I love dates

Sorry it has been some time since my last post but I am currently without computer. It will be returning to me this Wednesday though, and I am very excited. Also in the exciting things catergory is my upcoming trip to Tokyo. I will be taking the night bus (not exciting) on Wednesday night and staying with Damian and Kaori in Chiba until Sunday. I will shop. And stuff.
So, the last threeish weeks... um. We had an open mike night at the beginning of the month and to compliment (and contrast with) the classy blues, stirring protest songs, and delightful ballads, Ed and I decided to sing One Day a Taniwha, Tu Tera Mai Nga Iwi, and Po Kare Kare Ana we stopped short of Uma Rapiti - we need to keep a few tricks up our sleeves. Then we had Guy Fawkes at which much fun was had by me lighting fire works and running on rocks. There was also a roaring fire and fine company. T'was nice.
Um we also had Mid-Year Seminar, the annual gathering of JETs from all over the prefecture and I played touch rugby with much enthusiasm and little skill (have mastered the running up and down bit but not the passing/catching bit) then I played soccer in much rain.
This week I taught Ti Rakau for a cultural workshop at the biggest Junior High School in Hamada. It was a bit of an eye opener. I find the kids at my school pretty rough compared to the island kids, but these kids definitely out-scary mine. Their trousers are wider, their jackets shorter, mullets spikier and dyed-oranger and their respect for authority of any kind is markedly less. I was rather concerned about giving then sticks and making them sing but E Papa Waiari went down a treat.
This weekend my school had it's cultural day. But that is another story.
So now you know.

And since the chronology isn't electrifyingly interesting, here are some random facts about me just now.

Bad things:
My lip hurts because I zipped it into my jacket this morning.
My elbow hurts because I tried to climb a tree on Friday night.
My house has no heating of any kind.
I have not done any sort of Christmas shopping.

Good things:
My house is sparkling and clean.
I made a bag with a dog on it.
I now have 2 pairs of polar-fleece trousers. They are pleasing.
I will be at home in the sun in three and a bit weeks.
After feeling pretty muh for a while I have been much chirpier this past week.
I found a pair of stripy socks I had forgotten about in a box in my bathroom.

Other things:
I can fit 19 dates in my mouth. (Mum sent me dates)
I am having my first hair-cut in Japan tomorrow.