Mindy-loo? Mindy-luurve!

Take the job and shove it

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:02:50 GMT

Well...not shove it. You can set it aside gently. But...move it away from my personal space.

Erm.

So it's my last week as an ALT. I have two days left in the Jr. HS. Friday I go to an elementary school. After that...I'm no longer an ALT. I'm still on contract until August 15th though. But I'll only have a handful of classes in that time. I might have a lesson a day. So far it looks like 1 hour a day (except fot the days I'll be out of town) teaching a 14 year-old boy who is going to Ohio in September with his family (I'm guessing his dad works for Honda).

Anyhoo...in my next two days, I have FOUR lessons with QT sensei. Hazzah!

Then a party on Friday night with the other English teachers at my company (not the teachers at my school...does that make sense?) and some friends/former students (from adult classes, NOT JrHS students).

Next weekend, I'm heading up to Shibukawa to hang out with Annie and stare at people's bellybuttons. Then out to Saitama to see Sanrio Puroland (again...ahem.)

Then I have a TOKIO concert in Sendai with Lisa. Hope to meet up with Medders and maybe Bethany while I'm out there.

In August I have a trip to Shizuoka for fangirly-fun-and-games with several friends who I have not seen nearly often enough.

Later on, I'm heading out on the road with a sassy young miss, who has never been on a roadtrip without her family before. At our destination, we shall meet up with several other companions and see K8. My last weekend in Japan is a K8 concert. How perfect is that?

Then a quick run back to Tochigi to empty my bank account, do one last load of laundry and get on a bus to Narita airport. I'm flying to Sanfrasico first to visit with a friend who helped me get my plane tickets. (I'm paying for my trip home with Arashi tickets. THAT, like nothing else ever has, convinces me that there is some order in the universe.) Then I'm back to Canadia on the 31st or 1st.

I go back to school on the 2nd.

I still need to clean out my apartment. Send stuff home. Pack. Send more stuff home. Throw more stuff out. No lose my mind(y).

Yeah.

That's my summer so far.

How are you guys doing?

Punctuation is Imporant

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:37:23 GMT

From: Dinosaur Comics

I've been Tagged!

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:56:16 GMT

I got this from Annie, so blame her!

Tagged by: agtoro
Game rules：
A. People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves. Tag 8 people. Those who are tagged cannot refuse.
B. These 8 people must state who they were tagged by. You cannot tag the person who tagged you. Continue this game by sending this to 8 other people. People who are tagged will be blessed and their wishes will come true in the future.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?

When we say “betray,” we mean “cheat on” right? If my lover was sleeping with someone else, what would I do? Not, if my lover forgot to pick me up at the airport, or if my lover gave me a crappy birthday present, right?

If I discovered my lover was sticking it somewhere else, I’d probably be really self critical. Why wasn’t I satisfying him? What did I do wrong? What does s/he have/do that I don’t?

Then I would cry great horrible buckets.

Then my girls would take me out for tequila and chocolate (or chocolate and tequila) and we would start to build up some hate. We would hate and hate and hate until I was in a blind (drunk and buzzed on sugar) rage. Then I would dump his ass three ways from next Tuesday.

If he’s lucky, I won’t set all of his belongings on fire. If he’s REALLY lucky, I won’t keep one of his testicles as a memento. Hey! I like souvenirs!

2. What will you do if you do not share the same feelings as the person who likes you?

I would give it a go and see how it pans out. Lord knows it takes me ages to figure out what I like. And that changes over time. If you had said to me, “Mindy! Someday you will get all hot and bothered about Japanese idols!” when I was 22, I’ve have peed myself laughing. But here I am.

If there is an individual who genuinely appreciates my many charms, and would like to make a go at something, why not?

OK, if he’s gross and stupid and has poor hygiene and thinks I should spend all of my time cooking and cleaning for him, I might just show him the door. But, love is such a crazy thing, why wouldn’t I want to try it　if he wasn’t outright objectionable?

3. What will your dream wedding be like?

Out door, summer, potluck, open bar. The bulk of my wedding budget will be spent on my dress and booze. I want to look fabulous, I want my friends to be able to get off their faces (if they so desire) and I want my guests to compete to see who makes the best potato salad.

4. Are you confused as to what lies ahead of you?

Yes. But I am easily confused. I’m relatively certain that if I do things in wee steps, I’ll figure it out as I go. I say this in all seriousness. Easily ignoring the fits of panic I have on a regular basis. What the Hell am I doing with myself???

5. What's your ideal lover like?

If we are talking IDEAL, this is going to be a long list. You might just want to scroll down. Please remember though that this is not a shopping list of things he MUST have/do. And they’re certainly not things he must do/have all the time, every day, and forever. A lot of this is negotiable. And I don’t think I’m asking for anything too crazy.

My ideal lover is quite smitten with me. He thinks I’m gorgeous and is quite open on how and what he finds attractive about me. He likes being physical with me, but not in public. His (healthy) libido matches mine for the most part. He tells me what he wants, and appreciates my efforts to give that to him. He works just as hard on me. He is smart, funny and confident. He doesn’t get jealous of my fangirling. He has friends of his own, who he is not embarrassed to hang out with, with me. He doesn’t mind hanging out with my friends. That said, we don’t have to spend ALL of our time together. We can have our own lives and enjoy our own hobbies. The time we do spend together, we try to have fun. (Sure, we have to do serious stuff sometimes, but generally. . . we aren’t mopey or pick-pick-picky about each other.) He has a job that he doesn’t hate, that pays his bills and that doesn’t leave him so exhausted/drained at the end of the day/week that all he wants to do is sleep/watch TV. That’s fully cool sometimes, but not all the time, eh? He let’s me drive sometimes. He likes to play with my hair. He shares the housework with me. He indulges me in some of my flights of fancy, but also tells me when I’m being ridiculous. He has his own opinions. We can disagree about stuff and discuss things without exploding into rip-snorting fights. He has a good relationship with his mum and sisters. He has women friends. He takes care of his hands and feet. While his personal hygiene is beyond reproach, he does sometimes come home all sweaty, dirty and manly. He reads and is well spoken, but not snobby. He’s kinda silly, actually. He gives good foot rubs. He likes cooking, but doesn’t forget to wash up after. He loves animals. He gets along with my family. He’s passionate about something (Sports, music, cars. . . whatever. But there is SOMETHING that gets him all excited.) He enjoys a drink, but doesn’t get all aggressive or moody when he drinks. He doesn’t smoke.

This might never end, so let’s just move along already.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone else?

Why is there no “receiving expensive presents” option? Expensive presents are awesome! Unless they are ugly and cannot be exchanged easily.

But if I MUST stick to the actual question, I’d say being loved. It’s very easy for me to love. It’s almost a default. If you aren’t actively stabbing me in the eye, I’m probably feeling something approaching love for you. I have a lot of people in my life to love too. But when that love is returned? THAT is something a little bit awesome. That will twist your guts into a fluttery mess. That will make you happy to wake up and get out of bed. That feeling of getting the love back is what makes it worth loving everyone you can.

7. If the person you like does not accept you, would you continue to wait for them to change their feelings?

*waves* Welcome to my area of expertise. Unrequited love. It’s not the most fun way to spend a weekend, but it also won’t kill you. If the object of your affection does not return the feeling, move on. If you think there is only ONE person in this world that you could ever love, you need to think about that some more.

There are a whole lot of wonderful people on this planet. Don’t miss out on them by pining for someone who just isn’t feeling it.

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?

I’d move on. It sucks when they’re taken. (It also sucks when they don’t like chicks or just don’t like you.) But poaching isn’t cool. If he becomes free. . . reassess. But don’t hang around waiting. And don’t try to break couples up.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy recently?

Not unhappy. But anxious and doubt-filled. I have since been talked back to sanity.

10. What do you want most in life?

Satisfaction. I don’t need to be blessed out all of the time. I don’t need to be giddy, over-the-moon. But I want to be content with my life, my friends, my job, and my family. I’d like things to be on the shiny side of OK. Moments of bliss would be nice too. But not every minute of every day. That would be exhausting.

11. Is being tagged fun?

Yes! As soon as I saw “tag 8 friends,” I scrolled down to see if I’d been tagged. I had been. FIRST!! I am seriously awesome!

12. If you find out that your best friend is going out with your boyfriend/girlfriend, how would you react?

I'd be really surprised!

Then, there would be blood on the floor.

I hope they’re very happy together, but I’d never know because I don’t think I’d ever speak to either of them ever again.

No, that’s not exactly true. We’d probably have tones of mutual friends, so I couldn’t just cut them out of my life forever. I’d have to remain civil. But it would be a long time before I chose to be in either of their company again.

13. Who is currently the most important person to you?

I am.

I am very blessed in that I have a lot of people in my life who I love and who love me back. I know that there are many people who would go to great lengths to help me in any way they could. That said, I know that the only person who is responsible for my happiness is ME. If there are things that I want to achieve, I need to do them. If I have goals, only I can meet them. My friends and family can (and DO!) help, but they can’t do all it for me. I have to take care of myself.

There are also a lot of people who I would do anything I could to help. But I also know that I cannot help and support others at the expense of myself. If I make myself sick, or worry myself into an ulcer or wrack up debt to support someone else, then I’m actually not helping anyone. I cannot lose myself in someone. I have to remain my own person.

So yeah. . . I am.

14. What kind of person do you think I am?

Annie is not how she first appears. She looks like the shy, quiet, good girl. But when she gets a little more comfortable, she’s got a wicked sense of humor and enough chutzpah to get herself in a heap of trouble! She also seems really calm and mild when you first meet her. But her temper is impressive!

15. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?

I’m single. It’s pretty good, actually. I’ve been poor. That’s not much fun at all. I’d go with single and rich. Lonely and rich? Hellz no! But Single is not the same as Lonely.

16. If the person you secretly like cannot recognize you, what would you do/how would you react?

This one is a stumper for me too. Is this not the same question as number 7?

Or maybe he DOES like me, but cannot admit it because our families have been feuding for several generations? Huh? My mum can’t remember where her car keys are, never mind that she is supposed to hate the neighbors!

Or he DOES like me but are embarrassed by me for some reason and won’t admit to liking me in case his friends laugh at him? If that is the case, then he can go jump in a lake! A cold lake. Filled with hungry, electric-piranhas!

17. Would you give your all in a relationship?

There would be a period of holding back. Protecting myself. Making sure this guy is worth it. Once I decide he is. . . this is when his life becomes decidedly more dangerous. Because “giving my all” is a whole LOT! I hope he’s ready.

18. If you fall in love with two persons simultaneously, who would you pick?

The one who loved me more.

19. What type of friends do you like?

I have lots of different kinds of friends. Friends I can do different stuff with. Friends who I can have different fun with. I don’t think they’d all get along. I don’t think they should all meet. I HOPE they never all get together to compare notes.

But if I had to make sweeping generalizations about my friends: clever, funny, outspoken, opinionated, trustworthy

20. If you played a prank on someone, and he/she fell for the trick, what would you do?

I don’t really play pranks. I do tell an awful lot of lies though.

It started when I was teaching in Poland. I had a class of teenagers, intermediate level. We were talking about popular music. They all agreed that popular music was shit. I could not get them to stop saying “shit” in the lesson. It’s what they say in Polish, it’s what they’ll say in English (The Polish – cholera – isn’t as rough as the English. But I couldn’t get them to say “poop.”). Pop music is shit. Polish pop music is really shit. All these pop musicians are shit.

Eventually, as happens in all discussions about pop music, the conversation eventually pointed itself towards Britney Spears. This was in 2003, before she became Crazy Britney Spears. But these kids pulled no punches when talking about how much they despised her. She was a slut and a filthy whore. Her music was shit. Her face was fucking disgusting. Her hair was fucking disgusting. Her clothes were slutty. She was a slag.

WHERE ARE THESE KIDS LEARNING THIS????
*checks the glossary in the textbook* Nope. Not there.

I was impressed by their vocabulary and all, but it was really getting out of hand. Finally, and I don’t know what possessed me to do this, I said, “Listen. It’s cool if you don’t like her music. I know you kids love rock and hip-hop. That’s fine. But I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t say these things about her as a person. I went to school with Britney Spears, and she’s actually a really nice girl.”

There was a short silence as that soaked in.

”Really?”

“Yeah. But hey, I don’t really like her music either. But if you please wouldn’t call her a slut or filthy whore, I’d be happier.”

“. . . Sorry.”

And a dozen fifteen-year-olds quietly opened their textbooks and started finishing their homework.

Three minutes later (and it’s still DEAD silent in the class as the kids are working away) Pawel’s head shoots up. He’s in the back corner of the class, and he gives me “the look” that says “WAIT A MINUTE!!” He’d pieced together how old I was, how old Britney was and figured out I could NOT have gone to school with her. I smiled, gave him the “shhh” sign and winked. He winked back and went to work again.

I thought he would have told everyone the joke after class.

Two days later, one of the other teachers approaches me in the teachers’ room. “Mindy. Did you tell Michel that you went to school with Britney Spears?”

Oops!

Turns out Michel wasn’t as bright as the other kittens. He was convinced that I knew Britney Spears. The poor teacher had to go through several stages of “Where is Mindy from?” “Where is Britney from?” before it sank in.

And since then, I’ve tried to tell as many OBVIOUS lies as I can, just to see what people (usually students) will believe.

I tag:
dontcallmeboo
happygoluckycatlawi_chan
okuralove816
paaaaan
samiancha
ttxryo_nic
zaq_in_chill

Oops!

</div>

Make Mine Memely!

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:11:02 GMT

Because you don't have enough to do with your day.
Because you are powerless to resist.
Becuase we don't know enough about each other!

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Open

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?
They’re lucky if I don’t take the hairdryer and telephone!

3. Have you ever 'done it' in a hotel room?
Yes. And how happy am I to be 30 and still answering questions about “doing it!”

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
Not a street sign, but a sign from a Provincial Park. “Do Not Wash Articles Here”

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?
Yes!! I have ones with kitties on them!!

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?
Not in Japan. In Canada I did. And plan to do again!

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
I don’t think I would survive either. So at least with bees, I’d know I was killing them as they stung me.

9. Do you always smile for pictures?
Yes. And I’m usually making a peace sign too. I have been in Japan for too long, eh?

10. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Is it time to re-visit parents who don’t make their kids wear seatbelts? Or is that getting old?

How about people who whinge about being fat. I hate those people. “WAAAAH! I'm so fat!” More often than not, it’s being said by a really thin person. Those people need to fall down some steps. If you don’t like how you look, DO something about it! And if you ARE actually fat. . . come sit by me and we can talk trash about the skinny bitches!

12. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?
Sometimes. Going up and down stairs.

13. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Yes. How many Canadians haven’t?

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing?
Hellz yeah!

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils
Not anymore. But I used to.

16. How many people have you slept with this week?
This week? As in, “starting from Sunday?” Or as in “the last 7 days?”

17. Do you like popcorn from those big tins?
I used to. It’s been ages since I had any though. I may no longer appreciate its charm.

18. What is your "Song of the week"?
Tackey and Tsubasa’s "Venus." Minus the dance. I don’t do T&T dances.

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
Yes! And shiny!! And (if they are very cute) they can wear skirts too! But those are very special guys, eh?

20. Do you still watch cartoons?
Yes!!!

21. Whats your favorite scary movie?
I don’t like scary movies. At all. Piss off with your scary movies!

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?
In torrid.com! I’m sure they would keep my treasure safe. Or give me sweet, sweet clothes in exchange for my treasure. That’s what I really wanted, anyhoots!

23. What do you drink with dinner?
Water. Or Diet Coke.

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
Blue cheese dressing. Or mayonnaise.

25. What is your favorite food/ cuisine?
Yaki niku!!

26. What movie could you watch over and over?
To Kill a Mockingbird

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
I was a Brownie and a Girl Guide.

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
No

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
I write lots of letters. I guess the latest was a quick note to Bex that I threw into a package I sent to her.

31. Can you change the oil on a car?
No. There are people I can pay to do that.

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
No. Oddly enough.

33. Ran out of gas?
NO! Oddly enough. I’ve cut it close a couple times!

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?
Bacon

36. What is your bedtime?
Between 10 and 11.

37. Are you lazy?
I have my moments.

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Hallowe’en?
A kitty, a bunny, a character from “G-Force,” a Cabbage Patch Kid, a unicorn, a ballerina, a scarecrow, a pioneer, a poodle-skirt girl, a witch. . . I like Hallowe’en!

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
Not anymore. But I used to have “Sassy,” back in the day. And “Mode” when I was in university.

42.Which are better Lego or Lincoln Logs?
Lego! But not the kits. The big tubs of everything that you could use to may anything!

43. Are you stubborn?
Heh. Let’s go with “yes” for this one.

44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman?
I don’t like either of them very much. I quite like Conan O’Brian though.

45. Ever watch soap operas?
No.

46. Afraid of heights?
Not really.

47. Sing in the car?
Very loudly.

48. Dance in the shower?
That sounds dangerous. I’m all for dancing, but not slipping and injuring myself whilst nude. That is a situation best avoided.

49. Dance in the car?
That’s more my style!

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?
Years ago. Unless you count purikura. Which you probably don’t.

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?
Fuck, NO!

53. Is Christmas stressful?
I understand how it can be, but I loooove it!

54. Ever eat a pierogie?
I lived in Poland for two years. What do YOU think? Yum! Pierogi = European gyoza!

55. Favorite type of pie?
Lemon meringue.

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?
Vet. Teacher.

57. Do you believe in ghosts?
Yes

58. Ever have a Déjà-vu feeling?
Yes

59. Take a vitamin daily?
Several. When I remember. Which I didn’t today. Or yesterday. Oops.

60. Wear Slippers?
Yes! My floors are COLD!

61. Wear a bath robe?
No. But I wear my jim-jams a lot.

62. What do you wear to bed?
Jim-jams. Generally pajama bottoms and a tank top.

64. Wal-Mart, Target or K-Mart?
Wal-Mart. Although, I’ve heard good things about Target. I’ll have to check it out!

65. Nike or Adidas?
Neither really get me going.

66. Cheetos Or Fritos?
Cheetos, I guess.

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?
Peanuts? Can I upgrade to macadamias?

68. Ever hear of, "gorp"?
Gobs Of Raisins and Peanuts!! We made this in Grade 6 for Polar Bear Week!

69. Ever take dance lessons?
Yup! I had five years of ballet, four of jazz and three of modern. And for two years, I was a teacher’s assistant with the iddy-biddy baby ballet classes.

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?
Taking Care of Mindy-loo

71. Can you curl your tongue?
Yes.

72. Ever won a spelling bee?
Oh, hell no.

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
Yes.

74. Own any record albums?
I don’t think I have any, anymore.

76. Regularly burn incense?
Not recently. These days, I’m all about fabric softener and Febreeze!

77. Ever been in love?
Not yet.

78. Who would you like to see in concert?
Hahahahahaha. . . how long of a list do you want? I think a better question is “How close do you want to be when you see them?”

79. What was your last concert you saw?
Tackey & Tsubasa.

80.Hot tea or cold tea?
Cold

81. Chocolate or vanilla ice cream?
Chocolate

82.Favorite kind of cookie?
Chocolate chip. UNbaked, thankyouverymuch.

83.Can you swim well?
Yes.

84.Can you hold your breath w/o manually holding your nose?
Yes.

85. Are you patient
I have my moments.

86. DJ or band, at a wedding?
DJ

87.Ever won a contest?
I want to say yes. But I can’t think of what I’ve won.

88. Ever have plastic surgery?
No. Not yet anyway. I have no plans to get any, but who knows what I’ll want to do with my money after I stop going to so many concerts. I’ll need to waste it SOMEHOW!

89. Which are better black or green olives?
Oh, yuck! Can I have a dill pickle, please?

90. Can you knit or crochet?
A little of both. But it’s been years.

91. Best room for a fireplace?
Under a chimney.

92. Do you want to get married?
Sure. Why not?

93. If married, how long have you been married?

Katori Shingo doesn’t know this, but I declared him to be my husband in 2005. Lick it, stick it, stamp it. No reversies.

I think that’s binding.

94. Who was your highschool crush?
None stick out in my mind.

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?
Ha! No crying or hissy fits here. But I will stand there and tell you how stupid you are until you agree with me!

96. Do you have kids?
No. I have a bamboo plant though.

97. Do you want kids?
Sure. I want them to come to my apartment and clean for me!

98. What’s your favorite color?
Purple

99. Do you miss anyone right now?
Lots of people.

100. Who do you wanna see right now?
Lots of people.

BONUS!! Because 100 questions is NOT ENOUGH!!!

Single or Taken: Single
Eye color: blue
Height: 5’8” (or 173cm for those who are metrically inclined)
What are you wearing right now?

Pink “indoor” shoes, penguin socks, black jeans, polar bear undies, maroon “CHEERFUL” top, black bra, Yoko’s magical band, brown hair clip.

Sure, some of these questions have been asked before. But such is the nature of the universe.

Ten Words That Start with T

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 05:33:41 GMT

1) Taihen – Taihen! I can’t think of any T words. What is a girl to do? Taihen is one of the few useful words my Japanese textbooks have taught me. I really don’t care that Mr. Santos likes to paint pictures of horses. Or that Mr. Tanaka collects antique watches. And would someone just let Mario buy a camera already?? But you know what? Sakura. Taihen kirei desu ne!

2) Trampoline – My friend Sabrina has one in her back yard. At least she did. I haven’t been back home in a few years, so she might not have it anymore. It was seriously awesome. Sabrina, Kathy, Andrea and I would pile onto it and sit down. Then Sabrina’s husband would stand in the middle and jump. I mean JUMP!! This was NOT the approved trampolining activities that we used to do in gym class back when we could still do trampolining and insurance companies didn’t totally suck. It’s no small miracle that none of us were launched off of that sucker to crack out heads open on the ground. Good times. Good times.

3) Travelling – I have been to a lot of places. I’ve been all over Japan. Mostly to concert venues though. Oops! I love driving. I hate flying domestically. The plane never gets high enough and my ears never clear. So it’s 90 minutes (or whatever) of agony. My next trip is to Okinawa with my sister at the end of the month.

4) Tipping – Japan doesn’t do it. Which is nice enough, but if I have a complaint (and I sometimes do) what leverage do I have? Also…will I remember to start tipping again when I go home?

5) Toilet seats – is there any greater pleasure than sitting down on a warm toilet seat at 4am on a January night? Well, yeah! There are several. But none of them start with T, so forget about them. Heated toilet seats may in fact be the greatest contribution that Japan has made to the world. But Mindy-loo! What about the Pretties?? Well yeah…they’re cool too. But many people fail to understand their appeal. Many of these many people would be members of my family. But everyone. EVERYONE! Can appreciate a heated toilet seat.

6) Time zones – A necessary evil. As nice as it would be for it to be noon everywhere right now. . . it’s dark in some places! I blame Australia for this. Australia is on the other side of the world (from all directions) so clearly it is their fault that we require time zones. The next time my mum phones me at 4 am because she “thought it went the other way,” I’m going to call the PM of Australia and say nasty things about his ancestry. Oh wait. Australians like that.

7) Tired – Last night I came down with a case of whatever-the-heck-is-wrong-with-Bex and did not sleep well. I think I have too many biggish events coming up in the next few weeks, and I’m worried if I have time for them all. Whatever the cause. . . I’m tired today. And I wish I could be cranky, but I don’t want to be responsible for THAT many kids crying today. Boo.

8) Trial – This is the grocery store I go to most often. It’s not the closest one to my house, but it is by far the cheapest. It’s about 5km there and back, which makes it a nice walk. And I like eating everyday, so that is good motivation to walk. So I walk to Trial a lot.

9) Tackey and Tsubasa – I would never describe them as “my boys” but I had a great time at their concert earlier this month. No small part of that was how much fun it is to go to cons with Annie (Yeah, that Annie. Not the other one.) Their concert goods were the best organized that I’ve seen in ages!! Well done, T&T!

10) Typing – That is what I am doing now. I’m not very good at it. But it always impresses the kids/teachers when they see me typing without looking at the keys. They never seem to notice how often I have to back up and try again. They just see tappy-tappy-tappy Mindy-loo. And it floors them. All. The. Time. Most people I deal with seem to subscribe to the “Hunt and Peck” school of typery. And yes, that is a word. Just like trampolining is a word. Stuff it! (Please refer to word #7 for an explanation of my snippiness.)

Wanna letter? Just ask for one!

What Baby Animal are You?

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:39:40 GMT

Take the Quiz!

Edit:

DUDE!!

Gradumatation

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 05:50:16 GMT

Today was grad at my junior high school. So I'm at work on a Saturday.

The fun and games ened at about 1. I'm here until 4. Nooo lessons.

You know what that means???

I yoinked this one from Renee

SERIES ONE - YOU

Full name: Melinda Ann Ricker
Birth date/time/place: January 16^th, 1978. About 2pm. Sudbury General Hospital
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Light brown, but I go darker/redder whenever I think about it

Height: 173cm
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Piercings: only the basic ear piercing
Tattoos: not yet

Righty or lefty: righty
Allergies: kiwi (the fruit, not the bird…or the people)

SERIES TWO - DESCRIBE
Your heritage: The Rickers came to Canada from Germany and then seemed exclusively to marry Irish women. My mother’s family has names like Johnston, Stewart and Snow. So let’s say they’re from the British Isles. All of this comes together to mean = I always need to use sunscreen.

The shoes you wore today: lambskin slippers, leopard print ballet flats, black snakeskin print sling-backs

The clothes you wore today: black dress pants, black background, rose-print corset blouse, M necklace, star earrings

Your hair: past my shoulder. Curly!! Curly!!
Your fears: One day…all of my friends will meet each other and compare notes about me. So if I ever get married. . . I’m not having a wedding!

SERIES THREE - HAVE YOU
Won a bet? Probably
Been arrested? No
Gone to jail? My mother used to be a Family Studies teacher at the youth jail in my hometown. She’d take me in on the weekends to use the sewing machines. Her classroom had the BEST cutting table!
Gotten a speeding ticket? No! Oddly enough.
Gotten a parking ticket? Nope.
Been drunk? heh
Done drugs? Nothing that didn’t grow out of the ground, but yes.
Had your tonsils removed? No
Had a major surgery? No

Came close to dying? Not really.
Gone to camp? Yes. Swim camp, fat camp, drama camp. And in high school I was the arts and craft counselor at a Jewish day camp.
Been to a concert? HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA. . . sigh . . .wait . . .What was the question?
Been on TV? Local Sudbury TV. And I was on the jumbo-tron at a Blue Jays game once!
Been on the radio? On the CBC in Sudbury
Gone skinny dipping? Hellz no!
Milked a cow? Not yet
Ridden a horse? Yes. I had my own pony. And when I got to big for her, I had riding lessons on a real horse! His name was Ben.
Sung Karaoke? Yes,

SERIES FOUR - THIS OR THAT
Sunrise or sunset: I don’t go to crazy about either
Stripes or polka dots: I like both. But I like plaid the best.
Planes or trains: domestic travel = CAR, international travel = plane
Boxers or briefs: boxer briefs
Baseball or Football: football
Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast: Beauty and the Beast

Christmas or Birthday: Birthday. It’s all about ME, dagnabit
Pink or Blue: pink
Scary movies or Comedies: comedies
Commercials or infomercials: I lurves me some infomercials!
Mexican food or Chinese food: Mexican
Operas or plays: I like both
McDonalds or Taco Bell: Taco Bell
Silver or Gold: silver

Coffee or tea: coffee
Beach or mountains: Either

Comfy or stylish: comfy IS stylish, bitches!!
Healthy or junky: a bit of both
Water or juice: water

SERIES FIVE - DO YOU
Cuss: You may not know this about me…but I cuss a great fucking deal.
Want to get married: Someday
Want to have kids: Someday
Like to take baths: They’re OK, but I like showers better.

Get motion sickness: I got really seasick once
Like talking on the phone: Yes
Play an instrument: No. Well . . . I can hold my own on the kazoo!

Make a sport: In elementary school I was a competitive swimmer, in high school I played soccer, in uni I played softball. Now I go shopping.
Workout: I walk 5.5km, 4 days a week. *coughs* at least, that is the plan.
Like reading: Yes.

SERIES SIX - FAVORITES
Kind of fruit: strawberries
Time of the day: mid morning
Car: VW Bug (they’re so cute!)
Number: 45

Color: Purple
Jeans: dark
Family member: the cat?
Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Pet: my family has two cats and three dogs
Store: Amazon? eBay?
Season: Fall
Month: January
Holiday: my birthday
Vacation: road trips!
Ice Cream Flavor: chocolate chunk cookie dough
Candy bar: 3 Musketeers
Thing to do on the weekend: go to a concert

SERIES SEVEN - FUTURE
Age you hope to be married: 27…oops. No. I have no idea. There’s no time limit on this.
What do you want to be when you grow up: young looking

What country would you most like to visit?: Australia

SERIES EIGHT - RANDOM
What kind of shampoo do you use? Dove
What is the color of your sheets? Pink
Who was the last person that called you? Last night my friend Yuka called to explain when and where we were meeting for the Girls’ Nite Out.
Are you a good story teller? Probably no. But that doesn’t stop me.
List the US states you have been to: New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,…you know…the easty states
Do you believe there is a heaven? Yes
Do you believe there is a hell? No
Would you ever sky dive? No
Would you go for an Extreme Makeover? I’ve not seen the show. How “Extreme” is it? Probably not.

Have you ever dyed/bleached/highlighted your hair? Not today.

What is something you've done that not many other people have? I don’t actually DO many things. Things HAPPEN to me. This way, I avoid having to take responsibility for my life!

I suck at Blogging. But I like to Meme!

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:37:33 GMT

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. camp counselor
2. Case Aid Worker for Ontario Works (Ontario’s Welfare system)
3. University instructor (sounds posh, eh?)
4. ALT

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Pretty Woman
2. To Kill a Mockingbird
3. Under the Tuscan Sun
4. Annie

C) Four places I have lived:
1. Sudbury, Ontario
2. Funabashi, Chiba
3. Koszalin, Poland

4. Utsunomiya, Tochigi

D) Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. SmapxSmap
2. Bara no nai Hanaya
3. CSI
4. Law and Order

E) Four places I have been:
1. Niagra Falls
2. Auschwitz

3. Verona
4. Bali

F) People who e-mail me:
1. Bex
2. Annie (that Annie and the other Annie)
3. Lisa
4. Hiroko

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Bacon
2. cheese
3. cheesecake
4. baconcake?? No. Um…beer.

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Starbuck’s
2. home
3. the movies
4. my car

I) Four friends I think will respond:
1. is
2. there
3. anyone
4. left?

J) Things I am looking forward to this year:
1. going to Okinwa with my sister
2. Kanjani con in Yokohama with Annie
3. going home (kinda)
4. Christmas with my family

I) What did you do today?
1. ate yogurt
2. sat down at my desk
3. appreciated the graduation rehearsals as they mean I have no lessons today
4. decided my free time was best spent doing memes.

RETURN DIRECTIONS:

Delete my answers and type in your answers. Tag this to a whole bunch of people you know. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:42:34 GMT

My decision has been made.

I will be going back to Canada in August.

My parents are thrilled.

My boss has left it open for me, if I want to stay. But I think I’m ready to go home.

There are so many things I love in this country. But it’s time to go home.

Why do I feel like I’ve failed, somehow?

First, pancakes

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:16:19 GMT

You are breakfasty, like a pile of pancakes on a Sunday morning that have just the right amount of syrup, so every bite is sweet perfection and not a soppy mess. You are a glass of orange juice that's cool, refreshing, and not overly pulpy. You are the time of day that's just right for turning the pages of a newspaper, flipping through channels, or clicking around online to get a sense of how the world changed during the night. You don't want to stumble sleepily through life, so you make a real effort to wake your brain up and get it thinking. You feel inspired to accomplish things (whether it's checking something off your to-do list or changing the world), but there's plenty of time for making things happen later in the day. First, pancakes.

You are the opposite of boycrazy. No matter how much you like a guy, you're able to be your practical, clear-thinking self in his presence. Even in a room full of cute guys, you'd probably be just as calm, self-assured, and down to earth as you always are. In your life, boycraziness is unnecessary -- boys are probably crazy about YOU.

Shut up, weather!

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:55:16 GMT

Oy, winter.

You may have noticed that I've posted a few snow pictures recently. It snows. I take a picture.

We don't usually get snow in Tochigi.

So when it snowed a couple weeks ago, I was surprised and delighted. However, it melted before I could play in it. This was very disappointing.

Then it snowed on a Sunday! There was enough for snowmen and angels the kids in the house accross the street from me made a quinzee. Awesome! I played in the snow. I enjoyed the novelty of seeing snow again.

Then I got really cold. So I went back into my apartment, which was also really cold. Because all apartments in Japan are really cold.

It was then that I decided that I was officiall 'over' winter.

Thanks, winter. That was really pretty and fun. Now shuffle your chilly ass back to antarctica or something. The penguins need to march. Please send spring and the cherry blossoms and the cherry blossom parties.

It is snowing again today.

WTH? In 2004 we had ONE snowfall. In 2005 we had ONE snowfall. In 2007 we had ZERO snowfalls. Now we had THREE! I am sincerely unimpressed. And worried about driving to my night class. *glares at the weather*

More Memely Madness!

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 13:00:59 GMT

Niki is to blame for this. *blames*

1. Leave me a casual comment of no particular significance, like a lyric to your current favorite song, your favorite kind of sandwich, or maybe your favorite game. Any remark, meaningless or not.
2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. Include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in your own post.
5. When others respond with a desultory comment, you will ask them five questions.

5 questions from Niki :

1. Who inspired you to take up JET in Japan. Teaching career.

I’m not actually with JET. I’m over here with a very small company. I first started thinking about teaching English in the summer before my last year of university. My best friend, Mia, was finishing off a degree in English and wanted to go to Teachers’ College. She was worried she wouldn’t get accepted.

“Mindy . . .if I don’t get into college, will you come to Japan with me?”

“ . . .OK . . .”

“Great! I knew I could count on you!!”

“ . . .Mia. What are we going to do in Japan?”
”Teach English, silly!”

“. . .Mia…What am I going to do in Japan?”

“. . . Teach . . .English.”

“No, MIA! YOU will have the English degree. I will have the Anthropology degree. WHAT will they want with an Anthropology major??”

She explained a few things to me. I did a little research online. It actually looked like a good deal. Decent salary. Not an overly difficult workload. A chance to see a place and not be a tourist. A week later I called her.

“MIA! I’m definitely on board. This looks great!”

“What?”

“Japan! Let’s go!”

“. . . No. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think I can actually do that.”

“. . . .OK. No worries. I’m going though!”

I graduated in May, flew over in August. I was here with NOVA! I stayed for a year and then taught in Poland for two years. I loved Europe, but the exchange rate was so bad on the Zloty. I could live like a princess IN Poland, but as soon as I left, it was worth nothing! So I wanted to go back to a country with a strong currency. I was thinking of either coming back to Japan, or going to South Korea.

I was still in contact with Pam, and she said if I was thinking of Japan, her company was really good, and she’d drop off my resume. I’d never heard of someone in Japan actually recommending their company. Most teachers really only like to bitch about where they work. So I sent her my resume and a cover letter. And here I am!

And I wouldn't really call this my career. I love what I'm doing now, but I know that in five or ten years, I'll be so sick of it, I could spit on kids. So I want to finish while I still love it and move onto something I can do for more of a "career" length of time.

(And yeah. She was a iddy-biddy ticked that I went off without her.)

2. Are you a daddy's girl or mummy's?

A bit of both, really. I look almost exactly like my mum. And we have very similar characters. So we really see eye to eye on a lot of issues. As luck would have it, my parents really like each other. So, being like my mum, my dad and I get along fine too! I’m very good at dealing with either of them to get what I want. Mwua-ha-ha!

3. Since you are a shophalic. What's the first thing on your shopping list? Usually.

Hair stuff. I spend a lot mainting my curls and decorating them to my satisfaction. Proper conditioners, balm, frzz controllers, touch up mists, clips, elastics, bobbles, glitter, barrettes……………I spend a lot on moisturizer too. I really like my skin. I think I have a nice complexion, but if left to its own devices, I would flake off and fly away.

Then we go to earrings and accessories.

Make up.

Then we spend a lot of time looking at shoes and clothes.

Then we decorate the house.

Then we try to keep up with all the birthdays.

Then we plan what concert goods we want.

It never ends, really.

4. Do you remember all your friends' name? DO YOU REMEMBER MINE? Lol

There are days I can barely remember my own name. You are Niki. But sometimes I think your name is ttxryo. Or something.

5. Care to explain, out of 8, why Hina?

I am simple. Please remember that.

So I was a Smap fan for several years. Only Smap. Didn’t understand there was a larger company. When I came back to Japan, Pam tried to explain it all to me. But I wasn’t too interested. Smap was enough. We were deciding what to do for New Year’s (Dec 31^st, 2004) and she suggested we watch Countdown on TV. Smap wouldn’t be on it, but it might be interesting.

Well, sweet JEEBUS! The stage was just full (FULL) of pretty boys!

“PAM!! WHO ARE THEY??? WHO ARE THEY??”

“I. DON’T. KNOOOW!!!”

The next day, we hit the sales. After about 6 hours of shopping, we decided to take a break. We bought some magazines (Potato, Wink-Up, Duet. A.k.a.: The Holy Trinity) and grabbed coffee. Still on a shopping high, we treated the magazines like catalogues. “I want him!” “He’s mine.” “DIBS!!!”

K8 Were at the back of the first magazine we were looking at. We were starting to get tired. We didn’t have a lot of chutzpah left to pick out favourites.

“There are so many.”

“They all look so young…”

“Pam…read me their names, please.”

“You can read this one.”
”す . . .ば . . .る . . .Subaru?”

“Yes!”

“Oh! I can read his name. I like him!”

But I was worried. It’s all fine and dandy to be able to read the name. But could I remember it? I had a sinking feeling that at some point, I would have this conversation:

“Mindy. Who do you like in KanJani 8?”

“Ummm . . .Ummm . . . Hiragana-Boy?”

That would be embarrassing!

So I had Pam read the other names to me. Finally she got to Murakami.

“Shingo?”

“Yeah. ”

“Shingo what?”
”Murakami.”

“Shingo?”

“Yeah.”

“I can remember THAT!!! DIBS!!”

And thusly. He was mine.

6. What's your decision to stay or college? *kills Niki*

I am still undecided. But I am leaning towards going home in August. We’ll see though. I may eventually flip a coin.

Comment on this post and I'll give you a band. Don't worry, I'll try to make it one you know and love. (<-written by the creator of the meme. I don't promise the same! LOL) You put your ten favourite songs by that band on your LJ and challenge others to do the same.

A band from me : Kanjani 8!

In no particular order:

Do You Love Me?*

Zukkoke Otoko Michi

F.T.O.

Misete Kure

Goujou ni GO!

Naniwa (rock mix….trance mix in a pinch)

Sukiyanen Osaka

KanFu Fighting

Purin/Ame chan

Cool Magic City

*Some people call this song "Do You Agree?" I don't trust those people very much.

It all comes back to me now!

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:56:23 GMT

I like to wash my linens once a week. I love getting into bed with Downy Fresh sheets and pillowcases. However, drying all my linens takes a long time. With the way my apartment catches the morning sun, I need to do it early. So it’s a once a week kinda activity. Usually a Saturday or Sunday.

Yesterday, I didn’t get out of bed until rather late. In the winter, if I want to dry sheets outside, I need to hang them up by 10 am. Any later than that and they don’t get really dry before the sun starts to go down. If I hang them up at 8, they’ll be done by 11. Hanging them up indoors is an option, but that takes up all of my hanging space for the day, and I can’t do regular laundry. So yesterday I just washed clothes.

This morning, I woke up and checked the weather forecast on my phone. 70% chance of precipitation. Boo!! So I got up to look out at the day. This is what I saw:

Sweet Georgia Brown!! Linens be damned. It’s a snowin’!!!

I scrambled to get dressed in a manner that would have sent my mum into fits (“You need MORE layers. MORE!!”). Pulled on boots, coat, hat and toasty Norwegian mittens. I stepped outside.

I had a debt to pay, so I ran out settle it. Dara. Here is your snow angel.

That out of the way, I decided That the next thing I needed to accomplish was a snowman. I’d forgotten a lot of the skills I had developed as a child. The core of the balls need to be really packed tightly, or it won’t build as you roll it. The weight of a small ball is not enough to make new snow stick to it. You have to keep patting, patting. Snowmen’s bodies do not just stick together, you have to pack a lot more snow around the joints. About half way through my rolling, I started to feel guilty. I was using up all the snow in the back area of my building. Then I thought, “Fuck that! No kids live in my building! And it’s their fault for not being awake first anyhoo!”

Finally, this is what I created:

But oh no! He’s NUDE!! I’ve created a nekkid man in my back yard. And by no stretch of the imagination could he be described as “hot.” I had to dress him. I didn’t have coal, or carrots, or a corncob pipe. But here’s what I came up with.

I shall call him “Yaoi the Snowfan.”

Chopstick arms, chopstickholder mouth, wooden spoon nose, scarf, hat, Pop Up Smap 3D glasses. Oh yeah, baby! This is winter! Take that, Japan! With your inferior two-balled snowmen!! This is how we does it in countries with REAL snow!

So I set out to photograph the neighborhood.

This is my neighbor’s garden.

The view of my street, looking East.

The view of my street looking West.

My car and apartment (my apartment is the one with the pink curtains).

Another neighbor’s garden. (Is this flipped the right way? I've flipped it in photobucket, but it still looks sideways on LJ. Boo!)

The big street at the end of my little street.

The elementary school.

Where are all the kids?? Sure, in Canada we’re kinda sick of snow by now. But this is the first REAL snow of the year here (The anomaly we had a week or so ago doesn’t count. Kids were in school and it had melted before they could go play in it.). It didn’t snow at all last year. By 8am there should be a jillion kids running around out here. Instead it’s just me and a local obasan out taking photos and agreeing with each other that the snow is really beautiful. Japanese kids suck. No wonder the adults don’t like them very much.

They painted this building last summer. I thought it was a really nice colour for an apartment. “I live in the Butter Building.” It looks extra pretty in the snow, eh?

Satisfied that I had properly documented the weather, I came home, cranked all the heaters on, got back into some warm jim jams and made myself some hot chocolate. Yay, winter!

Now I'm going to settle in an watch some movies. Best. Sunday. Ever.

What's new, Mindy-loo?

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 10:59:09 GMT

This week, eh? It’s been OK, all things considered. I’m still humming and hawing over when I’m going home. But I’m leaning towards August. But I still wanna talk to my parents. They’ll want me to come home soon. However they’re really good about looking past their biases and listening to what I worry about. Except the “no water in winter” thing. However. Perhaps this summer, my dad will...I dunno...wrap something in tinfoil? *blinks*

I found out today that I’ve been accepted to all the college programs I applied for. This is not surprising. It’s not university. It’s college. So adjust the terminology to fit the education system in your country. I already have a BA. Now I’m going to learn some practical stuff that might help me get a job. Woo! The program I reckon I’ll go with is Social Service Worker. In university, I spent two summers working as a Case Aid worker for Ontario Works (Read: The Welfare Office) and I really liked what I was doing. That is the kind of job I’d like to get when I finally grow up. Ahem.

Anyhoo, it wasn’t a huge shock that I got accepted. It’s an open enrollment program and I more than meet the entrance requirements. Even if I’d never graduated from high school, I’m old enough to qualify as a mature student (ha!) as long as I can pass a literacy exam. I probably couldn’t get as high a TOEIC score as Hiroko, but I’m confident I could pass a basic English literacy test.

Now I just need to decide if I wanna start in September.

What else has gone on this week?

The grocery store I usually go to never fails to horrify/mystify me. Not the store itself. But the other customers are…a special treat. These are my neighbors! In the height of summer, old men will be walking about in open shirts and cut off jeans so short that the pockets are dangling out the hems. And they will have at least one hand in said pocket…testing the produce. But that is a seasonal treat. This season, the treat is little kids shopping with their mums and grandmas at 10pm. The kids will be wearing pajamas and flip-flops. No socks. IT’S JANUARY! Why are they even here at 10pm? Shouldn’t they be in bed? Couldn’t mum OR grandma do the shopping? And the children are always crying. Maybe their feet are cold. Maybe they’re tired. Maybe they just like the sound of their own sobs. But they wail. How am I supposed to enjoy the happy “niku niku niku” song with that racket?? Actually, recently the song has changed to “Watashi no otomodachi…korokke!” Good times!

The kids are always happier at ドンキホテ. It must be all the different kinds of Downy. It makes for a happy atmosphere. And when did we get THIS many flavours of Downy? It’s . . . .overwhelming!

Anyhoo, so my grocery store. The other day there was a high school girl doing her shopping. In her basket she had a pineapple. That’s it. She was going all over the store with JUST a pineapple in her basket. It was the only item in the store that caught her fancy enough. I really started to wonder what a high school girl needed with ONLY a pineapple. I considered following her home, but it was a windy day and her skirt was really shirt. I wanted to learn about the pineapple but ONLY the pineapple. I have seen more than enough underpants in this country already. Sigh

Ear Cleaning. Why is it such a couple-y thing to do? Just . . .why?

Have I ever shown you the canopy I’ve made from the shiny streamers that shoot out of air cannons at concerts? This is made of streamers from V6, Tokio, News and K8. When I leave, I don’t think I’ll be able to take it down without wrecking it. Luckily, the last K8 tour has left me with two grocery bags of streamers. (One silver, one multi coloured!!) So I will be able to take some home with me. Phew.

The view from my bedroom door.

Before I go to sleep, this is what I see!

The veiw from my closet. So...when I have lads held hostage in my room, this is what they see!

Some people might suggest that no one over the age of 12 should have a canopy over their bed. Those people can kiss my arse!

I’m a bad person.

I made a friend on Mixi. I met him a couple times. I have decided . . .I don’t actually want to be friends with him. He’s a nice enough guy. But I don’t speak enough Japanese and he doesn’t speak enough English. We have nothing in common. I’m quite confident that if my Mixi profile didn’t say that I was Canadian, he’d have never messaged me (if you know what I mean). He lives in Tokyo (i.e. Kinda far away). It is exhausting spending time with him (Hello, language barrier). In almost every mail, he asks when we can meet again. So I started ignoring his mails. I have ignored him for about three weeks now. He still mails everyday. Now he’s a nice enough guy, if I had any sort of spine at all, I’d tell him that I’m not interested in talking to him. But I don’t have any real reason to give him. He’s not done anything wrong. He’s just not interesting.

So do I keep ignoring him? Or tell him something? If so, what?

My students continue to be a-dor-able. I want to start a new club at school. I’ll call it: Teenage Japanese Girls Play With my Hair. Yay! QT Sensei can join too. But I might faint.

Right now, I’m making nabe in my slopw cooker. It’s pissing me off how slow it’s cooking. There is something wrong with me.

I’ve been watching too much Katt Williams comedy clips. The man is beyond funny, but I’m beginning to think that “mother fucker” is an acceptable term to describe things. Perhaps I should cut back?

Cancelled lessons and LJ memes are a winning combination!

I bought some lavender oil stuff that I put in the big red kerosene tank. So now my stove/heater smells like lavender. This is a seriously awesome development in my life. Seriously.

So that’s my week. How have you been?

MEME!!

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 01:36:34 GMT

I blame Lisa! And Cat!! *blames*

YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, I want to know 36 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, or if we already know everything about each other. Short and sweet is fine ... You're on my list, so I want to know you better!
BE HONEST! COPY FROM HERE THEN SEND DIRECTLY TO ME IN A COMMENT THEN, REPOST THE EMPTY QUESTIONS.

1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
A.
2) What was your dream growing up?
A.
3) What talent do you wish you had?
A.
4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A.
5) Favorite vegetable?
A.
6) What was the last book you read?
A.
7) What zodiac sign are you?
A.
8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
A.
9) Worst Habit?
A.
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
A.
11) What is your favorite sport?
A.
12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
A.
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
A.
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
A.
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
A.
16) Do you have any pets?
A.
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
A.
18) What was your first impression of me? (hmmm...careful!)
A.
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
A.
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
A.
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
A.
22) What color eyes do you have?
A.
23) Ever been arrested?
A.
24) Bottle or can pop?
A.
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
A.
27) What's your favorite place to hang at?
A.
28) Do you believe in ghosts?
A.
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A.
30) Do you swear a lot?
A.
31) Biggest pet peeve?
A.
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
A.
33) Do you believe in/appreciate romance?
A.
35) Do you believe in God?
A.
36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
A.

Now What?

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:45:17 GMT

As most of you know by now, I'm planning to move back to Canada this summer. I left Canada to teach ESL in 2001.

One reason I started planning to move back this year is because at my contract renewal in 2006, my boss told me that new Immigration laws made it impossible for someone with my type of VISA (I have the usual “Specialist in the Humanities” working VISA that most English teachers get to work in Japan.) to renew a work contract more than three times. (My contract is renewed annually. I signed my original in 2004. So I renewed in 2005, and 2006. The 2007 renewal would be the 3^rd.)

This sounded. . . odd at the time. There are a number of teachers at my company who have been here for ages. But when your boss says “We can't renew your contract after your next renewal,” you just sorta accept it. You start making other plans. I planned to stay as long as I could (until August, 2008. . . according to my boss) with my company. I really like working with them. My salary is competitive. My schools are AWESOME. The office staff really take care of me. My wee little car is kept in tip top shape with shakens, seasonal tires, and all maintenance paid for on the company's dime. They also pay for my gas to drive to school, my insurance and the lease. Broken appliances are replaced promptly and at no charge to me (provided I didn’t break the thing through reckless ax throwing or something). If I have a problem or question, the staff rush around to help me out. The company is generally considered to be the best English school in the city. Of course, some people would disagree with that ranking. But some people always disagree.

So if I had to leave my company and stay in my city, I'd have to find work at a company that I'm pretty sure would not be as good. So really, I'd want to change cities. For the expense and general mendokusai factor of changing cities in Japan, I might as well move home. I knew I had to go home eventually. This seemed like a good time to make a break and chuck it in as a TEFL teacher. I don’t want to teach forever. I love what I do now, but I can see that in time. . .it will lose its charm as a profession.

Last summer (2007), I renewed my contract for (what I assumed was) the last time. I was actually really nervous. In the previous year, there had some. . .complications. . . with teachers leaving . . .sooner than they had expected. I thought the company might be doing some sort of clear out. I was a little worried that my contract wouldn’t be renewed.

When I sat down with my boss, he started talking to me about Smap. His daughter was really upset because she'd gone to the con at Tokyo Dome in 2006 and Kimura had SAID, “See you next year!” But there was no tour in 2007. Kimura had LIED!!! This filled me with glee on several levels. First, I get a sick satisfaction when people hate on Mr. Prefect-sexy-I-can-do-anything-dreamy Kimura Takuya. Secondly . . .noone who STARTS a conversation with me about Smap is going to END that conversation with “Oh! By the way, you're fired.” I’m not a very religious person, but I do believe in a general order to the universe. THAT order doesn’t occur. EVER.

I renewed. And my boss started explaining that the new law meant that I could not renew my contract more than three times SINCE the new law came into effect. Since the law began in 2005, I could renew in 2006, 2007 AND 2008. Say what now? That is really different from what had been explained to me in 2006. In 2006, he had told me “Many teachers go on to get a master's degree. Is that something yoooou’re planning to do too?” In a way that made me feel like “Hint hint. Wink wink. Pack your bags.”

However, I had already told my family that I was planning to come home in 2008. There was much rejoicement. And promises of puppies and other bribe-y type things. (For the record: My parents cannot buy my love. But they can TRY!!) So I told my boss that I was certain that I only wanted to renew until 2008.

I started getting ready to move home.

By “get ready,” I mean: save NO money, have several panic attacks about the personal/social implications of moving back home with mummy and daddy, have several more panic attacks about such issues as a) I don't know how to buy a car, b) when I left, the unemployment rate in my hometown was one of the highest in the country, c) am I prepared to be a student again? d) I will no longer be foreign and exotic, e) yeah . . about living at my parents' house . . .THE WATER FREEZES IN THE WINTER!

Oh yeah. I also applied to college. So there is one actual “get ready” thing. Everything else . . .not so much “getting ready” as it was “messing about and making things more difficult than they actually are.” Great.

My parents have done their best to assuage most of my fears.

It seems lots of people are moving back home these days. All their friends have one kid or another back with them. And most of them don't like their kids as much as my parents like me. Plus, my parents are retired and are travelling for 6 months of the year, so living in their house won't be so bad.

Things in Sudbury have really changed. The mines have really opened up again, so all employment sectors are booming. Real estate prices are skyrocketing because so many people are moving here.

Buying a car is NOT that complicated. I don't need to buy one on the first day back.

The water probably won't freeze when I'm there because I'll be there using it. “But leave a tap running all winter just in case. And if it freezes, you can join a gym and shower there. That's what we did!” Greeeeeat. Like I said…they could only assuage MOST of my fears.

Recently . . I've really been getting excited about going home. I will be fluent in the language. I will be literate. Canadian houses have insulation. The school I have applied to will have HEAT. I can buy pain killers at the 7-11. Christmas with my family. The pets. My friends from high school. Do you realize that with my friends from high school . . .I am not the “sukebe” one? I'm vanilla! My potty mouth is NOTHING compared to what my girls will blurt out in an otherwise mild conversation. It's HOME! I've been away from it for a long time.

So YAY!! I'm going home!!!

Yesterday, I get this email:

Dear Mindy,

I hope this finds you Genki.

We had a meeting at ○○○ board of education on Monday.

Here are some comments from them regarding your performance at ○○○.

All the schools you are teaching at really like your teaching philosophy and style

very much. There is no complaint at all. All of them would like you to stay until

March next year.

I was wondering if you would be interested in extending you contract period

AT LEAST for another 6 months (until March 2009) so that we can meet their

anticipation.

Please let me know whether this would be possible at all.

Thank you,

Mr. Crazy-Boss-man

Your Company

This is indeed a very flattering mail. It would be a lie to say that I am not a sucker for flattery. Granted, I lie all the time. Whatevs. The point is that I am very flattered by this. Professionally flattered.

Mad teaching-skills. I have them. Go, me!

And now I feel guilty. Like I'll be leaving them in a bind if I selfishly move home.

I am starting to wonder if I should stay the extra six months. Remember the “no money” I have saved? Six extra months would give me a chance to save “some money.” Money, though not everything, is certainly something.

This has complicated my life in several ways. School years in Japan seem to have been designed to screw around with international students and English teachers who want to move back to Canada and return to college. Going home in March or April of next year means I'll have to wait until September to start school. Which is fine except I need to work and really don’t have many useable skills to get a good job in my city. We don’t need so many TESL teachers. I have a BA in Anthropology. I haven't worked in Canada since 2001. I've never had a full time job in Canada. I think what I'd be looking at is 5 months of working in a call centre. Which is fine. But I don't want to work in a call center. I don’t know what I want to do, but I am 100% certain that I don't want to work in a call centre.

An extra six months in Japan would mean another winter in Japan. One thing that has kept me sane this year is the knowledge that this is my LAST winter here. No more kerosene. No more paper thin walls. No more freezing at work. No more huddling under blankets in the teachers room as they turn off the heat and throw open all the windows while the children clean. Yes, Sudbury winters are waaaaay worse than Tochigi winters (Hello, -40. Hello, 3m of snow.) But we dress for it. We heat for it. We insulate for it. It's cold OUTSIDE. But the cold stays outside where it belongs. (Unfortunately, the cold also occasionally take the water main to my parents' house hostage. But I could do a whole series of rants about that.)

Saving money in Japan means that I would have to give up doing a lot of what makes living in Japan so much fun. My hobbies. My addictions. They are not cheap. They are shiny and pretty. But they are not cheap. Would it be worth hanging out here for an extra six months (over the winter) and not be able to go to heaps of concerts? Or impulse shop? Or impulse shot AT concerts?

I love my job. I love my schools. I love my students. I may very well love my attractive coworkers. They all seem to love me too. Although the attractive coworkers could love me a bit more. I have lots of good friends here (although most of whom live far away or are about to live far away). I have my own apartment and a free car. I have pink curtains, a silver canopy over my bed and a leopard print area rug in my living room. I LIKE my lifestyle. An extra six months of that is very tempting.

Enough!

I'm done whinging about this for now.

I shall soothe my frazzled nerves with some LOL cats.

Ahm in ur LJ. Beena dwama kween.

A Comic I Can Relate To

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 06:46:22 GMT

From the Japan Times.

Zero Gravity, by Roger Dahl
January 20, 2008

Photos from the Globe Theatre

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:08:23 GMT

Here are the pictures I took at Mitei Ichi on Sunday.

The Show's Poster

See the larger Image HERE!

The GIANT Poster that Covered the Side of the Theatre

See the larger image HERE!

Yasu's Show's Poster

See the larger image HERE!

Subingo!!

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:55:56 GMT

I went to see Mitei Ichi on Sunday.

And now I remember why I don't write show reports anymore. They take for blood ever!!!

Ah well. As usual, I cannot guarantee the order of events. I can barely guarantee that I actually went to the show. But whatevs. Here you go.

This time out, my partner in crime was. . . me! It’s the first time I’ve gone to a concert/show by myself. I want to say it was a liberating experience. Independent and on my own schedule, I could see the show with a fresh set of eyes. Um. Yeah. It was cool going by myself, but it’s more fun going with people. 　I need someone to blame if something goes wrong.

I drove to Ishibashi and parked for the day, grabbed the train at around 10 and headed down to Shin Okubo. I got there a little before noon. I found the map at the station and was trying to figure out how to get the Globe. I sorta remembered the way, but it’s been a while. In front of me there was a mum and her daughter (the girl was about 7 or 8) and they were tracing a line on the map from the station to the Globe. “Here. We go here. Here. We go here.” Right. Follow. I follow them. Follow. I follow them. Trailing them was more difficult than I’d imagined. 7-year-olds can doddle. I thought I walked slowly, but this kid was sloooooooow. I wanted to yell at her, “Don’t you know I’m following you? GO FASTER!” but I decided against it. We finally got to the theatre and I pushed her into a hedge. Then I got in line for goods.

The goods were well organized and the line moved quickly. We were only allowed to get one key holder. I thought about doubling back in line and getting a second…but even with my new hair colour….they might have remembered me. I got the stuff I could get and went back upstairs.

Outside the theatre there were posters for Mitei Ichi and 818. I took some photos but have conveeeeeniently left my camera at home. I’ll post them after work. After that...there was nothing left to do but go inside and wait to be let into the theatre. (We could wait in the lobby, but not go in and sit down). There were a lot of girls wearing red. There seemed to be even more wearing purple. Of course, these are too popular colours anyhoo, but I think there was more going on than common fashion trends.

I finally went in and sat down. The fan on my right arrived. She was a fan-with-a-job. I like those fans. I would have placed her in her mid forties. That means she could be anywhere from 35 to 60. I suck at telling how old people are. But she looooked mid forties. She was wearing a really nice purple velour top and dark blue skinny jeans. And knee high boots. And really glamourous make up. She was really well put together. She asked me if I was here by myself.
“Yes, I am.”
“Do you live in Japan?” (How did she know I was foreign?)
“Yes, I live in Tochigi.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Three and a half years.”
“Where are you from?”
“...Tochigi.”
“Um...no...where are you FROM??”
“Oh! I’m Canadian.”
“Canaaaaaaadian...I see. Are you a student?”
“No. I’m an English teacher.”
“I see...Whose fan are you?”
“Murakami’s.”
“Ah! We’re the same!! He tsukkomi’s a lot.”
“Yes. It’s really funny.”
“YES!! Wow. Canadians understand tsukkomi!”
“Yeah, we’re awesome.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing.”

We chatted a bit more. She asked me if I watched K8 on TV or listened to Reccomen. She agreed that they spoke really fast, but that was good for studying Japanese. She asked if I could understand Kansai-ben. Lady! I can barely understand what you’re saying to me now! Ah well. Then she stepped outside for a bit to send a text message. Our phones didn’t receive any signal in the theatre. Isn’t that clever? The fan on my left arrived but was talking to her friend so I couldn’t befriend her. Though she didn’t look nearly as glam as the chick on my right, who came back shortly. She took off her boots, sorted her luggage, organized her coat and generally made a comfy nest for herself for the show. It was impressive to watch. And listen to. Every action had its own little sound effect. “Yosha. Un. Uwah. Usu. Ashasha.” When she finally finished, she gave herself a satisfied “Ne!” and started talking to me again. She asked how much I understood of K8 programs.
“About 50%?”
“Ah, that’s OK then.”
“Yeah...I get by.”

The lights dimmed a bit and Murakami came out on stage. The stage was set up with a set that resembled a dressing room. Let’s call it a Dressing Room Set. There was a couch, chair, coffee table, clothes rack, vanity table and stool. Murkami put down his duffle bag, took off his jacket, hung it up, sat down on the chair and started reading the paper. He was wearing a denim shirt over a white Tshirt (I thiiiiiink it was the Fashionable Motherfucker shirt) and some khaki cargo pants. Lad looked niiiiiice.)

Subaru came in a bit later. He was wearing a red track suit, puffy vest and a toque with tassels. He hung up his vest, pulled of the toque and quieted his hat-head. He sat on the couch and draaaaagged the coffee table closer to him. He sat his duffle bag next to him. He opened it rifled though it and pulled out a pencil case. He carefully placed it on the table. He looked through his bag again and pulled out an identical pencil case and placed it next to the first. Then he pulled out another and another and another and started arranging and re-arranging them on the table. There were about 8 pencil cases in various shades of blue and brown. And on neon green one. It finally clicked with me, THESE ARE THE POUCHES!! His life is organized in these little bags. And now he has them arranged just how he likes them.

Now that he is satisfied with his pouches. He turns his attention to Murakami, who is contentedly reading the newspaper. Subaru is taking on the posture of a young child who NEEDS attention. He’s shifting position and wiggling around. He NEEDS Murakami to pay attention to him. He slumps and slouches and sits back up. He plays with his hair. He rocks back and forth. He sighs. Murakami just ignores. Finally, Subaru starts talking Japanese. So I start losing the thread of the conversation. (But I’ve understood 100% of the play so far, so if I miss stuff now, it still works out to 50%. See how that works?) He started talking and talking and talking. Murakami was making all the right “listening noises” “Yes, I see, is that so, really, uh huh.” (So I was understanding EVERYTHING he was saying...bringing my total up to 75%!) Subaru’s tale is getting more and more intense. He’s talking louder now and using bigger hand gestures. He’s really excited about whatever he’s saying and he’s so happy that Murakami is paying attention to hi...
“WOW! This is really cheap!!” exclaims Murakami
“...What?”
“There’s a sale. This is really cheap.” Murakami will make a good husband and father some day. He is already well rehearsed in the art of “not really listening.”
A heart broken Subaru is about to complain when Murakami’s phone rings. Murakami takes the call and Subs listens closely. The caller is never identified, but Murakami makes plans with whoever it is. They will go out for pasta after he’s done work. He hangs up.
Subaru looks for his in.
“Pasta?”
“Huh?”
“You’re going for pasta?”
“Uh...yeah.”
“Aaaa...pasta. pasta.pasta.”
“Yes.”
“You’re going for pasta.”
“Yes.”
“Just the two of you.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Huh?”
“Who are you going with?”
“...”
“A friend?”
“Yes.”
“Ah. Two friends. Having pasta. Pasta. Pasta.”
Subaru starts making these gestures and what have you indicating that he too would like to be invited out for pasta. After a looooong session of pointing and hinting and saying “pasta,” Murakami finally calls his friend back and asks if Subs can go with them. “Can Subaru come too? Subaru. Yeah, the little old man.”

Subaru can’t. The restaurant doesn’t have space for an extra person.

Now Subs is ready for fits. He wants to go out with Murakmi too. They are friends. Why can’t they go out together. Murakami suggests they go out now.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Right now?
“Yes.”
“Just the two of us?”
“Yes.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“But aren’t you busy?”
“LET’S GO!”
So they grab their coats and head for the door, but Subs doubles back, grabs the neon green pouch and then runs after Murakami.

They come back a few minutes later. Murakami uses the door, but Subaru walks in through one of the invisible walls. They settle down and start chatting. The chatter becomes banter. The banter becomes a playful argument. At one point Murakami shouts at Subaru. Subaru demands an apology. Then he makes Murakami repeat after him a bunch of stuff to prove that he is truly sorry. Murakami plays along but eventually gets frustrated and kicks Subaru’s shoes.
“Those are NIKE!!”
“What?”
“Nike! You can’t just treat them like that! Niiiiike!”
“...”
“Apologize.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No! Apologize to the Nikes.”
“Huh?”
“Say, “I’m sorry, Nike-san.”
“...I’m sorry...Nike-san.”
“Forgive me, Nike-san.”
“Forgive me, Nike-san”
“Now bow.”
Murakami bows to the running shoes.
“Now...kiss them.”
“I’M NOT KISSING THEM!”
“Ok. Ok. They know you’re sorry.”

This just goes on and on, and the whole audience is DYING! The connection between Subs and Hina is amazing. Subaru is the spoiled child who MUST be paid attention to and loved and coddled. Murakami is calmly humuoring him. He plays along to prevent the hissyfit. Subaru is pushing and pushing to see how far he can make Murakami go. For whatever reason, Murakmi loves him enough to play along.
At one point, Murakmi is trying to move Subaru to stand somewhere else, so he takes Subaru’s hand. You know how a three-year-old who doesn’t want to be told what to do suddenly becomes the slipperiest thing in the world? THAT was Subaru. He’s slide one foot along the ground and just sliiiiiide away from Murakami.
“Noooooooo, I don’t wanna.”
“Don’t be dumb, let’s go.”
“Nooooooooo. I don’t wanna.”
“We need to..”
“Wear my toque!”
“Huh?”
“Wear my toque. Put it on. I wanna see you in it...pleeeease.”
“Fine.” He puts on the toque.
“You look so cute!” Subaru claps.
“These tassels are kinda strange.”
“They’re cuuuute.”

Murakami takes another call and Subaru leaves. This call seems to be a tad serious. And all in Japanese. You know what sucks about phone calls? Limited gestures and action. So the heck if I know what the call was about. Murakami comes downstage and stands in a spotlight as the rest of the stage darkens. Crew remove the Dressing Room Set. Murkami ends the call and leaves.

A layer of curtain opens to reveal a set of stars all lit up and flashing. Subaru is standing on them. He’s in a wig and a shiny, glittery...thing. Robe? Whatevs. He’s hooked to a wire. He slowly walks down the stairs and RUNS to the end of the stage. The wire yanks him up and his...glittery thing and wig are pulled off. He’s in old man underwear, complete with the tummy-warming thing. He’s got a bald wig on. He is dangling on the end of the wire. THIS is how rope work should be done!!! None of the poncy sailing around, one foot hooked behind the other leg, smiling as if there isn’t a bad-ass harness ripping into your groin. Subaru is limply dangling. Glaring at the audience. “What are you laughing at? This isn’t funny!!!”

He finally gets lowered to the stage, and a crew member grabs him. Subs strikes a pose and screams, “We are Shibutani Subaru and Murakami Shingo, and this is Mitei Ichi!!” The lights come down and he runs off.

A VTR is shown. Subs and Murakami are out shopping around ShinOkubo. Subaru buys Murakami an ugly yellow sweatshirt. Then he makes Murakami buy some more costume-y things at the 100 yen store. The clerk is really flustered to be serving Murakami. Granted, he’s wearing a butt-ugly yellow sweatshirt and accessories from the 100 yen store. The VTR ends.

Several large rolling racks of clothes and props have been placed on stage. Subingo come out in the white tights. Subaru is swimming in his. The sleeves are bunched at the wrists. The pants bunched at the ankles. There is a lot of extra material at the neck. And leg. And bum. And everywhere. Murakami’s was more fitted. It wasn’t tiiiiiiight exactly, but you could see the outline of his boxerbriefs. I wonder how such details stick out in my mind(y).

The lads have to pick out costumes for each other and then improvise a skit as those characters. Murakami chooses some some Popey boxers, a black cape, a plastic, retacting sword and a party horn hat for Subaru. Subaru chooses a black wig, a flower, a white bathrobe and hot pink speedos for Murakami. Yeah. Speedos. I tell you, Subaru is one of us!

The skit unfolds that Murakami is trying to go somewhere, but Subaru is blocking his path. Murakami tries to befriend Subaru so that Subaru will let him go by. There is much flattery. It works out that they eventually trade their entire costumes. The hot pink speedos that were so very form fitting on Murakami? Not so form fitting on Subaru. Funny that.

There is another VTR. This segment is called “Dokkiri Mail.” The two lads phone-mail one of the Kansai juniors at the same time. Both invite the junior out the next day. They want to see how he reacts to two mails from Senpai when he cannot agree to both. The boy accepts Subaru’s offer but apologizes to Murakami. Subaru has already invited him out. The lads continue to hassle the junior by mail and on the phone until he is a stuttering, jibbering mess. Then they let him in on the prank. You can hear the relief rushing over him. They asked why he accepted Subaru’s offer. “It arrived first. They both arrived in the same minute, but Subaru’s was first.”
“That makes sense....but you waited about 10 minutes to answer Hina’s.”
“Uh, well///#’)’$##%&”
“What???? What are you saying?”
“I...didn’t know what to say to him.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
They finally end the call so the junior can go and cry under a table somewhere.

The lights come up again and we are in an office. Salryman-Murakami is working away at hid desk. Salaryman-Subaru arrives. Murakami greets him, but Subaru ignores. The scene unfolds with them arguing out loud, but sending romantic emails to each other. Subaru makes a point to say “What? It’s not like I’m gay or anything.” To which Murakami replies, “Oh, you are sooooooo gay.” There is an embrace and almost a kiss, but they finally remember where they are. The scene ends with Subaru telling Murakami that they will be going on a 7-day, 5-night Subaru and Shingo ONLY...business trip. Perfect!

Murakami is now the host of a television show. He is talking to the roving reporter who is getting the scoop on the street, live via the big video screen. The “reporter” is Subaru and the “street” is the lobby of the Globe. Subaru is pointing out all the interesting things in the lobby. The staff..they guy with the glow sticks directing people around the curly-poo (It’s dangerous!)...the guy making a pyramid of gum-syrup containers. You know? Regular lobby stuff. The video screen goes dark and Murakami looks around. The screen comes up again and Subaru is standing outside of Murakami’s dressing room. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”
“What is this? This is so strange....it’s a 2kg dumbbell.”
“This Murakami fellow is obviously training.”
“With only 2kg? That’s not so impressive.”
“Well...it’s just for hands and arms, not serious training.”
“Whatever. Now THIS is interesting. I did not expect to see THIS!!!......” he goes into one of Murakami’s bags on the dressing room table. “It’s and EYELASH CURLER!!!!”
The audience is going nuts now. WHY does Murakami have an eyelash curler? Murakami goes into a lengthy explanation of why a guy would want one. There are lots of gestures showing us how eyelash curlers work. It’s very important.
The screen goes dark again and Murakami continues to instruct us on the...I dunno...ZEN of eyelash curlers. When the video comes up again, Subaru is at the door to the theatre. He comes in, followed by the camera. He starts asking different people questions. The first person he talks to is 14. She’s a Subaru fan. Then he talks to a 7 year old boy. He’s a Murakami fan. He’s with his mum who refuses to say how old she is and only says that her favourite member isn’t here today. Then he talks to a 20 year old girl. She’s a Subaru fan too. Murakami asks Subs to talk to some little girls in the front row. Subaru walks down and suddenly stops. “Hina.”
“Yes?”
“This...person...I just passed. Tried to trip me.”
“WHAT?”
“This...person...I just passed. As I was going by...stuck her feet out to trip me. That’s DANGEROUS!”
Subaru refused to look at her, and didn’t talk to her. He just...tattled on her. Murakami goes over and rips her a new one.
“What are you trying to prove? Do you need to be interviewed so badly? That is dangerous!”
Subaru continues on to the little girls. The first girl is Naho and she’s 7. Her sister is ten and her name is Hina.
“Hina??”
“Yes.”
“HINA-CHAN???”
“Yes.”
“Hina?”
“Yes.”
Now she has Murakami’s fuuuuuull attention. Murakami is sitting on the stage in front of her, leaning on one arm. He head is dropped so he’s looking at her kinda upside down. He’s got a gooooofy grin on his face.
“And who is your favourite member?”
She looks at Murakami and looks away. She giggles and blushes. Subaru repeats the question. Several times. She just keeps looking at Murakami and blushing. Finally, Murakami says, “Please tell me. Who do you like?”

And she says, in a hushed whisper, “.........Yasuda-kun.”

At that point, if the theatre had collapsed, it could NOT have been noisier. EVERYONE was screaming, they were laughing so hard. Murakami was screaming the loudest. “He’s not here! HE’S. NOT. HERE!!!” Subaru nearly wet himself he was laughing so hard. After several minutes of general bedlam, we all calmed down enough that the corner could continue. Subaru walked around a different way so he wouldn’t go past the tripper-girl again. “I don’t trust...that person. That person is dangerous.” Subaru and his camera crew leave, Murakami thanks us for watching this program and tells us he’ll see us again next week.

There is another VTR. Subaru and Murakami are being interviewed separately. Murakami is getting questions such as “What does this live mean to you?” “How did you prepare for this?” “How is it different from other things….” Regular questions. He answers them very seriously. Subaru is getting questions like “Is your name Shibutani or Shibuya?” “There are several ways to write Murakami Shingo (村上信五, 斑紙新語, 群神真吾) Which do you think suits him best?” “Do you wipe your bum front to back or back to front?” He also answers these very seriously (front to back, if you’re interested).

In another VTR, Murakami is in kimono, kneeling on a pillow, introducing his rakugo skit. Subaru comes into the VTR wearing a itsy-bitsy thong. If you’ve seen the movie “Barat”, think of the swimsuit Barat wore. That is what Subs is wearing. It’s so...revealing that they had to pixilate his crotch. We can see his (tiiiny) bum, but the crotch...pixels. He makes a nusance of himself. As men in tiny thongs tend to do.

The VTR ends and Murakami’s Rakugo skit begins. I don’t know much about Rakugo. The only thing I know is what I’ve learned from the sannensei text book. If anyone else has used the New Crown English Series Grade 3 textbook, you may recall page 49.

“Have you ever seen this? It is a sensu. It is a folding fan we can carry easily. Many people use these fans on hot summer days. They are also used in nihombuyo and rakugo. Beautiful pictures are usually printed on them.”

Murakami had a sensu. So it must have been very good Rakugo!! It was funny. He made lots of interesting and believable characters. He stayed on his knees without falling over sideways in agony. There was a sensu! Full on Rakugo, it was!

For the next scene, we are back on the Dressing Room Set. But now...it is serious time. I have no idea what’s going on. But the tension is thick and heavy. The lads are seriously upset...about...something. Something baaaad. There is screaming and kicking. Then long, deadly silence. The audience is still. Everyone is on the edge of their seat. Holding their breath.

The lady on my right’s tummy starts to growl.

Out of the darkness, a high pitched “guuuuuuu,” can be heard.

I CLAMP my mouth shut. I. Will. Not. Laugh. I breath deeply. I focus. This is SERIOUS.

Then the lady on my left’s tummy starts to growl. Her tummy is a lower-pitched “guruguruguru.”

Now I am CHEWING on the insides of my cheek. I cannot laugh. These lads deserve better than that. They deserve...You know, I’m kinda hungry too. Why do they plan a three hour show with NO intermission? At 1pm? When we all arrive at noon to get goods? I’m guessing most of us haven’t eaten lunch. And it’s going on 4pm. No wonder these women’s tummy’s are growling. Please, God...don’t let my tummy growl too!! I will not be able to stand it. I will have to laugh.

Somehow....I pull through. I focus again on the stage. I’m quite positive now that Murakami is wearing his “Fashionable Motherfucker” T-shirt. I want one. I wonder if he knows what it means. Then I start to think about the colloquial meaning of the expression, versus the literal meaning. Murakami looks good. He is quite fashionable. “Fashionable Motherfucker” might be an appropriate description of him. But...is he a fashionable mother-fucker? How many mums has he fucked? Or how many does he want to fuck? Now I’m looking at the audience. I bet there are a lot of mums here today. How many of these mums would Murakami fuck? How many would want to fuck him? What is the ratio of mother-fuckers to star-fuckers? But not all mother-fuckers are stars, so not all mothers would want to fuck all mother-fuckers because they are holding out to fuck a star-mother-fucker. Wait. Is there a special term for mother-fuckers who are also stars? Or mothers who want to fuck stars? Wait. Is there still a play going on? Well, whadaya know? There IS!!!

Um...the lads are still angry. About something. Murakami finally explains something. Subaru understands. They are sadder but wiser. And still friends. Yay.

We are back at the stairs with glittery Subaru. He runs out to the end of the stage. His shiny costume is ripped away. He dangles sadly over the audience. “WHAT??? WHAT??? This isn’t funny!”

He is lowered and caught and placed on the ground. He strikes a pose and screams, “We are JOHNNY’S IDOLS!!!”
The lights come down and the opening of “Zukkoke Otoko Michi” is heard. “Wan...Tsu...Wan Tsu..." and then it’s cut off. Subaru is heard singing the show’s theme song. It is a waaarbly enka song. The video screen shows the credits. Subaru warbles away. Murakami takes a verse. He warbles too. Then the screen shows still shots from the show. The karaoke of the lyrics are shown too. “We laughed. We cried. We flew. We tsukkomied. We were bald. We did Rakugo for the first time. We were nude. We were stupid. We were gay. We laughed. We cried. We were really gaaaaaaay. We were...Mitei Ichiiiiiiiiiiii.”

The stage lights come up again and the lads come out. Murakami is still dressed as a fashionable mother-fucker. Subs is in a dark suit. He looks good too. But not “fashionable mother-fucker” good. They start a stand-up comedy routine. Subs is the Boke. Murakami is the Tsukkomi. Please contain your shock. Subs is going on and on about something funny. Mercy knows, I don’t know what it was. He started talking about eating tissues. Shredding them up then rolling them really small and eating them. Then he lost me. But I really like how he says “ne?” Every sentence ended in “ne?” Murakami made all the right “Ah yes, please continue,” expressions. Then he’d collapse in laughter. So did the audience. Umm...this went on for a while.

The lads took their bows and left. We clapped and clapped. And clapped. Aaaand clapped. They cam back, bowed again and reminded us that there was another show today so GET OUT ALREADY! They left and so did we.

It’s a pity that this isn’t the kind of thing that gets released to DVD. It was awesome. But maybe if enough people write into Teichiku....they’ll release something. *hopes*

After the show, I met up with my friend Annie. No, not that Annie. Another one. We went book shopping and had dinner. I bought some books to help me study Japanese. Or at least to make me look like I’m studying Japanese. We had pizza and then went for cake. I caught my train back to Ishibashi and drove home. I was tucked into bed by 11:30. A full day out in Tokyo, a show, and still in bed before midnight. Altogether, an awesome day!

New Hair

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 06:33:24 GMT

Well, same hair. Just new colour. It was time. I last dyed my hair in October. It was pretty close to my natural colour, so the roots weren't painful, but it was getting really brassy and needed to be done again.

Behold, my transformation!

This is why I need to shower BEFORE I go to work. If I shower at night...I wake up looking like that, so I just have to start over again.

On to the new!

The box promised that the colour was Cranberry Chocolat. Not Chocolate. Chocolat. I guess that's all classy and Frenchy sounding. Anyhoots, I'm happy with the end colour.

Ta-daaaa!

Some days just sneak up on you

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:34:48 GMT

Under the heading of Things I never thought I'd have to say:

Can you wait until AFTER greetings to take your clothes off?

Put your uniform back on.

NO NAKED GREETINGS!

sigh

Nothing Important

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:03:48 GMT

One of my four classes cancelled today. This week, I've had at LEAST one lesson cancelled everyday. Not too shabby! Let's see if we can continue the trend next week.

The sannensei have tests today. 5th period is the English exam. So I'll be reading that over the PA system. With QT Sensei. QT and I will be locked away in the broadcasting room, side-by-side, sharing the microphone. Whispering sweet nothings to each other. Sweet nothings like: "Do you like fishing?" "Yes, I do." "Are there a lot of fish here today?" "No, I don't think so. But it's all right. I also like watching the river." It's positively seductive!!

It's payday today! Yay!!!

I've been eating a lot of spinach lately. Last week, my lunches were all spinach & chicken quiche. This week I'm having meatball and stir friedspinach (seasoned with bacon salt!!) Go, leafy greens!

Any health benefits I'm getting from the spinach is probably being countered by the amount of coffee I'm drinking. The world is so cold. Coffee is so warm. How can I resist??

Speaking of coffee, I just grabbed another cup. Well, almost. Between the two coffee pots in the teachers' kitchen, there was aaaaalmost enough coffee for 3/4 of a cup. When you take coffee, and there's less than 1/2 a cup left, and you DON'T start a fresh pot...you are a bad person. Not evil. This isn't on the same level as pedophilia or chewing with your mouth open. But you are a bad person. And not even interestingly bad. Just...annoying. If you are going to be a bad person, do it in an interesting way.

I've been DLing a lot of movies lately. I've hardly been watching TV at all. The only dramas I'm following this season are "Hachimitsu to Clover" and "Bara no Nai Hanaya." Other than that, the TV's been off. OK...I've been watching SxS. But that's more akin to going to church than watching television. So yeah. DLing movies.

At first I started watching movies I loved. I grabbed To "Kill a Mocking Bird." It's just as good as I remember it, but really kinda depressing in places. So I decided to start getting comedies. At the recommendation of Meddy-moo, I watched "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," "White Girls, " and the "Deuce Bigalo" movies. Harold and Kumar was by far the funniest, but I've actually enjoyed them all. They probably won't find themselves written into the same paragraph as "To Kill a Mocking Bird" very often, but they seem to be giving me what I need. Mindless giggles when no one else is watching me.

Today, I'm about halfway through watching "Norbit." It's not nearly as funny as the other movies though. So far the only really funny bits have been courtesy of the two pimp characters. And there was a brief moment where the horrible wife was explained how A "scientifically proves" B that really made me laugh. Pimps and science. There is nothing funnier than pimps or science.

I need to colour my hair again. The last few times I've dyed it pretty close to the natural colour. Don't ask why I would dye my hair its natural colour. I just did. For about 8 months. Um...yeah. Anyhoo, it's time for a change. Under the advice and guidance of several friends, I'm leaning towards a reddish, brownish, reddy-brown. We'll see how it goes.

I'm going to see Subingo on Sunday. I've heard lots of good things about the show, but I'm really worried that I won't understand anything. Ah well. That's never prevented me from enjoying things before!!!

Today's Quizzly Distractions:

You Are Mexican Food

Spicy yet dependable.
You pull punches, but people still love you.

What Kind of Food Are You?

You Are a Cookie-Browine-Sundae

Totally sweet, delicious, and comforting.
You are a total glutton for... everything!

What Kind of Sundae Are You?

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

Come to the darkside, we have cookies

What Bumper Sticker Should Be On Your Car?

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you.
But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft.
You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily.
You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

Your Inner Blood Type is Type B

You follow your own rules in life, even if you change the rules every day.
Sure, you tend to be off the wall and unpredictable, but that's what makes you lovable.
And even though you're a wild child, you have the tools to be a great success.
You are able to concentrate intently - and make the impossible possible.

You are most compatible with: B and AB

Famous Type B's: Leonardo Di Caprio and

What's Your Inner Blood Type?

I feel like I know myself so much better now!!

It amuses me

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 01:00:51 GMT

Sometimes my job is so difficult. *suffers* Today, three of my four scheduled lessons have cancelled. How rough is that? It was three sannensei classes, which I do enjoy, but the other teacher is out with the ninensei on their ski trip. She coooould have left lesson plans with me and I cooould have taught. But she didn’t. So the kids get spares, I get spares, it’s all good!

The one class that I do have is the sannensei elective class. I should be teaching this with Interesting Sensei, but he’s out skiing too. And this past semester, I’ve rarely taught this class with him. He’s so busy that he asks me to teach by myself so he can try and catch up with his work. No problem. The elective classes only have 24 kids in them. They’re all interested in learning English. We don’t use the textbook. The lessons focus on conversation, and improving listening skills. So we play games, have chats and generally goof around. Most of my games aren’t really dangerous, so I don’t think it makes too much difference that Interesting Sensei isn’t there. Although, since he’s actually OUT of the school today, I might try playing Human Cannon Ball. Let’s see if my Japanese students are more aerodynamic than my European students were.

The snow is gone. It is as if winter were only a dream. We had a nice skiff of snow for a couple hours, but then it started to rain. And then snow-rain. And then only rain. I was worried it would freeze up into black-ice-of-death while I was at my Honda class, but it didn’t. Yay for driving home safely.

I. Cannot. Resist!

At first, I thought this was trying to tell me that agtoro is a vegetarian. But I figured it out.

Superhero Team Quiz

LiveJournal Username

Your Primary Super Power

Cape?

Identitiy

Origin

Location of Head Quarters

Primary Costume/Uniform Colors

Why are you a Superhero?

Your Superheroic Codename

The veteran grim member of the team

agtoro

The sexist and crass but annoyingly effective one

renrui

The bright-eyed novice or sidekick

zaq_in_chill

The teammate that will eventually go evil or insan

zaq_in_chill

The inept yet determined/reoccurring supervillain

renchan5

The sinister Arch-Villain and team's greatest foe

okuralove816

The perky civilian that keeps getting kidnapped

omgwtfmindyloo

How often does your team actually 'save the day'?

14%

This Fun Quiz created by Shannon at BlogQuiz.Net

Weight Loss Tips at WeightLossTips.TV

Notice: No-one should remove me from their freinds' list. Even after posting all of these

*cancels all future sleepover plans*

And somehow...happygoluckycat's secret isn't soooo press-stopping...

Ha! I think they got the title of my fairytale right!

Someone, please stop me!!!

*blames http://www.blogquiz.net/ *

Yuki da!

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:10:31 GMT

It never fails to surprise me how excited people get about weather. It happens every day. Weather. But we still always freak out about it.

It's snowing today.

We haven't had snow in Tochigi in couple years now, and it looks like we'll get a few centimeters today. It's just starting and isn't really staying on the ground yet, but it's picking ups speed. Right now we have medium sized, fluffy flakes, falling at a moderate pace. There is no wind, so it's all coming straight down. It's really nice to watch, actually.

I don't have my camera with me today, just my phone (Yay! I found it!) so these pictures don't do much jusice to the state of things, but here's what it looks like out the teachers' room window.

I'm happy. I love snow. However...Tochigi doesn't have snow plows. Or salt trucks. Um...can we cancel my night class tonight?

Bacon!

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:55:37 GMT

So I found my ketai yesterday! One of my coworkers had it. Yay! I had 30 new mails waiting for me. Oops.

This morning I dropped my left contact lens down the bathroom sink. I’ve never done that before. It was surprising and then impressive and then annoying.

Today two of my three lessons have been cancelled or rearranged. So it’s a breezy, breezy day!

I’m not sure how much longer I can talk about my birthday. Perhaps until about April? But I wanna tell you about one of the awesome gifts I got.

From Princess Pammie Ann.

BACON SALT!

This stuff is seriously delicious!

I first heard about it on a bacon blog I occasionally read. Go on. You can re-read that sentence a couple times to fully grasp the depth of what I have just shared with you. I read bacon blogs. Whatevs. When I heard about the product, I nearly fainted at my desk. It makes. Everything. Taste. Like. BACON!

The company ships internationally, but the shipping gets really expensive. As much as I would like everything to taste like bacon, I’m too cheap to pay $11 USD for a bottle of spice. So I asked Pammie Ann if I could have it delivered to her (conveniently American) address. She never answered one way or the other, so I figured she was busy and let it go. I bookmarked the site, and figured I could ask my sister so send me some.

So imagine my delight when a birthday package arrives containing a gorgeous perfume set from Vera Wang (hee…Wang) and TWO bottles of original flavoured Bacon Salt! Hazzah!! I immediately opened one up to have a sniff. Sweet bacon-y goodness! I resisted the urge to shake it out on the floor and roll around in it. Sometimes I am so brave.

The stuff is awesome! It doesn’t actually have bacon flavour. It’s not like those fake bacon bits you can get. It just tastes like all the seasonings they use to make good bacon. There is no fake-bacon after taste. Just…essence du poitrine. I’ve tried it on eggs, steamed mixed-veggies, spinach and in meatballs. It’s been really good with everything. I’ve tried it once with regular pork, and THAT turned out to be just like real bacon. Win!

Yeah. If you’re in the mood to try a new spice, (and when are you NOT in the mood to try a new spice? ) I highly recommend this stuff. Because “everything should taste like bacon!”