Yokosuka, Sunday Jan. 3, 2010

(NOTE: Good Monday Morning!  I am posting this at 10:30 am JST on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010.  The time settings on this blog don't seem to match mine, so I thought I'd let you know, LOL!)

Yesterday, Sunday Jan. 3, Mike came to our room at the Navy Lodge around 10 am, looking bleary-eyed and not awake. He had gone to his favorite darts bar and didn't get back to base until the not-so-wee hours, and was running on 4 hours of sleep. After some caffein drinks and an hour of Ghostbusters (the original movie), he was actually starting to become awake.

We walked into Yokosuka over to what Mike calls Blue Street where there is a little shopping mall, Mikasa. For various reasons Mike had to get a new cell phone and contract, so we spent some time at the AU store. While waiting for him, Ev and I explored the mall, and I bought myself a lightweight knit cap to wear during the cooler parts of the day. It was on special for 550 yen (that's about $6), so that's why I bought it. Next, there's a nice cosmetics and drug store there, and I had fun looking at all the products and trying to guess what they all were :-) Some had English or French or obvious brand names on them, but many did not.  I didn't need anything anyway, but I enjoyed the looking around. The 100 yen store down the way did indeed have cheap stuff, but nothing I found interesting. Didn't need zip-lock bags, cheap mittens, or toilet paper, so that was a rather quick tour.

But then, ah ha, we found a stationers shop, the Kawashima shop!  What fun!  It had party favors, paper goods, calendars, greeting cards, wedding invitations and all sorts of interesting and fun things.  I had in mind finding gifts for friends and I found a few small things to bring home.  I also found New Year good luck envelopes, some of which are for children with cute cartoon pictures of tigers on them (it's the year of the tiger), so I chose a package of three: one for Mikayla, one for Jorga, and one for (soon to be born) Jesse Cain, and put 3 100 yen pieces inside each one.  Dean Cain is Mike's superior, his Lead Petty Officer, and Miki (Dean's wife) and I have become FB friends since last July.  They invited us to their apartment for dinner, and I wanted something for the kids. (I also gave them the two little teddy bears that Everett got out of a claw machine in a game store in Tokyo-- those were great hits!) I have to give credit to Mike and Everett for their great patience while I shopped; I always take too long!  But I do enjoy it so much!

After that it was past time for food!  It was about 1 pm and neither of the guys had eaten (I had instant oatmeal that morning), and Mike wanted to take us to Coco Curry House, not too far down the street from the base.  He found it, yea!, because it had been quite some time since he was there last, but his instincts were right.  Inside it's a small shop with 3 or 4 booths and several stools at the counter.  Nothing to look at but the curry was fantastic!  Super tastey, and you can choose your level of spiciness.  I chose level 1, which is one step above plain, and enjoyed the wonderful flavor with a hint of spice. I could go to level 2 easily enough, but more than that tends to overpower the flavor of the sauce. Mike chose a 3, which he says is about right for flavor.

Then back to pick up his newly reprogrammed cell phone, and then back to the base.  We hung out in our room until time to go to the Cains' for dinner.  After a short visit to the NEX for gifts and other liquid sustinance, we arrived.  It was so fun to finally meet Miki and her family! I totally enjoyed the whole evening.  Dean cooked spaghetti sauce from scratch, and made garlic toast to accompany the spaghetti.  Ummmm good! (Miki says Dean does the cooking when he is home.)  With a fresh green salad it just hit the spot!  Miki is such a hoot -- she's very up front and no-nonsense, a more outspoken version of Ev's sister.  I'd hang with Miki anywhere; she knows how to make things happen and doesn't put up with any bull***t.  I admire that quality because it's one I don't have, for sure, LOL. Mikayla is a very poised and good looking young lady and is sharp as a tack, while Jorga is cute and full of vinegar, just like any 2-year-old.  But Miki is a good mom and keeps them on a short leash as much as she can, and they are very polite (when prompted!)  Mikayla says her favorite subject is animals, especially dolphins; I could see her growing up and doing something with animals like being a veterinarian or something.  It will be interesting to see where she goes.  The evening was fun and mildly exhausting, and a wonderful way to end the day.