Late Aquatics

So. Since I have epicly dropped the ball on Epic Blog this summer, I figure the least I can do is pick it back up again for the last few weeks that I'm here. While things have definitely been winding down, I would like to assure you all that there are still plenty of adventures to be experienced and fun to be had. With that being said, I hope to be able to wrangle some more readers in with these new posts in the form of all of my fellow Camp Adventure Compatriots that have had the poor judgment to leave Japan prematurely. That means that I will be shifting focus a bit more to the what daily life is like for someone experiencing late aquatics, BUT AGAIN, REST ASSURED LOYAL READERS, for the aquatics lifestyle is not for the squeamish or weak of heart, as my fellow former staff members already know.

Tuesday morning came along just like any other morning in Yokosuka. As a lot of you might already know, Tuesday morning means in-service at Green Beach pool. For those of you that don't know, Tuesday morning means in-service at green beach pool. Surprisingly enough, this in-service wasn't as lame as I would have expected. It might have had something to do with the fact that there were so many sweet MWR staff there, or maybe just the fact that Yoshi was talking and laughing at a volume level that would most likely be inappropriate at a rowdy dinner party, let alone an in-service. I'm pretty sure AJ has just given up entirely at reprimanding Yoshi for anything at this point in the summer, so she just went ahead and started her schpeal regardless. After the same ole thing we've heard fifty times this summer, we went out and had some fun by practicing jumping off of the different guard stands. This was sweet, espesh when it was time for the “scary stand” as dubbed by Georgia. Most of us had a blast jumping off the alleged “scary stand” (which is a perch sitting about six feet off the pool deck for those unfamiliar), but there were a few exceptions. Tomoko for one, had to be gingerly coaxed off the stand by the encouraging words of myself and the others. This was about a seven minute process, and consisted of cheers raising in volume and intensity when it looked as though Tomoko was about to jump, only to transform into the squalor of suppressed disappointment when she had second thoughts and retreated away from the edge of the stand. This series of accumulated courage and shattered resolve continued for about three cycles before Tomoko just let loose with a jump very much not at all resembling the proper form necessitated when entering the water from such a height. Because of this, AJ made Tomoko repeat her jump for a second time. The second time around was much better. Gotta give that Tomoko credit, she's a heckuva fast learner. Also she's really great at drawing cartoon cats.

Skipping ahead in the day, we find myself at Ikego pool with Brian, Stacey, Thomas and Toru-san. If there's one thing that I can say about Ikego pool, it would be that I absolutely love it. There are only two stands, some sweet slides, and awesome people to work with. Maybe one day, if I am lacking interesting things to talk about, I can explain the intricacies of the slides here at Ikego. Believe me, these slides are worth talking about in painful detail. I have even affectionately named them all based on their individual slide characteristics, and those names are Turbo Spin, Breaky Smashy, and Regular. I think my next update will be a good one for me to talk about the slides some more.

Anyway, work was pretty sweet. Tuesday was my second day working at Ikego, and I already had the whole system back engineered into my own personal intricate science.

From 1000-1030 I sit in a car.

From 1100-1300 I don't really do a whole lot.

From 1300-1500 I marvel at how relaxed the work day is.

From 1500-1800 I become bored and irritable.

From 1800-1830 I sit in a car.

But not really. Obviously I guard and stuff, but the moral of the story is that work is really relaxed and fun. We even had a squeegee and brush party on the pool deck for like ninety hours until the deck was clean enough to eat off of, but not really. Another cool part about working at Ikego is the bodacious mini NEX that's right next door. This place has everything from candy, to diapers, to Japanese confections, to frozen burritos, to small yet deceptively aggressive Japanese ladies that yell at me for coming inside wearing a dripping swimsuit.

Fast forwarding to after work, I find myself meeting up with the entire late aquatics staff (as well as a couple daisies) to head out for some wholesome, good ole fashion Japanese Karaoke. Our good friends Masa and Misaki offered to take us out for the night. Somehow, they were able to fandangle us a sweet Karaoke deal and we received an hour of Karaoke in a huge room all to ourselves with free drinks and ice cream for HALF THE NORMAL PRICE!!!!! I have no idea how they managed to do this with so many people. My friend Paddy told me though that it was some weird Japanese thing having to do with cell phones or something, so that's pretty cool.

Anyway, when I walked into the room, I proceeded to bust my only remaining nut that has until now been left mercifully unbusted by the nut busting greatness of Japan. Our room was massive, with plush leather couches bordering three walls, complete with a bountiful cache of tambourines just waiting to be exploited by my eager right hip. I think we started off the night with some Lady Gaga or something, then followed with some Garth Brooks, Beatles, and a multitude of other Karaoke favourites. Eventually, Masa and Misaki pleasured our eardrums with their illustrious Japanese vocals, and then Misaki and myself sang the infamous Alladin carpet ride duet thing. It was a great time. The JaSoda and JaSoft-serve flowed freely, and I even splurged a little and had some sushi hand delivered to me in our room, which I have presently (and affectionately) named The Fortress of Singatude. It was awesome. Though the best part was hands down the sweet videos that played in the background on the karaoke screens. No matter what song we were singing, the screen consistently showed us montages of Japanese people partakin in very mundane activities. People laughing at parties, Japanese women walking their dogs in the park, and even a young couple sailboating not far off the coast of Micronesia. Hilarious. My favourite little montage was when we were singing 'Genie in a Bottle' and the visuals depicted an intense soccer match between young Japanese schoolchildren. It was a good night.

If you want to see pictures from karaoke night, please look at my album on Facebook entitled 'Please Look At This Album If You Want To See Pictures From Karaoke Night' that I will be uploading shortly.