Month: April 2026

Once again Ben found a feed of the Japanese New Year’s program Kōhaku Uta Gassen. It has musical performances from K-pop and J-pop groups as well as kooky cultural traditions and shout-outs from different regions of the country. Sam got to hang out with us while Jack went to a sleepover.

The next day was a simple celebration at home for Ben’s 45th birthday. I tried to make Miyeok-guk, the traditional Korean birthday seaweed soup. It was not great. Not sure if I messed it up or it’s more of an acquired taste. Ben has really gotten into cooking over the past couple years and his skills with Asian flavors and techniques surpasses mine. I don’t have a picture, but I think I made his usual Italian Cream cake for dessert. It was a pleasant, relaxed day at home together.

My assigned winter holiday shift was Thanksgiving this year. I decided to celebrate at home the day prior, so we had a traditional full dinner on Wednesday!

It totally warmed my heart at work to received this video and picture of the Christmas tree being set up.

Here’s some daily life pics from Nov-Dec 2025. Somehow they got mixed up in order, so never mind that! I’m trying to catch up on a lot of journalling and I can’t be bothered!

The far kitchen cabinet had been a little crooked for a long time, but in November if suddenly sagged farther. I guess I overloaded the cabinet for what a drywall anchor can handle, because it started ripping off the wall. Ben and I disassembled a few cabinets. I decided to repair it by cutting down the cabinet so it will fit entirely on the support bracket. I learned about drywall patching and did my own paint matching to cover the tears. I took the Ikea cabinet apart and built it up again as a single cabinet and a shelving unit using the old parts. Had to trim the soffit and do other annoying tweaks too. It turned out pretty good in the end, but what a headache!

Last fall Jack performed in the pit orchestra for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” It was unusual for the director to choose a fall musical instead of a play. This production was especially fun for him because the pit got to be on stage. They created a very small orchestra and he got to wear costume and make-up. He said it was great fun to get to watch the show at the same time – a lot less than boring than the dark black pit.

I got Jack’s permission to share some photos he took during the show’s run. His POV is fun.