I enjoy going to sci-fi/fantasy conventions. One of the regular ones I went to was CoastCon Jr. It was a mini 2 day con that usually was held at the Holiday Inn on Hwy 49. One year the con lined up with the big Harley Blowout that happened every year. The Blowout was held near the hotel so half the hotel was con, the other half was Harley riders.

Anyway, I was playing a LARP (live-action roleplay) and was running from a hunter. Since we can’t really turn invisible like our characters the way we let other players know we are invisible is by crossing our arms over our chest. Well I was running, in heels, arms crossed over my chest and ducked around a corner, panting. A large man opened his room door and looked at me, (I was right next to his door) then asked if I was ok. Panting, I replied “I’m invisible. You can’t see me!” He looked at me funny and slowly, silently, backed into his room and shut his door. A few moments later the man comes out with 2 large friends and started asking if I was ok, asked if I was running from someone and if I needed their help. By that time I had caught my breath and explained what was going on. They laughed and were relieved and actually went and bought tickets for the con themselves to check it out.

To this day, I have to wonder what conversation took place when he went back in the room the first time. lol

Yes, I know it is Christmas time but I had fallen behind in watching the Shaytards and have been trying to catch up. I am just up to the Halloween vlogs and it prompted this memory so I wanted to write it down and save it.

I forget if it was my freshman or sophomore year of high school (I think sophomore though) and my friends and I went to the haunted house at the DYA (Dependent Youth Activities) Center on base. Every year there were 2 haunted houses there, one put on by the teen council (which was me and my friends) and one by the base hospital. We went to the one done by the hospital. One thing most people do not know about me, even though I have worked in haunted houses, even though I have seen some freaking scary real life stuff, Halloween haunted houses scare the crap out of me. Anyway, I met up with my friends there and a guy I really liked (I cannot remember his name now for the life of me) and he was kinda my date for this evening. I was scared when we started heading in so he leaned over and told me if I got scared to just hold him and he would protect me. He was sooooooo sweet. About 5 steps in something jumped out at us, I screamed, closed my eyes, then turned to grab him. I clung tightly to him the whole way through with my eyes closed and my face buried in his chest. He stroked my hair and kept whispering that it was ok, and kissed my forehead a few times. I was so happy and as soon as we were out I went to kiss him. I opened my eyes and it was a guy dressed as a very bloody vampire, he was part of the haunted house but when I grabbed him he walked me through. I remember he was a young guy, newly in the service. I screamed and fell on my butt and the guy I was supposed to be there with just watched, laughing. I don’t remember what happened after. I don’t remember if I kept in touch with the vampire guy or if me and the other guy ended up dating. Maybe those memories will come back or maybe that isn’t important. I still get a giggle thinking about that night though.

I stopped making bento posts when Ichiban Kan stopped selling online. I may still put bento stuffs here but for now I am making this into a regular blog. Mainly what I will be posting is little stories and memories from my past. Last summer I was in a coma due to toxic shock and I forgot a lot of stuff, so maybe doing this will help me remember more and if not, maybe it will help preserve the memories I do have.

Those of us from the south grew up on this stuff. In just about every grocery store you can find these tubs of beautiful orange lumpy goodness. Some people use it as a sandwich spread with lunch meat but most of us use it alone between 2 slices of bread as a lunch or snack. At times I would eat it directly out of the tub and I’m sure I’m not the only one to enjoy this guilty pleasure. What many people don’t know is that you don’t need to buy it premade. It can be easily made at home and is great for in your bento. It stand up well to room temperature storage and kids tend to love the stuff.

16 oz. chedar cheese
2 oz. jar pimentos
1/4 tsp. sugar
Mayonnaise
Few drops vinegar

Grate the cheese and mash pimentos; put together and mix well. Add sugar and enough mayonnaise to make it smooth and creamy. Put in container and keep refrigerated.

[my personal note: Fall is coming up and it adds a bit of color for fall themed bentos or that splash of fun color for your childern's bento! 8B Yuriko-chan]

(Today’s post is brought to you by Subu-chan, my friend, proof-reader, and now guest poster on Rayne’s Bento. A few of my friends will be writing posts on occasion or inserting their 2 cents on my posts. I hope you enjoy them.)

If you like a little crunch to your sandwiches, thin sliced veggies are a welcome addition. Cucumbers and carrots for a lot of crunch, tomatoes and pickles for less. Replace regular lettuce with baby spinach for a bit different flavor and crunch.
- Subu-chan

I had read about sandwich boxes before on other sites and blogs so when Ichiban Kan started offing these, I pounced. Whe I got it in though, I was less than impressed. The to section that holds the the bread is a bit difficult to clip together. Once assembled it’s very sturdy though; there seems to be no risk of it coming apart and smashing the bread. The other major problem I had with it is the size [or lack of], it’s too small to hold standard sandwich bread. If you cut off your crusts or if you like to cut your bread into cute little shapes, though, it works as fine. Remember though, if you cut your bread into shapes be sure to cut your meat and cheese to fit. The bottom section has plenty of room for your meats, cheeses, condiments, and other small side items. Over-all, I don’t think I will use this box very often, but it is not entirely useless. I think I would rather pack the top with a couple dinner rolls and put some fried shrimp, sliced tomatoes and mayo in the bottom and have mini shrimp po-boys. It’s a much better use for the sandwich box.

I give it - (2/5 sushi rolls)

Links: “Pink” Collapsible Sandwich Box

(Note: Normally I will try to put reviews out on Monday but I had some comp trouble this week.)

Ok, things are starting to settle down here a bit so hopefully regular posting will start soon. My hope if to be able to offer one recipe, one review, and one tip a week.  If all goes well I will be starting this next week. I have been collecting recipes and brainstorming tips, also I have bought loads of new products to try. I also hope to update the contest next week sometime so keep your eyes out!

Ok, I know I have been singing the praises of Ichiban Kan (I am not affiliated with them, nor with any other shop, I just shop there) but there are other places to feed your bento need. eBay is a great place to find all sorts of odd and beautiful bento boxes and accessories. You can find everything from the traditional to the wacky. Be aware of what you are buying though. Check the description throughly, read to find out exactly what you are getting. I had ordered a bento for my mom (the aforementioned Winnie the Pooh bento) while the bento was a great price, a great seller, and the set was awesome, but I had thought it was getting a 2-tiered. Had I actually read the description I would have seen that it was a 1-tier. My mom still loved it but I was a little disappointed. It was fully my fault though and the disappointment could have been avoided had I read a little instead of spazing and clicking the “Buy It Now” button.

The other thing you need to watch for is shipping prices. I have seen many cheap and lovely bentos but the shipping prices were WAY too high. If you look around you can get an idea of what reasonable prices are. Look at the feedback and see what other people are saying about the shipping prices and speed. Another thing to look at is location. It will cost more and take longer if the seller is in Japan, though that is where most of the bento sets come from. There are a lot of great bento seller in the USA too though, and the shipping is cheaper (if you live in North America that is) and it is sure to get to you faster as well.

CHECK FEEDBACK! Most important thing. If a person has a lot of recent negatives then you know to avoid them. If there are only a few, read, a lot of times it is over stupid stuff, or from non-paying buyers trying to cause trouble.

I will be putting up a page soon listing eBay sellers that I have bought from and I will try to remember to list where the sellers are from as well.

Sorry about the lack of activity lately, I just moved. Geeze! I never realized how much bento stuff I had until it was put together all in one place! Hehehe And I have more on the way. I got my mom hooked on bentos now too. I bought her a Winnie the Pooh bento set and she has been using it regularly. It came with mayo cups and she uses one of those to put her pills in when she goes out to eat and she brings her bento to put leftovers in. Every time she has taken it out at the restaurant she gets a lot of questions about what it is. She grins and tells them it is a bento and a gift from her daughter and then tells them all the joys of the bento. Even the waitresses at her favorite restaurant are going to get their own bentos. My sister and I are planning to start a business of making custom bentos and accessories.  We plan to offer hand-painted boxes and personalized embroidered bags and oshibori cloths as well as other things. Once we get set up I will post here. =D