March 1st through 23th in 2016

Editor’s note: This entry was begun and abandoned incomplete several times, so the tenses change a lot, and very weirdly. Please overlook.
Well, the day was as dull as anticipated. The first, that is. I started to feel like crap around the end of the day, but, it was the end of the day, so I dealt with it. I made it through until 4:30, then went off to Plasse. I picked up some more ingredients for dinner. However, as I hadn’t eaten lunch, I splurged on snacks I shouldn’t have. So, diet resumes in earnest today. Hopefully, also, a bit of exercise. Anyway, I still love my George Foreman. Man I wish I could get paid to plug that thing. It’s just the best.
So, dinner happened and then I . . . just wasted a ton of time. I don’t feel great even now (the second) so I didn’t want to go out and do anything because I don’t want to push myself too hard. I did . . . just nothing. I’m going stir crazy. I’ve still got sick brain, plus lack of sleep, so nothing is working. I think that’s one reason I eat so much when I’m sick: it’s the only stimulation I can handle.
Being sick yesterday was especially unfortunate as I had to miss the after party for the tea class. I didn’t like that. Blargh. I hate being bored and isolated and having nothing to do. I can’t focus to watch things. I wish I had some show to binge on, but nothing sounds appealing.
Last night, I found myself unable to sleep, and a lot of it was just my mind racing. The less I do, the more I freak out about how little I’ve done. I started to get super anxious about things that I’ve been calm about for weeks now. So, that’s upsetting.
My throat is phlegmy and gross. I just feel . . . awful. Maybe I shouldn’t have discontinued medicine so soon. I suspect that a lot of it, though, is sleeping in my bedroom with the heater (and all the dust) combined with how little sleeping I’m doing. And not in a fun way.
I met a Turkish girl on Tinder who seems to be pretty cool. That’s exciting. We had a lot in common and a lot to say. We’re now FB friends. Let’s see how that goes. She says she’s not looking for a relationship, which can mean several things. Let’s try to stay optimistic. In other Tinder related news, I think that my current bearded, floppy hatted, pictures is doing little to endear me to the fairer sex. I’d put up a new photo, but the only decent ones I have are of me in a kimono, and I don’t want to go full weeaboo.
The remainder of the second was as dull as the day promised to be. Nothing of interest happened. No classes. I started to feel like death around 3 PM, but, by that point, it was almost over anyway. I have no particular memories of the rest of the third. Presumably nothing of interest happened.
March 4th was my last day at Shiraogawa. Goodbye to the amazing Pompadour vice principal. Goodbye to a bunch of kids I like. Well, it’s not really goodbye. I’ll see them in big classes where they get no special focus or time. So sad. Well, that was the end of an uneventful Friday. After that, I probably had Tea ceremony. I think I did anyway.
Saturday the 5th I didn’t have guitar because I’d canceled the lesson due to having still been sick most of the previous week. Pathfinder went well. I developed my character a bit in ways I’d aimed to, and I’m taking more charge without being the face, which is a longstanding goal. Well, I mean, not taking charge. I wanted to be a more passive character. However, I did want to speed things up and to avoid being a face. I have no recollection of much of what happened beyond that. I believe that I got dinner at Rara. As I was walking down the stairs, a lady started talking to me. She thought I was a waiter because she’d just driven up for carryout and I’m foreign. I was amused. So, the next time I’ve got somebody using that kind of thing as a “check your privilege” tirade, I can say, in all honesty, that I was mistaken for a menial based on my race, and I was thoroughly entertained by it.
Sunday was the closing ceremony for Shiraogawa. It was tragic, of course. They all are. It’s frustrating how sad they all are. 136 years of history. Gone. Just gone. The weather was grey and bad, it was raining in the morning, but it cleared up. The lunch was a massive buffet, which was delicious. Sam didn’t come, and I think they’re a bit annoyed with him about it. He’s just so darned antisocial, though.
Beyond that, I have no memory of Sunday. I was very sad after the closing of Shiraogawa. I also forgot my camera, so I need to go back and take pictures. Probably . . . no idea when.
Monday the 7th was Eshin. Surprisingly, it was good. I’m starting to really appreciate that school. I think the kids are just finally getting used to me, which is a big accomplishment. I didn’t teach with Okadome Sensei, which is sad. When I was sick, his wife and daughter brought me cake after I’d had to turn down an invite to a party. However, I found out that the cute 5th grade teacher is 30. So, that’s something that’s theoretically nice but for all intents and purposes useless. After that, was Eikaiwa, which was fun. I didn’t exercise, but I was way over steps, and that was good.
Tuesday the 8th I taught at one of Sam’s schools. It’s likely the only time I’ll teach there. I got to give the kids a short magic show. Sometimes I feel guilty about always upstaging Sam. It was super fun. Music with them in the morning (which was mostly talking about me and then a rock paper scissors game). Then gym with the kids. Then English (twice) and recess. Then cleaning and a return to the BOE. Can’t remember having done anything of interest on Tuesday, so it probably didn’t happen. I did a bunch of cleaning one of those days. Oh! On Sunday, I had to clean out (reshuffle) my car because I thought Kazumi needed a ride. Turns out she didn’t. Oh well.
Wednesday was at Kukino for the last class. I got a beautiful souvenir photoset of us. Man I looked a lot younger a few months ago. I took tons of pictures and felt drained and sad. Then I went home. I almost skipped Eikaiwa, but I didn’t. I realized that I didn’t have anything else I was actually going to accomplish, so I may as well. I enjoyed it when I got there (as I always do). Then I came home and went to bed.
Thursday promised to suck, but turned out so so so far. I was supposed to teach with Inori, who didn’t need me. Instead, Ebihara actually asked for me! This is not a thing that happens. So, that was fun. There was a lot of grading to do, which is unfortunate because I wanted to have a freer day than I normally want. Lunch was large, delicious, and caloric, and I wanted more time to walk it off. Either the 4th or the 10th (I believe the 10th) I injured my knee sitting seiza too long at tea ceremony. I believe it would make sense if it were the 10th because I know that I went to a doctor soon after for examination, and the 10th is a Thursday. The doctor said that my knees hurt because I’m too fat. That was lovely.
Friday the eleventh I have no memory of (writing this, as I am, on the 23rd). I walked a lot, which bodes well for my mood, generally.
The twelfth was a busy day. I got up, had Pathfinder, then had guitar. Then I went to Kagoshima to meet a Turkish girl I’d met over tinder and to whom I’d been speaking a lot. I wanted to find wheat beer somewhere, and I wanted to get Mexican food. Well, there was time for Mexican food. Disappointing, to be sure. I also believe that Wednesday the 8th (or the 15th) I ended up getting wheat beer from the Wednesday Eikaiwa president. Then I went home. Disappointingly enough, I didn’t finish the letters I’d scheduled to write to Lindsey and Lauren (still haven’t as of the 23rd)
The thirteenth was Tomarino’s closing ceremony, which was very sad, very cold, and very long. It was also incredibly draining and sad. My records show I only walked 5,420 steps that day, and that I took a long nap upon getting home. It was incredibly sad, but I was uncomfortable (it must have been the 10th when I hurt my knee) and it was frigid. Pouring rain, gray, and just SAD. The whole area was on the up and up for decades, when suddenly, about when I was born, the population fell off a cliff. I’m wondering if it had anything to do with the train line closing? Who can say? They even did a little speech or play about the town that dealt with the legend that it was founded by a god who, while trying to climb over Mr. Shibi, got tired and stopped half way up the mountain, founding a town there.
The Fourteenth I went with Sam to Shibi elementary. It was fun, but, also sad. It’s another school that’s closing. I have a favorite student there (I believe that I’ve been three times) but I hurt her feelings somehow or other, which is sad. She wouldn’t even acknowledge me when I saw her on the 19th.
Tuesday was the graduation ceremony for Miyanojo. It was dull, but I sat through it. At the end, I needed a nap and I took a half day nenkyuu and took my nap. It was a sad, dull, day.
I have no memory of the sixteenth through eighteenth. Nothing of import evidently happened. School is, essentially, out. The third year students are gone, and many of the teachers are transferring. We’re just counting down the clock. I’ve taken to walking a lot during the down time, hence no PB. My writing time is now taken up by walking.
Saturday the 19th I got up early. Not by choice. I just couldn’t really sleep. However, Pathfinder was canceled, which ruined everything. I had a kimono class after. That was fun, but, I found out at Kimono class that the $80 hakama I’d just bought were the wrong style for tea ceremony (the reason I’d bought them was to wear them to tea ceremony). That was . . . fun news. Then I had a guitar lesson. It went better. My lesson on the 12th had been a disaster. Weeks of being sick/down/busy had kind of killed everything, and the stress level made it worse. Thankfully Take Sensei is a saint. After that, I did a bunch of shopping at Plasse and got myself some compression wear. Actually, I’d gotten some at the local Plasse on Thursday, but I got better stuff in Satsuma Sendai that time. Then, back home.
Sunday was a double header: The closing ceremony of Kukino and Shibi. We didn’t get fed until 3ish, and I ended up eating and drinking too much. I believe that it undid a week of super dieting. Because that’s how my body works.
Monday was a holiday. I went with the Eikaiwa (Monday class) plus Sam and Kazumi’s daughter and said daughter’s friend, to the Shiroyama hotel. It’s a beautiful place, high up, overlooking the bay with Sakurajima in the distance. Just beautiful. The beer, which was why I’d most wanted to go, was quite good. The food was also delicious, and what work hadn’t been undone on Sunday was undone on Monday. As for Kazumi’s daughter and the friend . . . more on them later.
Tuesday the 22nd’s most exciting event was me grading papers. Then I got the big news: I’d known that Matsumoto Sensei would probably leave. I got confirmation of that. But, now, I found out another teacher I like is leaving, AND Principal, a man whom I adore. So, that’s disheartening. I was really down on account of that. Still, I was feeling some power. I was feeling pretty good. Tried to find coconut water (good post workout), but couldn’t. Did find lemon juice. Bought a bottle of booze for the Principal. Sad I’ll never get to share it with him.
Wednesday the 23rd has been incredibly dull. The greatest event of note was me surpassing 100K words on this document. Yay. I found out that I can’t get time off to go and study in Fukuoka if I also want to go home for the summer. That was . . . fun. It’s raining and coldish. I’ve had nothing to do today. An hour and fifteen minutes to go, then, back home. Cook quickly, then Eikaiwa. I need to do laundry desperately. My apartment is a mess.
And I’m turning thirty in three weeks.
Fuck all this.