To add to the list of things I didn't expect to do, then did...

...biking in a thunderstorm. In a dress. For the sake of going shopping.

Actually, the shopping part I can kind of imagine, as well as the dress. It's the bike part that threw me for a loop. Something else that threw me off: the sheer magnitude of the mall I went to; a shopping behemoth of such power that it requires it's own train station. Clearly, it was worth having to ring out my dress and pedal home with my hood covering my eyes at random moments.

Damn it. Damnation. Damnable. Damned.

I had to explain the definition of those words to a student in class today. Thanks, textbook, for including "darn" in your extra info section. Unfortunately, my student wasn't settling for it just being "a bad word." She wanted context, darn it. She got more context than she bargained for, I imagine. Also confusion.

Oy.

This week has been massively long; it's been tiring and hazy but went better than expected, given the circumstances.

Last weekend was pretty fun, and a little bit too non-stop. I basically ran away from work as soon as the day was technically over at 7:00 (okay, I waited until 7:05; that's the earliest I've ever left), and I headed over to Tachikawa for to meet Hera and her co-workers/students at a jazz club. Even leaving as early as possible, I knew I would be a little late. Thus when Hera sent me directions to the club along with the message that it would be awkward if she left in the middle, I began to worry about the size of the club, and how much of an entrance my late arrival would make (I mean, let's be fair--I'm already stared at all the time in normal situations). But before anyone noticed my arrival, someone noticed my exit--from the train platform, anyways. As I was hurrying to find the right street, a man approached me and tapped me on the shoulder (I was wearing massive headphones, so it could have been possible he tried to get my attention otherwise first). After asking me if I spoke English or Japanese, he expressed his interest in me by saying, "I have interest in you." He asked me if I had time to talk, and I said only if he walked.

Usually, I am much harsher to the random men who hit on me, but that's only because of the ridiculous pick-up lines I usually get (examples: Do you live in a castle?-->this wasn't even followed up by anything clever; but it's not nearly as bad as "Oh, I thought you were a cougar for a second, but you're actually young"); so perhaps it was his straightforwardness, or maybe it was my urgency to find the club and get away, but I gave him my e-mail address before taking off (and as many of you know, I don't give out my phone number to strangers after certain extremely obnoxious incidences of phone stalking--I'll only give it out if I can tell they are the type who will immediately call to verify the number, like cougar hunter from above). Also--and this may make me a terrible person--but I thought it would be amusing to see what he would write, and he delivered. See below. (P.S. I'm not such a bad person! As I walked away, I actually considered the option for a few minutes. And I really do appreciate his go-get-em manner).

By the time I made it to the jazz club, my fears were confirmed as I opened the door--the small and tightly packed room would be given a nice eyeful when I tried to squeeze my way through. But anyways, I had made it, and the music was fantastic, but not what I had expected for jazz...the singer was Hera's coworker, and we tried to speculate if the 7-stringed guitarist was her younger lover. Near the end of the night, I even convinced Hera to dance a bit with me (and the other rumba dancers shaking their business), and by dancing I clearly mean standing up and shaking a film canister filled with beads. The music was Portuguese (which apparently I can no longer recognize, despite having spent 3 weeks in Lisboa), and reminded me of the movie The Man Without a Past , though it really didn't sound much like the soundtrack. It was more of the feeling than tones or lyrics.

After the dance party ended, Hera and I headed for McDonald's (because though the 600 yen pizza bread was delicious, it wasn't very filling), where we waited for her friend from training to arrive with some of her Japanese student-men. We headed for an izakaya, where we stayed just long enough to miss the last train, which would just be our way of insuring that the next stop would be an all-night karaoke plan. And let me say this: all-night karaoke session = always a GREAT IDEA (especially with a lil nomihorai thrown in)...and in case you didn't know, I do a very good impression of Lady Gaga, as well as Brandon Flowers. And do not get in the way of Hera singing Kanye.

We stumbled out with raspy voices and high pitched giggles around 5, though poor Hera would have to return to that same area in just 7 short hours for work on Sunday open. Despite train service now running once more in my direction, I opted for the two stops away layover at Hera's--I also figured Hera could use me as an extra alarm clock in the morning. Little did I know that I would have an extra alarm of my own in the form of the first of the texts I would receive from my new Japanese admirer. And let me say this: in America, is was so easy to tell what message I was receiving from my phone: Feel it in My Bones was a phone call, Call it Off was my text, Funny Little Frog was my Facebook alert, and Wake Up was my Blackberry messenger alert, and Past in Present was my e-mail (it also alerted everyone around me to my obsession with Tegan & Sara). Simple, right? But I have no idea which alert is which on my Japanese phone, so when I open my phone, I don't know if I'm getting a text, a phone call, or if my alarm is going off.

So the next time my phone went off, I was sure it was my alarm, and was very confused to see it was my phone ringing (and because I'm just confused in general in the morning). It turned out to be one of my training mates, who (probably because he is British) always sounds angry; even though I thought he was just calling me up to insult me a little (Him: "Were you still sleeping?" Me: "Well, yeah..." Him: "Lazy."), it was actually to invite me along with another trainee mate to a sumo match. And here's my problem in the morning: you can basically convince me to do anything, which left me an hour and a half to get out of Tokyo to Saitama, and back to a different side of Tokyo. Anyways, let's just say I was successful, because this post is way too long to go into anything else. Though I do know someone whose weekend was much more eventful than mine *cough* KELSEY RAMOS FUTURE MRS. CONROY *cough*.

As promised:

First:

hi jillnels (that's my e-mail, and apparently what my name is to him)

i am ------

i talked to you at tachikawa station

i am grad if i met you

once more

thank you

subject: fine day

hi, gillnels (oh, how sweet; he's made a nickname from my fake name)

thanks for your mail

ok, i introduce you my

profile

age: 34 (yowza! If I had considered him before, this eliminated him)

adress:-------

job:system engineer

my holiday : saturday, sunday and national public holiday

i like cat, i often go fitness club and swimming

i have interest in english and have more interest in you

and what is your job ,

and when is your holiday

Third:

Subject: Autumn

Hi Jillnels!

Its Autumn! (Must be his English name...)

sky is high (orly?), wind is cool, and air is transparent.

do you like this season?and can I invite you a date?

if you are ok, tell me your schedule that you could meet with me