long time no post

Well, I haven't been very good at updating, even tho there's so many things I have wanted to say. I wanted to talk about so many things, like the still moving fish that my mother-in-law ended up ordering at a restaurant, thankfully it was her and not me, I couldn't possibly have eaten it. Also, I wanted to talk about how I'm reading some English books to kids once a month now. I talked to somebody in the library in August about volunteering to read Eng books to little kids. The librarian told me that some committee was taking care of it but that she would happily pass my name along to that committee. Someone phoned me later that week and said that they were interested but the head of the committee wanted to check me out first and that they would be meeting in September sometime and could I please come then. Okay. Sometime in October they give me a call and say they're meeting. So I show up to the meeting, and basically get ignored while they do their business. (A couple of members were saying that maybe they should talk to me first but the head decided that I would have to wait.) They talked to me a little bit and then say okay, get up and show us what you do. I was thinking a little notice would have been nice, but okay, whatever. Anyway, they decided that they liked me well enough to let me volunteer with them and now I'm a committee member! I did my first reading in October, and my second one today. I'm also doing something for the Christmas party, too. I will be reading something on the second Saturday of every month. (They put it in the local newspaper to get more people to come.)
Well, that's it for now.

Shocker

This is an article about something that happened where I live! Holy Shit! (from the UK Times)

newsflash from Captain Obvious

here

Anpanman_1

Anpanman_1
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

He watches anpanman at school-he was so happy to have his picture with him! (A Japanese cartoon hero-sweet bean paste bread man who apparently throws his bits of his face at his enemy, Germ-man!)

FF_1

FF_1
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

Got to be a fire fighter at the Autumn Festival last week in town.

us

us
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

self explanatory

pix for Mike

Well you asked, so here they are...Hard to get pix of myself but my cell phone has a function that lets me take pix of myself.

flippyhAIR1

flippyhAIR1
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

I tried to get a picture of my hair that does whatever it wants to do, especially at the ends!

flippyhair2

flippyhair2
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

If it was the 70s-80s again when feathering was in, this would be great!

flippyhair3

flippyhair3
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

My hair is still a little wet here, so it's not as big yet.

proof that I'm still alive

Oh boy, I have been a bad bad blogger. I have wanted update this for so long (so many things I've wanted to write about)but ...
okay, so now we are in the 5th week of having our house renovated to ummm, cough, make it stronger in the event of an earthquake. It's not the most fun. Trying to figure out where everything is as the whole house was moved temporarily into 2 rooms (ok maybe not the whole house but it sure felt like it!)Dealing with the dust unearthed by taking apart the walls that have stood for 26, 27 years was um, horrible.
To top it off, Hiroki has decided that he doesn't need to sleep until 10 or 11 at night, often meaning that I fall asleep before he does leaves very little time to blog. SOORRYY!
o boy, gotta get some sleep. Check out flickr for more pix.

happyhiroki

happyhiroki
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

We got your package Grandma and Grandpa Peter! Thanks!

hirokigoggles

hirokigoggles
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

this one too

swimmingdigs1

swimmingdigs1
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

we have started swimming class-swimming caps are a must, goggles too

pantsonhead

pantsonhead
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

He was complaining about having to put his pants back on after using the bathroom, so I put them on his head...

kyuushoku

kyuushoku
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

These potatoes showed up twice last week-like them a lot-not sure of nutritional value-taste like Hickory Sticks.

little purple berries

little purple berries
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

Any idea what they might be?

morning glory

morning glory
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

Beautiful, aren't they?

chickadee

chickadee
Originally uploaded by sheri maeda.

He won't let me call him anything else. Today I said he was a stinky boy and he looked sad and said "chickadee".

I feel bad

for anybody who has to cut my hair. I so do not like getting my hair cut. I guess it's not so much the cut part as the what they do with it afterwards. (OK, the cut part is important too) I went yesterday and got my hair cut. I'm trying to grow out my hair (after a couple of cuts I did not like at all) so I have been avoiding getting it cut, but it had just gotten too big and heavy to do anything with, so I decided to bite the bullet and just go. I don't know what it's like in Canada, but here they like to thin out your hair or put layers in that just made my hair look weird. It also doesn't help that no matter what I do with my hair, the bottom part just ends up flipping out. I do not know when this started or where it came from, but that's what it has become.
Anyway, yesterday, the hairdresser and I talked about thinning out my hair to make it lighter. I nodded in agreement, but just like other times when they have brought out their special scissors to do the trick, I could feel the anxiety starting in the bottom of my stomach. I kept telling myself to keep calm and plastered my best fake smile on. After leaving a substantial amount of hair on the floor, I was brought back to the sink to wash my hair again (get rid of all of the hairs that had been cut). Ok. Then back to the chair for drying. I don't remember what it's like in Canada (I usually don't get that far, I think, I tend to tell them that I'll style it at home.) but here they like to blow dry the shit out of your hair. She's drying and drying (and drying and drying!) my hair and the whole time it is getting frizzier and frizzier. This is always the worst part of the haircut for me. They dry my hair, leave it hanging in my face and it always looks so weird to me that I usually end up sitting on my hands to try not to touch my hair (put it behind my ears, whatever!) The hairdresser yesterday decided to use a straightening iron on my hair next. I was thinking-too much heat from hair dryer=frizzy hair so add more heat??? But it didn't look as bad as I thought. And then, like every other time, I just lose it and put my hair behind my ears (which really seems to bother most hairdressers or maybe I'm too sensitive?)
By this time I am soooo antsy and just want to get the hell out of there when she brings out the scissors again! I was not happy. When it was over, I practically ran out of the shop, found the first bathroom and wet my hair.
But, in the end, I think she did a good job. (I don't have to tie my hair back anymore) and even tho she thinned it out alot, it doesn't look weird like it has before (or maybe I've just gotten used to the weird flip it does?)
A big CONGRATULATIONS to Carolyn, who had a baby girl (Ella Fern) on Sept 13. I expect we won't be hearing too much from you for a while!
Love Sheri xoxo