In Comes the Fall

Yesterday was a day off in order to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. Yes, that is a random reason to not have work, but I'm not complaining. Anyway, it seems that the weather is very aware that it is now officially autumn, as it has been grey and wet all week long. It's funny 'cause it's 70 degrees fahrenheit and we're all like "God, it's so cold!!!" Hello, that is hot to me in Oregon!

I love the fall and the rain, but I know it will make everyone anti-social and lazy, so I don't really want it to start, 'cause we won't see the sun 'til like March! Plus one realizes how annoying rain is when one doesn't have a bloody car. Oh, well, ganbaru time!

So, in celebration of Autumnal Equinox yesterday, I did absolutely NOTHING. I slept in, woke up and watched a few episodes of Lost (did I mention my mommy sent the box set to me? Woot!), then FINALLY got to talk to Eduardo online! YAY!!!! He finally got internet (crazy Mexico is muy retardo. This isn't mean to say 'cause he is saying the same thing. Er, but in English). We got to use our webcams (to see each other, not to have cyber sex, thank you), and it was muy enjoyable. Yay!

Anyway, after that, I decided to be active and went on an hour-long bike adventure. I explored Route 50 a bit, and stopped at Apita (a department store). I discovered there was a 100 yen store in there, so I bought a couple forks and some glasses for the potluck dinner this week, as I only have two forks (but seven million chopsticks). While in Apita, I quickly balanced off the calories I burned biking by getting a coffee milkshake at Mos Burger. God, I'm horrible.

Last night Cindy made her Yabuzuka debut and we checked out Choice Dish, an Italian place that Jenny told me was good. It was indeed yummy. Thank god for the waitress for questioning our order, as we almost ordered a pasta dish that was "Japanese style," which means they use soy sauce instead of pasta sauce? Um, yuck? I don't understand this country at times.

After a huge dinner, it was only natural that we walked to 7 11 and spent $25 on alcohol and desserts (mainly on the latter). We got a white chocolate bar, Pino (ice cream chocolate thingies), chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Aero chocolate things, two green tea ice cream sandwich things, and cheese-flavored onion rings. Yes, we are very healthy people. But we didn't eat it all....the green tea sandwiches are still waiting to be devoured! Anyway, we watched Y Tu Mama Tambien, which is a great movie if you haven't seen it (anyone in Gunma can borrow it from me if they wish). Plus, Gael is muy caliente indeed. Mamacita!

After that we watched a little Sex and the City, looked up Korea flights in a half-assed sort of way, then went to bed. Today we both had our sports festivals, so we had to wake up early. I went to mine for about an hour....the kids were cute, but it was like the exact same thing as last week so I wasn't as into it. But I'm glad I went.

Was gonna go to Maebashi to dance tonight, but am feeling rather uninspired, so some of us are getting together for dinner and drinks in Ota, which should be fun. The Yabuzuka station isn't gonna know what to do with my sexy new bike when I park it there! I'll be the hit of this town, bitches!

Sexy new granny bike, anyone?

Thursday was a very special day in the life of Jeff Santilli, as it marked the beginning of a new life. Yes, that's right, everyone.....I got a brand new, 28" frame mamachari (granny bike). It's so sexy! I feel like I am cheating on my old mamachari, but she understands. I just need to be with someone closer to my size. Plus, this way when I have my tricks over to Yabuzuka, I will have an extra bike to offer them. I am a classy slut.

I am eternally grateful to Grant for taking me to Aeon in his Jurassic Park-mobile to get the bike. Plus, hello, when you're at Aeon you have to go to Ninnikuya and get brick toast (the best dessert in the world). It was a little depressing, as they totally know me there. My favorite waitress greeted us and was like, "You sit in non-smoking, right?" Then our waiter knew I had been there, and had me sing along when he sang the cinnamon song (that's right, there is a song they sing when they pour extra cinnamon on your toast! I don't know all of it, but Grant and I ganbaru-ed). On the way out, my favorite waitress was like, "You're not wearing your Senshu University shirt this time!" I had worn it last time, and it had "left an impression in her mind that she couldn't forget" (or some such translation). Ninnikuya, I love thee! Anyone who visits me will most definitely be dragged there.

Anyway, after much deliberation at Sekichu, I picked my bike. I haven't decided what his or her name is. I think it's a guy, since he's big. Hmm. Anyway, it was FAR too expensive for a granny bike, but I rode it on Friday and it fits me SO much better than my old one. Mmmm, he's a keeper!



Hell yeah, bitches!



Check out my extra storage space. Mmmhmmm!

Dude, you have chalk on your ass

So, I used to laugh at teachers who had chalk all over their pants…I mean, it doesn't seem that hard to wipe your hands before touching your legs, ass, or whatever. However, I am now finding myself covered in chalk in the most random spots! I also tend to use different colors in each class, so by the end of the day my pants have all the colors of the rainbow. Perhaps I’ll make this the newest fashion so I don’t have to bother with wiping it off.

I love my Ota ALTs

So, as you probably know by now, every Wednesday is a potluck dinner for the Ota ALTs. We go to a different apartment every Wednesday and have tons of pasta, salad, bread AND CHEESE (mmm), dessert, and (most importantly) wine and beer (insert Rent line here, if you know it). Tonight's potluck was at Veronica's and was muy fun. In fact, they are all muy fun! There is no particular reason that they are; it is just good company, good food, and good drinks. I really don't know what I'd do without my Ota ALTs....I'd go freaking clazy! Everyone is so cool...so yes. Pointless post, but just had to express my love for my Ota crew once again. Thanks for a good night!

P.S. Did I mention that the Rent film soundtrack is FUCKING AMAZING? 'Cause it is.

Adventures at Shougakkou

Currently on lunch break at Minami Shougakkou. I love shougakkou 'cause they have what seems like a million recesses, and it makes the day go a lot faster. I *need* breaks after my horrible morning! Minami Shougakkou is like a 15-minute bike ride from my apartment, and I woke up early so Id get here on time. I got here before most teachers, and was starting to organize my materials when I realized I brought the completely wrong bag of stuff! I separated two bags last night of the materials I needed for today, and the stuff I didn't need at all. I am retarded and brought the fucking bag of shit I didn't need! Gah! So I had to bike back to my apartment, then back here before classes started, and I was sweaty and gross (it is hilly-ish. Not in a car, but on a bike, hehe). Fun times! I'm sure they think I'm retarded, too, as last time I had to do a buncha last-minute stuff before classes (because they changed my lessons after I had already planned them). Anyway, fun morning!

Anyway, I learned two lessons today: check any bags for the correct materials before biking to school, and screen any songs you plan on playing for the children!!!! For those of you that don't know what Genki English is, you are lucky. Go to www.genkienglish.com if you are overly curious. It is a good site for games and stuff in the classroom, but they have these CDs for shougakkou that are designed to make ALTs look even more childish and retarded than we already are. I know Cindy feels my pain! The lyrics to the songs are useful for the most part, as they have themes such as fruits, numbers, etc., but they are seriously the worst songs EVER. I hate the inventor 'cause he's rich as hell and did no work for it! Every shougakkou in Japan seems to own the CDs, but the songs were totally just made using the horrible built-in tunes on any standard cheap keyboard!

Anyway, today I was doing a lesson on vehicles for my 3nensei, and I forgot that I hadn't listened to the song before. I had read the lyrics, but that was it. So I turned the song on, and all of a sudden this fucking bad, hardcore dance remix comes on. I was hoping I had the wrong track, but no....it was seriously something you would hear at a horrible dance club. It felt like I should be high on meth and getting blown by a stranger while listening to it. And I was playing it for damn 3rd graders!!!

Might I mention that my students just came over at this moment to try to read what I am writing?

Anyway, I really don't understand why the song was a huge dance-y thing when the lyrics go something like, "How did you get here? How did you get here? I got here by bus, by bus, bus!" WTF???? I will try to upload it at some point, as I have to share this with the rest of the world.

So, yes, good times at shougakkou today! Anyway, back to work....

Thoughts at Work

So every day there is a secret kyushoku (school lunch) battle amongst all of the male teachers for seconds. I usually eat at a medium pace, but sometimes the servings are too damn small and I need some seconds up in hea! So, I participate in this race, much to the chagrin of my stomach. No one mentions it, but you can see it in their eyes that everyone wants that leftover soup, or whatever the item may be. I think I should get a free “I’m a tall gaijin and need more food than you!” coupon, but it's okay, as I am usually one of the winners, and have my trophy of soup to prove it, bitches!

There is a new art teacher who is nervous constantly. I don’t know if that’s how he is, or if he is just scared of the new job. Whenever he gets nervous (which is a lot), he picks at his underwear. It is rather disturbing, but amusing at the same time.

There is also a teacher here who seems really nice, though I have never talked to him, really. Having said that, he is the queeniest queen in Queensville! Good lord! He literally prances around the school. That’s the only way to describe it! Words can’t even give his queeniness justice, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Did I mention he’s married and has a child? Hmmm.

If the school ever finds my blog I am so fucked.

Random Photos

Pictures of the Minami Shougakkou undoukai (so cute!)








An amusing picture of Veronica at Aeon (sexy, baby!)



You know you live in the boonies when all of a sudden a tractor starts plowing your "backyard"

Long Weekend (and long-ass post, I apologize)

So, I will catch you up on my weekend, but first I must share much more important news.....I am currently listening to the motherfucking Rent movie soundtrack, bitches! Someone leaked it online and this is my second listen of the day. Holy fuck, it is sooooooooooooooooo good. I was worried it wouldn't be good, 'cause the sound clips online sounded like shit, but all worries are gone now. SO GOOD. *sigh* Orgasmic.

Anyway! So, it has been a while since I've been able to blog, so I'll start with Friday. All of the Ota ALTs had the Ota English Speech Contest in the afternoon, so we got out of school early. I was excited 'cause it would be a really easy day with only 1 1/2 classes, etc. However, it turned out to be the longest day EVER! I ate lunch an hour and a half early because we had to leave by noon. Yabuzuka kyushoku (school lunches) usually range from pretty good to good. However, Friday's was the least inspired, crappiest meal I have ever had. It was a big pile of rice, the smallest piece of fish you can imagine, and a fucking teeny pudding cup. Um, hello, that is a light snack if anything! I was not amused.

So, I went to the BOE for the contest with my JTE and my three students who were participating. I have been working with them on the speeches for a month and a half, so I think I was as nervous about it as they were! Hehe. They all did well. One student I was particularly worried about, as she just memorized it for real last week, but she did okay, although she was very obviously nervous. My other two students did really well. In fact, Kana got fourth place!!! I was really excited for her. I knew she would do really well, she's fucking amazing! Her pronunciation is crazy good, and the speech itself was good, too.

Anyway, the contest went WAY over time. I didn't get home 'til 6:30, which doesn't really sound that late, but everyone was fucking exhausted from listening to countless speeches (might I add they are all the same in the end), and because there is no food in the city of Ojima, apparently!!! We were all so hungry that I think we were eyeing which person in the room would be the greatest source of nutrition. I was hungry after my kyushoku, let alone seven hours after it! Those of you who know me well know how grumpy a Santilli can get when he or she is hungry! Not advisable! I need lots of snacks for maintenance, thank you!

Anyway, I finally got home and picked up a bottle of wine at Fuji Mart (saw students there and felt like an alcoholic), then relaxed for a bit before heading to Jenny's for a very yummy dinner. She invited Jill, Takeshi and Sean. Jill was the shougakkou ALT a couple years ago and still lives in Yabuzuka. She teaches at the Ota English School and is married to Takeshi. They are really nice. We had a fair amount of wine, and I ate about seven meals' worth of food. Seriously! I literally had seconds or thirds on every single dish Jenny made. Sorry, Jenny! Next time make less yummy food :)

Saturday I had to wake up early and go to the Minami Shougakkou undoukai (sports festival). It was a bit early for me on a Saturday, but I'm glad I went 'cause the kids were soooooo cute! It is amazing how much time the students and teachers put into the undoukai. They literally practice for over a month for it. It is hardcore. But yeah, it was a lot of fun.

After the undoukai I felt fat from eating so much food on Friday, so I biked around and explored some, then cleaned around the house. Saturday night Jenny came to Yabbers and we had dinner and watched Frida. Yes, we know how to have an EXCITING Saturday night! Hee hee. I hadn't seen Frida in a while, so it was good to see again, tho it made me miss my Mexinugget even more! But I was glad 'cause it made me want to visit Mexico and see him....hopefully I can do that soon-ish!

On Sunday I tried to sleep in to rest up for Paradise Ball, but the damn Yabuzuka Shougakkou kids were practicing for their undoukai and were blasting music and shit at like 8 in the morning. Some annoying ho kept yelling "ganbare!!!!" through the speakers in the typical Japanese announcer high-pitched voice and it destroyed all hopes of me sleeping in. Ganbare, indeed.

Anyway, I headed to Tokyo at 1 and got into Shibuya at 3. I had forgotten how fucking hot Tokyo guys are, by the way. Holie! I also didn't realize how much I missed the city. It was good to be back. I wandered around Shibuya and window shopped a bit. I did make the gayest purchase of my entire life, which was this big-ass Japanese magazine about Broadway and stuff. It had a big thing on Rent, hello, how could I not buy it? There was a book I wanted as well, but I will hold off :)

I met up with Grant, Mami, Minako, Canadian unmarried Jeff (too many Jeffs) and Nicky in Shinjuku and we went to a bar in 2chome (gay area). It was a big crowd for a Sunday and was fun. The straight people then left and the mos headed ever-so-slowly towards Paradise Ball, no thanks to Mos Burger apparently killing the cow that would be my hamburger in the back room!

Once we finally got to PB, there was a long line but it went pretty quick. The place was huge, especially for Japan! There was a big main bar area, a huge dance area, an outside area with food and drinks, an outside dance area, a VIP beach part (with sand), and a pool area. Damn big! It was a ton of fun. There were a ton of guys there, and they were all pretty damn built for Japanese guys! I was impressed. There were a fair amount of gaijin, too, I suppose. I was a good boy and wasn't too slutty, tho I did have my first dark room experience. Those places are kinda weird ;) I also had my first typical gay dance club shirtless experience, as you had to take your shirt off at the pool. I'm surprised they didn't make an exception in my pastey-ass muscle-less case, but whatever! It was fun anyway.

Oh! There was Mexican food there, too! Hello, drinks, gay guys and Mexican food in the same place?! Orgasm, indeed. I had a chicken taco (I use the term taco loosely, however) and taco rice, whatever the hell that is. But it was good! I missed my Mexinugget even more, too! Honey, get your ass to Gunma! It's the place to be ;)

Anyway, we left at 5something and I got back to Yabbers at 8. I was SO tired. I kept falling asleep on the train and falling against the window. I'd wake up to a big "BOOM" and notice all of the Japanese people actively ignoring my existence.

Reluctantly biked back to my apartment, assed out, and woke up at 2:20. Good day off, indeed!

Anyway, that's my weekend. Thanks, Granto-san and others for a fun time!!!! Must do it again some time.