Entries this day: Do_today Rob_update

Do today

10:02am JST Tuesday 24 February 2004

Here's my list of stuff to do today:

return LoR II to tsutaya
10:30 view apartment in Tama Plaza
12:00 meet Josephine at TELL
13:30 meet KG Miki at 武蔵小杉
14:30 view apartment in 元住吉 (with Miki)
19:00 meet 裕子, 朋子, and 住田さん in 浅草
call Wende for her birthday
change my address on my website and resume online

Those are the scheduled points.

I've finished the first, and I'm well on time for the second. Enough time to eat breakfast.

1:03pm JST Tuesday 24 February 2004

The apartment at Tama Plaza is plain but adequate. I don't think I wanna live there though because the bicycle parking is not optimal (I can't easily lock my bike to something, and there's not internet access in every room (although non-access might be a good thing to keep me offline so much (but I think it's preferable to allow myself to choose to not be online, instead of enforced offline (whatever))), and it's not particularly close to Jiyugaoka.

I met Josephine at TELL for what is probably the last time. I didn't really feel rapport with her, and wasn't even willing to tell her that much. Blamed the sub-items of not feeling comfortable in the space. She gave me contact information for different counselors, including male counselors.

I'm well on time to meet KG Miki at Musashi Kosugi.

These jeans that I'm wearing are comfy and nice except for one detail. The zipper keeps coming unzipped.

3:00pm JST Tuesday 24 February 2004

I've eaten ramen with Miki and now we're outside the apartment place in Motosumiyoshi waiting for the owner. I'm not real impressed with the timing, but in a way I'm like, "cool" cause it's a laid back environment. When we came in a cat named Ricky was like, "wazzah" and spoke good English (to me) and good Japanese (to Miki). He was late for work so zoomed off on his motorcycle. Heh.

Unless something goes way wacky with this place, I'm going to live here.

3:42pm JST Tuesday 24 February 2004

Money.

I just put down 10,000 yen deposit on the place. I already have the key, too, which seems surprising, but cool. I'll be in room 20. There's a Techniques (sp) turntable poster on the inside of the door. Rene said he would leave it there for me.

Oh, and my room 20 has a solid (*) wireless internet connection.

Special thanks to Miki for helping me get to the place and asking all the necessary Japanese questions and bringing the slippers to the next room when I left them.

Whooohooo! New apartment! And it's just perfect でしょう。

(*) solid as in strong.

5:37pm JST Tuesday 24 February 2004

Miki and I hung out at my house, including taking a short nap and having a short tickle fight, and then it became time for me to go meet 裕子 et al.

10:47pm JST Tuesday 24 February 2004

Arrived in Asakusa a tad late, (but not as late as 裕子) and had some hot cocoa with Sumida and Tomoko at Starbucks while we waited. They had been there for an hour, playing Solitaire on Sumida's new Mac. I was like, "wow; Mac!" Seems they got it because I expressed such a love for my Mac.

Taxi to a pretty old おでん shop in the area in a small narrow building nearly dwarfed by the buildings around it. In the taxi on the way there, I could understand just enough Japanese to get one of the jokes they made. We were in Asakusa and Yuko had never been there, though it's a popular tourist destination. (The joke was funnier in Japanese)

朋子 said my Japanese comprehension is getting a lot better. Yay. :-)

Chowed a ton of odin, which is basically various types of seafood and vegetables in a hot water broth. Minced and pressed shrimp, rolled seaweed, potato, radish, いろいろ。 Good stuff, and I was able to understand about 1/2 of the conversation. Maybe 1/3rd.

Next Sumida suggested either coffee or karaoke, so we flipped a coin and it came up coffee. Hopped in a taxi and went to karaoke, あれっ？ I don't know how that happened, but we had big fun at the karaoke box.

Karaoke in Japan does not include performing in front of a bunch of strangers. It's like singing karaoke at home. Each group hangs out in a smallish booth/room for four to maybe 10 people and a karaoke machine. Far preferable for people who don't like to sing for crowds.

They had me start us off, so I chose Eminem's "Without Me" which I was vaguely able to do. This place didn't have "Rabbit Run," which I'd be able to do quite well I think.

I did worse with MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" and far better with Bangel's "Walk Like An Egyptian."

They sang a song by SMAP, yeah that one that was way overplayed when I first arrived here last year, and 2 other songs I had heard before. I was barely vaguely able to sing some of those, after extensive repetition and reading the hiragana/furigana. I could read a few kanji. I think karaoke would be a great way for me to learn Japanese in a fun environment. Especially if I just want to sing to people on the streets.

As I was settling in for several more songs, it was time to go. Sumida paid for everything, which is a huge blessing for us, and we headed over to Asakusa station.

I piggybacked 裕子 for a bit as if I would take her home (since she was wearing my backpack) and then dropped her off before the ticket booth. They headed off together and I jumped on the train I'm on now, which starts at Asakusa and ends in Shibuya. Perfect. Or, easy enough.

- - - -

Aight. Sleepy time until we arrive at Shibuya. Then hopefully I'll easily get a seat on the train home.

- - - -

With Dan I watched an episode of Futurama and an episode of Family Guy. Bed around 2am.

Rob update

Hello, fellow earthlings!

I've been in Japan almost 11 months, and have just today put a deposit 
on a new apartment close to my new job.  It looks like I'm settling in
for another year of Japanese festivities.

I'm in a quality good mood today; I feel like I'm really taking
control of my life instead of just letting external situations drive
where I go and what I do.

For my new job I'll still be teaching English, but I'll be teaching
one-on-one lessons instead of group lessons.  I think this will be
much better for me because I far prefer this style of teaching (what
we call man to man lessons, regardless of genders); I think it's much
better for the students; I can actually *teach* something this way!

This new job allows me to choose my own schedule; I can take off
whatever days I want (we turn in our schedules on the 15th of the
previous month) and I can work long hours if I want to make lotsa
money.


- - 

The new apartment is 20% less expensive than my current apartment, and
is way closer to my new work than my current situation.  The apartment
building somehow reminds me of some of the old buildings in Hawaii.
It looks like a house crossed with a corrugated steel tool shed.

When I first arrived to see the place, a friendly guy named Ricky
introduced himself in flawless American English.  My friend Miki was
with me and she said his Japanese was perfect as well.  I look forward
to hear more about his story.

I don't have the new address yet; I'll probably get it on March 2nd
when I move in.

I hope you're well.
   - Rob!