Sitting on the morning bus from Kozu. Missed the :22 and had to take the :36 train. Problem is that this bus doesn’t leave until after 9, but, it saves having to pay for a taxi (1050 yen). Besides, Tachibana doesn’t seem to care too much if I’m late. The English teachers usually have home room and aren’t in the staff room anyway.
It’s been a busy week. I’ll go in anti-chronological order. Today, Jamie and I played hooky. We called in sick early this morning and yes, I do feel a little guilty about it—but not too guilty. We watched a few movies and stuff and just kind of hung around the house. We went into town to pick up the movie “Maverick” and get some groceries and bread and Shizawa had a case of Stags Leap ‘88 Cabernet. Got two bottles of that even though it was 3800 yen a bottle. The FAFSA also came through. I’m kind of wondering if it will be cursing my chances to send it. Either that or it might be a waste of time. But there’s no question, on the off chance I get in somewhere, we will need support. Anyway, I talked to Andy earlier in the week and he said he was looking for a car. In the letter, he says he’s found a ‘61 Mercedes. Sounds cool.
Yesterday we went to the Hakone Open Air Museum. They had some amazing sculpture. Of particular interest was a dynamic sculpture by a Japanese guy named Shingu Susumu. It was maybe 12m high. I tried to sketch it, but it didn’t turn out right. The two moving parts consisted of sailcloth stretched over a steel frame. It was called “dialogue,” or something like that. Two sections were moving both as a response to the wind and to each other. It was really, really worth seeing. There was also something called the symphonic tower. It was a tower with designs of colored glass all the way up the 60 foot tall cylinder. The Picasso exhibit was extensive, possibly too extensive. The air was crisp, and it was beautiful out. It was a thoroughly enjoyable short trip.
I don’t know how much I’ll be able to write before my hands freeze or the bus comes. M gave us the Indonesian book yesterday in return for use of my parka this weekend (she’s going to Hokkaido), and us buying her a couple of T-shirts and a case of cigs when we go. I think our end of the bargain is pretty darn short, especially given that I have a copy of the guide coming via airmail from the UCI bookstore (they’re online now). On the other hand, I’m glad because M’s raves were really a downer. It sounded like Roppongi with a lot more Australians and cheaper drinks. The guide restores my faith a little. Now it’s just a matter of deciding which islands to visit. It might be interesting to be on the equator during the equinox, but I don’t know if it’s worth the effort or cost. The Lonely Planet recommends hopping back and forth over the equator so that you can honestly say “Oh I’ve crossed the equator dozens of times.” Hmmm. All depends much on cash. Indonesia seems much less expensive than I first expected. Or at least it could be less expensive if we forego the luxuries.
I’m headed to Yokohama with Jamie this Saturday to buy indoor shoes, pizza, and Indonesian tapes. Then on Sunday, I go to a weight training class. I probably wouldn’t even have registered for the class had I known they split the men and women, but what’s done is done. This way I can bring workout clothes with me to Johoku and jog or lift after school on Wednesdays and then go and work out on the weekend as well.
I’ve been working on the lesson book revisions for next year. If I were in charge of more of the classes, I think I could make a real difference, but when I look at what we are actually able to accomplish in a single class each week, I realize, at least in part, why the kids can’t speak English. The real reason, pure and simple, is because their teachers can’t speak English. At any rate, I want this year’s lesson book to look and work a bit better than last year’s.