Clean Pots

This post is unlike most I have written before but I just had to tell you about my latest discovery!

You may have thought the title was some kind of nifty metaphor, when in fact, it is literally what I want to show you in this post. About a month ago I made homemade popcorn on the stove, burning it once, setting off the smoke detector twice and thoroughly pissing myself off. I vowed never to do it again. That vow took care of the popcorn and smoke detector problem, but what was I going to do about my pot? It was scalded, black, crisp and gross at the bottom. How was I going to make my ever famous pasta with butter and parm???

So I did what any person in 2012 does when they have problem. I Googled.

There were countless home remedies on how to clean a stainless steal pot. Many deeply involved with time and ingredients I didn't have over here in Japan. Though, there was one remedy that kept popping up and seemed simple enough to try, also figuring that even if it went south I couldn't ruin anything more than I had already.

People had swore that boiling laundry detergent in a scalded pot will clean off the gook at the bottom. I had nothing to lose. I reached for my Japanese powered laundry detergent and set to work. Google didn't give me too much detail so I ad libbed. Sprinkling just a bit to cover the bottom, adding about 2 inches of water to start. I turned on the heat and pulled up a chair.

Initially I put the lid on, but soon found, that resulted in the bubbles coming up too fast, potentially causing an overflow. I lifted the lid before it got that far, and upon further examination found that the lid, which also had a layer of film on it, was sparking!I wiped it down with a sponge and ran next door to show Kim. She too was amazed! She was only allowed 10 seconds to oooohhh and ahhhh as I had to get back to babysitting my pots. I walked back in to find the house smelling amazing. I watched now as the bubbles had become more vigorous, working like little sponges to take the grime off the sides of the pot. I was so excited for them to be done. I couldn't wait to see the end result.

After about 15 minutes I dumped the water and was literally blown away at how brand new they looked. Amazing!

Used and Abused.

A Sprinkle of Laundry Detergent.

Boiling.

Boiling Bubbles at Work.

Seconds After Dumping the Water.
The difference already is amazing!

Pain-free Scrub.
I wiped down the pots with a sponge to remove
any left over film from the detergent. 

I can't tell you how amazing it is to have something so dirty come back to life so quickly, and with such little effort! Feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have any questions. If you've been wishing for clean pots, hope this helps!

Sparkling, 

Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: Did Early Christians Practice Birth Control?...from Slate. 

Google Search: Whitney Houston

Tune: I Will Always Love You By Whitney Houston

Accomplishment: Super clean pots!
Obsessions: Green Tabasco sauce and goldfish from the foreign goods store.

30 Days of Photo Fun:The First 10

About a week ago, 10 days to be exact, I took on this challenge. I have had a great time trying to be as original as possible with my pictures, accomplishing the assigned task while adding my own unique touch. I have made it a point not to use any pre-saved photos on my phone. So, everyday I am taking a picture and acting as sole photographer. 

Here are the results of the first 10 days of my photo challenge, let me know your thoughts!

Day 1: Self-Portrait
Tired morning eyes, happy Friday smile.

Day 2: What You Wore Today
There is no un-awkward way to do this...

Day 3: Clouds
Well there weren't any, so I went with the other thing in the sky.
The moon.

Day 4: Something Green
Breakfast of champions.

Day 5: From a High Angle
This is one of my faves.

Day 6: From a Low Angle
Up, Up, Up to the train platform.

Day 7: Fruit
Used in an old elementary lesson.

Day 8: A Bad Habit
I've bitten my cuticles for as long as I can remember.

Day 9: Someone You Love
This is the background on my phone...screenshot!

Day 10: Childhood Memory
Sakka, or as we say it, Soccer

10 of 30,
Kate

To Mom and Dad...

Happy Anniversary!

Wishing you both a very happy 27th wedding anniversay!
Thank you so much for providing me with a loving, stable, home life and showing me what a successful marriage does look like. 

You both have been role models in all you do, and you have done it all very well.

Between watching you both light up when the other came home from work, dad's Friday flowers, Mom's annual Old Spice themed Christmas gifts, family hugs, countless cancer themed doctor's appointments, wound care, trache care, driving your only child up and down the California coast, schlepping her crap from an SF apartment to LA and back again.

It has been an amazing journey.
I am so grateful to have been a part of it.

Love You...A Lot, 

Kate

Newly Refridgerated

About two weeks ago I grabbed my milk out of the fridge only to find that it was somehow warmer than the rest of my house. I did some more investigating and came to find that nothing in the fridge was cold, and in fact everything in the freezer was thawed. Well, crap.

I went to Kim's house to tell her of my latest debacle, and ask if she would use her amazing Japanese skills to explain to our Board of Ed(BOE) that my refrigerator had rebelled against its cooling task. She did, and our BOE said that someone would be out to look at in a few days. The man came, he looked, then asked if I understood Japanese. ''Skoshi dake,'' I replied. It's true, I only understand a little, but I had recruited Kris to sit next to me in case the refrigerator whisperer had something potentially important to say. The refrigerator whisperer turned to face us and said, ''Anatta no reizoko...,'' then paused and made the full arm X. The most undeniable gesture around. It was official, my refrigerator X.  Well, crap. Again. 

I headed back to Kim's.

Sayonara!

Our BOE reported that they were working on it. Between sitting and waiting, I strategically shopped at the grocery store, avoiding most perishable items, stored a few things at Kim's and ate out the rest of the time. Then, Kim got a call the other day from the BOE saying that a man would be by Wednesday to replace it and would I be ready. Well of course!

It's Here!

One...

Two...

Three!

The men, through gestures and Japanese, explained that I wasn't to plug it in until 7pm. They also taped this lovely illustration on the fridge so there would be no questions. They probably could have done without the clock, but thanks for going the extra mile. 

Kim catchin a glimpse.

Ta-Da!

As you can probably gather, I'm a pretty big fan of my new fridge. All modern and sleek. I went shopping last night and bought all fresh veggies and dairy products. I was then, probably more excited than necessary, to organize them in my sparkling clean, beautiful smelling, reizoko.

It was a perfect Wednesday treat. 

Chilled,
Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: California Same Sex Marriage Ban Violates Constitution, Appeals Court Finds...from CNN. Well done CA.  

Google Search: Buffalo Wings in Japan

Tune: Feel So Close to You By Calvin Harris 

Accomplishment: Finding a few excellent, majorly on sale, items from GAP.
Obsessions: New iphone usable gloves...again. Can't get enough of those little guys. Thanks Linds! 

Wonderful Weekend

For whatever reason I had an awesome week last week, and this weekend only topped it off. Full of slightly warmer weather, outdoor runs and fun dinners, I found myself smiling for the better part of the weekend. Here are a few snippets from this past shuumatsu.

[Girls Night Out]
We rounded up a few of our favorite girls, in and around the Kamagaya area, and headed to an izakaya for dinner. Drinking, eating and chatting until the last train called our name.

UK, US, NZ, 日本.

Kampaii.

[Speech Performance]

One of my 3rd year students, Shiho, goes to a private English school once a week in addition to regular school. She invited me to attend the Speech Performance the school holds every year. She spoke a little English then played the guitar with another girl. They did a great job! At the end she came over to say hi, and her mom came over and introduced herself. They were such a lovely family.

Sending A Little Support.

[Night on the Town]

Saturday night we headed to Shinjuku to go to a little bar/club event where a friend was DJ-ing.
This little Californian was faced with the challenge of coming up with a going out outfit fit for the cold. I layered a blazer and pea-coat on top of two shirts, long leggings and flats. Heals weren't happening.
I was thrilled with the result!

Train Travelin.

Saturday Night Smiles.

Hope you all had a great weekend as well!

Feelin Fine,
Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: The World`s Strangest Themed Restaurants...from Slate. 

Google Search: Bread Poultice

Tune: Party Rock Anthem, North Korean Version ...watch the linked video. So worth it. 

Accomplishment: An all around simply great weekend
Obsessions: New iphone usable gloves and these phone cases...both of these courtesy of my good friend Lindsey.

Solo Act

My title here at GoChuu is ALT, Assistant Language Teacher. Starting this past year I work exclusively at my middle school, GoChuu, as the assistant to the English department. I team teach with the three lovely English teachers and we have a schedule that allows me to visit each class in the school one day a week. Because of that A in my ALT title, I don't plan, I don't teach (in the sense you're thinking) and I only sometimes grade papers. I love my school and the teachers I work with, but sometimes I want more of a challenge. I want to teach the kids without any sort of translator there for them to rely on. When I have conversations with the kids in the hall or at lunch, and they are forced to pull up whatever English they have, they can. I just wish it would happen more often.

Yesterday, Namiko, one of the teachers I work with, asked if I would mind teaching two of her Thursday classes by myself as she had to go to a meeting at her daughter's school. Of course I wouldn't mind! I asked her what she wanted them to do, and told her that if she told me I could make the worksheets and do it all. She explained that they needed to practice writing for a big English test coming up. She created the questions, I created the worksheet. We went over some of the details and I was off.

Write, Write, Write.

The kids flipped when I walked in alone. Cheering, loving that it was something different and exciting. I played off their excitement then calmed them down, did go-re(attention, bow; happens at the beginning and end of every class) and broke the news to them that we weren't playing a game. They booed. Sorry guys. I explained simply why Namiko wasn't there, and I could see the confidence on their face when they understood. The class was all in English, with with exception of a few words. The kids strained to listen as I explained the worksheet, going over the questions and what they were asking. Every time I opened my mouth I had their rapt attention, they knew it was all or nothing. It was great. They were to write for the entire class, which after explanation was about 35 minutes. They could talk to a neighbor for help if they needed it, and most of them need it.

A lot of Japan is appearance. If you walk into most classes here, they kids will be silent, head down, writing. But as all of us ALTs have come to realize, when it comes down to it, on the whole, what the kids actually know about a subject is much less than you would think. Though they appear to work way harder than any American class I've seen. In class today, I wanted to give off the vibe that this was fun, they could talk and joke, but they were to write. A few times I did stop them and remind them to write, and they did. They had fun, and joked with me, were silly, but all in all I think produced more work than they do in their normal class.

Question Starters.
Namiko didn't add these when we did the lesson earlier in the day,
I decided to add them as see what happened.
It made a HUGE difference.

In case you were wondering, 14 year old boys are the same the world over.
Look all you want buddy, just keep up that perfect grammar.

Star Student.

The kids were awesome and I think we parted feeling accomplished on both ends.

Flyin Solo,
Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: Area Man Thinks Its Nice They Didnt Put the Prettiest Girl Scouts On The Box...from The Onion. First, you need to know that The Onion is a satirical paper. Second, enjoy your chuckle. 

Google Search: Off House

Tune: Drop in the Ocean By Ron Pope

Accomplishment: A very successful class, despite a massive language barrier
Obsessions: Making the worksheet for the students as explainable as possible

30 Days of Photo Fun

If you have a Pinterest you have probably seen this. Pretty self explanatory. Starting today, my iphone and I are ready for the task. I'll update you along the way! 

Snap, Snap,

Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: A Winter`s Tale: Cold Homes, Poor Lives in Wealthy Japan...from The Japan Times. 

If you live in Japan and feel like you're still outside while in your apartment. READ THIS!

Google Search: The Color Run 

Tune: Fantasy By Mariah Carey...it was on my ipod this morning, I was really into it, I don't know what to tell you...

Accomplishment: Signing up to help with the St. Patrick`s Day Pageant, getting my bike brakes fixed
Obsessions: The puzzle on my coffee table