First of all, this year's Golden Week stunk because it was set up to be much shorter than usual, as I covered in my last post. So that wasn't so hot. Second, my car's cooling system finally decided to crap out, so it was in the garage for a major part of the week. No car, no trains, limited bus service= even less hot. I also had some goals that I wanted to accomplish, for example finishing a book that I was reading, watch some movies, play through Gears of War, continue to work on cleaning my room, and even just be lazy if I felt like it.
Things started off on the wrong foot Friday night, as there was yet another drinking party, this time in my hometown of Ono with the local PTA. So we just had one of those like two weeks before this, but apparently it was already time for another one. So Friday night was spent drinking and eating with the parents and co-workers. Then, Saturday morning I had agreed to go to school again, this time to watch the volleyball club play a scrimmage game. Well, they actually did play really well, and I went with one of the other teachers to grab lunch, but that was even less time spent doing actual vacation things.
Well, the rest of Saturday was spent more or less normally, I got some things done and actually watch Cliffhanger of all movies, but the real fun was to begin Sunday afternoon. Things started out innocently enough, when Sugisaki, one of the Ono teachers, came to pick me up from my house. He had said he would be there at 1, but he came at 1250 and I still wasn't ready- not a good start. So we went from there to Joyfull, which is a standard family diner restaurant around here. Now, normally you go, sit down, have a meal and chat for a little bit, no big deal. But thanks to waiting for several people to come, and then waiting for those people to eat, plus in general chatting/time wasting, were we there for around three and a half hours- I think that may be some sort of record. Well, I don't like sitting in one place for that long, but what can you do? Fortunately, there was an all-you-can-drink bar set up which helped to pass the time.
Well with all the people that we had, it took a while to find an option that would be acceptable for everyone, but finally we decided to head for Park Place, a local shopping center. There, seeing as how I hadn't been out shopping much due to car problems, I bought a couple pairs of shoes, and was ready to go. Then some people wanted to get McDonalds, and then I thought I should check out the Sports Authority, and after that some people headed to the arcade, looking around at HMV, there goes a couple more hours. While at the Sports Authority, Sugisaki thought it would be a great idea if we got matching shirts to wear for the upcoming sports day. I thought, alright, I could use a new shirt, and I got a navy blue soccer jersey thing. Sugisaki being the stylish guy that he is, got some sort of pastel peach colored shirt, but I guess it would work out for him. So time will tell if anyone will get a kick out of the shirts at the sports day.
Then, eventually, after a couple of those dangerously addictive"dropping medal" games at the arcade, we got everybody back together again, and decided to go bowling. Well, that led to an incident in the car, when I tried to eat a natto roll, and some of the natto fell onto my shirt. If you don't know what natto is, it smells really bad, and soon enough the whole car reeked. I caught some shit for that.
Bowling was fine. I saw one of my older teachers that I used to work with, and that was interesting. Thing is, I bowled pretty well. I was knocking down spares like nobody's business and at one point almost pulled off my first triple, getting two strikes and then a nine. So that was all well and good, but you know it's now past midnight, and I'm getting rather tired. But certain people in the group aren't ready to give up the ghost just yet. So we go to yet another family restaurant, this time Skylark Gust, and sit around for oh, another hour while people talk, and talk, and eat ice cream, and talk.
Being the nice guy that he is, and knowing that I really don't have a choice in the matter, Sugisaki offers to let he stay at his place, where I met his Dad and his Mom cooked me a really good breakfast. Really early in the morning, because we're going back to school. And things will just get crazier from there!!!!
TO BE CONTINUED>>>