2 months and counting

A few days ago, I had the realization that I only have 8 weekends left in Sapporo. So it's crunch time to get everything crossed off my mental list of "things to do in Japan before I leave". For example...see more soccer games. go white water rafting. see Niseko. see Wakkanai (the most northern city in Japan). see Hiroshima. see Mt. Fuji. see the lilacs in Furano. Partake in another garden other than "Kirin" at the Summer Beer Festival. join a Yosakoi team! eat okonomiyaki one more time. eat sushi a few more times. eat soup curry a few more times. what am i missing...

well anyway...
this weekend is Jesse's "house-warming party" - 2 months belated. but always glad to celebrate anything with such fine people.
June 12 is Yosakoi Festival weekend. My FAVORITE in Japan!!!! And Ming knows of some...thing...where we join a group for 5 hours - intensive 1-hour Yosakoi dance course and then we perform in Odori (!?). It's also Sara's bday. and Callie's "superhero party". Bummer they all lie on the same day. I told Sara, it's been my dream since I first saw a performance by a group of 6th graders at a visiting ES, and then saw the LARGE scope of it at the Yosakoi dancing last year, that I wanted to learn the dance and join a team. Well, it's quite intensive work. that requires a large investment of time. My laziness and extreme admiration for sleeping worked against me on this one, and won out. Also didn't help that no one else was interested to join me. and i wasn't interested to do it on my own. can't blame em. But then i get a text from Ming a few weeks, very cryptic, about taking a one hour course on a Sat, and i immediately replied with a "most definitely count me in". Then Sara reminded me her bday and the Yosakoi thing fall on the same day. Originally, we had planned to go out for "afternoon karaoke" because the last time was such a hit. Jesse had ordered all of our own pitcher of alcohol. We had 10 minutes left in our 2 hour limit (which could be extended). But all of us were a bit intoxicated to think clearly...me especially. That Jesse instructed us to just chug out pitchers cuz alcohol can't go to waste and we only had 10 minutes left. So...I drank the whole pitcher of u-me-shu (plum wine). in 10 minutes. of course no one else did. But you instruct me to carry out an important task for a probably task, while already intoxicated, and I'll do it.
Of course, on our walk to Sapporo Station, I fell in some bushes (thought it was hilarious). and puked in a porty potty. Not my finest moment perhaps. But DAMN funny. and still makes for a good laugh. But anyway, can't do another bout of afternoon karaoke because Sara was kind enough to understand how important the yosakoi thing is to my overall Japanese experience.
So I told her that we'd at least have dinner, cuz her bday is more important than Callie's party. But ... that doesn't mean I intend to miss out on callie's party. I'll be there. just later.

Um...originally I meant to post about my past weekend. But I've got 5 minutes til class.
So quick recap. Went to a soccer game at the outdoor Atsubetsu Stadium. BEAUTIFUL day. we won 3-1. Japanese sports audiences are so funny. They stand up for 2 hours chanting the same thing. over and over.
It was super cute -- there was a 10 year old boy (my guess) who had come with just his grandpa. and everytime Sapporo scored, they jumped in the air rejoicing, giving each other high-fives and hugs. it was ADORABLE. I hope...I...my...husband can do that with my grandchildren some day.
whew...that's a far out hope...haha
clearly i just came up with that one. but yea, it would be nice.

murray also had his "2nd annual ping-pong tournament". it was a crowded party. ping pong was lame. small talk was lame. didn't get interesting until most people left and jesse got TRASHED. rolled around on the tatami like a cat in cat nip giggling to himself (unfortunately i was the only one who witnessed it). haha.
and then went on his usual anger rant about something/someone. This time it was directed toward krista and Dan.
Anyway, we brought him back to my place. tried to calm him down. we were FINALLY able to do so with a youtube clip of the "invisible sidewalk". it's kind of sad if you watch it sober. but when you're drunk, it's HILARIOUS.
then we spent an hour watching various you tube videos. mostly just drunk people falling. SO good.

Alright, time to go.
Yay! Glad I got a post in. Too bad, it's already June.
no wait..thank goodness it's june.
it's JUNE!!
YAY!!

oh yea, and saw Prince of Persia with Sara and Dan and Krista last night. hm...that was a so-so movie. but i DO love Jake. so my opinion is heavily biased.