Boots with the Fur...la la la la la

Talk about a trip through memory lane. I have been laughing hysterically pretty much all day today as a few old friends from camp have been posting and sending out links to dozens and dozens of pictures from over the years. I still keep in touch with quite a few people I know from my summer camp experiences (both from when I was a camper and from my years on staff as a counselor) but there are so many hilarious stories, experiences and memories that you sort of forget about... until the pictures come creeping back.

Granted, most of the shots I have seen of myself are from when I was 13 or 14 (wow, definately do not miss that beloved "akward stage") but I am still just laughing at all of amazing antics we have pulled over the years. I'll have to scan in some of albums next time I am home. I also have to admit that while it's probably not possible, I'm almost tempted to go back to camp for a bit next summer (it's a language immersion summer program that many people work at into their 30s or older, including our Dean who has been on staff for almost 30 years!).

If not that, the desire to visit friends in Scandinavia is creeping up again... want to look into how realistic making a trip in the next year would be. A girlfriend from college and I were planning on going to Africa together, but recently scrapped the plans, so there's some potential that I could make a quick check-in visit.

First Full Week of Classes is Almost Over - Term II '08

So the day has gone pretty well, but it's been a busy one. I am supposed to be practicing for a test I'm going to be taking, but I decided to leave the big study guide at work, let myself off the hook for a night, and catch up on the blog. I had a full day of classes (one was just a movie), but it was pretty yoghurt all the way through.

Today was also sort of a special day because several representatives from the Western Australian government and the University of Western Australia (UWA) stopped at my school, including the Director of the University. I was asked to escort and help host them, so I ended up spending about 45 minutes going through the whole introduction formalities schpiel (with some pictures and chatting) in the principals office, then we met with the students who went to Australia this summer, listened to a short koto (Japanese horizontal harp) concert and did a mini-tea ceremony.

We didn't get to the tea ceremony right away, so the girls from Tea Ceremony club almost refused to serve the tea to the guests, complaining that it was cold and would taste like crap (their words, only in Japanese), but I think it went pretty well. One strange thing, however, was that I was actually doing a lot of the translating and using a lot of Japanese around my kids (not normal for me).

After a mini-tour of the school, that included checking out the after-school activities, the guests finally left for dinner at a coworkers house (I was invited late so I couldn't go) and I headed home.

Dinner & Karaoke

I was pretty exhausted after the long day at work, but I met Miwa & Tu for ramen at Itoyo on my way home. It was fun catching up and getting some food gave me a bit of a jump-start, so I went for a short run on niijima (the man-made island near my house) and then caught up with Tu and Miwa again - and another friend who was sort of on a date (strangely enough) - for about 40 minutes of karaoke at a place near our houses. I only sang a few songs, and remain a pretty bad singer, but it was fun to let loose at the end of the evening.

Dear Departed Friends, Japan Misses You.

On the topic of fun and friends, I have also recently been getting a lot of updates from friends who have now left Japan and I have to admit it's starting to feel a little strange that they are gone. Even though I didn't see them all everyday, many of the people I would talk to on a regular basis are gone. They're still an email or call away and I thought it would be harder to transition (at the end of the summer) than it has been, to be totally honest, but I do miss them. It just sort of feels like they're on vacation and I am now realizing they're not coming back and that the dynamic is not going to change again. Life is short and this situation is transitory, so I can't say I didn't expect this, but I've definitely been lucky to have gotten to know some good friends here and I definitely miss them. C'leste Vie. But hope all of you are well if you read this (you know who you are).

Apple Bottom Jeans...

I've been watching a lot of political commentary lately, as you might know, but after watching McCain on the Ellen Degeneres show, I also can't get enough of Ellen. I thought I would just watch one clip before heading to bed... then I watched a few... and unfortunately I fell upon this.

It's late and I need to get to bed, but let's just say I've got a song stuck in my head and it's not "Rock-a-bye-Baby":

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=6MMbOCHIi10