It has been a while since my last post, so I have a lot to write about I guess! I didn't get much of a chance to write during Golden Week, and have been really busy at school with exams to write and classes to plan (and emails to check...).

Golden Week was awesome, so great to have so many days off in a row!! I didn't really go anywhere special, because you know, I am already at somewhere special.... yeah whatever

Brendan and I went out a few times, I think 4 out of the 5 nights of Golden Week we went out drinking! Probably the highlight of my Golden Week was a barbecue we had on the Thursday. Fiona and Ryan were keen for a BBQ, so we went to Daiki (formally called Dik- we say "Sick of Dik so they turned into Daiks")(not that there's anything wrong with that of course) and bought a BBQ. It was a bargain actually, about $50 for a barbecue, some coal, some firelighters, paper cups and plates, disposable chopsticks and a bag of fireworks.  A load of people rocked up to our Barbecue. I didn't actually know most of them but it was cool anyway, we had about half and half, Japanese people and Westerners.

After a day of drinking the sun eventually went down and we got out the fireworks. I am definitely going to get fireworks from Daiki again. For about $10, we had about 8 bottle rockets, 5 aeroplanes, 4 big rockets (with 4 explosions in each) a couple of novelty rockets and some sparklers. The Japanese guys that rocked up thought it would be funny to hold the bottle rockets and throw them as the (mental blank for the actual word here) <sparkler bit at the bottom> got smaller!! Which turned out to be quite dangerous as you cant really control the direction of the firework when you have just thrown it. After all the bottle rockets were gone (much to some of the more sensible picnickers' relief) they started on the 4 Bang Fireworks. They were even more dangerous as this time the Japanese guys AIMED them at each other (they stood about 20 meters apart and ran around shooting). Ryan almost got hit twice. Was very funny AFTER the fireworks ran out and everyone was in one piece still.

Can't wait to get some more fireworks!!!

Had some good news the other day. In a week and a bit we have a conference for the recontracting Jets. We have 2 nights in a swanky hotel in Kobe, and Brendan and I have AT LAST been permitted to share accomodation. We tried to get the same room in Tokyo, but as we aren't married or anything our employers wouldn't put us in the same room (which I think is outrageous as we are Employees NOT students and also I am 25 and Brendan is 28..... quite adult enough to share a room I think!!!!) Anyway CLAIR (the govt organisation we work for) rang me up to say we couldn't share this time either, but then rang back and said it was ok as Brendan and I had both written Spouse on our forms and our schools were aware of it but didn't care (even if we aren't married). I had just finished bitching about CLAIR to all of my coworkers when the phone rang to change their minds about it.... hehe Luckily they changed their minds or else I would have to marry Brendan so it won't happen again!

What else is news?

I stayed at Amys house in Ono last night. Its a really nice 20minute train ride there. All through the countryside on a single track in a two carriage train; all very  20th century! Got home at just after 7am this morning!

I have to work tomorrow (Saturday! Outrageous!) but I will get Monday off in Lieu. Ryan and Amy have Monday off too, so I at least will have someone to hang out with! I might even be able to sneak off after lunch on Saturday and get the whole monday off for only a few hours work on the Saturday, will have to play it by ear though (or play it by how attentive my new vice principal is to my movements).

I have photos up on Ringo now, feel free to check them out... not sure how you find the page they are on though!