Weekly Wrap-Up

Another thing SMS is good at!

This past week was a little busier with after-work events than usual.  On Tuesday, SMS and I went to the Spouse Association's Cooking Club where we were taught how to make crepes.  One of the doctors at the hospital has a professional crepe set-up.  It looks like a DJ's double mixers but instead of turntables, he has crepieres!  He was a missionary in France for two years and learned a lot about French culture including, lucky for us, crepe-making!  It was a small group and excellent company.  We had great food and conversation and SMS enjoyed ourselves a lot!

SMS, all tricked out with his gear!

On Wednesday, SMS and I hung out at home and took several pictures for SMS' newest lighting project.  It's projector lighting with a projector image incorporated into a portrait photo with very technical lighting.  It was so much fun to see SMS' thought process in action and I was glad to help.  I took most of the pictures but under SMS' tutelage and direction.  It felt a lot like being a junior resident operating with a staff surgeon!  I hope the film pictures I took worked out focus-wise.  I'm fairly sure they did but we'll see after they're developed!

Can you see me?  I'm outside looking in!

Thursday was the host nation conference hosted by the JSDF hospital.  It was a three-part event.  First, we toured their hyperbaric chambers and saturation diving submarine rescue modules and simulators.  It was an impressive facility.  The human physiology behind it is absolutely amazing.  To get people to withstand 600m depths, it takes 72 hours to increase the pressure and 3 weeks to allow for ascension!  That is a long time to remain in those small capsules!

Part of our group around the hyperbaric saturation chamber.

After the tour, we heard two excellent lectures followed by a small reception.  The food was delicious and we were treated to small samples of three excellent sakes, including one that the Emperor drinks for his health!

Last night, I went to my favorite Yokohama wine bar in Motomachi.  World Wine Bar is on the main shopping street and a really fun place to go.  At this point, my friends and I have been there enough (with each other and with other groups) that the English speaking waitress Shinozaki-san
recognizes us and remembers are preferences (full-bodied reds in case anyone was wondering!).  We hung out for awhile and then left to grab some food in Yokohama station before heading home.  Although I missed SMS with two nights in a row of activities, I was glad to hang out with my friends for some ladies' time.  I have met such wonderful people here but I don't see my friends enough due to all of our crazy travel schedules in addition to call and duty obligations.  For example, one of the women I hung out with last night is leaving today for Thailand.  It's so fun to be friends with so many dynamic, adventurous people but the downside is not seeing them enough!

By the way, HAPPY PI DAY!  3.1415, time to party.  We're having several people over tonight so today's plans involve setting up, going for a run and relaxing until this evening.