A Productive Five Day Weekend

This weekend has been a five-day break that has proven to be an incredibly productive use of my time. I haven't accomplished this much in... well... EVER. I tend to procrastinate just like most people, but every now and then I just have to make the effort to be slightly more than a couch potato on my day(s) off.

The academic year ends in mid-March, so at the moment Tokyo city schools are in the middle of final exams. Since my job is often defined (rather jokingly) as "a tape recorder with a pulse," there's really no need for me to be at school this week. I have one class on Thursday, and two classes on Friday, but other than that I'm a free man.

This morning I went to my company headquarters in Shibuya to sign my contract for the 2007-2008 academic year. Since they think I'm the man, they had already met all of my conditions without negotiating and had the contract ready to go when I walked in the door. The meeting started at 11:00, and I was out the door by 11:15. That's how I like to do business.

I then headed up to Shinjuku to City Bank to register my US bank accounts with City Japan, making overseas wire transfers possible via the internet. Hooray for modern technology! Boo for zero interest in Sushiland banks! I swear, the sooner I get my clams off this stinking island, the better. I'd like to retire some day, sheesh!

After lunch I headed up to Hombu and trained with Kobayashi sensei for this first time in months. He was so happy to see me that he pounded on me for a while and then made up his mind to use me for the next technique. He had me in ikkyo, poked his head under my arm and politely asked, "Can I use you for the next technique, Elvis? 'Cause you never know when you're going to come to my class again!" After class I noticed that my hakama has the beginnings of some nasty holes around the knees. Gotta get that patched up.

Did some iai tonight with The Bucho too. Spent the better part of an hour doing zagi (suwari waza), so now I'm dead....

On Sunday I bought a white cotton hakama for pretty cheap at a Mom-and-Pop budo store in Suidobashi. The posters on the walls and the display cases were discolored from years of going untouched and exposure to the sun. At least their products are new! There's something cool about the old, hole-in-the-wall budo shops around Tokyo. You can find really neat stuff that you couldn't find anywhere else. The only down side is the service. When I asked the old man who runs the place what kind of white hakamas he had, he literally grabbed the shelf of white hakamas and dumped them all over the floor. "You look like a size 25 or 26. Let me know when you find one you like."