Entries this day: AM Done Hachiko Nami

AM

9:07am JST Sunday 10 August 2003

Nice. I got my .emacs file to work for creating journal entry names for 1 or 2 digit dates. Used to be I had to tweak it every 1st and 10th of the month.

Slept later than I planned, but I'm on the bus no problem. Had a dream where

Steve and I were writing on a dry erase board, like alternately writing and erasing without needing to ask what was appropriate; we knew when it was okay to erase the others' work, or add to it or whatever. I wrote an I miss you YRUU kittens message, and then it was a T-shirt we were giving to Fred for continuing the Nugen legacy in YRUU. After that we couldn't erase it anymore, so I realized it was a dream and then realized I shouldn't be sleeping because I had to be at work. Eeek!

So I woke up and it was about 8:30. Perfect timing. Thank you Angels.

Done

5:26pm JST Sunday 10 August 2003

So fucking excited to be done with work! My day was even better than yesterday cause, though I didn't mention it, my last lesson yesterday was swapped at the last minute from a man to man to a 3-student level 5 lesson. I'm not authorized to teach the type of lesson the original man to man required. The 5's were fine though; no problems.

So today I finished out with man to mans and voice, though one of my man to mans had a student added, but whatever; I got over it and then I finished out the day with Tomoko, the awesome god-fearing Christian student who I leveled up last week with J-lo I think. Anyway, this was her first level 7A lesson and she blew through it like nothin'. Didn't even touch the reading; she picture-speculated the entirety of the reading. (basically) used more impressive words than were given by the reading. She'll LU again soon.

But the main reason I'm excited to be done? It's T3 time with Nami!

Hachiko

6:25pm JST Sunday 10 August 2003

Everyone meets at Hachiko. That's where I am now, watching everyone meet everyone else with varying degrees of excitement, but almost never with hugs. haven't seen any hugs tonight.

Oh, one cat on the train talked to me today. I was like, "arru?" but then I switched from Japanese-attempt-mode to English no problem desu mode, chatted with him a bit. He's Japanese and will be moving to Texas to learn how to fly at Gulfport Airport?? I dunno where the heck that is, but he said it was small.

In addition to everyone meeting everyone else at Hachiko, everyone smokes while meeting people. I'm practically smoking with all the second hand smoke; thank god there is a breeze going on.

I still don't understand the fashion of the Shibuya Girls. I wonder how acceptable is that term. They look fake beyond fake, like dark dark skin, blonde (orange to white hair), long black eyelashes and really thin.. I'm like, "yikes' stripes! get some food and cut that hair!"

And quit smoking! But they don't.

OH!! There is a display near the station celebrating the 25th anniversary of Space Invaders, one of the first video games to rock the casbah (where did that come from?) about, um, 25 years ago I imagine. There were some peeps playing it on about four different stations and a man with a pretty expensive looking video camera filming them, with close ups of the game and of the players playing.

Several people are wearing yukatas today; this is the summer festival season, with fireworks going on nearly every night somewhere in the greater Tokyo area. I haven't seen any such fireworks displays, but I'll probably go on 23 August with Carla and Mika (and others?)

umm... hmmm.. I think that's all.

Nami

11:24pm JST Sunday 10 August 2003

Fun with Nami tonight. She helps me find that place of courage in me, plus gives me immediate feedback on my Japanese speaking. She said that for months (years?) she didn't speak English in America. She said she's impressed with my effort to speak Japanese so early in my Japanese-living career. Big thank yous to everyone who has said the same thing. I told her that I am scared each time I speak, but that I work hard to overcome. Sometimes I drive myself too hard. I always want to be the best at everything I do. {(In ultimate I was the best cause I was barefoot. In life I'm the best cause I don't drink. I code my HTML by hand. In Japan I'm the best cause I persevere. I work hard to learn Japanese. I want to know all my students' names. Just like in YRUU; I was the best cause I learned all the youths' names. )} As all these thoughts flew through my head in a trice, I felt sadness bubble into my being from somewhere; somehow, from somewhere, sadness.

I acknowledged the emotion, turned it around, sent it back home until another day.

Nami seemed to understand that I want to be the best. I don't know if she wants herself to be the best, but maybe she does.

Nami and I are going to Fujiku Highland on Tuesday. At least that is the plan unless she has to work too late tomorrow night, in which case we'll go to Yumiuriland, and I'll go to Fujiku Highland myself someday. I'll go. I persevere. (Interesting that I haven't tried to go to Fujisan.)

I told her the first night we met that honesty is quite important to me. I like truth. Tonight I told her that our friendship is more important that Fujiku Highland. So please get some sleep instead of getting home late from work and getting up early for FkH.

Gotta get some batteries for my camera tomorrow. I wonder if I'll remember to do it before work. I wonder when I'll get another train teiki.

Interesting to note the different ways I try to save money.

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So in conclusion, I had great fun with Nami tonight.