09 Feb 2026

Last week really was a mixed bag. I was suddenly inspired by this phrase, “a mixed bag,” and felt it would be a very fitting title for my weekly journal. My plan is to share with you the highlights (and occasional lowlights) of my week. I hope you can find some comfort and joy in them.

The joy jar

I went to visit my friend Aubri and her baby in Oakland while the kids were in school. While we were sharing breakfast (pastries from Oakland’s Bake Sum), I noticed a purple jar filled with folded pieces of paper. She told me that throughout the year, the family will write little moments of joy to put into the jar. At the end of the year, the family reads through them together to reminisce on all the things that brought them happiness. I love that! What a nice reminder that life is full of lots of great little moments.

A midweek dinner date

I enjoyed a sushi dinner date on Tuesday with my friend Deborah. Deborah and I met when Eugene and her daughter were in preschool together. They attend different elementary schools now, but we remain close. I’m very thankful for her friendship.

Originally we were trying to get together on a Friday or Saturday, but we thought, why wait until the weekend? It was nice to have something to look forward to before the week was over.

Experiencing Japantown again

Wednesdays are shorter days for Maggie and Eugene, so I always try to think of some adventure we can go on in the afternoons. They have been asking to visit Japantown, so off to the city we went.

I have a lot of fond memories of Japantown. My brother and I went there a lot as kids, visiting the video rental shop and the Kinokuniya bookstore. My first "date" with Joe was at Japantown, too (and by "date" I mean the first time we ever hung out off our high school campus). My impression of the hangout was strictly platonic, but he argues otherwise.

Japantown has changed a lot, with many longstanding businesses closing over the years. For a while, I wasn’t sure if it would survive, and it would have been a terrible loss to the city if it didn’t.

I was glad to see the area well populated when the kids and I visited. The bookstore thankfully still remains, so the kids and I browsed there for a while being buying some pens and stickers at Mai Do, the stationary store across the way. I remember buying a lot of stickers and things here too when I was a kid. It’s such a trip to see my own children experience a place so essential to my childhood.

We ended our excursion at Hikari, a fun sushi restaurant where Japanese bullet trains deliver food to your table. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my kids enjoy a restaurant so much before.

Clayton creek

On Thursday, Deborah and I took our kids to play at the creek in downtown Clayton after school. The weather was perfect; the temperature was in the low 70's with the slightest breeze. The kids had a grand time together running barefoot through the creek, getting muddy and climbing up hills. It’s going to be a goal of mine to get these kiddos to enjoy the great outdoors more often.

By the end of the week, I was dealing with the stress of hearing about classroom behavioral issues and two of my kids developing a cough. The weekend brought my first Pinewood Derby experience, delicious hot pot with one of my best friends and a viewing of the Super Bowl game at my parents’. I also learned how Super Bowl squares work.

I’ll leave you with one last thing that I found amusing: Kodak has put out a tiny digital camera keychain and I think it’s just adorable.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week ahead.