Oh, boy. We did it again. We are about to see another year gone by. Oh, well, what a year it's been! Later part of the year was literally disastrous, except the result of the presidential election. Well, at least this month we survived another end of the world and a major holiday that always makes me feel like an orphan. I just don't celebrate Christmas, ok? I don't have any reason to. So we went to chase chickens at the garden. These chicks made their seasonal migration from Governor's Island to our garden, and they gave us good enough excuse to stick around the neighborhood this holiday season. We've been harvesting fresh eggs when we go to take care of them. Taiyo went berserk when I boiled them back in the restaurant, since he thought he was going to hatch them. But as soon as he tasted the boiled egg, he decided to just eat them all.

Later we did go celebrate a little bit of Christmas with Kristof's family in Greenpoint. Somehow, Taiyo decided to put on his Spiderman's costume. I said, why not, since it's getting too tight on him. They had some beautiful traditions like having an empty seat with food for a 'traveler' or anyone who happened to walk in the door, even a burglar, to join the dinner, or sharing bread with everyone around the room. The rest of my four-day off was super mellow, and it was good too. Getting ready for count-down- another quiet half-week off.

as we leave November, here's some more things happened...

Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday! We began our tradition at Union Square Market, shopping for some fresh herbs and produce for the special dinner. The holiday market was already open on the other side of the park. Taiyo walked around burying his face into a big blueberry muffin, entertaining other market shoppers. In the evening we survived the crowd for the balloon inflation by the Natural History Museum uptown. How they barricade these events and create more chaos is so crazy and unfortunate. It really takes so much fun out of it. We used a shortcut to enter the balloon viewing from subway station, but then at the end of the block they forced us to exit and find our way through the sea of people across Columbus Avenue because that was the official 'entrance' to the event. And the other side was ridiculously crowded and less enjoyable anyway. Next year, we'll do just the half of the balloons and go home happily.

Next day at seven o'clock, my Thanksgiving dinner was ready at it's perfection. My shio-koji-brined turkey was so tender wings fell off when I picked it up from the roasting pan. Then there was of course my famous sausage stuffing with apples and cashews. Mashed potato was lightly herbed with dill, accompanied by herbed miso gravy sauce(Tim called it 'divine') brussels sprouts with bacon, roasted cauliflower with crushed garlic and pine nuts, sweet potato and corn casserole, Japanese potato salad, green salad with ume-shiso dressing, plus roasted fall vegetables Kathy brought in. So 12 adults and one 3-year-old feasted and they all said it was a great dinner and I totally agree. There's no photos to prove since my little camera was in the repair and our new toy iPad mini didn't arrive from China for a few more days.

It's been a tough recovery post Sandy. Fortunately at least what I lost was a week of business and food in refrigerator and freezer. For a small place like SOY, at least it's not many digits. But as we entered the recovery week, first Taiyo got sick, then of course passed it to me. Then my laptop died. I think he was almost 7-years old. Very old for these day's laptop years. The shop announced that it's not worth reviving. Let him go. So I had to get a new computer. I walked about 10 miles total, going to a shop from another, where I received no or inadequate assistance. I went home and ordered through Amazon. Somehow I ordered expedited service (which I totally didn't realize or couldn't prove that I actually didn't order it) and the new laptop arrived promptly on Tuesday, and only after I had data transferred the shop told me that the battery was not charging. That night I get on the phone with some tech support guy with Dell in India and after an hour he concludes the battery is not good. The new one will be sent in two days. Two days later I received an email from Dell Support Team (what a team!) that Fedex couldn't deliver the package so need the address and phone number again. It was probably another not-so-bright delivery guy who thought that there was no apt number, although he should've checked with the ground floor business. Anyway, I email back and almost a day later it bounced back. Meanwhile the machine doesn't shut down but keeps restarting. I hate Window 7 and all the new software I had to update. My digital camera also decided to die, but this one is still under service plan they have to fix or replace it. I'm hoping for the latter.

This was the last picture he took at a Vietnamese restaurant on Center Street. I don't even remember the name, and food was just ok. But they were very nice to Taiyo and he also liked the food. Then to add to the strings of things I had to deal with, with the storm, the election, and my computer dying, my best friend of 20 years I hadn't spoke to for a year had to confront me and I had to tell her that I thought she was selfish and mean and she brew up on me even harder and I am assuming that she is not coming to my Thanksgiving Dinner. Sorry, but it's going to be a great one.

What a week it's been! Monday afternoon Taiyo and I spent quiet afternoon at SOY. With Hurricane Sandy approaching, wind was getting stronger, and rain was not hard but continuous. Matthew next door came down to have a bowl of ramen. The day before hardware stores and grocery stores were having busy day. At Essex Market the shelves were being emptied which I've never seen. I thought I was going to be blessed with a day or two off. Maybe I'll fix the tiles in the bathroom. Or do some readying for a change. We were watching "The Right Stuff" in the evening when lights blinked. The strong wind was bending all the trees outside. Sandy was here. So far it was still ok, but I decided to lay candles on the table, and located flashlights. Sometime later, darkness arrived. Taiyo shrieked, of course. I was glad I had candles ready. I lit many many candles, even birthday candles, so we won't be scared. Later I realized there's no hot water for bath. I tried to boil some water with portable burner (I don't have gas stove in my apartment) but the tub won't hold water very well. We went to sleep and I dreamed that power was back in the morning.

Tuesday. It was gloomy but rather mild day. I listened to radio on a alarm clock. Mayor said that the power may take 3, 4 days to be restored, so as subway system. I really wasn't prepared for a lenthy power outage. I may lose everything in fridge and freezer. There was nothing I really could do, so we got on the bike and went explore uptown. Lights were out all the way to around 40th street on the east side. There were so many people walking uptown. Then lights were on but most of the business were still closed. All the restaurants open had people waiting. We cut across Times Square, which was ironically just as bright as any other day. We stopped at B&H and got a USB cable so I can power up my cell phone with lapatop, which was rather useless without internet. Back home we were hanging out in the restaurant, and some neighbors stopped by. Elliot and Ray never got out- they had a planned trip out to the west coast with the flight that never left on Monday. Michelle and Jaime were around and they even had hot water! So Taiyo and I were able to take a bath, which was a blessing. Later we went to visit Elliot and Ray for some chocolate cake, then hang out with Kathy and the second night seemed a lot more social than usual although it was dark and cold.

Wednesday morning, we crossed the bridge with Michelle and Jaime in search of power and snack. Every cafe was packed and most outlets were occupied with similar refugee from Manhattan. I felt a bit bitter that while I was losing business they were profiting from disaster across the river. It was Halloween and kids were out along Bedford trick-or-treating just like any other Halloween. Taiyo put on his costume for a while to get into the spirit.

We met with Susan in front of her building on Ridge Street later afternoon as two Spidermen. She had bagful of candies but couldn't find any other kids. We walked around found a few other neighborhood kids in the playground. Nobody seemed to be in the Halloween mood in the Lower East Side. I was glad I didn't make too many decoration for the garden for the Halloween party which was obviously not happening. Early evening Krzystof came to pick us up to spend the night in his place in Greenpoint. We made a plan to visit him for dinner that night anyway before the storm since another good old friend Tarja was visiting from Finland and staying with him. He had plenty of couch space to accommodate us also. We totally appreciated no darkness and hot water. Gas stations by him has already run out of gas, and supermarkets had bare produce shelves.

Krzystof left at 6am to go to work, but came back in a couple of hours because he had no gas. He is a cab driver. I ran back over Williamsburg Bridge with Taiyo on jogging stroller. It took us only a bit over 30 minutes, but I wished I were in better shape. Quiet afternoon, and I only kept the door open at SOY to keep the place cool. We were supposed to get power back by Saturday 11pm. Two more nights. We went back on bike to Greenpoint. There were so many bikes crossing over the dark bridge and nobody was kind to give way to this one with a kid in the back. Tarja was frantic making phone calls to car service companies. Many of them didn't answer or wouldn't accept reservation and told her to call back next day. The subway was still hardly working and she's been walking over the Queensboro Bridge to Manhattan.

Tarja safely left Friday morning to fly back to Finland. Another commute over the bridge, and Paul stopped by after big warm breakfast across the bridge. Taiyo had been in good spirit; kids are fragile but also adaptable, I thought. He didn't ask me to turn the lights on after the first day. He didn't ask me to put the TV on any more. It still has been an effort to get him to use the bathroom, finally getting toilet trained only two weeks go. Now the toilet seats were so cold. I had to sit and warm up the toilet seat for him before having him sit. But he had no accidents day or night whole week. I was really glad not have to worry about diaper supply.

I tried to convince Taiyo to stay at home even if it was dark, since I was getting tired of this commute. The trip over the bridge with so many bikes and insensitive walkers in bike lanes has been difficult and dangerous. But he wanted to go back to Brooklyn. We were ready to leave at 4pm, this time early enough so we can make it back before dark. I was about to mount on the bike when someone came out of my building and said, "We got the light!" I turned around and saw lights in my window. I still had to make the trip to get my computer. Taiyo fell asleep on the bike and woke up when I was turning around with another big load to come home. He wanted to stay there and sobbed all the way home. My butt hurt after so much biking with weights in the back and front. He is getting so big and the bike was getting small. Back in the restaurant I was glad to see much of things in the fridge and freezer were still good. Elliot came down with 3 pounds of pork chops that came out of his freezer, and we cooked them up to celebrate the end of black-out. It was truly a long week and I was so happy to have an extra hour this morning. New words that were added to Taiyo's vocabulary this week: Hurricane Sandy and Greenpoint.

Last weekend was Columbus day weekend, a long weekend, therefore it was a short work week. It goes by quickly either way. Yes, it was another busy weekend, starting from Addie's birthday. He was somehow reluctant to go, but once he was there, he made sure he was right next to her every minute of it. They crawled under table and shrieked together. They were so cute together. They were such a perfect little couple. On the way home, we caught a last bit of the Carnival for the church on Pitt Street. I watched Taiyo go round and round and round and round on little rides, having some blank moment thinking iPhone may be nice to have sometimes.

We've been also busy trying to make most of the last few warm days before winter. Another bike trip uptown to the Central Park Zoo was met with "Mambo Italiano" from Columbus Day Parade at 5th Avenue. Usually penguins and goats are the only things Taiyo cares at this nice little zoo, but this time he decided to take a hike up the hill. Interestingly, usually hard-to-spot snow leopard decided to come down the hill and sit right behind Taiyo who was sitting against the glass. Some guy was making a sarcastic comment about 'that toddler blocking the view,' but I just let him have his close encounter with the big cat. He was the only kid in the crowd at the moment, and I thought he was the only one who deserved the magical close viewing of the animal. Akiro san's Buddhist service for 49th day after death was in the evening at Village Zendo. It was a beautiful little ceremony with chanting and incense.

Next day, we made it to Clinton St. Baking Co. on Clinton near Houston. This is probably the most hyped restaurant in the Lower East Side, where you'll see a line most of the time. I would not wait for a table at any restaurant right now, especially with a toddler, but three o'clock was late enough for lunch I suppose. We were seated by the window immediately. I've heard this place was kid-friendly before, but I really didn't feel much of kid-friendliness at this visit. There's hardly a room for a stroller- you have to leave it near the door, but a larger SUV type would really not be welcome. The waitress immediately ordered to Taiyo to sit down and not to stand on the bench with such an authority like a teacher, he listened to her. I guess the staff who seems to be experienced with small kids is a sign of a kid-friendly joint, but I felt like she took some fun out of our visit. So fast. But she did bring him a plastic cup with straw for water, which was a point. We went there because Taiyo wanted pancakes, but as soon as we walked in, his mind was set for the scone they had on the counter. And although the sausage sandwich I ordered was very pretty and tasty, he was so focused on his scone and didn't care to try any of the sandwich. I thought it was rather adult flavored anyway. Food was pretty good, service was sufficient, but I would only drop in if I could get a table right away.

Next day Taiyo was still asking for pancakes. I thought they may have some, but Sidewalk Cafe on Avenue A and Sixth Street didn't have any. But we were already settled at a sidewalk table, and it was just nice and relaxing to be there for late lunch at 3pm (again!) so Taiyo compromised for french fries. I got Sidewalk Burger, with egg, avocado, bacon, and stuff. This was one of the neighborhood late night joint to eat and hang out back in my youth, and now it's like a bit fancy hamburger joint that serves towering burger with unnecessary things in between the buns on clean white square plate. I saw some neighborhood type people still hanging out twenty years later, but this was very different joint now. I guess the owner is different. Taiyo did like the fries, and bacon from my burger.

Feeding Taiyo has been a challenge lately. Last year when I started this blog it seemed quite promising. Taiyo was quite adventurous eater who would agree to eat at any restaurant, would try every vegetables and most foreign food, and would appreciate different flavors. I thought by now we would be enjoying even fine dining experience. But now, he hardly eat vegetables, especially something green, and doesn't even like most fruits he used to enjoy. So when we go out to eat, the category is usually limited these days. And even if the restaurant falls into his choice of categories, he may still have objection. On Saturday I asked him what he wants to go eat, the answer was pizza. So we went to look for a pizza place. I wanted to sit down and be served, but wanted to try some place new, so the choice was a bit limited. First choice I offered him was not approved. "I want some place cool," he said. "What's wrong with that place?" "It has numbers on it." True, it had numbers in the restaurant name, and somehow it wasn't cool to him. So we went down the street and he agreed to go in.

Nicoletta, on Second Ave at 10th Street, is more of a cool hang-out joint than a family-friendly pizza restaurant. I didn't ask, but there was no sight of high chairs, and we weren't asked if we need one. (We don't need one anyway.) But the place was nearly empty for late afternoon lunch (which was good for us) and the staff was very friendly to Taiyo (which is very nice) and Taiyo was immediately enchanted with the buttons on the table (which were for pizza stands.) He enjoyed rubbing two knives together like he was sharpening them, and messing with the blinds behind him. I ordered to small plates, chickpea fritters, and fingerling potatoes, but he only tried one chickpea fritter. He said it was good, but didn't have any more. We had a 'classica' pizza with mozzarella, pomodoro, and basil, and Taiyo made me pick out basil leaves off his slice. It was pretty good, but bready not so memorable pizza. Well, it was fairly pleasant experience but there was nothing really special that would bring us back there.

On Sunday we made it to Queens to the event I was looking forward to all year- Maker Faire at the Hall of Science. It is this amazing celebration and presentation of every creative talents. I think this event was really made for us.

Taiyo had encounters with robots of every size, shape, and task, was fascinated with every curious sculptures, objects and vehicles, yet kept asking to go play mini-golf which he has enjoyed in the past trips to the Hall of Science. "But you can play mini-golf any other time of the year! This fair is only once a year," I told him. And I was able to distract him with something interesting at every corner. I did feel that last year's fair was even better, but this year Taiyo was able to appreciate and participate more. They had pretty good food option, too. We were in the line for Gerard's Paella for 15 minutes. Taiyo kept saying he wanted something else, but when we finally got our paella and he agreed to taste it, he couldn't stop. He ate most of it, except shrimps. Later we also enjoyed a pupusa and empanada. We stayed til the very end of the event. We'll miss it for another year.

I have chugged down the month of September, and here we are, already feeling October air. And this was an important month for Kizawa household; it's me and Taiyo's birthday!

This year we had Taiyo's big party at the Children's Magical Garden at Norfolk and Stanton on Sunday 23rd. It was so perfect to be at this wonderful community garden Taiyo and I have been visiting all summer. Our friend Michelle opened the gate for us for our party, then later our party was crashed by another party: jazz festival celebrating John Coltrane's birthday. It was so perfect for music loving Taiyo, and they even played 'Happy Birthday' song. Taiyo carefully observed the musicians, especially the drummer. It was my birthday the day before, but ever since Taiyo has arrived, I had a privilege of forgetting my birthday. Ours are only two days apart. So yes, that's all I did on my birthday, preparing for Taiyo's party. That's fine with me---by not celebrating, I don't feel I'm another year older! I was baking his cake in the middle of the night- I hardly bake a cake and this was certainly the biggest cake I've ever done. And of course in the middle of finishing the cake, at 2:30am, I heard Taiyo wake up on the monitor, and he had to come downstairs to see the cake. I thought the cake was nowhere near perfect, but I got so much compliments. Phew. Everything paid off. But it was the most tiring day of the year, much more than Thanksgiving, and I'm glad there's only one birthday a year, and it's over, and I'm truly grateful of all the help from my staff and friends to have made this happen.