Rakugo and Uno!

Today was a fun day! I had some time early in the day to start a book Jon had left at school about how to understand the inferences and subtleties of language, which will be beneficial to help explain meanings behind things in english later on this year. I'm about halfway in, and while it's obviously a scholarly text, it's still pretty interesting to understand why we say what we do. :-P

I then did my rakugo-reading for kasuga's class. And of course, he gave me a fan to use (because you use a fan to help demonstrate things in rakugo), but the hardest part, was that I had to sit on a pillow in the dreaded seiza position. Which is where you kneel, then sit back on your haunches. which is rough when you're anyone (the japanese sometimes use it as punishment), but particularly rough when you're a big guy haha. I did get to kneel on a pillow (in traditional rakugo fashion) and tell the story. I was thinking "well, this is uncomfortable" but just told the story. Then Kasuga has me repeat it again, and while i was talking with him in-between, i got up on my knees, and was thinking 'wow, i haven't sat in the seiza that long ever'. But then I did the story again. The punchline kinda went over the kids heads, but then i finished up, got up, and realized just how much that position hurt!!
My legs were sore the rest of the day! Ouch!

My next class was with Omori-sensei, and after doing some work with the students, I played Uno with them, using colors and numbers (this was a remedial class). Then I had some time off in the afternoon due to some scheduling conflict.

the 3rd years when to their choir presentation today, so I ate with the teachers / principle that don't have their own homerooms. Today's lunch was...a bit different. I resigned myself long ago to not think about what I'm eating, but rather to just enjoy the taste. today we had dried mini-fish (minnows?), bits of potatoes, and some crunch bean thing with lots of green spice on it (along with salad and a good soup). but it was weird because the fish were whole. i distinctly remember holding my chopstick with a little fish-head on it, the dead eye staring into my soul. the crunchy flavor of it's kin resounding in my mouth.

I went to pick up cheap sushi from the convienance store, but I guess i keep going there too late, as they didn't have what I wanted (i don't wanna pay 6.50 for the shashimi, even though it's great!). so i bought more coffee, and came home.

I made some garlic salmon for dinner, super delicious.

yesterday I bought 2 peachers for $3. I've just given up thinking about how expensive japanese food is. It's no good to worry about it. But lemme tell you, these peaches. Best I've ever had. Bar none. You just don't do fruit this good in america. Man oh man.