I was listening to Vanilla Ice while my girlfriend crimped my mullet

The best 80's quote ever by John Friday. I think he is the goofiest Canadian I've ever met....probably the goofiest man...person....being of any kind. He always makes me smile in the office. I can see why Nadine loves him so. They act like an old married couple.

That reminds me of one of the sweetest things I've seen in Japan yet. First of all, most of the population in any urban area rely on bikes for transportation. Many elderly folks can be seen with their baskets full of groceries, mom's have kids in their baskets and on their backs, high school kids in their uniforms can ride while holding an umbrella in one hand and sending a text message with the other. They ride tandem, through the leaves, through the cherry blossoms, through the heat and on the ice (which is sooo dangerous!!) I was walking home one night when I saw an elderly couple, they must've been in their 70's. He was riding the bike and she was sitting on the seat with her hands on his hips and legs stretched to the side. I quietly wondered how long they had been together. What they had seen and been through. If their neighbors or family envied their relationship - and the fact that they would never even think of such a self centred point of view. Or if I was just romanticising it and that they really couldn't stand each other anymore. In any case, it was a sweet moment, if not for them then for me.

If I had to guess what the secrets to good health here are, I would say the green tea, the bikes, and the rice. Simple. I've finally started to make more Japanese food on a regular basis. Miso soup is great for winter and you can put so many good green things in it! I just wish someone had told me sooner that you need an ice-cream scoop of miso to make it. I kept using about a tablespoon and wondering why it tasted so awful. Anyhoo. I highly recommend it.

Lots of people are leaving this week to go home for the holidays. Bryan will be here and we've vowed to complete our TEFL course while it's quiet. He has a girlfriend so I'm sure I'll feel like a third wheel most of the time, but that's okay. At least I've got some company. I'm sure we'll venture out to Rough Roll, the local gaijin bar here. I really haven't spent time getting to know other folks in Yamagata besides my co-workers. Honestly, I've just been concentrating on my lesson plans. It's amazing what you can do when you've got the resources to do it!! As the honeymoon comes to an end, I'm sure I'll be a little more social.

The snow flakes are so big today. I swear some of them are as big as Barbie's head. It's time to break out the boots. Okay, here I go.

Sendai Oh My

I went to Sendai for training this past weekend. It was pretty good, though I still want more teaching ideas. Most of the points they made were just common sense, so I'm looking forward to the professional development day in January. The best part about that one is that I'll get to see some friends from Koriyama too! (At least the ones who work for James school). Natasha will be there. She's the first person I truly sat down with over a cuppa joe to talk seriously about James and what they were all about. She's great, though keeps to herself a lot. She's from Canada, was in a French immersion program and speaks both French and English fluently. They are bringing the immersion idea into their approach at James, but I have yet to truly see what that means. On paper it sounds great. But these folks are only with us for an hour a week. Not eight hours everyday. So anyway we'll see how it goes. Both Melissa's will be there. Canadian Melissa is Susan's daughter (Susan is a big wig at James). They are both amazing folks--and quite the partiers. Melbourne Melissa is still sort of new to Japan. She bonded with Pete the way I did and probably misses him dearly. They lived in the same building. Bryan will also probably be there. He and I haven't had a chance to really get to know one another, but he's always been a lot of fun at God's bar. So anyway, I'll see those guys January 8th, back in Sendai.

It was nice to finally see Sendai, and they just opened a MAC store! I don't know why that's exciting to me, I won't be buying anything. I guess I just think it's cool. I suppose one could compare and say it's like opening the first McDonalds somewhere. I don't know why I think that's a negative step and Mac is a positive one. I guess I just think Mac is better for your health.

It's going to be a busy month, though the holidays will be quiet. I'm not really going anywhere special. Both Brian and I will be around, but everyone else is leaving. I'd love to go to see friends in Kori. I know the Melissa's are having a dinner and have invited me, but it's a lot of cash to get there. I just can't justify it right now. So, instead of spending money I don't have, I decided to stick around, work some overtime and make some money I need. If anything, I'm thinking I can use that money to go see the snow festival in Sapporo in February. I wanted to do that last year, but it just didn't work out. Maybe I can make it happen this year! Besides, the Kori folks claim to be pretty serious snowboarders, so we'll see how many of them come and take the Zao challenge! (I actually think it's probably not so much difficult as it is enjoyable). And if *that* doesn't tempt them, there is always the outdoor natural onsen (hotspring) at the bottom of the mountain. What a great way to end the day.

Not much else is new. I'll spend most of the holiday getting my TOEFL certificate done and starting to concentrate more seriously on Japanese. I want to at least learn one of the alphabets. With just a little effort and concentration I think my subconscious is ready to break the code and make sense of the symbols around me.

That's it for now. Ciao.