a while back...

a couple of weeks ago it seemed everyone was tied up for one reason or another...liz was in america, carrie had a friend in town so they were busy making japanese handicrafts and climbing mountains, toru was sick, fumi was out of town... as the weekend approached i was excited by the prospect of time to myself and time to spend with good people i don’t often get to see. friday i hit the mall and bought some new running shoes. not sure why i’ve had the jogging bug lately (perhaps it was buying that high-dollar new bikini) but it’s bad. everyday i can’t wait to head to the park. it’s private time to sweat, burn off stress and think. i can see some changes in the shape of my body, but unfortunately all the blubber i’m losing appears to be from my chest where i have none to spare.
later that night there was a reggae party which i was bent on getting to. carrie, being the party animal she is, left her jet-lagged, too-tired friend at home and went with.

turned out to be a packed house with everyone jiving to dance reggae, the newest trend here in that genre. the music is infectious, with a peppy beat that won’t let you sit still.

saturday i went to a hip hop dance class i joined a while back. at a previous dance party, i got conned into a dance battle of sorts with a man who turned out to move phenomenally well. i quickly paid him his dues and retreated but he was complimentary and explained he practices everyday because he’s a dance instructor. through another friend i discovered details about his class and just showed up one day to his surprise. i try to make it every saturday; it’s a great workout, i could use some new moves and the teacher is really cute (but involved i think).
on the way home from class i ran into simon on the street. we agreed to meet for a late lunch after i’d cleaned up. i don’t often get to see him, which is too bad because he’s super interesting and positive. we chatted forever over sushi.
i couldn’t decide if i was heading to niigata for a ‘welcome new jet participants’ party until i got a little cell phone text of encouragement from a friend there. i threw some things together and set off. it was my first solo road trip and it felt great. windows down, music up, cruising the highway. i met kate at her place and we headed to a cool café downtown to meet the newbies. after that was club hopping; how nice to be in a city. the next day debbie came up and we loafed around, picnicked by the river and they talked me into sticking around for an all-nite beach party. i had nothing to wear as i’d not planned on staying, so i tied a head scarf of deb’s around my top and borrowed a skirt.

we trained and taxied to a spot in the middle of nowhere, it was lookin’ like the beginning to a low-budget horror film until a party popped up. it poured rain and we just danced in it. the crowd was a bizarre mix of types of people- a lot of russians, some wannabe yakuza, and others. about 5:30 we were ready to head home and attempted to call a taxi to no avail. we began walking the curvy road back to civilization wondering how we’d get home when i hear someone yelling my name. it was a guy i’d met earlier in the night. the 3 of us piled into his car [soaking wet]and he drove us all the way home, stopping for smokes and returning from the convenience store with treats for us all. wild nite. wicked morning as i woke after 2.5 hours of sleep to drive home. i rolled out at 8, had to stop for coffee, i’m supposed to be at work at 8:30, it’s a 2 hour drive…you do the math. luckily it was obon, a national time of mourning for relatives who’ve passed away, and everyone takes vacation leave. there were literally only 2 people in the office and they didn’t want to be there either so no prob.
a fabulous weekend it was.