Mr. Picker in his Birthday Suit

This morning washing my face I forgot that I had an additional 1 inch of cotton appendage hooked onto the end of my finger and accidentally dragged it through the stream of flowing water. Yesterday the doctor forbade me from getting this finger wet so, I debated for a few minutes and tried to take the bandages off. They were not soaked but, wet enough that if kept on would probably add un-needed moisture to the suture.

I started taking off the layers of bandages (with the intent to have the school nurse re wrap them as soon as I got to school). First glance at the stitched finger tip made me queasy to the extent that I thought I was going to either pass out or puke... possibly both. I layed down for a minute until it passed. However, in my fading grasp of consciousness did manage to count six knots interweaving themselves in and out of my poor finger.

What caused the most trauma is trying to remove the last bit of gauze I found that it was stuck to one of the stitches (either by dried blood or just a snag) and not wanting to mess it up any more just decided to stick my finger under a hair dryer. Well, I wrapped my finger in a face towel and headed off to school. Getting here I met the school nurse in the hall who took me to the nurse station and re-dressed my finger. She asked me if the stitches were of the dissolving type. Looking back at yesterday, I can't remember anyone saying anything about stitch removal. Other than telling me not to get my finger wet the only other thing I can recall is that from today the entire office is on a two week vacation. Great timing to think of this eh?

Well, I know I need these stitches in my finger for at least a week or so, so feeling no rush to remove them am fine waiting. On Tuesday Ayumi and I were invited by the vice principal to go and have a barbecue with some of his friends tonight. I think his main goal was to get us there to sing Beatles songs and relax with his band. After cutting my finger (rendering myself unable to play) I was afraid to tell the v.p., afraid I would suddenly find myself uninvited. He saw me and first thing he said was, "I hear you cut your finger. I guess you can't play the guitar now."
"Yea, I'm really sorry and don't think I can play guitar at your party".
"It's OK, there are going to be like six of us there with guitars so, as long as you can sing Beatles songs, you should be OK." What a relief, tonight Ayumi and I are going to be treated to a feast (meat and sea-food BBQ) all in exchange of me singing a few Beatles tunes with experienced musicians. That is the life.

A few weeks ago, when my wife and I visited him in his home (click here for link) he was really excited that not only could I sing harmonies but could pronounce the lyrics too. He has told me a few times how much he liked singing with me. Well, I think he told his friends and I saw that he prepared a folder full of Beatles songs to sing tonight. Problem is, I know most of the Beatles songs (thanks to my upbringing) however, they want to sing a lot of ones I am not too familiar with, stuff like Dear Prudence, Mother Nature's Son, etc. Beatles' songs are short so, maybe I can cram some albums tonight when I get home before taking off. I'd hate for them to think they've wasted thier food on me.

I am sitting in the school library, typing with all 9 of my working fingers watching the school girls volley-ball team write thier yearlong goals on a giant flag. I have been here for about fourty-five minutes and more than anything have just seen a lot of goofing off. Its fun, as long as there is air conditioning.

Mr. Picker and the Future Gnarly Scar

Sounds like the title of an awesome book. Well, you'll soon find out that it is anything but that. Today I thought I would be crafty and using a box cutter, slice about twenty pages out of an old notebook I had lying in my drawer. Well, I set the everything up, laid the ruler down on the page to get a straight line to follow and then applied a little force. Before I knew it, the blade had missed the ruler and was now cutting a nice strip of my left index finger. I started screaming and just kept cutting, just like they do in the movies. Not really but, carved a nice strip about an inch long.


I am surprised how well I held myself together after this happened due to the fact that I don't like blood, let alone my own blood. I tucked the finger into my palm and calmly stood up telling my coworker I just sliced my finger and was going to the nurse. I don't think I freaked out or anything and, actually remember checking my hair in the mirror on the way down so, must not have been too shocked. By the time I reached the nurses office, I had a nice pool of blood in my palm which spilt out onto the floor as soon as I entered. I stuck my head in and probably pale-faced said, "Its been a while!" After telling them what I had done, I washed the wound and was told while applying pressure with the right hand to keep my hand held above my head.


After about thirty seconds, the phone in the nurses' office rang and in spite of her trying to end the conversation numerous times whoever she was talking to (concerned parent) wouldn't let her go for ten minutes. When she finally got off the phone and back to me, my arm was sorer than any puncture wound could have ever made it. In spite of having it had been raised it was still bleeding. She told me because of the depth of the wound and that it was still bleeding, I ought to head to the clinic.


Nobody was in the office that could drive me and this is a pretty small town, so I just decided to keep my finger above my heart and walk. I ran to the bank to get some cash and after a few minutes was on my way and in the clinic. As a side note it is 86 degrees (weather channel tells me it feels like 96 degrees and believe me it knows) with 74% humidity. I get to the clinic around eleven this morning, about an hour since I had cut it.

I had the doctor look at it, and in English he asked me what I had done, if it was hurting and your typical doctor-patient questions. He told me it was pretty deep and would need stitches. I kind of figured this due to the fact that after an hour it was still gushing blood. He gave me a few shots (most painful thing I had felt all day) and sutured me with what I am guessing was about 4-5 stitches. On top of that he hooked me up with some antibiotics and some pain killers and sent me on my merry way.

Well, here I am now three hours since the incision and my finger is really starting to throb. On the plus side, had this not had happened I wouldn't be able to say suture in Japanese nor that my finger hurts with the beating of my heart... sounds more like a love lyric than an actual symptom but, fun none-the-less.

Other than this blunder today, we have been busy in the past few weeks. For one my previous coworker from New Zealand has gone home and in her stead comes Nikki from Chicago. Last Saturday, we had a town festival where my band(?) which had been named "AJ and his Nutty Friends" played a 45 minute set. As the encore, we played Hotel California and my vice principal who had come along to watch us play came and played a guest guitar solo. Really turned out well and the 75 kids under ten along with their parents we were playing for had a fun time too. I knew we were a hit when I could see the wheelchair bound grandpa on the front row shaking his booty!

We have gone to Osaka, which I think Ayumi has maybe blogged on her site. We've been to Gifu which the entire trip can be summed up in one word; sweaty. I don't think we took any pictures but, if so and if OK magazine doesn't give me the $4,000,000 I asked for, you'll see them here first. My finger is throbbing so I am going to sign off but, maybe I'll update this blog with a picture of my finger.

In-and-Out of Retirement

So, in an e-mail to my mother the other day, I told her I was toying with the thought of retiring this blog. Well mom, if you are reading this now... I guess I can toy with this thing a little bit longer. Ladies and gentlemen, I am back... can't promise anything is going to change though. :)

So, school is officially, unofficially out for the summer. Come Friday, we have the closing ceremonies in both of my schools. Because Friday is typically a Suisan day and, because that night Ayumi and I are going to a party with some of the teachers there, I will head to that school. Pretty much, what goes on is all the students gather into the gymnasium where (this is what I imagine will happen) the vice principal will tell them the principal has an announcement. Next the principal will sit and tell them to have a good summer, use the time to relax and enjoy the time off... kind of weird because even though they don't have class 3/4 of the students will be at school doing their club activities and the mandatory homework assignments.

After the principal gets done, one teacher from the Japanese equivalent of the detention center will probably tell the kids not to screw around, not smoke cigarettes and how if any of them are caught he will insure to make whatever is left of their vacation a living hell! I am serious. The guy is really cool to me but, if I were a student, I would turn around and run if I saw him walking down the hall. I learned from a fellow teacher yesterday that he used to teach English long ago. He teaches something else now but, has a pretty good control of the English language.

So, I have been jamming with my vice-principal after school for the past few weeks. Someone in the community contacted the school looking for a school band to play at a local festival. Well, there is no school band right now so, the V.P. told this person that the English teacher was in a band and that we would maybe perform. Well, I was contacted, and yes I do kind of have a band so, we are going to perform at this festival on the second of August. The size of the participants is said to be around maybe four-hundred people... most of which will probably be little kids and their parents. Sounds fun none-the-less. If possible, will try to get some footage for the blog.

Ayumi and I decided to do some things to our blogs tonight so, I will see if I can find some things to spunk up this page.

A Little 'bit of Buttah

I don't know about you but, I think this blog needs a little bit of buttering up. To be honest, a blog this established deserves some serious TLC. I have over 1500 hits (Thanks mom!)

Video of the Preschool

Back to Preschool

This past week, Shelley and I had the opportunity to go and be special guests at the local preschool's international day- and by international day I mean the day every year where they have the two foreign English teachers from the high school come and play with the kids.

There were about fifty little kids and the teachers wanted us to take five minutes each and tell a little about ourselves and then dance with the kids for a little while. Well, about thirty seconds into my interview I told the kids my favorite color was blue and the next three minutes were all the little kids yelling to me thier favorite colors. I was impressed how many colors they knew in English.

Well, not much to tell about this place but enjoy some pictures.

Oh lately its so quiet!

It has started to rain a majority of the days the past few weeks. I have been told that the typhoon season starts around now and so, I suppose this is what we are to expect more often than not. I have always enjoyed the rain favorite weather is actually those overcast, windy days. Not having a car though kind of makes it a bummer where at times the rain acts as a prison warden trapping me in the house. Its not like I have anywhere to go anyways. I have been in the house the past two days and that attitude is probably coming out in this first paragraph.

With the summer approaching, the weather has started to change (for the worse). Although not the sweltering heat we had when I first got here last August, I have started feeling the heat and humidity in the mornings when I walk to school. The mornings are still cool but, I have a sweat on my brow upon arriving at school. I attribute this to the humidity- which will only get worse.

Since my last post, quite a few things have happened blog worthy however, I think photos of those events will probably appear on our sister site. Pictures of us at Spain Mura (the local amusement park) and shots of us in Gifu and all the adventures that always go hand-and-hand when that happens. No announcements yet but, either here or there, look for an update.

So right now I am finishing up the last book of the Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King. There is a character in the story named Legolas; a character who after hearing the cries of the seagulls becomes obsessed with traveling to the sea (which he has never seen) and kind of adopts the idea as his destiny. Not that that has anything to do with anything but, for the past few weeks, as the weather has become more and more appropriate, I have felt this strong urge to head to the beach. I am in a bad spot because the beach is close enough where I could and should be going to it however, it is far enough away that without a car, it is too hard to get to. It just sits there, day after day, calling me. Remember the pictures of the beaches that I posted at the beginning of my blog (which turns 1 next month)? It beckons to me.

I feel like I need to go on some kind of adventure. Maybe go hiking or something. Something big, I feel like I have been stagnant for a long time and need to do something exciting. Not to say I haven't done fun things or enjoyed myself but, I feel like I need a challenge or something to take my breath away. Sorry, I think I am just typing out my thoughts.

For about the past two months, I have been playing guitar pretty seriously. Although I am probably not much better than I was before I left, I can actually play a few fun songs. I meet once (sometimes twice) a week with some great friends I met through the community English class I help teach once a month who I meet with on Wednesday nights just to play guitar. I am by far the worse of the group however in spite of that, we manage to all have a good time. We are practicing a few Japanese folk songs from the 70's, and although I don't sing I thoroughly enjoy playing and singing the occasional harmony. I was lent a guitar last November and just recently Ayumi was lent a bass which she has been coming and playing bass for the songs which we are practicing.

My vice principal at my school is quite the musician as well. Through a conversation with him a few months ago, I learned that he was quite the Beatles fan and told me he could play all their songs. A few days later at school, he pulled me aside and asked if I had a few minutes. I told him yes and was led to a teachers lounge where he showed me he had two electric guitars and a bass (which apparently have always been there). There he sat and played guitar for me for about thirty minutes and not only did he know the Beatles, but could play them perfectly. He then went on the play some classic rock and blew my mind! Honestly the best guitar play that I have ever met.

About a week ago, he pulled me aside again and asked if I had some time. I told him yes; he got the two guitars, the bass and proceed to walk to the counseling center where he passed the bass to another teacher and led us to a small building on campus. In this old dusty room was two drum sets, four amps, two keyboards and a set of microphones. He had printed out some chord sheets and while me and this teacher followed them along, he sat and played the blues, jazz and some classic rock. The last song he wanted us to play the chords to was Hotel California which upon playing revealed that he knew the guitar solo at the end. We all sat there and jammed for about an hour and promised to meet again and practice something to play at the school festival in September. He and I have met two times since then, after school to practice Hotel California, and I am excited to see what we can muster up between now and September.

My one year mark is quickly approaching and with it, although still aways away, I need to start thinking about life after this job. I don't know what I am going to do but, one thing for sure, I need to get my Japanese up. I have had fun, and have been able to shoot the breeze no problem here but, I really need to get serious and get some real power in my speaking ability. Maybe I will spend the afternoon setting some goals- also need to find a way to get to the beach!