Recent life...

Yeah, I'm no good at this updating thing. I did actually try to upload pictures but my internet is having none of this constant connection stuff tonight so I couldn't make the program work. This is just going to be a 'what have I been up to' post.

So... I think I mentioned how amazingly awesome my middle school's sports day was? The elementary one I went to last Saturday totally blew it out of the water. Here they not only make the parents and grandparents participate in a lot of the games but the PTA has to play a game, too! It's so funny watching adults running around a field trying to guide giant inflated balls.

Sunday I went to Tokyo for the day with Keith and Yumiko and four of their friends. One was an ex-ALT but the rest were Japanese and couldn't speak any English. Practice day for me! We took the bullet train to Tokyo in the morning and then ate at Subway (it was so good, I haven't had it since I left North America) before heading to Tokyo Game Show 2007. This is a huge, huge video/computer game convention where you can try out games before they come onto the market and check out the booths of different game companies. I was very please to see a large Canadian booth there.

I spent most of the time there with Patrick, the ex-alt, and the Japanese girl who came with us who's name absolutely escapes me. But it was cool! She likes a lot of the same kinds of games I like so we were able to chatter away in some Japanese and bits of English and gestures. We visited the Square Enix booth (they created the immensely popular Final Fantasy series) and just generally wandered around. It was my first experience seeing cosplayers (people who dress up like characters from games or books) and their costumes and hair were just amazing. I was so impressed. I am absolutely going to go to more cosplay events with a friend from Nagano who's into that.

After the Game Show we went to Akihabara (geek and technology central in Tokyo) and went to a maid cafe. The Japanese girl really likes the costumes and wanted to visit one. Maid cafes are resturants where you can go and be greeted by girls dressed in stylized maid outfits who will then serve you a meal or drinks. Often they are mainly visited by guys going to see pretty girls in costumes with less than chivalrous motives. It's part of the job to talk with the customers. I think the girls were all very pleased to have some visitors who just wanted to talk with them for the sake of talking. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures (a very good rule with the clientele they have) so I can't show you what it was like.

On Monday I slept in very, very late and then Yumiko and her friend Chiho showed me a new mall where they have a store that sells both nice yarn and knitting needles! This is the first store I've found with such things. I was really excited. And there's an import store that sells Walker's shortbread there. They have real Canadian maple syrup, too, but it's about $20 a bottle. Since I almost never had it in Canada I can most definitely do without! The shortbread is wonderful~ In the evening Yumiko and Keith had Chiho and I over for okonomiyaki, which is kind of like a giant omelet except there's no cheese and you mix everything in before you pour the egg onto the large griddle. You make it on a griddle in the center of the table where you're going to eat so you can talk and watch it cook. It was delicious! There was only shrimp and veggies in the one Yumiko made because she's vegetarian, too.

Sunday I slept in again and then did a massive house cleaning. Keith told me that it's okay to throw away paper and cardboard products in the burnable if you make sure it's in 10x10 cm or less pieces. So my arms kind of hurt from tearing up all the paper/cardboard I've collected on my own and from guests. But my house is clean! Or at least, it was before I made dinner. As soon as I find places to put all my little knick-knacks I can actually take pictures of my house. And just when I was starting to think about dinner Ashley called and invited me over for dinner with her, Alice, and Brandon. It was really nice and relaxing.

I have discovered that my nighttime nemesis is indeed the Japanese mosquito. The little jerks have the normal, irritating bite that itches for 10 minutes and swells for about 1/2 an hour. Unfortunately, when the swelling goes down I and the rest of the foreign ALTs I've talked to get a little pink welt that's occasionally itchy/painful and persists for 3-5 days. Thank goodness it's getting cold enough to keep my balcony doors closed at night. See L, I told you they weren't as nice as you thought.

Small photo update!

(Note: I've changed the settings so everyone can comment. Just please leave your name, too, so I know who it is! I am also going to be a smarter cookie and I've set this page up to notify me when I get a comment so I can actually post replies to instead of not realizing they were there. And I've replied to comments already posted.)

Actually this is in celebration of a number of events, not the least of which is that I finally got a micro SD card for my cellphone so I can now transfer pictures from my phone to my computer (that particular bit of Japanese software doesn't like my computer) so these are all taken on my phone. Explanations are with those photos that need them (which is most).



These shots are of a rather lovely sunset from my balcony. Looking over the rice fields. It makes my happy :)


This is the corner of my living room where I usually sleep. Or, at least, where the top of my futon points when it's out. That is officially the biggest mirror in my house leaning against my TV stand. The little closet is where all of my clothes live when they're properly put away. Oh, and you can see my happy little bamboo! I pruned him by about three feet when I got here because he was about to fall over.


I took this one last Monday when Brendan and I went to Gifu-city on an adventure. This is one of a pair of excessively shiny buildings there.

Now onto the sad passing of a good friend (if the photos are loading slowly I am talking about a thing, not a person):


This is the screen of my poor, poor camera after it took some unknown hit during last Saturday's sports day. It actually still works but the screen is most definitely gone for good. And with a digital camera that means that the camera is a lot harder to use.

An interlude of silly me since I almost never put pictures of myself up. I am getting my protein in though. (I'll just apologize for that pun right away.)


And the the following good news:




I was actually planning to buy a new camera at some point while here this was just a little earlier than planned... But luckily all the new models are coming out right now so I stuck with a brand I trust and went for it. I also beat down my greedy thoughts that wanted the bigger, shiney, super-cameras because this one is much more portable, cheaper, and more suitable for what I use cameras for. Usually involving running around and being active and I would no doubt drop a bigger camera or otherwise hurt it accidentally. Plus this one will fit safely under an umbrella if I'm taking rainy-day photos. This one is a Canon IXY 8.0 mega pixel with a 3.8x zoom and a rechargeable, built-in lithium-ion battery. I love Canon. Not only do they make their products with optional Japanese or English menus but the CD installed the English software on my computer automatically.

But, I can only assume it was my own stupidity and pride that lead to this and I have made a promise to my new camera to always keep it in it's case when not in use. I'm sorry mom and dad, I only seem to learn lessons the hard way even when I'm told better and I know better.

I will upload proper camera photos later.

Quick Check-in

So today I`m visiting my second elementary school. They`ve put me at a desk with a computer, how awesome is that? I feel a bit in the way though. My kids are so cute! I love being at smaller schools. This one is only about 100 kids between seven classes. They`re all practicing for Sports Day, too, which is awesome!

This morning I had to go talk to my Kocho-sensei at Onochu (my middle school) because my bike was stolen on Friday before I left the office. They`re looking into it but I feel like such a bother. I hope it doesn`t cause everyone a lot of trouble. I doubt I`ll get it back (as do they) but I can hope that by not letting it slide I`ll set a good precedent to my students.

I should (this is a key word) be getting my internet set up soon. Hopefully by tomorrow or Wednesday, actually. And then I can update regularily again.