tovid was dugg.

Two big news items today:

(1) Switch and bait

• Turns out the wheels of time move faster for some, and slower for others. I got the short end. Had to pick my candidate departure days today, but the powers that be won’t fill me in until two weeks before. Look for me in Denver round the 2nd weekend of August.

(2) Bait and switch

• I’m not getting married. (For those of you not in my email address book, read on and forget about asking all of those questions that were just begged in the last sentence.) No, instead I’ve released/opened the web page for the tea documentary. Take a look!

Ah! The annual Yaizu Sapporo Brewery festival - cheap flowing beer of lager, ale, and porter kind. The weather was pretty dodgy in the morning, but by the afternoon, when I went, things had cleared up. The ground was still a bit wet, but there were plastic mats to keep the sitting spot dry. mmMMMMmmmmmm…. good beer

And now I’ve officially entered my last two months. I don’t know who will come after me (that prolly won’t happen for another 4-5 weeks), but things are nearly ready. All of the explanation about how to live in Yaizu and teach at Suisan is written and finished. I just need to assemble the book of notes and instructions.

After that, it’s getting myself in order. I don’t really know what’s happening come the end of my contract. I have the option of staying up to another 4 weeks (so long as I have a place to live) before returning to the US. Once there, things are still in the air. I’d like to visit the friends who have managed to scatter themselves nearly equally around the nation. The September trip to Tibet looks like it’s been tabled and exchanged for Italy, but details remain as forthcoming as the NSA.

Put my last Japanese test in the post today. No more book lessons! (that’s all)

Day 1 of shooting (the Yaizu Suisan introduction video) began today, bright and early at 6:30am: the ship やいづ returned to port because it couldn’t hold any more fish. Only a few days out and it finds a _few_ different schools of fish and fills its holds. I went down to the port to capture the dock-side fish auctions, fish unloading, and general goings on.

The breakfast, though, was fantastic: fresh //fresh// sashimi in the boat’s mess hall. Completely delicious and entirely unexpected. ヨーシ!

Well, the last stretch is finally coming into view: the midterm exams are over, and it’s straight lessons until finals in the first week of July. I’ve got only a few more lessons to plan, and a few more things to work out before leaving. But, I won’t really be able to sit back and relax for these last weeks even though I’m finished with most of the pass-the-torch things: my school has asked me to make a new introduction video for them. Prospective students watch high school videos to choose which schools they want to apply to, I guess. I made the storyboard this weekend, and shooting will start pretty much immediately after everything is agreed upon.

This weekend was the Yaizu baseball derby: my school versus the other high school in town. This year we won, and our first pitch was a homerun (just to send the right message, heh). The final score was 4 - 2, and it was quite exciting. Last year’s was a pitcher’s duel, but this year there were quite a few hits and some good fielding.

I want my friend back. The plane that brought him back for 10 days showed me just how much I need a confidante in my life. My computer is no match, plus she’s a cold mistress. A recent apt-get dist-upgrade brought about a half-day of teeth gnashing - silly imcompatible libraries. However, I’ve got KDE 3.5.2 now and I can use amaroK finally. Still, the posture is awful and the mind troubled. Nothing beats RGTs in the onsen.

I just finished reading a great essay, and the closing matches the pithy common sense throughout:

N Stephenson…
What would the engineer say, after you had explained your problem, and enumerated all of the dissatisfactions in your life? He would probably tell you that life is a very hard and complicated thing; that no interface can change that; that anyone who believes otherwise is a sucker; and that if you don’t like having choices made for you, you should start making your own.

Time for me to stop listing things and choose, I think.

The last extended holiday is finished, and it was pretty good! I spent two days with a family in Hamamatsu, and saw the annual kite-jousting festival. Also toured a sake brewery the family owns and runs - very good quality, the stuff from the Tenjinguro distillery. There are photos, so I’m not going to go into extended description of what I saw or did.

The Yamashitas are very very friendly! Two grandparents caring for two grandchildren (whose mother died when they were young and whose father comes in and out like 80’s fashion). One thing I’ve learned in Japan: there are two classes of people who can break the unspoken cultural rules: old folk and foreigners. Put the two together, and you have an unstoppable duo (like fire and lightning). Mr. Yamashita and I owned every place we walked into. Commanded excellent service and free stuff.

It was high living for two days. Plus, the grandkids are super friendly and not too kid like. Japanese kids are well behaved _outside_ of the classroom. Turned out that Mr. Yamashita started somputing as soon as it came to Japan, and now his interest has been piqued in things open source (he still programs in BASIC, and owns the first NEC model). But he loves unix and is excited that there’s an accessible alternative.

After those two days, I met up with Aropp, Kjell, and Nathan for three days in the mountains of Gifu. We went to Takayama and Shirakawako, places known for their rustic mountain houses. Heavy snows spawned the steep A-frame houses, and the flora pointed to thatched rooves. We slept in a modern ryokan the first night, and in a thatched-roof cottage the second, sharing the meals with everyone staying there. Found a funny bus ‘feature’ worth a shot….

It was really nice to be in the mountains again. I forget how comfortable I feel surrounded by forrest and hills.

Only now there aren’t any more holidays till I leave (pretty much). Straight work until the 20th of July. Time will fly, I think.

This cheered me up. Maybe it’ll make you chuckle, too. WHHHEEEEEEeeeeee!!!!!!

This weekend was another kind of flower viewing party - wisteria, or fuji. I joined a mixed group of ALTs and Japanese folk for some nice snacking and talking under the very aromatic fuji boughs. Some bread from the German bakery topped with camembert cheese made for a splendidly relaxing afternoon. There are few photos to see as well.

Afterward, I went to the Spring Brain Monkey for its closing night party. After nearly getting into a fight with a drunk Aussie (I couldn’t understand what he was saying, so appareently I had the wrong answer to one of his questions, or he couldn’t follow me), I enjoyed the last white russian at the fine establishment.

Finally, the flowers Brent and I planted last October are growing rather well. The tulips have since lost their petals, but the pink hybrids are still as beautiful as ever.