Weekly Update

T Smooth, nice pics. I was just hoping we could get some before and after photos of that dog you ate. Just an idea.

Meg and I had a wild week. On Thursday, we went to Disney Sea (not to be confused with Disneyland) after work. It's located right next to Tokyo Disneyland but it's target audience is teenagers and adults. We bought an "After 6 Passport" so we had 4 hours to check things out. Disney Sea is more focused on shows, so there are only 12 or so rides in the whole park. Notwithstanding, we were able to get on 5 or 6 including "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," and everyone's favorite "Indiana Jones." We also ate some Mexican food that was overpriced and undersized, but hey, what can you expect at Disneyland in Japan? On Saturday, we went to a shrine by our house called Jindaiji. One of the big draws to Jindaiji is the soba shops. There are probably around a dozen soba shops lining the streets and each one has the soba-making room brought to the front of the restaurant and surrounded by glass so that people can watch how the noodles are made. We also took a stroll through a Botanical Garden near Jindaiji. Later that day we both felt a fairly strong earthquake. It was the first earthquake Meghan's ever felt. I didn't think it was super strong, but we found out later that the impact in the heart of Tokyo was somewhat significant. All trains stopped and when they started releasing them an hour or so later, they only sent out one at a time. At night, Meg and I went and watched the annual Koganei city "Awa Odori." The "Awa Odori" is a dance that takes place in the middle of August in a place called Kagoshima. Apparently a bunch of people got drunk one time and then went out in the city and started to dance through the streets. From those humble beginnings it is now a famous dance nationwide and millions of people go to Kagoshima each year to watch this spectacle. For some reason unknown to me, the community we live in also holds an annual 'Awa odori' and that's what Meg and I watched. Don't worry, I've got some footage.

Hope all is well with everyone. I'm excited to see and hear from Clint, Michelle, Amy, Mom, and Dad in the near future. Take care.

Alright, I just wiped up a special little treat for all you. Top: last weeks' preparation day activity; A Lotte World extravaganza.(My companion is Elder Stanford on the far right.) Middle: One of the better pictures of me; at the hospital. Bottom: a little snap shot of none other than the sweet dog meat...mmm you can almost taste the goodness. And it's so simple to put my pictures on here!

Buying textbooks

Mike,
in response to your question...yes, before you buy any books I would check with the professor. At the very least you can check the bookstore. They have each class and section number listed with the required texts (Be careful because it's not always 100% accurate). Confirming with a teacher is the best. A good website to search for a book is campusi.com. It searches 40 or so online stores including Amazon and Half.com for the best price. Always use the ISBN number (the number by the bar code on the back of the book) to search for the book so you make sure you are getting the same one. Always read the seller's description before you buy something. Sellers will sell their paperback version of the text with the hardback versions (even though the ISBN is different). Sometimes buying the paperback version of the book isn't a bad idea because you can get it for half the price and sell it online after the semester is over. What I used to do was go down to the bookstore and right down the bookstore prices for all of my books along with the ISBN. Then I would go online and compare prices. If an online book was significantly cheaper and I could guarantee it would be delivered in a timely manner, I went with the online vendor. It sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't. I've saved over $200 in one semester by comparing the two sources and buying cheaper books online so it is definitely worth it. One additional note, when you sell your book back at the end of the semester you can sell the book you bought online back to the bookstore. However, if they tell you they've 'reached their buy back limit' and only offer you a pittance, don't be afraid to sell your book online. A lot of times you'll get more money selling it that way, as the bookstore doesn't offer you market value for your books. If any of this stuff sounds complicated, it shouldn't. Try it out once and you'll get the hang of it. By the time I graduated it was almost like a game to me to see how much money I could save. Good luck!
WFFL,
Brad

Wow this is tuff stuff!

Alright, i made it on. This is a whole lot harder to do when everything is in korean. I ate dog two times in the past week, a lot of it! Like a whole little dog worth of dog meat. They fed it to me because it "helps you recover from surgery". It even smelt like a dog. i like beef better...

What's going on?

Family,
I'm pleased to see that everyone besides Trevor has joined the blog, however, I'm not seeing too many posts. Mish, Clint, Amy, Mom, Dad, can we get a quick update? If y'all have any favorite links or anything that you'd like me to add, just let me know.

Meghan and I enjoyed our three-day weekend. We had a chance to go to Harajuku and Shibuya and hang with the 'young people.' The highlight of the weekend was when we found a pretty nice looking set of five plates and cups with chopsticks for under $30. That may not sound like much, but it was nigh unto a miracle over in the land of over-sized prices and under-sized servings of chocolate cake. We'll be in touch later...

New Design

Mom,

Post the new design (logo??) choices for Dad's optical on the website. Also, did you do a feasability analysis before committing to this project? If not, I may be able to do one for you. Let me know.

Brad

Picture from Japan

Here's a picture from when Meg, her mom, and I went to visit the Sugimoto and Shiraishi families. We all went over to the Shiraishi's for some sukiyaki (the missionaries were invited, too!). Pictures are easy to post. All you have to do is click on the picture icon under the create post section. Then, locate the picture you want to have appear and click upload. You can choose the size, location, etc. you want. Try it out. Let's see some pics.

Bienvenidos, Yokoso, and Welcome (sorry, I don't know Korean)

Fam,

Welcome to the Miner Family blog. Meg and I thought that this would be a fun and easy way to keep in touch with everyone, wherever we may be. Please feel free to post any current events, pictures, updates, articles of interest, or whatever you like. It’s totally free and it’s extremely easy to use. If you have any questions look through the help section on the website (blogger.com) or ask me.

Meg and I are enjoying our time over here in Japan. We didn’t get to celebrate the 4th of July so we’re looking forward to getting this upcoming Monday off for “Umi no Hi” or “Ocean Day.” Meghan gets to go to the grocery store nearly everyday seeing as how our refrigerator is somewhat smallish. Grocery shopping has almost turned into a hobby for her. She enjoys the whole experience, everything from bringing her own grocery bags, not being able to read any of the food labels, bagging her own groceries, and riding home with groceries in hand weaving in and out of traffic on her sweet bike. I honestly have to say that Meg has been a good sport and has really adapted well to the culture over here. I’ve enjoyed my internship thus far overall. However, the last week and a half have been somewhat of a drag because my supervisor has been out of town. He’s back now and I’m hoping things pick up again in the next few days. Meg and I have assimilated ourselves into the ward enough to receive callings: I’m a ward missionary and Meg is (drumroll, please!)…the Primary chorister. We’re both excited about our callings. We attend the missionary Family Home Evening every week and may start attending the English classes as part of my calling. Meg is ready to roll with the primary songs. We’re in good health and looking forward to more excitement over here in Japan.

We look forward to hearing from all members of the family so don’t be shy and give it a try (not a bad rhyme if I do say so myself).

Love,
Brad & Meg