Sunday Afternoon 5/7/2017

We had a quiet week here at Casa Aloha, mainly because YaYu took the car to school almost every day as Brett and I really didn’t have anyplace we needed to go. She has had so many places to be this week, and it was frankly just easier to let her take herself. Both she and WenYu got their driver’s licenses here on Kaua’i, but YaYu is the only one of them who actually enjoys driving (Meiling has never gotten hers, and still is not sure if she wants one). YaYu is a very good driver too, very conscientious. As a rule, teaching the kids to drive has been Brett’s responsibility, and I’ve stayed out of the car with them (I get too nervous), but I drove with YaYu a couple of times and it was almost relaxing because she drove so well.

The weather has had its ups and downs as well, from positively gorgeous to positively miserable. There was lots of conversation this week at the farmers’ market, as several us waited for the opening whistle to blow, about how hot and humid we fear this summer is going to be, based on conditions we’re already experiencing this year. Our ceiling fans have already been getting a workout, I’m drinking more water than usual, and I’ve told Brett that I’m putting the stove and oven on moratorium – pretty much if it can’t be grilled, fixed in the slow cooker, or eaten cold, I’m not making it!

Every evening since our return home from Japan, Brett, YaYu and I have randomly chosen and eaten one KitKat after dinner, but tonight is our last night – there’s just three left. It’s really been fun trying all the different flavors (rum raisin is still my favorite). I guess we’re just going to have to go back to Japan sooner rather than later!

This afternoon I am:

• Reading: I gave up waiting for Faceless Killers to become available (it turned out to not actually be available as an eBook), and instead downloaded another Scandinavian mystery, The Snowman, by Jo Nesbø. It’s very good, and delightfully creepy. Actually, just the title made my skin crawl (in a good way) for some reason. I read when I’m out on the exercise bike, and have been squeezing it as much as I can otherwise. I also put several other books on hold at the library, but I think it will be a while for most of them.
• Listening to: It’s pretty quiet right now, although the songbirds sound like they’re in competition with each other for who can be the loudest. It’s a beautiful day, so I’m sort of surprised no one is out with their noisy lawn equipment. Brett already has most of the laundry sorted, so that noisy task will be starting up soon, but in the meantime I’m enjoying the peace and quiet.
• Watching: Brett and I finished up Season 3 of Endeavour, and realized after we started that we had seen before. But, we had forgotten most of it so it was still enjoyed. Mavis over at 100 Dollars a Month has had some good movie/TV recommendations lately, and we just started one of her most recent, Shetland. She wasn’t kidding when she said you needed the subtitles to keep up with it, even though they’re technically speaking English! The scenery is gorgeous though, and we’ve already been hooked by the story. I’ve been watching re-runs of The Great British Baking Show while I work on Swagbucks at night – Netflix now also has the Masterclass series with Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, so I’ve been watching those as well.
• Cooking/baking: I had omelets on the menu for tonight, but I don’t feel like standing at the stove, so I boiled some eggs this morning and am making deviled eggs instead, which we’ll have with cheese, cold cuts, vegetables and fruit. There will be absolutely no baking today either, but we still have brownies left over from last week.
• Happy I accomplished this past week: Nothing much other than the usual chores around the house. It’s actually been a very relaxing week, other than the day two guys were cutting back everything on the lot next door – saws and weedtrimmers were going all day. It was loud and miserable😖. Brett and I reserved YaYu’s flights over to Oahu, for her pre-trip orientation in early June, and to and from the Honolulu airport for the main trip to China mid-June. I got in all my daily bike rides, drank way more than eight glasses of water each day, and studied Portuguese every day.
• Looking forward to next week: Tomorrow morning Brett and I are getting together with Occasional Nomads reader, Marji and her husband, in Kalaheo for breakfast! I’ve had positively wonderful experiences meeting my readers and I don’t think this will be any different. YaYu’s award-winning essay will be published this coming Thursday – we still have no clue what she wrote, so I’m looking forward to finally getting to read it.
• Thinking of good things that happened: YaYu thinks she did OK on her AP Mandarin exam, and managed to make it through the SAT yesterday morning. I don’t believe in letting these standardized tests define your life, but with the Mandarin test it’s the culmination of over a year of independent study for YaYu, something she was very motivated to do, so fingers are crossed that she does well enough to receive the credit. We put $8.95 into the change/$1 bill jar.
• Grateful for: We have a lovely lanai at this house, something we didn’t have at our first house, and it’s a wonderful place to be able to go in the evening when temperatures start to cool off. The house also has big ceiling fans, and big windows to let in the breezes, so we’re as ready as can be for the summer weather and heat. Brett’s and my bedroom is the coolest in the house too, almost always comfortable for sleeping.
• Bonus question: What’s your blood type? Do you believe your blood type influences your personality? My blood type is AB, the “universal recipient” (I can accept blood from either Type A or Type B). My blood type is pretty rare – I remember being in a large college auditorium once, with over 300 people in attendance for a biology lecture, and I was the only one that raised their hand for Type AB. My dad was also AB, but he also carried a distinctive antigen or something, and was sometimes called in special cases to donate blood, once in the middle of the night. I don’t believe your blood type affects your personality, but this is a big thing in Japan and other east Asian countries – kids have been grouped in school according to their blood type, work teams made up of those with the same blood type, and it’s a question that couples often ask of each other. Actually, some of the characteristics for Type AB fit me pretty well: ABs are very rational and level-headed, and are excellent at planning and organizing. Our moods can be pretty intense at times, but we excel at managerial and educational positions. ABs get along with all other blood types, but can be critical, unforgiving and aloof at times.

That’s a wrap for this week! How was your week? What did you accomplish? What are you looking forward to next week?