ABBA

It's 9:09 Friday night. I have absolutely nothing to do. I have looked at all my regular websites, I have played all my games, just not in much of a mood to do anything. I currently have ABBA Gold playing thus the name for this post. Things have been going pretty well lately. It is cold, and as a result I have pulled out my big thick winter jacket and wore it to school today. Upon entering the office today, the Vice Principal came over to me and (I think I caught a bit of sarcasm in his comment) you sure look warm. I had my big snowboarding jacket, a scarf and some fingerless gloves. Yes I was warm, yes I was comfortable and no I didn't feel dumb.

It is that time of the year. Our apartment must not have been made very well because in the summertime it gets uncomfortably hot and in the winter it gets uncomfortably cold. Actually I think a lot of that has to do with the lack of central heating/cooling in structures in this country. Our Summer/Winter ritual consists of heating/cooling the computer room and lounging in there only leaving to answer the call of nature, raid the fridge or get the door. Hershey loves winter because she gets to curl up next to the portable heater and steal a large percentage from ever reaching us. She just lays there for hours on end alternating every now and then from belly to back only getting up to use the bathroom and/or eat. Wait, that's what we do.

So in Japan the recycling laws are pretty strict. I have gotten used to them and since doing so see that they kind of make sense (like not wearing shoes in the house, showering before getting in the bathtub and washing hands after using the bathroom). Our little town has us separating our garbage I think into six different groups. On top of this after separation, you have to put the corresponding garbage into an appropriate bag and leave it down on the street the day of to be picked up. You are not suppose to put garbage down there any earlier and of course, if too late not picked up. Well the past six months or so, somebody has been totally ignoring this rule. It is not like one or two items but, things like couches, bikes, toys and most recently about twenty big bags of mixed garbage. When the garbage is picked up all this garbage is left aside with a note stuck on it reading, "we will not pick up this garbage." and states the recycling rules. I mean garbage is garbage but, when you've got and are used to a nice little organized system and a small, clean garbage disposal area you kind of get upset when the rules are not obeyed. I have included photos. The white bags do not belong.

November

So, a lot has happened in the past two and a half months since my last update. With the in frequencies of my writings I don't know if calling them updates is quite the appropriate terminology. Maybe I should refer to them as quarterly ramblings or something along those lines. Looking back at it all, not a lot really has happened out of the ordinary but, I will fill you all in nevertheless.

September brought about the return to school. I know I posted something during that month but, only commented on my current ailments at the time- which a lot like you read on this blog was me complaining about being sick. This season a funny cold seems to be going around. It starts with a scratch in your throat followed by runny/stuffy nose and a fever all ending up with a persistent cough that I have seen last for up to three weeks. In my case I think I had it all done and finished in about a week. Ayumi had it worse with a fever and sore throat for about two days. When we get sick, we tend to put on our warm pajamas and try to sweat the illness. Not rocket science but, even if it isn't doing us any good we sure are comfy.

The first week of October we had our school festival at Shima Highschool. For the past few months, about one time a week I had been meeting with my Vice Principal practicing some songs we intended to perform there. With the help of two additional teachers (one on drums and another on bass) we sang a total of five songs in front of all the students. We sang the Beatles' songs "Something", "Let It Be", The Mommas and the Poppas "California Dreaming", The Eagles "Hotel California" and another called "sora mo toberu hazu" by a Japanese band called Spitz. I have a DVD copy of the show but so far have been unable to rip it down to a format that I can send/post on the internet. I am going to see if I can track down the originals off the camera and send them in that format.

It was actually really fun and I think turned out great. The students had a great time and even sang along on some of the song parts they knew. Some kids at Suisan saw a copy of the video (via students in another band that played during the same festival) and word spread there that I have the voice of an angel. I don't know about that but, I have kids there that want to see the DVD. We'll see if we can arrange something.

Halloween came and went. For that we did a fun Halloween lesson where we watched a few Disney videos, learned about the holiday and got a special treat. For that we decorated up our classroom at school with some cheap things we bought at the dollar store and some great things Ayumi had made for her class. Tomorrow at school I will see if I can track down the video footage I made of that and post some of it here on the blog.

You know when you get sick and you just don't want to do anything? Today is one of those days. I am feeling pretty ill. So ill in fact that I called in to work today and took the day off. After hitting the snooze four times and dragging myself out of bed and into the shower I got ready. I was actually ready to go, and had even taken the garbage down to the street. I had the worse sore throat, it was so low and raspy that Barry White would have rolled in his grave had he heard it. I just knew I had to crawl back into bed so, calling the school and getting permission from my best friend the Vice Principal was soon snuggled next to Ayumi where I slept for the four hours.

Waking up, I still felt pretty crappy. My head pounded, my throat was parched and sore, my whole body throbbed but, somehow I managed to pull myself out of bed where now for the past six hours I honestly have no idea what I have been doing. I should study but, no energy nor will to do it. I could go back to bed... no interest. I don't even want to play video games. In fact, I jumped on this blog intent on writing a wonderful entry about a wizard and a unicorn but, even that sounds just too much for this frail boy. So for now, good bye and goodbye.

Well That Was a Bad Idea

Looking at the date of my last post, it has nearly been a week since I updated this thing. Comparatively speaking to how it has been in the past, I really am in no position to complain so, I will stop there. My reason for not writing however is two fold- both of which I will now explain.

Reason One- Last week, Ayumi and I had such a fun time at the beach with her family that we decided last Friday to head out again. Just she and I. I took the day off of work and the two of us left by bike around eight thirty. We knew before-hand that it would take about forty-five minutes to get there so, ended up getting to the beach somewhere between nine-thirty and ten. We had stopped by at the convenience store which is about the half-way marker, filling up our bag with goodies. Well, it was a wonderful day at the beach. We were there until about maybe one-thirty. The time spent running between our giant umbrella and the water. Realizing that whatever amount of sunscreen I had put on was probably not enough, it seems like most of the afternoon was spent constantly applying it only to have it be washed off every time we went into the water.

Now the beach is a pretty cool place. Not cool as in spiffy but, cool as in temperature. Sure the sand is hot but, being a beach there is a constant, cool wind blowing in from the sea. As a result, you really don't get too hot. When we got bored, and started thinking about the bike trip back (and the unforgiving sun over our head) we packed up and spent the bike ride home scrambling from shady spot to shady spot. I could literally feel my skin burning. Well, as is normal any time you get a sunburn, you don't realize the severity until the next day. We both woke up Saturday morning reed at beets. (Although my face, legs and arms are a delightful dark-brown hue :P ) In addition to being red, it seemed like the skin underneath was swollen. We spent the day indoors, trying not to move applying ointment to each other while moaning at the same time. It is now Tuesday and in spite of my belly and back being really itchy, today is pretty bearable.

That was reason one.

Reason Two- I am attempting to do the impossible. I am going to try and take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test level 1 (1 as in being the hardest). I am not hesitant to state that I am in no way prepared for this test, in any way, shape or form but heck, if that overrated swimmer can win 8 gold medals, why can't I do this? Well, I am sure he actually practices swimming but, that's besides the point. I have spent the last two (count 'em 1..2..) days, studying, and boy is my brain sore. Problem is though, the more I study the more I realize just how crappy my Japanese really is. I can hold up a conversation pretty well but, my reading/writing is pretty far off so, that is my goal between now and mid-December. Wish me luck.

I know you are asking yourselves, "So AJ, with such a tight schedule, how on earth is he finding the time to write in your blog?" The answer to which is... I'm taking a break so leave me alone!

I really want to watch Seinfield.

Son of a Beach

So, yesterday afternoon after writing in my blog I thought I would sit down and read some comics in Japanese. Well, I didn't get very far due to the fact that a)the batteries on my kanji dictionary ran out and, b)I was falling asleep on the big comfy couch we have in the school library. Ayumi who had told me earlier in the day that she was coming with her family who decided to drive her the whole way so, throughout the aftrernoon I kept texting her to find out where they were. Come three o'clock, they were just outside of town so, I took off the rest of the afternoon and met them on the way home.

We stopped by the apartment so Ayumi could drop off her things, I could change my clothes, potty break, etc. and before too long we were all in the car headed for the beach (which is where we were last Saturday). After spending about a half hour there, wading in the water, trying not to get too soaked we all got back into the car and headed home.

One the way, Ayumi's little sister and I were both pretty munchy so, we were taken to the largest supermarket in the area to get something to eat. There I also bought a couple of band-aids to put on my finger. I still have stitches in my finger (and no idea when or how I am going to get them out) but, no longer (feel like I) need to wrap it in the gauze that the doctor originally gave me so, I have moved onto something a little bit more comfortable. I wrap it in a band-aid and then have a finger sock I am putting over that. Looks pretty cool, like I am starting a new fashion or something.


Anyways... that was yesterday.

Marooned

So, I ran my burglar story through a couple of Japanese last night, just before I ran them through with my sword. Not really but, last night I taught my (now bi-) monthly English conversation class and after using my story as a listening activity the students there too thought the details of my experience were a bit odd and the vagrant most likely was not there just to be a "prospective" renter. I still feel a bit bad, but it is just the good AJ inside being a wimp. The evil AJ is still telling me I should have struck her down, kicked her a few times and then dragged her by her hair to the police station. Everyone I talk to seems to agrees with me.


I named the title of this post marooned. In fact, I just thought I would name it that as I started this paragraph. I have always like the idea of being marooned as long as it is a deserted island or a new planet, none of that leaving me in the parking lot of Walmart, forcing me to walk home crap. Just the idea of being alone, having to rely on yourself, building huts and finding your own food sounds fun. That is regarding the deserted island. For the foreign planet... don't know but, have read enough sci-fi to know what to do; being shoot first and ask questions later.

I once read a book by Ray Bradbury called the Martian Chronicles about man reaching and settling on Mars. Anyways, there are a few short stories in there about desolation on the planet which made the whole prospect sound pretty excitin'. Cool picture don't you think?

Can you tell I am bored?

So in December is the Japanese proficiency test which I would like to take again. Last year I took the level two test and this year I am going to aim for the level one. If I can pass the level one I can probably secure a good job here in this country if that so beith my wish- and start playing video games in English again.

Ayumi is on her way home today and as a little suprise decided to bring her whole family. I guess they want to see the beach (and I do too). No problem but, I can't honestly say that I left the house in "Lets bring over guests" condition. Both days I was alone, I was gone most of the day only to come home and park it in front of the computer. All I ate was two peaches and some toast so, I really don't think it is that bad. Not dirty but, messy. I guess you'll find out in tomorrows blog.

Nekkid Fireworks

Yesterday was an interesting day, but started out as normal as ever. Ayumi went to Gifu to spend some time with her little sister who is home for the week. I would have gone too but, was there two weeks ago. Not that I don't like going to Gifu or anything but, while there it was super-dooper hot, I was super-dooper bored and on top of that didn't want to put our cat through the trauma of going to and being there.

Ayumi's folks have a big dog. Neither the dog nor Hershey have any interest in becoming friend with each other so while they are in the same room it is just a staring contest between the two of them. During the cooler months Hershey is content staying upstairs and being by herself however, summer gets too hot so we need to put her in the air conditioned room with us- which happens to be the dogs favorite space. Well, when we do this, the dog cowers in the corner while Hershey stays in the other and hisses across the room. I am sure stressful to both.

Anyways, so Ayumi took off to Gifu yesterday morning and I went to school as usual. Around ten-ish I get a telephone call from a lady whose house we went to the other night for a party with our Vice Principal. She kind of cornered me into coming over and hanging out over there after school which kind of ruined my plans. When speaking Japanese I panic and can't say no. Anyways, originally I was planning on biking to the beach and seeing how long it would take on bike not dilly-dalling along the way.

With the afternoon now decided for me, four-fifteen came around and I found myself walking to the store to get cat food and then home. Being hot and humid I am usually soaked to the bone by the time I get inside any building after being outside. Well, after feeding the cat I decided to change my clothes before heading out and went into our room which faces the front of the apartment, which is where we keep our wardrobe. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see someone outside messing with our front window.

Now over the front windows on all the apartments is a metal railing which prevents anyone from getting in and out. Well, I don't know what this lady was trying to do but, she was pulling back the screen through the bars and reaching in. After watching for about ten seconds I call out to her asking if she needed help with anything. She immediately apologizes and makes a bee-line straight for the stairs. Very quickly I throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and start to pursue her.

At this point I would like to note that we live on the fourth of six floors. By the time I got to her, she was just rounding the last flight and headed to the exit of the building. "Excuse me!" I yelled, she turned around and I asked "Why were you looking into my apartment?" She looked a little panicked and told me that she wanted to move into this complex and was wondering what the inside of the rooms looked like. I then told her where the managers apartment was and together we went over there and knocked on the door. While waiting, I asked her why she was up on the fourth floor and she told me that she had started on the top floor and was seeing if any rooms were open to look at. I wanted to believe her but, her clothes were really dirty and she looked more like a homeless person than someone searching for an apartment. I then asked her if she lived around here to which she replied she was living with a friend. I then asked her if her friend lived around here and she told me her friend was living near the mountains... which there aren't too many of around here.

I was pretty surprised and as you can guess had a little bit of adrenaline running through my blood- I kept my cool though and used the politest Japanese I could. I then told her in my country if a stranger starts opening your windows and reaching into your house that, that is pretty scary and normally you call the police. She told me not to call the police. I then asked her if she didn't think this situation wasn't a little funny which she shook her head yes. The whole time thought I thought she was acting funny and really felt like she was fibbing to me. After nobody came to the managers door she was like well, I am going to leave. I asked her for her name which she wouldn't give then asked me for mine. I refused as well (don't know if that was rude or not). Walking away she said something along the lines of "Well, I will see you if I can move here in September." To which I replied, "Please come and visit me..." where then if this is legit, I will apologize and give her a cookie.

Immediately after this happened I called Ayumi and told her what had happened. In fear that I had handled the situation wrong. Not only did she agree with me, after my phone call she called up the apartment managing company, relayed the story and they also thought it sounded a little weird. This week is a national holiday in Japan with a lot of people leaving home so, maybe if this lady was indeed a thief, she was checking out the place to see who was home.

So, the question I ask myself, "Should I have called the police?" the answer I have for myself is, this: If I wasn't a foreigner, probably. The whole story still stinks and maybe she was sincere in wanting to move in but, the situation was a bit weird.

That part ends there but, my day just kept going on!

Well, this whole epilogue took about ten minutes and looking at the clock I realized that I needed to go. I went back inside and (only after consulting Ayumi did I think to) closed and locked the windows. I hopped on my bike and suprisingly riding through the streets, I passed my burglar. She gave me the eye from under her black umbrella but, I just kept-on-a-riding. I arrived at my host's house and was welcomed into the living room where I met her kids. After sitting for a few minutes I was invited to stay for dinner which having nothing better to do- nor any way to decline accepted and was served a feast of fish, deer jerky and vegetables.

After we had eaten and talked for about an hour I was invited to go to the public bath with the older brother who had eaten with us. I tried to decline but, again they wouldn't take no for an answer. I tried to use the fact that "I have stitches in my finger and can't get it wet" as my excuse, only to have the old grandma pull out from a drawer a new surgical glove. It was only six-thirty so I couldn't use time as an excuse. Well, long story short me and this guy went to the public bath, which was actually quite nice. If the fact that I was white didn't make me stand out, it was the white surgical glove I wore on my left hand clinched shut with a rubber band around my wrist.

During the summer, each night at five to eight the amusement park does a short firework show. The outside bath apparently has a spectacular view being that this public bath is at a hotel ajacent to the park. Well, the fireworks start, and before you know it, I am standing naked in a mid-thigh deep bath tub silently watching these fireworks with about five other naked men. Kind of creepy, but the fireworks were nice.