T22:17:00.008+09:00

It was Mother's Day today and so mama and papa went to visit mama's parents and took them out for lunch to a really nice Italian restaurant called Paradiso.

Did I mention that I opened my own hair salon?

And created my own coffee?

We went to Komazawa Park a few weeks ago. Seems like there was a wolf there...and boy, but can he pee a lot... Ever get the feeling that you're being followed...
...or that some people have absolutely no taste in homes...
Papa found a great deal on a mango. It was only $100...

Time Goes By

2008-05-10T23:05:00.012+09:00

It's been quite a while since my last post. My assistant (papa) has been too busy (lazy???) to type for me so I haven't been able to update my blog.

We had nice cherry blossoms this year...
Mama and papa also took me to Yoyogi Park to meet some of mama's friends for a hanami party. Man, there were so many people there...

The weather has been so nice lately. It's been in the low to mid-20's. I love spending lazy weekends just lounging around in the sun.

Mama and papa went golfing in Tochigi a few weeks ago with some friends. They left at 6am Saturday morning for a tee off time of 11:20. They stayed in Tochigi and played another round of golf on Sunday. I would have loved to go but I was a little tied up at the time...

Last week, papa's aunt and uncle came to visit from Canada. It was a lot of fun. They even came to visit me. Mama and papa took them to places like Akihabara, Ginza, Odaiba, Ebisu Garden Place, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Papa still calls me Shinjuku because there are so many homeless people who live in Shinjuku and he said I look like them...

Last week, papa bought a new driver...and he says I'm spoiled...

Last week, mama bought me a new bone to chew. At first I thought she said it was a phone, not a bone...hello? hello???

A day at the park

2008-03-09T21:31:00.006+09:00

Mama and papa took me to a dog run near Haneda Airport today called Ten Ten but there were no dogs there so we left after 10 minutes and went to Komazawa Park! There were plenty of dogs at Komazawa. I met a few other Jack Russell Terriers and had a pow-wow with some new friends.

The weather was pretty good today. It must have been about 15 degrees. I took a few breaks from playing now and then when nature called...

I found this dog to play with and followed him around for a while but he was obviously quite a lot smaller than me so I left him alone after a while...

The forecast for next week is for warmer weather. We can't wait for cherry blossom season to start! Mama and papa are taking the day off tomorrow and plan to go to the driving range. I hope they take me somewhere to play too!!!

Feeling Blue

2008-03-08T23:29:00.010+09:00

Mama and papa went to see Blue Man Group this evening. They said the show great and very entertaining. They were 13 rows back but next time, papa says he wants to sit in the first 5 rows in the "Poncho Section" - 'Blue Man Group refers to the area closest to the stage as the "Poncho Section." Blue Man Group provides each person in this section with a poncho just in case some of the materials used on stage go into the audience.'

The show was a mix of music, art and comedy. Most of the music was percussion based so it was pretty loud and papa really enjoyed it. After the show, the 3 members of the Blue Man Group were in the entrance/exit area and papa was able to get a few pictures of them but unfortunately he couldn't get a picture of mama with one of them because there were so many people doing the same thing.

Mama and papa have been so busy for the past 3 or 4 weeks. Mama has been working hard on a deal and coming home between 9pm and 11pm every night so they decided to take Monday off and have an extended weekend! They said they would take me to a park tomorrow and hopefully Monday also! I just hope papa stops calling me Blue Man Roots...

Papa just found this photo he took last year in Shibuya at Hachiko...
Papa has been teaching me a trick called "sit up"...how am I doing?

I'm back!!!

2008-02-23T18:06:00.008+09:00

It's been over a month since my last post and as you can see, I am busy helping papa type as usual. Papa was away on business in Rome a few weeks ago and has been a little busy lately so he hasn't had time to help me with my blog...but I think that's just an excuse for him being lazy. I try to type by myself sometimes but when I use my nose to hit the keys, papa gets upset because of my snot on his keyboard. I always lick it off afterwards so what's the problem???

Papa really enjoyed Rome. It was his first time to Europe and so Rome was a good place to start. He saw all the sites and was particularly taken with the food. Papa has always loved Italian food and eating in Rome was everything he thought it would be and more.

They closed down my favorite indoor dog run a few weeks ago. One of the last days we went, the place was full of Chihuahuas. As you know, I am not a Chihuahua fan because I am afraid of them and they yap at me all of the time. How many Chihuahuas were there you ask? Count for yourself...and this was only half of them...is there a Chihuahua boom that I haven't heard about?

My last agility class was today. It was fun class for the last 6 weeks. I am getting better at jumps and running through the tunnel. I am also pretty good at the see-saw, and recently I have been improving at the slalom. Papa thinks my improvement is because I have a great handler (him) but I think we all know it's because of my incredible intelligence and agility!

I have a new hiding place...bet you can't find me!!!
Papa is making stew for dinner tonight (but not for me...I get the usual...). When mama and papa went shopping today for groceries, they found some really great deals on fruits. Check out these cherries. At 1,580 yen per cup, it works out to over US$1 per cherry...
And these strawberries are a bargain at 1,980 yen per pack. That's about US$3 per strawberry...they must be famous strawberries...with gold in the centre...and super magical healing powers...and blessed by the pope himself...
Papa says that pound for pound, they are more valuable than me...whatever the heck that means. I think pound for pound, papa's head is full of strawberries...

Tagged

2008-01-19T22:53:00.000+09:00

I was tagged by Erin to share 7 weird things about myself and to tag 7 other dogs. Since I don't have very many friends online yet, I will have to wait to tag others but I will share 7 weird things about myself...

1) I have recently taken to barking at the TV. My favorite things to bark at are golf (I like to try to catch the ball on the screen) and Mino Monta. Mama and papa don't know why I bark at Mino Monta...only I do... :-)

2) I love taking walks but whenever I see papa get my leash to take me for a walk, I hide under the table or in my house.

3) Whenever visitors leave, I have to run around the house 3 times and check every room to make sure that nothing has been left behind, no one is still hiding here and absolutely nothing is out of place.

4) Whenever mama and papa are out and then come home together I am OK but if only one of them comes home first, when the other comes home I bark like crazy as if there is an intruder. It drives mama and papa crazy.

5) I can destroy a dog toy in under 30 seconds but I have yet to defeat the children's toys that mama and papa got me from Ikea. Man, are they tough!!!

6) I am afraid of Chihuahuas.

7) Mama and papa think I am part cat. When they are getting ready for work or to go out (without me), I like to rub against their legs and roll onto my back at their feet like a cat. I like to cuddle with them, but only sometimes...whenever I feel like it...I am finicky and selfish like a cat :-) And when they are standing in one place, I love to sit on top of their feet to make sure they don't move without me knowing!

So that's it...there are probably tons of other things that mama and papa think are weird about me, but if you ask me, they are even more weird than I am!!! :-)

Lately, papa has been complaining about the ineffectiveness and incompetence of police in Japan. BTW, what's a "moron"? He uses that word a lot in the same sentence as "police". They sit around doing nothing while people park illegally, run red lights and commit all kinds of misdemeanors. Papa says the Japanese police are dumber than me...whatever the heck that means...if that's true then I would think that most people in the world would qualify as Japanese police. As you can see, they're not my favorite either...

Mama and papa went to see Planet Earth today. They said it was OK but not as good as Deep Blue, another BBC movie. Mama fell asleep for part of Planet Earth.

And finally, another cute billboard...

Almost Famous

2008-01-08T23:44:00.000+09:00

A friend of mine was walking down Broadway in NY and found this billboard...what a handsome puppy!!! Even though my name is Roots, mama and papa call me Pooh-chan...I wonder why...
In fact, the pup on the billboard is so handsome that the Canadian post office made a stamp featuring him!!!

Thanks to all the nice folks (and their humans) who have left comments recently. We were thinking about stopping this blog because we thought no one was reading it!

Spoiled??? Who? Me???

2007-12-29T00:23:00.000+09:00

Mama and papa have been adding chicken breast to my food for the past few months. Since we were running low, papa made me some chicken today. First he boiled the chicken, then he tore the breasts into small, bite-sized pieces by hand. As you can see, I was very helpful in supervising him...
After that, he divided them into small, 1 day packets which are frozen and thawed out as needed:
Papa calls me spoiled because I get hand made food and he says that I eat better than him. I doubt it...

We've been having so many problems with Windows Vista lately. It is so user unfriendly...the usage is often counter-intuitive and the only parts that have improved are the parts that Microsoft ripped off from Apple. The world would be a much better place without Microsoft so that everyone would use either Linux (papa uses Ubuntu Linux) or Apple. We especially love how Vista corrupts priceless photos when downloading them from a camera and saving them to an external hard drive. Anyhow, papa is going to upgrade mama's laptop from Vista to XP.

Anyhow, time for a nap. I can't help feeling that I might have fleas or ticks...

Season's Greetings!!!

2007-12-25T23:14:00.000+09:00

We hope everyone has a very happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous new year! I had a good Christmas this year and got a lot of presents! Mama and papa bought me a few shirts and sweaters, and my aunt in Canada sent me a stuffed animal toy to play with. I love the toy and wouldn't let anyone touch it for the first hour I had it until I broke it in. Anytime papa came near my new toy, I growled at him and then ran away. After all, what's mine is mine...and what's not mine is still mine :-)

I plan to get a lot of sleep over the holidays and spend time with my friends!!!

Papa is off work for 2 weeks now and he promised to take me for long walks and also to dog runs to play with other dogs.

2 days ago, mama's parents came over for turkey. They really like turkey but it is not really a popular dish in Japan. The turkey was 3.5 kg and was almost as big as me. In fact, I was worried that papa would make a mistake and I would end up in the oven.

Last evening, mama and papa went to visit their friends who just bought a new condo nearby. They said the place was really nice (on the 12th floor) and a lot of the furniture was new and looked great. As for me, well, as you can see, I just chilled at home and caught up on my sleep...

Papa has a new hobby. He has started making his own tsukemono. Actually, nukazuke to be exact. It's only been a few days but papa seems very excited about it. He got the nukadoko from his mother-in-law and has already made pickled carrots. Because the nukadoko is new, the carrots were very salty so papa has to adjust the timing. Today he added more carrots and some cucumber. Tomorrow he is planning on adding eggplant and cabbage. I don't think mama believes that papa can take care of the nukadoko because it has to be cared for daily by mixing it to oxygenate the base and keep the nuka-bed ‘live’, meaning that it contains a culture of active single-celled organisms, mostly lactobacilli and yeast. If papa doesn't care for it daily then the nuka-bed can go bad and get moldy.

Here is a fashion show featuring...ME!!!

Sporting a casual velor jacket embroidered with a skull featuring the words "Bone Eater"...

Wearing a knit sweater to keep me warm on those cold Tokyo winter days...

Looking cool in a gangsta style hoodie...hey, you lookin' at me??? I said HEY, YOU LOOKIN' AT ME???

I Love NY...but not in winter...

2007-12-04T22:15:00.000+09:00

Papa's back from his business trip to NY. He went to meetings in upstate NY and then stayed for a few days for meetings in Connecticut. Unfortunately, the hotel he stayed at in upstate NY was terrible. Most of the people present couldn't believe that the company would make them stay in that miserable place. There was barely any hot water and some of the windows wouldn't close all the way...not a good thing when it's about zero degrees Celsius outside.

In NY city, he stayed at the Muse Hotel which he said was excellent!!! Every evening between 5pm and 6pm they have a free wine tasting in the lobby. The decor was modern - very similar to a W Hotel. He had dinner last Thursday at Kittichai (beware that this restaurant's site is extremely slow) and Friday at Cipriani Dolci in Grand Central Station. Both restaurants were very good. Kittichai was a Thai/American fusion restaurant with a good wine list and an interesting menu made up of American style dishes with a Thai twist. Cipriani Dolci had a good selection of traditional Italian dishes but, even with a reservation, papa and his friends had to wait 15 minutes.

After dinner on Friday, papa and his colleagues went to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. It was nice to see the tree and the people skating in front of it, but it was so cold that they could only stay for a short time before retreating to the warmth of the hotel. For a Canadian, papa doesn't handle cold weather very well.

Earlier on Friday evening, before dinner, papa and his friend went to see the window displays at Macy's and a few other department stores. They are getting more and more sophisticated.

And finally, a word of warning...never, ever ask papa how his flight was...unless you are ready to get an earful. Usually, papa flies on United Airlines to North America but this time, the flight to and from NY on American Airlines left no doubt in papa's mind why the airline industry in the US is in trouble. On the way to NY from Tokyo, papa was upgraded from business class to first class. Unfortunately, first class on American Airlines is far inferior to economy class on Singapore Airlines (and most other airlines for that matter). The seats were broken and uncomfortable, the so-called entertainment system was pathetic. After choosing from a very limited movie list, you have to request an 8mm video tape from the flight attendant and play it in an archaic system that fades in and out at random. The movie was not clear and often skipped parts in between the static. Papa thinks that as a cost savings measure, AA has its employees go to movie theaters and use video cameras to record the movies for the flights. That fits in with their strategy of using 30 year old technology to play the movies. Such was the quality of the movie. We won't even begin to talk about the "food" on the flights. Papa was so disgusted he said it wasn't even suitable for me...whatever the heck that means...

And if things couldn't get any worse, they certainly did on the way back. Papa didn't get the upgrade to first class so he was in business class where the "food" was even worse. He was told that "dinner" was beef but what they didn't tell him was that the "beef" would have the consistency of chewing gum and the taste of...well...nothing...but papa is very grateful that at least he didn't get food poisoning.

Papa could not believe that any airline, even American, would offer such a poor level of service and such unacceptable facilities. The US based attendants were incredibly rude and abrasive, the food was not even fit for me (apparently), and everything from the seats to the entertainment system was not even close to what one would expect even in economy class. Papa would not recommend American Airlines to transport horse manure let alone people. That was the first and last time papa will ever use American Airlines...what a disaster. How could anyone ever be proud to work there???

Stars in Tokyo

2007-11-22T23:10:00.000+09:00

On Monday, the folks at Michelin confirmed what we in Tokyo already knew - that Tokyo is the undisputed culinary capital of the world. With a total of 191 stars, the other major cities don't even come close. 8 restaurants received 3 stars, 25 received 2 stars and 117 received 1 star. By comparison, Paris and London only have 148 stars combined, with New York falling far short with only 42. To be fair, it should be mentioned that Tokyo has over 160,000 restaurants compared to 20,000 in Paris and 23,000 in NY. Of course, that doesn't stop all the critics from whining that Michelin was too generous with stars in Tokyo, but I would wager that the complainers have never been to Tokyo to eat at the city's finest restaurants. One trip to Tokyo would convince even the most die hard critics that Tokyo boasts one of the finest culinary experiences anywhere in the world. Japanese chefs are perfectionists when it comes to food, sourcing the freshest ingredients and completely committed to producing the best dishes possible while paying excruciating detail to presentation.

Mama bought the English and Japanese versions of the Michelin guide today and we weren't surprised to find that many of the restaurants they have been to have at least 1 star. Kyubei, the sushi restaurant which I wrote about a few days ago where papa took mama for her birthday last week, even claimed 1 star!!! Conspicuously absent from the list was Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at the Conrad Hotel where papa took mama for her birthday last year.

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Japan so mama and papa are taking me to see the leaves change colours! On Sunday, papa has to go to NY for a few days on business. He said he's not looking forward to going to NY because it must be so sad and dark there with so few stars... :-)

Last week we went to Yoyogi Park and, as usual, I tried to beat up the big dogs...

...until I came across one who was just about my size (I'm the one on the right...I think...)

Happy birthday, mama!!!

2007-11-19T23:29:00.000+09:00

Today was mama's birthday! Happy birthday, mama!!! Papa came home early and prepared some of mama's favorite foods like gnocchi in a cream and cheese sauce (made from mozzarella, gorgonzola and parmesan), grilled lamb chops and an appetizer of sushi...yes, it was a bit of a strange combination...papa called it Italian/Japanese fusion...whatever the heck that is...

As for me, well, it was a little cold today so I found myself a nice place to relax and just chilled out...

And then played a little soccer (which papa hates...he says it's a wimpy game for people who aren't tough enough for hockey)