back to life on the island

It was great returning home to see friends and family and with the exception of new buildings being built all over the place and my younger brother being even bigger and stronger than me than he already was it was like I had never even left. No matter how much I love being here in Japan it’s always good to be home. However, with that being said, before I come home again it’s your turn to come visit me in Nagashima and when you do I’ll even pick you up at the airport.

The wedding was wonderful and my sister was beautiful. My grandmother doing the bump on the reception dance floor in her knee high cow socks and Blackspot Classic Sneakers was unforgettable. And my mom falling down the stairs at the rehearsal dinner after she had been crying the entire night (tears of joy) would have been even funnier if I had seen it for myself. All and all, I’d say everything went fantastic and once again congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Lubiani.

Upon returning to Japan I spent the weekend relaxing with Koko before attending the 3 day JET (Japan Exchange Teacher) Re-Contracting Seminar held at the Tokyo Keio Plaza Hotel. Had I not visited America I would have been required to attend the same seminar in Osaka, Japan a week earlier with teachers working in the southern half of the country. Luckily, attending the Tokyo conference allowed me the opportunity to see some old friends that I would have not been able to meet otherwise and it was also great being able to spend time with Koko for a few days before flying home to Nagashima.

Koko and I bought a fish for her apartment! It’s not just any fish either it’s a clownfish like the one from Finding Nemo. We also got a sea anemone to keep him company and they are getting along just nicely. Actually, the relationship between the two is quite amazing as the clownfish is the only species of fish capable of avoiding the poisonous stings of the anemone. In the sea, clownfish often venture far away from the anemone in efforts to find food, but then quickly return to avoid being eaten by predators. In the fish tank the clownfish is properly fed so there is no need for it to ever swim away from the anemone. Thus, many of these fish spend entire lifetimes without ever moving further than 12 inches away from their poisonous friends and I think that’s pretty cool!! Oh, we named the fish Mone and yes that is Nemo backwards.

After finally returning to back to my home in Nagashima I dropped my luggage onto the floor and fell onto the bed with all of the lights on and without brushing my teeth or washing my face. I didn’t wake up until the next morning.

Shortly upon getting out of bed I looked around my house to find that while I had been out termites had moved in. Because it appeared that the temerities were only eating my house and not any of my stuff I killed just a few of them and decided that I would not let bugs get the best of me and ruin my first day back in Nagashima.

Next, I went outside to check my garden to discover it was HUGE! There were plants on top of plants and everything was growing out of the net this way and that. There were cherry tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers, eggplant, and cucumbers. At that moment that I knew I had become a farmer.

Surly, you remember Billy Blanks and his Tae Bo fitness videos from the late 90’s. His workout programs were an enormous success in the States and for a while it seemed that everyone was on fire for Tae Bo. Personally, I had a hard time with the program because I could never grasp the whole kicking and boxing at the same time concept.

Eventually, the Tae Bo craze fizzled out and for many the workout videos were left on the shelves and soon forgotten. While Tae Bo may have been left behind, Billy made certain that he was not. In 2004 and 2005 Billy released another video series, titled Billy’s Boot Camp. He didn’t stop there either because as we speak Billy is currently producing another series of workout videos to be released later this year. Why am I telling you all this? The reason is because Billy and his Boot Camp are as HOT in Japan as Tae Bo was in the USA.

I first heard about the program a couple of months ago from Koko. Her younger sister purchased the series from the TV Shopping Network and she asked me if I knew anything about Billy. At that time I didn’t make the connection that Billy was Billy Blanks (I wonder if that’s even his real name) from the Tae Bo series and from what Koko described I even said that it sounded too good to be true.

Then this weekend my neighbors, some friends of ours, and I barbequed together and Billy’s name came up yet again. It turns out that the Ireguchi family has been following the Boot Camp Program religiously and they had nothing but good things to say. After talking about the workout program for nearly 30 minutes we decided that we had to try it out for ourselves. First, we moved the TV to the window so we could see it from where were barbecuing outside. Then, with food on the grill we got down with Billy and I’m not embarrassed to admit that after trying it once I was hooked!! Actually, we all were and since then we have made plans to start the program shortly upon receiving our Billy Blank’s Bands in mail. What are Billy Blank’s Bands? Well, according to Billy, these are his “resistance bands for added muscle toning and sculpting. . . [and they are his] secret weapon in the battle against fat and flab!” I’m giddy just thinking about it!

In closing, the bug man came to take take a look at the bug problem, I went to visit the doctor yesterday and it looks like I might have another ear infection, our office just made the switch to shirtsleeve shirts with no ties, I learned how to say the words fish food, money vault, and adult video in Japanese today, and I’m hoping I can make it to through to the weekend so I can do absolutely nothing.

** Finally, I am thrilled to share with you the latest addition to my site. No longer do you ever have to come to my blog again because now it comes to you! Does it sound too good to be true? Take a look at the subscribe link on the left hand side of the page to learn more about how it all works. **

Goodnight to all,
Supensa