Day 93 in Japan - One Wrong and One BIG Right.

Today was a pretty rotten day for me, but I am trying to look on the bright side, because it was a good day for Sam. I'll start with my bad stuff...

First, teaching was crappy today. The weather was grey and drizzly, the kids were silent and dumb, and the teachers were about as bad as the kids. It was a Shimizu day, which are mostly a little harder to enjoy than being at my base school, but it was a particuarly bad one. And it was no made better by the news I got at lunchtime - I didn't get an ARC Discovery grant. I shouldn't be surprised, and I'm not really, but it doesn't stop a little bit of disappointment. The success rate for applications of my type was 13%, so I can console myself with the fact that I am definitely not the only one in this position right now. But, looking at the positives (as I am desperately trying to do), I can now figure out what it is that I WANT to do, and give myself a new goal. If I want to do science, I can figure out WHERE I want to do science. If I don't, then I can stay in Japan longer, or head to a new and exciting place. Now let me rock back and forth a little while, eating an entire tub of Milo, and repeat that to myself over and over again...

Ha, no, not really that bad. Except for the Milo. I am eating Milo from the tin with a spoon right now.

So... today's absolutely brilliant thing... Sam started his job today! He started training in Osaka, so he is still gone right now (at 9pm at night). He's teaching evenings at a place that is only a 10 minute walk away, but we don't know a lot of details right now. Oh wait, just walked in the door. Good, I can get a "first day of work photo". Yay! Click! He says he had a good time, and blahblahblah. Crap, I've already started to tune out the work talk. No wait - he enjoyed his day, but the place is a little dodgy in it's work conditions, and it's hard for him to get holidays. Whoa, and he has to pay THEM if he misses or is late for a shift. Crazy place. OK, off to get a good night's sleep so that tomorrow will be better than today.

Sam coming home from his first day of work in Japan :) (with snacks :D)

Food Highlight of the Day: I had to eat my pride, so I guess... no, moping will finish right... now. But the highlight is still the slightly sad but very delicious Milo (proper Australian Milo, brought by Aaron and Corey), straight from the tin with a spoon.