sweet road

sweet road
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

What do you say under a picture like that? Sorry?
how bout change the subject... Ok, I got a library card this saturday and took out my first taste of Japanese literature. One of the books is about an elephant who gets lost and some monkeys help him find mommy, and another is about a bulb that grows into a flower. I also picked up a couple barbapoppa books. I havent read them all yet, but Ive looked at the pictures.

giddy up

halloween
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

There are times when the ipod seems to have eyes and picks a random song that is so perfect for whats happening all around me. Last night I was walking towards the train station, lit up neon weaving my way through black suits, and bicycles when "the big gundown" by Ennio Morricone came on. I was feeling a bit silly for still being dressed like a cowboy, but the soundtrack made me think weeee haaaa...

hmmm

whoa, lordy
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

shopping list lost in translation

Hidemi and I have been taking turns cooking for eachother. She made soba with octopus tempura last time so I whipped up some bean tacos last night. The lime I bought turned out to be some funky Japanese fruit, the spinach was this weird waxy leafy green, and the green onions were garlic shoots. It was way garlicky, but good. Asian/Mexican fusion I guess.
I mentioned something a friend said about the presidential election coming up, like "people are all freaking out about the US election process, nobody believes in it anymore..." and she looked totally puzzled, then laughed like crazy and reminded me of how the Japanese cant really distinguish r's and l's.

Soapbox

profile
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

One week and the earth will either breathe a sigh of relief, or go bonkers. Does anyone out there still believe in the "election process" anymore?
That its a "close race" is hard to believe, and our "only hope" is a chump like Kerry is so depressing... I hope people go nuts if Bush "wins" again.
Really, its a better cause to flip cars and burn stuff than your team losing the "big game". UGH.

obake

obake
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

There were a total of no less than 242 earthquakes this saturday in Japan. The main one was a duesy too-6.3. Luckily it was about 200 miles from the Tokyo area. Quakes are getting pretty passe really...
I had a great weekend with Hidemi. We spent most of it lazing around. She taught me how to write the Kanji for her name. We walked around Kawasaki and people watched. If you have some kind of inner fashion freak trying to get out, move here and go nuts. Its not unusual anymore to be in a corner market and have somebody in a huge stuffed animal costume next to you. Anything goes here and people put the weirdest shit together. Vintage Jordans, ruffled shirt, stonewashed jeans, and aviator glasses- and somehow it works...
I filled out my absentee ballot and mailed it off today. Even though I feel the US vote is so rigged and hopeless it still made me feel better. Im not coming back till the Bush dynasty is over.

aftermath

tihu
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

The streets are littered with lots of umbrellas after last nights typhoon. The next one is on its way... I wonder how many umbrellas died. They're everywhere. Its funny to see people struggling with them closing and flying open the opposite way, bending around their heads, rolling down the street. Its pounding rain, and the drops are coming at you from every direction so an umbrella is rather absurd. People use them like they are some kind of shield, until they look like the one above then they toss em wherever, useless.
The Japanese dont swear. Ive only discovered one "bad word", and its not really that bad. I was thinking today about tourettes... What do you say if you have tourettes syndrome and no bad words?

windy, rainy

hnm
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

The lovely Hidemi and I chillin, dressed like mimes. She takes amazing care of me. Not in a "fix me a chicken pot pie woman!" way, but in a nice warm and fuzzy way... Anyway,
School let out early today and most likely will be out tomorrow because of a typhoon thats coming through. Looks like its going to hit at night again, so I wont get to see things flying around...
I walked around this great store called MUJI today and found lots more reasons to move out of this smokey, awkward hell and into my own place. Funky little Japanese furniture, low tables with pillows, strange dishes to eat food I dont know.
The apartment Im moving into will be small, but it will be mine, and I can do my own thang.

kamakiri

kamakiri
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

It was a beautiful day, so I took my class to the park and we read and had a picnic. It was a great day. They are all super into reading and helping eachother become better readers. I sat there and watched them all sitting in the grass, on benches or on those wiggle rides, reading away. We found some grasshoppers (batta) and a kamakiri. Unlike previous kids Ive worked with, nobody wanted to kill things just for "fun".

sadfishman

sadfishman
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

Japanese toy designers are on drugs.

manko

manko
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

I can read the writing on the wall now! Ive decided that I have to move out of my living situation and find my own pad. Roomie is smoking me out. Shes used to smoke one or two cigarettes with the window open and some weird smoke aborbing ashtray, but lately shes smoking like crazy and the house reeks. I dont feel like I can really move in here either. It feels like her house and Im in a guest room. I also need more privacy now that I have an amazing and beautiful girl on my arm...

sleeper

sleeper
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

Well, frog died... Of course he waited until I had it all planned out as a classroom activity. We named it and got everything ready. O well, its a learning experience. Im going to have to find another frog.
Ive been sneaking pictures of people sleeping on the train and the in the station. This is only one of many sleepers Ive gotten, but it was a small enough file to email from my phone. As soon as I can figure out how to get the bigger pics up, there will be more... lots more.

kaeru ikkite iru (frog is alive)

kaeru
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

Coming home friday night I found this guy sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. I think somebody stepped on him or ran over his tongue with a bike like in the cartoons. I debated putting him out of his misery, but decided to put him under a bush to die on his own. 2 days and 1 wicked typhoon later he was still hanging on. I'm thinking that it must be hard to hunt with a busted tongue, so he's my new roomate untill he's all healed up. If anyone knows anything about fixing frogs post a comment please.
The taihu was a bit disappointing... It hit around 630 pm and was super dark out. I had these grand/foolish plans to get all dressed up and go out and take pictures of driving rain and stuff flying around. I wanted to see what the homeless would do, how their homes would hold up. They build some pretty amazing little shelters in parks and along the rivers. Next time

90 degrees

I woke up around midnight last night with the building swaying like crazy. It lasted a good 30 seconds... 5 on the richter I guess. Its a weird feeling...
I had some professional training today in a way swanky part of Yokohama today. It was more of a networking/schmoozing session. I found out the ladder goes pretty high. There's trouble in paradise a brewing at my school too...
The school I visited today had a bunch of older visitors walking around the grounds (playgound doesn't sound right when your talking about schools that cost $36K a year...) They turned out to be former POW's from WWII visiting for the first time since then. The school invited them to have a dialogue with grade school kids about their experiences. How intense is that!?
The principal said that he watched one of the guys walking accross the futbol field weeping and a little kid ran out and reached up and held his hand.
The training was on the PYP program which seems super Montessori and funky and interesting and would jive so fresh with mummifying roosters and all the other weird stuff I like to do in the classroom. Might have to work on the resume.

time machine

bike
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

how cool is this bike?! Its like having a time machine. I wish I could have seen the person who rides it. I can only imagine...

patchinkong

kong
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

I think this is a statue of kong holding patchinko balls. Patchinko is some kind of gambling game where you put small ballbearings into loud, flahing machines and either more or less come out. I think... Theres a bunch of patchinko places in my hood, which I dont think is a good thing. Prostitutes and lots of drinking seem to go hand-n-hand with patchinko. I really have no idea what the game is all about or how its played, but a fieldtrip might be in order for some funky photos...
Its been raining neko and inu here for the last few days. Were talking all day for days now... It was a great excuse to check out the Picasso exhibit at the Tokyo Modern art museum with Hi. We ate Monjayaki afterwards. Monjayaki restaurants have a skillet in the middle of the table and you cook your own food. It comes in a bowl and you mix it up and fry it, then share it with these wee metal spatulai. One of the mixtures we had was cabbage, rice cake, fish roe, cheese, tiny shrimp (shrimpy shrimp?) fish flakes and soup stock. The other one was pretty similar but switcheroo the roe for salmon.
Yes I know... Vegetarian friends will have things to say, and carnivorous friends will have lots of I told you so stuff to say. When in Japan is my reply to all. Lets leave it at that.
It is delicious...

spider

spider
Originally uploaded by freebeets.

I said ohayo gozaimas to a guy going through my buildings garbage for cans this morning and he gave me a huge smile. Cans arent worth a nickle here, I think you trade them in as aluminum per kilo or whatever. Probably not the best way to support yourself in the most expensive place on earth...
On the train I gave up my seat and said "sumimasen" to an old man and offered him my seat. This wanker companyman weasled his way into it, and it wasnt like he didnt know I was giving my seat up for an old man. He knew it wasnt an open seat on a crowded train. I said "kilitsu" to him (which I hear the Japanese teacher say before class for us to stand up and bow). I found out later that it means stand up straight, and is kind of an old and obscure command and its usually only done when the boss comes into a meeting. He understood though, and stood up. An old lady gave me a smile and a wee bow.
School had a picnic today. Kind of a get to know the teachers deal for the parents. I took a shortcut between two trees not seeing a huge spiderweb... It wrapped around my head as I stepped through it. I pulled it off as fast as possible. It was on my face, in my hair, sticky... When I got it off, one of the kids pointed out the massive spider who thought she'd caught the biggest pest ever. I wish I had something in the picture to show how freaking big the thing was. Its body is was as big as my pinky.
I hung out with Hidemi after the pikunikku and we walked around the waterfront.
Coming home tonight I sat across from a guy who was blinking way too much and then started poppin and doin the wave like it was 1980. I eventually diagnosed him with RP Robot Palsy. He passed this robot wave from one are to the other everytime it hits him. If your going to attract attention midas well make the most of it and dance like it was 1989. I wish my videophone didnt make sound when you turned it on...