kimberly ah

May 15 2020

Okinawa Part 3: Orion Beer

This day was the highlight of Naoto’s trip, can you tell? It’s called Orion Happy Park for a reason! We were scheduled for the first tour of the day and we totally lucked out–we were the only ones on our tour! We felt so fortunate, as the next tour was packed. Before going on the tour, we spent some time in the little Orion museum. I love looking at old packaging, so it was neat to see how the Orion cans and bottles have changed over the years. There is nothing better than a retro label–I especially loved the cherry blossom editions. We started by learning about the grains used in Orion beer. Naoto was a very involved student, asking a lot of questions of our personal tour guide.

We learned a little bit about the science behind the brewing process, like when the mixture actually becomes alcohol. This display shows how many cans Orion fills in one minute. Isn’t that crazy?!

The bottling and canning processes were so interesting. I’ve been on a few brewery tours and I always love watching the bottles get filled and topped and labeled.

This part made me so happy and also felt so Japan. The floor of the factory is blue, like the ocean. The crane is pink, the color of coral. And the walls are painted the color of the sand. The factory celebrates Okinawa in every way.

After the tour, we were able to go to the tasting room to enjoy a sample. I don’t drink beer, but they had a delicious bottled tea.

Oh and the ORION SNACKS!! It’s peanuts and rice crackery things covered in a mix of almond cheese, turmeric, curry, chili, onion, and garlic powders, paprika, pepper, soy sauce, beer yeast, sugar. They are so crunchy and good. I’m not a huge curry person, but these are just a perfect little drinking snack. We bought a big bag of them in the little snack-sized portions like you see above. We’re almost done with them and we’ve been looking for more here in the US to no avail. Sigh…guess we’ll have to go back to Japan someday for more.

I think Naoto would toast to that!

Tagged brewery tour, Japan, Okinawa, orion beer

May 14 2020

3 Comments

Dispatches from Home, snail mail, typewriters

Dispatches from Home Part 6

April showers bring May blog posts…eventually. May has been so busy! April flew by, and May is doing the same. Everything is kind of nuts right now. At work, we are finally moving back to our building. It’s still all kind of in flux because permits are taking longer since many offices are still shut down in Illinois, but most likely, we’ll be all moved into our office by the end of the month. It’s SO exciting. We went furniture shopping this week and I got to see the office today! I’m not sure what June will look like, since I’m sure we’ll still be doing a combination of working from home and going into the office, but it will feel so good to finally get settled into my space. National Card & Letter Writing Month went out with a bang–I sent out 37 cards and letters and I am still going strong with letter writing in May. Still poking through my vintage postage collection. These strong women ones are some of my favorites. Naoto brought home two bouquets of peonies this week. The pink ones at the top are just now opening and the coral ones turned white and are almost spent. They motivated me to clean my desk and to work there more so I could enjoy the flowers. It really is the little things… The first weekend in May was so perfect! (It frosted and snowed the following weekend, but we don’t have to talk about that!) We were able to shop for flowers for our lanai and we spent almost all day Saturday outside planting, reading, and playing cards until we couldn’t see anymore. Naoto learned Uno and proceeded to beat me at it all night. Beginner’s luck!

I hope you are doing well! I feel like the longer this goes on, the more lax people are getting… I am happy to stay home because it’s so tiring being out, remembering a mask, remembering not to touch your face, remembering to stay 6 feet away… Plus with Naoto’s job, I still feel like we’re both at risk, or at risk of being carriers, so it’s just best that I stay tucked away for awhile longer.

Tagged card games, COVID-19, lanai, stay home, uno

Apr 22 2020

1 Comment

Office Supplies, philately, snail mail, vintage, Write On

Write On Check-In

How is everyone’s letter writing coming along? As of today, I’m ahead of the curve and hoping to finish strong. The last week is always the hardest because I’m either behind or desperately losing steam. (But it’s not like I don’t have extra time right now!) I’ve been having a lot of fun with rubber stamps and vintage postage this month. I love a good stamp collage, themed or not.

In a huge mail fail, I was in a rush to get a birthday card out to my coworker on Saturday morning and I forgot to put a stamp on it. Oops. I couldn’t resist ordering some pandemic cards from Dear Hancock earlier this month, even though I’m still making my way through my greeting card collection. Does anyone have enough self-control to not buy more cards and stamps even though you have plenty at home?

Tagged letter writing, mail art, National Card and Letter Month, snail mail, vintage postage, Write On

Apr 20 2020

2 Comments

Dispatches from Home, Forest Park, Forest Park, Oak Park

Dispatches From Home Part 5

How’s everyone doing? I know some places in the US and beyond are opening up a little bit. I can’t imagine how nervous I’m going to feel when that starts happening here. Right now, we’re still staying home with no end in sight. I’m sure a slow opening is coming sometime in May…probably towards the end of May, but hey, what do I know? Last week was kind of a week of treats. We haven’t been dining out much because we’re more than content cooking at home and eating our Trader Joe’s food since groceries are aplenty around here. But on Friday, one of our favorite places, Goldyburgers, re-opened for carry-out and a group of friends decided we should all order from Goldy’s and dine on Zoom together. You guys, it was so fun. I miss dining out so much. Not really because of the food, but because we usually bump into people we know and then the night takes us to unexpected places. Happenstance is really missing from life right now. But a planned dinner together was great, and my homemade Manhattan was delicious and it was good to catch up with everyone. Another treat from last week–we ordered cookies, breakfast sandwiches, and pie from Spilt Milk, our favorite local pie place. Their snickerdoodles are the best I’ve ever had and seriously, just to be able to get a couple familiar treats makes you almost forget about this current situation. I don’t think we need to go out for treats every day, but it felt like such a delicacy to have take-out and cookies after being away from them for so long. I had to go into the office for a bit last week too. I don’t mind going into the office. Some things are impossible to do from home, so it’s good to get caught up when I can. When I work from home, it’s usually from bed (or from the living room) and Presley is monitoring my progress. (She’s such a demanding manager!) I am going to miss sleeping in until 9, but I am looking forward to going back to the office someday…I can’t believe April is two-thirds over. I am so bummed that we won’t get to experience the cherry blossoms again this year. (Last year the cold spring kept them from blooming and we’ve been planning a Chicago hanami ever since!) It’s quite depressing that the weather is finally warming up and our time outside will be limited. I’m trying to make the most of it by planning our garden plot and shopping for plants online, but it’s not the same as visiting the garden shops in person and picking out the perfect plants. I don’t want to end on such a depressing note, so I will say that I’ve been enjoying letter writing and reading again. And I just started season six of 30 Rock and I’m so glad I’m finally watching it! It makes me laugh right before I go to bed and honestly, my dreams have been slightly less weird since I started it. (Have you been having weird dreams, too? Apparently it’s a thing.)

I hope you are staying safe and healthy! Please let me know how things are going in your state or country! It’s been so fascinating writing so many pen pals and learning about their stay-at-home standards.

Tagged COVID-19, social distancing

Apr 10 2020

2 Comments

cocktails, Forest Park, Spritzers with Pritzker

Spritzers with Pritzker

Last month, I heard this story on NPR about “Beers with Beshear,” a happy hour centered around Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s daily Covid-19 briefings. So I decided to modify it for my own governor’s briefings and call it “Spritzers with Pritzker” or since it’s Twitter #spritzerswithPritzker.

On March 26, at 2:30pm, I whipped up a Campari Spritz for the Governor’s briefing. Every day since then, I’ve made some sort of Spritz cocktail (both alcoholic and spirit-free.) It’s given me something light to do every day, something to look forward to. It’s been nice to have a little routine that is forcing me to look at recipes and make something every day. Spritzes are perfect afternoon drinks because they typically have a low alcohol content and are apertifs, before-meal drinks that stimulate the appetite.

Yesterday, much to my shock, the governor gave me a shout-out at the beginning of his briefing! I couldn’t believe it! Because of a mix-up last summer where a local politician thought I was Adam (because my handle is @adamihasegawa,) I had my bio name written out as Adam I. Hasegawa, so the governor and everyone else thought I was a guy. (Since then, I’ve changed my name to #spritzerswithPritzker to stop the confusion.) But I came clean to WTTW when they interviewed me for this article. It’s been a fun couple of days chatting about cocktails and laughing a lot.

So the pressure is on to keep up my project! I decided to create a page here on the site where I can share all the recipes all in one place and for those who aren’t on Twitter or Instagram and may want to join in. (The intro part is pretty much just this post repeated.) I highly recommend a little afternoon break, whether it’s a cup of tea, or a cocktail, or some fancy water. These are trying times and we need to take care of ourselves and of each other.

Tagged #spritzerswithpritzker, cocktails, COVID-19, spritz, spritzer

Apr 09 2020

In My Mailbox: Masks

My pen pal Nic is at it again! If you remember, she sent me these fantastic mail coasters last year and this mail folder before that.

She and her mom have been making masks for their friends and family since they became a requirement in California and a “strong recommendation” everyplace else. She offered to make some for Naoto and me, which is amazing because Trader Joe’s finally allowed the staff to wear masks and we didn’t have time to come up with a good solution for him. On Monday, a package arrived full of these masks! They are the kind that tie for a perfect fit, and they have a little metal piece over the nose bridge so you can customize the fit on your face. They also have a pocket where you can pop in another layer for extra protection. She used fabric that reminded her of us. Above is a Japanese food and Hawaiian-inspired design. Of course Naoto chose to wear that one yesterday. Today he wore this cocktail one. We’re trying to save at least one for me to use if I have to leave the apartment for something before we wash the masks. It’s a toss up between postage stamps and Elvis! I really don’t leave the apartment much these days. I have to go into the office early next week, so I think I’ll save Elvis for that trip. In the meantime, Naoto will rotate these with his one store-issued mask and we’ll wash them as we go. Have you been making masks? I love seeing so many friends using up their fabric stashes for new masks. It’s been a tiny bright spot in this weird, new reality.

P.S. Nic also sent a book sleeve, which I will share when I do a long-overdue book post!

Tagged #allinillinois, COVID-19, handmade masks

Apr 07 2020

2 Comments

Dispatches from Home

Dispatches from Home Part 4

How are we doing? Hanging in there? I thought with being home, I’d be on top of blogging but it turns out, I’m not on top of anything really. Ok, I have been on top of my mail for the month…it’s turned out to be a nice distraction. This week I’m trying to get my desk back in order and I’m planning our Easter meal. Naoto has FOUR days off in a row this weekend, so I’m thrilled to be able to plan some fun meals with him and to have him home and safe for a few days. Some other things I’m thankful for:

Schitt’s Creek…This final season has been the balm to my soul.
friends, in town and faraway, who text, call, or send mail
Presley who insists on being a part of my workday. (Though she hasn’t made a zoom meeting appearance yet!)
daily rituals (NPR, coffee, tea, journaling, mail)
zoom happy hours with my parents

How do things look where you are?

P.S. The UGH Bunny is from Migration Goods. Doesn’t he just say it all?

Tagged #allinillinois, migration goods, pandemic life, stay at home

Apr 01 2020

2 Comments

snail mail, Write On

National Card & Letter Writing Month

Is it really April? Is anyone sure about what day it is anymore?

Well, it IS April, and that means it’s National Card and Letter Writing Month! This is usually one of my favorite months! I had so many plans! I was going to host a letter writing party! I was going to decorate with alllll my good postal finds! I was going to start a little letter writing meet-up! (More on that later!) I had so many blog posts planned!

Because of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, I can’t have a party or host a meet-up, but I can do the rest, so I think I’d better get started.

I hope you’re doing well and finding things that bring you joy while you’re at home.

Tagged greeting cards, letter writing, National Card and Letter Month, post office

Mar 25 2020

Okinawa Part 2: Riding with Matayoshi-San

To enjoy the island of Okinawa, you really need a car, but neither of us were interested in driving so Naoto hired a driver, Matayoshi-San, to drive us around to our Orion brewery tour and to see some other sites on the island. We spent the morning at Orion, which will get its own post because I took a ton of pictures and videos for Naoto. Okinawa is known for Orion beer, salt, glass, and pottery (among other things.) We stopped at a glass shop where they were blowing glass on site. I spent way too long choosing a single dish to bring home. Everything was so beautiful. Okinawan pottery is also really different from some of the other pottery in Japan. The designs and the shapes were so great.Matayoshi-san picked us a couple of shikuwasa which we enjoyed in our hotel room in some sparkling water. What a treat!

Aside from the Orion tour, the best part of the day was visiting the sea and breathing in some fresh ocean air. These craggly rocks were formed over centuries of wear and it was such a perfect day weather-wise for enjoying the views.

All over Okinawa, you will find Shisa, usually in pairs. They are meant to protect the home or business–one keeping in the good, the other keeping out the bad. We weren’t tempted to buy one for our own home, but it’s a really popular souvenir.

In the middle of the day, we stopped at a roadside stand for sata andagi, Okinawan donuts. They were fresh and delicious! (You know how I love a donut!)

We also stopped at an artisan shop where they hand paint fabric for obi (the sash for kimono) and other accessories. Everything was so gorgeous and the amount of work that went into each inch of fabric was incredible!

Naoto really enjoyed Matayoshi-San’s humor and his stories about the island. It was fun spending the day with a local and being carted around like a celebrity!

Tagged adventures, I *heart* Japan, Japan, Japanese food, Okinawa, Shisa, tourism