Ive been reading and sleeping and eating and drawing. I havent had an English conversation with someone since Monday. My futon has been moved into the living room, and my roommate moved out. I wrote some blog entries at home, but then I got sick of the idea of talking about myself, so I cant manage to bring them to the internet cafe. I get sad when I think about my dying sketchblog, but then Im happy because I know my comic book is taking shape. Very, very, slowly.
EDIT 2007.12.27
I added the posts I wrote at home.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Frozen Peas
I didn’t leave the house today. Actually, I just went to 7-11, but it’s after midnight. So, I didn’t leave the house yesterday. I put myself together enough (but somehow forgot to button my fly) to bike around the corner and go to the only place open 24 hours in this city. I need something to make this toothache go away. Im not sure what I thought Id find at a convenience store that never has anything I need ever, but if there were pliers for sale I would have spent my last few yen on them.
I didn’t get out of bed until four (except to pee a few times). I heard the doorbell at about 11am. I didn’t budge. Whoever it was, I am sure I didn’t want to see them. I was awake, in bed (or on futon), but there was nothing to get me to actually leave my room. No plans, friends, work, ideas. I read a little bit. I stared at Owl Skunk.
Finally, I was a little hungry and got up and poured myself some cereal. If it weren’t for food I would probably just float away. It gives me purpose. I need some everyday. After the cereal I took a bath. It ended abruptly, as usual, fearfully jumping out of the hot water, convinced I just heard one of the paper doors slide open. Ive never lived alone, turns out Im horribly paranoid.
I could have drawn today, but I didn’t want to. The phrase creative paralysis keeps creeping into my head. I think about what I could be potentially painting or drawing and Im immediately bored of myself. The other day I started work on a watercolour still life of all the fruit people have been giving me. That isn’t what I want to be drawing. I think of working on my comic book, which I have resolved will mostly be about me and my lack of knowledge about anything else, and I am repulsed by the idea of drawing my face or hands again. At least not today.
My comic has turned into a monster. I don’t just feel guilty when I don’t work on it, I feel like I am turning my back on the one interesting thing I can accomplish in my life. Without it Im lost. And sometimes Im terrified to touch it.
I also don’t have a desk. And the aesthetics of a workplace are important. Sitting in my dirty kitchen or on the itchy tatami, fluorescent bulbs humming over my head, isn’t exactly an environment conducive to art-making. Or am I making excuses? Maybe I don’t have what it takes at all-- even though I can think of many examples of how little it actually takes.
Anyway, creative paralysis.
So now Im writing this. Im at home, on my internet-free laptop. It’s kind of like what a castaway stranded on a deserted island would do. With no one to talk to, no one who speaks my language (and not just English), I keep my sanity by keeping a record. A list to prove I existed. I am alone, in Japan, and trying to make the pain of my toothache go away by sticking frozen peas between my cheek and gums. And also, I took something that Im sure will knock me out for a few days.
Until then.
I didn’t get out of bed until four (except to pee a few times). I heard the doorbell at about 11am. I didn’t budge. Whoever it was, I am sure I didn’t want to see them. I was awake, in bed (or on futon), but there was nothing to get me to actually leave my room. No plans, friends, work, ideas. I read a little bit. I stared at Owl Skunk.
Finally, I was a little hungry and got up and poured myself some cereal. If it weren’t for food I would probably just float away. It gives me purpose. I need some everyday. After the cereal I took a bath. It ended abruptly, as usual, fearfully jumping out of the hot water, convinced I just heard one of the paper doors slide open. Ive never lived alone, turns out Im horribly paranoid.
I could have drawn today, but I didn’t want to. The phrase creative paralysis keeps creeping into my head. I think about what I could be potentially painting or drawing and Im immediately bored of myself. The other day I started work on a watercolour still life of all the fruit people have been giving me. That isn’t what I want to be drawing. I think of working on my comic book, which I have resolved will mostly be about me and my lack of knowledge about anything else, and I am repulsed by the idea of drawing my face or hands again. At least not today.
My comic has turned into a monster. I don’t just feel guilty when I don’t work on it, I feel like I am turning my back on the one interesting thing I can accomplish in my life. Without it Im lost. And sometimes Im terrified to touch it.
I also don’t have a desk. And the aesthetics of a workplace are important. Sitting in my dirty kitchen or on the itchy tatami, fluorescent bulbs humming over my head, isn’t exactly an environment conducive to art-making. Or am I making excuses? Maybe I don’t have what it takes at all-- even though I can think of many examples of how little it actually takes.
Anyway, creative paralysis.
So now Im writing this. Im at home, on my internet-free laptop. It’s kind of like what a castaway stranded on a deserted island would do. With no one to talk to, no one who speaks my language (and not just English), I keep my sanity by keeping a record. A list to prove I existed. I am alone, in Japan, and trying to make the pain of my toothache go away by sticking frozen peas between my cheek and gums. And also, I took something that Im sure will knock me out for a few days.
Until then.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
More More More
Today Jon asked me why I don’t write blog posts at home and then bring them to the internet café on my little pink USB stick. It’s true, I do have a lot of downtime at home and I spend huge portions of it sleeping or in the bath. I could do something a little more productive, and update this blog thing.
But whenever I write here I feel like I’m complaining or just giving mundane details of my day-to-day life. Maybe that’s what blogs are. Hilarious situations happen here a lot, but when I sit in front of the computer screen I draw a blank. Sketchblogging is so much easier (if I could just get myself to do some of that!).
As I write this a little Japanese voice inside my computer is asking me “sō desu ka?” How appropriate. Within the last week Ive gone from banning the Japanese language in my home (at least when it’s gaijin saying things I don’t understand) to having a slight grasp on the language. When I first came to Japan I didn’t know a word. I couldn’t recognize anything said on TV or to me. At my first (and only) Japanese lesson a few weeks ago, the woman was asking me for my name and I gave her a blank stare that created a whole new remedial section in my beginner’s class.
Now Im starting to pick things up. It took a combination of hearing the same thing repeated over and over, learning about the grammatical structures, and seeing the words written in romanji in books. But, even when you read Japanese in the familiar script it is pronounced differently than in English. For example, “desu” is pronounced dess. The “u” is silent. And “hajimemashite” is an example of how tricky it is. It’s pronounced ha-jee-may-mosh-tay. I’d say I know about fifty words. I can make a few questions but cant really put sentences together beyond “My name is…” and “I like it.”
Tonight I had a Nabe party at my house. Jon was here and some former students from Nova, as well as a woman I give private English lessons to. She came to the grocery store with me and it was amazing! I could just pick up a product and she could tell me what it was and what was in it! That’s part of my reason for wanting to learn Japanese. Also, it gives me some brain food. But knowing that even if I study intensely for a few years I wont be completely fluent makes me feel defeated and unmotivated. Because I know I wont put that much effort into it. I think I have the attitude that if Im not going to be perfect at it (and will forget most of it when I move back home) it isn’t even worth spending time on. Of course, then I look around and realize where I am and pick back up my Kanji Starter book.
Like today, for example. I was in the shower and Jon was cooking pancakes (it was 4pm). All of a sudden the hot water turned off! Like, nothing was coming out of the showerhead. I got out of the bathroom and into my freezing apartment and asked Jon what happened. He had leaned on the hot water heater control. I stood there trying to fix it for twenty minutes, whining about my situation and screaming “I hate Japan!” I pushed the four buttons in every sequence conceivable and but nothing worked. The voice inside the box just kept saying, something-something-blah-blah-kudasai. I had to call Sister Fuji, luckily she came over and said the problem was that we hadn’t turned off the faucets. That’s what that voice was saying. Of course.
Funny thing happened yesterday. I was trying to find the kanji for “Kudamatsu” so I Googled “Japanese Kanji Kudamatsu.” Guess what the first result was… youre looking at it.
But whenever I write here I feel like I’m complaining or just giving mundane details of my day-to-day life. Maybe that’s what blogs are. Hilarious situations happen here a lot, but when I sit in front of the computer screen I draw a blank. Sketchblogging is so much easier (if I could just get myself to do some of that!).
As I write this a little Japanese voice inside my computer is asking me “sō desu ka?” How appropriate. Within the last week Ive gone from banning the Japanese language in my home (at least when it’s gaijin saying things I don’t understand) to having a slight grasp on the language. When I first came to Japan I didn’t know a word. I couldn’t recognize anything said on TV or to me. At my first (and only) Japanese lesson a few weeks ago, the woman was asking me for my name and I gave her a blank stare that created a whole new remedial section in my beginner’s class.
Now Im starting to pick things up. It took a combination of hearing the same thing repeated over and over, learning about the grammatical structures, and seeing the words written in romanji in books. But, even when you read Japanese in the familiar script it is pronounced differently than in English. For example, “desu” is pronounced dess. The “u” is silent. And “hajimemashite” is an example of how tricky it is. It’s pronounced ha-jee-may-mosh-tay. I’d say I know about fifty words. I can make a few questions but cant really put sentences together beyond “My name is…” and “I like it.”
Tonight I had a Nabe party at my house. Jon was here and some former students from Nova, as well as a woman I give private English lessons to. She came to the grocery store with me and it was amazing! I could just pick up a product and she could tell me what it was and what was in it! That’s part of my reason for wanting to learn Japanese. Also, it gives me some brain food. But knowing that even if I study intensely for a few years I wont be completely fluent makes me feel defeated and unmotivated. Because I know I wont put that much effort into it. I think I have the attitude that if Im not going to be perfect at it (and will forget most of it when I move back home) it isn’t even worth spending time on. Of course, then I look around and realize where I am and pick back up my Kanji Starter book.
Like today, for example. I was in the shower and Jon was cooking pancakes (it was 4pm). All of a sudden the hot water turned off! Like, nothing was coming out of the showerhead. I got out of the bathroom and into my freezing apartment and asked Jon what happened. He had leaned on the hot water heater control. I stood there trying to fix it for twenty minutes, whining about my situation and screaming “I hate Japan!” I pushed the four buttons in every sequence conceivable and but nothing worked. The voice inside the box just kept saying, something-something-blah-blah-kudasai. I had to call Sister Fuji, luckily she came over and said the problem was that we hadn’t turned off the faucets. That’s what that voice was saying. Of course.
Funny thing happened yesterday. I was trying to find the kanji for “Kudamatsu” so I Googled “Japanese Kanji Kudamatsu.” Guess what the first result was… youre looking at it.
The Food
I hate the food here. Other than the ridiculously expensive strawberries, I find most things here unappealing. The bread I bought yesterday was gross. I threw up after eating at the Tex-Mex place in Iwakuni on Sunday. No matter what I buy I can taste Japan in it.
Jon coming here has validated my opinion of the food. Thus far, he’s not a fan. The soymilk is different, the coffee tastes watery, and tofu dishes lack any kind of spice or flavour. We’re not the only ones, though. Non-vegetarian gaijin hate the food, too. And it’s not even being afraid of something new or different, it’s just totally unappetizing. I watch cooking shows on TV and have never once started salivating from what Ive seen. And unless you’ve been here I don’t want your opinion of how I should feel about the food. Going to a Japanese themed restaurant or an American sushi place is not the same.
There is a place in Tokuyama I really like though, called Trés Café. The menu is completely Japanese (with no pictures) but Ive been there enough times with Ashley (who can read and speak the stuff) to know how to order the ¥800 set (it’s a great deal!). I know I impressed Jon yesterday when I ordered us both the sets (which includes a salad or sandwich, fruit, toast, jam, and soup) and answered what kind of soup (pumpkin), said we wanted salad and communicated which dressing. I forgot about the jam flavour question, though. So when the waiter managed to get “Strawberry, blueberry?” out in English I asked if he was asking about the coffee flavour. That got a laugh from the chef and other waiters later when I saw him retell his hilarious gaijin-tale. But Trés Café isn’t Japanese food, obviously. They don’t even have chopsticks there.
I do like noodles sometimes. I love the ramen at Antonio’s yatai. Last night some guy ordered me and Jon tofu Oden, understanding we were vegetarian. I ate a piece out of politeness (and complete drunkenness), but a piece of tofu floating around with fish, pork and eggs in a dirty pan with soy sauce isn’t exactly vegetarian. My spirit is slowly being broken.
I have tons of food in my house right now. Jon brought me a huge jar of peanut butter and bags of beans (among other things) from Canada. And there were massive leftovers from the Nabe (my fridge is stuffed with cabbage and vegetables I don’t know the names of). Sister Fuji keeps bringing me fruits and vegetables and my dining room table has a fruit bowl overflowing with grapefruits, kiwis, and mandarins. Yup, food.
God, I hate this blog.
Jon coming here has validated my opinion of the food. Thus far, he’s not a fan. The soymilk is different, the coffee tastes watery, and tofu dishes lack any kind of spice or flavour. We’re not the only ones, though. Non-vegetarian gaijin hate the food, too. And it’s not even being afraid of something new or different, it’s just totally unappetizing. I watch cooking shows on TV and have never once started salivating from what Ive seen. And unless you’ve been here I don’t want your opinion of how I should feel about the food. Going to a Japanese themed restaurant or an American sushi place is not the same.
There is a place in Tokuyama I really like though, called Trés Café. The menu is completely Japanese (with no pictures) but Ive been there enough times with Ashley (who can read and speak the stuff) to know how to order the ¥800 set (it’s a great deal!). I know I impressed Jon yesterday when I ordered us both the sets (which includes a salad or sandwich, fruit, toast, jam, and soup) and answered what kind of soup (pumpkin), said we wanted salad and communicated which dressing. I forgot about the jam flavour question, though. So when the waiter managed to get “Strawberry, blueberry?” out in English I asked if he was asking about the coffee flavour. That got a laugh from the chef and other waiters later when I saw him retell his hilarious gaijin-tale. But Trés Café isn’t Japanese food, obviously. They don’t even have chopsticks there.
I do like noodles sometimes. I love the ramen at Antonio’s yatai. Last night some guy ordered me and Jon tofu Oden, understanding we were vegetarian. I ate a piece out of politeness (and complete drunkenness), but a piece of tofu floating around with fish, pork and eggs in a dirty pan with soy sauce isn’t exactly vegetarian. My spirit is slowly being broken.
I have tons of food in my house right now. Jon brought me a huge jar of peanut butter and bags of beans (among other things) from Canada. And there were massive leftovers from the Nabe (my fridge is stuffed with cabbage and vegetables I don’t know the names of). Sister Fuji keeps bringing me fruits and vegetables and my dining room table has a fruit bowl overflowing with grapefruits, kiwis, and mandarins. Yup, food.
God, I hate this blog.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Progress
Thanks so much for the books everyone!
I've started to learn some Japanese and read a bit of kanji. I'm no where near the 2,000 characters the Japanese government deems 'essential' but I have figured out I live in Yamaguchi, or 山口. 山 [yama] means 'mountain' and and '口' [guchi] can mean mouth or opening. I think it is pronounced kuchi when you're talking about a mouth.
So, Im like practically fluent, right?
Ive been doing that to keep busy. And picking up a few English lessons. Jon came to Kudamatsu Friday, so Ive been bringing him around, showing him the sights... the rice fields, internet cafe, The Mall. We went to Miyajima yesterday and had fun going in the mountains looking at deer and looking for monkeys. I even saw a raccoon-dog! Which is a recent life-long dream of mine.
Tuesday night Im having a nabe party at my house, with Jon and some of the Japanesies (nickname for the gaggle of Japanese women we hang out with). Tonight we're headed to the Indian restaurant and Antonio's yatai.
Ok, my time is up!
I've started to learn some Japanese and read a bit of kanji. I'm no where near the 2,000 characters the Japanese government deems 'essential' but I have figured out I live in Yamaguchi, or 山口. 山 [yama] means 'mountain' and and '口' [guchi] can mean mouth or opening. I think it is pronounced kuchi when you're talking about a mouth.
So, Im like practically fluent, right?
Ive been doing that to keep busy. And picking up a few English lessons. Jon came to Kudamatsu Friday, so Ive been bringing him around, showing him the sights... the rice fields, internet cafe, The Mall. We went to Miyajima yesterday and had fun going in the mountains looking at deer and looking for monkeys. I even saw a raccoon-dog! Which is a recent life-long dream of mine.
Tuesday night Im having a nabe party at my house, with Jon and some of the Japanesies (nickname for the gaggle of Japanese women we hang out with). Tonight we're headed to the Indian restaurant and Antonio's yatai.
Ok, my time is up!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Desperate Plea
Help!
As some of you may know, two months ago I packed it all up and moved to lovely Kudamatsu, Japan. As soon as I started to settle in here, the company I worked for went bankrupt. Having no money or options I've decided to stay put and squat in my apartment until I am forcibly removed.
So, here I am. Broke, no internet (this post is being brought to you by a telepathic Jesus, he owed me one), no television, no newspapers, no books.
I have a wall. That I stare at.
And all the shitty comics I draw.
Dont get me wrong, some days I do have great adventures here. Like visiting a shrine with a strange man I met at a yatai, trying to get a DVD rental card, going to dozens and dozens of 'Goodbye' parties, watching little men prune trees, practicing touching, getting punched in the arm by a bartender, photographing worm fights. Im suprised Ive had so much fun on so little yen.
So in conclusion, what I am asking is... will someone, for the love of god, send me a book!?!?
It's a book-a-thon! I am your local librarian, collecting for the needy. Comic books, mini-comics, exciting fiction, non-fiction, VCR manuals, anything that has to do with space, black holes, the historical archeology of New England, art history, contemporary art history, any kind of history, biographies, books about Mexico (or how to get there from here), old textbooks... I'll reading fucking Mein Kempf if you send it. My mind is getting all gooey and I need some thoughts that dont have to do with me to start pumping through it.
Send me your favorite book, one that blew your mind and changed your life. And come February 10th I'll send it back. Or I'll send you someone else's.
(Nothing recommended by Oprah, religious, or about Japan, please.)
Thank you. I love you.
And do it quick! I move in about a month.
We're in love now. Cant you tell?
(email me for my address)
As some of you may know, two months ago I packed it all up and moved to lovely Kudamatsu, Japan. As soon as I started to settle in here, the company I worked for went bankrupt. Having no money or options I've decided to stay put and squat in my apartment until I am forcibly removed.
So, here I am. Broke, no internet (this post is being brought to you by a telepathic Jesus, he owed me one), no television, no newspapers, no books.
I have a wall. That I stare at.
And all the shitty comics I draw.
Dont get me wrong, some days I do have great adventures here. Like visiting a shrine with a strange man I met at a yatai, trying to get a DVD rental card, going to dozens and dozens of 'Goodbye' parties, watching little men prune trees, practicing touching, getting punched in the arm by a bartender, photographing worm fights. Im suprised Ive had so much fun on so little yen.
So in conclusion, what I am asking is... will someone, for the love of god, send me a book!?!?
It's a book-a-thon! I am your local librarian, collecting for the needy. Comic books, mini-comics, exciting fiction, non-fiction, VCR manuals, anything that has to do with space, black holes, the historical archeology of New England, art history, contemporary art history, any kind of history, biographies, books about Mexico (or how to get there from here), old textbooks... I'll reading fucking Mein Kempf if you send it. My mind is getting all gooey and I need some thoughts that dont have to do with me to start pumping through it.
Send me your favorite book, one that blew your mind and changed your life. And come February 10th I'll send it back. Or I'll send you someone else's.
(Nothing recommended by Oprah, religious, or about Japan, please.)
Thank you. I love you.
And do it quick! I move in about a month.
We're in love now. Cant you tell?
(email me for my address)
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Peculiar Places
I can only describe my current situation as bizarre.
I woke up at 3PM on a community futon in an abandoned apartment. Now I’m in the living room trying desperately to catch unsecured wireless internet signals.
These last few weeks without work and without cash have been strange. There isn’t a lot to do around here and even less when youre broke. So we’ve been trying to make our own fun. My roommate and I have decided to go through the entire OC television series on DVD. And Ive been drawing. Not as much as Id like, but I did finish a page last night. I feel a little “blocked” or I maybe I just don’t know where to start with my comics. I keep debating things like style, medium, size, and content in my head. But I always return to my original plan. I think I need to just keep on truckin’.
And then there’s the stuff we do for fun... which I wont write on here.
So Frangah and I went to Hiroshima on Friday. We were seeing Katie off. She went back to England. It was sad. And it had been a late night on Thursday so we were all kind of “tired.” It was an interesting train ride.
The first stop on the Hiroshima tour was Starbucks. God I miss that place. I miss real coffee.
Then we went to Subway for lunch. But the real point of the trip wasnt just to indulge myself in the nostalgias of home, we were looking for Hiroshima Castle. It took a while. Mostly because Frangah had to stop every ten minutes to put his head down on the bridge. At one point we sat on a bench in the rain for an hour watching a crane that was watching a fish it killed float backwards down the river. Or something.
But we found the castle! It was really nice this time of year. We sat in front of it for a couple hours. We even thought about going inside, as the heaps of tourists who wandered by were. Eventually we got up to check out the entrance fee. 360¥! Too expensive. Frangah did have the idea of getting our speed up and running past the cashier...
Then we went to a foreign grocery store, where I bought some tortilla chips, pickles, and icing sugar. And after that we headed back to Starbucks, where I spent as much as the entry fee to the castle and then some.
Around 6PM we took the local train to Iwakuni. It was a rough ride and the cars were packed. But we had a plan. Take the 780¥ train to Iwakuni, go to Mike’s Tex-Mex restaurant for a few hours, and then take the 8PM train back to Kudamatsu. Because the Kuddah station is unattended after 9PM, so we bought tickets to the next stop after Iwakuni, and saved about 1,000¥. It’s OK, we’re gaijin, and we don’t understand the fancy train system.
So last night Frangah and I went to Antonio’s yatai. It’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll go there and get free food and free beer. Last night was a lot more exciting than usual, though. Apparently Antonio’s drunk “dad” was paying for our drinks the first few hours. Then around 2AM a really drunk Japanese guy sat next to me. We started talking a little and Frangah and I both ended up with an extra 10,000¥ on the walk home. He felt bad we hadn’t been paid. And he was really drunk.
Other than all that, Jon is coming to visit December 7th, I move into my new apartment January 3rd, everyone I know here is moving away... and I learned how to make a really delicious chilli.
I woke up at 3PM on a community futon in an abandoned apartment. Now I’m in the living room trying desperately to catch unsecured wireless internet signals.
These last few weeks without work and without cash have been strange. There isn’t a lot to do around here and even less when youre broke. So we’ve been trying to make our own fun. My roommate and I have decided to go through the entire OC television series on DVD. And Ive been drawing. Not as much as Id like, but I did finish a page last night. I feel a little “blocked” or I maybe I just don’t know where to start with my comics. I keep debating things like style, medium, size, and content in my head. But I always return to my original plan. I think I need to just keep on truckin’.
And then there’s the stuff we do for fun... which I wont write on here.
So Frangah and I went to Hiroshima on Friday. We were seeing Katie off. She went back to England. It was sad. And it had been a late night on Thursday so we were all kind of “tired.” It was an interesting train ride.
The first stop on the Hiroshima tour was Starbucks. God I miss that place. I miss real coffee.
Then we went to Subway for lunch. But the real point of the trip wasnt just to indulge myself in the nostalgias of home, we were looking for Hiroshima Castle. It took a while. Mostly because Frangah had to stop every ten minutes to put his head down on the bridge. At one point we sat on a bench in the rain for an hour watching a crane that was watching a fish it killed float backwards down the river. Or something.
But we found the castle! It was really nice this time of year. We sat in front of it for a couple hours. We even thought about going inside, as the heaps of tourists who wandered by were. Eventually we got up to check out the entrance fee. 360¥! Too expensive. Frangah did have the idea of getting our speed up and running past the cashier...
Then we went to a foreign grocery store, where I bought some tortilla chips, pickles, and icing sugar. And after that we headed back to Starbucks, where I spent as much as the entry fee to the castle and then some.
Around 6PM we took the local train to Iwakuni. It was a rough ride and the cars were packed. But we had a plan. Take the 780¥ train to Iwakuni, go to Mike’s Tex-Mex restaurant for a few hours, and then take the 8PM train back to Kudamatsu. Because the Kuddah station is unattended after 9PM, so we bought tickets to the next stop after Iwakuni, and saved about 1,000¥. It’s OK, we’re gaijin, and we don’t understand the fancy train system.
So last night Frangah and I went to Antonio’s yatai. It’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll go there and get free food and free beer. Last night was a lot more exciting than usual, though. Apparently Antonio’s drunk “dad” was paying for our drinks the first few hours. Then around 2AM a really drunk Japanese guy sat next to me. We started talking a little and Frangah and I both ended up with an extra 10,000¥ on the walk home. He felt bad we hadn’t been paid. And he was really drunk.
Other than all that, Jon is coming to visit December 7th, I move into my new apartment January 3rd, everyone I know here is moving away... and I learned how to make a really delicious chilli.
Monday, November 12, 2007
I'm Hungry
I need ideas for food. Im sick of eating rice and pasta and pizza everday.
The restrictions are:
+Must be vegetarian
+I have no oven, blender, food processor, microwave
+I do have a toaster oven and stove
+Has to use simple ingredients that I have a chance of recognizing without having to read a package
+Inexpensive
Ready...Go!
The restrictions are:
+Must be vegetarian
+I have no oven, blender, food processor, microwave
+I do have a toaster oven and stove
+Has to use simple ingredients that I have a chance of recognizing without having to read a package
+Inexpensive
Ready...Go!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Sunshine and Lollipops
I am encouraging you not to read the following. Especially children.
Now that I have a plan and kind of know what Im doing I have time to get really really pissed. I have no money and no answers. The Nova teachers still havent been paid two month's salaries. I used all the money I had to come to this fucking country. Now Im in a huge hole that'll take years to climb out of. Not to mention the government here doesnt give a shit about all the unemployed gaijins. There are some rumours that if I go to this city and find some sort of window marked "Nova" I may get a form that'll tell me how long I have to wait to get paid--but obviously, no one at the magic window speaks English. This is a full-on rant right now. No paragraph breaks. I was interrupted from watching some godawful video next door with the news, via text message, that there is a meeting a few cities over tomorrow, at 10am, where I can resign? Or get the paperwork to resign? Because if I dont resign I have to interview again? I DONT EVEN KNOW! These fucking broken English text messages being passed down through dozens of people make no sense. Not to mention, I dont even have a cell phone! Im hearing all this second and third hand! Just pay me my goddamn money! And Im not going to resign!? I dont even qualify for unemployment! I just biked here and Im spending all the money I have to figure out what's going on. And Im fucking hungry and sick of alternating between rice and pasta every night! I feel like Im going to explode. I am so pissed. I want to rip this computer from the wall and scream at these people around me. But they wouldnt ever understand a fucking word Im saying!! My shoes have huge holes in them. You can see my socks. I cant afford new ones and if I could it'd take too long to try and buy them. AND I HAVE NOTHING TO READ and was desperate enough to start the fucking Da Vinci Code. AND maybe I got a job that starts in two months, but the Korean winter camp hasnt called me back, and I dont even know how Id afford to get there. Today someone made a phone call to Nova personnel in Osaka to ask about our apartments and no one has a fucking clue when we have to leave. There advice was wait for a court order. SPEAKING OF COURT ORDERS--my dentist bill continues to go unpaid, which will result in another summons... as well as my student loan, cell phone, and soon my website. Read this for a laugh. Im never getting paid. Fuck I fucking hate this fucking place. And, as a result of this rant my mom is going to be pissed at me and make me feel bad. AHHHH! I cant believe how bad I got screwed coming here. The life I used to have and hated is gone, and been replaced by a new life I hate. I just feel like it'd be OK if there was someone I could punch. Or light on fire.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Maybe OK
I got a job offer! The position starts January 22. It's a good school around where I'm living now. Pay is good, hours are short, company isnt bankrupt... everything I've been dreaming of. I have also had a phone interview for an ESL winter camp in Korea, to fill the time (and wallet) until the other job starts.
We'll see, we'll see. I'm totally expecting something to go terribly wrong so I wont let myself get too happy yet. But, yesterday after the interview I celebrated by buying myself this ￥300 kawaii tiny fake cookie set.
So if I dont think about how I havent paid any of my bills this month (and wont be for the next two) and how I could possibly be kicked out of my apartment at any moment-- I am totally pumped.
We'll see, we'll see. I'm totally expecting something to go terribly wrong so I wont let myself get too happy yet. But, yesterday after the interview I celebrated by buying myself this ￥300 kawaii tiny fake cookie set.
So if I dont think about how I havent paid any of my bills this month (and wont be for the next two) and how I could possibly be kicked out of my apartment at any moment-- I am totally pumped.
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