Today I gingerly got out of bed to make a lunch for Kuniko and myself. Kuniko left before me and I bustled out the door with my arms full of garbage for garbage day, my lunch, my new textbooks, an umbrella, and my manpurse. Luckily I was able to manage everything to the train station.
Smoking is a really big problem here in Japan, and thankfully almost every train is non-smoking. In addition, most stations have a smoking corner, but everywhere else it is posted as non-smoking. Unfortunately, the station postings are more of a suggestion, and it’s not so rare to see people smoking right under a no-smoking sign. For a long time that has been bothering me, so I decided to ask the next person I see doing that to go to the smoking corner (in polite Japanese, of course).
Today a guy sat next to me on the bench and started puffing away. But today was not the day to have a little international conversation. This guy looked normal enough except for the juge bruise spreading from his eye across the whole left side of his face. He looked like he got it last night, and there was still some swelling on other parts of his face. The last thing I want to do is be the straw that breaks this camel’s back – my stupid comment might be enough to push him over the edge.
I settled for looking conspicuously at the no smoking sign, and then turning my body on the bench and just staring at him. I could tell it bothered him, but he was determined to have his cigarette. I just watched him for about a minute before my train came, and then left. Maybe next time.
I distributed my omiyage from the trip to Kyoto, and spent most of the day lesson planning and studying. I’m down to about 2-3 hours of study a day, and so I feel like I’m lazy or something. I know that it’s a limitation of my job, and I’m lucky to be able to study for 2-3 hours. Still, with the big test looming in December I’d really like to study more. However, maybe it’s time to just admit that I won’t make the cut this time and try to study a little more long term and a little less short-term-cram.
Kuniko asked me to run into Akashi and pick up some paperwork at a hospital there right after work since she couldn’t get there before it closed. I headed there, found the place easily enough, and got the paperwork without a problem. From there I came straight back home and made up a pot of tortilla soup and let it cook while I did chores and stuff. Kuniko came in around 8 o’clock, and we had some hot soup. Lately it’s been cooling off due to rain and an incoming typhoon, so the soup hit the spot.
We’re settling into the grind of the week, but before you know it it’ll be the weekend again. Time seems to be flying for me – it’s probably because it’s the last year of my cushy job and I’ll have to face the real world soon enough.
