Answers to mom's questions

I have not yet gotten to talk to mom on the phone, she is off camping somewhere. But I got these questions from her via email and thought I would share the answers for everyone's edification.

Oh, and there's a pic of me with mascara and spiked hair pre-departure. Just 'cause.

So, how was the water? Is it dirty or clean?
The water is clean.

Are they amazed at your white skin as well as your height?
My height and looks have made me a local celebrity already. It's addictive/unnerving. My size is really impressive here. But I think they think I am tired when they look at my pale face.

Have you been to the school yet? Have you met the other English teachers yet?
Yup, I've been to all three. And met all the teachers. I think they were trying to suggest I date a couple of them :/

Have you had to think about gifts yet?
I have not yet considered gifts, but I may go to the 100 yen store today...

Do I get old and tiresome?
nah.

welcome home

I survived a typhoon in Tokyo. pic pending.
At about 10am I arrived in Saga City, and was in Tara town in about an hour (including a stop for sashimi). Saga is a lot like Northern Colorado; the towns all blend into one another like boulder to loveland to longmont to northglen to Denver etc.
My house is totally ghetto; nobody has been taking care of the floors, and my predesecor didnt even clean when he left, but Im getting into the groove of things just fine. My front door has no lock :/
Ive already met many nihonjin and been shopping with the brother in law of my advisor; everyone tells me I speak really good Japanese, which is actually a sign I do pretty bad. Once they stop complementing me, I will know that Ive gotten good.
My name is "Forever bell" in Japanese, on the stamper that I will use for my signature.
Other than that, everybody comments that I am Okii (very big).
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I will post pictures when I get my own computer with working internet again.

the 180 yen post

okay.　What we have here is a failure to communicate.

I am being held hostage in a manga store. I thought I could just browse, then a little man started bugging me with questions. He showed me a sign that said 180 yen for thirty minutes. I tried to indicate my wish to leave in that case. He insisted I go to booth 76 and have internet and manga. I threw some money at him and entered. So now Im writing this post to at least put my 180 to good use. I just hope they let me out when I decide to leave.

Walking in the rain with an inebriated British goddess

Well my time in Japan has been interesting thus far. The first Japanese t-shirt I saw said, "Juicy please."
I discovered a Japanese restaurant where they didn't understand what ramen is, so I ordered a curry thing instead. Then they tried to get me to give up my chopsticks in favor of a spoon. "No, I'm good. Ii desu yo."
I found a conveyer-belt sashimi place today, and am quite proud that I didn't say a single word of English the entire time I was there and managed to do a successful transaction. If only I could understand what they said beyond "irrassaimasu."
And tonight I went out with the people going to my prefecture. We ended up at a small club. Dorm-room small; everything in Tokyo is small. We had fun, made Japanese dancing friends, and played horrible games of darts.
I helped Liz, the token hot British girl, to walk home, as I was the token non-drinker. She was quite drunk, and wearing high heals, making her tallness near my impressive stature. I commented that she was a giant, blonde goddess to these people as I gently guided her with her arm around my neck.
She replied, "We Brits are special you know. We put a u in color!"

Memories

All sentimental due to leaving.
Click to zoom in on the hilarity.

This is Kit and me penguin-fighting (as you can see, the rules are pretty crazy)

I may be skinny, but I gotz mad jumping skills even when a belt is around my knees. Rachel proclaimed me to have the best fighting style.



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So, it seems I learned how to intrigue you all with the last post...

Ouch

She drew blood tonight.

Soon to be a millionaire (in yen)

I'm working on the final comic. Really I am. I'm just a little distracted by life and the sexy new laptop and ipod I now own (yeah, that's about all my money for the summer used in one purchase).
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an ammendum to the last post: We discussed the fact that niether of us are very human. Readers of the comic will recall that I am half-vampire. >:-[ ] rar. She's a full blooded one.
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Spontanious guess that song:

And I thank you for bringing me here
For showing me home
For singing these tears
Finally I\’ve found that I belong here

"I hate guys, actually," She said with disgust in her voice and a distant look in her eyes.
"Does that include me?" I incredulously inquired.
Her attention came back to me lightly. "No... You're..."
"Not like other guys?"
"Yeah, I guess that's it. You're nice. Stop messing with your hair; it's turning me on."
I smiled in my bashful manner, and for once didn't feel like my grin was betraying me.

I'll tell you why I'll die alone

'cause my standards are too bloody high.


She had man hands I tell you!
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I got an ipod mini tonight. sexy.
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anyhoo, in case you're curious, here's a list of all the random phrases that pop up on the top of the page there:

The online exploits of a young man with an old soul

You can’t get this melancholy for free

Angst ridden? Yeah, we got that.

A beautiful, if troubled, world view

Sorry? I couldn’t hear you over all my reminiscing

Lets have a piety contest

Dispensing beautiful sadness since I was born

A place where I lay my defenses bare, or defended my barriers, or fend of bears with fences.

Just cause its sad doesn’t mean its not wonderful

“And if a ten ton truck crushed the both of us, to die by your side is the perfect way to die” –the Smiths

“You are beautiful” –Rachel

Being the entertaining capers of a boy lost in sentimentalism

“What is buried will grow brighter in the spring, humbler yes, but stronger too. We suffer in order to grow.” –Rachel

Exploits of the sad boy.

"Look no further, it's in our hands..." –Bjork

“Through the rainstorm came sanctuary.” –Seal

“I can’t stop loving you.” –Ray Charles

“O Thou the Compassionate God! Bestow upon me a heart, which like unto a glass, may be illumined with the light of Thy love...” –‘Abdu’l-Bahá

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't." –Shakespeare

"O! she doth teach the torches to burn bright" –Shakespeare

"My love's more richer than my tongue"–Shakespeare

Pensive stares and furrowed brows are all the rage these days

It’s the jokes I intentionally leave out that are the funniest.

Brooding and aplomb in the same package

I'll take your lack of comments as stunned silence

Collect them all!

My life in pictures: The early years

I can't remember why I had two black eyes, or why I was in a bathtub with my sister, but I receive regular fanmail from NAMBLA/sadism/incest fetishists to this day.

My awkward teen years, when I had a bad hair style and a dog growing from my butt. I had the dog lanced.

My first summer job, as a pool boy. A great way to pick up chicks! Look at those rock-hard abs. I know you're jealous.

Proof that even I was cute at one point.

My brief experiment with the punk look... As you can see, I misunderstood the concept.

Ah, my first love. It was a very rough break up-- she trampled me and crushed three of my ribs.

and then you got married

so, here's the game Mara and I came up with at work. I became "you," Mara became "her," and anyone else that came into the store for an extended period became some other pronoun such as "them", "who" or "they".
The second detail is that we had to speak in the third person, almost in caveman speak for it to work.
At some point I decided to propose to Mara, so this is what I got down on my knee and said, "You cannot imaging life without her! If her would do you the honor of marrying you, you would be overjoyed. Will her marry you?"
Mara accepted and we had lots more fun playing this game for about eight hours.

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We celebrated the founding of our country by blowing up the cardboard head from the last post.

fun with giant cardboard heads

This is what we do at work...

Click to zoom


Mara


Kat


Me
I'm pretty sure this what the boss meant by "get rid of those displays." I can't wait to see the security tapes.