Had an amazing weekend. Spent both days mostly gorogoroing around and talking on Skype with the ABR crew. Elth was fun. Enjoyed talking to Goshu more than I expected. His personality can be a little dismissive but he knows a lot, is living as a professional artist, is incredibly happy, and is hyper-engaged in art. I forget how badly I miss that until I come back into contact with it. When I mentioned I'd gotten a life and tied up in social stuff and didn't have time to draw, his solution was, "That's why you make all your friends in the art community," and though I won't amend my entire situation around that statement, it's a very elegant solution. He gave me a lot of links including some manga, including Bakudan, and for the first time in a long time I'm enjoying manga a lot again. Just a little while anyway.
The real cherry on the top was meeting with Megan Sunday afternoon. She came down and I met her at the Geo across town (first time going there, it's big but I can't find if there are any used goods and it makes me sad I didn't take more advantage of the store near my house). Her Japanese is really good. I was shocked when we were sitting at Misdo and she read an entire chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist to me. Just like, instant translation. I had been expecting her to hold off until she got home where she could more slowly translate, but I was totally floored by her reading skill. Prolly just because for all the learning I've been doing, I haven't given reading all that much effort or time. I guess she's been translating manga for years so I don't feel so bad, just really impressed.
She showed me her drawings and we drew together. It was so amazing to just sit and draw with someone else. I drew her OC and she drew Damario for me (but she asked to make me another more awesome one). I'm looking forward to being with her for Christmas more than ever. She can't understand why I can't cook but says we can watch a spinoff of Batman Beyond together and quoted the Harry Potter musical while we were waiting at the bus stop (she rebuked her quote at first, saying, "Nevermind, you don't understand that..." and I was trilled to contradict her). Her tshirt was a magic the gathering shirt and she's part of a roleplaying group here in Japan. She's just totally a happy energy nerd and I love that I have bumped into someone like her out here.
Realized today after a long day at school (8:35 until 3:40- I had a special "teaching the teachers" lesson) that the 22nd, the day Megan wants to meet and have our Christmas party since she's busy on the 25th, is the day I'm scheduled to go play Santa for the preschoolers and then teach at Nagawasho for the last time this year. I would be quick to try and get out of that day if it weren't for Nagawasho. I won't be going back for a long time. I also had a hard time visualizing myself asking Takekawa-san for the time off since she seems especially stressed lately and I finally did something good by translating a letter written by the mayor for the head of the U of M. I brought in my own photo and went through some trouble translating an explaination too. So seeing her happy made me happy. I know I have to take care of myself but I'm really torn on this. I hadn't realized how much my feeling better lately has been related to knowing Christmas is waiting for me. The thought of it not being there makes me want to cry. But maybe I'm just really tired.
Tomorrow is Nagawachuu and I'll have to get to the bus by 7:50am. The thought is causing me almost physical pain but it's really not so bad. Even if I get verbally abused at least I don't do much every day, so it's not like it should be tiring. I just sit at that little desk and try to write things that mean something using only textbook vocabulary. Speaking of which I still have to figure out what to write for "My Dream". To be honest, I'm already living my dream every day. I don't know what I should say. I want to be a storyteller but it's awfully hard to explain why using the grammar and vocabulary of Sunshine.
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