The End is in Sight...Sort of...

No posts because I have been busy with the dissertation. I have to mail off my final draft tomorrow. Will I get it all done? I don't know. But it's going off regardless. The chair will read the draft and get back to me on Sunday. Then I rewrite again to have it off on Monday. Maybe the end isn't as close as I think it is.

The Party House

Yesterday I went to a party in honor of one of my colleagues who finished his dissertation. Steve C. finished his work this summer. Lucky dog. Anyway, my friend and I went to the party together which was held at a lovely home on the Issaquah Plateau. This was the party house. Below are pics of some of the party goers.

Cherie and her husband Jim hosted the graduation party for Dr. Steve C.

Marshall and Jack were at the party, too. Jack had just come from a church picnic in Issaquah.

Back to school for Jolene

Well, Jolene is doing it. She's biting the bullet and going back to school. Don't worry Jolene, you'll be out in no time.

Jeff - The Porsche Man

So my next door neighbor decided that he wanted a new car. Not just any car, mind you, but a nice car. It was a toss up between a BMW convertible, and what he eventually bought. He made the right decision. The Porsche (yet to be named) is black with tan leather interior. Nice, no?

The Porsche at Home Sleeping

The Porsche Seal

The Coolest Sink

Some people I know just moved into their new home. One of the interesting features of the home is the furniture and different pieces from Indonesia. I especially loved the sink. Check this thing out...it's made from wood.

Knock knock...

Maggie and her mom came by to drop off my camera yesterday. She is a very photogenic child, isn't she?

Linda & Abby

I was off campus yesterday meeting with a woman who works at a very large firm in Redmond, Washington. At the close of the meeting, the woman mentioned that she knew one person from the university I work at. As it turns out, the woman she knows is someone I knew well in college. In fact, our mutual friend, Linda, even came to Hawai'i and stayed at my parents' house. Turns out that Linda was still at work and came down to visit...and she brought her puppy, Abby. Abby is like my brother and sister-in-law's dog, Bear. She loves to kiss your face. Made me want to get a puppy.

Partying with my JA Posse

Every so often the JA Posse gets together...that's right, the Japanese-American Posse. This time it was a Rice Party. Everyone brought something that would go with rice. See below for pics of the party.

Mari - Hostess with the Mostess!

Mari hosted the party at her house today. I met Mari about 6 or 7 years ago when she brought a Japanese group on to our university campus. We've stayed in touch and the highlights are the get-togethers. Of course for this party I don't think she gambled on us staying as late as we did. She also didn't gamble on how much we could eat. We ate all of her rice. She and her parents were the most delightful hosts...I just hope we get invited back again.

Lynn - She knows how to do everything!

I get all my best tips from Lynn. She has the best cooking ideas and short cuts! She's also the one who turned us on to the marinated garlic (see below), as well as the dengaku miso (see below). Lynn is the JET Coordinator in Seattle.

Dale W., Foreign Student Advisor Extraordinaire

Dale works at Seattle University and is a Foreign Student Advisor. I wish my university could steal him away. This guy knows his stuff. I just want to work with him cuz he's so funny.

Dengaku Miso

Dale and I discovered Dengaku Miso (thanks to Lynn). This stuff is so good. We ate it with everything. It's a sweet thick paste which can be used as a veggie dip, or over fish, chicken, whatever you want. If it weren't for Mari's parents who were at the party, I'm sure Dale and I would have just sucked the paste out of the bag.

Dale and Lynn being Goofy.

We had some food...

Mari grilled some black cod (aka butterfish) which turned out very moist and tasty.

and more food...

Lynn brought tofu to grill and enoki wrapped in foil. I brought the chicken marinated in teriyaki sauce, mirin, lots of garlic, and my family secret, beer.

and more food...

This was a rice party so everyone brought something to eat with rice. There was kim chee, hijiki (which Mari's mom made), cooked spinach, and much more.

and finally, some more food.

See the big bowl of something on the bottom right? That's garlic...that's right, a big bowl of garlic marinated in a katsuo paste. It was soooo delicious. Lynn turned us all on to it.

Unbelievable, though, was the fact that we had dessert...twice. Lynn had brought her shaved ice machine (aka Fly Snow), syrups (My Syrup was the favorite) including condensed milk, and azuki bean topping. Lynn also made a Lemon Cheese Pie topped with blueberries.

Dining Italian Style

Steve and Heidi took me out to dinner tonight to thank me for helping out with the Estate Sale. I certainly didn't do much, but I didn't want to turn down a dinner either. We went to this great Italian restaurant in Burien. The food was magnificent. Pizza Margherita for starters, then I selected the Beef Steak cooked with olives and mushrooms in a tomota and olive oil sauce. Dessert was Tiramisu and Chocolate Molten Cake. I am full.

Estate Sale Remnants Part I

Last weekend my friends Steve & Heidi liquidated their assets, in particular their pottery, dishware, and fabric inventory. The sale was phenomenal. People stayed and lingered as they looked over everything. It was a retro/modern collector's dream come true. The picture here and below are what is left of the huge sale.

Estate Sale Remnants Part II

By the way, the total for the sale: $4,200.00.

Summer Breeze

The best thing about starting school in late August is the weather. Today it was 70 degrees and sunny - cool and breezy. There is no other way to start the year.

In other news (i.e. the dissertation): Chapter 8 is now complete. I'm going to start Chapter 1 this weekend.