Raccoons & Chocolate Cake

So what if it's 3:30 am. It was a full day. I studied, took a good nap, tended Casita's bar and had THE best birthday chocolate cake ala Richard.

The end of the night was the best. Sitting outside eating cake, having a few drinks and celebrating Lucy's birthday. I miss my old co-workers and love how our conversations always take place around plenty of good food. Richard's backyard is beautiful - a bench here, art there, lots of foliage haphazardly planted everywhere and curious baby raccoons. It reminded me of Japan. Well everything reminds me of Japan. But especially today since Tom called out of the blue.

He was reminiscing about how we would spend hours and hours eating in Okayama. We would start cooking at 4pm and eat with friends or neighbors until 11pm. And that was how simple life was at that time in the countryside. Of course, our lives were also simpler then. Food was farm fresh, the air around this time was crisp - nature was at our doorstep. I digress, back to the point. Wouldn't it be nice to always have more time to chill out, be with friends and eat?

And so tonight, although I was dead tired at 11:30, I just had to drive out and celebrate and pretend as if I had all the time in the world. Thank goodness Liz and Gloria always reminds me to get out and celebrate as they do =)