Thursday, September 21, 2017

September 14 - September 21, 2017

September 14, 2017
Today was fine, but frankly, I didn’t get nearly enough sleep last night.  I managed like…what, 2-3 hours?  Then I got a Tsukimi burger from KFC and just crashed.  My classes went fine, I still worry I’m using too much Japanese, however my students are doing well and we had a small test with a few who did excellently, which is great.  I am tired though and I feel like my toe is going to be a problem, as it’s painful and seems like it’s got pus in it…for some reason. I dunno, I had the same issue with my finger some months back.  I’ll survive, one way or another.  Right now, though, I’m just tired and it’s looking like catching back up on my sleep is unlikely, since it’s 1:26 as I write this.  Going to try and sleeping now.
September 15, 2017
Before I just collapse, I’ll say that today was fine, yakiniku was good, I was lucky since all the tables were filled that two guys were on their way out, otherwise, I’d have had to pass on it. My feet have been causing me issues, most notably that I might be developing athlete’s food for the first time ever, as the skin between two of my toes is cleft…fun stuff.  Trying to mitigate it and will look for medicine tomorrow.  If I have time/energy, I also want to go to the bath house and check out the rice fields. Right now, though, I’m just tired.  I spent a lot of today laminating things and cutting them out and my hands are not thankful for it.  I’m trying to at least up my game a bit.  Also, I should just say here that when someone is sad or unhappy, that is not a free ticket for giving advice.  Telling someone what they should be doing can be just as damaging or worse than the reason for them being sad because sometimes, we just want true empathy, not a solution that we never asked for.  We’re all adults here, so we can handle our own lives…sometimes though, we want others to understand that yes, I do live in a magical land called Japan, but no, that doesn’t mean it’s free of problems.  And I do have quite a few.  What I want is to be able to rely on people.  But life has kind of taught me that…it’s a crap shoot at best if you can and at worse, it’s Russian roulette with six bullets in the chamber.  And that’s just depressing.  Anyway, life goes on as always.  I continue to be the reliable one…god help me.  I got this from my father.  We both do the right thing and I’m proud of him the same way he is of me, but it’s just frustrating that we’re the ones who have to…and only us.  Till tomorrow, everyone.
September 16 – 17, 2017
Another week, another weekend.  Tried to do Overwatch on Sunday, but my peeps weren’t on, so I didn’t.  On Saturday, I got some medicine for my foot. Seems to be helping, as the itching has gone down along with the tenderness.  I saw the rice fields, going from green to yellow, and got a bath.  All was good.  I hit some stumbling blocks with my writing, as I felt…conflicted on how the story was going.  I think it’s okay now, but…we’ll have to see.  I bought two new games online. 
The Unfinished Swan and Entwined.  Both are supposed to be like Flower and Journey from the PS3, and so far, I love Entwined.  The story of a fish and a bird in love, forever together, always apart.  And you guide them to becoming one and finding eternity together.  It’s a love story with an art style that is truly zen and moving.  Highly recommended.  The Unfinished Swan is like a children’s fable, starting out stark white, but you have the power to paint…you can’t add color so much as make a path or make vines grow or spread light using your paint balls, but it’s a charming experience.  Less zen and more whimsical.  Again, very short, but…interesting.  A testament to both the journey being more important than you think, but also a prayer that all us creators do finish what we started.  And that all us people are better than those who came before us as people go.
Beyond that, I’ve just been tired, so I was resting on both Saturday and Sunday.  I finished off my family’s care package to me and I have to say, it was all good, cept for the dried peaches.  Dunno what happened with them, but not for me.  I still ate them, though.  Honor the intention of the sender and my parents wanted me to have something healthy, so I ate them. Still waiting for my shipment to arrive from the US for more games and books and for the end of September for more Nioh DLC.  Aside from that, not much to report.  I like spending the weekends in, especially after a rash of sickness and foot issues.  When it gets cooler, which it mercifully seems to be, but the weather does flip flop, I want to head down to the beach again.  Not to swim, mind you, just to be there.  The journey is what matters, after all.  Also, another tsukimi burger.  Still very good.
I should also note that people have associated me with having a sweet tooth here. It doesn’t really apply in the US since I don’t like American sweets, but I like the ice cream and other sweets here because they are sweet, but don’t have too much sugar.  Also, more veggies and yogurt in my diet.  I am in a bit of a rut, with having similar meals during the week, but they’re balanced, so that’s what matters.
September 18, 2017
Nothing says Natori like not getting sleep and nothing prevents sleep like hurricane force winds.  Not just America dealing with this shit.  So, my house was rocking and rolling all night and I was just having to deal with it as best I can.  Monday was fine, but since we’re doing Eiken style practice, I have a problem where I have to read out loud a lot of listening exercises.  This is tearing up my throat since it is still a bit tender from my sickness.  Want to say my foot is getting better, but honestly, I don’t know.  The anti-bacterial medicine I got does make a nice cast to protect it when the stinging stops, so…there’s that.  Life goes on as it ever does.  Hoping to talk to a friend tomorrow morning…we’ll see.  Also going to start a new game tonight called Tooth and Tail which should be interesting.  More on that later. Was super tired this morning and still am to a degree, so going to rest now.  Later.
September 19, 2017
Ohhhhhhhh…man…Tuesdays are always rough.  Today, we had a packed schedule on top of the already hard to manage classes.  One class had to be denied their Uno time because they were really bad.  Only on Tuesday, man.  Only Tuesday. That said, I did have some good moments.  A level check with a man who said he was sixty six, but had the look of a man in his forties…he reminded me of my dad with all that fountain of youth water being drunk.  And I did have to stay late, but the guy I teach Tuesdays is a lot of fun to talk to.  Yes, we do academic stuff, but he’s so interested in culture and we have such lively discussions.  And a room full of girls anime squealed when one of my demonstration pictures for introverted was their anime boyfriend hunk.  It’s been a while since I’ve seen that.  All in all, not great, but with some interesting high marks.  I definitely find it easier to teach the older students, thanks to my prior experience, but a lot of what makes the younger ones hard to teach is on a case by case basis.  Wednesday, for example, I have three amazing classes in a row, so…that’s nice.  I talked with a good friend of mine this morning and I feel like I was a bit more…rough around the edges than usual?  Not mean, but just less decorum, due to it being the morning and me being tired.  We’re both stretched a bit thin, so she was loopy and I was a bit exhausted.
Ooooo!  Before I forget, my level check had an Enka singer recommendation.  Yukino Ichikawa!  I need to see what her music sounds like.  Tomorrow, I hope to reserve my Shinkansen tickets, either in the morning or evening, not sure which.  I also was going to go grocery shopping this week, but I need to go out and buy a few things for the school tomorrow morning, so…obligations may prevent me until the following week. We’ll see.  Now, I need to rest.  Talk to you all later.
September 20, 2017
Wednesday was fine, for the most part.  I have been going to bed later, so I’m waking up tired, but I managed to do what needed to be done.  The computer mouse at our school died, so I volunteered to get a replacement because…well, it’s me.  So, I did that, ate ramen for lunch, and took a nap.  I wanted to go to my bento shop for dinner after my initial classes, but it was raining hard, so I couldn’t. Loaded up on bread instead and…I feel mixed because the taste it good, but it sits in the stomach, you know? Classes were fine tonight.  It was a bit weird because of the low number of students, so I did some Eiken, passive, and conditional practice with different classes of 1 student each.  I like Wednesdays, after all.
Tonight, I bought my shinkansen ticket from Hokkaido to Sendai and I will go pick up the ticket at the end of September.  Finally, I have everything settled and I can relax. In gaming news, I’ve been playing Tooth and Tail which, despite having an interesting theme, is a bit frustrating at times due to some game design I find…tiresome.  Either way, I do like it, but I’m just killing time until I get my shipment from the US or until the Nioh DLC is released, whichever comes first.  Now, I need bed.  Been up too long and probably going to pay for it tomorrow.  Either way, life goes on…see you.
September 21, 2017

For god’s sake…my throat was on fire all day today.  I survived by chugging water and my special cough drops, but Jesus…I was almost broken today because of all the reading I had to do for the eiken tests.  Sigh…and, it looks like I’m going to miss my editing on Friday due to the fact that I need to go to the bloody doctor and I’m going to try and get up at about 8:30 to do it…god bless it…I am tired of being sick.  I feel slightly less like death after getting some ginger drink from the 711, because it helps with the pain, but…good god, I don’t even know WHY this keeps happening. I feel okay because I beat Tooth and Tail, got up to probably the max rank I want in Gwent, and have been listening to the Unexpectables, which…an orc, a tengu, a demon man, and a dragonling get turned into dogs…that sounds like I’m leading into a joke, but no…that actually happens.  Good god, I love this podcast.  Anyway, sleep, but first I need to edit these entries so I don’t fall behind with my postings.  Till later.

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