Apartment Ceremonies Lead to TCU Horned Frog Ransom Project

We have just moved to another apartment. To do that, we had to have a "closing ceremony" with the old apartment managers... to decide how much of a cleaning fee we have to pay. The Japanese are meticulous about cleanliness. I decided that there was NO WAY they were going to find a spec of dirt in our apartment...and they didn't. The shock on their faces was worth every scrub. They even ask me what brand of cleaning solution I used on the floor. I imagine I was the first Westerner in the history of US/Japanese political relations to avoid paying a cleaning fee. I loved all those bows I got for my clean apartment. I really wish my family would bow when I clean the house. In fact, I want two bows if I cook dinner.

When a lease is signed for a new apartment, there is also a "signing ceremony." We were served a cup of tea at the beginning and a cup of tea at the end. Then we took our Australian property locater out for lunch. We ended up at a nearby Chinese restaurant...which is right across from the "love" hotel (more about "love" hotels later).

The special that this restaurant serves is the "sword" cut noodle....available on Sundays only....you can tell a "sword" cut noodle from a regular noodle because the "sword" cut noodle is all ragged on the edges - kind of like it's been hacked to death by a Samurai who had a hangover from Saturday night. The noodles were delicious...but then....I looked at the gallon bottle on display near my table...It was filled with a beautiful, golden liquid... along with what looked like a flattened Texas road-kill, horny-toad floating in it. OK, I thought, maybe it's part of someone's kinky global warming project... The giveaway was the spigot. For a price, you can imbibe in horned-frog liquor. Well, if you're from Texas, you know that the Horned Frog, or Horny Toad as it's known to the locals, is the mascot of Texas Christian University. This is a huge deal!!! I am therefore putting together a "ransom fund" to free the little guy. Please send your cash to my paypal account. When I get enough money together, I'll change my name and head for the Bahamas ... opps, I mean I'll fly him back to Texas and release him to the biology department at TCU.

Back by Popular Demand...The TexZen meets Tokyo

Sorry to all my faithful readers...I have been in a meditative Zen state for the last few months...wondering about the sound of one hand clapping...actually, I have been in the process of moving to a new apartment.....