"You make good mosh"

This last week was somewhat busy and very fun. Granted I've also been lazy about updating, but for the 10-20 hardcore followers I have on this thing needs fear not, I'm gonna keep this going even if posting gets sparse on occasion.

I found out that when I take my trip with Kevin next month, I get to meet up with Mami (the T.A. of my last semester of Japanese in college) in Hiroshima and Akira (also a good friend from college whom I gave the ridiculously big pizza leftovers from my job on the regular) in Kyoto/Nara. I am mega-excited for this trip, although it consists of collectively 24 hours of overnight bus trips, it should be well worth it. I'm also not planning on bringing Most Precious Lappy with me since I baby the thing, so I'll just make a giant post when I come back. December 25-January 4, couting down the days!

On Tuesdays I have an 80-minute class of roughly 3 regular members, with usually at least 1 substitute students and occasionally a model-lesson student. The latter is, as you may have guessed someone trying out the class to see if they like it, so there is a little extra pressure on yours truly to give a bangin' lesson. It's called "Advanced Media" and its the highest level class there is at my school, and frankly I love teaching it because I get to do things my way and I find it more challenging and rewarding. We talk about news stuff and I often explain very some big words and engage in some really good discussions. Last class was good but a bit stressful at the start because my book had "disappeared" (actually had been accidentally picked up by another teacher) so I was five minutes late even though I had a substitute student I never met before and a model-lesson student. I started off right away with explaining that I'd have to look on with the new student's book and said: "are you impressed yet?"

Students really seem to enjoy my sense of humor for the most part, which makes me happy, since I can be myself and I thrive best in that element. We talked about animal rights and other various moral dilemmas, such as life longevity and if machines could ever take over the world Terminator 2-style. Suffice it to say not only was the class good, but the new student enjoyed it and signed up for my class, which made me feel pretty elated at the end of the day.

Thursday was Turkey Day, and I celebrated by eating curry! Unfortunately Turkey is quite hard to find in Japan, although I heard of a palce caleld Fujimamas that offers American-style meals for relatively cheap, I didn't make it there. Oh well. It really is just another day of the year, and like I told a few other people my Mother cooked me a fantastic Thanksgiving-style meal right before I left home, so that was my T-day.

That night however had three firsts: I went out on a work-night, which I surprisingly hadn't done yet. I chalk this up to getting out at 9:30-10:00 and having to catch the last train by 12:45, but also because I'm lazy. I also went to Roppongi, famous meatmarket of Japan which was, as Ian so correctly and succinctly put it, a shithole. Nothing but tons of silly gaijin and dudes hassling you to come to this and that bar (Some guy even grabbed my arm which pisses me off A LOT). Some people like it but I could probably due with going there again some time never.

Now I know that all sounded very bitter and negative, but here's the upshot and 3rd first time event: the bar me and my friend Cristo went to was having a Grand Opening special of free drinks all night. Naturally it was packed beyond belief but somehow we managed to get in and worm our way to the bar. Getting noticed by the bartender was tricky and time consuming but I managed to get 6 frees which was nice. Bars aren't really my scene but I met some cool Filipinos and some dude from Miami there on vacation. There was a "fire show" (apparently the signature act of this particular chain: Wall Street Pub) and some girls dancing on the bar. The music was lame though. All I ever want to hear when I'm drinking beer is something in the vein of D.R.I. or Metallica. I had a pretty good time, regardless.

Friday I met up with Ian in Tachikawa before work - actually I had told him "I'll meet you at the station" so I spent 36 minutes pointlessly on a train to his home station and back - and got the package I've been waiting for from me mum: over 400 dvds and cds of mine, clothes, and lots of books. The only downside was that I had to lug a 42 pound box across 3 different trains during a pretty busy time. I did live to tell the tale, however.

Saturday night I saw Loyal to the Grave, Midgardsorm (who are fucking GREAT and are kind of like a Japanese-version of Irate) and some other bands in Shibuya. I really should have taken some pics but I was being lazy that night.

Some more cool white dudes

Sunday I saw my buddy Ian's band, Second Hearts, and they sounded umpteen-times better with him playing drums. It was a show full of heavy hardcore bands and people being drunken maniacs. Some guy jumped on my back while I was dancing, sending me into another guy who fell over and spilled his beer all over the stage. Everyone had a pretty fun time, and I think it was my friend Chris' first real "hardcore show." He liked it. The singer of every band stage-dove; And the best part of it all is when you stage-dive here, people actually try to hold you up. The Wall is definitely a sweet venue and I'll be sure to go there again some time soon. I took the mic for some band I didn't even know and was like "MOVE THIS PLACE, NEW YORK STYLE!!" Because I love doing mosh calls.

Today is just a Monday like any other (my Sunday if you've forgotten) and I took it easy. My ankle is still a bit sore from something I did to it last night. I've been enjoying my 360 which just came back from Microsoft, and between that and my personal library this place is feeling more and more like ye olde dungeon back home.

My over-the-top setup.

In other news I ate some really good Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki for breakfast. Yessiree. Oh, and one more thing that happened today: While I was sitting in my chair I felt a sudden slight but distinct shaking underneath me, and it must have been a really small tremor. I've never experienced an earthquake before and it was just weird. I certainly hope a full blown one never hits Tokyo, although the seismologists say we're long overdue!

My first Christmas away from the family is just around the corner, but I'm feeling pretty good about everything. I'm not too big on the holidays anyway but the Japanese sure are! Here is a glimpse of what it is looking like on my side of the world:

Downtown in Shibuya late on a Saturday night. Xmas stuff everywhere

The convenience store near my apartment.

My street. There's even a blinking Elmo-sign!

"However, I'm really fascinating to the letter, my English grammar gets better and better" - KRSONE

"She's half-way listenin', to what she thinks she knows. We're like children drifting in our parents clothes" - Mewithoutyou