As I start pondering more and more my possible return to the Tulsa area, I’ve been poking around Flickr for what people are taking pictures of in the area. I stumbled upon Lost Tulsa and really felt saddened by the point this guy is making: Tulsa is a city full of rich history, but few are willing to take the steps to preserve it. It was the oil capital of the world for goodness sakes! I would really love to take a day and go photograph some interesting angles at Oral Roberts or go show Wooloroc through pictures. Sometimes the stuff of stunning photos is where you spent years trying to get away from.

Sara and I celebrated our 1 year, 9 month anniversary this weekend. I can’t imagine having a better time with a better girl. She truly is much more than I deserve.

We decided to mark the occasion by cooking in my underused kitchen - she made some great Asian dishes and I tried my hand at making some guacamole. Her creations were savory and mouth watering and mine had the consistency of a thick salad and set our mouths on fire. Being the trooper she is, she ate my funny creation and said she enjoyed it - even when I had to grab a glass of milk for each of us to kill the sting.
Not to say we’re a boring couple, but we’ve become increasingly comfortable and low-key. We don’t have to climb mountains like we did on one of our first dates to prove how adventurous and active we are, but she still doesn’t look at me like I’m crazy when I say I want to go take photos of a cemetery. She understands me and I try to understand her (because no man can truly understand women). She puts up with my annoying habits and tendencies and I try to cater to her extreme sentimentality. She’s such a gem that way - very much like my mom.

Thanks for giving me so much Sara-chan. You’re amazing in every way, and I totally don’t deserve you. Even though I say, “I love you,” all the time, please know that I mean it every time.

I made the trek from base to the Lighthouse for the first time since last summer. Before I had a place off base, I’d make that trip on foot 2 to 3 times a week. I pumped up the familiar Ray Lamontagne “Trouble” CD and took in the sites and sounds of Blue Street Even the beckoning of the massagie girls didn’t seems so intrusive. There are still Christmas Lights in all the trees, and the streets stay fairly active well into the night - not something that can be said for anywhere I’ve grown up. Sometimes a stroll through memory lane makes me feel a little nostalgic - even if it is through this dingy, Americanized city. I wouldn’t have it any other way =)

Take a photo stroll with me through the streets of Shibuya - one of Japan’s busiest urban areas.

Ever so often I’m waiting in line at a traffic light when a big pink bus advertising the “Hide” museum pulls in front of me. After several months of wondering who “Hide” was, I did some research and found out a little more about the infamous rocker. Apparently he’s one of the few famous people (Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi being the other) from Yokosuka - so famous that he had his own museum. It was closed for lack of funds, but I’ve always thought it’d be fun to go on a “In Hide’s Foot Steps” photo adventure.

Of course the first step would be finding out exactly where this museum was, which I’m still searching for. If you’re also interested and would like to help me find this elusive rocker, start with some research at his Wikipedia page I think together we can find out more about this interesting Japanese rock star.

Even though we’ve been in port for over a month now, I’m still settling into a daily routine.  Like most people, I’ve rededicated myself to getting in shape, so a daily trip to the gym is a must.  I still go to the Lighthouse on Wednesday and Friday, and I’m playing in the band again, so there’s also Thursday night rehearsals.  On the 23rd I’m going to start a Japanese college course that meets twice a week in addition to my weekly private Japanese lessons.  If I’m not fluent by the time I leave here there’s definitely something wrong.  I might also help organize the Lighthouse band when our leader heads out on cruise.

As I slowly settle into my schedule I realize that I’m not really leaving much time for sleep or anything else.  I have to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready and eat before getting on the road at 6.  Not that I’m that far from base, but after about 6:15 the traffic gets so bad that I’d be late if I left any later.

I really didn’t notice how all of this was getting to me until I started getting the usual winter sore throat.  I’ve kept it at bay by taking cat naps and downing orange juice like it’s going out of style, but I have a feeling it’s going to knock me out of commission soon.  That’s really the last thing I need.  Please keep that in your prayers.  Also, Sara’s already sick so please pray she gets well soon.  The journey from Tokyo to Yokosuka is pretty taxing, so the time between getting to see her doubles when either of us feels too under the weather to make the trip.

In related news, Japanese houses have NO insulation.  I take that back, they may have SOME insulation, but I certainly don’t feel it.  Also, I’m not fortunate to have a warmlet (toilet with a seat warmer) so morning constitutionals are very exciting.  Bryce (my roomate) and I often watch TV in the tatami (Japanese straw mat) room wearing coats, scarfs, beanies and gloves.  Sure, I could run the heaters nonstop, but that would kill the electric bill.  In addition there’s this fun little feature that turns off all power to the house if you use too much electricity.  You then have to make your way to the breaker in the dark to flip it back on.  Last time this happened I was in the shower, mid-rinse.

There are some benefits to a Japanese house - the water is all gas heated, meaning no water heater to run out of hot water.  Also, the tub recirculates the water through a heater to keep it nice and toasty.

The microwave is fun too.  All the controls are in Japanese.  There’s a red button that’s larger than the others that tends to throughly cook food when you press it.  We don’t know how it decides how long or at what temperature, but it always seems to work so we don’t question it.

In other news, we’re having sushi making at the Lighthouse part two tomorrow afternoon.  Should be fun and you know I’ll have my camera.

Sara and I went to Yanaka this Sunday to check out a cool shrine district / cemetery. I took lots of great photos and put them here for your viewing pleasure. Sara remarked that she doesn’t think any of her friends go on dates in cemeteries, haha! That’s just the kind of guy I am.

There’s a lot of character in a Japanese cemetery. First off, it’d be super hard to find long-lost relatives. When you die in Japan you’re given a Buddhist name that really isn’t anything like your original name. Sara said the kanji’s usually portray the deceased as a great person, regardless of if they were or not. I guess that sentiment is the same in America. Never speak ill of the dead. Also, the graves are very compact and squished together. I guess that’s what you get when you have limited space. Finally, there are usually very ornately decorated stones and lots of bright flowers - a playground for photographers.

After visiting the dead, Sara and I tried out a new church called New Hope Yokohama. It was really unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and I LOVED it! It’s a bilingual church that originally started in Oahu, Hawaii. The pastor is a energetic Japanese surfer and the average age of the congregation is about 25. The messages are very straight forward and easy to understand, something that Sara can really grasp as she’s learning more about Christ. We’re both looking forward to visiting there again in the future. Good things.

At the lighthouse we’ve been going over the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 3.  Tonight we went over John’s letter to the church in Philadelphia (not where the 76ers play!).  Here’s what stuck out to me:

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

-Rev. 3:8

First off, God knows everything we do.  That should instill a little bit of fear, like maybe we should correct how we’re living, but it should also comfort us to know that He knows what we’re going through.

I had a coworker come up to me the other day, and asked if I’d pray about his situation.  He’s kinda known as a player who’s not remorseful for his ways, and I asked him if he’d prayed about it.  He replied, “Well, I’m not anywhere near as good a person, plus I want to make sure God hears it.”  This is SO backwards.  I told him that I’m not any better than him, and that we’re all sinners.  I just said I’m a sinner who’s made peace with what I am.  I told him that God always hears him if he prays and that whatever his situation, God knows about it in the first place.  There are no secrets with God.  As nice as that all sounds when I post it here, I REALLY doubt he’ll be changing his ways.  Oh well, all in God’s timing.

Secondly, “See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”  That’s awesome to know that the door of salvation Jesus opened for us isn’t one that can ever swing closed.  He’s not saying, “I put the doorstop in, so you should be good.”  He’s saying, “I’ve taken the door clean off the hinges so there can never be anything blocking you from eternal life with me.”  That’s amazing.

Thirdly, someone brought up that just as Jesus opens some doors, some are shut and are meant to stay that way.  So many times people think they’re headed down the right path, just to find a shut and locked door.  We shouldn’t beat our heads against it until it opens, we should find our way back to His open doors.

Finally, “I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”  Isn’t it great to know that if we stay the course and don’t deny Him He’s going to give us the strength to carry on?  Reliance on Him is the first thing we should all be focusing on this New Years.
Also, Sara and I are going through a real spiritual awakening.  I really ask for your prayers as we go through the growing pains.

The higher-ups on Kitty Hawk were nice enough to give us hardworking Sailors two four-day weekends, so I’ve had the opportunity to bum around Oppama, spend time with Sara, and take a few photos.

I finally took some shots I’d been wanting to take for awhile. First, I wanted to show how hilly my little town is. I kinda live in a valley, and on all sides there are houses standing on nearby hills. I think it’s funny how you can be next-door neighbors to someone who lives 60 feet higher than you.

Second, the Japanese tend to let houses stand until they literally fall over. Only then do they build something new, and usually it’s the type of structure that’s not meant to last. There’s a lot of really old houses around me.

Check out more photos on my Flickr Site.

Sara and I went out for lunch at little beef bowl (gyudon) place called Matsuya right by my place. We started talking photography and I realized that I should start putting together a portfolio now in case I choose to pursue a career in photography. There’s interesting things to take photos of everywhere in Japan. I’m going to start carrying my camera with me everywhere I go, or at least more than I already do.

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In case you were wondering what I did for New Years, I spent the night on USS Kitty Hawk standing duty. It wasn’t all bad though - At midnight, me and all other duty personnel went up to the flight deck and watched fireworks over Yokosuka Harbor. All the ships blew their horns and the Japanese ships across the bay turned on Christmas light outlines that covered their ships. Unfortunately, this was one of the few times I didn’t have a camera on me. =/

What’d everyone else do for New Year’s?