Blah-Cakes with Anger Icing

I had cooking class tonight. It was a lot of fun, per usual. I am glad I signed up. However, it took much longer than I thought it would, ending almost and hour later than scheduled. Already exhausted and missing home-time, I was looking forward to taking the train, riding my bike, and arriving home minutes later to crash and refresh. I went to grab my bike from the train station's parking lot and discovered that someone had removed the key to the back wheel lock. Without the key, the lock keeps the wheel immobile. I couldn't ride my bike. I had to carry my heavy bike all the way home. It sucked. I can't figure out why someone would take the key. Either someone was thwarted while trying to steal my bike, or someone meanly meant to frustrate me and piss me off.

Yesterday was a school wide practice for the upcoming Sports Day. It's the Japanese version of Field Day. Everyone must participate. I'm not sure what exactly happens, but there is certainly more pomp than my Field Days. The students were made to practice marching in straight lines around the track. They were led by students with signs and flags for each class. The brass band helped keep the rhythm. When the students with the signs or the flags passed the principal, who was standing on a raised platform, they had to slow down and turn the flag/sign so he could admire them. It was all very militaristic. The teachers were particularly hard on the students who were not marching with enough enthusiasm.

After the practice (which ended with a sprint around the track for the whole school), I returned to the staff room, where I refreshed my internet page and saw that the Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, had resigned.



Japan doesn't have a leader right now. No replacement is in office yet. His resignation was expected in general, but no one thought it would be yesterday. Congress had just reconvened three days earlier. The other teachers were shocked, and quickly turned on the news.

Sports Day practice suddenly seemed even more hollow than it did when we were outside with teachers manically swinging their arms and stomping their feet to the beat of a patriotic march. The practice, a display of national pride, no longer bolstered that aim, but seemed ill-timed and ignorant.