We Live Where We Are

Dread Nought, Dear Friends, Dread Nought

With a bit of help from a big Aussie friend, my guitar quest ended with the aquisition of a new Aria Dreadnought acoustic/electric. I've never heard of the brand, but the guitar has a nice, thick, earthy acoustic sound and great action. It has a pick-up in the bridge, plus a flexible mic below the strings. The volume control, fader, and other controls are all located just inside the lip of the sound hole. Hence, there are no awkward black control boxes on the outside of an otherwise natural looking guitar. I'm definately pleased with my find. Here's to hoping it records well.

This morning I made my first trip to my visit school, where I'll be working on Thursdays and Fridays. The faculty and staff were very welcoming, especially the English teachers, who seemed like an amiable lot. The only downside is that, while the school is only ten minutes away by car, it's nearly an hour away by bus. But at least there are no transfers involved.

After taking the bus back, my supervisor and I went to the Sendai Mediatheque, a massive library/gallery/media space that was designed by a famous Japanese architect. I'll write more on the building later, but it's very modern and thoroughly impressive. I applied for a library card and discovered that yes, I can borrow DVDs for free on the 7th floor. The selection is somewhat limited, but they do have a great collection of classic films. The contemporary films they have are a rather scattershot lot, hit or miss really. For instance, I found Chinatown right next to Harrison Ford's The Witness.

Tomorrow, the English club at my school is participating in a prefecture-wide skit contest. Theirs is a funny little piece about a man who moves into a new apartment and is convinced there are bugs, secret listening devices, hidden within the walls. Much chaos then ensues, due to the landlord's confusion between bugs and bugs. Apparently, my school won the contest last year, but I get the impression this win was a bit of a fluke. I'm going to guarantee first prize for next year!

I'm a bit nervous for Thursday, when I'm supposed to deliver a short introduction address at the school assembly. Maybe I should just wing it and tell a few jokes.