It's October 31, 1991 here in Ohtawara-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan. Halloween. But you'd never know it. That 'holiday' hasn't made its way over here yet - despite the onslaught of foreigners purporting to teach English.
I'm a junior high school assistant English teacher (AET) on the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Programme for the past 15 months here.
Clickey-clicket-clickety-clack...
The rollercoaster still climbs higher and higher.
I've been having issues in my own head about my place in society here. I want to fit in, but I know I can never really do that, despite the best efforts of the local populace. I'm just not Japanese.
But, what is more troubling is my relationship with my ex-girlfriend Ashley... whom I am still stuck on. Still sleeping together every once in a while doesn't help my confusion, but come on! It's just sex with a woman I like and trust... what's wrong with that if it makes us both feel good.
School is at Kaneda Minami Chu Gakko (Kaneda South Junior High School) is the same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. But, it's enjoyable.
I teach three classes with a Japanese teacher of English, chat a lot with the students and teachers and, looking back fondly, I had a good time.
I leave the school early, telling them that I am feeling exhausted... something I feel all of the time lately.
After arriving home, I ride my bicycle over to the local grocery stores, Iseya and then to Kanseki, to buy some spider spray for Ashley.No one hates spiders as much as I do. Sorry, but I just don't care for them. I don't care if they eat insects. And... it's true... I don't see a lot of flying insects in Japan... so either the spiders are getting their fill and doing a great job of protecting me from insect bites... or they are eating something else... and that's what worries me.
I ride over to her small four room apartment in Nishinasuno-machi (Nishinasuno Town) to the northwest to drop off the spray. She arrives as I do (something we used to do all the time when we had sex - how many weeks has it been?), and I figured she would just say 'hi' and head inside alone because of her cold... but she surprises me by asking me to stay and keep her company.
We kiss a bit (she's keen on sharing her sickness, apparently), play Scrabble and kiss a lot more (see?).
She seems to think I let her win.
Maybe. But not likely.
I had put down the word 'ten' rather than 'zen' on a double-word score. As such, I got stuck with the "z" at the end of the game, and it was my death.
Who would have guessed that 'zen' would have escaped me? That would be funny, if it wasn't currently true.
While we were playing - and perhaps THIS was why I became distracted - fellow AET Dan McCarthy calls Ashley and invites her to a party this Saturday evening.
Strangely (?) she doesn't even mention to him that I am there or ask if I was invited and she never even asks if I want to go or if I was invited or if I was going. There was no discussion of it after she got off the phone. It's like she was playing Scrabble with Claude Rains (the actor who played the Invisible Man).
Screw you very much. (I actually wrote a word that rhymes with puck, but you know what I mean.)
To show her, or perhaps to show myself, I stop off at the 4C bar near my house. Actually, I ride home and then change into something nice and the walk over to the 4C.
I don't see anyone I know, but that doesn't matter. Someone will come along... and she does. Thirty minutes later I taste her cinnamon lipstick.
I don't sleep with her, but it's nice to feel wanted and not just an after-thought... which is not even what I feel like when I was with Ashley... I felt ignored.
My rollercoaster seems to be reaching the top.... clickety-clickety...
Somewhere afraid of heights,
Andrew Joseph
Today's blog title is by Neil Young and Crazy Horse:
I'm a junior high school assistant English teacher (AET) on the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Programme for the past 15 months here.
Clickey-clicket-clickety-clack...
The rollercoaster still climbs higher and higher.
I've been having issues in my own head about my place in society here. I want to fit in, but I know I can never really do that, despite the best efforts of the local populace. I'm just not Japanese.
But, what is more troubling is my relationship with my ex-girlfriend Ashley... whom I am still stuck on. Still sleeping together every once in a while doesn't help my confusion, but come on! It's just sex with a woman I like and trust... what's wrong with that if it makes us both feel good.
School is at Kaneda Minami Chu Gakko (Kaneda South Junior High School) is the same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. But, it's enjoyable.
I teach three classes with a Japanese teacher of English, chat a lot with the students and teachers and, looking back fondly, I had a good time.
I leave the school early, telling them that I am feeling exhausted... something I feel all of the time lately.
After arriving home, I ride my bicycle over to the local grocery stores, Iseya and then to Kanseki, to buy some spider spray for Ashley.No one hates spiders as much as I do. Sorry, but I just don't care for them. I don't care if they eat insects. And... it's true... I don't see a lot of flying insects in Japan... so either the spiders are getting their fill and doing a great job of protecting me from insect bites... or they are eating something else... and that's what worries me.
I ride over to her small four room apartment in Nishinasuno-machi (Nishinasuno Town) to the northwest to drop off the spray. She arrives as I do (something we used to do all the time when we had sex - how many weeks has it been?), and I figured she would just say 'hi' and head inside alone because of her cold... but she surprises me by asking me to stay and keep her company.
We kiss a bit (she's keen on sharing her sickness, apparently), play Scrabble and kiss a lot more (see?).
She seems to think I let her win.
Maybe. But not likely.
I had put down the word 'ten' rather than 'zen' on a double-word score. As such, I got stuck with the "z" at the end of the game, and it was my death.
Who would have guessed that 'zen' would have escaped me? That would be funny, if it wasn't currently true.
While we were playing - and perhaps THIS was why I became distracted - fellow AET Dan McCarthy calls Ashley and invites her to a party this Saturday evening.
Strangely (?) she doesn't even mention to him that I am there or ask if I was invited and she never even asks if I want to go or if I was invited or if I was going. There was no discussion of it after she got off the phone. It's like she was playing Scrabble with Claude Rains (the actor who played the Invisible Man).
Screw you very much. (I actually wrote a word that rhymes with puck, but you know what I mean.)
To show her, or perhaps to show myself, I stop off at the 4C bar near my house. Actually, I ride home and then change into something nice and the walk over to the 4C.
I don't see anyone I know, but that doesn't matter. Someone will come along... and she does. Thirty minutes later I taste her cinnamon lipstick.
I don't sleep with her, but it's nice to feel wanted and not just an after-thought... which is not even what I feel like when I was with Ashley... I felt ignored.
My rollercoaster seems to be reaching the top.... clickety-clickety...
Somewhere afraid of heights,
Andrew Joseph
Today's blog title is by Neil Young and Crazy Horse:
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