How was your weekend?
Now that things are finally starting to warm up here, Hisa and I spent much of the weekend outside enjoying the lovely weather.
Saturday, we had our warmest day yet, so we spent all afternoon riding our bikes around town. With the last of the cherry blossom trees still in bloom, a million other flowers in bloom, and other trees and grass finally getting green, it was a picturesque spring day.
If you’ve never tried riding your bike around for fun, with no particular destination in mind, I do recommend it, because it’s, well, fun!
This is, however, something that I’ve discovered I cannot do without my husband. For those who don’t personally know me, you should know that I have a horrible sense of direction. This is the fault of genetics (thanks Dad), and not my own. Fortunately, although my sense of direction is pretty bad, it still isn’t as bad as my dad’s or my brothers’. That one fact gives me hope.
My mom is the only one in my family blessed with directional adeptness. When we were kids, my mom was the only one who kept us all from wandering around aimlessly all the time (although we still did wander a bit). Needless to say, now that we’re grown up and live away from home, we all wander around and get lost quite a bit.
Enter Japan. While Oklahoma, and most of the U.S. in general, consists of wide, somewhat straight streets, all with actual names; Japan is a country of twisty-turny curving roads, some as narrow as a sidewalk, and the majority of which have no names. Maps usually look like a web that was created by a spider on crack. Since most streets don’t have names, maps are filled with landmarks, such as McDonald’s and the local post office, to help you find your way. For a directionally challenged individual such as myself, it’s my worst nightmare.
When Hisa and I first got a car in Japan, and actually started driving places, the worst mistake he made was appointing me to navigate. THAT was a long drive. Fortunately, we now have a navigation system in our car, which means that Hisa never has to ask me where to go (although he will occasionally ask me, “Do you know where we are?” for his own amusement.), and I get to enjoy the scenery without paying attention to where we are. Everyone is happy.
One day last week when the weather was beautiful, I decided to ride around on my bike and enjoy the weather. Although I’ve lived in this city for over 2 years, within 10 minutes, I had to clue what direction I was going, and I couldn’t enjoy the scenery, because I was trying to figure out where the heck I was.
…it’s sad really.
Fortunately, this past Saturday, Hisa was with me (which automatically makes everything more fun), so I didn’t have to worry about where I was going, or try to keep track of what direction we were heading. I just followed my directionally adept husband on my bike, and enjoyed the scenery and the weather. And occasionally he would ask me, “Do you know where we are?”
And usually I didn’t.
It was a fun day.
Menu Plan for April 18 – 22
- Hamburgers (with homemade buns) and coleslaw with vinegar dressing
- Ham & veggie Calzones and broccoli
- Teriyaki salmon, steamed rice, miso soup, sesame asparagus, steamed spinach, and natto (fermented soy beans)
- Baked chicken, roasted potatoes, and salad
- Chicken & spinach enchiladas and Mexican black beans
