Potpourri Post

So I have been missing for a few days. What can I say? I have lots of stuff to do...like...internet...things. You knew I would come back, just like I knew you would come back> So lets not say sorry, or hello again, lets just continue on. What follows now is a bunch of little posts that didn't merit an entire post by themselves. Fair warning though, I just read all seven Harry Potter Books and watched all 8 movies, so there will be a post about that this week. 

 The problem with living in the "Land of the Rising Sun" is that you get the Land of the Setting Sun pretty early. This is the skyline as I left work at 4:30 in the afternoon. I really like the mountains on this side of the valley. They are super sudden. 

 I can't help it, but I think that this is about the funniest picture of a turtle I have ever seen. This turtle lives at my little elementary school. He is high centered on a rock, with his head up against the wall. I just laugh at how miserable he seems. 

 My junior high is cooler than your junior high...at my junior high, they let students burn things during cleaning time. Unfortunately, all I get to do is vacuum. 

 I saw this bag at the 100 yen shop. I don't know what efforts are being rewarded, but you should never give up.

 The little man that guards the entrance to the kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi place. If you push the button, he says things in unintelligible Japanese. I guess he is kind of like a mascot. 

Conveyor belt sushi is awesome because you get to use your plates to play a lottery game...that we lost a bunch of times. You can see the elders in this video. Shiozawa on the left and Malcom on the right. I accidentally got natto sushi. Terrible error. 

VIDEO ATTACK! At our last culture day trainy special class thing, the students learning jazz dancing did this nice little routine to a Shakira song. Nothing odd about that right? 

Where's Wally. Japan got it wrong. They are never going to find Waldo if they keep looking for Wally.

Last week we had a surprise chorus festival as well. You can see the kids be bopping a long with the song. Take that Glee! The only thing better than this was seeing their homeroom teacher at the back of the gym doing the motions for them to follow along with. She was VERY animated...them not so much. Ultimately, the choir festival was OK, but 2 hours of sitting in a folding chair listening to junior high level choir songs is not my idea of an afternoon of fun...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving (for us)! We are going to get together as a bunch of English speaking folk at the international center and eat turkey. I am worried that they underestimated the amount of turkey needed for all these folks, but I hold out hope. I made Flaky Jakeys for the occasion. I imagine it will be a huge hit.