Home for the Holidays Part Deux
Let me start by saying I’m sorry for the sudden disappearance. Ultimate Crumpet is back now and you can all expect a number of updates throughout this week. For the last few weeks I have been truly snowed under with work (writing a 90 min speech about The Beatles, writing and translating articles for a CIR newsletter, preparing materials and interpreting for foreign delegates visiting Shimane and organising my first official events. All of this has seen me sitting at my desk from morning til late afternoon staring directly into a laptop screen and tapping away at a keyboard for hours on end. This then obviously resulted in my wanting to stay well clear of my computer when I got home from work and hence a general absence from the world of information technology! Anyway – The work load has been intense and my willpower/motivation was tested but I have today just said sayonara to the last of the work so now I am FREE! In the wise words of Hiro Nakamura, “YATTA!”
It has been a while since the first instalment of Home for the Holiday and almost 2 months since I was actually there so a lot more has happened between the holidays and now. I hope to fill you in on most of this but please bear with me, as it will take some time for events to catch up to date. I will keep the rest of this post relatively brief and will get back on track with Japan/JET Programme related content.
I talked last time about how food was a major highlight of my time back at home and just reading back over the last post has got me really craving some good ol’ british cooking. Hmmmm…
I am getting off the point already! This is the grip that food holds over me!
So after being in Liverpool for a good week or so and spending Christmas with the family and enjoying all the perks of being home, I made the trek over to London to spend a few days down south in the capital. Whilst I was there I got to see Avenue Q in the theatre (a very adult-oriented and themed skit on Sesame Street), which was really enjoyable. I did not know what to expect when going in there but the whole thing was superbly executed and the crazy mix of nostalgia and adult humour hits you like a bulldozer from the get go. There are muppets on stage accompanied by their puppeteers but after the first five minutes you begin to forget that there are even people controlling the puppets and are too busy laughing to focus on anything else. With songs like “Everyone is a little bit racist” and “The Internet is for Porn” – how can you go wrong? Highly recommended!
I headed back to Liverpool just after new years for another week spent at home before heading back to Japan. During that last week there is really no story to be told! I was mainly indoors – sleeping, eating and generally relaxing and that was just what I wanted to do. Of course I popped into Liverpool town centre a few times and did some shopping etc but relaxation was the mission and I must say mission accomplished!
The time to head back to Japan and back to work eventually rolled around and I flew back Manchester and arrived in Osaka at around midday on the 9th. Five hours after touching down in Japan, I was in Osaka Castle Hall standing in a huge arena waiting for Muse to take the stage. That’s right – I went to a gig straight from getting off the plane! I was incredibly jet-lagged and I kept falling asleep every time I sat down but once Muse took the stage then all traces of tiredness and jetlag disappeared from me and I was sucked into the sheer electric excitement of the crowd. I have been to a fair number of gigs in Japan and it is very rarely that I see a crowd looking so alive! The entire hall was on their feet, including all the people who had tickets for the balcony seats. Before Muse started there was a arena-wide Mexican wave sweeping around and I don’t think a single seat was in use for the entirety of the gig. Muse were on tour for their latest album “The Resistance” but played a healthy mix of new and classic songs. I have to give credit to the sound and lighting crew for the incredible show they put on to support muse. Behind every great band is a whole bunch of unacknowledged and unknown folks that work incredibly hard to make that band great!
That just about sums up my lovely time at home, I know I missed out huge chunks and details but it really is time that I move on and actually do some explaining about the place I am now living and working in! Thanks to all that stuck around during my absence – you’re dedication shall be rewarded with many a silly picture and videos in the near future! For now I shall say GOOD NIGHT!