So. I'm not quite sure where I left off. Surely after summer and the Fuji fiasco, yes? If you were not aware I dragged my sorry fat ass up Mt. Fuji, tell me, and I'll happily bitch about the whole sorrily awesome odeal. But I'm pretty sure I already have. Since Fuji...
Ha. September was interesting. I was in Sendai every weekend at the beck and call of Liz and Kim, a set of pretty blond twins born to two different sets of parents. Not quite sure how they managed that, but it's remarkable to say the least. They kept me occupied and liqiudated, and September passed its merry way into October without me even realizing it. October came with my birthday, which I tried very hard to not acknowledge while at the same time forcing everyone I know to celebrate it with me. This was rather effective, though somehow I still did not get presents. Except from my mother. Thank you mommy!
Last weekend was a leaving party for Liz, who is abandoning her twin-that-isn't and escaping Japan for a two month tour of Australia and New Zealand--which I am insanely envious of and would like for her to make room for me in her suitcase--and then will be returning to Canada. May she have much luck, and not be eaten by ducks.
I had a dream where I was in a space ship that Captain Kirk rigged to explode and I died in a fireball of searing agony. That was new.
Went on a nature hike with my kindergarten students last week. You would not believe the amount of drama thirty kindergarteners can produce. It was like a midget soap opera. Only it involved me, outside, in the sun, in nature, with small children. It was like a recipe for nuclear destruction. Oddly, their little mini-sized freak outs kept me entertained enough that I didn't attempt to throw anyone into the river and see if they could float. Not that it would have mattered. You know they teach them to swim in kindergarten out here?
This week was the most interesting by far. My computer died. Utterly. Like, as in, it installed the latest version of iTunes, asked nicely if it could restart itself, and when I said okay sure it turned off and then forgot to turn back on again. Now when I turn it on the lights come on for a second, and in that second it thinks very very hard whether it really feels like functioning or not, and then flips me the bird and turns itself back off. This is evidently a problem with the model I have, and happy little HP tx1000, and according to Japanese tech support I need a new computer. So. While normally when at home I either read or watch US television online streaming to preserve what is left of my sanity, now all I have is reading, and the one book that a friend lent me just got finished the other day. So I am now going slowly insane. You know. More so.
I do have a little HP mini from the first time my fancy HP laptop crapped out, but my little mini can only do word processing and sometimes email. No video. It severely hates the internets, and I have to bribe it. And even then it takes about five minutes to load a page. No exaggeration. Literally five minutes. Sometimes three if it's in a good mood. If I'm not insane after running out of things to occupy my time, trying to get anything done online with this little bundle of fluffy joy will surely finish me off.
Ahem. End rant.
Got to play dodgeball with third graders. It was not pretty. You'd think if I can throw a nice punch I'd be able to throw a damn dodgeball. Ha. Yeah. Ha. At least I'm used to children laughing at me. My sixth graders brought me back a souvenir from their class trip though, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
My JHS's bunkasai, or culture festival, was today. It consisted of about five hours in the morning of singing. I got to hear the same three songs five times each. Then taiko drumming--which was really good, youtube taiko, it is win-- by seventh graders, dancing students in animal costumes, dancing teachers in skin tight frog costumes, students who removed more and more of their clothing as the day progressed, bathroom sex, and an emotional breakdown stage left. It was actually really fun. The second half. When all the interesting bits happened.
And now I am happily settled back in my apartment, eating a tuna melt that took me exactly six weeks to finally figure out how to cook without burning it to a crisp. Tomorrow is home standby, as today I had the bunkasai thing and since for the schools it's a working day they get Monday off to make up for having to go on the weekend. Which is nice of them.
It's finally starting to get chilly out this way. Still a little humid at times, but at night I actually need two blankets. No snow yet, probably not for a bit, but I can hope yeah? Has it snowed out y'all's way yet?
And that has been my life of late. How is everyone else?
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