word of the day: amazing!

some situations i'm talking about being amazing are genuine. some not. . . . . . . but amazing's the word of the day!

japan is incredibly beautiful . . . take note of the mountains.


and this is just amazing as well . . . these are from first years in high school - their mid-term exams. i love the skill of my student's english ability. hey, it's not my fault! hahaha, just kidding. they actually are pretty amazing. . . and indeed amusing.

i have to grade exams, at least it's entertaining . . .

graduation!!!

I had to take down the pictures of this post.

ok. fine. so i’m a little late, but we had graduation some weeks ago. all the third year students get dressed up in kimono (mostly girls, but some guys would dress up too) or suits, and march in twos. i teared up a little, but managed to hold it together among all my fellow tight-lipped japanese teachers. this year’s graduates were my favorites. i felt we had, in particular, achieved some level of camaraderie. we shared jokes . . . we chatted in both english and japanese . . . i went to see their rock bands live . . . . i played sports with them . . . . i went to their games and practices to watch them. i liked them a whole lot.

japanese high school graduations are generally held during the morning on a normal school day. all students and teachers attend, along with parents and guests. it’s usually held in the gym, and it’s pretty ceremonial, just like america. and then there’s picture taking, talking, and laughter afterward. however, unfortunately this year i had to take off immediately following the ceremony because i had to rush to osaka. damn! so, no pictures actually with the students. but, here are some during the graduation . . .

i, myself, was pretty sad to see them go . . . . but their ghosts remain running through the halls and playing on the fields. sitting in the seats during the classes i teach, their laughter echoes. i only hope i affected their lives in some way as they have affected mine . . . .

SATOSHI!

i teach this boy named satoshi. several months ago . . . during late november? december? i can’t be sure, carrie, tiffany, and i were eating at our favorite sushi joint in arai, having a normal threesome evening for us. while munching on our makase (chef’s choice), sitting at the sushi bar, a man comes out of one of the private tatami rooms. he had heard us speaking english, so he ventured out to try his hand at it with us. in short, it turned out that he had lived with his family a year ago, for a year, in connecticut of the states. and he was wondering if any one of us would like to teach his son. wanting some private lessons, i offered to teach him. after making arrangements with yamada san, i began teaching satoshi once a week on wednesdays at their home next to my school.

he’s 7 and adorable. his english is great considering all the factors. and his pronunciation is fabulous. this goes to reinforce the fact that children take to and learn a foreign language much easier than adults. get them started early!! yamada san knows what’s up. smart smart. we go over vocabulary, learn verbs, play games, sing songs, etc etc. satoshi’s rambunctious and has become comfortable with me which i like a lot. we’re affectionate with each other, and i’m confident he likes me a lot.

so here's pictures of talented little satoshi . . .

a grand wedding!!

my brother got married. it was a completely foreign, scary, and surreal idea at first. my brother and i are survivors of a divorce and messy family past. as we grew up, the idea of marriage was a frightening and impossible idea. the older i became, the more plausible it became. now, i’m not so opposed to the idea (eeek! did i say that?) with that being said, i thought that my brother and i wouldn’t be getting married for many, many years. not until we were older and had played our hearts out, making sure we were ready to spend our lives with one person, not committing the same mistakes my parents had made years before. when i heard the news, i was a little shocked. what!?!? he’s getting married? he’s so young! is he sure? blah blah blah . . . soon, i came to terms with it. after all, he’s a man now, 28 and executing his own decisions. his wife, lynda, and my brother, hank, have been dating off and on for several years. many of my friends and family and me have gotten to know lynda pretty well. she’s a great, caring person. she loves hank. hank loves her. and they’re wonderful together.

the wedding was a couple of weeks ago. taking off of work for a 4 days, i was able to jet home for an entirely too short 5 days. i knew sitting at my desk the anxious days before that i might as well be back, sitting at my desk once again, it would pass so fast. and indeed it did. i’m back, longing to still be home . . . for at least a little while longer. another week would have been nice. there were several people i missed. and still miss. several connections and conversations i wanted to make and have. new friends i wanted to see. old friends i wanted to bond with. so it goes.

the wedding itself had the potential to be an emotional train wreck for several reasons. i love weddings. i cry at weddings. i’m emotional at weddings. and it was my brother - who i love love love - getting married. such a joyous, momentous event – all this coming from an anti-marriage kind of gal! don’t get me wrong, i like the idea of wedding. the idea of having someone, one person, to come home and be on your team no matter what – now that’s back up. but the whole idea, in my eyes, is faulty in several matters as well. however, this is a blog about my brother’s wedding, and not me waxing about the philosophy of marriage. anyway, the day of the wedding, i achieved the feat of not being too emotional. the rehearsal dinner was a different story. it overcame me at times (i feel kind of silly writing about it). so, wedding trip pictures!

after arrival in columbia, my home town, and at a bar. first thing: happy hour! but only had time for one drink . . . . i was a busy gal! mom and i.


we went to dinner. there were 13 of us; i bet we made that waitress’ night. after dinner with the family that evening . . . we young kids hit the bar.


lynda and cousin english


lynda the bride, hank the brother, and i


and then to lunch the next day . . . i was still not feeling jet lag too terribly much. my grandmother, mere – she’s fabulous and 93.


rehearsal outside the evening before the wedding. the beautiful day boded well for the wedding weather the next day.


nick and i


the groomsmen lined up, playing, not practicing, and certainly not paying attention!


hank getting mere to dance was hilarious! she’s incredibly old and forgetful . . . hence making her extremely amusing! i just look at her and smile and laugh . . . affectionately of course.


cousin chloe and i


and the big day! making it to the wedding location at noon was no easy feat on my hungover, jet lagged body. we had to be there at noon for the bridal luncheon and pictures. it ended up being a lot of fun getting ready and playing with all in the wedding party.

hannah and melanie


shannon fixed katie’s hair while katie did lynda’s makeup - eeek! fun girl stuff . . .


hank, meanwhile, took much less time to get ready. looking sharp!


then the girls got ready and had time to play for pictures.








breaktime from the thousand pictures session


andrews, a groomsmen looking hot!


jeremy, andrews, matt, and neil


riley and gage







reception . . . i didn’t have my camera during most of the reception, so no royal treat of pictures. jeremy and i, a groomsmen and friend for several years.


and nick and i actually after the incredible long day of meeting and greeting, drinking and dancing . . . heyward made it out too after his long day of drinking fun at the st. patty’s day fest.


javed came into town that evening. i adore him.


no night’s complete without arm wrestling from nick.


hurting sunday afternoon, the whole family needed a nap . . . especially me.


and we made it out again. champagne and sake!


heyward was excited.


and after little sleep, not enough drinking and socializing, and a lot of love, i was off to japan once again. i would have been a wreck of a picture due to me holding back the flood of tears . . . so i took a picture of nick instead.

cup o' soup

well, i'm so relieved and happy that this is soup is suitable and special just for me!





what?!?

cupid valley ski resort

i want to write about this short trip due to the sheer beauty and nature contained within these photographs.

some of our best girlfriends in niigata ken invited us over for a night of catching up, dancing, eating, drinking, and snowboarding. the girls, jaime, megan, and michelle, chose a centrally located ski resort, cupid valley, at which to meet. so, early saturday morning, tiffany and i started the drive to cupid valley. it was an absolute beautiful, sparkling, crisp day. the sun was out, our moods were giddy, and the day held fresh promise.

not only were we looking forward to hitting the slopes, but we were dying with anticipation to see the girls - it felt like it had been literally forever. and not only was the day going to be fun, but the night too. we had an enkai (all you can drink and eat party) planned at a hawaiian themed restautant/bar in nagaoka with them and several of their other friends. a day of carefree fun - don't you love them!

it's hard to really understand or see through the pictures the vast beauty of nature - i wish everyone could have seen this gorgeous day. in the morning soon after we met.












feet and feet of powder. when i first learned to snowboard, i couldn't stand dipping into that type of snow, preferring to stay on the slicker, flatter and harder stuff. my inexperienced skill would lead to me catching my board under the very deep snow, causing me to fall without fail. which, in the powder is a pain in the ass because you must dig yourself out - getting hot, wet, and bothered (wow, i like where that's going!). but now, my increased level of skill has proportionately increased with my love with the white stuff. the powdery white stuff.


and then post-onsen and clean up: tiffany, me, and michelle


a new friend, tatsuya


mmmmmm - jamie and i


michelle being fabulous


charlie and megan


it's way too rare to see these fair friends of ours. and the sad fact about it is that there's no reason for it - we simply have to make time for each other. and hopefully we'll be doing more of that until there departure date in late july/early august. . .