The not-so-Easter number hunt

To those of you who have been diligently checking this site, I apologise. My previous routine of nearly weekly updates has, well, atrophied. I could inform you that nearly all of my free time (especially on weekends when I usually write the blog--and clean, to be honest--) is taken up by snowboarding. Or I could mention that many, if not all, of you know are aware of this and have already seen the most dynamic scenes in my previous post. Essentially, there hasn't been much news to share. I am getting better at riding backwards, and have even been trying my hand--legs--at basic tricks. I have mastered--though ungracefully-- the basic 180º spin in the air, but my most recent challenge has been the 180 Ollie in which you press the back of the board against the snow for extra jumping power and a more trick-savvy looking spin.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it on this blog, but back in my first week in Kawasaki, I didn't know anybody. I spent a lot of my time aimlessly wandering(a whole new take on the idea due to illiteracy) the area and generally enjoying my first experiences in Japan. However, one day on the way to the supermarket, a man pulled me aside to say hello. He introduced himself as the head of the Kawasaki Junior High School PTA, told me that his daughter was one of my 2nd years, and that he wanted to treat me to a meal with his family. Of course these details were slow in coming as my Japanese at that point was remarkably clumsy. And though this little anecdote was rightfully overshadowed by the Plus Evento or whatever was the alternative story that week, Akio and Tomomi Sasaki not only treated me to my first Tonkatsu(battered pork cutlet) and Gyoza(Japanese dumplings)--which are now some of my favourite dishes--, but they also helped me feel welcome at a time when I was fairly intimidated. As a side note, the unintended result of that charming family meal was that--either out of juvenile adoration or unmerited animosity--their daughter An to this day avoids me like a particularly disgusting allergen.
Anyway, coming back to the present, one of the things that Akio and I were able to converse about way back when was our mutual interest in Winter Sports. We promised to sometime go skiing(snowboarding in my case) when the weather allowed. That promise was finally realised last weekend. It turns out that he is one of the ski instructors at St. Mary's (the local resort(where I coincidentally have a season pass)). He works there on Saturdays and Sundays only, which is why I have yet to see him there(I have been going to St. Mary's on weekdays and other places on weekends). With the ski staff, he has travelled to ski resorts in America, Canada, and I think even Austria. A fact that quickly reveals the disparity in our skill level. Nonetheless, I'd like to think I kept up relatively well as he zoomed down sheer slopes with the ease of a paint brush.
Around 2:00, he informed me, there was a giant sledding competition for kids which he was--and I by extension was welcome--to help facilitate. We prepared the inter-tubes and helped point out the scattered numbers(think Easter egg hunt) to the kids who were too young to participate in the main event. This video is from just after the number hunt as the eligible competitors are preparing for their long-awaited race.

Lastly, there's one more significant development in my life worth mentioning: Kimchi Nabe.