The domestication of man...and the earth moved.

It is nearly complete. All I need is a washing machine & a hoover. Then I shall be set. The hoover should be pretty straightforward, the washing machine on the other hand is a veritable abyss of rectal agonies. It`s not quite as simple as buying one of the bastards & sticking it in your kitchen, heavens no. There`s a fitting in my corner & the machine has to be the exact dimensions, length, breadth and height. The recycle shops, be they cheap, are decidedly hit & miss on that particular front, so I don`t think I have any choice but to get a new one, which will set me back a good ￥150,000 at least. Bloody ouch...

On the plus side, I am now the proud owner of a gas stove (decidedly less sashimi for me), a rice cooker, a fridge and a kettle-keep-water-warm thing. Made my first home-cooked Japanese meal on sunday - rice with seaweed, daikon, sesame seeds, omlette, cucumber and raw tuna (yum). Minutes after I`d finished, I (well, not just me...the whole of Oda actually) had my first earthquake. How can I describe it without stating the obvious? I can`t. The entire house shook. A number of thoughts rushed through my brain as everything I own rattled ominously. "Ooo, that`s a large truck. No wait, it`s a big gust of wind. Hang on, someone`s trying to steal my flat with a crane!" What it was only occured to me after the dust had settled, so to speak. Ueno san tells me that there are many different types of earthquake. This one was definitely horizontal. Vertical earthquakes are, apparently, very terrifying indeed. Can`t wait.

Started at a new school today - my first impressions are that I prefer my other school, Kyomachi. Rinko is just a bit rougher. This is reflected by the teachers, who seem to fit into the stereotype of heavy-drinking Japanese. I was introduced, not in literal but definitely in no uncertain terms to the "spliff-making teacher". When making the universally recognised sign for "I am rolling a spliff", people are prone to exaggerate, but the space inbetween this mans hands was frankly ludicrous. My heart went out to the english teacher I was left with (for a while) as he can`t control the class and the kids have little or no respect for him. Then he recycled his (put bluntly, appalling [says the mega-experienced teacher with two weeks under his belt]) lesson plan for all three levels of student, regardless of ability, and that`s not even considering the fact that this lesson just involves the kids copying stuff out of a book - where`s the practice? Oh, I`m not going to talk shop...going out for a cathartic drink with the english teachers tomorrow night (On a school night? Yes. Oh. Okay.). Thankfully I have a Board of Education meeting the following day, which will involve the very friendly Sato san jabbering in Japanese whilst the other ALT`s who can`t speak Japanese & myself look on in wonder, & then HOME. Potentially a three day week, woo-hoo.

Whew, that was a fat entry.