Um

-Stole this from Kat's blog. It's a horribly awkward video of America's favorite child molester on a Japanese variety show called SMAPxSMAP. SMAP is a wildly popular yet totally untalented boy band in Japan. They not only sing and dance but they endorse basically anything; have this variety show and they appear in TV dramas and commercials. They are, in a word, annoying.

And now Michael Jackson knows how ALTs feel...



SMAPは英語上手じゃないよね。

-The weekend was good. It involved lots of kites at the Shirone Kite Battle followed by lots of beer at Maki's very own Echigo Beer. I'm not really in the mood to type a whole lot about it, so here's a few pictures.

A random group of ALTs at the Tanaka family household in Shirone. The people in blue happis helped pull the Tanaka's huge kite

Kate and I wishing we had helmets

Pictures of kites don't turn out so well

Your local social coordinators (on our last mission) with paper napkin hats. It was cool at the time, I think.

Table 1 - Kevin, Naoko, Yumi, Masako (in absentia), Kozue, Tomoko

Table 2 - Errol, Kate, Ben, Makiko, Will, Akemi, Mike

Table 3 - Kayvohn, Aaron, Nuria, my seat, Phil (we totally won the beer drinking competition)

On the drunk bus back to Maki Station

Sweet karaoke action shot - Mike, me, part of Errol


-Sarah begins her cross-country journey to Portland today! Holy crap! I'm so excited.

That's all I've got for now.