Earthquake madness!
I felt both earthquakes yesterday. The news said the magnitudes were 6.9 and 7.4 (the last larger than the Kobe quake). Luckily, both were out at sea, and by the time the shaking hit land, the magnitudes had dissipated to 5 or less (Shizuoka ken felt a high 3 or low 4). I was eating dinner with Aroop during the first one and the whole restaurant swayed a bit. It was like a train was going by, I guess. But I didn’t know what to expect, so I was spooked pretty bad at first. I didn’t know how quakes worked, and thot what was happening was the pre-tremor for something more disasterous (ie the Tokai quake that will flatten my region sometime in the next two years).
But, the small quakes mean that some of the pressure was released, right? So it will take time for it to build up agian. Here’s hoping.
I’m tying this from my home, now. ADSL has arrived, finally.and I’ll be able to add all the photos I’ve been meaning to. And, since I’m using linux and a permaent connection, I’ll be able to set up my own web server and page. More shameless self promotion in the name of inquistive learning!
I encountered a spider that spanned a 20cm cinder block the other day in my storage shed. No wonder Japan has so many horror films about ginormous insect monsters. They’re real! So, in reaction, I bought bug bomb. A bug bomb is a spray can that you can’t turn off. You start it and close all the windows and doors (and leave your house for a few hours). You then air the space out and look for dead things. Luckily for me, my infestation was a shed and not a living space. I was able to hot box those buggers for a whole weekend, while I played some soccer and sand karaoke.
Today, Hayashi-sensei brought his minivan over to take away my rotting foam sofa and weathered wooden desk. My predacessor couldn’t be bothered to organize that and left me with that junk. However, he did leave me with the best indoor furniture I’ve seen so far. I have the only full sized couch, and some nice looking tables for the TV and eating. So, I’d say a small abount of sadai gomi is worth it.
Classes have started, and that’s why I haven’t been around recently. I’m dancing the shim sham and teaching it as well. It”s unbearably hot when you’re wearing a long sleeved dress shirt, suspenders, and a tie while moving to jazz music in a room that’s 30C and 80% water vapor. But, the students smile (prolly cos they can’t believe someone would do that - and I mean not only in the heat, but just anyway). Some really like it, tho, and they pick it up really fast (ie in 25 mins or less). I’ve almost settled into the pattern of when to plan and when to prepare. Lessons only take a few hours to pound out, and then a few hours on top to make worksheets or a game. Since I’m only teaching half of the time, I will eventually have a lot of free time once I figure out when to do what.
I had my welcome party over the weekend (enkai). About 20 teachers came, and Hayashi-sensi organized it all. He hired half of a sushi restaurant. We had a large tatami room to ourselves, and they broght 1m wood boats filled with sashimi out (at least 4), and longneck Sapporo by the 6-crate, and trad sushi to finish. Hayashi-senseii asked me to perform the Shim sham for the teachers, and I was more than willing to oblige him. Afterward, about a 1/4 of the people (mainly the English department, and Sato-sensei who sits next to me at school) went to another bar. I drank more, and ended up sining a Beatles song. The only English song of the night. It was a good laugh.
And I’ve finally purchased one of my dream machines: a folding bike! It’s so mini, and I look like a circus bear riding the thing. But, when it’s folded, I can take it on the train, and it makes meeting others a lot easier and shopping heaps faster.
Oh, and on a footnote, I didn’t climb Fuji. A typhoon was scheduled to hit the summit at midnight (a few hours befor ethe hikers were set to arrive), and Aroop and I decided to forgo that wet and cold experience. In speaking with some of the hikers at the last pick-up soccer game I went to, I made the good call. Of 20 hikers, 3 made it to the summit, half turned around and stayed in a mountian hut, and the remainder went all the way back and shared taxis home! So, next year it is.