It's A Clark's Life

Halloween

">Dylan's Halloween Costume

Salon Experience

Ok, I know you've all been waiting for a blog entry that has nothing to do with Dylan.  Hard to do when the world revolves around that little fella.  I went to the salon today.   After three months of delay, I finally got the gumption to go into the salon and have a Japanese stylist cut my hair.  Let me tell you, it was the most amazing experience!  All I asked for was a shampoo and cut - I didn't even think they would style it.  So, they take me back into this dark, relaxing room with soothing music, pull the chicy curtain closed, and the head massage of a lifetime began.  Holy cow,  my head was massaged for 40minutes.  Then it was time for the cut.  No biggie, except when I said I wanted the hair around my face shaped, the dude translated that into I wanted it thinned out more. He had already thinned it out WAY more than to my liking.  So then I was led back into the massage room and again, another head massage for about 15min.  Then back to a different chair for yet ANOTHER massage, this one focused on my neck and shoulders.  Then the guy styled my hair.  I've never been thrilled with how my hair turns out after a trip to the salon, and this one was no different. But wow, was I ever relaxed when I left!  I had 4 different people working on me.  It was simply amazing.  I will definitely go back.  And it didn't break the bank which is very easy to do in Tokyo!

Super Model D

A couple months ago a friend of mine, who happens to be an outstanding photographer, offered to take some pictures of Dylan.  Well this evening we finally got to see some of them.  Here are a few samples.

30 Minutes to Disney

This past week we discovered something that seems almost unbelievable.  Disneyland is only a 30 minute drive from our house.  On Friday Amway Japan held their employee event at the Tokyo Disney Resort.  While Kate and I had determined a few years back that we should hide any future children from Disney, we were actually looking forward to this trip and had a ton of fun there.

Dylan loved the race cars in particular.  He thought he was so cool driving the car.  It's kind of funny when you can see a two year old start to get a little cocky and thinking he's all that and a bag chips.  I couldn't help but smile and watch with a little pride.

Mom, missed out on the race cars and got to take him for a ride on Dumbo.  I think next time we'll spend more time at the cars.

Shonan

Some places are so fun you just want to eat'm, so that's what Dylan did.  He took a bite out of Shonan beach.  Don't worry. The beach was clean, because we had just done an Amway beach clean up event earlier in the day. 

 
  We also had a great time visiting the Enoshima Aquarium and trying to catch few waves with some friends, along with ten thousand Japanese surfers.

Fuji - A Japanese Verb

I have been to the Fuji are three times now, and I have come to the conclusion that the word Fuji is actually a verb meaning "to stand in line".  Here is an example.  I am going to fuji.  This means, I am going to stand in line.  The following is how I came to this conclusion.
First, I climbed Mt. Fuji a couple years ago.  What does that entail?  You stand in a line with 20,000 other people from the bottom of Mt. Fuji to the top, only to stand in line at the top to get a bad cup of coffee. 
Second, last weekend I went to Fuji Speedway for the F1 race.  What does this entail?  You wait in line to park.  You wait in line for the bus.  You wait in line to show your ticket.  You wait in line to use the restroom (separate lines for #1 and #2).  You wait in line for food (skip the drinks, due to the previous point).  Then you wait up to five hours in line to catch a return bus. 

Finally, this weekend we went to Fuji-Q Highlands to visit Thomas Land.  So what do we do?  Yep, we wait in traffic to get there (3.5 hours to cover 100 kilometers).  We wait in line to park.  We wait in line to buy a ticket.  We wait in line for food.  We wait in line for any sort of ride, no matter how stupid it is. Despite the waiting in line, Dylan was an angel.  Here a picture of him patiently waiting to ride in a little train, which for him was the coolest thing ever.

So, what does Fuji mean in Japanese.  It means to stand in line.  If you ever head  toward that mountain, just no you are going to fuji at some point.

Alex & Dylan

This is Dylan's new buddy, Alex.  They share the same birthday and celebrated their second birthday together last week over ice cream.  We have been getting together with Alex and his mom, Chris, on Fridays for playdates.

Fuji Television F1 Japan Grand Prix

And the winner is.......

the Brit.....Lewis Hamilton.

Many thanks go out to my dear friend Daniel for the opportunity to go to the F1 Japan Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway yesterday, and better still to give me a lift there in his lovely little Carrera.  The event was an incredible, and we had fabulous tickets parked under cover across from a jumbotron television. As you will notice from the pictures, being under cover was really the more important of those two factors.

The race itself was really cool.  I have never been to a race in the rain before, and I am amazed at how they still just scream down the track.  Being open wheeled cars the water just flies all over.  The guy in front has a very clear advantage.  Imagine being behind two semis in the rain going down the highway at 180 miles an hour, and I think you'll get the picture of what it was like for those guys yesterday.  Or if you don't want to imagine, here's a picture of what it's like to be right behind someone.

The logistics around this whole event, however, left much to be desired. They were in fact the worst I think I have ever seen. Roughly 90k people go to this event each year, and nearly all of them take a bus from designated parking lots that are at least an hours drive down gravel roads away.  Getting onto those buses is really the issue though.  I would say those that waited properly in line (Daniel and I did not and are still filled with guilt) stood there in two inches of mud for roughly 3-4 hours.  So, while I would say the event itself was incredible, I don't think you'll find me there next year.

All said and done, it was an outstanding day, watching some of the finest machines on four wheels.