Last Day of the Year 2003--Update

1:04pm--It's a glorious day in DC/Virginia and so I will go out running now. My beloved Bruins again sucked as they lost to the ever ferocious, world dominating Fresno St. Bulldogs--I know that BarbEric hate it when I talk sports, but HEY!, watching sports is a big part of who I am... Anyway, gonna run for about an hour in the neighborhood. See ya'.

2:53pm--Time to take a shower and go shopping. Tonight is New Year's Eve and it's time to buy some toshikoshi soba--lit. crossing over to the next year noodles. Gotta eat it with tempura. Mmmmm. Also gonna get some other stuff folr New Years Day, like mochi (rice cakes) for soup and/or just to roast. Actually I like the roasting better: just dip it in some soy sauce and wrap nori (dried seaweed) around it, although it sometimes feels like tomogui (eating a being of the same genus). So I often wrap it up in pickled cabbage (hakusai) or kimchee, both are excellent. We'll also get stuff for niimono (vegetables boiled and reduced in soy sauce, sake, etc.)--daikon radish, carrots, renkon (lotus root), gobo (burdock?), and others. It's the best. I snack on this for two to three days cuz it's perfect with sake.