Alright, well, I'm back from the conference. I'll tell you more about it on Tuesday as I'll be at the Kencho and will need something to do. So I'll save it for then. Just know that it went better than I thought it would, but that is what you get when you expect the worst.....sometimes. Guys I stayed with were some of the older lot so ours was not the party room. Although we did go to the other rooms to have a few beers and talk and carry on, but it was damn nice to have our room to escape to when we needed to. My bedtime ended up being about midnight so I was not feeling nearly as bad the next day as some of my contemporaries. But like I said, I'll get into this all later.

I have found out that some of my fellow JETs have been reading this thing and are wondering if and when I'm going to mention their names. I had originally thought this would not be a good idea as if I did have anything less than flattering to say about them, I could at least keep them anonymous. But in truth, most all of them are quite nice people and besides the odd event, I really have nothing negative to say about any of them. So I will now attempt to tell you about a few of the more key figures that make up life in Japan. Keep in mind these are all foreigners.

Amy--most of you know her. She is my girlfriend. She's from California (for the most part) and makes life a little more enjoyable for me. I won't really elaborate here because most of you do know her, and I really don't wish to discuss my relationship with the likes of you. Also, the prettiest girl I've ever laid eyes on (c'mon, she's does read this, you know?).

Ben--He's my neighbor. His door is a two step walk from mine. He's from England is in his early twenties. As a CIR (coordinator of international relations) he works in Kofu's International Center setting up certain events and stuff. He's really a nice guy, likes to drink a few, has good taste in music, and is an excellent partner to sing "Ruby Tuesday" with at kareoke.

Dilek--She also lives in my building and is a CIR. CIRs must be able to speak Japanese and I have called on her talents a few times when need be in this area. She's also in her early twenties and is from Iowa. She's a great gal and I can see her becoming one of the JETs that I become closest to. In fact, she's kinda like a little sister (I always wanted one of those). Sometimes I worry about her as I think she takes little things a bit personally at times but we talk about them and she gets through. Probably just needs to vent every once in a while. Truly, I like her and hope that she stays in Japan as long as I do. Very cute too.

Robin--She's the PA (prefectural advisor) and is really nice and helpful. She's in her mid-twenties and is from Texas. She and her boyfriend/fiance (Gary) live together in my building. They came here together and will probably be leaving next summer as that will end their third year here. Robin has helped me figure a few things out and is good to talk to. She and Dilek work at the Kencho so when I am there from time to time, I call on them to go to lunch. Gary is a great guy and is interested in literature (he's thinking grad school) and likes Hemingway. Amy also likes this couple very much and the four of us have been out a couple times to eat and shop and watch soccer.

Michelle--I met this gal through Dilek. She's from New Zealand and is in her early twenties. She lives down in Fujiyoshida and Amy and I stayed at her place one night when all the JETs had a party down there at that "American Pub." Michelle is really cool and has a good sense of humor. She and I like to pick on each other so you can imagine that we must get along quite well. I'm not sure she knows it yet but I plan to visit her in New Zealand when this Japan thing is over. Hopefully she'll invite us (hint hint) to stay at her place. Funny that New Zealand is really not a country I much thought about before, but thanks to her and a couple others, it is fast moving up the list of places to see before I decide to call it a life.

James--This guy is just damn cool in my opinion. He is from Boston and is in his early twenties. He has an odd sense of humor, which is why I like him, and is fast becoming one of my drinking buddies. He is half Japanese and lives down near Minobu where he teaches at a high school. He has pretty good taste in music and is a big Red Sox fan.

Garreth--Also fast becoming a drinking buddy. He's from England and I really don't know too much about him, but he is very friendly and we laugh a lot. He likes his rugby and is a big time England fan. In fact, tomorrow night we will be going down to the sports bar to watch the England/someone else game. I met both him and James through Ben really as they come over to his place, knock on my door to invite me over, and then the four of us litter the room with beer cans. This is not something I like to do all the time but when it does happen we have a lot of fun.

Ok, that's all for now. Those are the major players in my life right now. They sometimes make me feel like an old guy, but I think I keep up with them pretty well. There are many others who have lesser roles (to me) and I may list them out at some point too. Lots of nice people over here, all doing what we had been thinking about for a long time. I like some better than others, but I respect all of them as they took a chance and packed up to head off to a strange land where most of us are illiterate and lost a lot of the time.