god's country

New layout. The main picture is the view from my balcony. Why, yes that IS Beppu Bay right yonder.

What's awesome about this teaching job is that I'm not stuck in one classroom. I'm like a traveling tutor. Yeah it's frustrating constantly trying to figure out the correct train times, sitting through ridiculously long commutes fighting narcolepsy, and deciphering obscure Japanese maps just to teach little shit Japanese kids for a lousy hour... but I get to see things like this en-route to Ozai school:

Those Ozai kids ripped me a new one but I forgive them for giving me this entry. Suckers. 

Unrelated tale of minor miscommunication! 

Went to an awesome, literally underground club last weekend and I fell in love with the deej and his tunes. While the rest of my group complained about how he wasn't spinning any danceable music (and truthfully, if he had, I'm guessing the club wouldn't have emptied out), I on the other hand blissed out to his ambient musical stylings...and since I was completely drunk, I was so diggin' the light show and shamelessly dancing all kinds of silly. I decided I wanted his CD, and assuming that the jockey didn't speaka da Englishy, I went up to his booth and asked for a "SHI-DEE." (Yes, the Japanese pronounce the letter C, "shi.") He looks up from his turntables and blankly responds, "CD?" Um, yes, I did mean SEE-DEE...thanks...it's not like I teach kids how to speak English or something. Anyway, he gets up to find me one and when he returned with a copy to gift to me, I arigatoo him profusely and awkwardly retreat to my friends all giddy and shit. Score! So as the club was closing, the DJ went up to personally say bye to me (probably because I was the only one in there actually enjoying his music) but I get so nervous trying to start an actual conversation that I decide to FORMALLY BOW to him as if he's some kind of member of Japanese parliament. Cute, Lorraine. I leave the club with my friends very shortly after. I'm listening to his shi-dee right now. It's sooo goooood. It's mellow and trippy and comforting. I don't even like electronic music normally.