Busy Days

So the three days prior to today were busy. This is going to be a messy summarization of what's gone on, and it's may not make a lot of sense or be particularly well-connected.

Thursday was a trip, but further information on it is secret pending my Evil Scheme©, but it started at 8:30AM and we got back some time around 6PM. With the other stuff I had to do before I left school, it ended up being nearly 8PM before I got any peace.
So then I worked on Evil Scheme© with a friend and got back here around midnight, when I started working on my presentation for Friday morning. Oh, and I ate a maple メロンパン, which was yummy.

Friday, we give presentations and do some random stuff, and take a break. Halfway through the second period of Basic Japanese, I get a call from a teacher at the school who wants me to teach English for him because he has a television appearance that came up suddenly. We'll call him Jay:
Jay: How'd you like $100? Are you busy tomorrow afternoon?
Me: Not anymore, I'm not.
Jay: You want to teach some English?
Me: I'd love to!
Jay: There will be little kids.
Me: ... [through only slightly gritted teeth] I'd... love to!
Jay: Cool, come on by, then, and I'll show you what to do.

So I come back to class after answering my phone - I wouldn't normally, but I figure if someone's calling me twice in immediate succession, they probably have a good reason.

Class was largely uneventful after that, but I did manage to get a good picture of Valentina. Or at least, I think it's good. She doesn't, but her boyfriend in Italy does, so we've got her outvoted. Ha!
This could've been improved with a a hair light high left, I think, but I'm not about to start setting up light stands in the middle of class.

[Edit: Apparently, I like this picture so much that I've used in two posts... I didn't notice before, but I used it in the previous post as well.]

And then...

Paid my phone bill, tried to find some information, called Jay again to actually have the rest of the conversation transcribed above, and about 2PM finally ate something. Screwed around for about ten minutes, then got ready for work.

Work was... Money? It was work-ish. When you're in a room where there are 30 people and two of them are married teachers, there's one other guy your age, and the remaining 90% are attractive, largely eligible women who want to talk to you, work can only be so bad.

Friday night, I did something until midnight, but I don't know what it was.

Saturday, I got up around 8AM, got prepared for the tea ceremony thing and the work that was to ensue, but was worried about time, and not only at one juncture.

See, I left to get to the tea ceremony place around 11AM, and I was supposed to be there at 11:30AM. I originally had planned to get there ten minutes early, but then I looked at a map one last time and realized that it would take quite a bit more than half an hour if I didn't hurry, and that short a time only if I didn't get lost once and could find the place. Half an hour later, I get there right on time, out of breath, covered in a nice layer of sweat, with the sleeves of my T-shirt rolled up to my shoulders. The greeter, with his suit and tie, did not look particularly impressed, but told me exactly what I should do with my bike and indicated that he didn't think I understood.

So I came back, now wearing a button shirt with a collar and sans one bucket of sweat, and go in.

We went in and sat for a while, bowing every so often to people I couldn't see. After maybe ten minutes, they brought out some little candies, which were pretty good, but there was, unfortunately, only one for each of us.

The woman at left in the purple is the one that [verb]ed my tea. Replace "[verb]" with whatever you verb you use for combining hot water with a powder, and proceeding to whip it with a bamboo whisk. "Made" might be an option.

After everybody had their tea, we were allowed to go (and I got these two ladies at right to pose for me) and they gave us some candy and a free admission ticket to a museum that nobody in my group of friends was able to find.

I'm trying to brief with these, but I still haven't gotten the box of underwear from my parents... By the way, pretty much all clothes are expensive here.

I got a lot of pictures like this one of the chick in the pink kimono. She never served anybody near me tea, so all the pictures of her are either while she's walking - and there was too little light to take pictures while they were walking without getting serious motion blur - or of her butt because she's sitting in seiza, which is when you fold your legs straight under you.

The older lady in the next picture (left) gave a little talk while the tea and candy were being distributed. She was definitely American, but I couldn't place her accent well. I'd guess midwest or Pacific northwest, though, given that.

These two ladies (right) were just kind of milling around in front of the place the tea ceremony was held in, rather disturbingly like characters in an RPG. Just kind of wandering back and forth, not for any apparent reason.

This lady (left) was doing pretty much the same thing in a temple right next to the place where I was taking pictures, so I asked for her picture.

She couldn't decide whether or not to include the umbrella, which I think is funny. I have a picture that came out better in terms of lighting and composition, but her expression is weird, so... しょうがない

The temple entrance at right is one of my favorite temple pictures, and I was happy that I got the road and other stuff out of the shot. I guess I didn't quite get that bush at low-right out, though. In case you're wondering, this is the temple that the other pictures were taken in, not a different one. The tea ceremony was in a nont-temple-related building next door.

Another shot inside the temple. Just me playing with my flash. I drained my rechargables trying to get this shot, so I felt I had to do something with it.

And last is a random picture I got while heading to work. I asked her permission first, and she seemed pleasantly surprised.

I got some more pictures, and I hope to get them up soon, but the test tomorrow may prevent that.

And that's what happened weekend-ish.