• The Week #311

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    • 🛝 Leo had a field trip to Children's Nature Park nearby in Asahi-ward and he liked it so much we went again on the weekend. What an incredible park, absolutely massive. I had seen it on maps for years, but never went because it was usually the middle of summer and existing outside in summer in Japan is sub-optimal at best. The park is so large and green you can't even tell you're in Yokohama any longer. Seems like a fantastic place to go for a run.

      We rode down a big rolly slide that cuts through a playscape. Afterwards we went to the small...petting zoo? It wasn't really a "petting zoo" petting zoo, but for a 10 minute block, we'd sit in our assigned space and they brought out a basket with a guinea pig that we could pet. 
    • 🇬🇧 As part of Leo's intensive English class this summer he had to take a short online speaking placement test. 3 minutes before he started writing down what he was going to say in katakana so he didn't forget. He was able to answer a few of the questions, and but he seemed to go blank when they used the word "describe" (not a word that I use very often with him). So while he'll likely go to the beginners class, the tl;dr is that they're going to re-test on the first day. But this experience has been huge for Leo's motivation to learn and use English. Immediately afterwards he was like "I need to write a book to show how good I am". So we'll see if we can surf this wave for a while.
    • ⌚️ I splurged and picked up a Casio GBD-200 after thinking about it 4 months or so. It's halfway between a regular G-Shock and their full-needs-charging-every-couple-days smart watch. I settled on the GBD-200 rather than a G-Shock with multiband-6 or similar because I wanted the super-legible memory-in-pixel display, big easy to press buttons and multi-timezone support. The fitness tracking (step counter and run tracker (without GPS, unless paired with your phone) are bonuses. Is what I wanted to write, but the seller on Amazon has not shipped it for whatever reason (and hence has missed the 2-day prime).

  • The Week #310

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    • ☀️ I signed Leo up for an intensive English class this summer. It's only a week, but it will be full of kids like him. Classes in the morning and activities in the afternoon. I am quite curious to see how much progress can be made in short, intensive sprints.
    • ☕️ Many moons ago when we were at T-Site Shonan, I remembered seeing a kid with his dad at the Starbucks and I looked forward to that day coming. And for the past couple of years it seemed like it wouldn't. But try hard enough and it does. We got to spend a solid 30 minutes together drinking coffee and reading. Sometimes dreams do come true.
    • 📖 I started reading The Engineering Executive's Primer, which has been good. I feel like I should have read it a year ago, but better late than never. It also feels like one of those books I am going to read through once, then skip back and reference the relevant parts as things crop up.
    • 🍿 Leo's taken after me and start popping his back and everything he can. I think it's hilarious. My wife, not so much.
    • ⌚️ Since switching back to my Casio G-Shock, I've been on the fence about upgrading to one that has solar/multiple timezone support. I still haven't decided, but was at Bic Camera (again) so decided to browse. While looking I remembered that I have a theory that, perhaps one thing that could help Leo with time management would having the time in a digital form with him would help because it's easier to read. And if it looked like Dad's watch, he would be more willing to wear it because kids tend to emulate their parents.

      Unfortunately he's too small for me to "just" upgrade and him have my old watch. And the G-Shocks for kids were a bit much, especially as I can imagine him not wanting to wear it once he realizes it says "Baby G" on it. I settled on a Casio F-91W for a cool ¥1,500 ($9.37/£7) and it seems to be working?! I showed him how to use the timer. Then without prompting when running home from a friend's house he timed himself. And we used it to see how long it takes to do kanji homework. If only they allowed kids to wear watches to school....

  • The Week #309

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    • 😩 I made this post on time, but rushed when hitting save and forgot to move it from Draft to Published. 308 weeks without missing a Tuesday and I didn't realize until almost 311. I've edited the timestamps so it appears in the correct order.
    • 📓 Leo had school on Saturday and we could observe a couple of classes. Rather than regular classes, his schedule that day were... I don't know what, but I'm mixed. I loved seeing the games they built designed, but also I would have loved to see an actual academic class. This said, thanks to the chaos of it all, I was able to chat with the other foreign dad and exchange LINEs. Only took us 3 years of being in the same class to you know... talk to one another.
    • 🎶 Arashi, a popular boy band in Japan, disbanded and had their last live at Tokyo Dome after 26.5 years. I watched part of it and they know how to put on a show. While I don't listen to them regularly, they do have some catchy songs and their music is everywhere. Huge success, but equally impressive is you don't often see a group stay together for that long, let alone with the original members. Props. 👏
    • 🗣️ Boyo has been speaking a bit more English. And for the first time he's actually said can speak English. This is a huge shift from his previous stance of "I don't know English", despite being able to understand movies and everything I tell him. Bit-by-bit we'll build his confidence in his abilities.

  • The Week #308

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    • 🩺 We went to a local university festival and it was a lot of fun. It's not a regular festival (though there is yakisoba!) as there are a lot of educational / experience opportunities and the money you do pay (when required) acts as a donation. The first big standout thing we did this year at the Yokohama medical association where Leo and I got to wear the white doctor's coat, then practice our electrocautery skills on an eggplant.
    • 🫨 The second standout thing was this big earthquake simulator truck. Inside the truck they had a table and 4 chairs setup, then they play the earthquake alert noise and it starts shaking like a shindo-7 quake. Because it's a simulator it's not scary at all, but if one that big came out of nowhere it would be quite frightening.
    • 🤖 I decided it's time I start really using the family computer for programming and such and installed OpenCode + local models to learn, but also start getting things done on Tanzawa again. It's an older model so it's not quite as useful as the new ones, but it is fun to look at activity monitor, see the ram completely filled, and hear the fan turn on on the otherwise silent iMac.
    • ☕️ It's getting quite hot lately and the AC unit at the jikka is old and undersized – a winning combination for keeping cool. I went with my FIL to Fujisawa to check out some new ones. Good news is we decided and it's done. Bad news is it won't get installed until July. Hopefully the current one doesn't break before then... Afterwards we got a coffee and had a chat – I always enjoy these catchups and learning what it was like growing up in post-war Japan with enough siblings to field a baseball team.

  • The Week #307

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    • ☀️ It's the middle of May and it's already 30 degrees out. The few short weeks of spring are never long enough. At least it's still cool in the mornings and at night.
    • 🏨 One of my credit card rewards is a free night stay at a hotel. That free night was about to expire, so rather than let it expire I booked a guy's night at a hotel in downtown Yokohama for me and Leo. The overall day was a huge success but....
    • 🏊 The hotel's website says they have a fitness center and a pool. Naturally, I assume this means we can use the pool, there's no restrictions or anything written on their website – not even on the pool detail page. I tell Leo there's a pool and we bring our stuff. We arrive and... no kids are allowed in the pool. I know it's a losing battle, but I had to express my deep disappointment (politely) because we literally stayed at the hotel because they had a pool. Their logic was that because the rules are written for the fitness center, and you have to enter the fitness center to get to the pool, the rules apply to the pool and it should be obvious.  I get why they would want to limit it to older kids and agree it's probably the right call given the setup, just make it explicitly clear on your website or include a map so you can maybe deduce that it might be an issue. It felt like a very Japan-logic and the entire experience has me considering dropping Marriot for IHG.
    • 🎡 Not to let no pool get in our way, Leo and I went off to Minatomirai to have fun at Cosmo World. And as soon as we arrive I look at some of the rides – they aren't moving... and is that plastic covering the seats?!. And there's a construction crew?! After no pool, I can't do Cosmo World being closed for renovations.
    • 🎢 But it turned out only half of the park was closed and not the area where we wanted to go. 😮‍💨 Leo worked up the courage and we rode the long ride together 🙌🏻 I wish they sold photos of of the drop like most places do as I would have bought one – feels like they're leaving money on the table.
    • 🎤 We saw some 2-seater karaoke booths. Literally like a  large phone booth with a Karaoke machine shoved in it. Even better it's pay as you go, ¥100 per song. After dinner we dropped by and Leo sang We Gotta Power, the 2nd theme song for Dragon Ball Z and he smashed it. All in all, a successful guy's night and I look forward to doing it again.

  • The Week #306

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    • 📈 I noticed a few tech stocks (Digital Ocean, Intel) that I bought a few years ago that almost immediately went underwater have not only come above water, they've doubled. I generally don't like to hold too many individual stocks (it's a bit like gambling), so I took this as an opportunity to sell and buy my usual index funds.While they could (especially Intel) continue to go up long-term, I'd rather keep it boring.
    • 🎶 I've been listening to a lot of Deki Alem, the spiritual successor to The Prodigy. Nothing but bangers. My favorite song thus far is Fun. Random Instagram posts are delivering some good recommendations.
    • 🍿 We went and watch the Mario Galaxy Movie. Leo saw it twice (Japanese, then English) and liked it more in English (🎉). While I enjoyed the cameos of other characters from the Nintendo universe, I think I enjoyed the first movie was better. My evaluation of the movie isn't helped that I was really struggling to stay awake towards the end (jet lag really kicking in).

  • The Week #305

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    • 🇯🇵 A week after flying halfway across the world, I am back in Japan. Before my flight I've hung about in the lounge for bit. Being able to shower before the flight does make a large difference in comfort by the time you get off the plane. The flight back itself was pretty good: I had an aisle seat (as per usual) and there was nobody in the two seats next to me, I watched Immediate Family, a documentary about the session musicians (that also toured) with the whose who of rock-n-roll, and while flying over China, I saw a huge wind farm in the dessert. Also I think I've flown this route often enough / with the same airline that I'm starting to recognize some of the flight attendants.
    • 🏙️ One night after work we went to the most English looking pub in the city. When we left there were so many people out enjoying a pint the spring weather that crowds standing in front of each pub spilled over into each other forming one big group. Thursday is the big going out night it seems.
    • 🏃‍♂️While I am still explicitly running not trying to care about pace or anything other than total duration, I ran a second time in what was almost my fastest 5k. For whatever reason it feels easier to run in London. Maybe it's the cool weather and that it's fairly flat? Maybe it's all of the other runners out and about? Maybe it's just enjoying the paths and views from along the Thames? Who knows. Either way, it's always fun.

  • The Week #304

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    • 🇬🇧 I am in the UK for a short trip for work. It's good to be in these timezones and spend time with my team. The weather has also been really good, such that I continue to believe that the weather isn't as bad as they say it is in London. Or maybe I just time it right, every. single. time.
    • ✈️ On the plane I spent most of the time listening to music and watching the world go be underneath us. I really enjoyed flying over Alaska and Canada seeing the ice. Not normally something you get to see.
      Ice sheets from 30,000 feet

      The remainder of the time I spent watching 2 films: Nuremberg and Rental Family. Both are really good films and I recommend a watch. Maybe don't watch the former on an airplane if you have the option. However, it is important that was face these realities with eyes-wide-open.
    • 🏃 The London marathon was on Sunday and the city was a buzz. My hotel was full of runners carbbing up beforehand and I loved seeing all the runners and supporters around town all day long. I too went for a run, but it was only 5km. Amazing to think that the winner won it in less than 2 hours and it looked like he had some left in the tank as he crossed the finish line.

  • The Week #303

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    • 🩻 My upper back was wicked tight for a while so I finally gave in and went to the massage and chiro (sounds like those kfc and taco bell locations). The massage did the trick and I feel like the crunch may have also helped? Less convinced there 🧐. But it did make me realize that when I WFH I spend a lot of time looking left in some way or another so I am facing the camera in my laptop. Getting an actual camera that mounted to the top of my external monitor would probably be better for my posture and such at work.
    • 📚 More for last week, but I finished reading Feel Good Productivity. It was an easy read, but mostly I finished it because I started it. Biggest take away? Maybe just reminders when you're having trouble getting started on something it's usually because there's a lack of clarity what, why, or when for the tasks, figuring that out gets you going. Usually.
    • 📖 Next up I've started reading Die with Zero. I think I like the idea of thinking about dying with a whole bunch of money a waste of our labor. Rather than saving as much as we can for dividends/growth in our accounts, experiences while we're young/able also pay dividends over time, but in terms of memories. Also I looked up when the US gov thinks I'll croak and by their numbers I'm at about the halfway point, which is sobering. I'm still aiming for 100 though. Not going to let the man keep me down.
    • 👨🏻 I discovered an Italian disco group Mind Enterprises. The 'stash... hell, the entire look is cool as hell. Check it. Suddenly find myself wanting a negroni. 

  • The Week #302

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    • 📚 School is back in session and Leo is officially in the third grade. Second grade was really hard for all of us, so we hoping that this new year (and more importantly a new teacher) enables a better school life. Only 4 days in, but so far it's looking to be the case. Even Leo has noticed (and expressed) that his feeling has changed and something feels different inside him. So far things are looking up.
    • 🏙️ Work moved offices. We're not far from our old location – in the building directly across from our old one. It's so high up we have to ride two elevators to get there, but the view is great. It's only been a day, but the vibes are (good) different. I'm looking forward to working with the team in this new space.
    • 🖥️ Appropriate icon – after nearly 22 years I bought a desktop computer. Not for myself but for the family (nice story, right?). I settled on a refurb 10 core M4 iMac with 24GB ram and 512GB storage in green. Desktops are soo good. The screens are large. They're always "charged". And they're always in the same location so it can become a place you do a task.

      Why now? Why a desktop? It comes down to 3 goals with a family computer: basic computer literacy, learn how to use computers as a tool for creating, more/easier to limit and less addicting than an iPad.

      Re: Computer literacy – My wife works at a university and the incoming students don't know how to use computers. They have no idea what a folder is or how to create them. You can do a lot on your phone, but it's no replacement for understanding how the machines that run society work. Not having that mental model in your head makes the world seem like magic, rather than something you can actually change.

      Re: Using computers for creating – Leo's mentioned wanting to learn Scratch again. You can't really use Scratch on an iPad – they're too small, the UI is fiddly, it's designed for non-touch devices. Learning how to use Scratch will teach the foundations of programming, but more important the analytical thinking skills.

      Re: Limits and easier to limit and less addicting than an iPad – I think this one is pretty self explanatory. iPads encourage consumption (not that they can't be used for creation, but they encourage it) and I don't want my kid to become an iPad kid. Screen time seems to work a bit better on macOS in terms of locking down apps, allow-listing websites, and the like. And because it is a desktop in the living room, there is no sneaking off with it and hiding with it. i.e. It's easier to monitor usage.

      That's my working theory anyways, we'll see if it works in practice.
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