Thursday, May 14, 2009
Bit o' the Business
Looks like I picked the wrong week to start writing again.
First of all, Happy Birthday to The Trout. I know you were just here and I did pay for those burgers, but I still feel like I owe you a respectable birthday gift. After all, you didn't "keep" those burgers for more than an hour, tops.
Secondly, I had no time to sit down and write about stuff last week, but it's looking like I've got no time to sit down and write about stuff this week either. I've got a couple non-personal things in progress right now, but even if I upload one of those it won't offer much insight into me...which is kind of the goal of the blog.
Part of the problem has been me being awfully busy at work, as nearly every school has increased their English classes. It feels a bit hollow because they basically let April go with relatively few lessons and many schools continue to slack in the preparation department, meaning that I spend more time in the classroom but don't accomplish anything more than I did before. But that's irrelevant, frankly, because I am working more which means I'm writing less.
Also, things at home are getting...rocky. I'm not going to point any fingers or complain, but instead I'm just going to say this loud and clear: THANK JEBUS I CANNOT GET PREGNANT. It is obvious to me that the physical burden of carrying a baby would break my brain and warp my personality, because that's exactly what it's doing to Mako and she is way stronger than I am, emotionally speaking. She has also come down with a cold (a nasty one too), pouring gas on the already raging "I feel like hell" inferno.
So I come home after a long day at work and then I must contend with a completely unpredictable pregnant wife. Is she mad at me about something, or simply not feeling well enough to get out of bed? I never know and Mako, for whatever reason, will never say which issue is vexing her. Regardless of her mood, Mako needs more help and I simply cannot lounge on the Internet like I used to.
The good news is that Mako is going back to her parents' house for a few weeks...or maybe a couple months, depending on how soon this baby arrives and how the delivery goes. Once she's there, she can relax because her mother will take care of her and I can relax because I know she's got folks watching her all day. When she's here, I know Mako pushes herself way too hard. She is constantly cleaning things, things that in no way demand the attention she lavishes upon them. When she felt better, it didn't matter as much because she had all day to do as she pleased. Now, her energy is severely depleted but that still won't stop her from walking to the farther supermarket or scrubbing the tub on all fours. No way her mom will allow that kind of nonsense under her roof.
Once the "move" is over, I'll have more to do at home but I'll also have more time to do as I please. That means more gaming and more writing (not necessarily in that order). It'll be like a quick return to bachelorhood before that baby changes everything. Until then, I'm indisposed. My apologies.
つづく...(Click here to read more)
First of all, Happy Birthday to The Trout. I know you were just here and I did pay for those burgers, but I still feel like I owe you a respectable birthday gift. After all, you didn't "keep" those burgers for more than an hour, tops.
Secondly, I had no time to sit down and write about stuff last week, but it's looking like I've got no time to sit down and write about stuff this week either. I've got a couple non-personal things in progress right now, but even if I upload one of those it won't offer much insight into me...which is kind of the goal of the blog.
Part of the problem has been me being awfully busy at work, as nearly every school has increased their English classes. It feels a bit hollow because they basically let April go with relatively few lessons and many schools continue to slack in the preparation department, meaning that I spend more time in the classroom but don't accomplish anything more than I did before. But that's irrelevant, frankly, because I am working more which means I'm writing less.
Also, things at home are getting...rocky. I'm not going to point any fingers or complain, but instead I'm just going to say this loud and clear: THANK JEBUS I CANNOT GET PREGNANT. It is obvious to me that the physical burden of carrying a baby would break my brain and warp my personality, because that's exactly what it's doing to Mako and she is way stronger than I am, emotionally speaking. She has also come down with a cold (a nasty one too), pouring gas on the already raging "I feel like hell" inferno.
So I come home after a long day at work and then I must contend with a completely unpredictable pregnant wife. Is she mad at me about something, or simply not feeling well enough to get out of bed? I never know and Mako, for whatever reason, will never say which issue is vexing her. Regardless of her mood, Mako needs more help and I simply cannot lounge on the Internet like I used to.
The good news is that Mako is going back to her parents' house for a few weeks...or maybe a couple months, depending on how soon this baby arrives and how the delivery goes. Once she's there, she can relax because her mother will take care of her and I can relax because I know she's got folks watching her all day. When she's here, I know Mako pushes herself way too hard. She is constantly cleaning things, things that in no way demand the attention she lavishes upon them. When she felt better, it didn't matter as much because she had all day to do as she pleased. Now, her energy is severely depleted but that still won't stop her from walking to the farther supermarket or scrubbing the tub on all fours. No way her mom will allow that kind of nonsense under her roof.
Once the "move" is over, I'll have more to do at home but I'll also have more time to do as I please. That means more gaming and more writing (not necessarily in that order). It'll be like a quick return to bachelorhood before that baby changes everything. Until then, I'm indisposed. My apologies.
Labels: family, pregnancy, teaching, Trout
つづく...(Click here to read more)
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Golden Week That Was
And just like that, another Golden Week has come and gone. I never thought it would end, honestly. We all say "time flies when you're having fun" but somehow last week was a roller-coaster of laughs and chills that seemed to take forever. I'm sitting in school right now for what feels like the first time in years.
Unfortunately, I'm at work while my close friend The Trout is still in Japan. He timed his vacation to overlap the string of holidays last week which I then extended by taking Thursday and Friday off, but that was the last of my annual leave so I had no choice but to report for work this morning. Thankfully, I went to the tiny mountain school today so it was a very low-impact day of teaching. No shouting, no frantic gestures, just me and a couple of kids in a classroom. Good news for me, because I am experiencing what can only be described as a Golden Week Hangover.
No, I'm not tipsy nor do I have a headache, but I spend the better part of last week (and the last three nights in a row) out with my buddy on the town and I imbibed a fair amount of alcohol, so I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in a while now. Earlier in the week I had nothing but free time but when we started going out every night, I just couldn't cut it. I started going home earlier and earlier each night in an attempt to get some sleep and keep myself for overindulging. But by the end of the week, we reached a balance of quiet time and drinking time which worked out quite well.
Life has a funny way of making things turn out completely different than you expect. I thought this week would be one of constant exploration and introducing my friend to Japan through a mix of sightseeing, a wild variety of cuisine and the occasional all-nighter. What happened was more of a week-long hangout session that just happened to be in Japan. No, we didn't spend all our time in bars or playing video games in my apartment, but we never really went out and saw the country like I thought we would.
This is not to say the vacation was a disappointment; far from it! While I cannot speak for my friend I can say that once we overcame the initial awkwardness where my imagined vacation failed to take shape, we ended up having a terrific time as we always have in the past. While we didn't necessarily see that many new places (we only spent one afternoon in Kyoto and Kobe respectively, and never made it to Nara or Himeji) I was able to show him around and let him explore Osaka in his own way. Likewise, we never managed to eat all of the food I thought we could/should, but I'm happy to say that everything I recommended, cuisine-wise, was warmly received. We even managed to make a few new discoveries along the way, as we sat down in a few restaurants I never tried myself. Alex recommended an all-you-can-eat & drink Brazilian barbecue spot which offered great food as well as a magnificent view of Kobe.
So what did I learn from this experience? I think first and foremost is that I need to remind myself that when I play host to visitors from home, I am not really "on vacation." This is where I live now. The guests must ultimately take the lead on choosing what to see or eat or do while they are here, because this is THEIR TRIP. However, this does not mean that I am a tour guide or a hanger-on. I thought I had to keep pace with the Trout earlier in the week and drink when he drank, eat when he ate, et cetera. My role is more that of a facilitator. I can recommend stuff that I know is cool and I can do my best to keep my guests from getting lost or into trouble, but I don't have to sit next to them and hold their hand 24 hours a day. When I figured that out, that's when the fun really began for me last week. Once that happened, the last three days flew by in an instant for I truly was having fun...incredibly so, if I may be honest about it.
What does this mean for the future? On the immediate horizon, I hope it makes me a better "facilitator" for the guests I am expecting later this month and perhaps later this summer. In the long term, I'd like to think that I was able to show my friend how fun Japan can be and possibly plant a seed that convinces him to come back again for another try.
つづく...(Click here to read more)
Unfortunately, I'm at work while my close friend The Trout is still in Japan. He timed his vacation to overlap the string of holidays last week which I then extended by taking Thursday and Friday off, but that was the last of my annual leave so I had no choice but to report for work this morning. Thankfully, I went to the tiny mountain school today so it was a very low-impact day of teaching. No shouting, no frantic gestures, just me and a couple of kids in a classroom. Good news for me, because I am experiencing what can only be described as a Golden Week Hangover.
No, I'm not tipsy nor do I have a headache, but I spend the better part of last week (and the last three nights in a row) out with my buddy on the town and I imbibed a fair amount of alcohol, so I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in a while now. Earlier in the week I had nothing but free time but when we started going out every night, I just couldn't cut it. I started going home earlier and earlier each night in an attempt to get some sleep and keep myself for overindulging. But by the end of the week, we reached a balance of quiet time and drinking time which worked out quite well.
Life has a funny way of making things turn out completely different than you expect. I thought this week would be one of constant exploration and introducing my friend to Japan through a mix of sightseeing, a wild variety of cuisine and the occasional all-nighter. What happened was more of a week-long hangout session that just happened to be in Japan. No, we didn't spend all our time in bars or playing video games in my apartment, but we never really went out and saw the country like I thought we would.
This is not to say the vacation was a disappointment; far from it! While I cannot speak for my friend I can say that once we overcame the initial awkwardness where my imagined vacation failed to take shape, we ended up having a terrific time as we always have in the past. While we didn't necessarily see that many new places (we only spent one afternoon in Kyoto and Kobe respectively, and never made it to Nara or Himeji) I was able to show him around and let him explore Osaka in his own way. Likewise, we never managed to eat all of the food I thought we could/should, but I'm happy to say that everything I recommended, cuisine-wise, was warmly received. We even managed to make a few new discoveries along the way, as we sat down in a few restaurants I never tried myself. Alex recommended an all-you-can-eat & drink Brazilian barbecue spot which offered great food as well as a magnificent view of Kobe.
So what did I learn from this experience? I think first and foremost is that I need to remind myself that when I play host to visitors from home, I am not really "on vacation." This is where I live now. The guests must ultimately take the lead on choosing what to see or eat or do while they are here, because this is THEIR TRIP. However, this does not mean that I am a tour guide or a hanger-on. I thought I had to keep pace with the Trout earlier in the week and drink when he drank, eat when he ate, et cetera. My role is more that of a facilitator. I can recommend stuff that I know is cool and I can do my best to keep my guests from getting lost or into trouble, but I don't have to sit next to them and hold their hand 24 hours a day. When I figured that out, that's when the fun really began for me last week. Once that happened, the last three days flew by in an instant for I truly was having fun...incredibly so, if I may be honest about it.
What does this mean for the future? On the immediate horizon, I hope it makes me a better "facilitator" for the guests I am expecting later this month and perhaps later this summer. In the long term, I'd like to think that I was able to show my friend how fun Japan can be and possibly plant a seed that convinces him to come back again for another try.
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Labels: Alex, food, friends, Japan, tourism, Trout, Write or Die
つづく...(Click here to read more)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Challenge! - A story in three pictures
As recorded earlier this evening and posted to my Twitter, here is a look at one man trying to earn a free meal simply by eating way more food than any one man should in a half-hour sitting.
Wow, I am certainly excited at the prospect of eating all this food!
(Fifteen minutes to go) Hmm, I need a moment to reflect on what I have achieved and what tasks still lay ahead.
(Four minutes to go) WHAT HAVE I DONE?
つづく...(Click here to read more)
Wow, I am certainly excited at the prospect of eating all this food!
(Fifteen minutes to go) Hmm, I need a moment to reflect on what I have achieved and what tasks still lay ahead.
(Four minutes to go) WHAT HAVE I DONE?
Labels: food, friends, Japan, Trout
つづく...(Click here to read more)
