Sorry for the dearth of posts folks. A killer weekend and 2 days of too much work have prevented me from doing anything.
Friday was port and cheese night with Julian and Koichi. Beforehand, Julian and I stopped off at this little bar I pass on my way home every day. It looked interesting, but since it's out in the middle of nowhere, it was a bit intimidating to go into. We walked in, and tripped over the stools in the smallest bar I've ever seen. There was probably about 8 inches between the edge of the bar and the back of the wall. Those 8 inches were occupied by a row of barstools, 6 in all, with 2 barflies seated at opposite ends.
We took a seat and ordered up some beers. The bartender seemed a little ill at ease at first, but once he realized we could muddle our way through basic Japanese, he warmed up. The drinks were ok, and the 2 other guys in there were quite friendly. We had to sing some karaoke (Julian's idea, because he can actually sing, whereas I croaked out some Billy Joel), and the bartender, Oboke cooked us up some free squid okonomiyake, which actually tasted pretty bad. When he'd gone off for a bathroom break, Shinyu, the guy next to me leaned over and said, "Don't eat that. He can't cook. It tastes awful." It looked awful, too. We dutifully ate half of it between us, then begged fullness due to ramen earlier (mostly true), and sent it back. I'd finished my pair of beers, and was waiting for Julian (ever the talker) to finish his, when Shinyu started pouring me drinks. He had some cheap Jin-ro (sho-chu, dangerous Korean liquor), and was pouring me 3/4 that and a splash of oolong tea. Yikes.
So we finally escaped out dive into Japanese low-brow culture and got back to my place, where Koichi met us. We had a great bottle of port I'd brought with me from the States, as well as a block of Wisconsin cheddar (yum!). We had that while watching the first couple episodes of Long Way Round, the round-the-world documentary I'd just finished the book of.
Saturday I awoke to a splitting headache. That damned bottle of Jin-ro had done a number on me. Julian, who'd had about the same as me, minus Jin-ro, woke up just fine. It had started snowing during the night, and we awoke to a nice blanket of white stuff all over the park under my balcony. We watched it for a bit and tried to warm up in my less-than insulated apartment. I spent the whole day pretty much incapacitated and sitting under my kotatsu doing nothing.
On Sunday I had my first lesson with a private student in Japan. Masako's a nice lady, we met at a Starbucks' cafe. She was a bit lower than I'd expected, so I have to modify the lessons a bit, but it should go well, I hope. That's a nice sum to support my drinking.
This week I'm at O-shimizu junior high school. It's a great school, the teachers are really nice. But they seem to love working me to the bone. No breaks but lunch, really. I think not having slept well the past couple nights has aggravated a busy work schedule. Today, I had 5 classes (out of 6 possible) plus checking papers and correcting a letter the city office wants to send to Windsor, their sister city, as well as helping prepare some of the 3rd year students for English interviews for their high school applications.
You don't just go to whatever high school happens to be nearest you. It's much more like college. You apply to lots and narrow your choices, and then hopefully you end up getting accepted to one that's less than an hour's commute. A few students chose a school in Yokohama that will be 45 minutes by train. This one has a focus on English, so they have to take a special interview in English to assess their abilities. So I sat down with them today and yesterday, and probably tomorrow, to practice vocab and possible interview situations. I really hope they get in. They've tried so hard.
The rest of this week is looking busy as well. I applied for a job (unpaid, of course) as a freelance contributor for Nozomi Online, a website about Japan, particularly J-pop music and anime. I hope it'll force me to write more and actually get something done on that front. For those of you unfamiliar, I have a vision of myself as some sort of writer-type, and I'd like to actually cultivate that. I need the practice. Too bad I picked the one week I actually have to work my arse off to do it. Ah, well.
So that's what's up if I don't write for a while.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Penguin Sex!
Got your attention didn't it? :P
The weather yesterday was horrible. It was cold, and rained buckets. I went out once and got soaked coming back, so I just stayed bundled up. I watched March of the Penguins last night. It's pretty entertaining (maybe because I just like penguins), and the cinematography is spectacular. The emperor penguin is a beautiful creature, and it's vivid orange/red markings really stand out against the white of Antarctica. Morgan Freeman does an awesome job as narrator, he's got that soothing voice, and his accent makes him sound like he's weaving a fairy tale rather than talking about birds.
In other news, I've been reading this really cool book called 1421, about how the Chinese navigated, mapped, and colonized the world before Europeans ever did. I recall a National Geographic article a year or two ago about Chinese ships that were the biggest ever built until the advent of the aircraft carrier in WWII. The author, Gavin Menzies, asserts that these ships, accompanied by fleets of dozens of support ships (much like modern-day carrier groups), travelled the world and were responsible for the introduction of chickens into the Americas, as well as mapping almost the entire world. He also claims they were probably the first to reach Antarctica, and probably left settlers in various places in both the Americas and Africa. He comes up with some improbable ideas, such as the Bimini Road being a repair ramp for Chinese junks, but he does lay out a convincing case. I'd advise seeing for yourself.
In any case, we've all been brainwashed in elementary school about certain 'facts' (Washington and the Cherry Tree for one), and I'm all for having the truth be known, as long as it really is the truth.
The weather yesterday was horrible. It was cold, and rained buckets. I went out once and got soaked coming back, so I just stayed bundled up. I watched March of the Penguins last night. It's pretty entertaining (maybe because I just like penguins), and the cinematography is spectacular. The emperor penguin is a beautiful creature, and it's vivid orange/red markings really stand out against the white of Antarctica. Morgan Freeman does an awesome job as narrator, he's got that soothing voice, and his accent makes him sound like he's weaving a fairy tale rather than talking about birds.
In other news, I've been reading this really cool book called 1421, about how the Chinese navigated, mapped, and colonized the world before Europeans ever did. I recall a National Geographic article a year or two ago about Chinese ships that were the biggest ever built until the advent of the aircraft carrier in WWII. The author, Gavin Menzies, asserts that these ships, accompanied by fleets of dozens of support ships (much like modern-day carrier groups), travelled the world and were responsible for the introduction of chickens into the Americas, as well as mapping almost the entire world. He also claims they were probably the first to reach Antarctica, and probably left settlers in various places in both the Americas and Africa. He comes up with some improbable ideas, such as the Bimini Road being a repair ramp for Chinese junks, but he does lay out a convincing case. I'd advise seeing for yourself.
In any case, we've all been brainwashed in elementary school about certain 'facts' (Washington and the Cherry Tree for one), and I'm all for having the truth be known, as long as it really is the truth.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Back home again in Japan
Got back last night, slept well, but woke up at 5am here. Suck. Here's why I hate flying:
1. Got into an argument with the check-in lady because I was allowed to take 2 bags @ 50 lbs each. I was freaking out before coming here because I thought I wasn't allowed that.
2. Because of (1), I was stamped SSSS, which in airline terms means you get everything searched. So it took them about 30 minutes to go through all my carry-on stuff at the security check. If you have electronic items, they have to swab everything and put it through a chemical detector. Here's what I had:
*1 cell phone in my pocket
*1 iPod in my coat pocket
*1 XPC computer that looks more like a bomb than a computer (that one was fun to explain)
*1 power cable for a laptop computer that I didn't have on me
*1 cd case that also counts
*various pharmaceuticals (all OTC)
*assorted computer cables that went to accessories in my checked luggage
*1 thermos cup of oolong tea. Oolong tea sets off all the warning lights when it's put through the sniffer, plus the metal container made it opaque in the scanner. Yay.
*1 turkey sandwich. I love turkey.
Not to mention a thick belt buckle and hiking boots. I held up the line so long, with so many people behind me, they just told everyone else to go on through. It was rather absurd, but that's how it goes, I guess. Thankfully, there was no security check at Detroit. It was strange, because I've always recalled going through immigration or customs when leaving the US. But I walked out of the gate at Detroit, down the way and onto the plane to go to Narita, without having to show anyone my passport or have anything stamped. I thought that was a bit odd. At least I didn't get searched again.
Northwest is one of the worst airlines to fly on. Every flight is late and something always goes wrong. Going to Indy, both flights were delayed (the 2nd of which saved me, otherwise I would've missed it), my tray table was broken, so I had to prop it up so my food didn't slide off into my lap, and the movie projector broke, which wasn't a bad thing becuase the movies showing were "Sky High," "Mr. Perfect," and some other piece of trash.
This time, we left over an hour late from Detroit because of de-icing problems. The movies weren't too bad, I'd never pay to see "Dukes of Hazzard," but it was at least not completely horrible. The other two movies were some Reese Witherspoon flick and Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist." Again, not bad, but it couldn't keep my attention the whole time.
I did manage to read The Long Way Round by Ewan MacGregor and Charley Boorman. It's a pretty good read, about two guys who go around the world on motobikes. Can't beat that. It also shows that actors aren't always superficial, and how events can affect people. MacGregor's thing was UNICEF, as they visited a few different facilities in the Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The best parts were reading about all the interesting people there, and makes me really wish I could do something like that. Guess I have to become famous first. Really, though, if two famous actors have trouble getting something like that funded and paid, what chance do I have. I think mine will forever be a pipe dream.
Anyways, I got back to Hiratsuka a bit after 9pm, took a taxi home, hauled everything up to my room, showered and crashed. I woke up at 5am and watched the sun rise, for lack of anything better to do. When shops finally opened up, I wandered out to the electronic store and purchased a monitor so I could hook up my computer. I've got it all set up and am back sitting under my kotatsu tapping away. Julian's off at a sumo match, I bowed out so I could straighten things up around here and prepare for classes tomorrow. But since the school's neglected to send me anything, I don't have that much to do. Oh well.
On that note, take care and hope to see everyone again soon, when you come here to visit. It's your turn now :P
1. Got into an argument with the check-in lady because I was allowed to take 2 bags @ 50 lbs each. I was freaking out before coming here because I thought I wasn't allowed that.
2. Because of (1), I was stamped SSSS, which in airline terms means you get everything searched. So it took them about 30 minutes to go through all my carry-on stuff at the security check. If you have electronic items, they have to swab everything and put it through a chemical detector. Here's what I had:
*1 cell phone in my pocket
*1 iPod in my coat pocket
*1 XPC computer that looks more like a bomb than a computer (that one was fun to explain)
*1 power cable for a laptop computer that I didn't have on me
*1 cd case that also counts
*various pharmaceuticals (all OTC)
*assorted computer cables that went to accessories in my checked luggage
*1 thermos cup of oolong tea. Oolong tea sets off all the warning lights when it's put through the sniffer, plus the metal container made it opaque in the scanner. Yay.
*1 turkey sandwich. I love turkey.
Not to mention a thick belt buckle and hiking boots. I held up the line so long, with so many people behind me, they just told everyone else to go on through. It was rather absurd, but that's how it goes, I guess. Thankfully, there was no security check at Detroit. It was strange, because I've always recalled going through immigration or customs when leaving the US. But I walked out of the gate at Detroit, down the way and onto the plane to go to Narita, without having to show anyone my passport or have anything stamped. I thought that was a bit odd. At least I didn't get searched again.
Northwest is one of the worst airlines to fly on. Every flight is late and something always goes wrong. Going to Indy, both flights were delayed (the 2nd of which saved me, otherwise I would've missed it), my tray table was broken, so I had to prop it up so my food didn't slide off into my lap, and the movie projector broke, which wasn't a bad thing becuase the movies showing were "Sky High," "Mr. Perfect," and some other piece of trash.
This time, we left over an hour late from Detroit because of de-icing problems. The movies weren't too bad, I'd never pay to see "Dukes of Hazzard," but it was at least not completely horrible. The other two movies were some Reese Witherspoon flick and Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist." Again, not bad, but it couldn't keep my attention the whole time.
I did manage to read The Long Way Round by Ewan MacGregor and Charley Boorman. It's a pretty good read, about two guys who go around the world on motobikes. Can't beat that. It also shows that actors aren't always superficial, and how events can affect people. MacGregor's thing was UNICEF, as they visited a few different facilities in the Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The best parts were reading about all the interesting people there, and makes me really wish I could do something like that. Guess I have to become famous first. Really, though, if two famous actors have trouble getting something like that funded and paid, what chance do I have. I think mine will forever be a pipe dream.
Anyways, I got back to Hiratsuka a bit after 9pm, took a taxi home, hauled everything up to my room, showered and crashed. I woke up at 5am and watched the sun rise, for lack of anything better to do. When shops finally opened up, I wandered out to the electronic store and purchased a monitor so I could hook up my computer. I've got it all set up and am back sitting under my kotatsu tapping away. Julian's off at a sumo match, I bowed out so I could straighten things up around here and prepare for classes tomorrow. But since the school's neglected to send me anything, I don't have that much to do. Oh well.
On that note, take care and hope to see everyone again soon, when you come here to visit. It's your turn now :P
Friday, January 06, 2006
Last night in the USA
Well, I'm finishing up my packing, the only major thing left is my computer box, which will gently go in my carry-on, then I'll be set for my big trip back to Japan. I really don't care much for travelling 24 hours by car, plane, train, & taxi, but that's life I guess. It'll be nice to get back and relax one whole day before I go back to work on the 10th. I don't have as much volume to take back, but my stuff weighs more. Since I'm allowed only 50 lbs for checked luggage, and 40 for carry-on, my suitcase isn't packed full, but already over the weight limit. I'll have to put an empty box in to make sure that nothing rattles around and gets messed up. I'm bringing back some stuff that's potentially breakable, so that's a big concern. Wish me luck, & see you all soon!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
So...Happy New Year!
Sorry for not posting, I've been having so much fun here at home, I haven't had much time to do anything communication-related. Well, sorta. I've just not felt like posting lately. I always mean to, but nothing ever comes up. Xmas was fun, I got to see the whole family together for the first time in couple years (only because I haven't been there). We had a huge Xmas lunch/dinner with roast beef, mashed potatoes, etc., all topped off with my favorite of desserts, persimmon pudding. Yummm, droooool. The week in between was spent seeing old friends, especially the Zionsville crew. I'm amazed at how much everyone's matured. Most of the people are in semi-serious relationships, even the people avowedly not so 2 years ago.
I also got to see my good friend Sam from Purdue. She and I kept having psychology courses together and got to chatting. We really hung out only in the last semester there and the year before I took off for Japan, but I feel that I know her really well. She's one of those glowing people who makes everything, even going to see the late showing of "Brokeback Mountain," fun and entertaining. Hopefully, she'll come visit in Japan. Right, Sam? ;)
New Year's was spent drinking with the Z'ville crew and the first day of 2006 I spent lazing around the house, too tired to move. My family had our traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, something that I've heard is a tradition, but I don't know anyone else who does that. If anyone has heard of this, please let me know.
This week will be spent arranging everything to go back to Japan. I'm still allotted only 50 pounds (23kg), and I think everything will be jammed in again. This won't be fun. I also have all my dinners for this week planned out. Tonight is buffalo wings, tomorrow is Japanese dinner at Ana's, Thursday is steak dinner at home, and my last meal Friday will be roast turkey breast, something I've been craving almost since I left the last time.
Last of all, here's your dose of cuteness. Imagine living in this world, and you can imagine being in Japan.
I also got to see my good friend Sam from Purdue. She and I kept having psychology courses together and got to chatting. We really hung out only in the last semester there and the year before I took off for Japan, but I feel that I know her really well. She's one of those glowing people who makes everything, even going to see the late showing of "Brokeback Mountain," fun and entertaining. Hopefully, she'll come visit in Japan. Right, Sam? ;)
New Year's was spent drinking with the Z'ville crew and the first day of 2006 I spent lazing around the house, too tired to move. My family had our traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, something that I've heard is a tradition, but I don't know anyone else who does that. If anyone has heard of this, please let me know.
This week will be spent arranging everything to go back to Japan. I'm still allotted only 50 pounds (23kg), and I think everything will be jammed in again. This won't be fun. I also have all my dinners for this week planned out. Tonight is buffalo wings, tomorrow is Japanese dinner at Ana's, Thursday is steak dinner at home, and my last meal Friday will be roast turkey breast, something I've been craving almost since I left the last time.
Last of all, here's your dose of cuteness. Imagine living in this world, and you can imagine being in Japan.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
First day back: Disorientation
After I got up around 4:30, I wandered downstairs to forage for some food. I walked into the dark hallway, past the suitcase, down the stairs, and got some food out of the kitchen. I chatted with my dad for a bit, wandered around downstairs in the dark for a bit, then headed back upstairs, past the suitcase and into my room. I sat down at the computer to see if anyone from Japan was up, but no dice. I wandered out of my room again, past the black suitcase, to the bathroom for a....wait a sec, black suitcase?
I was so out of it I'd walked past my luggage 4 times. I guess it'd arrived after I'd gone to bed the night before. So thankfully, I have all of my clothes and presents now. All that's left it to wrap them, which will probably take a while.
I got to drive a bit on my first day back, and I seem to have remembered how to drive a stick as well as which side of the road to be on. Since I never drove in Japan, I guess it's not that difficult to fall back into the old habits. Let's hope I don't pick up any of the bad ones again.
I was so out of it I'd walked past my luggage 4 times. I guess it'd arrived after I'd gone to bed the night before. So thankfully, I have all of my clothes and presents now. All that's left it to wrap them, which will probably take a while.
I got to drive a bit on my first day back, and I seem to have remembered how to drive a stick as well as which side of the road to be on. Since I never drove in Japan, I guess it's not that difficult to fall back into the old habits. Let's hope I don't pick up any of the bad ones again.
Back home again, in Indiana
So I arrived back in Indy yesterday evening, 7am Tokyo, 5pm local time. I'd spent 23 hours travelling and had a nice rest. Now it's 4 am and I'm sitting up completely awake. I went to bed around 10pm, so 6 hours of sleep isn't so bad. I'm just gonna need a nap during the day to keep me going so I don't collapse at 6pm.
I arrived feeling tired but good. Unfortunately, my baggage didn't. As far as I know, it didn't arrive at all. I made it to Detroit, picked it up and headed through customs. Because the flight from Japan was delayed, I cleared customs with approximately 5 minutes before my flight left. Some jerk DHS guy searched my carry-on because I didn't take out my computer or laptop, and proceeded to swab everything and put it through a chemical analyzer. Dick. By then I had 2 minutes to go. So I'm sprinting all the way to gate A55, dodging up escalators, knocking down the elderly who can't get out the way quick enough, and when I arrived, there was no plane.
I looked up at the board and realized I'd gotten the WRONG flight to Indy, that mine was actually leaving from Gate B2, which is all the way back to the hub, down the stairs, through this enormous tunnel with a disorienting light display, and back up the stairs. I arrived panting and saw the door was closed already, but the plane was still there. I pulled out the ticket and gasped, "I'm...on...this...flight!"
"Don't worry said the guy, there's a problem with the elevators and it's delayed. You made it." Let's hear it for chronic tardiness at Detroit Airport. So I arrived in Indy an hour late, but I couldn't find my bag. I feel like Greg Focker, I'll probably get the wrong bag which, instead of presents and things from Japan will probably have whips and leather or some fat lady's underwear and a clown suit.
So until then, I'm going to put my early wake up to good use. I'm gonna go pet the animals.
I arrived feeling tired but good. Unfortunately, my baggage didn't. As far as I know, it didn't arrive at all. I made it to Detroit, picked it up and headed through customs. Because the flight from Japan was delayed, I cleared customs with approximately 5 minutes before my flight left. Some jerk DHS guy searched my carry-on because I didn't take out my computer or laptop, and proceeded to swab everything and put it through a chemical analyzer. Dick. By then I had 2 minutes to go. So I'm sprinting all the way to gate A55, dodging up escalators, knocking down the elderly who can't get out the way quick enough, and when I arrived, there was no plane.
I looked up at the board and realized I'd gotten the WRONG flight to Indy, that mine was actually leaving from Gate B2, which is all the way back to the hub, down the stairs, through this enormous tunnel with a disorienting light display, and back up the stairs. I arrived panting and saw the door was closed already, but the plane was still there. I pulled out the ticket and gasped, "I'm...on...this...flight!"
"Don't worry said the guy, there's a problem with the elevators and it's delayed. You made it." Let's hear it for chronic tardiness at Detroit Airport. So I arrived in Indy an hour late, but I couldn't find my bag. I feel like Greg Focker, I'll probably get the wrong bag which, instead of presents and things from Japan will probably have whips and leather or some fat lady's underwear and a clown suit.
So until then, I'm going to put my early wake up to good use. I'm gonna go pet the animals.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Terminal Man
So, I'm now at Narita airport. I've undergone 2.5 hours of train travel (1 of them standing, the remainder sitting on an overheated seat). I arrived, checked in, went through customs and immigration, lost my boarding passes (both of them), got them replaced, drank 2 bottles of nihonshu, and am now waiting for a flight that is delayed for another hour. And it's not even 3pm here.
So I thought I'd shell out a few yen (500 of them, to be exact) for the chance to use the internet and charge my computer. One complaint I have with Japan is that it's very difficult to find wireless LAN anywhere. I know this country is famous for being gadget-hounds and tech-savvy, but that's all using phones. You don't need a computer to email people from Doutor (or Starbucks) if you can email them anywhere using your cell phone. I guess it's just another difference between Japan and the US. At least now I've brought my chunky laptop out. If I ever get another one, it'll be an extremely small one for web browsing and email only, though probably won't need it til I return to the US (or wherever outside Japan).
So, peace be upon all you, and have mercy on my co-passengers when I take off my shoes! See you all back in Indy-land. I can't wait. Gonna make my folks drive me to Mexican food ASAP!
So I thought I'd shell out a few yen (500 of them, to be exact) for the chance to use the internet and charge my computer. One complaint I have with Japan is that it's very difficult to find wireless LAN anywhere. I know this country is famous for being gadget-hounds and tech-savvy, but that's all using phones. You don't need a computer to email people from Doutor (or Starbucks) if you can email them anywhere using your cell phone. I guess it's just another difference between Japan and the US. At least now I've brought my chunky laptop out. If I ever get another one, it'll be an extremely small one for web browsing and email only, though probably won't need it til I return to the US (or wherever outside Japan).
So, peace be upon all you, and have mercy on my co-passengers when I take off my shoes! See you all back in Indy-land. I can't wait. Gonna make my folks drive me to Mexican food ASAP!
Monday, December 19, 2005
Hard Gay WOOOOOOOOO!
So, Japanese TV is strange, everyone knows that. This stereotypically quiet and reserved culture, once put in front of a camera, send their women off eating bizarre (even for Japan) foods while pudgy men compete in physical competition for the glory of their company.
Well, while lots of that may be true, this takes it to a new level. Meet Hard Gay （γγΌγγ), a man running around Tokyo in black leather biker wear with extremely short shorts. See videos here and here. He's a sensation all over Japan. It's been this way for about 6 months, but the pop culture cycle has progressed, and he'll be out of the limelight soon. But until then, everyone knows about him, even my students, ranging in age from 12 to 15. They think it's extremely funny. I laugh at everything, Hard Gay himself and the juxtaposition of him with the vision we have of Japan. The best thing is that this guy is on TV at all times, even during the weekend cartoon runs. I've never managed to catch him myself, my TV being crap and missing a couple of channels, but it's something you won't see on American TV, that's for sure.
Well, while lots of that may be true, this takes it to a new level. Meet Hard Gay （γγΌγγ), a man running around Tokyo in black leather biker wear with extremely short shorts. See videos here and here. He's a sensation all over Japan. It's been this way for about 6 months, but the pop culture cycle has progressed, and he'll be out of the limelight soon. But until then, everyone knows about him, even my students, ranging in age from 12 to 15. They think it's extremely funny. I laugh at everything, Hard Gay himself and the juxtaposition of him with the vision we have of Japan. The best thing is that this guy is on TV at all times, even during the weekend cartoon runs. I've never managed to catch him myself, my TV being crap and missing a couple of channels, but it's something you won't see on American TV, that's for sure.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Photos up and other stuff
So, instead of packing, I decided to organize a bunch of photos and such. So, all my latest photos are up on the flickr site (link at top of page or on sidebar).
I also found a site Google offers that allows you to upload your own videos so people can see them. I've uploaded some of mine, but they're awaiting verification, evidently, so you can't see them yet, I don't think. But I did find a couple that were entertaining. One is a "documentary" about proper sushi eating (via Octopusdropkick), and the other is a combination of two of my favorite things, video games and dancing. This even beats Nathan doing the "masochism tango." Aaron, you'd get a kick out of it.
I also found a site Google offers that allows you to upload your own videos so people can see them. I've uploaded some of mine, but they're awaiting verification, evidently, so you can't see them yet, I don't think. But I did find a couple that were entertaining. One is a "documentary" about proper sushi eating (via Octopusdropkick), and the other is a combination of two of my favorite things, video games and dancing. This even beats Nathan doing the "masochism tango." Aaron, you'd get a kick out of it.
The countdown to return
Only 3 days till I leave chilly Japan and head to frickin'-cold Indy.
So in the past two weeks, amid all the hard-charging partying to send off Ana & Damien, I neglected to get enough sleep. Now it's come back to bite me in the tookus, in the form of getting sick. Bicycling around in the cold and shivering in the classroom hasn't helped either. I'm going to spend Sunday quietly packing and cleaning (maybe) so that everything's ready before I go and I'm not doing a mad scramble on Tuesday night. Well, I probably will anyway, but just in case.
So in the past two weeks, amid all the hard-charging partying to send off Ana & Damien, I neglected to get enough sleep. Now it's come back to bite me in the tookus, in the form of getting sick. Bicycling around in the cold and shivering in the classroom hasn't helped either. I'm going to spend Sunday quietly packing and cleaning (maybe) so that everything's ready before I go and I'm not doing a mad scramble on Tuesday night. Well, I probably will anyway, but just in case.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Commence the Preparations!
So I'm coming back in a week. In less than 7 days, I'll be winging my way home for the first time in over 20 months. It's all rather surreal. Indiana is like some 20-year-long dream that I can't quite seem to shake. I've got subarctic weather to look forward to, but for some reason it never seems quite as cold there as it does where I'm at. In both Japan and Spain, it's the coldest I've ever felt. I think it has to do with the lack of central heating in work and at home. Here at home, I use a kotatsu, a quite wonderful convention, and I've put the space heater in my bedroom because I can't figure out how to turn my aircon unit to heating from the cooling I used during the summer. Curse my poor kanji skills and lack of any manual!
School has been frigid the past couple days. I took to using the coat I'd been wearing to work as my indoor jacket as well. It's actually colder inside than out. The teachers have been having me do these 'conversation tests,' which involve me speaking to each and every student in the 2nd grade (our 8th grade) for 2 minutes apiece. Now, there's no way to do this in the classroom, so I have to do it in the hallway, where the windows have been left open all night. Yay. And to think the poor girls still have to wear the skirts of their school uniforms even in winter. I swear, these kids must be polar bears or something underneath. And the older students STILL insist on hiking up their skirts (it's the fashion). Crazy kids.
In other news, Ana left Hiratsuka this morning. She's been seeing her friends in Narita before heading to the airport tomorrow morning. I can't pretend to know what it'll be like for her. I've watched her say goodbye to all our friends, and I know that I'll still see her back in Indy in a week or so. It's all rather surreal for me. And I think that it's become that way for her too, saying goodbye to people more than a week before you're actually leaving. I think sometimes we say goodbye so much, to so many people, that we become numbed to it all and it loses any emotional impact. Good thing I can avoid that for a little while longer. All I say to people is, "See you later."
Speaking of which, I'm going to climb into bed now, after I take a nice hot shower to thaw out my lower body, which has been numb all day. I tell you, a good Xmas present is silk long johns. Keeps everything down there from losing feeling. Hope I can write more and post the last couple months of pics this weekend, in between packing for home. I don't really plan on bringing any clothes back, but I still have lots to stuff into the cases.
School has been frigid the past couple days. I took to using the coat I'd been wearing to work as my indoor jacket as well. It's actually colder inside than out. The teachers have been having me do these 'conversation tests,' which involve me speaking to each and every student in the 2nd grade (our 8th grade) for 2 minutes apiece. Now, there's no way to do this in the classroom, so I have to do it in the hallway, where the windows have been left open all night. Yay. And to think the poor girls still have to wear the skirts of their school uniforms even in winter. I swear, these kids must be polar bears or something underneath. And the older students STILL insist on hiking up their skirts (it's the fashion). Crazy kids.
In other news, Ana left Hiratsuka this morning. She's been seeing her friends in Narita before heading to the airport tomorrow morning. I can't pretend to know what it'll be like for her. I've watched her say goodbye to all our friends, and I know that I'll still see her back in Indy in a week or so. It's all rather surreal for me. And I think that it's become that way for her too, saying goodbye to people more than a week before you're actually leaving. I think sometimes we say goodbye so much, to so many people, that we become numbed to it all and it loses any emotional impact. Good thing I can avoid that for a little while longer. All I say to people is, "See you later."
Speaking of which, I'm going to climb into bed now, after I take a nice hot shower to thaw out my lower body, which has been numb all day. I tell you, a good Xmas present is silk long johns. Keeps everything down there from losing feeling. Hope I can write more and post the last couple months of pics this weekend, in between packing for home. I don't really plan on bringing any clothes back, but I still have lots to stuff into the cases.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
That post that never quite seems to write itself
In the continuing saga of Jeremy not blogging because he's too busy out doing things, I've seen one of my good friends, Damien, off. He left last Thursday for Australia. I said goodbye to Ana tonight, though we'll see each other in Indy.
Damien, Julian, and I had the obligatory bowl of ramen from "The Ramen" restaurant (actually, it's 'Za Ramen' because Japanese can't pronounce 'th' sounds). Later, we proceeded to a really cheap 200 yen/beer happy hour and wobbled back to Ana's after to wait for her. In the meantime, we made these little Xmas ornaments/phone dangly straps. You just draw some sort of design on it and pop it in the toaster oven for a minute and it curls up and shrivels, looking about to burst into flame when suddenly it lays back down flat and has turned into a nice little ornament. Probably something 12 year-olds do (in fact I know they do it because my students love it), but also good for boozy 20-somethings with a fascination for arts and crafts.
After Damien left, I've been hanging out with Ana at every opportunity. One time we didn't was Friday when I went to a teachers' party with Julian and about 8 Japanese English teachers. We had an awesome 4 course dinner at an izakaya, then a few of us peeled off to sing karaoke. Turns out a few of them are regular drinking buddies, and typically go out with the math teacher from the school I'm currently at. I had no idea. So I proceeded to poke fun at him the past couple of days.
Saturday was nabe. For Xmas, I received a nabe pot from Ana & Damien. Nabe in Japanese means 'pot,' but the food is a stew of various vegetables and meat in this low, wide earthen pot. Nowadays, it's usually cooked in an electric pot-type thing. The fun part is doing it with all of your friends sitting around the table drinking and eating, with the nabe pot simmering in the middle. Even better was getting to use the kotatsu (table with a heating element under it and a skirt to keep the heat in) with it. Julian, Ana, Miwa and I had dinner in this style.
Sunday, Ana and I went to Kamakura. It's not a far train ride, and the temples are fantastic. We went to Hase-dera, one of the better-known temples, but one neither of us had ever been to since it's out of the way. It was great! The gardens were beautiful, and there was a library complete with revolving shelf storing all the works of Buddhist scholars over the years. The legend goes that if you turn the shelf round once, it's the same as reading all the sutras contained inside. I got real smart that day. There was also a small cave with carved statues of the 7 Buddhas. Each one is for a different aspect of life: money, health, luck, etc. After, we had a great Indian lunch near the station and bought some locally brewed beer that was quite tasty.
Monday was okonomiyaki night. We hit the one okonomiyaki place we knew near the station. The waiter was really nice, and Julian managed to charm him along with the table of ladies next to us that we each got a little phone strap reminder. It was a little bottle of Kirin beer that flashes for a while when you smack it.
The rest of this week won't be terribly exciting. Wednesday (tomorrow) is going to be an early evening. Thursday is evening lessons at the part-time school, Friday is a fish restaurant with a couple of old students from Nova, and Saturday is Xmas shopping with my pseudo-cousin Amanda. I finish work on the 20th, then I fly out the 21st. I'll get back and see all the people I haven't seen in ages. Finally. I've enjoyed being here, but it's been too long away from home.
Damien, Julian, and I had the obligatory bowl of ramen from "The Ramen" restaurant (actually, it's 'Za Ramen' because Japanese can't pronounce 'th' sounds). Later, we proceeded to a really cheap 200 yen/beer happy hour and wobbled back to Ana's after to wait for her. In the meantime, we made these little Xmas ornaments/phone dangly straps. You just draw some sort of design on it and pop it in the toaster oven for a minute and it curls up and shrivels, looking about to burst into flame when suddenly it lays back down flat and has turned into a nice little ornament. Probably something 12 year-olds do (in fact I know they do it because my students love it), but also good for boozy 20-somethings with a fascination for arts and crafts.
After Damien left, I've been hanging out with Ana at every opportunity. One time we didn't was Friday when I went to a teachers' party with Julian and about 8 Japanese English teachers. We had an awesome 4 course dinner at an izakaya, then a few of us peeled off to sing karaoke. Turns out a few of them are regular drinking buddies, and typically go out with the math teacher from the school I'm currently at. I had no idea. So I proceeded to poke fun at him the past couple of days.
Saturday was nabe. For Xmas, I received a nabe pot from Ana & Damien. Nabe in Japanese means 'pot,' but the food is a stew of various vegetables and meat in this low, wide earthen pot. Nowadays, it's usually cooked in an electric pot-type thing. The fun part is doing it with all of your friends sitting around the table drinking and eating, with the nabe pot simmering in the middle. Even better was getting to use the kotatsu (table with a heating element under it and a skirt to keep the heat in) with it. Julian, Ana, Miwa and I had dinner in this style.
Sunday, Ana and I went to Kamakura. It's not a far train ride, and the temples are fantastic. We went to Hase-dera, one of the better-known temples, but one neither of us had ever been to since it's out of the way. It was great! The gardens were beautiful, and there was a library complete with revolving shelf storing all the works of Buddhist scholars over the years. The legend goes that if you turn the shelf round once, it's the same as reading all the sutras contained inside. I got real smart that day. There was also a small cave with carved statues of the 7 Buddhas. Each one is for a different aspect of life: money, health, luck, etc. After, we had a great Indian lunch near the station and bought some locally brewed beer that was quite tasty.
Monday was okonomiyaki night. We hit the one okonomiyaki place we knew near the station. The waiter was really nice, and Julian managed to charm him along with the table of ladies next to us that we each got a little phone strap reminder. It was a little bottle of Kirin beer that flashes for a while when you smack it.
The rest of this week won't be terribly exciting. Wednesday (tomorrow) is going to be an early evening. Thursday is evening lessons at the part-time school, Friday is a fish restaurant with a couple of old students from Nova, and Saturday is Xmas shopping with my pseudo-cousin Amanda. I finish work on the 20th, then I fly out the 21st. I'll get back and see all the people I haven't seen in ages. Finally. I've enjoyed being here, but it's been too long away from home.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Wiped Out
It's been a rough past few nights, what with all this socializing. I want to write more about it, but I won't have time until the weekend, probably. I took the Japanese Proficiency Test on Sunday morning, and it's been nonstop since. That evening was the going away party for Damien, who leaves Thursday morning, and Ana, who's still got another week to go. Monday was a Xmas dinner with various people. The highlight for me was getting a nabe pot. Tonight we went to a fire festival in Odawara City, the same one I went to last year. Cold, fun, cool drumming and chanting, and I got to go firewalking again. Tomorrow's the last day with Damien, we'll just hang out and maybe go eat a last bowl of ramen (I'm hoping).
More to come. Maybe I'll write at work some, if I have time.
More to come. Maybe I'll write at work some, if I have time.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
New photos site up
I've been playing around with flickr, and it seems like a good setup. A lot of people online also say it's quite useful, although the 20MB monthly upload limit kinda sucks. So I sprang for the pro and am currently uploading full-resolution photos. This should help act as a way of archiving and backing up my photos, just in case my laptop craps out on me. I've posted new photos also, at least all the new ones I have on my computer, which is up until about mid-October. I haven't been taking many photos lately, since I haven't been anywhere of too much note. And I seem to have misplaced my mini drive that I use to transfer photos (oops!). It's either somewhere deep in my backpack or I left it at the school I was just at. Hopefully it's the former.
Well, I've now spent the sunny hours of the day indoors, I need to get out and do some Xmas shopping. I realized yesterday that they don't sell certain items I wanted to get in this season, which pretty much ruins most of my gift ideas. Time to go shopping and take the practice test for the Proficiency Test in one week(!!!) . This evening I'm going to the house of a friend of Ana's with her and Dam-o for sukiyaki. Should be yummy!
Well, I've now spent the sunny hours of the day indoors, I need to get out and do some Xmas shopping. I realized yesterday that they don't sell certain items I wanted to get in this season, which pretty much ruins most of my gift ideas. Time to go shopping and take the practice test for the Proficiency Test in one week(!!!) . This evening I'm going to the house of a friend of Ana's with her and Dam-o for sukiyaki. Should be yummy!
Sitework
So I found a new website called flickr, and I'm hoping it'll provide a better photo page than my yahoo photo page, which really hasn't been all that great. I want to be able to have subdirectories, and a nice setup. Hope it works. So this is what I'm doing at 2am on a Saturday night. Rather pathetic. And in a fit of recklessness, I bought a Japanese/English electronic dictionary, mostly on the advice of a friend of a friend. It cost me 30,000 yen, so it better be worth it.
Ok, time to crash soon. I almost wish it'd rain one of my days off so I wouldn't feel guilty spending the day inside trying to reorganize my photos and spending some time writing. December 4th is the Japanese Proficiency Test, so I've gotta buckle down and get working.
Ok, time to crash soon. I almost wish it'd rain one of my days off so I wouldn't feel guilty spending the day inside trying to reorganize my photos and spending some time writing. December 4th is the Japanese Proficiency Test, so I've gotta buckle down and get working.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
What I've been doing the past couple weeks
Not much.
No, really. I've been a bit down, what with people leaving and feeling a bit frustrated with Japanese. It's all kind of piled up and has been a bit hard to beat back. I've noticed it before, some kind of depressive cycle where I, for no really apparent reason feel lonely or unwanted or something. Even though I know it's not true, it's still there and weighs on me.
December's a big month for me, what with my Japanese proficiency test coming up, Ana & Damien leaving, and me heading home for a visit. Guess it's looming a little large in my mind. But thanks to my dedicated friends I'm back on my feet and doing better.
Actually, right now I feel pretty woozy because I was out til 5am with people. Last night we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving, so we had a party at Ana's house. We bought a couple of those little game hens from a stall in Hiratsuka, and had a potluck dinner. It turned out quite well, even though some of the people couldn't get there until later. We played trivia games and chatted until about 1:30am, at which point a few of us left for a short karaoke session. We had 2 Australians(Damien and Ana's roommate Kelli), 2 Hoosiers(Ana & I, obviously), a Brit(Julian), a Canadian(Ana's other roommate Erin), and a Japanese(Miwa). Not bad overall. It started off with just 4 of us and snowballed from there.
Today's a national holiday, though I've no clue why. I oughta figure that out one of these days. Last weekend I wanted to get out and see the leaves change color, but to get to the prime viewing place is about $50 roundtrip plus food and such. I can forgo the expense til I have more time/money. I ended up going to Kamakura on Saturday with my workmate Julian, and we did a bit of light hiking.
Kamakura's known for it's temples and a giant bronze Buddha statue. I got to see a nice sunset (the winter sunsets are amazing from here because the sun drops down right beside Mt. Fuji and it's perfectly backlit. We had dinner at Kua'Aina, a Hawaiian hamburger shop in Kamakura. It's a chain that's cashing in on the popularity of all things Hawaiian (!?), but it has some amazing, though pricey, burgers. I had a 1/3 lb. burger with avocado and other toppings, the thing was about 6 inches tall with the bun.
Sunday was steak night, the final one for Ana & Damien, so I think I've overloaded on the beef. I'll have to cut down on my BGH intake.
So that's me recently. I oughta take advantage of the nice weather and go somewhere. I also should probably work on my Japanese. Eek! Wish me luck.
No, really. I've been a bit down, what with people leaving and feeling a bit frustrated with Japanese. It's all kind of piled up and has been a bit hard to beat back. I've noticed it before, some kind of depressive cycle where I, for no really apparent reason feel lonely or unwanted or something. Even though I know it's not true, it's still there and weighs on me.
December's a big month for me, what with my Japanese proficiency test coming up, Ana & Damien leaving, and me heading home for a visit. Guess it's looming a little large in my mind. But thanks to my dedicated friends I'm back on my feet and doing better.
Actually, right now I feel pretty woozy because I was out til 5am with people. Last night we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving, so we had a party at Ana's house. We bought a couple of those little game hens from a stall in Hiratsuka, and had a potluck dinner. It turned out quite well, even though some of the people couldn't get there until later. We played trivia games and chatted until about 1:30am, at which point a few of us left for a short karaoke session. We had 2 Australians(Damien and Ana's roommate Kelli), 2 Hoosiers(Ana & I, obviously), a Brit(Julian), a Canadian(Ana's other roommate Erin), and a Japanese(Miwa). Not bad overall. It started off with just 4 of us and snowballed from there.
Today's a national holiday, though I've no clue why. I oughta figure that out one of these days. Last weekend I wanted to get out and see the leaves change color, but to get to the prime viewing place is about $50 roundtrip plus food and such. I can forgo the expense til I have more time/money. I ended up going to Kamakura on Saturday with my workmate Julian, and we did a bit of light hiking.
Kamakura's known for it's temples and a giant bronze Buddha statue. I got to see a nice sunset (the winter sunsets are amazing from here because the sun drops down right beside Mt. Fuji and it's perfectly backlit. We had dinner at Kua'Aina, a Hawaiian hamburger shop in Kamakura. It's a chain that's cashing in on the popularity of all things Hawaiian (!?), but it has some amazing, though pricey, burgers. I had a 1/3 lb. burger with avocado and other toppings, the thing was about 6 inches tall with the bun.
Sunday was steak night, the final one for Ana & Damien, so I think I've overloaded on the beef. I'll have to cut down on my BGH intake.
So that's me recently. I oughta take advantage of the nice weather and go somewhere. I also should probably work on my Japanese. Eek! Wish me luck.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Photos, but not mine and other things
Via Ars, a science photo contest, elaborated on by yours truly. The National Geographic page has some great photos, one of my favorites being this wildlife shot. Nikon has some also.
I've been a tad bummed out lately. The changing weather has given me a sore throat and clogged sinuses, and on top of that, I've just been feeling rather lonely with a touch of homesickness. I don't usually get homesick, and when I do, it's nothing to do with missing home, it's more about something that happens here. But yesterday I chatted with my old roommate Molly, which cheered me up. I also decided to do something new and went to see the goddess of mercy, Kannon, in Ofuna. There's this giant bust statue that sticks up above the trees on top of this hill by the train station. It's visible from the train windows, so I see it often, but I've never been. Turns out that temple is commonly visited by foreigners, especially Asians, when they feel homesick, since Kannon is a ubiquitous symbol in countries with a Buddhist tradition, which is most of Asia.
Today I went to a festival in Oiso, the town just west (away from Tokyo) of Hiratsuka. It was a celebration of the Shubuku, or post station in the town on the old Tokaido road that ran from Tokyo to Osaka during the Edo period. Now it's been replaced by a highway and rail corridor, but some of the old wooden buildings remain. It was a typical festival, with the usual carnival foods and games and such. One interesting thing was stage which had different performers. When I first arrived, there was a Japanese guy in a Mexican getup playing mariachi music. I bought an onsen towel with a map of the 53 waystations on the Tokaido road. I was tempted by a really cool miniature garden about 5 inches long by 3 inches wide with tiny trees and mosses and a little tanuki in the middle. But I resisted temptation. Maybe some other day I'll get one.
Now it's started raining and it's cold, so I have no desire to go outside anymore, so I'll stay in the rest of the evening and talk to my roommate Tracey, who just returned from her trip to Thailand. She got me a couple souvenirs, the best being a carved elephant to go alongside my silver water buffalo from Vietnam.
I've been a tad bummed out lately. The changing weather has given me a sore throat and clogged sinuses, and on top of that, I've just been feeling rather lonely with a touch of homesickness. I don't usually get homesick, and when I do, it's nothing to do with missing home, it's more about something that happens here. But yesterday I chatted with my old roommate Molly, which cheered me up. I also decided to do something new and went to see the goddess of mercy, Kannon, in Ofuna. There's this giant bust statue that sticks up above the trees on top of this hill by the train station. It's visible from the train windows, so I see it often, but I've never been. Turns out that temple is commonly visited by foreigners, especially Asians, when they feel homesick, since Kannon is a ubiquitous symbol in countries with a Buddhist tradition, which is most of Asia.
Today I went to a festival in Oiso, the town just west (away from Tokyo) of Hiratsuka. It was a celebration of the Shubuku, or post station in the town on the old Tokaido road that ran from Tokyo to Osaka during the Edo period. Now it's been replaced by a highway and rail corridor, but some of the old wooden buildings remain. It was a typical festival, with the usual carnival foods and games and such. One interesting thing was stage which had different performers. When I first arrived, there was a Japanese guy in a Mexican getup playing mariachi music. I bought an onsen towel with a map of the 53 waystations on the Tokaido road. I was tempted by a really cool miniature garden about 5 inches long by 3 inches wide with tiny trees and mosses and a little tanuki in the middle. But I resisted temptation. Maybe some other day I'll get one.
Now it's started raining and it's cold, so I have no desire to go outside anymore, so I'll stay in the rest of the evening and talk to my roommate Tracey, who just returned from her trip to Thailand. She got me a couple souvenirs, the best being a carved elephant to go alongside my silver water buffalo from Vietnam.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Downtime
Well, after 5 nights straight going out and being busy, I've hit a national holiday and a day of rest. It's a good thing, too, I'm wiped out and seem to be getting sick. Seems everyone's got a sore throat and cough, must be changing weather.
It's been a couple months, at least, since I went to Yokohama, and all of a sudden I went there 3 nights in the past 5. Saturday evening I met a friend of Ana's from Narita in Yokohama, since it was sort of halfway. Sunday was a pseudo-pre-Halloween celebration with Miwa. We met her friend Luna, who she met studying in Indiana, for a bit of holiday merriment. We ate at this place called the "Hurricane Deck," a nice little restaurant and did the requisite print club photo shoot.
Yesterday, Wednesday, was my latest foray into the concrete wilderness that is Yokohama. I was going up there with the sole purpose of going with Ana, Damien, & Miwa to see a jazz concert put on by a co-worker of Ana's. But my school had a system-wide meeting so all the teachers took off after 3rd period, so I did too. I took the opportunity to shell out a goodly portion of my paycheck to finish paying for my plane ticket home and then I got a new pair of glasses, always a big deal for someone who is incapacitated without corrective vision. I found a relatively cheap pair of titanium frames and fairly thin lenses for a decent price.
The jazz concert was amazing. Michael Chesnick, the frontman and sax player, came here a little over a year ago. I guess he'd already studied a fair amount of Japanese, but his ability has skyrocketed since coming here. He formed his own band, the Michael Chesnick Quartet, and they've had a couple paying gigs over the past month or so. I guess business isn't enough to quit the EFL biz, but I think he's on his way. And he's pretty talented, which oughta help. According to Ana, who attended his previous gig, the piano player was the same, but the bassist and drummer were different. The musicians were funny to watch, each has his own groove he'd get into and physical ticks and habits.
In other news, I got to see Corpse Bride, the Time Burton spooky Halloween flick. I don't know when it came out back home, might've been last year, might've been last week. I enjoyed it for the most part. It was more for kids, I guess, but I was entertained. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a huge thing over here, so this one probably will be too.
I'd planned on going to the Tokyo Motor Show today, but nobody seems to have a desire to go and I'm under the weather, so I'll have to give it a miss. Maybe I'll go this weekend, the last one, if I can persuade someone. But better I rest and recover. Now that hte exciting week is done, I can go back to being a hermit.
It's been a couple months, at least, since I went to Yokohama, and all of a sudden I went there 3 nights in the past 5. Saturday evening I met a friend of Ana's from Narita in Yokohama, since it was sort of halfway. Sunday was a pseudo-pre-Halloween celebration with Miwa. We met her friend Luna, who she met studying in Indiana, for a bit of holiday merriment. We ate at this place called the "Hurricane Deck," a nice little restaurant and did the requisite print club photo shoot.
Yesterday, Wednesday, was my latest foray into the concrete wilderness that is Yokohama. I was going up there with the sole purpose of going with Ana, Damien, & Miwa to see a jazz concert put on by a co-worker of Ana's. But my school had a system-wide meeting so all the teachers took off after 3rd period, so I did too. I took the opportunity to shell out a goodly portion of my paycheck to finish paying for my plane ticket home and then I got a new pair of glasses, always a big deal for someone who is incapacitated without corrective vision. I found a relatively cheap pair of titanium frames and fairly thin lenses for a decent price.
The jazz concert was amazing. Michael Chesnick, the frontman and sax player, came here a little over a year ago. I guess he'd already studied a fair amount of Japanese, but his ability has skyrocketed since coming here. He formed his own band, the Michael Chesnick Quartet, and they've had a couple paying gigs over the past month or so. I guess business isn't enough to quit the EFL biz, but I think he's on his way. And he's pretty talented, which oughta help. According to Ana, who attended his previous gig, the piano player was the same, but the bassist and drummer were different. The musicians were funny to watch, each has his own groove he'd get into and physical ticks and habits.
In other news, I got to see Corpse Bride, the Time Burton spooky Halloween flick. I don't know when it came out back home, might've been last year, might've been last week. I enjoyed it for the most part. It was more for kids, I guess, but I was entertained. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a huge thing over here, so this one probably will be too.
I'd planned on going to the Tokyo Motor Show today, but nobody seems to have a desire to go and I'm under the weather, so I'll have to give it a miss. Maybe I'll go this weekend, the last one, if I can persuade someone. But better I rest and recover. Now that hte exciting week is done, I can go back to being a hermit.
Friday, October 28, 2005
The Things Children Say...
My last day at this particular school was yesterday. The teacher wanted me to do a bit on holidays in the US, and she chose Thanksgiving and Easter (for some reason) as additional ones to Halloween. It was a listening task where I explained a little about each holiday and they students had to fill in the blanks in Japanese. My bits on Thanksgiving got some laughs, especially describing turkeys ('big chickens'), but Easter took the cake. I told the children that "two symbols of Easter are eggs and rabbits." One of the little girls couldn't fathom this, she kept asking me about why eggs, and then said she couldn't understand why we'd want to feed eggs to rabbits. Sounds pretty strange for a holiday activity. But just try explaining the religious meaning behind it. In the simplest words, I said that "Jesus Christ died and then was alive again." They couldn't understand the name, which was the answer for one of the questions, so they kepst begging me to repeat that bit. So I said, "this man, Christ, was killed, he died, and the next day he was alive again." The same little girl jumped up and shouted, "I know! It's Dracula!"
The first-years at this school really warmed up to me. Usually they stand there in awe of me, or run away like I'm some big, evil demon coming to get them. But these kids were full of questions and made every effort to speak to me. One of the boys would come to the teachers' room between classes and ask me questions that he'd translated and written down on his hand so he'd remember. There were also a pack of girls who'd hijack me in the hallway and beg me to take off my glasses or my shoes so they could try them on. Kids here seem so much more innocent and childlike, yet they're giving a lot more responsibility compared to kids in the states, or at least how I remember my schooling to be like. I'll try and write more about that later.
The first-years at this school really warmed up to me. Usually they stand there in awe of me, or run away like I'm some big, evil demon coming to get them. But these kids were full of questions and made every effort to speak to me. One of the boys would come to the teachers' room between classes and ask me questions that he'd translated and written down on his hand so he'd remember. There were also a pack of girls who'd hijack me in the hallway and beg me to take off my glasses or my shoes so they could try them on. Kids here seem so much more innocent and childlike, yet they're giving a lot more responsibility compared to kids in the states, or at least how I remember my schooling to be like. I'll try and write more about that later.
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