Aquarium @ MindSay 
fish
So I have had a very busy past couple of weeks!
Last Friday, Jac and Anne came to stay. I was soooo excited about Jac coming- one of my first good female friends to visit me. I had so many things planned for her stay. Although, not everything went according to plan.
On the night she arrived, I had planned for us to have a drink at a couple of the local "foreigner" bars in town, after a nice Kobe Beef meal, and then head back to my local town for some celebratory Karaoke.
However, we got a bit carried away at the Hub drinking jumbo sized Long Island Ice Teas. Somehow it went from one drink, to two drinks, and then on the third drink I realised it was about time for the last train home. We had to rush to the train station, cutting it really, really fine. Then when we got to the train station, Jac and Annes lockers had expired, so we had to find more coins to put in the locker to get their stuff out. Disaster!!! We ended up missing the last train to Kakogawa, but JUST making the final local train to Nishi Akashi. We didn't even have time to buy tickets.... I don't know how we managed to get on and off the train with no tickets, but apparently I had had a lengthy conversation with the men at the train station..... which I don't remember at ALL. After 3 drinks. Those Long Island Ice Teas are brutal. We had to catch a taxi from Nishi Akashi to Kakogawa..... about an $80 taxi ride. I don't even know how I managed to give coherent directions to the taxi driver. We made it back though, joy of joys! I am pretty ashamed of myself.... but honestly the alcohol content of the cocktails was misleading, because they don't even taste that strongly of alcohol, and you can drink them so quickly.
I had planned for us to get up early on Saturday and drive to Kyoto. That did not happen due to shocking hang-overs. All we managed to do was Macdonalds for lunch. And then to one of my fave restaurants for dinner. So we had just one day in Kyoto!
We had planned to get up very early on Sunday to make up for our lack of Kyoto action on the Saturday, but that didn't pan out as I slept through my alarm. To make time even tighter, we woke up to a snow covered Kakogawa! It has snowed a few times in Kakogawa this year, but the snow on Sunday was something else. It had settled on the roads, even. We saw 2 snow-induced traffic accidents just 10 minutes from my house.
I had decided on the back route to get to Kyoto, as the roads are toll-free, and I thought it might be nice for Jac and Anne to get a look at back-country Hyogo. We got to within 50km of Kyoto, but had to change course because the roads were just covered in snow, and my car doesn't have snow tyres. Bah humbug! We didn't make it to Kyoto until lunch time!!!
Kyoto was pretty much packed, as it is popular to see a lot of the gardens and temples when they are covered in snow. We had to wait about 20 minutes to get through the gates of the Golden Pavilion. I have been there 4 times before, and never once had to queue for more than 2 minutes. It was full-on trying to get decent photos, too, as everyone was jostling for the best places to take photos from. Anyway, Jac and Anne managed to see the main sights of Kyoto, well, a couple of them anyway, but they will have to come back some other time to catch the rest of it!!
On Monday, they came to my school for a class. They were treated like rock stars by my students. I think they enjoyed themselves; but probably the students got more out of their visit than they did :)
Monday afternoon I had planned to take Jac and Anne to Himeji to visit the castle, and then to an onsen. Then I found out that the Bjork concert was on MONDAY night, not Tuesday night as I had thought since I had bought the tickets!!!! So we had to rush around Himeji castle (I really wish we could have spent longer, I feel terrible) and then rush to Osaka for the concert.
Bjork was fabulous! It was a bit of a showcase of what I think was new mixer technology.... all very digital and special. The stage was a bit small for the size of the arena. Bjork's voice was big enough to make up for shortcomings in the stage, though. For a little lady, she must have some huge lungs. Wouldn't want to get into a shouting match with her!! She sung a few of her old songs with new music in the back, which I was happy about as I don't really know any of the songs from her new album.
On Tuesday I had to work in the morning, so I left Jac and Anne to sleep in. They were still sleeping when I got home........ so Tuesday was a bit wasted as well. The weather was pretty much awful- freezing, rainy and windy. On the agenda for Tuesday was a visit to the Osaka Aquarium.
The Aquarium is awesome. They have just found the craziest sea animals and put them into a massive massive aquarium. Truly amazing. I recommend it to anyone visiting Osaka! I got a hot tip from another ALT- he told me about a discount pass you can buy at Osaka station (at the information desk just outside the Midosuji Subway gate.... at the midosuji exit of Osaka station...). It cost 2400yen, but it gives you free rides on any subway in Osaka for the whole day. Entry to the Aquarium is usually 2000yen..... but if you want to see bits of Osaka, then youll be getting on and off the subway all day.... I reckon we saved about 600yen each in subway fares, and we only got to Osaka later in the afternoon. If you were there all day, the savings would go into the 1000s of yen. Something to think about ;)
After the aquarium, we headed to Ame Mura in Shinsaibashi..... and had dinner and some Karaoke... which is all I had time for as I had to catch the train back to Kakogawa. Jac and Anne stayed the night in Osaka, as they were catching a flight up to Tokyo the next morning from Kansai airport.
It was so great to have Jac stay.... I wish she could have stayed longer though, so we could have fitted everything in!!! Oh well though..... Its a shame to have to go back to normal life over here. Its amazing how much having people stays messes with your routines :)
I was worried about being a bit depressed after Jac left, but I have other things to think about now! I have snowboarding trips planned for this weekend and next weekend, plus a trip up to Tokyo next week for a Leaver's conference. The leavers conference is about writing a resume and making the best out of having "JET" on your resume!! I thought it would be helpful, and hopefully will give me some ideas into what I should do when I get home.....
I have a speccy new suit to wear as well! Jac and Anne helped me get an outfit... and they even paid for the shoes and a cardigan to wear with it. Actually I am wearing the outfit right now as I had to attend the graduation ceremony today. Its a skirt, and I was bloody freezing in the gym watching the students graduate. I got a bit choked up actually today.... a couple of my absolutely favourite students were graduating, and they were all teary. A few students were bawling their eyes out. 
A few students asked me to sign their year books. A couple of them I would have been offended if they hadn't asked me; but then there were a few other kids I didn't really ever have anything to do with, ever, that asked me to sign their books (bless them really.... they didn't have many other signatures...). It was very awkward when it came to writing "Dear...." and I didn't know what their name was!!! I ended up just starting the signing with "GOODLUCK!"
I had a quick look through the year book, actually, and I made it into a few photos.... was a bit happy about that. Must say that my tits looked really huge in a couple of the photos. I don't know where they came from (*cough* well if not genetics, diet may have played a part....).
Will let you know how snowboarding in Hachi Kita, the conference in Tokyo and snowboarding in Nagano goes!
I am interested in aquariums (tank) in their different manifestations. Here, made blog in which will write about all nuances of those connected with the aquariums. I will also place information about purchase aquarium and sale aquarium.
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Best of regards!
MURDER, MURDER MOST FOUL!!
I came home from work yesterday morning at around 8:30 as usual and as I normally do, I went to the fish tank to feed them. It was then that I saw something that shocked me to the core.
I froze on the spot, unable to move or to call for help. My voice was paralysed with horror. There, in the tank, swishing about on the bottom over the sand was ... A CLAW!
It was immediately obvious to me that one of my precious new lodgers had been attacked and was possibly dead. I couldn't bring myself to look closer to see if it was alive ... but I did anyway. Next, I found another claw (this one had a leg attached), carapace and then the tail of the poor hapless crustacean.
It became obvious over the next few hours of meticulous forensic examination, by a team of highly skilled investigators, (I scooped up the remains in a net and had a look) that "number 4" as he/she/it was affectionately known, was dead. That's the second yabbie to meet an untimely end although the two deaths are un-related.
Then, it happened! I went to feed the fish again this morning and to my horror, ... it had happened again!! I saw yet another tiny, blue lobster-like body, swishing around on the bottom of the tank. It now seems that we may have a serial killer in our midst.
So far we have lost Number 5, Number 4 and now, Number 3. Services for Number 3 and 4 will be held at Wakefield cemetery on Wednesday for those who wish to attend. We ask that no flowers be sent but that those who wish to should make donations to a crustacean charity of their choice.
This mystery deepens but we will find this killer.
Then I found my way to Strawberry Fest, which was thankfully NOT canceled, despite the rain. They moved some stuff into Kimmel, and some was still outside, and all was good. Saw L'Choi, Veronica verrrrrry briefly, Banga who was a jerk, Birju, and for a short moment, Jess and John. I also saw Suchi when I went to get PAID, but she decided not to stay. LOOOOOSER. Almost as bad as her roommate.
Finally, I'm heading back into this, but I am DAMN proud of the bookmarks I am making my students for my last day on Tuesday. I was initally going to buy them all a book on a topic they liked (which was my excuse to go to the Strand and buy Alexa copies of the Baby-sitters Club), but heyyyy THAT'S EXPENSIVE. So instead, I am using BOARDMAKER (which is just amazing) to construct bookmarks for my lovelies. A little difficult, but worth it. 5 done, 5 to go. Tomorrow, will take them to Staples to get laminated. Then to buy Cathleen and Nicole their giftcards, and I am SETTTTTTT.
Here is a post from my old blog that I'm adding to my Mindsay blog:
California Trip - May 30, 2006
So Alex and I just got back from a trip to LA with Grandma and Grandpa. On the first day, my Dad took us down the coast to Long Beach. While he was showing us the house he grew up in in San Pedro, the neighbor came out of his house and asked if we needed directions (I think he was seeing who was taking pictures of his neighbor's house). That evening we had dinner at Ante's, a Croatian restaurant, originally owned by a friend of dad's. Now his son runs the restaurant. The next day we visited the Aquarium of the Pacific, which Alex LOVES. As soon as he knew where he was (he's been there once before) he went nuts and started yelling and bouncing up and down. "Yah, yah, yah, dah, dah, dah!" Maybe he'll be a marine biologist. They have a "Nemo" tank with clown fish and blue tang ("Dory") fish. All the kids run up to it and say "Look its Nemo and Dory!" After the aquarium, Grandpa took us to Joe Jost's, a bar that has been in Long Beach since 1924. He frequented the bar as a student at Cal State University Long Beach. We ate "Joe's Special Sandwiches" - Polish sausage on rye with Swiss, mustard and a pickle wedged in the middle of the sausage. It was delicious. They are also famous for their pickled eggs, served with hot peppers and pretzel sticks. We then drove through CSULB, and stopped by the house of Dad's former Political Science professor. On Monday we went to Disneyland. This time Minnie Mouse scared Alex and he started crying. Grandme and Grandpa had to take a lot more breaks than I remembered when they took me to Disneyland 20 years ago. This year Disneyland is 51 years old (it opened in 1955), but they are still celebrating its 50th Anniversary, so they have special exhibits around the park until the end of 2006. The best new ride is in California Adventure called "Twilight Zone's Tower of Terror". It is awsome - my dad loved it. During the day, Dad was reminicing about the first time he came to Disneyland as a kid, back in 1956. All in all, a great family trip!
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