My Weekend

I had to work on Saturday for parents day, that night headed to Toyama for Amy's bike ride fundraiser dinner. I ended up with a belly full of organic food/two delicious beers and a painting of a house.
Sunday was the Namerikawa Firefly Squid festival. There was squid, a mini flea market and squid eyeball spitting. Yeah, seriously. It's like watermelon seed spitting, but tinier and kinda cruel. I sucked so bad my eyeball actually ended up behind me. *shrug* The winners received grills, beers, and a kilo of.....squid!
Also, if anyone ever comes up to you with a video camera, a whiteboard and a marker and wants you to write something in Japanese and answer questions about yourself, you will get a free pencil. Incidentally, look for me on the NHK channel Tuesday nights at 11:00. Wasn't given a date, so keep those eyes peeled-or I will spit them onto astroturf.
Did some taiko drumming Sunday night for the first time and they want Amy and me to perform with them. Let you know how that turns out.


Foot bath!

Squid!

Squid eating.

Projectile squid eyes.

Been painting some, it's going okay. Working my tail off at school, getting ready for a fun Golden Week with my sweetie who's comin up here to shake it with me. Yay!!!!!

Hmmmm

If Thomas Moore, the Pope, and Horatio Algiers all went out for pizza.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4925844.stm

Crap I'm tired. Spent a fun weekend in Nagoya with Will "rinse and repeat" attending a wedding party for Josh and Mihoko. It was at the Asahi Beer Garden. The food was good, the company was friendly (including some German dude using filthy English) and I inherited a blender from the Bingo game. Celebrated Easter with one of Will's students and his wife and white gyoza.






On the work front, I'm really busy. Yeah, no one's more surprised than me. When you go from doing next to nothing to planning all your own lessons it's likely to wear you out. It's nice to have some input into the job I'm doing however and I plan on making the next few months worthwhile.

Checked out a hanami in Uozu this evening. Was treated to free yakisoba and shamisen.





Now if you'll excuse me, I have slushees to make.

Well it's a new school year, and I've got a new schedule. It's all Junior High School from here on out. I'm teaching a bunch of English conversation classes with my friend Yamada San who's super sweet. This is her first time teaching Junior High, but she was a flight attendant for six years, so she's used to dealing with loads of crap. We had a big enkai the other night to welcome the new teachers, and they all had to perform something. I saw:

* one of my teachers strip down to his underwear and swim on the floor.

* another teacher dress up like a gypsy and give out chocolates.

* two teachers wear school uniforms and perform terrible karaoke.

Enkais are pretty great.

Had a productive, arty weekend with some new ideas. I hope they turn out, got a lot of work ahead of me. Much thanks to Rob for the use of his apartment.

If you took Inuyama Matsuri and shrunk it by about 96% you would have the Unazuki Matsuri. Went on Sunday to see Yutsuke perform, and it was very friendly-given loads of beer/food and asked many colorful questions.





Inspecting a worm.

Mmmmm, smell that? That, my friends, is the friendly aroma of Spring. It's a lot like Fall but with sweaty promises of Summer. Check out what I've been doing!

Ate at this amazing Brazilian buffet where they bring out big hunks of meat and cut off pieces for you until you tell them to stop. They also played Avril Lavigne videos, which didn't add much to the meaty experience.

Atsuta Jingu.





NEAR......................far.

I'd be scared if I were you, chickens. I think I saw one reach for some pepper spray.


Saturday was Inuyama Matsuri. Will helped push a gigantic dashi, big shrine. It was an all day affair, lots of food and people. There's 13 floats all in all and at night they light em up. Very crazy and very fun.



















Sunday we saw The Nagoya Dragons play the Hiroshima Carps, and Nagoya won! Japanese baseball games are a lot like American one's, but the field is smaller and you can buy lots more tea.

Nagoya Dome.

These hooligans spiked my tea when I went to the bathroom.



P.S. Don't leave your camera lying around when you go to the bathroom either.