I just got the bad news. 40-21. What a disaster. I haven't even read the article. I just saw the score. Oh well. Guess the Texas Tuna still has a bit of work to do. Reality is that he's obviously done a great job and you can't expect a 100% turn around inside one year. 8-3 is much better than I think any optimistic Cowboy fan could have hoped for at the beginning of the season. Anyway, life goes on.

Not one of you emailed me on my favorite holiday of the year. What's the matter? Too stuffed to move? Too drunk to turn on the computer? Too busy? Yeah, well, I'll remember this. I did get one email from one of Amy's (now my) friends, so he's still on the good list.

It is Saturday and it is raining and it is a bit cold so Amy and I are watching a game I recorded on Thursday night. San Fran vs. Green Bay. 3rd quarter, Packers up 17-3. Good defense by them. After the game we will go brave the weather with Dilek (she just called) and go get lunch and visit the old hyaku (100yen) store. I need a pot for the new big plant I got and Amy needs clay for something she's doing for one of her classes. Hyaku yen stores are great!

Tonight there is a "Thanksgiving" dinner being put on at a small restaurant in town. Starts about 9pm and it is all you can eat AND DRINK for 3000yen and I think it lasts three hours. My buddy James is coming up to the city and staying the night here at my place so Amy might be in for a bit of a loud evening.

9ers just scored. 17-10 now.

Oh, get this. Last night Dilek, Amy and I headed into Kofu to go eat....yup...you guessed it....HOTO! Mmmmm....hoto. So anyway, we were walking home, I had a small bottle of sake I was drinking and the girls were talking. We were taking the normal route home which takes us down a quite narrow little street. Well, it was pretty dark but quite suddenly, and I think all at once, we noticed a Labrador puppy (about 4 months old) sitting under the rear of a car, leaning up against the back tire and only about 2 feet off the street. He looked at us and we stopped and looked at him and then Dilek couldn't control herself anymore and started doing the "high-pitched, I'm-a-woman-and-I-love-puppies-and-kittens-and-now-can't-control-myself-anymore" voice. So, of course, the puppy comes running out to her and she bends down and pets and squeaks at it and the world was a happy place. Except that I was thinking, "Uh-oh, now how we gonna get rid of the puppy cause he will try to follow us home?" So, of course, the puppy sees how nice Dilek is and then makes the rounds to Amy and me and we all pet it and say, "Konbanwa" ("good evening" in Japanese as the thing has probably never heard English in its life). So after a few minutes of pets and kisses and loves we decide to move on and obviously the puppy starts to follow us. Now what?!
So then Dilek asks if we thought she should ring the doorbell of the house. We agreed that she should (she speaks Nihongo), so she did. As we were waiting for the people to come to the door Dilek said to us, "I'm trying to remember what I should say." It's not everyday over here that a CIR uses words like puppy, loose, or following us I presume. Well, unfortunately there was no answer. So now what?!
Well, while Dilek had been waiting at the door I noticed a small long space between the side of the house and the large fence and noticed that at the end that led into the carport there were a few large bricks piled up in what looked to me to be an attempt at a puppy escape proof barrier. So I told the girls that I thought we should just dump the puppy over the barrier and get the hell out of there. "So who's gonna do it?" we asked each other. Somehow it was then decided that I would be the one. So "ok", I pick up the thirty pound beast, carry it around the car while its moaning and whining, and drop it on the other side of the short wall. But, at exactly the moment I dropped the poor thing, a lady comes out of her house from across the street asking in Japanese about a puppy. "Oh shit," I think, "I just dropped the pup in the wrong yard!" I felt terrible and was hoping that 1--she knew her neighbors, and that 2--there wasn't some big mean dog already back there that might tear the puppy apart. But almost as quickly as all this went through my brain the lady told Dilek that no, it is their (her neighbors') dog and that it has been getting out lately as it's grown bigger. So all my fears were just subsiding when who comes running out of the carport and back towards us? Yes, that's right...our furry little friend!
So now the old lady (who was very friendly) picks up the pup and goes to ring the doorbell, but again there was no answer. So she puts the puppy down while Dilek and her talk a little, the puppy then runs over to me, and the next thing I know I am following the lady down the other side of the house to put it behind a much larger makeshift wall. So she and I put the puppy down, and then she reaches over the wall to give it a few wacks on the head (not too hard, mind you); I think this was just in an attempt to discourage the puppy from wanting to come out.
So with the little guy put away we talked to the lady a little more, she told us to come back sometime, and we got out of there quickly before the pup might get up the nerve to try another escape. Fun, aye?

Ok, 9ers lost 20-10. Amy's happy. And we got to go.