Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Zen-est Zombie

That's what I've been feeling like this week. Between my new busier schedule at work and biking at least 30 miles a day for the last 8 days straight... I've become a zombie. But don't worry about your man/woman flesh. I'm almost too tired to eat. Considering the amount of exercise I'm getting, that's not really a good thing.

What's wrong with your schedule?

Well, we used to have 3 teachers doing the job and now we only have two. Then I got a private student coming 3 times a week.

Total classes 27
Total kid classes 22
Total pre-school classes (including the private student who is only 2yrs 8months) 14.

Now, I love love love kids. And many of my individual kids I love so much I want to steal them. So, that's all good. I could talk about kids and blog about kids constantly... but I'll spare you.

I love them, but kids classes are a lot of energy.










but look at the super cute, albeit misguided, gift one of my 2nd graders gave me. It was followed by a huge hug and then an insistent, "magic! magic!" ... if only I could do more magic.

I'm sure if she remembered how to spell my name she would have written that instead of "KKK" .... I figure.




Now, my longer days look like this
alarm goes off at 8. I pull myself out of bed 8:30
ideally, I leave my apartment by 9:30, though sometimes I don't manage till 10
when I get to work I change my clothes. It's hot now, feeling like over 90 everyday. I strip buck naked in the shopping center bathroom, give my self a wet wipes wipedown and start teaching at 12. When I finish teaching at 9, I get home 10:30 or later.
I shoot to go to bed by 11:30 but that doesn't always happen.

zen zen zombie.

all the exercise is making me super calm. this is a good quality for a kids teacher.
it's also making me a little brain dead. so I'm not riding my bike today and maybe not tomorrow before I kill myself trying to keep up with the Tokyo Cycling Club on one of their rides on Sunday.

Anyways, it's all great 'training' for my Tohoku adventure that starts on Aug 1st and I feel totally unprepared for.


View Larger Map

Basically, I'll take a night bus up to Aomori (note, no reservations made yet nor have I check that I can actually take my bike (albeit taken apart and in a bike bag) on the bus... i.e. not prepared) and cycle up around the peninsula and then down the Eastern coast along rt. 45 etc.

How far am I going?
Well, I have to work on Aug 13th so I should be back for that. How far depends on how much I cycle and what goes wrong. Knock on wood for me. I'm hoping to do 60 miles or more a day.

Isn't this all expensive?
Well, considering that I haven't upgraded anything on my bike in the 5 years I've had it... kind of. But it's been about time.

I did get totally cool shoes.
My old petals were basket style.


















I have now finally upgraded to clip in. Actually, only one side of the pedal is clip-in and the other is flat so I can petal with any sort of shoes/sandals I like. The shoes are "spd" shoes, which means they have tread and only kinda suck for walking. Overall, they seem really versatile and make me go faster with less effort.












My old tires looked like this- frayed and unhappy. So, I bought new canary yellow tires. They are hideous and lovely all at once. The pedestrians are much quicker to get out of my way. I'll try to put up a picture by the end of the day.

So, that's most of that... now I'm off to teach the munchkins.

6 comments:

Seph said...

Dude, I'm so excited for your trip! Isn't it great having new gear? I hear good things about clip-in petals -- I feel like I should really get some for myself. I held off for a long time because I wanted to be able to wear regular shoes at the same time, but combo petals are probably the way to go, huh?

Joe Streckert said...

The yellow tires are indeed awesome.

Just so you know, if you end up spending most of your time sitting in the lotus position whilst your skin flakes off, I may go elsewhere for amusement. I love you and all, but there's only so much calmness and rigor mortis that I think I could put up with...

However, if you ever want to run a black market kid-stealing operation, I would totally be up for that.

inkandpen said...

Trouble is, sonic, that the kid-stealing is only profitable if you don't keep them... which, it seems to me, would take all the fun out of it.
;)

Anonymous said...

hooray! I love aomori - it's one of the most beautiful places I have been to in Japan - and the rest of tohoku is absolute aces too! you're going to have a great time - and the best part is, right now it is SO much cooler up there than it is done here in kanto.

(in case you're interested, i spent a week driving around tohoku by car:

http://www.michaelpanda.com/blog/archives/001207.html
http://www.michaelpanda.com/blog/archives/001214.html

)

...the only thing i'm worried about is... you said you don't have any reservations and you're leaving august 1st!? yikes! do you know that THE biggest matsuris in Tohoku (and Japan!) are taking place from August 3rd - 7th? (the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri and the smaller Tanabata matsuris scattered across the rest of Tohoku) I was originally going to go up with a friend from the 3rd, but they basically told me every train, bus and hotel was filled up! (>_<);; Then again you're going a little earlier so maybe you can still get something? Good luck! I hope you can take some pictures of those matsuris if you see have a chance! That way I can live vicariously through you ;) (I gave up going up to tohoku this year after we couldn't get reservations and it turns out i had some stupid meetings next week anyway siiiiigghhhh work bleh)

Anonymous said...

omygod Kori you are going on the coolest trips! Your work schedule sounds fierce, so I am thrilled to hear you are going on an adventure Aug.1st. May the road rise to meet you and Happy Trails. We are thinking of you every single day, Beautiful Girl!

Anonymous said...

PS That is The Most Fabuloso picture of you and your kids!!! Love it, love it!!!