Oh.

I just realized that if I wasn't spending $3,000 to visit America for 10 days... I wouldn't have to stay in Japan another year.

Letter of Resignation

Dear Boss Lady,

I regret to inform you that I'm leaving (your company). It is with reluctance that I'm submitting this letter. I have enjoyed working with everyone and have learned a great deal, and my departure in no way reflects badly on the company. Although my time with (your company) has been, on the whole, satisfying and productive, for quite a while now I have become less and less satisfied with the work situation. The split schedule, work load, and the living situation are making it increasingly difficult for me to continue here. Please be informed that I am resigning as of ８月３１日. I'll be happy to help train a replacement before I go.

Sincerely,

ジェネットラングミド

(Taken straight from the first Google result for "resignation template")

Gay Christian Japanese Ska Band

I'm not sure if that's exactly how they're marketing themselves.

Someone order a chinko?

A summer festival in Yamaguchi City.

The Circus is in Town

And by circus I mean my Aunt and Unlce! A few weeks ago Matthew and Kotoe came out to Suckuragi for a visit. They were in Japan to see Kotoe's sister's wedding, but couldnt resist a detour down to the Guchi-ken. Obviously, I gave them the grand tour-- Ell's ditch, Antonio's Yatai, and Shidax Karaoke.

The night started off well. What was supposed to be a bathroom break turned into an hour of Matt being pummeled by an old Japanese man at Ell's Ditch. He wanted to know Matt's name, occupation, birthplace, and you know, put his hand on his lap. After we said our goodbye's to all the drunken gaijin that make their usual Thursday night appearance, we headed to the yatai.


I'm sure Matt and Kotoe were very excited to meet the legendary Antonio and eat the oishii-est ramen within 10 square feet. Matt even got to fish out his own oden (which means Antonio loves him)!

There were some old business men at the yatai, and Matt and Kotoe chatted with some of them for a while. I don't know what they talked about but one crazy dude followed us into karaoke. After we said our goodbye's and got into a karaoke box there was a tappin' at the door. To our suprise the old business man, Antonio, and two gaijin wanted to join in on the fun.

Hilarious videos below:


(pervy old man)


(Antonio tearing it up)

(No, I wont post the one of my singing Mariah Carey, but with all the times it's been done and all the digital recording equipment available today, I'm sure it'll be on YouTube soon)

Stuck in Suckuragi

I'm considering changing my blog name. My bicycle was stolen this week, leaving me even more isolated than I was. First of all, I live in Sakuragi, a small part of Shunan city (or Tokuyama)... next to Kudamatsu (where I used to live).

So Sakuragi wasn't all bad at first. I live next to my office, there's a UniQlo closeby, a 7-11, a KFC (Ive never visited), and there were some grocery stores. For reasons unknown to me they closed both the SU-PA's in the last two months. Now, my closest grocery store is a uphill (both ways) 20 minute bike ride away. When I had a bike! Now my closest grocery store is wherever I can get if I beg a friend or coworker for a ride. This "no car" thing is not feeling very hip anymore.

Not to mention, the buses stop at 8:30PM. So I have no options to go out after work. Like, right now for example, I could be drinking beers in the park and eating snacks from the konbini with my friends. Instead I spent the whole night on the phone yelling at Indian people who work for Delta on Skype (and Orbitz, I took turns with each).

So, I'm gunna finish this can of frosting for dinner. And maybe do some drawing or something while Im stuck here.

(P.S. I have an escape plan)

MoreMotto!

One cute thing about my Friend, Motto, is that even though his English is really good, every once in a while he runs into a word that isn't part of his regular daily vocabulary. Maybe he's only heard it once, or read it in a book. So before he says it he hesitates for a second, and then a really proud expression comes to his face.

Ahem

I have many posts to write. But with the heat and my supreme laziness, I have put blogging at the bottom of my "to do." Of course, at the top was beating the New Super Mario on my DS. Which I did. Checku! チェく！ And then I have 30 reports to write (tonight) and Japanese to study, tickets to book, and comics to draw...

There are more funny dentist stories to tell, like the nazi women dentist I had today who resented that I existed. I thought I was getting a teeth cleaning but got my tooth gouged out with the loudest drill ever and replaced with ill-fitting plaster that hurts when I chew. (Last appointment next week!) I didnt eat before I went so afterward I was starving and went to Ganesh to get some curry. It looked like I was a stroke victim, because I managed "futatsu kudasai" when the nazi was drugging me, I could hardly get anything to stay in my mouth.

Ok, ok, ok, but the point of this post is to say "I love Prozacville. He is the coolest blogger ever. I am kind of in love with him and I'm sure we'll make babies one day (as soon as our therapists give the OK)."

For my birthday he sent me a copy of "Should You Be Laughing at This?" by Hugleikur Dagsson, which was hilarious, and one of the best comics I've read in a while. The night I read it I actually got off my ass and started drawings something. I always appreciate when someone helps that happen.

A dirty birthday card was also in the package. It now hangs on my wall and greets all who enter my home.

ありがとうごじましたプロザク！

Birthday Thanks Updated:

P-ville demanded I praise his genius use of a post box, and now there has been an uproar by other folk who sent me amazing birthday packages. First of all, Lauren, who sent me all the shit I ordered off the internet plus delicious birthday treats (and The New Super Mario Brothers DS game, without which this week wouldve not exsisted); My Mom and sister, for sending me the DS and other things; my Grampa, for depositing money into my bank account; Jon, for the vegan food (beef-flavored broth, nutritional yeast, curry, poutine packets, and the finest assortment of chip flavors Quebec has to offer) and the really cool comic book. And everyone who gave me real-life gifts and reads my blog and becomes jealous, thank you. Without all of you and your generosity, I probably would have just offed myself this year.

Surprise!

I walked right into it. Saturday, the night before my birthday, I unsuspectingly and quite drunkenly walked into a new bar with three of my friends, totally unaware that a gaggle of gaijin (and gaijin-lovers) were waiting inside to wish me a happy birthday.

Saturday night began with a meal at an organic restaurant in Yamaguchi city. It was really good and I was happy to be able to eat an entire meal at a restaurant! They had this carrot tempura that looked like shrimp tempura. おいしい！

Then we battled the rain and drove back to Tokuyama. The driver was from Yamaguchi, so I figured she was making this dangerous, dark 1 hour trip because she really really needed to get out of the house. I could have took the train home (and she obviously wasnt drinking that night).

We get to the gaijin-bar, Ell's Ditch and I start in on my cranberry-vodka nomihodai (all you can drink). I'm blabbing my life story or something pointless like that when Ashley shows up (late!) at 12:30 and says we have to go to this other bar, because her boyfriend is there and she promised to meet him.

We get there and my friend's name is on the flyer as the DJ. Him not telling me he's DJing didnt set off any suspicions. Ashley pays my 1000円　cover, and Im still not suspicious. We go inside and see my coworker inside and I still think nothing of it. I open the door to the thump-thump-thump-techno room and see *someone* who ten minutes earlier said he was too tired to come out, and I still don't get it and brush past him a little pissed off.

When I look in the room and see nearly half the people Ive met since coming to Japan sitting around and not enjoying the thumping I start to kind of get it (remember, I was half in nomihodai at that point). Finally, when my friend came up to me and said, "You realize everyone's here for you?" I replied, "Yeah, I know. I get it."

So I was standing on a dance floor with everyone staring at me laughing. People start coming up and saying "Happy Birthday" and giving me gifts. And I want to die. I then demand someone bring me a cranberry-vodka.

The rest of the night was fun and blurry. I remember I may have danced (or jumped). And my feet hurt because I wore heels that day (and a dress, OMG).

Then I spent my real birthday, Sunday, hungover and mostly in my birthday suit. Later, I went to an Indian restaurant with a boy who has such a HUGE crush on me he doesnt even know it (or what "crush" means, or where my blog is).

And my mom got me a Nintendo DS and Lauren got me the New Super Mario Brothers and Im in World 8 and about to beat the game.

いいたい

I'm freaking out a little. Like a lot a little. Today I had my second trip to the dentist. My first visit was fine. It was all surprises, I didnt know what they were doing, but it was nothing too bad. They took some photos, x-rays, scraped around a little. Gave me a print out of all my teeth with cute little kanji next to some of them.

Today when I went the dentist tried to explain what was going to happen. It took five minutes for him to translate "tartar." He spent a lot of time explaining that the dental technician would be teaching me to brush, putting dye in my mouth, blah blah. Then he told me they'd fixing my three cavities. He drew pictures, I had no idea what he was talking about, but Im starting to put the pieces together.

The plump little technician did teach me to brush, dyed my teeth pink, and scraped all the bottom ones (I guess the top ones will be cleaned next week?). Then she took five minutes explaining that we'd be moving chairs.

I followed her.

Then the freak out began. Little drill bits sitting on a table beside my chair, waiting to go in my mouth. They sat me down and poked at a few teeth. She asked, "kore? kore?" She was asking which tooth to fill! I hesitantly agreed on one where I thought I must have a cavity, you know, a tooth in the back that's hard to brush thoroughly.

They injected me with one of those big ass needles, which was fine except, in America I used to get three needles for a filling. I would ask the dentist back home to keep shooting me up until I couldnt feel my fingers. Here, I didnt really know what to do. I felt like I should trust the dentist and I can't say to her, "Do you think that's enough or should you give me a bit more?" It would have to be a big gesture of me shouting, "DRUG MORE DRUG NEEDLE MORE MORE MORE" and pointing to my mouth while mimicking a needle. I didnt feel like going through the theatrics. So, I trusted the dentist and the single shot of Novocaine.

Fuck, it hurt. I could feel the drill digging around in my nerves. I kept stopping the dentist, sitting up at taking breaks, but she never shot me up again, just spread some more oral numbing crap on me.

I started crying a little. Imagine someone digging around in your mouth and you have absolutely no way to communicate with them. It was like a nightmare.

There's a chance I have a root canal next week. That's what I've deciphered from the memory of the drawing the dentist did for me. He explained they'll "cut" my tooth (and drew a picture of them chopping off the top) and then "reform" it with metal. I asked if I'd have a big ugly metal tooth, he said "no" just a dot. I'm confused. My tooth isnt in that bad of shape, it's not green or anything. But he pointed to a cloud in an x-ray and said that needed to be fixed.

I may die. Just a heads up.