jueves, 31 de julio de 2008

'tis 5:00 somewhere!

I don't have any idea where offhand, but I really don't care. It's one of those days that I wish I had something much stronger than a bottle of chardonnay in my cabinet...

...and I don't even DRINK chardonnay, normally. I am a red w(h)iner.
*---*
Thursdays were always big party days. Even with morning classes on Fridays or, when in Ecuador and Japan, work responsibilities, that would not keep me nor any of my cohorts away from having The Time of Our Lives.

Why was this? Was it just too hard to wait until the final day of the week had actually arrived? Did we feel we merited a taste of the weekend a day early? As I was a pretty angelic child until I was within 6 months of being legal (which in my state was 21, not 18), I was a junior in college and just back from half a year in South America (where I was completely legal! And made sure I took full advantage of that fact), so most of my heavy coursework wrapped up on Thursdays--just a few things for my minors on Fridays.

In Japan the 宴会 enkai drinking party would begin rather promptly at 7:30, with a few sneaking sips of 酒 sake and carrying the telltale facial redness before the formal initiating 乾杯 kanpai blessing was given. First party: hot foods (天ぷら tempura, なべ nabe, perhaps some sort of 焼き肉 yakiniku barbecue meat or veggies depending on the restaurant) and often assortments of 寿司 sushi to help balance the 月桂冠 geikkeikan and キリン一番 Kirin Ichi-ban being served. Most, the weak at heart, never made it to the second party--カラオケ karaoke. The third party, for the strongest of souls, ended usually either with more 寿司 sushi or ラメン ramen and then we all stumbled home by about 3:30 or 4, to be ready to report to work by 7:30, just a few hours later to teach our class filled with forty (yes, forty. U.S. teachers cannot complain until the cut-off for students per class hits 40) young, inquisitive minds just dying to learn In-gu-ri-shu (um, that's English in Japanese English).

Of course, 誇張先生 kocho sensei The Principal got to sleep his 二日酔い futsukayoi hangover off in his office.

I don't miss the heavier party days, but it would be nice to have people with to sit on the porch and enjoy a glass of something with during these summer nights, to sit and laugh and try to solve the world's problems over a bottle of Malbec. Friends.

I do miss my friends. Everyone is pretty much on vacation now that it is summertime, and once all return, then fall and all of our hectic schedules begin again. My "vacation" technically ends today; self-employed, I give myself a month off each year when student business is the least, although I cheated a trite this year with an ex-student for summer school tutoring and working on my book a bit this week. But starting tomorrow, back to the grindstone.

I think I am ready.

So I raise my glass of (ew!) Beringer Chardonnay (no, I have absolutely nothing better on hand) and wish everyone a very happy End of July. May your day be one hell of a lot better than mine has been.

4 comentarios:

  1. The answer is simple - you need to stock up on red wine!

    When I was a college student the legal age was 19, but at my boarding school it was only 17, so I got in th ehabit then of meeting friends for a beer in the evening when we could. But I've cut way back over the years to a much more sane drinking habit.

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  2. Wish I was there to sit on your front porch with you !

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  3. I'd be there like a shot too!

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  4. Citizen, you are right. More red wine. The nice thing about the memories of those fun times had is that we now have great stories to tell--without the hangovers.

    Brad, Kay--that would be absolutely lovely. So should I move west, or to New Zealand?! ;)

    Be well, all.

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