Entries this day: State_of_My_Life Today Top_deck brownie rei zzz_clock

State of My Life

10:47am SAST Tuesday 31 January 2006

State of My Life Address

1. I haven't really kissed anyone on the ship.

2. I have just recently quite specifically specified that I won't be really kissing anyone on the ship.

3. I recognize myself going through transformations around relationships with women. Long talks with Kattrean on the last voyage helped a lot. She helped me begin to believe that it's in my own best interest to not haphazardly connecting with women. During that voyage I made a vow around making sure everyone is tested for HIV before getting involved.

   Long (!) talks with Hitomi helped a lot. I have fought with her and strung her along enough for a lifetime. That shit has got to end.

   This voyage, long talks with Rei have shown me a new platonic way to relate with someone on a higher plane, with minds switched on, awareness and honesty all around. Something similar to relationships as described separately by Ram Das (sp) and Charlotte Kasl (sp).

4. We've just left the continent of Africa: we went to Mombasa (Kenya), Cape Town (South Africa), and Walvis Bay (Namibia). Mombasa was the most like what I thought it would be. Cape Town is too much like a western city. Walvis Bay is too cold.

   We're in route to Rio de Janeiro now.

5. Today is the last vacation day before Term 2 starts tomorrow. We'll have three days of classes, a break, then three more days and a week long break as we hit Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.

   After that, 3 class days, another break for Ushuaia and glaciers then 2 more days and Term 2 will be done.

6. I'm teaching GET Open lessons this coming term (along with Liz, Maruan, Kellie and Carl). I've gotten my first two days' worth planned. My third through sixth days are not planned.

7. Today is Rei's 10501st day. We'll be "learning" Majong with Picasso and then going for a brownie in Hemingway.

   I could say "the brownie," because this will be literally the first thing I have bought on the ship, but I didn't even buy it with my card, but I paid cash to Carl and put it on his card. I'm still at 0 balance with PB.

8. Rei and I had a lovely dinner and walk around the port for her 10500th day, and then a conversation that I didn't want to have, which resulted in what I didn't want to happen, but which I trust is for the best in the big scheme.

9. I'm enjoying my Powerbook G4, with keys laid out in Dvorak, but still typing in QWERTY, much to the chagrin of most people who want to borrow it. Still no keytop on the \| key, which has been moved over to replace the iI key which broke when I rearranged the keys.

   I've just considered starting / catching up a list of hardware that I've used, and its capabilities. I keep writing that I'm using this computer, and it's been the same computer for years. But in 10 years I'll have forgotten how puny it was.

   Only 512 Megs of memory?????

10. I haven't really studied Japanese on this voyage, but I might start, with Akane as my teacher. I hope she doesn't speak a lot of English in our lessons, or I'll have to ditch her.

11. I haven't really hung out with Rie on this voyage as I had expected I might. I think a big factor was her overland tour from Kenya to South Africa.

12. Hitomi said she sent a package to me to arrive in Kenya, but it never came. I'm really bummed about that. I'm sure she is, too.

13. I'm still carrying around Francois, who went sandboarding with us yesterday.

14. Some GET Ts were late coming back to the ship last night. We're going to hear about it in GET meeting today. Matt will push back on punishment that will be requested by PB staff.

15. Haven't played any Silent Football on the ship.

16. I'm tired, and going to take a nap until lunchtime.

Today

1:54pm SAST Tuesday 31 January 2006

Didn't take a nap, but have been relatively productive today. Finished my Open lesson plans for two days, then scheduled and rescheduled my Staff GET lesson, unfortunately settling on a time that conflicted with the drumming portion of our KSB workshop, which I'm sure woulda been hella fun. I was able to participate in the Kentaro portion; he led us through some breathing exercises and then I partnered with him for the goldfish massage (basically shaking people by their ankles and toes so they look like wriggling fish)

Staff GET with Kiichi, who will laminate a big-ass clock for me for tomorrow and from whom I will borrow a screwdriver to take apart Hitomi's camera to get a bit of sand out of it. It won't focus up close, though it tries.

Now I'm joining Rei for Majong and then brownie in Hemingway.

Top deck

7:38pm SAST Tuesday 31 January 2006

After Majong, I made most of a clock and then went to top deck for some dancing and fun juggling with Tendah. We did some hackey sack and I never stopped dancing while we hacked and juggled.

brownie

7:35pm SAST Tuesday 31 January 2006

Just had our brownie in Hemingway; Rei didn't feel supa-genki during Majong and went downstairs to sleep for a bit. We connected for lunch and then for brownie. While there, we chatted a bit, but things felt less than great. Mirena noticed and asked me what had happened. "There used to be so much light."

Damn.

rei

10:08pm SAST Tuesday 31 January 2006

I cried. I don't know why. It's not for losing her; it's for having to grow up. It's for breaking old habits; it's for breaking out into a new world of loving, open, clear relationships.

I went upstairs to give Kyoko the lesson plan for the Open we'll be doing tomorrow (she'll be my CC). Said HI to Rei, and everything was okay. All the angst is in my head.

zzz clock

11:12pm SAST Tuesday 31 January 2006

Cut out a large circle and put numbers on it to make it look like a clock. Hands that look like arrows are tricky to make with a cleaving paper cutter. Synchronistically, Kiichi came down to fix our printer just as I was finishing the clock. I was going to have to take it to his office for lamination, but he took it up himself.