Today, with all the talk about UK banks going belly-up and people losing their life savings, I thought I'd better phone MY bank just to be aware of what is or isn't guaranteed. Turns out that there is a 50,000 pounds guarantee on my particular account so I'm going to have to keep a close eye on the market and pull out if and when needed. Problem is, it's a 5 year savings account and if I do cancel it before the time is up, I'll get back less than what went in (but probably still more than just the guaranteed amount).
I've been pretty busy lately with trying to get the Halloween party planned and all the bits and pieces bought for it. I finally ordered all the 'prizes' the other day and hopefully they should arrive within a week. Now I just need to try to come up with a few more new games to join the ones we do every year. My Japanese friend will help me again (I ordered costumes for us - a banana and a whoopee cushion! I'll take the biggest of the two but I'm hoping I'll get to be the banana!) and some of the mothers have also offered to help man the game stations so we should be okay. This year I ordered prizes for up to 60 kids (previously it's been 72) and it looks like it's been a wise decision since I only have 52 kids signed up so far. Unlike past years, I've decided to only hold the one party in the morning - two was just too tiring - so we can run over the time limit without worrying about the 2nd lot of kids arriving - some of them came up to an hour early, just as we were ready to eat lunch.
Last Sunday I had an English Teachers' meeting here which turned out to be a great day. There were around 24 teachers and 12 of us went out for dinner later on.
Aya moved into her flat the same day as the meeting so she had to do it alone - but then again, even though she was here, I had to do ours without any help from her so we got even!
Other than that, nothing new.
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Friday, 3 October 2008
After about a week of solid rain, the weather has picked up and it's lovely - neither hot nor cold. I just wish it would stay like this.
Yesterday was Keita's sports day and unlike the elementary school where they line the kids up with the smallest in front, at the high school it is tallest at the front with the result that we could see Keita easily but nobody else! I'm sure a lot of mothers were a bit disgruntled at not being able to take photos of THEIR kids.
He was in the 100m race and (surprisingly) came first - he's not known for his speed!
He was also in the 3-legged race - in this case it was a few more legs - and I think they walked more than ran!
It was a red hot day so I was kind of glad that I had classes and could only go in the morning.
On the baseball front, Keita and Riku are mostly playing in the 2nd year team these days. The 2nd year has a lot of players out with injuries but I think they are also hoping to strengthen the team by putting the two of them in. Good for Keita and Riku (the more tournaments they play, the more exposure they get and from now on, since the High Schools have already picked who they want from the 3rd year teams, they'll be looking at the 2nd year kids). I've a feeling that there's going to be (more) jealousy/envy with some of the more competitive mothers though but at least it's two of us rather than just the one. I can live with it.
A few weeks ago Setsuo won tickets for a pro baseball match and because Oct 1st was the only day he and Keita were both free, they picked that date. Lucky for them because it turned out to be the farewell match for one of the famous baseballers (the tickets were supposedly sold out wihin 5 minutes). They both came back very happy!
While they were away, I went with Aya and Daisuke to see their new apartment. It's just a one bedroom flat but the living room is quite big and they have a big verandah too. They plan on moving in over the weekend although Aya hasn't even started packing yet!
Tonight I'm going out with 5 of the mothers from the old baseball club but need to be back at a decent time because I've a class tomorrow morning. I also have an English Teachers' meeting at my school on Sunday so need to get the place tidied up. Once this year's Expo is over, I'm going to step down from being coordinator as most of the meetings clash with bb matches so until Keita is in Snr high, I'll concentrate on him.
Yesterday was Keita's sports day and unlike the elementary school where they line the kids up with the smallest in front, at the high school it is tallest at the front with the result that we could see Keita easily but nobody else! I'm sure a lot of mothers were a bit disgruntled at not being able to take photos of THEIR kids.
He was in the 100m race and (surprisingly) came first - he's not known for his speed!
He was also in the 3-legged race - in this case it was a few more legs - and I think they walked more than ran!
It was a red hot day so I was kind of glad that I had classes and could only go in the morning.
On the baseball front, Keita and Riku are mostly playing in the 2nd year team these days. The 2nd year has a lot of players out with injuries but I think they are also hoping to strengthen the team by putting the two of them in. Good for Keita and Riku (the more tournaments they play, the more exposure they get and from now on, since the High Schools have already picked who they want from the 3rd year teams, they'll be looking at the 2nd year kids). I've a feeling that there's going to be (more) jealousy/envy with some of the more competitive mothers though but at least it's two of us rather than just the one. I can live with it.
A few weeks ago Setsuo won tickets for a pro baseball match and because Oct 1st was the only day he and Keita were both free, they picked that date. Lucky for them because it turned out to be the farewell match for one of the famous baseballers (the tickets were supposedly sold out wihin 5 minutes). They both came back very happy!
While they were away, I went with Aya and Daisuke to see their new apartment. It's just a one bedroom flat but the living room is quite big and they have a big verandah too. They plan on moving in over the weekend although Aya hasn't even started packing yet!
Tonight I'm going out with 5 of the mothers from the old baseball club but need to be back at a decent time because I've a class tomorrow morning. I also have an English Teachers' meeting at my school on Sunday so need to get the place tidied up. Once this year's Expo is over, I'm going to step down from being coordinator as most of the meetings clash with bb matches so until Keita is in Snr high, I'll concentrate on him.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
I did in fact have the Sunday off although didn't do anything very exciting. Went to collect Keita's shoes that had been ordered, went to a do-it-yourself shop where there was a gorgeous American Spaniel that I would have loved to take home and then onto Costco for a bit of shopping (as always I spent too much in there). After that I came home and Setsuo went to see his father - who was in a great mood seemingly. After I'd put all the shopping away, I decided that since I was the only one in the house, I would watch a DVD that Stephanie had given me in NZ (The Whale Rider). It was nice to just sit back and relax for once.
Saturday, 20 September 2008
Hurray for the last class of the week!
Not only that but there is (so far) nothing planned for the baseball for this weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no matches are going to sneak up on us and just maybe I can have a much needed Sunday off. Next Tuesday is a public holiday and although I'm not teaching that day, there's an early start for the BB (early as in 4.30 wake-up). These days my long lies are on school days when I don't have to be up until 7am!! Oh for the days when I was able to lie in bed until the middle of the day.
Keita had school tests last week and the only one he shone at was - believe it or not - English. He got 94% which was great! So far, he is enjoying it and HE has made the rule that we can only speak English at the dinner table - you can imagine how limited our conversation is but at least he's making the effort. The other night he came out with the gem that he wished he'd been born with blue eyes like me! Don't know why he fancies blue but it was quite nice to hear it anyway.
Lisa came back from Guam yesterday and had a great time and Aya is now wanting to go too but with work and lack of funds I can't see it happening for a while.
I've just realised that with next Tuesday being a public holiday, I won't be teaching at the nursery school either so that makes 3 holidays in a row (first I wasn't feeling well, 2nd was the body check and now this). Oops!
Not only that but there is (so far) nothing planned for the baseball for this weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no matches are going to sneak up on us and just maybe I can have a much needed Sunday off. Next Tuesday is a public holiday and although I'm not teaching that day, there's an early start for the BB (early as in 4.30 wake-up). These days my long lies are on school days when I don't have to be up until 7am!! Oh for the days when I was able to lie in bed until the middle of the day.
Keita had school tests last week and the only one he shone at was - believe it or not - English. He got 94% which was great! So far, he is enjoying it and HE has made the rule that we can only speak English at the dinner table - you can imagine how limited our conversation is but at least he's making the effort. The other night he came out with the gem that he wished he'd been born with blue eyes like me! Don't know why he fancies blue but it was quite nice to hear it anyway.
Lisa came back from Guam yesterday and had a great time and Aya is now wanting to go too but with work and lack of funds I can't see it happening for a while.
I've just realised that with next Tuesday being a public holiday, I won't be teaching at the nursery school either so that makes 3 holidays in a row (first I wasn't feeling well, 2nd was the body check and now this). Oops!
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
I haven't posted lately because there hasn't been much happening - well nothing of interest anyway, same old routine day in and day out and even though I'm posting now, there still isn't much to write about!
We had a bit of a panic last week when we thought the home was going to give Setsuo's father his marching orders. He'd been lashing out at the staff and so they called us in for a chat. It went okay though so we're breathing a big sigh of relief although I think if it keeps happening there's a good chance he will be kicked out - imagine being expelled from an old folks home!! A couple of days later they phoned again to say that he'd fallen in his room at night and since he had a high temperature the next morning they wanted him to get checked out at the hospital. Again it turned out okay and the temperature must just have been from a cold. Poor Setsuo is getting a bit frazzled with it all since he is usually the one to go. No sign of the others even asking for the name of the home never mind paying him a visit but since we never expected them to, no surprise there.
Other news:
Aya and boyfriend have found a flat and Aya will move out at the beginning of October. They'll still be quite near (about 15mins by bicycle).
Lisa and her friend went to Guam for 4 days this morning - lucky her!
Haven't heard from Kana for a while so don't know what she's been up to lately although last time she emailed she said her and a few other friends had gone for an audition for a lip-sync competition and got through but they didn't know if they'd manage to do it since one girl had exams and another had something else around the same time.
Keita has been playing in the 2nd years baseball team as well as his own team. The 2nd year team aren't that great and have a lot of players out due to injuries so Keita and 6 others have to join them although not all play in every game. When he isn't pitching he is usually on first base and since the glove for each position is different, I had a feeling I was going to have to buy another glove - another 50,000 yens worth - but last night he came home with a brand new one that the team owner had (hopefully) given him! I'm going to have to check that it was *given* and I don't have to pay. While he was at baseball we went searching for running shoes for him and ended up at the big shopping mall near Lisa's flat in Sanda. There is a Outlet mall there and we finally found his size in the Nike store. We also found out that they stock some shoes up to a size 33 cm (which is HUGE) so can relax a bit even if his feet do grow a bit more!
Today Setsuo, one of the carpenters and I went for a health check. It's a yearly thing although it's the first time in about 20 years that we've been. Now we just have to wait for the results and hope they don't find anything. They did ECG, height and weight, blood, urine, stool, eye and ear tests, X-ray and barium meal. Quite amusing to see a whole room full of people walking about in pajamas - mine were LL size (rather embarrassing since Setsuo's and Okawa's where only L) which were fine in the length but the waist was so big I thought I was going to lose them every time I stood up! I also found out that I'm 177 cm as opposed to the 178 I thought I was (either that or I'm shrinking at last!)
We had a bit of a panic last week when we thought the home was going to give Setsuo's father his marching orders. He'd been lashing out at the staff and so they called us in for a chat. It went okay though so we're breathing a big sigh of relief although I think if it keeps happening there's a good chance he will be kicked out - imagine being expelled from an old folks home!! A couple of days later they phoned again to say that he'd fallen in his room at night and since he had a high temperature the next morning they wanted him to get checked out at the hospital. Again it turned out okay and the temperature must just have been from a cold. Poor Setsuo is getting a bit frazzled with it all since he is usually the one to go. No sign of the others even asking for the name of the home never mind paying him a visit but since we never expected them to, no surprise there.
Other news:
Aya and boyfriend have found a flat and Aya will move out at the beginning of October. They'll still be quite near (about 15mins by bicycle).
Lisa and her friend went to Guam for 4 days this morning - lucky her!
Haven't heard from Kana for a while so don't know what she's been up to lately although last time she emailed she said her and a few other friends had gone for an audition for a lip-sync competition and got through but they didn't know if they'd manage to do it since one girl had exams and another had something else around the same time.
Keita has been playing in the 2nd years baseball team as well as his own team. The 2nd year team aren't that great and have a lot of players out due to injuries so Keita and 6 others have to join them although not all play in every game. When he isn't pitching he is usually on first base and since the glove for each position is different, I had a feeling I was going to have to buy another glove - another 50,000 yens worth - but last night he came home with a brand new one that the team owner had (hopefully) given him! I'm going to have to check that it was *given* and I don't have to pay. While he was at baseball we went searching for running shoes for him and ended up at the big shopping mall near Lisa's flat in Sanda. There is a Outlet mall there and we finally found his size in the Nike store. We also found out that they stock some shoes up to a size 33 cm (which is HUGE) so can relax a bit even if his feet do grow a bit more!
Today Setsuo, one of the carpenters and I went for a health check. It's a yearly thing although it's the first time in about 20 years that we've been. Now we just have to wait for the results and hope they don't find anything. They did ECG, height and weight, blood, urine, stool, eye and ear tests, X-ray and barium meal. Quite amusing to see a whole room full of people walking about in pajamas - mine were LL size (rather embarrassing since Setsuo's and Okawa's where only L) which were fine in the length but the waist was so big I thought I was going to lose them every time I stood up! I also found out that I'm 177 cm as opposed to the 178 I thought I was (either that or I'm shrinking at last!)
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Things I like about this house
-my classroom is one floor below the house so I can come and go easily
-all the rooms are on the same floor so cleaning is a breeze
-no stairs (once you're actually in the house)
-it's all light colours
-the dogs don't go on the sofas (we've managed to keep them off)
-the dogs don't go in the bedrooms so our futon covers don't get filthy and need changing every couple of days
-I can stand in the kitchen and *almost* reach everything I need without moving
-the bathroom is just off the living room (as opposed to another floor in the old house)
-there's only one toilet to clean!
-we've only been using one air-conditioner to cool down the WHOLE house (although there is one in each room)
-don't need to carry dirty or clean washing upstairs/downstairs any more
-a lot less clutter (if you ignore the boxes that still have to be unpacked)
Things I don't like
-the entrance is small so I'm constantly putting away shoes to give us standing space
-I have to use net curtain because the sun is so strong (hopefully once the weather cools iI'll get away without them)
So if you compare the two lists, it's kind of obvious that I'm happy we've moved!
-my classroom is one floor below the house so I can come and go easily
-all the rooms are on the same floor so cleaning is a breeze
-no stairs (once you're actually in the house)
-it's all light colours
-the dogs don't go on the sofas (we've managed to keep them off)
-the dogs don't go in the bedrooms so our futon covers don't get filthy and need changing every couple of days
-I can stand in the kitchen and *almost* reach everything I need without moving
-the bathroom is just off the living room (as opposed to another floor in the old house)
-there's only one toilet to clean!
-we've only been using one air-conditioner to cool down the WHOLE house (although there is one in each room)
-don't need to carry dirty or clean washing upstairs/downstairs any more
-a lot less clutter (if you ignore the boxes that still have to be unpacked)
Things I don't like
-the entrance is small so I'm constantly putting away shoes to give us standing space
-I have to use net curtain because the sun is so strong (hopefully once the weather cools iI'll get away without them)
So if you compare the two lists, it's kind of obvious that I'm happy we've moved!
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Nursery school class went okay today. I'd met a J woman at one of the Teacher's meetings on Sunday who lives nearby (in fact in the apartment I used to teach from, how weird is that?) and since she teaches at another nursery school I was hoping I'd be able to introduce her and cop out of any more lessons but they want a real live foreigner so that put paid to that.
Tonight I've classes until 9.30 so it's store bought okonomiyaki and yakisoba in the Nomiyama household (a banana and peanut butter sarnie for me!)
My no-beer diet from a couple of months ago lasted about 3 days so I've still got the belly I had (plus a bit more from NZ) so I'm going to try again. This time it's been altered a bit to 1 beer a night (no beer is just too hard!) so we'll see what comes of it this time. Another woman whose blog I read has also started to try to lose weight and since we are similar sizes, I'm going to pace myself with her. I'm being rather cheeky though and haven't told her although I think some of you might connect the two of us if you read both blogs!
Tonight I've classes until 9.30 so it's store bought okonomiyaki and yakisoba in the Nomiyama household (a banana and peanut butter sarnie for me!)
My no-beer diet from a couple of months ago lasted about 3 days so I've still got the belly I had (plus a bit more from NZ) so I'm going to try again. This time it's been altered a bit to 1 beer a night (no beer is just too hard!) so we'll see what comes of it this time. Another woman whose blog I read has also started to try to lose weight and since we are similar sizes, I'm going to pace myself with her. I'm being rather cheeky though and haven't told her although I think some of you might connect the two of us if you read both blogs!
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