I think last week was one of the worst weeks of my time in Japan. People reading this probably already know from Facebook and the like, but I'll write it again anyway. I lost Midori. She died on Monday, probably not six hours after I last saw her. I'm not sure what happened and I'm quite angry that nobody contacted me: she has a microchip! She was ( Read more... )

Bloody cat's got fleas. However, there is something strangely gratifying in combing her with a fine-tooth comb and then drowning the buggers. Also gave her a couple of baths, for which she was extremely well-behaved (if pitifyingly forlorn) until I got The Hair-Dryer out. I now have an upper body striped with red and pink scratches. Poor thing ( Read more... )

Thursday and Friday were our crappy Mid-Year Conference days which basically translates as miss school, meet up with the 240-odd other ALTs in Hyogo and be buried in seminar and lecture boredom and Japanese you-are-ambassadors-for-your-country pomp before escaping to the pubs and bars of Kobe ( Read more... )

Woo! Gone 4pm and still in my nightie! Might see if I can just not bother getting dressed today (reminds me of something Mike from uni would do ( Read more... )

Now I'm the one responsible for animal cruelty. Been letting the cat out on the balcony because I thought it'd be nice for her to get some fresh air/sunshine. Now, I assume cats aren't stupid and I watched as she peered through the railings at the 20ft drop (I live on the 2nd floor (English speak) and the 3rd floor (American and Japanese-speak)) ( Read more... )

Another week almost gone. Tomorrow will be a sad day: my brilliant third years are graduating and as a teacher's first students I expect I'll always remember them. Maybe. Although their names might blur into one after a while: AyukiKonishiSappiMiyo ( Read more... )

So last night the cat went crazy again, only this time the miaowing was bordering on the painful, and the behaviour she was exhibiting was beyond weird.  Thanks to the worldwide encyclopaedia, I managed to deduce the probably cause: the randy thing is a victim of her hormones, and just wants a tom to come and sort her out (don't we all); that is ( Read more... )

Meant to update on progress with new flatmate, but life has been hectic. The cat (already named Midori - Japanese for green (she has blue eyes, i'll explain that connection later)) has been keeping me up and following me around like she's stuck to my feet.

Midori's DiarySunday: girl in a skirt and a red riding hood coat came round to my house, ( Read more... )