186 days

Teachers in Oregon only have to work 186 days. Do the math:

365 days a year as a teacher (8 to 9 hour days)

186 days (required for teachers in the State of Oregon)

versus

365 days a year in a "cubicle-style" or any "normal" 9 to 5 job.

260 working days (52x5)

-7 national holidays

-14 days (traditional 2 weeks vacation)

=239 working days

Net difference: 53 fewer days worked...

Plus your breaks get spread out as well with Spring break, Xmas break, summer break and even though you don't get vacation, you still get sick time.

New Thing #97: Carved a Chashaku

At tea class tonight, I carved my first chashaku, or tea scoop used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Sensai's husband has converted their two-car garage in to a wood shop. We used razors to shape the bamboo strips and then sand paper for the fine work. To bend the top, we used candle flame to slowly heat the bamboo but not scorch it. Mine was a little narrow at the top, but all and all not bad for my first wood carving ;)

New Thing #96: Took an HTML Class

At the New Horizons Learning Center in Beaverton, I Took My First HTML Class. It was fascinating. We talked about CSS and of course, how to create web pages in HTML. You can take the class for free again in the first six months, and I plan on doing that because we only covered 75% of the material.

New Thing #95: My First Tea Bowl

Sensai says never buy a tea bowl until you are ready. I've been borrowing one of her Edo-style "rice" bowls until I learned what made a tea bowl good. It's all personal preference really. But there are a few things I was looking for. First, I wanted a bowl with a wide base and high sides. I was looking for one with a nice tea well and a small foot. Also a nice hip and a good proportion. (Even though wabi is beautiful, I wasn't looking for a wabi bowl as my first bowl). So, I bought my first tea bowl today and I was so pleased.

This bowl is an ash glaze. Fired in a wood kiln. The artist, Motoko Hori, added some copper to give the bowl it's distinctive "sea foam" coloring with this fantastic purple look to it underneath. I bought it at a Buddhist bazaar in E. Portland for $30. Considering my teacher told me that most bowls cost $200 to $400 straight from the potter, I felt I was getting something of real quality. Also, I was able to ask the potter her technique and I got something that really resonated with me. It's perfect.

New Thing #94: "Oh Yeah"

My favorite baby-blue toggle sweater that I got from Banana Republic years ago, has finally bitten the dust. It got dribbled soy sauce down it at PF Chang's and it's owner slobbered something down the front of it, which looks like it's permanently stained it. So, per my friend Vicki's instruction who is an expert knitter, I dyed my sweater with Kool-Aid. Mind you, this will only work with 100% animal fibers (also human hair, in case you want to know). It took 25 packs of Blue Raspberry Lemonade (un-sugared... very important) Kool-Aid packs to make this brilliant blue. Only problem was that it wasn't quite dissolved enough before I put in the sweater. So, I'm going to redue it, the same color mind, and put in 35 packs this time and heat it and stir it until well dissolved BEFORE putting the sweater in. Don't heat the water too much or the wool will felt.

After redoing the sweater with 35 packs, it's a lot less splotchy from not being dissolved enough. But, sadly to say, the stains are still visible. But I think they will be less visible and all and all, since I didn't mind wearing it with the stains being visible I don't mind. But I spent like $15 on Kool-Aid. The blue packs are like 3x as expensive as the red packs. If you're going to dye something, dye it red if you want.

New Thing #93: Por Que No Taquiera

I met up with my friend Alanna to do dinner and drinks after work at Por Que No Taquiera on 46th and Hawthorne in East Portland.

I wouldn't recommend it, it cost me $14 for a sangria-style drink and a bean bowl with two flour tortillas! The atmosphere was okay, but there was a line out the door. Ehh, I'll leave that place next time.

New Thing #92: Hosted My First Chakai

I hosted my first chakai, or Japanese tea ceremony.
Location: Portland Japanese Garden's Tea House
When: Saturday, October 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 30 minute walking tour around the garden to follow
Guests: 3, Amanda (first guest), Erin and Vicki
Ceremony: Hirotemai, thin tea
Sweets: peach diafaku sweets from Tokyo, Japan when Kevin and I went
Scroll: "Ichigo, Ichie"
Theme: Autumn Changing Leaves and "Ichigo, Ichie" emphasis
Haiku: A red leaf falling,
settling
into the river,
clings to a green rock.
~Joso
Flowers: bush/shrub seed pod branch paired with small white cosmos in a woven bamboo floor vase arrangement

Summary of Event: Guests arrived promptly. I gave them a little history of the tea room. Pointed out scroll and flowers. They enjoyed the sweets and were so-so on the matcha. Following the tea ceremony, I took them for a walk around the garden and pointed out different landmarks/interesting aspects. The weather was brisk but also sunny and pleasant. The leaves were beginning to fall and they made a wonderful sound when sensai and I were preparing the miziuya.

New Thing #91: Attended a Moon Viewing

I volunteered to help sensai at the Portland Japanese Garden's Moon Viewing event. It was a three-night event, but I helped on the last night. I was privileged to work on the actual night of the full moon. It was a fun event. At the tea room, we did four tea making demonstrations. I did the first one! I did okay. I knew where I need to do better next time. I met many of her Friday night Aikido students. And I had a boy make me tea! It was so neat. I've never seen that before :). I tried some sake and a chicken skewer. I wrote a haiku to the moon and drew a picture and put it on the haiku board. I listened to the musicians play on the authentic instruments (very lovely, btw). The evening got a little chilly at the end but no rain, thank goodness ;)

New Thing #90: Made Thank You Cards

Thank you cards are NOT a new thing for me, I'm very good about sending out prompt thank you cards. For our wedding, I bought 100 blank folding cards and matching envelopes when Paperzone had a sale. Then I stamped them in black ink with "Thanks for everything" on the covers and embossed them. They look really sharp. Very simple, but sharp. I folded them all along their crease marks and put them in a shoe box awaiting to be sent when invitations go out and gifts come in. It will nice to use the left over cards for thank yous through out the years ;). So, I made 100 Thank You Cards.

New Thing #89: Fruit Fly Catcher

There seems to be a theme recently: Firefly, Fruitfly...lol. Firefly was MUCH better then fruit flies, however. Last year, living in this apartment we had an infestation of fruit flies. I kept the kitchen pretty clean too, it just seemed like it was NEVER good enough. So, I made a fruit fly trap with the following ingredients:

One small disposable plastic cottage cheese bowl
1 drop of liquid dish soap (to make it so the flies can't LEAVE the liquid)
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar (yay, I can finally use up that vinegar!)
1/2 cup water (to dilute the mixture)
small, tempting food particles (preferably bananas though anything will do)
Place one bowl in every area where fruit flies are prevalant.
Change solution once a week or as needed.