Hi Kids!
I had a whole list of things that I wanted to write about but of course it is at home. The big news is that I now have the skinny on the seal...his name is Tomachan and he has made his way into some REALLY polluted lake. The big controversy is whether or not they should try to remove him from the crappy water. They have decided to leave him alone and keep an eye on him to see if his health starts to deteriorate. I'm sure you have all been on the edge of your seats waiting for THAT bit of news...
What else...OH, the Ghost of Cockroach Past paid a visit to me last night. When I walked into the house, I thought I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye race into the silverware drawer. Sure enough, IT WAS HIM! He came back to haunt me. This time, I knew what to do though. I am mastering the art of coackroach killing, although I still refuse to squish him. But after a few laps around the couch-like-thing on the kitchen floor, I had him sprayed and sprawling on his back, gasping for one last breath. Then I swept him outside. I haven't checked on him today but there is a typhoon coming again so maybe he will get washed away.
After many hours of e-mailing yesterday, I treated myself to a somewhat expensive dinner. I was bound and determined to be satiated by at least ONE meal while I am here. So not only did I have a main course, I also had soup and dessert! The place was kind of cool. It was on the 3rd or 4th floor of a big department store over the train station. I think it was called the Green Tea Room. It was the Japanese version of a nice Italian restaurant and it overlooked Shinjuku. One whole wall is just a huge window so I asked for a window seat so I could people-watch while I waited for my meal. I am getting used to doing things by myself. Lots of people eat alone here, too, so it does not feel that weird. So that was my big eventful evening yesterday. Never did make it to the Emperial Gardens.
I had one breakthrough yesterday. I was walking down the street in Shinjuku and I saw a taxi along the side of the street and it was slowly rolling forward. It scared me at first because, at first glance, it looked like the driver had fallen asleep. He looked like he was about 50 or 60 years old and he had both arms wrapped around the steering wheel and his head resting on his arms. All you could see was 2 eyes peering over his arms. I looked at him as I was walking until I realized that he was not sleeping, then I smiled at him because the poor guy looked pathetic and tired and bored out of his gourd. So I just kept walking and smiling at him and then, all of a sudden, HE WAVED!!! Yes, a stranger WAVED at me! If you recall from a previous e-mail, I told you that strangers don't acknowledge you here, it is not their custom and that really bothered me. I mean, even if you attempt to smile at them, they look away before you can complete the smile. I know this sounds uneventful to you but it made me smile all the way to McDonalds.
Speaking of McDonalds, I mentioned McDonalds during one of my lessons and my 3 students looked at me and each other like they had never heard of the place. I'm thinking, How could you not have heard of the place, they are on every corner. For every cockroach, there is a McDonalds! Then, when I made the sign of the arch, they said ,"OH! Mick-doe-nel-dose (with an accent on the "nel")!!! I said, "WHAT? What are you guys, Italian?" And they all laughed. I don't know if they laughed because they understood what I meant or they just figured I was teasing them so they went along with it. So if you ever come to Japan and you are looking for a McDonald's, say it with an Italian accent and they will point you in the right direction.
The boner-boy is back! Last night I was restlessly flipping through the channels and that one dumb show that I told you about was on AGAIN! This time, the two guys and the girl where on the beach spying on some girl. And as usual, they did close-up, freeze-frames on her butt (but she was wearing jeans). Then, when it got dark, the girl and her friends had sparklers that they were lighting and waving around on the beach. So they sent in boner-boy in his red shorts and sparklers. He danced all around waving the sparklers and sporting a woody and everyone laughed (even me, this time) and I wondered to myself how many times I could watch this show and laugh. Do boners ever stop being funny? I guess I might be able to answer my own question before I leave Japan. I'll let you know (that is, if the show doesn't get canceled before then).
OK, I'm off to Mickdoeneldoes (McDonald's). Thanks for the e-mails, keep'em coming!
Love me
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