Oidensai was awesome. Obon is probably my favorite holiday in Japan, so it was nice to celebrate it by exhausting myself along with a lot of other people who are as close to family as it gets over here even if i didn't spend it with my blood relatives. i still haven't gone to see any fireworks this summer (not in person, anyway. it's impossible to miss them- they fill half the sky).
in the absence of my closest friends this summer, i've been drawing and drinking a lot of coffee and driving all over and singing karaoke and getting ready to have my band's second show in september. and playing a LOT of drums, although that's calmed down a little now.
for all that summer's not my season of choice, i do kinda love summer in japan. even though it's hot and gross and sticky and all i want to do is go snowboarding and eat an enormous ice cream.
the rice fields have all gone electric lime green, which is gorgeous.

OIDENSAI

arright, so now it's august suddenly, i'm back in japan, and i have to figure out what to do for a month before classes start up again at my schools.
this means:
lots of music
lots of drawing
...roadtrips?

that's the plan, anyway. as it is, this weekend is completely full of taiko. in fact, sunday is ENTIRELY full of taiko, as in 10 hours or so of my day is practicing drums. outside, in the 90 something degree heat. next week, on the 13th, is my town's big obon matsuri and i'll be playing in that, so i need the practice. my group will be carrying shrines and playing drums and carrying more shrines and, considering the people i play with, drinking and carrying shrines and playing drums.
hurray!
my band's got their next show scheduled, we'll be playing mid september at the same place in the middle of nowhere as last time. this time though, it's looking like my friends (who are talented and have a REAL band with actual CDs and stuff) are also gonna be playing! awesome! i'm super excited about it.

i'm trying to get around 25 pages inked and (maybe) colored by the end of the month, plus a couple standalone pieces. we shall see if it is possible. i'm gonna try, anyway.

as far as roadtrips are concerned? there is apparently a town filled with statues of monsters. why would i not go there?! also, BEACH. also also, OSAKA. these are all places i'd like to waste some time this summer. oh! and there's a full-day hardcore and punk show in shibuya in late august which looks extremely tempting, so that would be cool too.

mannnn if i can get half this stuff done, i will be awesome.

... it's july?

i can't believe it's july already. O_o what have i been doing for the last two months?! other than working and playing taiko and joining bands and practicing kanji and working and planning visits to the states and sorting out my apartment and working.

not much, really.

the semester's almost over for my students- just two weeks and then they're all gloriously free for a month and a half! i feel bad for the junior high kids though- they're forced to join a sports team (well, a club, really- but the only clubs available at my schools are sports) and then have to spend all their weekends, evenings, and vacations practicing. it makes me really happy i never had to deal with all that nonsense... i have a feeling i wouldn't have shown up. >_>
my band's first show is a week from sunday- this week and next it's going to be a little insane around here. i have practice twice this week, an open class where my boss is coming to watch (at my weakest school. whyyyy) taiko practice, a friend's band's show, and hopefully i'll get to sleep at some point. then the weekend hits, i play my OWN show, i have an event in nagoya the next day, two days of work and then i catch a plane at an obnoxiously early hour and fly back to the states for ten days.
it's gonna be nice to see everyone for a little bit before i head back to japan.
also, it's gonna be nice to buy jeans and shirts that aren't glittery.
in some ways, this feels like the world's most expensive shopping trip O_o.
let me know if you wanna meet up while i'm in philly! i don't know when i'll be back next. it's too expensive to come back very often.

Hurray!

I finally did it- after several trips back and forth, I have my brand-new Japanese license. Yayyyyyy

now i don't have to take the bus anymore! exciting!

in other exciting news, i'll be in the states for about a week at the end of july, right after the semester ends. hopefully i can see some of you then!

in other, other exciting news, i'm singing in a band. as of sunday. and as of yesterday, apparently people want me to sing in a second band. so i have two bands now...? maybe? and four of my illustrations will be in a gallery show with a lot of very beautiful paintings of the things that elderly people often like to paint, since the rest of the exhibitors are rather elderly. they favor ships and flowers, except for one delightful woman who likes to paint disney princesses.

Obviously I Forget About This All The Time

hey guys, sorry it's been so long. i'm so tired when i get home that i really don't want to do anything but crash.
the new schools are going well! i love my new students, although i miss my old ones very much. i see some of them from time to time wandering around, and reactions vary from extreme excitement (hurray andrea andrea andrea andrea) to extreme embarrassment (oh god that's a teacher this will RUIN my rep). i really wish i wasn't taking buses every day, but hopefully that'll be all over soon and i won't have to worry about it anymore. i'm taking my japanese driver's license test on monday! wish me luck!
i hope i don't forget any of the several million pieces of paper i need to bring with me. that would be a frustration and a half.
i may be teaching a demo lesson next month. i shall keep you posted. it's a 3nensei class in junior high, so the equivalent of 9th grade. 14yr olds! far too cool to be interested in english (during class, anyway.) if i get a chance to teach i'll have to think of something nice and impressive to do. maybe my students will oblige by being awesome in front of an audience.

in completely unrelated news, it hasn't stopped torrentially raining since about 6 this morning. this does not seem fair.

new school year!

today starts a new school year, with all new schools and all new teachers and all new students. it's going to be interesting, to say the least- i'll be taking buses for a little while as i get my Japanese driver's license (annoying) and i'm teaching far more elementary school than last year (potentially fun, but i love my junior high students).
without a car, my day's changed from 740-500 to 650-615 (or 550-615, depending on the school). ouch. as soon as i have this oh-so-vital piece of plastic, i'll be able to resume waking up at a reasonable hour. hurray! that day can't come quickly enough.
i'm at two schools tomorrow. i start at an elementary and then move to junior high after lunch- hopefully i can bum a ride from another teacher in between schools otherwise i might be late.
i'm exhausted tonight. i promise, when i've got a better handle on my new schools, i'll post an update.
and now, to make worksheets! and pictures of dinosaurs!

a brief rant

i get along with just about everyone. i really do. very few people annoy me to any large degree, and the number of people i hate is just about non-existent. however, occasionally some other teachers drive me absolutely nuts.


*this post has been edited. heavily. there is no reason to be nasty just 'cause it's on the internet.*