• 🏫 Leo is officially an elementary school student. We all got dressed up and attended his entrance ceremony – it was a first for both of us. Before entering the school, we received the class list and Leo is in the same class with his good friends from his pre-school (🎉). We immediately left him there and went to the gym where they had chairs setup for parents and students and it was decorated with some nice flowers.
  
  The ceremony itself was short and sweet. They (someone, not the students) sung the national anthem and the Yokohama city song. One thing I really liked was that it wasn't just teachers, parents, and students in attendance. The local neighborhood association heads also attended, which really gives you the sense that education, at least at the primary school age, really is a community thing. 
• 🌸 Cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Yokohama and Tokyo this week. They were later than they have recently, but more inline with when they "should" be blooming. Bonus points for the rain holding off so that we could get  photos in front of cherry blossoms during Leo's entrance ceremony all dressed up with his friends.
  

  

• 🤑 When I lived in the US, while I wasn't into churning credit cards to maximize points / miles, but I at least put everything on a decent card and the miles paid for a number of international and domestic trips. Points on Japanese cards aren't nearly as good, but I know I can do better than the Amazon card and getting Amazon points (that can't be converted to anything). The "best"-ish card seems to be the Marriot Bonvoy AMEX, as you get a free night per year, the points don't expire, and they can easily be converted to miles for any airline. 
  
  Unexpectedly, I was approved! This is the first time I've been approved for a credit card that I really wanted in Japan. It only took me having PR and a gold license to prove I'm a trustworthy gaijin.
• ⛺️ Later this month we have some plans to BBQ with some friends at their house. Leo's quite excited about this and wanted to BBQ at our house tonight...with 5 minutes notice right at dinner time. We came to a compromise that we could eat outside on the balcony. We took out our camp chairs and tables and enjoyed  dinner, just before it got dark.
  
  I must say, it was a nice change of pace. The weather is warm up now days that it's also feasible. It reminded me quite a bit of life during the pandemic as well – finding ways to be outside and socially distanced and just something to break up the monotony. We should do this again...but with twinkle lights!

• ☀️ The weather warmed up significantly in a week with a high of 26 - 27 degrees in Kanto. Perfect weather, but also record heat for March. It caused some cherry blossom trees to panic and fully bloom in a single day. i.e. Morning they were closed and by afternoon they were in full bloom (usually it takes a couple of days).
• 🚲 But that wasn't the case everywhere. I rode my bicycle to Shonandai and back (with Leo on the back 1-way (dropped him off at the in-laws)) and all of the trees along the river/cycle path were yet to bloom. It was perfect weather for cycling.
• 🍞 Since moving back to Japan we've been using our microwave/convention oven combo's toast mode to make toast. It's not exactly the speediest way, but it worked. Leo eats toast for breakfast just about everyday and using this method, but he can't make his own breakfast, he depends on us. So we bought a toaster and it toasts the bread much faster, using less electricity, and it tastes better. Yay toast.
• 🏫 Leo had his first day on his elementary school campus. School starts next week, but this week he is able to attend the afterschool care all day. His start time has moved up by about an hour - instead of leaving at 8:30-ish he needs to be at school by 8ish. Last week he was still slowly eating breakfast, watching cartoons under the kotatsu still in his pajamas at 8am...but first day and he woke up early and immediately went to the toaster to make his breakfast. He left early and had a great time! He was even able to reunited with some of his friends from pre-school who are a year older than him. 💪

Makes me wish I kept my old iBook.

1. Tagged with
2. apple

No you can’t “have it all.” You can have two things, but not three.












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Forget work/life integration for a minute. How much time do you have, regardless of partitioning?
From your 24-hour daily allotment, the 1950s-style break-down is

1. Tagged with
2. productivity
3. life