The Irony of Days Off

So today I have the morning off. Of course, I stayed up extremely late last night putzing around. Well, actually I was designing homes and strange bunnies and monkeys and people with wings on my new copy of The Sims 2. I haven't actually played the game terribly much since the design factor is so interesting and challenging.

Well, the ironic part is my morning-off eves I frequently stay up late. But because I have the day off I also get up extra early because I can't waste the free morning.

So after my late night, I got up at 7am (which is disgustingly early considering the bedtime I gave myself) to go running. I normally tend to be prayerfully meditative while running, so this morning it was like I was half dreaming only my brain was trying to push through all the CRAP that I gorged on last night (mostly my main bane Diet Coke). I didn't know my brain and stomach were in the exact same spot in my body, but I really dumped a lot of junk on it. It needs a shower. Anyway...

These circumstances easily caused 2 major panics as I ran this morning. As I ran through the trees a series of large (large) ravens--not crows, ravens, with large hooked beaks, biblical eye-pecking ravens--began to caw behind me. As I'd pass them they'd wait a bit then fly to realight on a limb farther down, still overlooking the path I was on. After this occurred a few times, there were about 6 following me. They cawed and a group of thirty came from the left and right into a clearing on the right side of the path. The clearing was about 50 feet ahead of me at that moment. I thought they were fighting, but they just peacefully sat together, most of them all in three small trees above the clearing.

I didn't panic, but I ran faster to get past the clearing. Just as I passed it, three passed so close to my head I felt the puff of air from their wings near my left ear and the top of my head. About four more separately dived diagonally across in front of me as if to cut me off the path and I thought, (first panic) I'm going to get eaten! Am I harboring some transgression of biblical proportions? I started yelling at the birds (no one was near, but I don't know if I would have cared). Go away!

I got dive bombed a couple more times and they finally left me. I continued through the woods, through a tunnel and into the path the passes a gigantic clearing that is Showa no Mori and realized that I had been running for a LONG time and hadn't seen anyone. Then I had the ridiculous idea that the birds were a warning I was failing to heed. Too many fairy tales for Laurie. Normally in Showa no Mori I can see 4-6 people in one glance over the open fields. It was absolutely quiet, no one was there. I almost left because of the stupid grows, but did a few laps around the fields and finished my run. By the time I left 2 other people had shown up. Still, that coincidence of ravens and no people was creepy.

Ichinomiya's Bunkasai (school festival)
So, if you've been reading, you know what a school festival or culture festival is in a Japanese school.

Ryan and I went to Ichinomiya High School's Festival and had a good time. We met Satosensei (a teacher I work with there) who toured us about. We dripped syrup on crackers and sprinkled sugar to make a message...mine was not so good...










We went to the tea ceremony which was peaceful and beautiful and methodical.







And we saw some of the great calligraphy by students at the school.





I rotated the photo, but I apparently have to redo it...right this time. For now think of me as helping you stretch your neck.


We also at curry rice and yakisoba (fried noodles) that the students had made, it was delicious!


That's all.