Another Last Day

Yesterday was pretty amazing. It was my last day at one of the schools I work at, possibly my last day ever since the company that employs me hasn't told me where I'm going next. So I felt pretty heavy-hearted in the morning. It's amazing how much this school has come to feel like home after two years. But one reason I love it so much is that the students are absolutely amazing. The art club students made those two books above, one from first graders and one from second graders (13 and 14 year-olds, respectively). Many students gave me artwork and special messages. On my desk, I found two thick packets of letters from most of the second graders (about 300 students). That's quite a bounty. I felt terrific reading them.

I received some gifts from teachers, too. One of the teachers I work with gave me some incredible artwork by her mother as well as some t-shirts from the company her husband works for, Capcom.

I'd told her I still like to play Rock Man (aka Mega Man) sometimes which may explain this shirt.

The judo teacher invited me to join him at an izakaya after school to celebrate his retirement and 60th birthday. We were joined by another teacher and had some incredible food and alcohol. I had whiskey while he had beer and sake. The izakaya was run by a former student of his who evidently loves The Beatles because that's all we heard all night. We had plate after plate of tempura, sashimi, karaage (Japanese style fried chicken), tofu, and various creative items including some kind of cut roll with bacon and avocado wrapped in lettuce. It was quite a send-off for me but I still dearly hope to return.

Managing Snack Urges

This is one of the many springtime Kit Kat flavours around here. They also had parfait and wheat biscuit flavours. I limited myself to ume, or Japanese plum. They're good--very tart.

I've been in the mood to sample Japanese sweets again. On Saturday I also bought this Kimetsu no Yaiba snack.

It's youkan, a sort of jelly made from red bean paste, agar, and sugar. It's packaged in a green tube made to look like Nezuko's green bamboo bit:

It's good and, just like Nezuko's bit, it subdues hunger for human flesh.

Twitter Sonnet #1444

The whiny wheat was hushed to stock the mill.
Electric boards create an 80s band.
Another rose by pure and petty will.
And plastic flowers sank beneath the sand.
The lousy knees would fail a wire tray.
With walkers, ghosts contain the sculpted team.
Another time we showed the ancient bay.
The seas were dry as heavy puddles seem.
A giant's breath had passed the sleeping kids.
The speaking grass responds in silent waves.
The pots of shade would buck the wooden lids.
And other lights create the beasts of caves.
The brighter colours came to eat the moon.
We heard a song to suss the scarpered loon.