Catch Up!

J104 Saturday August 5th

I brought my AC remote to work with me, in the hopes that my Japanese co-workers could help me decode the mysterious runes etched onto its face. The heat is making sleep...difficult. Not impossible; I can get to sleep. But upon waking I am covered in a thin film of sweat, which is an unpleasant sensation, to say the least.

The day's work was enjoyable, as always. My Saturdays are usually front-heavy, with a large cluster of 4 classes in the beginning of the day, and then a group of two, and then a single class to end the day. Between these three groups are one-hour breaks. This time, it was reversed, with my day beginning easily, and ending with a massive 4-hour work-a-thon. Not the end of the world, especially given that one of my classes canceled.

My one-hour break became two hours, and one of my Japanese co-workers and I walked together to get lunch. A summer festival was going on in Hitachi Square, and there were lots of people. The heat is interesting here in Japan. It's oppressive, like a big hand pressing down on you. It's not the body-wrapped-in-hot-wet-towels sensation of Atlanta's heat. Hitachi has humidity, almost as much as Atlanta, but the difference is noticeable.

The heat just stays, until it's reduced by something cool. In Atlanta, winds rarely cooled you off. They'd move air over you, which was nice, but they brought no balm to the heat. It was just more warm, wet air moving over you. Here in Hitachi, the breeze is actually cool. It's almost like heat is a physical medium, rather than retained energy in the atmosphere.

Anyway. It was hot. My coworker and I grabbed lunch (well, I did. She just had a drink) at Dotour, a sandwich shop of good reputation. We found Greg, the ex-employee I replaced enjoying a drink there while reading his notes. He left the company after two years of work to pursue a Graduate degree in computer science here in Japan. He's a nice guy, really. When I first came here I was a bit of a ditz, though, and I worried that I'd upset him with my inexperience and habit of falling asleep at inopportune times. But, that was ages ago, and such things seem quite distant now.

I stopped by the 100 yen shop to buy more art supplies. I picked up a tiny white board, for the purpose of rough drafts. I like white board markers as a medium, but they can't stay forever. So, this will be useful to just break out a sketch when the mood strikes without going through tons of paper. I also picked up some pencils, erasers, and a sharpener.

The rest of the day was uneventful. It was hot. I taught a lot. After work I rode home on an obviously flat tire. My rear tire had a puncture, and it was all I could do to make it back. I parked the bike with a promise to get it fixed first thing the next day.

After a wonderfully cold shower and the successful activation of my air conditioner, I enjoyed a few hours' internet time before going to G-Bros. I journeyed there around 10:30 or so and had a nice evening. Lots of people where there, in part due to the fact that K's fiance, Sylvia, was visiting. She and K met while she was a teacher at another school here in Hitachi. She's since moved back to the States and works in the U.N. as a translator...or an aide...I'm not quite sure which. I'd seen her a few times the previous day, but hadn't had a chance to really meet her. She's a nice person; I can see why K likes her. She's from Mexico, and has a really cool accent. She's also got very good Japanese skills.

I wound up heading home around 2AM that night. There were plans for fireworks, but I felt the fatigue of the last week's poor sleep, not to mention the day's efforts, weighing on me. I bid everyone farewell and hiked back to my place, eager to start the next day and repair my bike.