Yesterday I made a dish I haven't made since I lived in the States. It's this pasta thing I make with spiral noodles, mixed veggies, chicken, garlic, Italian dressing, and Balsamic vinegar. I'm not sure why I didn't try to make it before but I guess I assumed that I wouldn't be able to find all the ingredients. But yesterday at the store I came across the noodles and that put the idea into my head. So I went on a hunt throughout the store for the rest of the stuff. I figured the veggies would be hard to find and I did have to get something slightly different from what I used to get in America but it worked well. I even found the lima beans that I love so much. I already had Balsamic vinegar at home and then found a jar of garlic paste. Chicken was easy to find too. But the Italian dressing proved a little more difficult. I went to the section where they have all the salad dressings but, of course, everything was in Japanese. So I picked up each bottle, shook it and picked the one that most looked like Italian dressing.
First thing I did when I got home was to pull that sucker out, take the cap off, dab a little on my finger and taste it, and YEE HAW, it was Italian dressing. So last night I made my specialty. And it was good!
This dish is my friend, Gaylyn's, favorite. Amy likes it ok, but it ain't her thing so I made it for myself and only myself. And I made enough so that I can eat it again tonight. Goes good with red wine too, so I got some of that.
It's the little things in life that make it all fun, you know?

Kencho day today so I got caught up with a few things: bills, emails, studied a little Japanese, etc. I'll be here again Friday so I need to leave myself a few other things to do. And then soon, after the wedding (NO! not mine! for those of you who haven't been paying attention), I will have many days here at the lovely Kencho.
This week and last I have been saying "goodbye" to many students and teachers for the summer. As of now I don't go back to Minobusan, Shizen Gakuen, Tokai, or Yamanashi Gakuen until either late August or early September, depending on the school. Tomorrow is my last day at the academy until August and next Tuesday I go to Sundai for the last time until September. Yuda I am done with except that next Wednesday Yazaki asked me to come so that I can meet and talk with some American girl they will be getting as an exchange student. I know nothing more of her than that. Why I need to come to speak to a native English speaker, I don't know, but it gets me out of the Kencho for a day, so I ain't complainin'.
Anyway, all this is happening a bit earlier than I thought it would but I think the reason for it is because they have testing for the next week or two and then start the summer break. I know that summer break is really only about three weeks and begins closer to the end of July so I am a little surprised to be ending my job a bit early. But really it is all working out for the best as I am leaving in 9 days anyway. I thought Rigel's wedding would slightly screw me in terms of the summer break but as it turns out it's been placed in time quite nicely.

It is getting very hot here. Hot and humid and my ass is always sweating when I sit. Sorry to be graphic but it's the truth. If I lean back in my chair, my back sweats. If I bend my knees, I sweat where the skin touches skin. If I so much as walk around or ride my bike anywhere, I sweat. I was going to start exercising again but this weather is giving me a nice excuse not to. Of course, it's no excuse, I'm just a lazy mofo and being out of shape is making it hard to get back into shape. What's that physics quote? "A body in motion tends to stay in motion. A body at rest tends to stay at rest." I think that's it. And it works for people, too, in regards to exercising. I don't have a beer gut or anything, but I sure as hell couldn't run a 5k right now any faster than a three-legged cat. Pathetic, I tell you.
Ok, enough of all that.

Amy and I went out with Tomoko and Yuki, yet again, for another night of drinking and singing. I think I've now been to kareoke about 8 times or so. And if you had told me a year ago that that would be the case I would have laughed at you. But it's true...it's fun.
It was Yuki's b-day so we celebrated with songs of yore. Or I did anyway. Nothing like old rock and roll. I can't sing the new pop tunes as I don't know them. And I sure as hell can't sing the Japanese tunes because not only do I not speak the language, I can't read the screen telling me the words. It looks like a small miracle to me when Yuki and Tomoko sing along while reading words on the monitor in hiragana, katakana and kanji. I can make out the hiragana and some of the katakana but not nearly at the speed needed to sing along.
Anyway, after that Amy headed home and the two gals and I headed to a small bar. It was a cool little place with lots of alcohol I haven't seen in a long while. There were only eight seats in the place and they were all around the bar so it was very intimate. The bartender was a nice guy and I was able to make my drink orders understood so I had a shochu to start with and then a Corona with lime (been a while since I've had one of those) and then a martini. We were in there about four hours during which time we talked and laughed and listened to the music on the rather large tv/stereo he had in there. First it was a concert of some Japanese band that was pretty good. Then he played Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" dvd. Good stuff.
About the time we were getting ready to leave the bartender asked Tomoko to ask me what the stickers he had on the small fridge meant (they were in English). So we stuck around a while longer while I explained what "Porn Star" and "420" meant. That was fun to do and after I finished and Tomoko translated the guy looked at his stickers and then at us and said, in Japanese, "Hmmm...perhaps I don't have really nice things up there."

Ok, that's all for now. I might write once more before I leave for the Caribbean, but don't hold me to it.