Letter

Hey, thanks!!  I hope your new year is just spiffalicious!!!

What other French stuff are you cooking lately?  I noticed one French restaurant here, but I almost don't want to try it.  I'm sick of having no friends.  It means I always go out by myself.
Yet, it looks as if I may have actually be getting more friendly with---dun dun duuhhh---my tutor!!  Yes, I finally got a tutor.  She's a perky, nosey, middle-aged Japanese lady who speaks English really well.  She reminds me of my old friend Joy in an odd way.  I think it's because she can be pushy sometimes, but it's in a way that is refreshing to me, so it's okay.  I'm looking forward to spending more time with her.  Maybe I can get a pic to send you.

When I was home I picked up the new Eminem CD, 'Encore'.  I have all his CDs now.  And even though I think he's vulgar, it's been really healthy to listen to him lately.  Somehow I don't feel all that isolated if I allow myself to blame the Japanese [culture] a little for my isolation.  Eminem helps me do that and feel better about myself for it.  I'm saying this only part sarcastically!

So, yeppers, I did enjoy PA a lot; I can't tell you how revitalizing it was seeing my family, if only for 6 days--except now I'm back to sitting at my desk at City Hall for this week.  It's the stupidest thing, just sitting there trying to come up with lesson plans with no curriculum, but they just don't know what to do with me while school's out, and they wouldn't dare ask me what I think!!  I think I ought to be back in my school, helping clean the place and planning real lessons with the teachers.  Argh!

Also, I just found out that after this cycle of middle schools is up, that is, when the school year ends in March, I start over again at the first middle school.  News to me, because my printed schedule had stopped after the end of March!  I had no idea I'd be returning to all the schools again.  No one told me!  I'm always left in the dark!! I haven't felt this much pent-up anger since I was a teenager--what's with all the crap they are handing me?

Weather's been cold, but not chills to the bone like Philly.  You were wondering, but no, Japan wasn't affected by the tsunami.  Do you actually prefer the cold to the T-shirts and clouds?  Seems heavenly because I'm so cold here so much of the time.  I don't even like to go outside my bedroom if I can help it--that's why I moved all the important stuff in here.  Not so good for my health though, not moving at all. ; )

The dream of Austria is still alive.  However, if I don't fly straight home first, I forfeit my free plane ride; it's just the JET rules.  So Austria will have to come after a trip home.  I'm actually dreaming of going to Aikido Camp my first week back--a sort of intensive re-entry program or something.

I just read this and think I ought to post part or all of it on the blog.  You want I should leave a sometin' out?

Hehe, you just asked all the right questions, I guess. : )

But I'm glad to hear you had a good New Year's, with the appropriate partying.  Partying here is nothing like partying there.  If the party starts smelling the least bit wild, someone gets up to leave, and pretty soon everyone's splitting.

I was thinking about the center again, you know, from Aikido.  Embodiment comes slowly, but it comes, slowly.