Busy week evenings-wise, but I really needed the social battery recharge it gave me - it’ll really help me lock-in on this whole language-learning thing, as well as my yearly theme.
Bank holiday Monday I stayed in doing a few chores including a lot of laundry (first load of the year if you can believe it). Some of the NA team were visiting town so I traded some texts and we met up for a little catch-up and an Okonomiyaki dinner in a Hiroshima themed restaurant. Reminisced about a few things. I’d been meaning to do this in the UK for yonks. Probably my favourite moment of the week - which for this week was a feat.
I bought a radio-controlled clock. It also has a feature where it beeps and flashes bright red every few minutes when it thinks that I’m likely to catch a cold. It took me 30 minutes to figure out the pattern, and to figure out how to turn it off. No, that’s it, no other anecdotes here.
Tuesday evening, TPC was in town with S so we tore up the izakayas (and their chicken supplies) in Sugamo until the wee hours. Getting home was fun — and thanks to the accessibility and variety of late-night teas and soft-drinks I was in very strong form the next day. Warm Jasmine tea is my new goto.
... which is a very important fact because it was my team’s new years party (or shinnenkai) the day after at our nearby oyakodon restaurant. I’m no longer surprised by strange orders (e.g. cartilage), but I did have to politely decline some chicken sashimi (I know it’s supposed to be safe, but, after years and years of PSAs I just can’t do it). Very good fun, delightful to learn more about my colleagues, and a great way to start the year.
Yeah I did do something to my shoulder/arm. It isn't at all painful but it's uncomfortable, and I now get occasional "clicking" which is both a sound and a feeling which I can only describe with the sound. Seeing a bone-doctor soon.
Only one Japanese class this week: I did the after-work dash to class (starting to the route down to a T!) where we covered more kana, and self-introductions. We ran out of time just during the speaking practice - which is tricky but I find one of the most useful parts, because framing vocab in a a communication context is hard.
Did more flat viewings at the weekend, including a few “designer apartments” (“designer” is code for, non-standard layout, generally speaking walk-up only, and a large amount of exposed concrete blocks). Two places really stood out as being viable candidates, even if one of them is visible in “Your Name”. Unfortunately highly likely that both already have been taken. My spreadsheet is growing fast.
Joined MA for a quick dinner and paperwork session. Not much paperwork happened. I have been convinced that HUB is not Spoons.
Didn’t watch any movies this week: But did you know that the first few seasons of Rick & Morty are dubbed in Japanese? Do with this information what you will.
Some men came over to do some maintenance to my intercom (also the fire alarm, and disaster warning alarm!) (and by maintenance, I mean, they replaced it) and now my flat has a panel which says “AI” directly facing my bad. It has a shining red dot eerily similar to HAL (just, smaller). After they were done and finished testing, they gave me a tutorial including some role-play of different scenarios in which I might have to answer the door. All done through Apple Translate and my broken Japanese.
Annual insurance health-check next week. That means I've had to do some "preparation". The pre-work. You have to do it more than once, so I've had some special vials/containers/sheets in my bag. The pre-work which makes ZOE seem dignified and pleasant, _if you know what I mean_. I sincerely hope you don't.