Janet is....

Learning. I am trying to learn a bit of Japanese before heading off to Tokyo for a month. It seems like a fairly easy language to speak.... very hooked on phonics kind of pronunciation. But I am not even gonna attempt to write this language. All those characters... eek! Of course, its all those characters that somehow has me all intimidated about my up coming trip to Japan. I have lived in friggin' New York City, but I am a little scared of Tokyo. I am pretty sure it is the language barrier that is causing the anxiety.


Purchasing. After my old Minolta digital SLR conked out on me down in Miami, I broke down last night and bought the Canon 40D that I had my eye on. It was time and I'll have the Tokyo trip to get used to the new toy. I traded in most of my entire Minolta camera set which included 1 camera body, 4 lenses, and a gaggle of other accessories. Unfortunately, due to the digital bodies recent fit, I was unable to t5rade it in... and it was by far the most valuable thing in my Minolta collection. Crap. I got in return (plus a some added dinero) and Canon 40D body, a 17-85 IS lens, and a 28-300 IS super zoom lens. Its a start and I am looking forward to trying it out.



Reading. A while back, I read Cormack McCarthy's The Road. I really loved the book even though it is a bit grim. I really liked the way in which McCarthy tells his stories; not your normal style of storytelling prose. So, I am now reading his No Country for Old Men. I heard the movie (now an Academy Award winner) was a bit violent and to an extent the book is too, but I guess not any greater in violence than any Bourne movie I've seen recently. Of course, the main difference is that a lot of the violence in this book is that horrible random acts of violence kind. It's disturbing. Even more disturbing is that there are probably actually folks like this out there in real life. It's a good book so far and I am enjoying reading it.




Cooking. Tonight I am making Cincinnati Style Chili. I am having a diner party tomorrow night and the guest of honor is a friend, who like me, grew up in Ohio. So Cincy chili it is. I LOVE the stuff, but it can be an acquired taste. Its not like the chili most people eat. It is basically a meat-y spaghetti sauce kind of spiced chili that you put over spaghetti or make into coney dogs.... my favorite. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Can't wait!

Janet is.....

Reading: Currently working through Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. A subtly funny book about life in the corporate world during a time of layoffs.









Buying: A Tokidoki by LeSportsac purse. I happened by the display in Macys and fell in love with these cute purses with adorable Japanese style designs. Its the most I have ever paid for a purse, but I have gotten so many complements on it. My design is slightly different than the one shown here. My design is called Transporto and has all modes of transportation on it from high speed rail to hot air balloon to skateboard.




Cooking: In my current effort at eating healthier and loosing weight, I discovered this recipe for Oven Fried Chicken. I made it last night for myself and some friends who were over watching the football games. The chicken came out quite well and is fairly good for you.




Pondering: I currently have a Minolta Maxxum 5D Digital SLR, but due to Minolta's exit from the camera world, I am looking to finally make the leap over to Canon equipment. Which means basically starting over.... I really like this little baby pictured here. A Canon 40D Digital SLR. Great rating with lots of features.






Watching: I caught the new show, Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles on Fox the other night and to my surprise, it was good. Along with the rest of the world, I had seen the 3 Terminators movies and this TV show nicely fits, plot-wise, into the Terminator world. I also must add that the kid playing 15 year old John Conner in hte TV series has an amazing similarity to the actor, Michael Biehn, who played Kyle Reese, John's father, in the very first Terminator movie. It's good fun for TV and I am enjoying watching.

I'm Back!

I am back from Africa, at work, and hitting the jetlag wall. Man, I am exhausted!

Africa was amazing! So many pictures and stories to tell.... Meerkats, sleeping out under the stars on the vast salt pans, getting charged by elephants, 5 feet from Lions, hippos eating right outside our tent one night, an almost-cheetah hunt right in front of us..... and so many more. Roughly 4,ooo photos are awaiting and I hope to post some of them soon for you all.

Not only were the animals and scenery wonderful, but seeing the "real" Africa; the many villages with only mud huts and straw roofs that so many call home. It truely brings new perspective to not only the African way of life (this is not poverty to them, it is a way of life) but brings a new appreciation for what we have here in the US. On the other hand, you quickly realize that a lot of what we have here in the US seems so fake and superficial.

I also wanted to pass along a book recommendation. I read this on my way back from Africa (several long layovers). It is called "They Poured Fire On Us From the Sky" and is an amazing account of three of the Lost Boys of Sudan. It is their story of their escape from the raiding northern Arabs, their long and perilous journey out of the Sudan to Ethiopia & Kenya, their life in a refugee camp, and their new life in the US.

It is an amazing story and well worth the read.