It is 4:18am. I cannot sleep....not know why...

It is 10:22pm. We had a very strong thunder and rain around 6pm. I am so glad that I left my office before the rain started.
Around the world...or in the US....Atlanta Falcons QB was arrested for dog fight, and the senator from Idaho was also arrested for sexual misconduct....Cardinals won 7-0....Attorney General Gonzales resigned. I still have not found a good hotel to stay...which I think I should pretty soon. How many more days? Wednesday, Thursday, Friday...and will be leave for Sarajevo...4 more nights? Cannot wait.

4:42pm Huuuu...it was just busy day meetings after meetings.
I do not know how CEOs can handle those piles of meetings and be productive enough. Brock started working for me this week, and this is a big help. I can get so many things done, and can build a better communication with those people who are in foreign countries. The sky outside looks so dark and groomy now. I finished booking a hotel in London, and yes, I am ready to go now....tow more days!

It was pretty fun/busy Sunday.
I went to United Methodist Churct at 9:30am for Dr. Beran's presentation, and then had a great lunch at Heartscrable Country Club. I must admit it was the best meal I had since Antonela left for Bosnia on August 13th...wow two weeks ago.
After a great lunch, I went to Fianna Hill Baptiust Church. Vietnamese Bible study group celebrated their first anniverssary, and they provided a great Vietnamese dinner.

It is 10:17am, and I am at Panera Bread. Antonela and I could talk each other for the first time in almost 4 days. I knew they were doing fine and having a great time, but last 2 days made me concern about both of them and her parents a little. After all, they are doing great and having fun.
The rain and thunder at 3am this morning woke me up, and could not go back to sleep later. I know it is strange but I had tuna sandwitch for breakfast.

It's Friday...lalala...I can hear Antonela singing, but yes it is FRIDAY.
I am planning to do a few things this weekend, one is just visiting NSH for College Fair, and the other is visit with Vietnamese community forvegetable curving.
It is still a few minutes before 7:00am, and I started watering our yard. There are a few humming birds flying around.
Again I forget paying my membership fee for Rotary Club...

I received pictures from Kafka today. the pictures can really tell that Antonela and Hana are doing great. World is getting so small and flat that I can see them in a flash. Amazing. I am so glad that we have high technologies.

[You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different fromany other. In a cr, you are always in a compartment, and because you are used to it you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You're passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. "p4 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenace"]

7:25am
I woke up at 6:30am...well my eyes did not open for next 30 minutes, and I truly woke up just before Antonela's cell phone started singing for 7 o'clock alarm. It looks so gray today outside. I will have some free morning, and then lunch with YEL leaders, and head for Fayatteville for meeting. I had two croissant, orange juice and coffee this morning. Monday is recycling day for us, so I put our big blue recycling bin outside. Hana's name has not been registered at Koseki Office in Japan. It might not be registered before the passport deadline for Little Rock session in October.

アントネラと一花がボスニアに帰国して早6日。
家がだんだんと散らばってきたので、きれいに掃除、洗濯、片づけをしました。
アントネラがいかにいつも忙しくしているかよくわかります。
洗濯は好きなので何度もしすぎていつもアントネラに怒られますが、
片付けと洗濯物をたたむのがどうも・・・。
少しずつすればよいと分かっているものの・・・・。
あっちでは一花は大歓迎を受けている様子。
アントネラと今朝話をして時には
一花を抱きたい人が多すぎて困るほどだといっていました。

アメリカではハリケーンが来るとかで大騒ぎしています。
それとは関係ないですが、オクラホマ、テキサス、ミネソタでは大洪水。
死者も出ているそうです。
アーカンソーはあまりにも雨が降らないので、この2日間の小雨でもみんなは喜んでいます。
時々友達の家に行ってびっくりするのですが、部屋が寒すぎる。
我が家ではだいたいいつも78F-80F（このFにはいつになっても慣れません・・・。）、27-28度に設定をしていますが、ある家では68F-70Fが普通なようで・・・。
68Fと言えば21度です。
もう少しみんなが我慢すれば、温暖かも防げるかも・・・、
と言っても、豊富な資源と土地に恵まれたアーカンソーでは意識も低く、
環境問題がわだいになることはありせん。

August 16, 2007
Antonela and Hana as gone. They would be home in Ciatici in a few hours.
It was good to talk to them when they arrived in London. Antonela seems to be a bit tired, and so is Hana.
There was a big earthqake in Peru last night, and Harricae is coming to Texas. miners in Utah has not be rescued yet.

Sunday, August 19, 2007
6:37pm
It is raining outside. This is good as I mowed and fertilized our yard.
I was re-reading Tipping Point, the best seller book today. If my memory is correct, this is the book which sold really well a few years ago. Tipping Point.

It is almost 4pm. Time goes really fast. I hope everyday is going to make me feel like this.
I went to YEL event at the airport. It did not have a lot more people than I expected, but the location seems to have a lot of potential in the future. The BMX guys, the bicycle show, was great. Shows like that can entertain should be able to make many kids happy.
After the airport event, I went to Sam,s club. It was really packed.
Oh yes, it is raining for the first time in several weeks. It is a biit dumpy but the rain is obviously clearing up the air.
And I am at at the Sports Clip now to have my hair cut. Yes, I am wirting this with my blackberry now. The kids next to me is looking at the STYLE book with his mother and sister. He is ...... Maybe 7 years old? Funny, and cute. I guess I came here at the right time. I should be next one, but there are 5-6 peoplr/kids behind me.
The huricane is coming to texas soon, and the strong earthqake hit Peru and caused serious casuality a few days ago. Any good news? I have not seen any or just CNN guys do not know how to broadcast the good news. The station makes me really worried and concerned about the world and the future.
I am getting hungry.
Today's gas price at Sams club was #2.679 /gallon.
It is almost 5pm and I am on my way home.

Sent via BlackBerry from Cingular Wireless

20時間の旅を終え、ハナとアントネラが無事にサラエボに到着したと連絡がありました。
フォートスミスからダラスまでが50分。1時間の乗り継ぎでダラスからロンドンまでが8時間。3時間の乗り継ぎでロンドンからサラエボへ・・・。
なかなか説明が難しいですが、アントネラはボスニア出身のクロアチア人です。（生まれたときは1つの国だったので、こういうことがありえるそうです。）
サラエボからは車で家まで約1時間。
着いたのがもう8時だったそうですが、
近所の人から親戚からが大勢押し寄せてきて
トミッチ家は大変だったそうです。

一夜明けてアントネラと電話で話しましたが
二人ともすこぶる元気だそうです。
ハナは少し疲れていたらしく、初めて7時間起きずに寝たんだとか。
こっちに帰ってきてもそうだといいと思います。

タケオは9月1日にスイス、スロベニア経由でサラエボへ向かいます。
帰りは現地を11日に出て、2泊3日をロンドンでした後にこちらに返ってくる予定。
今から14日間。1人でちゃんとできるか不安ですが・・・・。

Antonela and Hana are leaving in 9 hours. Well, yes, it is sad that I can not see them for next 17 days...but hay, what can I do? She has been longing for meeting her parents and friends in Citici, and she will be happy seeing them. AND they will be so happy to see her and little Hana. 17 days...I should start counting now for the last day before I can see them. I could not sleep well last night.

Yes, I forgot mentioning this but Hana gained some weight again. Not only weight she is taller now. Her weight is almost 5.5kg and she has almost 60cm tall now. It is very obvious that she can recognize us, and enjoy some simple toys. Toys with some flash lights and sounds are her favorite now. I remember she could only say Coo a few weeks ago, but she can make a few sounds at the same time now. Maybe 3-4 sounds at most. Yesterday when we were ch aging her diaper (nappy in the UK), she was just laughing and talking as if she is so happy about the fact we are chaining her diaper.

こっちでは日本のことはほとんど話題になりませんが。
日本人のことを面白おかしくいうTVのコメデイーや映画はよく見かけます。
最近の日本の話題といえば・・・・、
新潟の地震、選挙の結果ん2つが
小さく小さく新聞に掲載されていたくらいでしょうか。

そうそう、新聞ですが、わが街には「タイムズ・レコード」というのがあります。
キャンペーンで購読を始めたので、
1月の新聞代がなんと5ドル50セント。
ときどき届かなかったり、朝遅く来た入りしますが、
かなりお買い得感のある新聞です。
1年も住めば記者さんとかともお友達になっているので、
「ぁ、BENの記事だ」とか分かったりするのもかなり楽しいです。

英語タウンブログの表ページに「パパとママのブログ！」
（スタッフの方取り上げてくれてありがとうございます！）
と紹介されていること知りませんでした・・・。
そういえば、この何ヶ月はタケオのブログというよりも、
ハナの成長日記・・・になっているような・・・。

ということで少し違った話題を・・・。

最近のこっちの大きな話題は橋の落下事故。
あの事件を受けて、わが街でも
橋の安全点検がありました。
大きな高速道路にかかる8つの橋の内、
6つは合格で、2つは要点検・・・・。
でも、今すぐに修理する必要はないんだとか。
そんなこといわれても、みんなはその道を避けるようになっています。

それからとにかく暑すぎる！
毎日の最高気温が40度弱です。
40度弱！
庭の芝もヒーヒーいうくらいの暑さです。
この直射日光をソーラーパネルで電力に変えられたら・・・・、
と考えたりはするものの、
アーカンソーでは土地も資源も豊富で
環境問題にはみんな関心がないのが現状です。
大量消費がまかりとおっています。

Sunday, August 11, 2007

It is 11:59am on Sunday, August 11, 2007.
Outside temperature hit over 100 F (34 C). Yes it is just tooooo hot to do anything outside. Antonela is breastfeeding Hana and watching HGTV, her favorite entertainment while feeding Hana. I ....just finished cooking curry.
Hana slept over 6 or 7 hours straight last now. (So did Antonela.)
Antonela is getting ready for her long and solo trip with Hana. It will take about 24 hours from here (home) to there (Ciatici). We got new umbrella stroller, new Tumi suitcase/backpack, mobile bed (they say "cot" in the UK, and nappy for diaper.)

1:31pm
Antonela breastfed Hana, and she fell asleep. It is VERY hot outside.
Yes, I got ipod on ebay. $36...good bargain...!
Antonela is amazed that she can breastfed Hana after the things they went through. She did not think she can breastfed Hana, and yes, we have a lot of formula in the shelf.
Hana will be spoiled in Ciatici.

It is 9:45pm. and we are in the bed. Hana is sleeping.
We went to Wal-Mart...and that was the highlight for today's activity.
We got some Spiderman's notebooks, tooth blushes, and T-shirts for Antonela's nephews. We hope they like Spiderman. We were looking for a big bag for an umbrella stroller, but could not find one.
Tomorrow is Monday...

This is Thursday. One more day and weekend!
Antonela seems to be a little tired. Hana wants to be breastfed almost every 2 hours,
and now she knows she can get milk or be held if she cries. She even knows she will get what she wants if she cries louder.
We did not do anything today. I was a bit tired from the shortage of the sleep and work, and so was Antonela. I took a bath with Hana, which she loves so much. It is getting our routine that eat as quickly as possible, sometimes even in less than 5 minutes, and hold Hana before she starts crying so loud.

It was another hot and humid summer Sunday. We did nothing but cleaning the house and mowing our yard. Well not true, we went to Sam's club, and TJ-Maxx looking for our souvenirs to Ciatici. We got two pairs of shorts for Antonela's father, and some yogurt candies for the kids in the neighborhood. And yes, we went to Sweetbay and had a cup of coffee. Wow, we did so many things. Hana has been in this world for 70 days. Time really goes fast. We were cleaning up her closet and found tiny cap which she wore in the hospital. We could not believe how small she was.

Hana can turn from the side to her stomach now. Friday Hana had her first shots...three shots. She suffered from a fever throughout the weekend.

She is so funny....sometimes I can see she is trying not to cry, just holding her lips very tight.

It was another hot and humid summer Sunday. We did nothing but cleaning the house and mowing our yard. Well not true, we went to Sam's club, and TJ-Maxx looking for our souvenirs to Ciatici. We got two pairs of shorts for Antonela's father, and some yogurt candies for the kids in the neighborhood. And yes, we went to Sweetbay and had a cup of coffee. Wow, we did so many things. Hana has been in this world for 70 days. Time really goes fast. We were cleaning up her closet and found tiny cap which she wore in the hospital. We could not believe how small she was.

Hana can turn from the side to her stomach now. Friday Hana had her first shots...three shots. She suffered from a fever throughout the weekend.

She is so funny....sometimes I can see she is trying not to cry, just holding her lips very tight.

I just cannot believe it is already August 1. High temperature and humidity are entertaining us here in Fort Smith. Well, to be honest, this is not that bad, or maybe I am just getting used to this summer weather.
Hana is doing great. She is eating and sleeping well.

I do not remember if everybody knows Hana has a website,
but here is the address--> http://www.freewebs.com/hanakatarinasuzuki/
Please visit her website if you have a time!