FINALLY

I FINALLY passed my motorcycle license test! Talk about major, MAJOR relief. After I failed for the fourth time, I knew that I was just doing something wrong. I couldn't blame the bike anymore, since I'd had my bike, which was the same model as the test bike, for over a week. I thought a lot about what I'd done when I rolled off that little platform, and I realized that I'd been looking down at it. Well, in the safety class I took, the instructor told us, "Look down, fall down," and that's what I was doing alright. Well, I didn't fall down, but sure enough, I rolled right off that dang platform. So, for the next week, I practiced: I found a small street right next to the train tracks, put my bike on the white line, kept my eyes straight, and practiced. It's amazing how simple it is to start and go straight, even slowly, when you're not trying to do that. Try and suddenly it seems ten times harder.Anyway, after a week of practicing, I went in, got over that bridge, and the rest was easy.

I was so elated that the next thing that happened didn't get me down, although on any other day I probably would have been incensed. I finished my test at 10 AM, was told to wait by a window. After 20 minutes, they brought us in, gave us yet another eye test (as if my eyesight might have deteriorated in the preceding seven days), then were told to go to another window...but not until 12:45. Luckily, I'd brought a book. So I go to a sushi place, have lunch, read, read, read. Then, at 12:45, I go the window, get a piece of paper, the gist of which is that I can now come back at 3 PM to take my picture. Why in the world I couldn't have my picture taken at 1 PM is a mystery no one, anywhere on the planet can solve. So, another two hours, I get my picture, then another 30 minutes waiting to get the license. All told, I was there for 8 hours. Unbelievable. But I've got it, and rode to work for the next three days, and yesterday, after the kids program, I rode here, to my friend's house in western Hyogo prefecture, about 80 miles from Osaka. It was a bit cold, but a nice ride once I got out of the city area.

In other news, I'm taking a trip back to the US at the end of this month. I'll start with a short four-day trip to Seattle to visit my friend Cat, who's having surgery to remove cancer next week. I've not seen her in FAR too many years, one of my best friends from my high school years...she went to UH Lab, in Manoa, and I used to cut school sometimes to go visit her, and we'd walk over to the Pizza Hut (when it was still there) and have lunch. Anyway, I'll stay with her from October 26th to 30th, then head to Hawaii for a week. It's going to be awesome.

"How can he do this?" you ask? Well, 10/27, 11/1, and 11/3 are holidays for me, and as I have class only on Monday, Friday, and Saturday, that means that if I reschedule classes for 10/31, I get 12 days off. SWEET!!! So, I'm taking it and running. Well worth the hassle of rescheduling and of busting ass to make sure I have lessons planned for the days right after I return.

I've been a bit swamped with work lately, as things are still settling down and I'm getting used to being back at work, which is why I'm only just now posting about passing that test. I think by the week after next, I'll be fine. This promises to be a fun semester, with guests coming in November and December, my trip to the US, and some kind of trip for the winter break, though I'm not sure where yet.

I hope you're all doing well.

Aloha!