This week

It's time once again for this weeks edition of, "What is Steve doing now?" I'll be your host for the evening. This week was boring for Steve because next week his students will be taking tests Tuesday-Thursday. That being the case his classes were often shortend or canceled in favor of major cramming for the students. So that ment that Steve had lots of free time. However, he was able to spend some of it productively studying Japanese. Unfortunately the majority of his time was spent reading or napping or occassionally wandering the halls of his school in search of a class to teach/visit.
At the end of the week Steve went to a party for his ex-boss Izuka who was promoted to vice principle (Kyoto Sensei) at one of the schools near Steve's school Ohtsu (Aboshi). After that because Steve is lame he went home and turned in early .... because on Saturday he taught at the Jikushokai ("cram school"). His class went ok due in part to the employment of cute stuffed animals as part of his many activities.
On Saturday night Steve went to he Yukata Matsuri (summer kimono festival). There he could be seen in the crowded streets of Himeji mingling with the citizens and partaking in the foods and beverages offered. Later in the evening he retired with his friend David (who will is also a JET at Shirasagi, but will be leaving in the near future) to Mr. B's a local bar owned by an ex-English teacher and boasts that it is an American establishment. It is an interesting hole in the wall bar with the very decent price of every drink being 500¥ no matter what it is (Within reason. Most bars charge 600-1000¥ for their cocktails). There Steve met an interesting woman named Tomomi. He spent the better part of three hours chatting with her before making his way home with David (who had enlisted Steve's help to make sure he made it home). However, he did get her number and e-mail and intends to meet her again in the near future.
Today Steve went for a run in the morning and then relaxed during the day doing nothing productive until the afternoon when he emerged. Steve went downtown and got a haircut, shopped for groceries and hung out until wandering back home to sit infront of the computer .....

::Captions for the photos::

Steve and Chiyaki before the Yukata Matsuri (a Shinzaike-Honcho resident and Adult English student)

Chelsea and Yasuyo before the Yukata Matsuri (Steve's neighbor and another Shinzaike-Honcho resident and Adult English student)

Steve's new haircut