Days 11, 12, 13

11: Veggie (goya (bitter melon) growing in a field near our house)

12: Color (Owen playing with some 4th of July decorations)

#12: Inside my fridge:
We have a small Japanese fridge (well, small by American standards, large by Japanese standards).  We can't do a lot of "stock up" shopping and since we're getting ready for a vacation, there really isn't much in there at the moment.  

btw, I never realized that storing eggs in the fridge is mostly an American thing.  The eggs here in Japan aren't put in the case by the milk and cheese, the cartons are stacked on a regular shelf.  I've heard refrigerating eggs (and cheese) is simply a cultural difference (plus Americans have big kitchens so we can afford to store eggs in the fridge), that American farmers wash some sort of protective coating from the eggs, and that Americans choose not to vaccinate hens against salmonella.  But whatever the reason for eggs in Japan being kept at room temperature, it must be working out: Japanese cuisine has no qualms about putting raw eggs in dishes.

13: Thirteen things (my finisher medals - technically 15 things)

#13: Earliest memory:

Visiting my baby brother in the hospital in March 1982 (I was about 2.5 years old).  I remember my uncle taking me and looking through a window to see my mom holding my brother (I'm guessing they were in a nursery). A nurse told me I wasn't allowed to go see my brother because kids have germs.  I was angry because adults have germs too but they get to visit!

14: Typography

#14: If I won the lottery:
First, I'd have a lawyer collect so that we'd remain anonymous (don't want a bunch of moochers and beggers to suddenly appear).  Then pay off our current debts (mostly our student loans), set up savings funds for the boys, set aside enough for a tummy tuck, and put the rest in some sort of retirement fund.  Maybe splurge on a vacation for our extended families (complete with babysitters!), maybe buy a new wedding ring.  But mainly just try to keep life as normal as possible.  We're comfortable, so no need to go apecrazy buying sharks with laser beams attached to their heads or anything like that.