DTR MCR

2011-08-29T04:21:00.000+01:00

Gifts for the neighbours

2011-08-21T14:04:00.000+01:00

All lined up in a pretty row, these are the welcome gifts I have prepared for my neighbours. Yes, that's right, for the whole staircase in my apartment building

I am not RISK so bad, see & wait

2011-08-21T03:45:00.000+01:00

Another brilliant bentou

2011-08-19T04:09:00.000+01:00

Softbank slippers

2011-08-18T07:06:00.000+01:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYTqaafikQ0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sunset over Kurume

2011-08-09T12:08:00.000+01:00

The sky was buzzing with the sound of chirping insects, and the silhouettes of bats hunting them.

My ¥350 lunch

2011-08-09T04:36:00.000+01:00

That's about £2.20, pretty good eh?

Batzilla

2011-08-08T14:48:00.000+01:00

For those occasions when Batman can't kick enough ass on his own, he can always call for backup.

Japanese breakfast

2011-08-07T22:18:00.000+01:00

Rice, miso, cold coffee, yakult, water

Uneme Festival; Koriyama, Fukushima; Aug 6, 2011

2011-08-07T13:42:00.001+01:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A8zlz4eKrc

This the video I made of the festival in Koriyama on Saturday. Feel free to share it with anybody who might be interested!

Uneme festival in Koriyama

2011-08-06T22:20:00.001+01:00

Massive drum party. Cool huh?

Choral poster

2011-08-06T04:51:00.000+01:00

And there's one tomo too!

Concert poster

2011-08-06T04:50:00.000+01:00

Today we have a concert at my school.

Final fry-up

2011-07-29T11:40:00.001+01:00

Last full English in full England.

Goodbye dear friends

2011-07-26T18:00:00.001+01:00

These have been my favourite trainers ever. I'm sad they're too knackered for Japan. Goodnight sweet princes.

2011-07-14T12:09:00.001+01:00

Look what came in the post!

So much to say...

2011-07-09T10:31:00.003+01:00

Christ, I can hardly catch my breath. There's so much to say! I need to tell you about:

Jo and Simon's wedding
Finding out my JET placement - Fukushima prefecture
Lewis and Angela's wedding
Moving out of Manchester and in to Catford
Chris and Flora's wedding
Coming to Ireland for Andrea and Anthony's wedding
Hearing from my JET predecessor

As you can guess, it's been an ridiculously busy few weeks. I'm lucky enough to be sitting in a hotel room at the amazing Tankardstown house in Meath, so maybe there's a little I can do to catch up. Let's see...

My predecessor

2011-07-09T08:31:00.002+01:00

Working as a JET in Japan normally means replacing another JET who did the same job the year before. A JET's predecessor can be a really useful source of specific information about the details of the post, accomodation, the local town, and many other general titbits. I asked my predecessor about three things:

The school, and teaching there
The city
The accomodation

He got back to me today, and this is what he said -

Yo DTRMCR,

Ireland? You must be having fun. Anyway about the questions.

1) The base school we go to is Koriyama Higashi H.S. it is considered a "shin gakku" (academic school) I have about 10 classes a week here, each about 50 min. I'm not sure who you'll be working with for team teachers, this changes every term.

But, when you arrive you'll probably continue with the schdule I have. You will have to create your own lesson plans. The team teachers will help translate English into Japanese for you. As for the students we teach both the freshman and seniors. Along with Koriyama Higashi H.S. you will have to make visits to several schools within the Kenchu district of Fukushima Prefecture. On Monday's I go to Iwase Nogyo Gakko, this is an agricultural school. This school focuses on agriculture. They have live stock, plants, and vegetables at this school. I teach all grades at this school. Your schedule will very here. On Tuesday's I go to Koriyama Kitakogyo a technical H.S., here I teach all grades as well. This will be your steady schdule most likely. Higashi H.S. is only Wednesday through Friday. Sometimes you'll have to make an occasional visit to other schools as well such as Koriyama Yogou Gakko, this is a special needs school for students with physical and mental disabilites. This school is really good though. The staff and students here are nice. For Higashi it is about a 25 min walk from our apt. there are buses you can catch near our apt to go to school but, it'll be faster to walk it maybe and you'll eventually have to walk from the bus stop to our school which is some distance. For Iwase Nogyo you'll have to catch a train to the school, for Kita kogyo H.S. you can catch a bus. I don't know if your planning to get a car, it might be easier but, I always use the public transit and it is pretty good. If you get a car I heard its kind of expensive for the gas, registration fees, insurance, etc. so, if your planning to stay more than a year here it might be worth it. For after school activities there are many different school clubs, such as baseball and other sports, band, and some traditional Japanese stuff like, "shodou" caligraphy.

2. Koriyama is nice. It's not a super big city but, its cool. It is situated near Sendai which is a big city and 40 min. train ride on bullet train. It is also near Tokyo if you have to get to Tokyo it takes about 1.5 hours on the bullet train. The summer is really hot, fall very nice, winter very cold, and spring nice. People are friendly. But, for Japanese culture people are very shy and quiet so, it may seem as if their rude and snobish at times but, this is because their very conservative and shy and not as open and loud. To hang out, the place is downtown, by the train station area, there are alot of restaurants, shopping places, and movie theaters that have a lot of foreign movies, mainly from the U.S.

3. Our apt is cool. It's spacious, one of my worries before coming here was that if the place was small and cramped, it turned out to be the opposite. It has a living room, kitchen, walk-in shower, western toilet, and 2 bedrooms and balcony. From school it's a bit far, like I was saying it's a 25 min walk to Higashi H.S. but, it's near a few restuarants and some grocery stores. In the winter it is super cold. There is no insulation nor central heating. This is typical for many Japanese homes. At times it can get pretty snowy outside. Also for our apt, there are no other JET's living in the same building, they live on the other side of town. But, this summer I don't know if the Board of Education will decide to put JETs in our building this year, things change.

Also, there are some things you should know due to the events of March. In Koriyama things are relatively OK, what I mean by this is that, the electricity, transportation, Internet, and TV programing is OK. The food, is relatively safe. The government didn't impose any new warnings on foods or tap water or at least not that I know of. The government said not to drink milk and eat leafy green vegetables. This was imposed in March/ April I think. I don't if this advisory has been lifted. From what I know of, grocery stores don't sell such products that are or potentially contaminated. Although the government says that things are somewhat OK, I still find it hard to believe. I have lots of doubts of what authorities say.

Other concerns, people are told not to touch dirt, soil, or stagnate water and to avoid walking in the rain. Besides this, we are also directed to not open windows so, that the air can't come in because of the radiation. And wearing those face masks are also advised along with long sleve shirts to cover up as much as possible. These recommendations I follow to an extent.

For earthquakes, we still have them. Aftershocks aren't as frequent as before but we still have them once in ahwile. Some are not that strong but, some can be felt. The magnitude of the aftershocks is about maybe anywhere from 1-4 in magnitude for the majority.

Some JETs whom left to go back to their home country in March decided not to go back to Fukushima prefecture but, at the same time many returned back as well. I don't really know the percentage of how many people decided to not come back and who returned. Also, there are JETs whom originally decided to re-contract before March but, then as of current decided to not re-contract. And their are JETs who originally re-contracted and are planning to stick to their contract. Everyone has their own ESID (Every Situation Is Different) to influence their decisions I guess.

As for the mood of everyone, people are trying to stay positive. Everyone is trying to live as normal as possible, doing daily normal routines. I can't really tell sometimes though, if people are trying to put up a front and not seem so concerned about everything in order to not make others so, worried, if people are using the idea of "tatemae" to hide one's true feelings. This is something I'm really concerned about, that people are maybe being to relaxed on all that is involved with the Fukushima power plants or that maybe because I try to follow the news of everything from foreign coverage and Japan about this issue I have a different perception of things. Some say the U.S. media sensationalized coverage about the power plants and over reacted while people in other parts of the world think that the way how TEPCO and the government handled matters irresponsibly. In Japan, people are able to get foreign coverage about everything. I know some people in Japan that don't believe government officials as well.

For me personally though, I feel relatively safe to an extent. The issues surrounding the concerns of radiation bother me. I'm not tryng to scare you into not coming to Fukushima prefecture. I just want to be honest so, that you know what you might or might not expect when you come to Koriyama. I guess in short, there are major concerns to think about but, at the same time I want you to know that JET is a great opportunity and if you turn it down you might regret it. I want you to know all this becasue I really value my experiences I had in Fukushima and Japan as a whole. People have different opinions about everything so, don't only listen to me or what you read or heard from the news, do as much homework and find out about things on this matter as much as possible from other sources.

Interesting, eh? Lots to think about. I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have in the comments below.

Slane village, County Meath

2011-07-08T14:12:00.000+01:00

God, what a tourist.

Chris and Flora's wedding

2011-07-02T22:04:00.003+01:00

Chris and Flora were married at the Danish Church on Regents Park today. The reception took place at the Royal Institute of British Architects on Portland Place. We took a few photos, which you can see here via Dropbox. I've a few personal highlights, after the jump.

The male voice choir really added OOPMH!!! to the sound inside the chapel. Normally weddings aren't packed with church-goer, and so often the singing is insipid. Everyone thinks, "How does this song go? I'll sing quietly in case I screw up." Not with a forty-strong voice ensemble behind you though. Excellent work Chris!

The food was stunning. I was blown away by the canapes at the champagne reception, and the main meal was sumptuous. Fillet beef, rare and tender, and a beautiful strawberry dessert. A treat. I was stuffed...

...but not too stuffed to get stuck into the tradtional Iranian dancing. The photos say it all, I think. Look! Conga! Hip-hop-style circle battling! Awesome!

2011-07-01T12:13:00.000+01:00

A poignant reminder as I left Manchester.

Final thoughts on Trinity Cert.TESOL

2011-06-30T17:26:00.002+01:00

This afternoon we had our final moderation at the Openshaw Campus. Studying for the Trinity Cert. TESOL at The Manchester College has been a mixed experience, with generally high standards of teaching and tuition interspersed with some instances of shocking incomptence. I've learned a lot, though some of the most useful learning has been through repeated contact with the wheezing administrative organs of the College, rather than through the classes. A few thoughts:

Lesson plans: idealism and realism. The course demanded precisely-timed lesson plans from students. Minute-by-minute timings were presented as standard practice. In reality, the detail within the plans was far greater than any full-time teacher could be expected to produce, and certainly not six or seven times a day. The course sets up new teachers with unrealistic expectations about their capacity to plan in such minute detail.

Losing students' work Simply unacceptable. To have work lost twice, as happened to some students, is ridiculous. To have work lost because the folder it was in was stolen from the department's staff room by a member of the teaching staff is so far beyond a joke that it is almost unbelievable. Except I do believe it, because it happened to me.
Teaching practice depends on good mentoring I was lucky. My mentors were both good teachers, and good mentors too. I received constructive feedback after I taught, and enjoyed clear discussions about learning aims and lesson ideas before I taught. Others weren't so lucky. If the quality of mentoring is so crucial to the development of trainees, how can the standard be allowed to be so varied?
Level of commitment required

I was made redundant

Our moderator asked us if we would recommend the course to other people. The issues above notwithstanding, I still would. Whilst it's by no means a complete preparation to teach English, it does offer a theoretical and practical foundation upon which good teaching could start to be built. The course is good, but it could easily flop if you rely too heavily on the tutors. Being taught how to teach in a school isn't like being taught in a school. It's like being in business: you have to fight your way up.

Moving from Whalley Range to Catford

2011-06-29T13:19:00.004+01:00

View Larger Map

Whalley Range - Urmston - Whalley Range - Urmston - Whalley Range - Catford - Whalley Range. total distance: 429 miles; total driving time, as estimated by Google: 8 hours, 59 mins. Quite a drive to do in 24 hours. Well done Laura. As Tracy would say, "It's a shame you can't drive Dave."

Lewis and Ange's Wedding

2011-06-26T23:20:00.002+01:00

photo by the lovely Jordanna over at Coterie Photos - check out the link for more. they're great!

Lewis and Ange were married in Wellingborough, and then had their reception at Tur Langton Manor in Leicestershire. As you can see from Jordanna's brilliant photo above, and others at this juicy little taster page, we had a brilliant day. Laura and I hung out with Chris and Flora for most of the day, which was brilliant.

The highlight of the day for me - happy joining together of two of my dearest friends excepted, natch - was a pizza oven for those evening munchies. Tasty!

Lewis's Stag

2011-06-11T23:06:00.005+01:00

For occasions like this one, when a picture is worth more than a thousand words, I prefer to direct you to the images and let you draw your own conclusions. (WARNING: Some images NSFW)

2011-06-10T14:54:00.001+01:00

It's not every day...

2011-06-04T18:13:00.000+01:00

...that you find a genuine autographed copy of the Bible! And in a hotel room drawer too. Who'd have thought it?

It's been a while, hasn't it?

2011-05-17T20:16:00.003+01:00

It sure has - and so much has happened since I last caught up with you all. What kind of thing? Well how about:

Quitting my job - part one, part two, epilogue
Joining the gym, losing 21-ish lbs
Visiting the Tower of London - it's awesome!
My sister's had a baby, a healthy girl called Baden Rose
Finding out about JET - I'm in!
Having an inpromptu Parsonage reunion
Deciding to move to London for July

And that's just for the start of things, really. Busy busy busy. It's cheating I know, but I'll be backdating a few posts to fill in the gaps, and back-linking this post to them retrospectively.

And it's the end of things too. A kind of end at least. My last bullet point is the clue: no more Manchester. So no more DTRMCR? Well, let's see...

The Big Giveaway - part 1

2011-05-15T12:29:00.013+01:00

I'm leaving Manchester at the end of June. In my six-and-a-half years here, I've accumulated lots of things that I can't take with me on the plane to Japan. Do you want any of it?

Furniture

IKEA desk - Mikael - approx 1.3m x 0.8m x 1m - light wood effect, sturdy
IKEA bookcase - Billy - approx 7ft tall, six shelves, white - gone to Robbie
IKEA folding chairs x2 - black plastic panels, metal frame - gone to Robbie
Dining table - two leaf, traditional style, dark wood, seats six - eight comfortably
Dining chairs x4 - they match the table, dark wood, traditional style

Electronics

Big TV - 20" or 21" screen, deep back, analogue but fine with digibox, SCART-friendly, no remote
Digibox - bog standard, incl. remote, SCART output!) - gone to Danny Bronco
DVD Player - Toshiba, cost twenty quid eighteen months ago, as new!) - gone to Paulie Mak
Playstation 2 - the small model, including all essential leads and connections but no controllors (both worn out by Pro Evo, no doubt!) - gone to Paulie Mak
CD Player shaped like Darth Vader's head (full size) - it looks like this, and has been used as a decoration, rather than a CD player. - gone to Steve
Radio / Alarm Clock shaped like Darth Vader with Cape and Lightsaber (12" tall) - to be honest, the radio function sucks a bit, but it'd be a cool decoration - look! - gone to Steve
Speakers x2 - 12" tall, wire connectors, pine effect, functional rather than flashy - gone to Paulie Mak
Desk Lamp - white, flexi-angle neck

Miscellaneous

Picture Frame - IKEA, 0.95m x 0.65m, grey metal, I've used it to hold my map of Japan for the last nine months or so. - gone to Melba
Blood red guitar - acoustic, steel strings, looks really cool. I'm not a guitarist, but apparently it's got quite a deep fretting action... whatever that might mean? (wtf?) - gone to Paulie Mak

Interested?

Email me if you're interested in anything listed above. Some things will be available immediately, others will be in use for a while yet. I don't have a car, but I'm sure we can work out some kind of collection arrangement. Oh - and if you don't have my email address, comment below and I'll give it to you

This is only part 1 of my giveaway - there are plenty of books for me to list too, so keep your eyes peeled!

Manchester Bucket List.

2011-05-12T10:27:00.001+01:00

Have you ever seen a film called The Bucket List? It stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, and it is one of the biggest piles of stinking shit to ever by passed by the bowels of Hollywood. Two great actors, one steaming turd of a film. It's a shame because the basic premise – making a list of things that you want to do before you kick the eponymous bucket, and then doing them – is strong. In seven weeks, Laura and I are leaving Manchester. Here's what's on our list so far:-

Eat at Bem Brasil
Ride the Manchester Big Wheel
Entertain Robbie and Rachel
Drink at the Briton's Protection
Walk in the Peak District
Eat at El Rincon de Rafa
Entertain Tracy and Andy
Drink at the Peveril of the Peak
Eat at Kim by the Sea

Yes, that's right my keen-eyed friends, it is mostly based on eating and drinking. But it's by no means finished yet. If you were leaving Manchester in a few weeks, what would you consider unmissable? C-c-c-comment away!

2011-04-22T16:41:00.000+01:00

Mere Sands Wood.

Photos of Japan, one month after the tsunami

2011-04-15T15:32:00.000+01:00

As ever, the Big Picture feature over at Boston.com provides stunning photogrpahy of the earthquake, tsunami and its aftermath. Click here for the gallery, from which a few highlights after the jump.

What's wrong Laura?

2011-04-13T17:30:00.000+01:00

What's that you say? The shinkansen is out of control? And Gojira is up ahead? OMG!

Impromptu Parsonage Reunion

2011-04-02T23:38:00.000+01:00

Man, I love these guys.

2011-03-25T11:56:00.000Z

Goyt Valley walking

2011-03-23T14:55:00.000Z

Earthquake in Japan

2011-03-11T10:58:00.001Z

Holy shit! There's been a massive earthquake in Japan. Keep an eye on the Guardian's coverage, and the BBC News live feed on for more coverage. I'm stunned, really stunned. Shit.

Laura's leaving card

2011-03-04T21:50:00.000Z

It's much better than the card my colleagues gave me, because it conveys exactly my sentiments towards my former job. I'm so happy to be out of there.

Leaving my job

2011-02-24T21:30:00.001Z

My last day at work fizzled out. Good. Josie called me into the fishtank to say goodbye to the team. They wished me good luck, and gave me a guidebook for Japan. I wished them all good luck too, what with the impending public sector cuts, and all. That didn't go down too badly, which is lucky - looking back now, I might have offended someone unintentionally.

I got through the afternoon, and went to the pub for a quiet few with Robbie, Rachel, Chas, and Steve. Only Chas from work came. The perils of inviting nobody, eh?

I felt euphoric as walked out of Heron House. Onwards! Upwards!

Should I buy a Kindle?

2011-02-21T18:50:00.000Z

posted February 21 at 8:50am via Text Message · Like?

Matthew Doherty
Unless I've got a tablet pc, I would say yes. Price of books are usually cheaper, plus u can find all the classics for free.

Ed Padmore
And in the blue corner... No. Books should be bought, read, and lent out - sometimes to never return. The flow of an actual object, the path it takes with different drivers is far better than files on a screen that can be recommended to another user. I'd like them for newspapers, but not books. Too many screens in the world as it is.

Ed Padmore ‎
...and you can get the classics for 10p.

Matthew Doherty
‎"Books should be bought, read, and lent out - sometimes to never return" - I like this a lot and have left several copies of The Illuminatus! Trilogy in pubs around the South (I hope they've had a nice journey so far). But....

There are key books I will re-read every couple of years. I'm not going to re buy them each time. As for newspapers on the Kindle; not for me - I won't pay for someone to tell me there opinion, whether in paper format or digital.

DTRMCR
Kindle 3 is also a simple web-browser, though black and white, with unlimited 3G data for the life of the device across most of the developed world. And all for a one-off price.

DTRMCR
And Project Gutenberg means the classics are pretty much free on Kindle too. I can't really take all my books to Japan, which was where this thought started from.

Matthew Doherty
Was trying to remember the name of that project! For travelling (particularly extended trips) I don't think u go can go wrong with the kindle.

Ben Driver
Sounds like you've answered your own question. But consider: Immerse yourself in Japeness culture, keep learning the language, then start reading Japaness books'. Give your favourites a break whilst your there. How long for?

David Maloney
Good advice all round chaps, thanks for your input. Ed, sorry, but I've ordered one. Not to replace paper books, but for my travels. Ben, it'll be for a couple of years if all goes to plan, teaching in a Japanese school. Fingers crossed. I'll let you know how the Kindle goes. Thanks again, and take care all!

Ed Padmore
I think you've made an informed, and good decision. Travel requires lightness and utility. Many books has never provided this. I congratulate you on your purchase, and hope it brings you luck in your application.

Sorry to be such a smug git, but...

2011-02-12T13:54:00.005Z

This isn't a political blog, but political decisions have an impact on people everywhere, and I'm no different. As a result of policy choices made by the UK's Coalition Government, my employer Manchester City Council are making 2000 job cuts, and soon. (check out the BBC, Guardian and Manchester Evening News perspectives at the links)

NB: this post is backdated, see my disclaimer after the jump.

Workers aren't being culled against their will. Instead, there's a pay-off deal. What it offers is sort of good, and sort of not. Sort of good, in that it dwarfs the statutory minimum. Sort of not, in that a lump-sum pay-off doesn't help mortgagees or main breadwinners, and especially not those whose experience over twenty or thirty years is exclusively public sector. Employees are generally pretty pissed off, if my office is in any way representative of the whole. Dark days... ...for them.

And for me? Sorry to be such a smug git about this, but for me – and for Laura – this news couldn't come at a better time. With our plans for Japan looking to come into fruition this August, the chance to leave work early with a nice wedge in our pocket is, frankly, just too good to miss. There's the pull factor - and there are some pretty big push factors too: the corruption that her office is riddled with, and the incompetence at the head of mine, for example. It's a lifeboat off of the sinking ship HMS Public Sector, and we're ready to start paddling. The fact that we're being paid a lump sum that is the equivalent of full wages until October is the final golden touch. Leaving now means we get more money than if we worked until beyond our planned departure dates.

Now, where do I sign?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
DISCLAIMER:
This post was written in May 2011, despite its date. This means it was composed with the benefit of hindsight. Any wisdom that it appears to display must be seen as having been unnaturally amplified by the passage of time; I can guarantee that, when push comes to shove, I'm far dumber than this post portrays me to be. DTRMCR.

2011-02-09T10:51:00.001Z

I went to a party in a Mansion..

2011-01-21T21:37:00.003Z

and all I got were these lousy photos. Not true, actually, it was amazing. I'm happy I could help say, "Happy Birthday Vinny!"

Thanks to all the photographers, especially Yoni and Jenny, and to Facebook for sharing it all.

2011-01-18T22:55:00.001Z

Not true, I've just been busy...

House bike ride.

2011-01-15T14:14:00.000Z

Now those are some *nice* threads...

"...with all the karmic credits you have accrued through our friendship..."

2011-01-13T22:19:00.001Z

A funny conversation from Facebook today. Some of the names might have been adjusted to protect the innocent, but you'll probably be able to identify the main culprits without too much trouble.

Gripton
has discovered a trend whereby whenever I post that something awful has happened to me, at least one person states it's karma. It's caused me to reflect on my life and my actions, and confront the truths these people have forced me to address. Following this period of intraspection I think I should address those people directly, and so, to them, I'd just like to say..."Fuck you". Thanks.

Ana
i have a feeling your tooth will fall off. karma!

Edwin
By laws of Karma, you are surely now going to get fucked?

Robert
I don't think it's karma; I just know you're a precious, whinging bastard. Love you.

DTR
Having such sanctimonious friends repays your karmic debt. Their tiresome fellowship is the suffering that you must endure for all your past sins.

Gripton
That's good spin right there, DTR. Love it.

Skinner
You can probably go and murder a few kids with all the karmic credits you have accrued through our friendship.

DTR
That's right, we can all go out and be utter pigs to the rest of the world forever, safe in the knowledge that as retribution we'll have to associate with loathsome cretins like ourselves in perpetuity. Whoever said karma was a stinking sack of hippy bullshit clearly hadn't thought it through properly.

Gripton
I love you wankers.

Yoni
its karma

Trying out my new running tights

2011-01-11T20:08:00.002Z

M16 Loop

Find more Runs in Trafford, United Kingdom

They're snug!

Laura on Snowdon

2010-12-30T10:30:00.000Z

Christmas Drinks with St John's

2010-12-20T22:16:00.002Z

“Did you know that this is the first time that we’ve been out as a house since you moved in?” Rachel was right to bring it up. Late September, October, November and most of December had passed before this moment had come along. Emily, Paul and I had been out for one when I’d first moved in – with Paulos, in fact - but that was it. We had a vigorous debate about public transport and bus ticket prices.

Warn cider!

More of this for the new year, I think!

I am Iron Man!

2010-12-15T15:49:00.000Z

Actually, I am Owen's Christmas present.

It's not a gym Clare.

2010-12-13T17:52:00.000Z

Why are you doing press-ups here in the German Markets? You should take it easy on the training you know. Relax a little.

Vega, BHMC, Arcade Fire

2010-12-11T21:24:00.002Z

What a scrum! The Mountain Equipment sample sale in Hyde was far busier this weekend, with people walking around carrying armfuls of down and hard-shell jackets so as to stop anybody else picking them up. Somehow from within the melee, Laura managed to find a couple of anoraks for her cousin and his son, and to find me a Vega jacket, in Facebook blue. The only imperfection was that the zip was stuck; easy to repair, surely. At only sixty pounds, it was around a quarter of its retail price. Ker-ching!

“There’s an open day at the old College on College Road,” said Kath on speakerphone as we drove back from Hyde, “do you want to go and look round?” The College, known to some locally as Dracula’s House, is the new home of the British Muslim Heritage Centre. The building has intrigued me through its fence for a good period of time, and the chance to look around it – indeed, inside it – thrilled me to my bones. I was interested to find out that the gothic stone façade only extends across the front elevation of the building, and that the back and the sides are red-brick in keeping with the contemporary buildings of its day. The restoration inside the former college reminds of that of the John Rylands Library – elegant, and very much in keeping with the tone of the original. The plans for the building are stunning. I look forward to seeing them bloom.

Chaz and Bill came up to Manchester for the Arcade Fire gig, so I met them for a drink or two before. We met Laura and Kath at the Rain Bar later on, and then saw Martin and his friends inside the gig. The band were awesome, and we had a great view from the side of the stage. Weird Jim, Paulos and Steve were all there too. Afterwards, Chaz and Bill came with us to Dukes for a skinful. I was so drunk that I had a portion of skanky chips on the way home. What a brilliant day!

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

2010-12-10T23:25:00.005Z

I was really happy with the training session I’d organised, despite the usual grumblers. The exercises and activities that I’d devised got everyone involved, and I listened in on some productive discussions within the groups. My boss was there for the start of it, and I hope she was impressed by what she saw.

After work, Laura revealed her big surprise for me: tickets to “A Christmas Carol” at the Lowry! What a brilliant surprise!
We had amazing seats at the front of the first balcony level, right in front of the stage. The play was superb, with a great grizzled grumping from Scrooge, and some stunning visual effects. The old Victorian Christmas carols are my favourites, and I really enjoyed them in the show. We came out of the theatre feeling like Christmas had properly started.

Over yakitori and endamame at Samsi, we gazed at each other, and talked about the future. Karen is having a baby. Caroline too. Beth and Owen are just about to have another. Japan looms in the distance. What will we be doing this time next year? How exciting!

Belle and Sebastian

2010-12-07T22:06:00.001Z

They've got it!

2010-12-04T23:41:00.002Z

Yahoo!

Message from Dan

2010-12-03T10:44:00.001Z

“Greetings from snowy Glasgow. I’ve got two tickets for Belle and Sebastian at the Apollo on Tuesday if you’d like them?”

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes please!

Sixteen stones

2010-11-13T23:14:00.001Z

Time to start the slimfast plan!

It's that time again

2010-11-09T08:15:00.001Z

The Mayor of Nagasaki

2010-11-04T12:24:00.001Z

Wow. The testimony of the survivors... I'm speechless...

Propaganda

2010-11-03T11:21:00.001Z

Heather Smalls and co are taking over the world...

Dave O on the balcony

2010-10-28T15:45:00.000+01:00

Beer o'clock at Ventenac.

Bienvenue a Ventenac!

2010-10-25T23:18:00.004+01:00

Dave O got my message – “Bring earplugs. Seriously.” – and complied. We pinged and ponged beside la cave as we talked over the problems he’d had buying his flat in Catford. A beer, two beers and a third, and the holiday had started. The fun had been organised thus:

On the top floor: Dave O and me; Vin and Olly; Dom and Julia.
On the middle floor: Hannah and Tom; the Lovely Colin and the Lovely Jane; Anna Mc, Chaz, Clarkey and Sally.
On the ground floor: Rob

CDWM teams:
Monday: Anna, Chaz, Colin, Dom and Vin
Wednesday: Olly, Jane, Hannah and Tom
Thursday: Dave O, Clarkey, Rob, Sally, Me

After a very rich and very tasty Spanish-themed CDWM meal, we played some games: Running Pictionary; Celebrity Salad. And then we drew cards for murder. Not me, again. The excitement of the Baptism and the excess of the travelling had worn me out rather, and I retired to bed at a conservative 2am, hoping not to wake up murdered.

2010-10-25T08:53:00.001+01:00

The Jones Baptism

2010-10-24T22:02:00.000+01:00

The ceremony was odd. I could handle that it was in my old church, although I was a little perturbed by the fact that my old school joined onto it. Was it seventeen years since I’d used that door last? Fifteen? Weirder still, the minister used to be my scoutmaster. The past was dripping down the walls, it seemed. But not the same – was this room always this small? Surely not.

And who was the Godfather? Well, there were two - Owen and me.

“I’ll give DTRMCR a lift to the bowls club, come on – I’m in the Volvo.” I smiled in appreciation, and headed that way. Whose car was I getting into? I didn’t exactly know. We drove down the A45, and I eventually realised it was Pete the Meat’s wife Emily. I was stunned – it must have been ten years since we last spoke. Lewis’ brother was there too, architect of my broken teeth all those years ago.

Afterwards, we went to Lewis’ mum’s for some whiskey, and then to Kieron’s for some Wii-based action. I am consistently overwhelmed by the warmth, openness and hospitality of the Fitzpatrick family. Even Roger played Wii. And then, after it all, I walked back through Kingsway, to my old house, my father’s jealous questions about what I’d been drinking, my single bed, and sleep.

Curry at Steele Road

2010-10-23T19:54:00.001+01:00

Beth is getting bigger. Due at Christmas, but she thinks the doctors have underestimated the duration of the pregnancy by a few weeks; they think that the baby will come three weeks later than she does. I filled them in on the plan for Japan, and talked about Dad’s AA meetings with Owen. “I’ve been to them too,” he said, “and they’re really good. Tough work, like, but good.” He put down his Strongbow as he spoke. “But they only work if you want them to work. If you want to quit.” Quite.

Nothing flash

2010-10-22T21:53:00.000+01:00

Great pleasure is found in the simplest of simple things. Food and wine, good company. A shared meal, shared smiles. We went out for dinner. Nothing flash – Zizzi at the Triangle, in fact – but pleasant enough to be a treat. A beautiful montepulciano, a couple of pizzas, a smooch, and a cuddle in the taxi home. It only takes these little things. Bliss.

And then, soothing and calm, an email from Dominic

2010-10-21T13:09:00.006+01:00

Civil unrest across France! Oil refineries blockaded! Petrol stations running dry! Schoolchildren on the streets, burning wheelie bins and overturning cars! Aiports closed, flights cancelled! And - if the popular UK press are to be believed - rivers of blood flowing through the streets. Could it be that bad? Surely not.

And then, sooting and calm, an email from Dominic arrives:

SUBJECT: News from France

Gooday y'all.

So I flew out to France yesterday (blissfully floating over the tumult in a sanguine dream afforded by my new noise isolating earbuds) and have arrived at Ventenac. The good news is, as far as we can tell this area is almost entirely unaffected. Plenty of tankers on the roads and no petrol stations closed.

The Right Honourable Julia says stick to small towns for refueling if the service stations are closed, though even that seems unlikely. Word on the street is that it's more spin than substance.

But don't quote me. We're a long way down here in the Aude.

Good luck and Godspeed tout le monde. I'll chill the bubbly in anticipation.

Dx

Much better. Now, where's my passport..?

Vin's sister emails

2010-10-19T20:27:00.001+01:00

"Right, for all those relying on outbound or return travel by car for the holiday, you might want to start planning a contingency.

"There is currently ‘a bit of a situation’ developing throughout France, as you might be aware. Estimates on the wires are that the petrol supplies in France are only going to last another two or three days if current levels of striking continue (those on flights might want to check them too as apparently some are being cancelled).

"New flights to France are now really expensive, the direct trains from London to South France are even more so. Flights to Barca and Genova are both pretty pricey too.

"The cheapest option I have found looks like an eight-day Interail Pass - http://www.interrailnet.com/interrail-one-country-pass-france?currency=gbp. Of course, getting across the channel would still have to be achieved before the French train travel could commence…

"Any bright ideas?"

Yup, it looks like our holiday to France is suffering some complications.

A gift from the cat.

2010-10-19T08:14:00.001+01:00

Gross.

Chipwick

2010-10-16T14:05:00.001+01:00

Lush!

Pub quiz questions, part 3

2010-10-13T19:28:00.001+01:00

Put thefollowing into height order, smallest first

Kenny Baker (aka R2D2)
Warwick Davies (aka Willow)
Verne Troyer (aka Mini-Me)
Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (aka Tatoo in Fantasy Island, Nick Nack in the Man with the Golden Gun)

Pub quiz questions, part 2

2010-10-12T22:30:00.001+01:00

True or False:

Cleopatra lived closer in time to the moon landings than to the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The scotch egg is an English invention.
Pitt the Elder died much younger than Pitt the Younger, who died much older.
Lincoln Cathedral was once the tallest building in the world.

Pub quiz questions, part 1

2010-10-11T11:32:00.002+01:00

Poetry and performance round
- perform this poem through the medium of spoken word and expressive dance. Your performance must include a full reading of the poem.

Robbie's getting married

2010-10-08T19:01:00.001+01:00

That's right, married. Blimey! The sly fox had kept it under his hat since back in the summertime. He's asked Rachel up a hill in the Peak District, back on their anniversary in July, maybe August. I was full of questions: where? when? In Heron House, as it happens, and during the middle of December too. Heron House, then the Midland Hotel, the Christmas markets, and Sam's Chop House for food. Grand!

What struck me was the quick turnaround between proposal and the big day. Consider the others: Ange and Lewis, two years; Durex and Whelan, eighteen months; Guardi and Vicky, eighteen months; Whitehouse and Flora, eighteen months; John and Zoe, fifteen months; Col and Jane, at least a year; Robbie and Rachel, five months. Wow!

I wonder who's next. Ollie and Zoe? Chubb and Steve?

Sam, Jacqui, and so it goes...

2010-10-06T21:49:00.001+01:00

I went to the Briton's with Sam and jacqui for a catch up. It was the first time we'd talked over the plan for Japan. Sam would have been my first choice for a reference, but - based on what I'd asked the JET Office - I chose not to ask her. "You're not allowed to ask a friend," I explained.
"Charming!" said Jacqui.
"It's not like that Jacqui, I promise."
"So I'm not your friend?"

Of course, she was joking. Sam and Jacqui were both very happy to hear about all the work that we'd put into preparing for Japan so far. Jacqui was entirely happy to be my referee. Bill too. We talked about the recently announced cut to child benefit for the wealthy, and considered the steaming, posturing sack of bullshit that the coalition were selling us.

Sam's sadness was palpable. We skirted around baby issues. Understandably. And then, at the end of the night, Sam said that she was still very down and down and occasionally up but mostly down. "A third pint would be too much. I'm too unsure of my emotions." I felt sad too.

2010-10-03T18:22:00.001+01:00

Driving back from Wellingborough gave space to reflect, space I’d lacked all weekend. My family, my father, my brother and my past; faces flashing around me as Radio 4 echoed in my ears. Weirdness and unease, coupled with familiarity, an unsettling scent of déjà vu, through-laid with relief at moving away. The long cloud of Japan offers soothing shade from the overwhelming heat of a small town past. My small town past.

I replayed Friday night with my dad. The old house at Princess Way has changed. It looks different, but that’s not the heart of the change. It feels empty. No kids. No dogs. No noise. The lodger says little, and grows pot in the yard. Dad doesn’t mind. We sat watching a film with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, The Bucket List: they’re both in hospital, terminally ill, and they make a list of things to do before they die. Bleak. As we sat, he talked about his break-up with Gayle. Teenage words in his fifty-eight year-old mouth, with cliché and commonplace distorting and displacing any honesty or sincerity on his part. With the language of Dear Deidre coming towards me, I struggled to respond with anything other than the same. Platitudes. Empty. I didn’t feel like I’d helped. I don’t know what Dad thought. Eventually, and finally, he asked me a question. “How are things going with yourrelationship?” He’s still so selfish. The shit.

My brother surprised and impressed me. Many years ago, he’d talked about moving to Japan, only to be frustrated by a lack of qualifications and work experience. When we talked about my plans, he was interested, informed, interesting. When we talked about Gayle and Dad, he was fiercely protective of Mum, mature in his assessment of Dad, and intelligent in his appraisal of the impact on Kiera. We went for a curry, and he decided not to finish his pint. We went on to the working men’s club, and he had a coke. Mary, an old lady, asked him why he wasn’t out and about more often. He charmed her. He beat me at pool. I’d considered him reclusive, stroppy, sulky. Not the case at all.

Wellingborough has the same effect on me that it’s had the last few times I’ve visited. What dump! Shops closed down. Scally kids strutting through the Arndale. A market town without the market anymore. I looked over at Laura as she drove. She smiled, and puckered her lips. Where I’m going, I don’t need Wellingborough. With her, it’s all going to be okay. Our future is exciting, ahead, bright.

My bed tonight.

2010-10-02T00:15:00.003+01:00

Wow, it's great to be back in Wellingborough... kind of.

"...the wallflower demeanour of many of their songs..."

2010-10-01T15:33:00.001+01:00

An intern from a nearby radio station wanders over on in his cigarette break, watches the awkwardness unfold. "Who are the band?" he asks. "Belle and Sebastian," I reply, and he splutters, pulls his hooded top up over his head and blushes crimson. "Fuck," he says, "that's the most embarrassing thing I've ever said."

Good article by Laura Barton in today's Guardian.

It turns out...

2010-10-01T14:16:00.000+01:00

...that the cycle rack doesn't fit into the Whizzgo van. Drat!

TESOL Interview

2010-09-30T15:12:00.001+01:00

I had my TESOL interview today. Interested? Get clicking!

Emi-san! Konbanwa!

2010-09-27T20:49:00.008+01:00

Would you like to know about our first Japanese lesson? Well, get clicking then! Click! Click! Click!

Paul, meet Paul...

2010-09-24T20:55:00.021+01:00

When I was talking to Pippa last night, she said, "Ah, so Paul's helping you move eh? He's always helping you out, that boy. What a good friend!"

Spot on, I thought. He sure was helping me out again, with all the big stuff - the desk, the bookshelves, the dining table. His big car and my big stuff...

We chatted for an hour when he arrived. Sweeney. Laura. Japan. New flats. Clare and Woody. It was lovely. Outwardly, you could say Paul's changed a lot in the last few years. More rugby, more boozey, less vocal on green issues, less shy. Actually though, he isn't really that different. Still gently funny. Still a good one.

Once we'd shifted Mikhail and Billy, Old Friend Paul, New Housenmate Paul, Emily and I all went to the Hilary Step for a quick pint. Paul M proceeded to tell Paul O and Emily all about different things I'd done in the past. Silly, boozy things. But it was good, it was nice: the epitome of the idea that you learn a lot about a man from his friends, by the company he keeps.

Pippa and Hula

2010-09-23T08:50:00.015+01:00

Text from Pippa: "Let's go for a drink DTRMCR, I haven't seen you in ages!"

Yes, good idea! How about some two-for-one cocktails at Hula bar?

Great!

It's been a long time since I sat down with Pip and had a good old booze and a gossip. She told me about a night out she'd had with Kate and Little Laura from Sol's. Little Laura's still saying what she always does about Oscar - that they'll end up together, even tho she seeing someone else. Pip and I talked about the break-up with Bruce. It's over, she said, completely dead in the water. The break-up was a long time coming, she said, and there was never going to be any way back from it. I found myself thinking that it's far better to be like Pip than like Little Laura in that sort of situation. Braver to say "that's it, finito" than to face the terrible reality of an eternity apart. Different copes for different folks.

Moving by degrees

2010-09-22T20:53:00.005+01:00

My new housemates helped me to unload the car. It's the little things like that that make such a difference. We sat, had a cup of tea, watched the snooker, and chatted. We talked about TESOL, Japan and college. My new housemates are very nice.

Choo choo

2010-09-21T11:45:00.000+01:00

The gravy train keeps on chugging.

You shall not pass!

2010-09-18T15:43:00.001+01:00

Seb's Blog about his JET experience

2010-09-18T09:34:00.007+01:00

Do you remember my post A Strange Coincidence? From a few weeks ago? Well, Seb got in touch earlier this week and has given me lots of information about his JET experience so far. I'll post some of what he's said once I've asked his permission to blog about it, but rest assured, it's very interesting stuff! He's written about his application process, about his interview, and about his first experiences of the scheme. Keep your eyes peeled for more of what he's said.

He has also been writing a blog about his JET experiences. It's really well written, and would make for a very enjoyable read, even if you're not interested in the JET Programme yourself. I'd heartily recommend taking a look - you can read it here, and it's also available in the blogroll too. Check it out!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This is a cross-posting from our Preparing for Japan Blog. It's fun over there, check it out!

Yuzu

2010-09-15T20:33:00.007+01:00

Yuzu is a new Japanese restaurant in town. I’d read a couple of reviews (Manchester Confidential here, and Taste of Manchester here), and I was keen to try it. Laura and I popped in after work, and before the cinema.

Sushi and teppanyaki are the glamourous and famous side of Japanese cuisine, but Yuzu offers something else entirely. The menu is short, and focuses on home-style cooking. The food’s presentation, however, was precise and beautiful – very typically Japanese – our meals were laid out with care in understated, harmonious silverware. We had

Teriyaki salmon set meal, with rice and miso soup
Tempura prawns and vegetables, with udon soup
Chicken yakitori

The food was good. My tempura prawns were lovely, in a delicate batter. The udon soup was lightly flavoured. Laura’s salmon tasted bold in comparison. One review had talked about the proprietor’s fears about having to offer “more strong taste” for British mouths. Cultural differences, I suppose. Whilst the subtle flavours were unusual, Laura and I both enjoyed our meal.

“It’s nice, but the menu is too small,” thought Laura. I agree. I really liked the restaurant. I hope it does well.

This is a cross-posting from our Preparing for Japan blog. Check it out!

Accepted! Finally! and 8-9-10 too!

2010-09-08T14:23:00.004+01:00

“Hi DTRMCR, it’s been decided: the room is yours if you want it! If you do, let me know.”

Excellent! Yes please, that’d be great. Phew! It took eight viewings, but I’ve finally found somewhere to live that I think I’ll be happy in. What a relief!

Also, woo for 08/09/10! By the time we get to 09/10/11, Laura and I will be in Japan! Yahoo!

Viewing #8 – Ayres Road – 6.9.10

2010-09-06T21:21:00.001+01:00

A big room, in a pleasant house full of lovely people in a nice area? At 300pcm all in? That sounds perfect.

There’s a garage for my bike, where everybody else keeps their bikes. Paul and Rachel are keen cyclists, Emily a more moderate bike user. There’s a piano in the lounge which Rachel plays occasionally. She’s a teacher, and custodian of the house cat, who also seems friendly. Emily is from Northampton, keeps rats, and is an actress. Paul is about to start an Environmental Sciences MA at Uni. The kitchen is smallish, but bigger than that at Parsonage. The bedroom is on the ground floor. The garden is big, cultivated in part, with a hammock and a huge picnic table. It’s lovely.

The large bedroom dwarfs my previous two – it might be capacious enough to contain them both, in fact. Room for Mikhail and Billy, should I desire. The laminate floors aren’t great, but they’re only a rug away from greatness. More, though, much more than this – they’re friendly. Friendly friendly friendly! Forty minutes of chitchat later, I left with a wide grin on my face.

I really, really, really liked it. Unless I wanted to get gazumped like last time, I figured that I’d better say so as soon as possible.

My girlfriend and the dole queue*

2010-09-06T12:18:00.001+01:00

Laura lost her job today. A hasty one-to-one with her slippery manager resulted in her work being shared between two of her colleagues, and her position effectively being dissolved. She’ll be transferred into a different department, though luckily one that’s located at the other end of the room she works in now. She’ll be doing something entirely different to the job she applied for, was interviewed for, accepted the offer of, and moved 250 miles to fill. She’ll be covering someone who left - natural wastage - and the money that Whitehall pay for her post will be used to plug a gap in her original team’s operating budget. No warning. No option of negotiation.

Is it just me, or is there something really fucking dodgy going on?

*Yes, I know there’s not strictly a dole queue involved in this story officer. What? You’d like to check my artistic license? Sure, just a second…

Viewing #7 - Three Architects

2010-09-05T14:47:00.002+01:00

“We’re architects. We met at Uni. We bought this place when it was a wreck, and we’ve done it up. Let me show you round.”

Dark wood floorboards. A nine-foot glass coffee table. Slate paved kitchen. Dining table for eight. A shower head like a dinner plate. Duck-egg blue bathtub, with feet. A very nice house. Bedroom? Smallish. Great Stone Road smallish. Great for downsizing. But not the best value, at 389pcm. And the vibe wasn’t quite right. Too clean. Too catalogued. No, not for me.

Ten four Snowman, east-bound and down

2010-09-04T19:58:00.000+01:00

Man, fancy dress is AWESOME!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-09-04T12:55:00.001+01:00

The last time I put a razor to my face was January 2008. To become The Bandit tonight, my beard must go.

Viewing #6 - Withington

2010-09-02T21:24:00.002+01:00

An hour before I was supposed to go and meet the housemates at the mansion, the landlord called me. The room had been taken by someone else. I might have smelled a rat yesterday, when my appointment to meet them was suddenly postponed by one day. It was, I conceded, ten days since I’d viewed the place. Then again, it was the landlord who’d suggested waiting that long before meeting the housemates. What a shame. I’d liked it a lot.

“What about my friend Dan?” asked Laura. Oh yes – the flat in Withington. A step backwards? Perhaps. “I can drop you round on my way to dinner with the girls, if you like?” It couldn’t hurt anybody to have a look, and I was in the mood for a ride out, so I took my bike. Dan greeted me, showed me round. Lots of musical instruments knocking about, lots of cool paraphernalia. The flat was nice. Dan and his girlfriend seemed nice too. The price was good. The room was good. The people were good. I rode home, thoughtful. Maybe, maybe, maybe…

…or, maybe not. After talking to the girls, Laura found out that Dan is notoriously difficult to live with. To the extent that it could threaten my sanity, she said. “Please,” she said, “don’t move there.”

So, now I’ve got twenty-eight days to find somewhere. Yikes!

Shopping for rings...

2010-08-31T16:58:00.000+01:00

...is not always what it seems. Calm down readers, it's NOT an engagement ring. Lovely tho, eh? And, I'm proud to say, I chose it.

I went wedding dress shopping...

2010-08-28T19:53:00.001+01:00

...with my girlfriend and her friend, the lovely bride-to-be Jo. Two shops and two hours later, we found one. How many metrosexual points do I earn for that? So many that I had to stay in and watch MOTD to compensate for it.

Our preparations for Japan

2010-08-26T09:05:00.000+01:00

If you're an avid reader of this blog, you'll know that Laura, Kath and I are applying to the JET Programme this autumn, and hoping to move to Japan next August. Well, now you can keep track of all of our preparations on our imaginatively named DTRJPN blog. You find it in the blogroll, where you can follow it using the Google Friend Connect suite, or you can - I imagine - set up an RSS feed direct from the page. Enjoy!

Viewings: the decision

2010-08-24T20:26:00.000+01:00

Number 3. Hands down. I called the landlord. “Well, you’d better come round and meet the housemates,” he said. “Can you do next Wednesday?” Yes I could. That was after the Bank Holiday. Fingers crossed! I’m sorted!

Viewing #5 – The laddy shack

2010-08-24T19:25:00.000+01:00

I knew that is was a no before I knocked on the door. The plastic window in the porch door was more or less a deal-clincher right away. The bedroom was big, but the communal areas were grotty, the kitchen was old, dilapidated, mouldy. I got on really well with the lads in the house, but they were both intending to move out in the next six months. “I’m too old,” I thought as I looked around, “to live in a this kind of shit-tip.” My guts were right.