I just wrote a post yesterday, so if you have just checked my blog today go ahead and read the post below as well, if you feel like it of course.
I just have two little things I want to write about today, one a mite inconsequential and the other with too much consequence to really appreciate for most of us.
Lets start with inconsequential. I went for a run after school yesterday and while running I noticed a white dove in the road in front of me. Curious I thought, I don't think I have ever seen a white dove before, it was directly in my path and didn't seem in the slightest concerned about the panting simian bearing down upon it. So much so was it wholly unconcerned with any possible consequences of our collision that it elected not to move even one of its pretty white feathers. I in fact had to make a emergency detour around said bird while it stood immobile and quizzically observed me. Striking me as rather odd I was so affected as to stop running and turn to look back at the bird, it had not moved. Out of curiosity I walked back towards it, it was only when I got so close that I could have easily picked it up did it hop away a few feet and up onto the pavement. There is cocked its head at me and gave me an indignant look, I, remembering my manners, apologised for inconveniencing it, bid it good day and was on my way. I soon forgot about it as I had a wonderful stitch developing in my midriff. As I crested a hill I noticed a snow white cat by the road, as I ran past (only a foot or two away) it did not run but fiercely stared at me with piercing blue eyes. About ten metres later I was stuck by the coincidence of a white dove then a white cat, both of which did not run away. I stopped and turned, the cat was still there, unmoving as the bird had been. I approached cautiously. As I encroached to perhaps a yard from the cat and was about to introduce myself, remembering my manners as always, it suddenly upped and bolted! I was a little relieved and a little disappointed. And I must admit for the rest of the run I kept half an eye open for a possible third white animal.

My second 'thing' is something I saw on the news this morning. You probably all know about it, the fatal shooting of 33 people at a Virginia university campus. It is shocking! Horribly shocking. What drives somebody to commit such an act? What is it about a culture that has driven people to commit such acts not once but again and again not to mention the numerous columbine copy-cat massacres which were foiled? I am sure certain people in America have been asking hard questions about why the vast majority of school massacres have occurred in America, but surely a change can only come about when enough people ask the hard questions and look frankly at their culture and what has gone wrong. Something must be wrong! I don't mean to seem like I am on a high horse but I am just trying to express my horror and incomprehension, I don't have an answer I just pray enough people do. I am fairly sure it won't take a team of experts to create a new law or a profile to predict potential shooters and thus solve the problem, it is, in my humble opinion, bigger than that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting
And a list of school massacres:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_School_Massacres
Grieve for the innocent victims but that isn't enough if it will happen again.
I am also distrubed by the reaction to the shooting by some, from CNN:
"Asked why the campus, which has more than 26,000 students, was not shut down after the first shooting, Flinchum responded that police determined "it was an isolated event to that building and the decision was made not to cancel classes at that time."
What does it take to shut down classes in America! A gunman on the loose is apparently not enough...
I also found the account of the massacre on the CNN website distasteful at best and at worst disturbingly complacent:
"The first crackle of gunfire shattered the Monday morning calm. It was 7:15 a.m. on the campus of Virginia Tech and an epic killing spree had just begun."
'Epic' can have the connotation of a glorious event which will be remembered through history, it certainly does not impress upon the tragedy of the event. And perhaps worse:
" fired about 30 shots in just 1½ minutes -- first blasting a professor in the head, then shooting the students."
'Blasting!' what is it this article about a movie, a computer game!? The media is a part of the problem without question.

Seiko sensei rocking it on the drums while wearing a kimono! Pretty darn cool.
I with some of my leaving elementary school teachers, sigh...it was good to teach with you guys, I will miss you. Especially Amec sensei, he was once described to me as like an out of control lawnmower, this is meant affectionately and is very true!

Good day to you lovely readers.
I had my first scuba experience! I and Kelly under the expert tutelage of Diving Dave successfully completed all the pool work for out PADI open water diving milarky. Yes it was all in a pool but none the less it was exciting to be breathing underwater. I and Kelly would take it in turns to go through the required activities, clearing a flooded mask etc. while under the watchful eye of Master Diver Dave. While I waited I was happily engrossed in exploring the difference experience of the underwater world. The heavy scuba equipment became 'weightless', movements were slow and graceful, hair waftily swished this way and that. Sounds were oddly transformed and loud. Next week we will complete the open water part of the course, and that will be in the sea. Much looking forward to that! The seas around Okinawa are amongst the best in the world, perhaps the best in Asia for diving. I expect there will be much of the wierd and wonderful to see. Already just via snorkling I have seen odd creature in abundance. From tiny delicate hydrozoa with a body shaped like a tear drop on about 1cm long and numerous tenticles that I am guessing were around a metre long to hideously ugly stonefish to a fleeting glimpse of a shark. That aside I managed to loose a number of things but get them back fairly quickly. I left my phone in the taxi from the ferry port to the bus terminal. The taxi was just disapearing around the corner when I realised and all I could do was curse my stupidity. I hailed another taxi of the same colour and asked if he could radio all taxis or something. This didn't seem possible but he let me try and call my phone on his phone, no answer! He told me that I aught to go the the taxi jimusho which I assume is the taxi homebase kinda thing. I didn't know where that was! Anyway it was time for my bus so I ran and caught that, I didn't want to have to wait another 30minutes! I did eventually manage to call the taxi driver who had my phone and by skilfully half guessing what he was saying arranged to have him leave my phone at the ferry port and not the taxi base. That night (Friday) I and Kelly ate at a nice little Italian restuarant and then went batting! It took me a while to get the hang of it, I think I have only wielded a baseball bat once before but I was enjoying towards the end. In fact perhaps it was me who insisted on a few more goes before we left ;). Saturday was scuba and I managed to loose my water bottle but we recovered it and then Sunday I came back to my island. I am much looking forward to my trip to the states in just over two weeks for my cousins wedding. I have not left Asia since July 2005! I hope I can cope with western culture! I may be popping the odd bow or two but I reckon I can disguise them as nods, nods are OK! I and Kelly have been planning our juant around Europe (yes it will be a jaunt and skipping will be involved). Maybe because having lived in a completely different culture for a while I am viewing Europe differently or maybe I have gained a sense of perspective but Europe seems an amazing place! It could simply be a result of viewing Europe through tourist websites but even taking that into consideration, wow! That is where I come from! Neat! From the inside it always seemed a bit.........hopeless and unexciting. Of course that was my perspective on it, somewhat coloured by living in Britain. Well anyway, something has put a new and exciting sheen on it all and I am eager to explore it some more! Awe inspiring cathedrals, romantic fairytale castles, grim an imposing medieval fortresses, cute cobbles streets, elegant boulevards and charming squares, exquisite palaces! And that is just the buildings! There is much planning to do and most of it will wait until we have the appropriate lonely planets but we have a rough route in mind. I am mostly excited about seeing cologne cathedral, Neuschwanstein and Eltz castles, Salzburg (home of Mozart and the sound of music), Florence (home of too much great art to write about but think Michelangelo's David and the birth of Venus), Venice and Rome. Of course there is too much to see in a month even and we will have to balance quantity with quality. Well anyway back to Japan. Our new librarian informed my today that there is a Shodou (Japanese caligraphy) class this Wednesday and I should go! Woot! I am excited, I will most certainly get myself and my brushes up there! Why oh why didn't I start this earlier! Ah well, let by gones be by gones! I was feeling a little down and stressed about Japan recently. I am not entirely sure why but it happens, living on a small island in a foreign (and it still is) culture can create stress for no apparent or obvious reason. The fact that I have to study so much doesn't help, the thought of coming home from work and just relaxing for the rest of the evening seems a remote luxury. Also I need to take some nenkyu (paid leave) but my new supervisor is proving very elusive. I have hopefully set up a meeting with him this Wednesday. Fingers crossed anyway. However the news about the Shodou has cheered me up, that and a couple of good classes this morning. The JTE left the lessons up to me so I got to inject some fun. I am looking forward to my first elementary school classes since the hols this thursday too. Always a highlight for the week, children are so much easier to handle before their hormones go rampant! My camera is working again! It wasn't really broken, the battery just needed replacing! Silly me! So I have finally got to see the pictures I took at the farewell party and have decided to post one, better late than never!
ps. The hairdresser on my island rocks. 二千円 (2000yen/20bucks/ten quid) for a haircut, a back and side with a cut throat razer, a hair wash and a back and shoulder massage. And it is a good haircut! In the UK my hair cutting experiences have been either of a cheap haircut, 5 quid, no hair washing just a no frills haircut or a more expensive cut (20-30+quid) where the quality of the haircut doesn't improve much but you get a latte or cappuccino or something and they pester you and try and make you straighten your hair or something silly (for a boy). Or in America where you get a decent cut but they tell you how lovely your hair is, how you are so lucky, then stick some funny product into your hair and then ask if you want to buy it (and you have to tip them). I prefer a no fuss good cut for a very reasonable price and a bonus massage, it is almost worth it just for the massage, thank you Japan!