More happy happy

Kerry and Dave coming to visit was an awesome opportunity for us to get out and do a bit of sightseeing and shopping - they're a fun pair, and everyone enjoyed our little outings - particularly the Korean barbecue outing!

Kerry and Dave's visit - Em's photos

We are continuing to be busy. Not that I mind - I much prefer being busy and a little tired than being well rested but frustrated by how little I am achieving. At the moment we are practicing with the band up to three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) - and both of us are sitting in on drums in our new friend Rob's band. The band is called Sister Ray, and Rob works pretty much as a band autocrat, which is fine, because I find it equally rewarding and challenging working to someone else's aesthetic as I do forging my own. Tom is playing the slower, quieter, more syncopated songs, where as I am playing the more straight ahead rock songs. It works well, and makes sure that we are not stamping the sound with a signature drummer. Rob's a total unit, unnervingly honest, really clever and kind - he and his beautiful partner Jo have really opened the door to us, and I'm really happy to have made some more friends over here. With Krista leaving I was a bit sad, but vacuums always manage to fill themselves somehow. The other band members are also great fun to hang out with, and Sister Ray practice is great because it means that we get some regimented socialising into our routine (good for people who tend to get a little isolated due to being too independent). Rob and Jo are good friends with our mate John from webschool, so we also get to see him more often (which is good because our schedules clash this year). It's a nice little enclave of music enthusiasts, musicians, and others.

Tonight I'm going to go down to Tezukayama and meet up with the people who moved into our apartment when we moved out. Apparently Rosie, who I'm going to be meeting with first, is writing her Masters on grindcore and extreme music - doing a compariative study between Australia and Japan. She knows about The Pink Palace, and possibly will know a lot of the same people I know. It's good, because I can probably introduce her to a few people that might be good for her thesis, and she might be able to introduce us to some people that would be good for us to know for touring or shows or split releases or what not.

The upshot of all this is that we are pretty bloody happy.

With the wedding out of the way, the honeymoon done, I've been feeling really content. Going to Phuket was really nice. Those first few days of relaxing and floating around the pool were great. It really allowed me an opportunity to contrast our life in Japan to other ways of life, and I've definitely been having fewer attacks of the "Crapans!" than I had been previously. I can drink the tap water, I don't have to worry about malaria, I can understand at least every 5th word that is said to me in most situations, my shoes don't get muddy when I walk down the street.

Also I have noticed that the less I am exposed to the company HQ, the more content I feel. I don't mind my job. I actually like my job. Hanging out with kids and adults being playful and teaching conversation, it's a really nice way to make a crust. I went to HQ the other day for some training, and just being at HQ made me pissed off for two days. I will do my upmost to avoid that place and see how if my theory of HQ giving me the irrits stands up.

Earning a Japanese wage allows us to be able to live very comfortably. We haven't had to fork out for any major expenses recently, so we've both been sending money home for our eventual return. I will have reached my minimum savings target next month if I send some more money home.

In other news:

- Tom has discovered and I have re-discovered Yakiniku, and we have been to two Korean barbecue places in the space of two weeks. Plans for constructing a barbecue table in the Yakiniku style have already begun to be discussed. If we made it right, we could use it for nabe too..! Table cooking rocks.
- I have been swimming at the local pool on Thursdays and I've lost a bit of the midriff pork. Combined with my double kick drum practice routine, I'm actually slimming down - and growing a whole new variety of wirey little muscles that I never knew I had.
- One of my favourite students, Yai, will be finishing up his contract with the company soon. I feel that I have actually engendered a real affection for this person's character, and I will miss seeing him in my webschool schedule.
- The weather hasn't been too hot to face going outside yet. However, the evenings have gotten too warm to sleep with our heavy doona, and we are slowly stripping the futon of extra bedding.
- My aunt Mary will be visiting the Kansai district in late July - a hot humid time of year to come to town, but I will do my best to come up with some good ideas of ways for her to beat the heat.
- I am learning to tie a kimono so that I can wear a yukata to the summer festival this year.
- I am currently cooking up some plans for some outings in the mountains for us this summer. Koya-san is a definite, Nachi falls would be awesome, Ise in Mie prefecture is definitely on my shortlist, Takayama could be good, and Biwa-ko and Hikone are also high on the list of things to do during our weekends. At the moment we are having a good resting weekend.