Since Peter and I barely saw each other all week, between me leaving for work before nine, and him staying out until after 2am like three nights, I was determined for us to do something today, especially since I wasn't teaching today.

I was woken up at about eight, when Venus pushed into my bed, stole the covers, and sat on my head, but we managed to get ourselves organized and finally sleep in until about 10:30, which was lovely. It was less lovely when she woke me up by licking in my ear, but at least she's cute, so you can't get too mad at her! (What is with that by the way? I mean, what a random thing to enjoy doing-she's a weird one, no doubt about it!)

When Peter got up around 11:30 or 12:00ish, I made us some brunch with bacon and Kona coffee and chocolate chip flavoured pancakes from a mix we brought back from Hawaii. They were veeeerrrry chocolate-y, but veery yummy as well! We watched an Ugly Betty, and generally chillaxed around the house before finally leaving at about 3:00.

We decided to go to the Lalaport in Toyasu, which is big, new, and very nice mall. I'd heard about it back in November, when the metpod did a big feature about Kidzania, which is this theme park for kids where you can try out tons of different careers, and they're all sponsored by companies, so you can go and learn how to make Mos burgers, and be a pilot in an ANA plane, and all sorts of stuff like that. We peeked through the window today and it looked sooo cool! I wish I were under 12, I know I would have been TOTALLY into it when I was that age (k, let's be honest, I'd be totally into it now!)

We passed the cutest thing in the mall - there is this cooking centre, where you can take cooking classes, and they were teaching a kids class. The kids were maybe 4-8, and all working at a station right by the window so you could watch them. They were absolutely adorable because they were wearing tiny chef whites! And concentrating sooo hard on making some kind of doughy balls of something, we weren't quite sure what, but the youngest one, who really wasn't very old at all, was sooo dedicated to the cause, it was adorable! They all looked scarily well behaved and quiet! Sooo cute though!

Anyway, Lalaport was pretty nice! Brand new, so all clean and sparkly, plus a nice selection of shops.
(its very curvy and open like this - there is a boat/dock theme, so I think they've tried to build it to be swoopy and nautical feeling)
(this is an interesting courtyard/stage/water feature, which Lalaport is kind of built around, in a U shape. The big crazy blue thing in the background is a pedestrian drawbridge, which lets evening dinner cruise boats in and out to load people in and out of a little boat shaped slip, its cute!)

We wandered around for just over an hour and then when to see 'The Departed', which is a looong gratuitously violent movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Jack Nicholson. It was an interesting concept for a story, and I probably would have really enjoyed it had I read it, but since I am the way I am (jumpy!) it was a little bit stressful. It also got to the point of being a little bit like 'hmm OK, here's a new character, let's see how long he lasts before he becomes one of the 'departed'. The movie theatre was very nice though, there was a pretty swanky club with lovely water views, and the concession stand, was as usual, much nicer here than at home - gourmet bakery goods were on offer as well as your standard popcorn fare. We also each got a pizza slice (if by slice you mean tube), and my basil and tomato and mozzarella creation was pretty tasty! After enduring all 2:45 of blood splatter, we headed to Bubba Gumps, for dinner.
(Club in the movie theatre, not the best 'stealth' shot)

You might remember Bubba Gumps (the Forrest Gump themed restaurant) from Hawaii, we were a bit surprised there was one in Tokyo (turns out there are actually two), it definitely had a similar theme to the one in the Ala Moana Shopping Centre, but we had a gorgeous view over the river, looking directly at the Rainbow Bridge and over towards Odaiba and the big ferris wheel there. It was really nice!
(really nice view, but not such a great shot b/c very reflecty! You can kind of see the Rainbow Bridge in the background though, its the green string of lights...)

We took the train back to where we'd left the car (in Ginza, since traffic wasn't looking so good), and then ended up back here at around 11:30. Tomorrow, I teach at 10 and at 2, and then have soccer at 4, so a fairly busy day all around. Hopefully it doesn't pour like it was tonight during soccer tomorrow, that would be unpleasant!

D