Living and Teaching in Tokushima
Semi Retirement
I'm sorry to everyone who's been checking this to see that I haven't written anything in months. I don't have the time these days. @.@
I still put pictures up whenever I can on my flickr website. So even if nothing is here you can still look there for more stuff. I have added pictures of my new apartment in Osaka, some of the kids I teach at the preschool...
Please feel free to look!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suedetigerprint/sets/
Living and Teaching in Tokushima
Another Murder!!!!
This time in England.
It is 1912, and a small party has gathered in London to celebrate the engagement of Bunny Mandelson and Agatha Eton-Hogg. But then the body of Mellors, the butler, is discovered, with a revolver in his hand, a bullet in his head and suicide note that says: 'I have seen too much, and can take no more.' What did the butler see? Did he really kill himself? Or did one of your guests murder him?
Those present at the dinner-party are:
- Bunny Mandelson, a gentleman of very little brain.
- Agatha Eton-Hogg, his fiancee, and inquisitive and intelligent young woman.
- Sir Douglas Eton-Hogg, Agatha's uncle and a highly respected Member of Parliament.
- Oscar Hemmingway III, an American big-game hunter and ivory merchant.
- Sister Morticia Lewinskaya, a Russian-born nun now resident in Chicago.
- Mary Lippe-Anstoldt, one of the leading stars of the Edwardian Music Hall and a friend of Agatha.
- Herr Schnapps, a successful German industrialist and business-partner of Sir Douglas.
- Georgette Michel, a young Frenchwoman who is only just recovering from her ordeal of going down on the Titanic.
Bunny was played by Claire (he was a gentleman of so little Brain that he dressed like a lady...); Agatha was played by Lisa, Sir Douglas was played by Sean; Oscar was played by me, filling in a role since our attendance dropped and I couldn't play half the nun with Louise... so I wasn't really dressed); Sister Morticia was played by Louise (originally to be played as a schizophrenic nun by both Louise and I.. oh well); and Georgette was played by Gilly. Mary and Herr were optional characters to be played if you have more people, and we didn't, so they didn't exist.
The menu for the evening was English Breakfast. I had bought sausages and hash browns; Claire had brought the eggs which we subsequently scrambled; Sean brought tons of bread and butter; Gilly baked a lovely lemon cake; Lisa supplied the cheese and olives; and Louise brought a freeking huge can of baked beans. Of course, to each, their own wine. Breakfast was made and enjoyed by all over the course of the night. Beans on toast is surprisingly good. Sean's character was by far the best, and most funniest. The man on the tape cassette this time was a bit filthy, saying things that had naughty double meanings. In the end, as usually happens with these games, everyone was partially to blame for the murder.
After the game was finished I whip out my "The Pantyhose Game" which the packaging boasts, "Everyone looks funny!" You put each end of the hose over one persons head, and they pull away from each other. Whoever keeps it on is the winner. Everyone did look funny... it was true. The following morning we had to eat the leftover breakfast, this time for breakfast. Nice. Then we cleaned up and headed out to take some fun Purikura and have a light lunch. A good time had by all.
PICTURES!!!! coming soon
Murder Mystery
Purikura the next day
Living and Teaching in Tokushima
Drowned out
It'd finally arrived, our Rocky Horror Beach Party. Months of planning had gone down. Costumes were purchased, items for the different games were made/bought. Spirits were high!
Itinerary was as follows.
Saturday 3pm. Everyone gathers at my house for a pre-party and a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
6-7pm we all get in cars and drive to the beach.
7pm set up camp and start to cook
8-10pm a number of skill-challenging games including
Drag relay race (a number of skill-tests like catching balls, etc, done in drag on the beach)
Bondage Twister (normal twister, the catch:you were handcuffed to your partner somewhere)
and the Three Legged Stiletto Race (high heels running on the sand, while tied to someone else in heels.... )
10-pm ~ merriment
Sleep in tents on the beach.
Sunday Wake up and go home
What ACTUALLY happened:
Louise James Courtney and Janet show up in my apartment complex with a blow-up doll in an afro wig painted up like Tim Curry strapped to the roof of Janet's car, and they were honking on their horn. Great, so now all of my neighbors see this display.
That aside we get inside and get dressed. All of our gusts arrive and we put in the film. We dance the time warp, enjoy Maya's guacamole, and those who weren't driving drank frozen margaritas made by yours truly.
Then we get in cars and start to drive to the beach. First we need to stop for food supplies. The girls are dressed tremendously inappropriately which summons horrified glances and shocked stares. Luckily for me we were outside my town at this point. Having gotten our food, we head to the beach. The bad news is, its raining.
Just enough rain to be annoying. Oh. More bad news, we have no lamps or worse, no grill for cooking. Whats there to do but ask the hotel nearby what to do. Bear in mind that there are 3 Japanese guys who are friends with Sean, 1 Japanese woman who's friends with Sean, Sean, James, and Matt all speak Japanese reasonably well. However no one does a thing except for Take. This really pissed him off how no one would help him. While he went to ask about the lamps and cost for camping was when I discovered there was no grill. I went back to him, who was waiting in the hotel, really annoyed. And together he and I asked the questions. As it turned out, the hotel was so kind as to let us borrow one of their outdoor grills for the night.
Then Take was the only one who was willing to clean it. He was properly pissed off, and I don't blame him. The other guys were just sitting around and when we came with a usable grill, they go "oh there's a grill.. cool" completely ignorant to the shit we had to go through to get it to them. Later that evening those 3 guys were eating everyone else's food, and in general really pissing everyone off. Needless to say, they were not well liked by the group, and it was several of our requests that they never join us again.
We're cooking. Those who care enough, guard their food from the thieving hands of some of the guests, and we're all drinking a ton. At this point its past 9. Food and drink in us, our attitudes improve slightly. The downside is that the weather is HORRIBLE. It is pissing down rain in buckets. Luckily we are under a wooden canopy and staying dry-ish.. but God help the tents... Despite the rain we attempt some of the games we planned so hard for. Bondage Twister was too slippery and the handcuffs cut into the participants, slipping and sloshing in the rain. The relay race never happened because it was too dark and too wet. And the stiletto race had only six competitors. It was too cold too wet, and the heels in the sand were a bit much. I was tied to Take, we were the only ones who fell. Louise and Terrina did fine, and Matt and Janet did fine too.
Our, everything is wet, we all hit the hay. Unfortunately the hay has been drowned in about 3 inches of rainwater. We will not be sleeping in the tents tonight. Several of us go to the cars to sleep. Louise and James brave the tents and sleep in puddles. Either the puddles, or the probably improperly cooked hamburger meat subsequently cause Louise and James to have a HORRIBLE stomach sickness a few days later.
Oh wait, it doesn't end there. I wanted to get out of there early, so I could go home and get a decent night's sleep (even mid day) since sleeping in a car is misery. I wake up at 5am, clean up the whole campsite while its still down pouring. Arrange every ones things in a pile and leave a note for someone to clean off the grill and return it to the hotel. I figured its not too much to ask since I cleaned everything else, and we took care of the grill in the first place. We get in my car and head off. Its POURING POURING rain. The hardest I've ever seen it rain. As we crawl along my gas tank steadily heads toward empty. Our relief came from driving under bridges, where the wipers had a chance to catch up with swishing away the rain water. Driving for what feels like ages, we finally reach Mugi, the town next to mine. Pass Mugi, and when I'm 5 minutes from home, cars are stopped ahead. A police man comes around and says that the road is flooded ahead and none can pass. I should follow the car in front of me who is going through a windy mountain road which will put is through, somewhere to the other side.
We drive behind this white truck, hoping desperately that this guy hasn't just given up and is heading home, but rather wants to lead us to the other side. My gas tank is on empty and my stress is high. The mountain road is windy. It is narrow, and it is covered in debris from the mountain. Waterfalls are sloshing down the slops of the mountains and rocks into the streets as we drive over sticks dirt and rocks (some piles barely manageable). Having gone from 5 minutes to being home, this new 20 minute journey through the mountains is unbearable. FINALLY were put out on the other side, 5 minutes from my home in the other direction. We get back home and fall into bed for a much needed nap. Later we wake up, have dinner, and I have to drive Take to the city to get back home. Further up, toward the city, the road is closed. For goodness sake. We have to add another 20 minutes to the journey taking yet another mountain road. At least this time I have gas. And finally we make it. The rain has finally stopped Sunday early evening, and I head home, wet and tired.
What a weekend...
PICTURES coming soon.
Living and Teaching in Tokushima
A worked-thru Weekend
The following week was Sports day for the children at my school. Which means, working on the weekend. Dreary misery.
As it happened, this weekend was Ingrid's birthday party. Formal dress occasion with platters of food and a karaoke sign up sheet. Ingrid had requested that Louise and I do a duet for her birthday. This meant, I had to drive to the City on Saturday evening after work, and drive back home Saturday night so I could work on Sunday. Not the most fun you could imagine. I couldn't drink, and had to leave the party early (like 11) to get home around midnight.
We first went out to eat. We thought, we should eat first, in case the food sucks at the party. So we all went out to Dear (Italian Restaurant) in our finest dress. Louise and I looked like prom dates because earlier that day we had purchased impromptu pink rose corsages for the both of us. As it turns out, they can make any flower into a corsage in 10 minutes at this flower place we randomly stopped in...
Dinner was lovely, and then it was off to the party. We were one of the first people there and Ingrid was happy to see us. We made ourselves at home, ate a little drank a little (except for me :( ). Then the singing started. Louise and I were singing the 007 melody "Nobody Does it Better" by Carly Simon. We replaced all the words "baby" with "Ingrid" so the song would sing "Ingrid, you're the best!"
It was a little strange doing karaoke on stage with a mic to a room full of people. I know that's the way it is in America, but here, you never see that really... It was too noisy and almost no one heard us, but at least we had fun. Later that evening, James and Louise did Supercalifragilisticexpyalidocious from Mary Poppins. (Louise discovered beforehand that Julie Andrews either screwed up or could not do it when she was supposed to be saying the whole thing backwards, because she says "docious ali expy listic fragil cali repus." The cheeky lady...Louise couldn't do it either, without writing it on her hand.)
Cake came out, everyone sang. It was a lovely birthday. And sadly I had to head home early so I could go to work the next morning. Oh well.
PICTURES!!!!
Living and Teaching in Tokushima
Ireland
Since the Cockney-oke went so well (not really) we decided to have Irish-oke. Also Claire is leaving and this will be her last themed-oke of the year. So we made it Irish, in remembrance of her.
Anything goes with a costume, as long as it was Irish. I decided to go as a Roman Catholic. Louise went as a nun. Claire came decked in the flag and Irish-praising clothing. James put shamrocks on his face. Courtney was an Irish step-dancer. Matt and Maya brought Irish pins. Sean was the Irish Potato Famine. and Kwadwo brought the potatoes.
As we were walking to the bars from Curry Dinner, we encountered AwaOdori music. It wouldn't be summer without it.
So in our Roman Catholic garb, In our habits and hats, we danced in the streets to AwaOdori.
We traveled from bar to bar, gracing them with our lovely Irish voices. At Mike's bar, Matt love pissed off a Japanese guy by trying to hold a glow-stick halo over his head while we took a picture. Mike had to later apologise to him for us... We sang dutifully in Irish accents, the crowning moment was
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem, rapped in Irish. Watch it here!After torturing Mike's customers with our singing, we left and headed to Bar Bitch. On the way a drunk old man was leaving a dirty massage parlor, saying goodbye to his massage ladies, when he spotted Louise and I dressed in all our holiness. He was laughing so we decided to go up to him and bless him. Fill his heart with goodness. I think it really scared him, haha.
We met Sean and Kwadro at Bar Bitch. Louise polished off her old shochu bottle and was gifted a new one, on which she put her new name tag, filled with nun-related humor. We sang and laughed. The Irish accents were slipping at this point but it was still a good time. After Bitch came Ingrid's, where general dancing and debauchery happened. At this point in the evening no one remembers much.
The following morning we woke up very early. 9o'clock early. James was still asleep so we decided to jump in bed with him to wake him up. Then we went to Mos Burger for breakfast and the weekend was over.
PICTURES!!!!!!!!
Living and Teaching in Tokushima
Bon Appétit
The weekend of June 6th thru 8th seemed to be all about food in Osaka.
A great number of us were staying in the hotel that I found, but we each sort of had our own agendas. Louise was in the market to buy costumes for the various approaching parties. Sean was going to a Metal and Rock bar. Claire Maya and Emma were bicycling around, and Janet, Take and I were just casually enjoying Osaka. We all grouped together Saturday evening for a lovely Mexican dinner at our absolute favorite restaurant. To our horror and dismay they were having a birthday party and could not seat a group of our size. They wouldn't even let us wait for a table. We were so angry. Maybe we left an angry not on their cork board, maybe we didn't... I'm not pointing any fingers... but we weren't happy about the whole situation to say the least.
So, abandon ship. Damn. I really wanted nachos and margaritas. What now. Well how about Indian. Sean says "There's this really great place by the Dotonburi bridge..." and then Take and I say "no no, I know this place, we got a flyer for it...its by the Dotonburi bridge..." We're actually talking about the same place, how embarrassing for us. But regardless of our individual shame, we go there anyway.
The thing that I cannot understand about Indian food restaurants in Osaka is their spice level gauge. I can't handle things that are too spicy, so I usually get a 1, 2, or 3 if I'm feeling really brave. Louise sometimes gets a 5 or a 6, and that tastes like death in your mouth. Its so spicy. Reasonable so far, right? Now, keep looking at the chart, and you'll notice it goes up to 50. 50?!?!? If a 6 is unpalatable for me, I cannot even imagine what a 50 would do. Are there people who can eat a 50? Is it there to show off? I honestly believe that much spice going into your stomach would kill you. Maybe I'm just naïve. Sean has to catch a bus home that night for a date, so he leaves after dinner.
The food was great. We stuffed ourselves silly, as usual, and then head out for a quick Karaoke. Nomihoudai (all you can drink), standard fare. We sing for an hour and a half and then leave. The highlight of the night was
a song "Osaka Strut" which Take sung, that involved really really fast Japanese talking and just generally sounding impressive.
After the karaoke, we went to martini bar. It was way too crowded as usual but we found little spots to occupy. Louise ordered a dish called "Lucifer's Pizza." Called that for its spiciness, it wasn't that bad, or that spicy. One would have a very puny image of Lucifer after experiencing such a mediocre pizza. Janet heads home a bit early. She's had a long week of her sisters visiting and has been in Osaka the whole time. She needed to rest. Louise and Claire find a man working at the bar who looks like Andrew Dahms, one of the JETs who is in Tokushima, but fatter. She asks me to try to get sneaky pictures of him to show people, but finally ends up calling him over and posing with him.
Meanwhile we get a call from Janet, who, while walking home, was stopped by 2 big guys (one had a blue mohawk) asking to see her passport. They said they were doing routine checks, but police never do that here, especially not undercover in punk attire. They were clearly Yankees either trying to scare her, or worse. She showed her Foreign ID card, and ran away from them, going to the hotel and locking the doors. Janet has the worst luck in Osaka, I swear... :( That's never happened to me. But then again, I'm not a pretty girl...
The next morning Janet wakes up early to go home by bus. Louise wakes up early to do some costume shopping in Umeda. Claire Take Maya Emma and I meet at Choco Cro for breakfast. We then make plans to eat nachos and drink margaritas at the Mexican place for happy hour. Figure around 3. We leave breakfast at 11o'clock. Emma goes off shopping on her own and Take Claire Maya and I wander. Around 1, we get a call from Louise and meet her in Namba. We then decide that we want nachos earlier than expected and go to happy hour then. We phone up Emma and she says to go without her.
The best part about the Mexican restaurant is that during the afternoon you pay half price for food and drinks. Its almost encouraging sinful behavior. We get the largest pitcher of strawberry margarita that they sell and set to work devouring nachos and drinking. We invent a Japanese word. "Koi-ppoi" which, obeying grammar rules means "carp-like," but it really just sounds like nonsense to native Japanese speakers. During a brilliant game of mash-someones-face-to-make-them-uglier, we decide (we being Louise and I) that its high time we make a video. The others reluctantly agree.
Here it is (video).Fortunately I have pictures of this week, and
here they are! (pictures)
Living and Teaching in Tokushima
Naruto
The following weekend I went to the whirlpools or Naruto. Its only about a 20 minute drive north of the city, so all together not that extravagant. It was just one of those things that I should have done before I left Tokushima, and was surprising that I hadn't yet. I'm still surprised I haven't climbed the temple in my own town, or visited the vine bridges of the Iya valley. But there's still time.
First was a boat ride. In a little boat, for a bit too much money, they take you out to see the whirlpools close up. We drove the boat right through them. It was incredible to watch them form from still water. All of a sudden, a monstrous vacuum. Jellyfish were en mass that day. Literally thousands of them. I wondered what being in a whirlpool must feel like for them. If it was incredibly confusing or not. If they are capable of confusion.
After the boat ride came the underside of the bridge. There is a massive bridge leaving from Tokushima going to Awaji, and eventually to the Kobe area. This is basically the only way to get to Osaka, so if you've ever traveled from Osaka to Tokushima, or vice versa, you've used this bridge. On the Tokushima end, you can enter a viewing area underneath the bridge. You walk out a good distance and look down at the thick glass paneled floor to watch the whirlpools swirl. From this height they are much smaller than seeing them in person on the boat, but they are still impressive.
Having seen my fill of whirlpools, I grab some local sweet potato mochi from a shop nearby, have a snack, and head home.
Unfortunately I lost all my pictures of this when my computer crashed. Fortunately this is the only weekend worth of lost pictures... I'm sorry you wont get to see them tho. I do however have
this video of a whirlpool in action. So enjoy.
