Blog surfing, and learning to drive

Back at work this morning, feeling strangely light and quite content. This has a lot to do with the fact that I'm not exactly working, per se, yet. The students don't return until next week, so instead of taking more nenkyu (paid days off) I'm putting in the time at my desk. So far this has involved an hour spent writing an email, and another hour pursuing my new hobby- blog-surfing.

I just got off the phone with my "predecessor" here, Jim (Jimu-sensei, who had this job for three years before me.) He's back in the States now, in Alabama, looking for work. I've never actually met him, and this is the first time we've spoken, but we corresponded by email before I arrived here and he was very helpful (and gave us a good deal on all his wordly possessions, including a '93 Honda Civic, which I'm finally learning to drive now that I have an I.D.L.) After I got off the phone with him, I wanted to tell my vice-principal that he'd called. It seems I think I can actually speak Japanese now, after taking three weeks off from studying. I strode confidently up to kyoto-sensei's desk and said "Jim-sensei deshita." Then he said "Is he still in Kaogshima?" and I attempted to say, "no, he's back in Alabama, and has been for two months" (which would have, accurately, come out something like "Iie. Ima, kare wa Arubama ni. Amerika ni kaerimashita ni kan gatsu mae.") Of course all I said was "Arubama ni. ni kan gatsu"- "In Alabama, for two months." That could mean a range of things, I suppose. He seemed to understand, however. I always figure the phrase out properly ten minutes later, as I wander around, muttering to myself. Grr. At least I'm no longer afraid to speak to anybody. That's a step. Also, last night I tried my Rosetta Stone Japanese language cd-rom, and found that I understood a lot. This summer, when I first attempted to use it, the language sounded so foreign and I couldn't understand anything (it was, basically, my first exposure to Japanese.) The brain is a fairly astonishing, adaptable thing. I sat at my computer feeling very proud of myself for a good five minutes. Then I realized that I was answering questions like "These glasses are the same shape" and "Which person has long hair?" A place to start out from, I suppose.

G bought me the super awesomest coolest present ever for Christmas. A keyboard! That has a good piano sound, and speaks to me in English. I recorded a version of Tom Waits' "Ol'55" the other day (I couldn't get the song out of my head so I decided to do something about it), and am pretty excited about it. Also working on some new songs, but not too consistently, I'm afraid. Feeling a bit sluggish in the winter weather, eating wintry food, and lazing about. I've got to snap out of it soon.