here, there, everywhere

Happy 26th Birthday, sisterface! 

I wanted to go to Gujo Hachiman to see Bon Odori. Iain wanted to go to Gujo Hachiman to go here. Sorry, more specifically:

Gujo Hachiman is, apparently, well known for its massive stone bridge, which the local boys like to leap off. The minute our students first mentioned this, you could see Iain's eyes light up with an alarming glee that someone as chicken as me will never quite understand. Even more disconcertingly, when we arrived at the most likely bridge, there were no local boys in sight to reassure us that this was, in fact, the right place to suicidally fling yourself off into the abyss; instead, there was just a sign warning people to be careful. Though Iain was convinced this was a green light to go ahead and jump, I still begged him - all sorts of horrific visions flashing though my head - to ask every single person we saw wandering by if this was in fact the right place (since most people were fellow tourists, he eventually had to go into a nearby restaurant to ask). It turned out Iain was right, and by the time I finally gave in, he had attracted quite a crowd, especially since he did it not once but TWICE. Because he's completely insane. So, in honor of his birthday this last Sunday, here is Iain in action:

And so, happy, happy birthday to my awesome, if insane, boyfriend! Your willingness to leap off high things never ceases to amaze me. I hope your next year is even more fun.

A very happy birthday to my awesome grandfather Monty! (And also a belated birthday apology to my equally wonderful grandmother Marilyn, who missed my new resolution to embarrass family members on their birthdays on my blog by about a month. Sorry, Grandma - next year!) I don't think you could find more loving, affectionate (er, see above) and supportive grandparents anywhere, and  I miss them all the time, and think of them often. Happy Birthday Grandpa! I hope you're having a great day back in California!