After a couple weeks teeming with tests, the students are exhausted and everyone is back on schedule.

Yay. I'm kind of tired, too, so I'm not going to say anything of much consequence today.

In lieu of photographs of school hallways and student uniforms, the images that fill a good part of my days but usually not my camera, I will give you a sampling from recent excursions.

First, a few weeks ago we celebrated ensoku, a school 'picnic' day where everyone goes to a giant park and plays games, sports, and otherwise runs around for hours on end--a change of pace much needed for the students. There were spandex/masked soccer games, intense volleyball matches, dangerous bicycle races, and all sorts of shenanigans that are made available when walls and notebooks are absent.



Second, a long weekend trip to a small, sub-tropical island within ferry distance some friends and I took over Golden Week (camping, swimming, jellyfishing and so on).





味の素=ajinomoto=MSG
I think I eat it often.

My chair guffaws.
One of my laughs is inaudible, but with this one my upper body moves. My desk chair squeaks in joyous communion as my shoulders silently rise and fall.

I've been collecting things.
Mochi in my belly, moments, skills, songs, uncertainty, words, sunsets, convictions (of the non-felonious type), ants, calluses, rainwater.....and in this manner I hope to continue.