Weekend

There was a ken-wide JET conference/workshops in Kurayoshi last Thursday and Friday. It felt like my weekend had started early.

The conference/workshops were neither interesting nor informative. There was, however, a session run by a psychologist, and the things he said were pretty helpful.

Stayed with Kate Connely at Kurayoshi Thursday night(12/3), instead of driving all the way back (1.5 hours) to Yonago. She's really something else. She's from Connecticut and 26. Graduated from Amherst with a BA in physics (what!?). And she quit graduate work in geophysics to work in the Forestry Fire Service for 2 years in Arizona. She drives a black something or other Grand Prix with tinted windows, the ride is very yakusa. She responds to people's comments with quick gestures and brief one-liners. She kind of carries herself with a nervous twitch that's endearing to me, because it makes even her slightest social discomfort apparent. She has a spare room in her apartment, and she put a weight bench in it. I don't know what she can bench, but I'm pretty sure she reps bicep curls at 40lbs. I've got a picture of us which I'll upload whenever I work out the kinks in FTP (I think it's because of the new firewall-related thinging in our school network).

Courtney and Simona also stayed with Kate. Slept on the floor with Simona, and we fell asleep holding hands under the blanket. It wasn't spooning, but still nice.

Returned to Yonago Friday night. Thought Dad was coming the next morning so I tried unsuccessfully to book a full-course fugu dinner (blowfish; one restaurant is full and the other can't get fugu in time) Turned out he's flying in next weekend during the Xmas dinner and party--pretty pissed that his one visit basically took up both of my weekends, since I basically made this past weekend available and now my next weekend becomes unavailable. Went to onsen with Matt, Ian, and Simona. Went for a walk with Simona up 湊山(minatoyama, just a hill in Yonago where the old castle used to be) afterwards. Whether things will be nicer from this point on only time will tell.

Sat around all Sat and read 100 bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, which I borrowed from James a week ago. A good noir murder mystery. Not unexpected from reading noir for 8+ hours, it depressed the hell out of me. The fact that it rained incessantly Sat and Sun did not help.

Ran 4 miles, played 7-game sets of 9-ball with the other guy at Grand Prix, and had my Japanese lesson with Akemi Sun. And now I'm off.