Vessel Log: 2009 09 05

: empty bus at 7:28 on a Saturday morning; they ride in packs; girls in dowdy, Puritanical navy blue; boys in classic white dress shirt and navy blue pants; a pink folder libretto, the words written in block and fine English; “Can you sing Ponyo? But sing it very poorly?”; a compact CD player, play the music and sing along; “Yes, but louder and very poorly.”; for the teacher’s skit, myself N.-sensei and T.-sensei will perform "Ponyo" wearing Ponyo cut-outs on our heads; we practice in the special education room; 2-nensei and their ghostly, bloody labcoat play; the boy in the duck-ghost costume crashes into the desk; riddled with Japanese gestural comedy; Chorus arrangements; 1-nensei sing フィニクス, 2-nensei sing 時の旅人; during lunch two 2-nensei girls sing Angela Aki’s 手紙; then 3-nensei rock band; get lunch from the home ec room upstairs with my coupons; onigiri, orange juice, espresso and milk, chocolate cake; 3-nensei play about anime characters and a bloody war; sawing legs off; Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask; teacher performance; K.-sensei asks me to guard the door for her while she gets changed; she comes out looking stunning in a red dress and pink shawl; not bad for a woman in her sixties; our Ponyo song goes over well; H.-sensei as crazy teacher in red wig, shorts, and a body stocking; K.-sensei sings to piano accompiantment; K.-sensei performs her “debut”; the mics go out; H.-sensei sings a song from Evangelion; K., M., (dressed in school uniform) S., and O.-senseis address the audience; O.-sensei makes a weird face and gesture like, “Wha-Wha-Wha What?!!?” like a cartoon; F.-sensei does a short rowdy speech; K., U., and I.-sensei perform a Yazima Beauty Salon song in full drag and dance moves; moving ping-pong tables across the gym; music room is locked and the search for the key; rearranging chairs; meet at the same restaurant from last year; everyone looks exhausted but happy; the fish has teeth; “It’s to gnaw on barnacles.”; conversation turns to pet food; “People from countries where they eat dog and cat get confused in different countries when they see labels for cat food and dog food. They believe it to be cat meat or dog meat.”; O.-sensei arrives to applause; she tells a story that almost leads her to tears; an empty, polished piano bar; karaoke, “Ziggy Stardust”; “Do you know Queen?”; so I sing “Bohemian Rhapsody”; “Poker Face”; K.-sensei says she likes that song; meet O.-sensei and some other teachers; always feels awkward, like I’m cheating on one school with the other; call A.; we settle into a soba restaurant and she meets us there.