Brass band club in high school

I was a member of the brass band club. I played the bassoon, though I think most of you don't know what the bassoon is. Actually I didn't know it until I joined the club. It is a long wooden wind instrument. First I decided to be the member because I wanted to play the percussions such as drums, timpani and tambourine. A girl who played the drams was very cool. There were six people who hoped to be in the percussion part, but only four could. Everyone except me played the percussion in junior high school. Of course I couldn't and temporarily ended up playing the oboe. I liked the oboe. The sound of an oboe is very beautiful. One day a senior student showed me a bassoon, and asked me which I wanted to play. I thought the bassoon was beautiful, big and cool. I fell in love at the first sight. It was destiny. I chose bassoon. It can make soft, beautiful and funny sound like a human. And the range of the sound that bassoon can make is more than three octaves. However it is very difficult to play. The passage is not as fast as flute or oboe, but you need to use all ten fingers to play the bassoon. It is the only instrument that requires using all fingers. The left is the busiest finger because there are ten keys for it. It is also very heavy. My arms and shoulders get so tired playing for a long time. The bassoon had been sleeping for a long time until then. When I started to play the bassoon, there was no elder student who can play it. There was nobody who teaches how to play the bassoon! So I had to learn it by myself with books. A senior member who played the oboe taught me some basic things because the oboe and the bassoon are both double-reed instrument. She was a very good oboist. I really liked her solo in "Songs of Sailor and Sea". The sound was very sweet and her vibrato was incredible! Anyway it was so difficult and lonely to practice alone. Moreover the bassoon needed repairing because it had not used for a long time. So I practiced only with a reed. It was actually boring and my lips got very tired. I used to regret to have joined the brass band club. One of the reasons is that I was very busy. We had to practice seven days a week! It means we had no weekend. We practiced from four to five thirty on weekdays. Because of it, I got tired and had no energy to study. When it is one week to the exam, we did not have to practice. I had to study hard in a week. Another reason is everybody was too serious. I just wanted to enjoy playing and use more time to do other things. When the regular concert or a contest got closer, many people had to practice during lunch time and after the normal practice until seven. it was too hard. However I did enjoy. There were a lot of nice people and we are still friends. In addition, all the members had strange nicknames. It was our tradition. Now I'll introduce our nicknames and my friends. First my nickname was Haiji. And Toraji played the oboe. Do you remember Toraji and Haiji in the movie Fantastipo? Toraji was a leader of the double-reed part. She is very reliable. The leader of the flute part was sally (I don't know whether this spelling is right or not). She is so good at playing the flute. She had played the flute since she was a junior high school student. Her vibrato is very sweet. There was one whose nickname was Morizo. Morizo played the flute. we went to the same kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school and high school. we belonged to the same
club in junior high school, too. Bobby also played the flute and had played for six years. She was not only able to play the flute very well, but also kind and cute. Hieta Suika was normally called Suika or Hie-chan. she started flute in high school. Mikey also started flute in high school. Michiru played the French horn. I have heard that horn is the most difficult brass instrument. Sally, Bobby, Suika, Michiru and I were in the same class because
we were in the foreign language course. There is only one class of foreign language course. I liked all the classmates and the members of the brass band club! I really miss them!

My diaries 6/10~6/14

Tuesday 10, June

I had two classes. Because it was very sunny and hot I got more tired to practice archery on the third period. I was very sleepy on the forth period. Moreover I worked part-time.


Wednesday 11, June

It was sunny and hot, but not hotter than yesterday. I enjoyed practicing archery on the first period. I always have three classes on Wednesdays, but I only had two classes. As I said before, Mr. Yamamoto is on the trip to the Great Britain. I was a little bit happy...I'm sorry, Mr. Yamamoto.


Thursday 12, June

It was rainy today. I really don't like rain. However I have to be patient because it is the rainy season. Though I hate the rainy season, I like hydrangea. Hydrangeas blooming on the bank in front of the main gate are very beautiful. They change the color of the flower. We can enjoy the changes, too.


Friday 13, June

Even though it was rainy and cool, it was sunny and hot. I had three classes. After classes I went home immediately and worked hard to finish the paper of English grammar. I am reading Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury. He wrote many science fiction stories, and I read one of them, Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed in American Culture class.

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian soft science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury. It was first published in 1953. The concept began with the 1947 short story "Bright Phoenix" that was only later published in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1963. The original short story was reworked into the novella, The Fireman, and published in the February 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. The novel was also serialized in the March, April, and May 1954 issues of Playboy magazine. It is a critique of what Bradbury saw as an increasingly dysfunctional American society, written in the early years of the Cold War.
The novel presents a future American society in which the masses are hedonistic, and critical thought through reading is outlawed. The central character, Guy Montag, is employed as a "fireman" (which, in this future, means "book burner"). The number "451" refers to the temperature (in Fahrenheit) at which a book or paper auto ignites. A movie version of the novel was released in 1966, and it is anticipated that a second version will begin filming in 2008.


Saturday 14, June

I practiced archery today. It was sunny and very hot. It was almost 30 degrees. I was very tired because of the heat, but practicing archery. After the practice, one junior and five freshmen including me played Uno. We like Uno. The rule is simple, but we enjoyed a lot. We played for more than two hours. Actually I’m not good at Uno, though it doesn’t mean that I don’t like Uno. Now, I will introduce what Uno is. The deck consists of cards of 4 colors: red, green, blue, and yellow. The ranks in each color are 0-9. There are 3 "action" cards in each color, labeled "skip", "draw two", and "reverse". There are also special black action cards, "wild" and "wild draw four". There are two copies of each colored regular and action card, except for the zero card, which only have one per suit. There are four "wild" and "wild draw four" cards each, producing a total of 108 cards. In older versions, only the 6 is underlined to distinguish it from the 9, which is not marked; newer versions have both the 6 and the 9 underlined to further distinguish the two ranks.Before playing, a dealer must be selected. This is accomplished by drawing cards. The person with the card of the highest face value is the dealer. Only number cards are used for this purpose. Any other cards are then put back into the deck. After the dealer has been selected, seven cards are dealt to each player, and the top card of the stock is exposed to start the discard pile. If the exposed card has a special ability, it is treated as if the dealer played that card, and the special effect occurs (skip, draw two, reverse, or wild). If the exposed card is a wild draw four, however, it is returned to the deck and the next card is exposed. Play begins with the person to the left of the dealer, clockwise.

My diaries 6/2～6/9

Monday 2, June

I was so tired. We got on the bus and left Nagoya at 23:30. It was of course impossible to sleep in the bus. I tried to make a preparation of lessons for tomorrow, but it was also impossible because I was too tired and sleepy. How could I slept well in the uncomfortable bus?! The bus arrived at Sophia University at six and we washed our faces in the restroom! One of the seniors bought us breakfast. I ate sandwiches and attended four classes. I was sleepy all the day. I wanted to go home without caring about classes. I think Monday is the hardest day for me, because I have four classes. As soon as I got home, I had dinner and went to bed. It was very hard day. However I enjoyed the trip to Nagoya and Jo-Nan Sen. I’m looking forward to next year to meet the members of archery club of Nanzan University.

Tuesday 3, June

It was rainy today. It is very inconvenient because I can’t use bike to go to the station from my house. I had two classes and practiced archery. I was still tired because of the trip. However I worked part-time after school.

Wednesday 4, June

It was sunny. It was very refreshing to practice archery such a pleasant day. Because I practiced hard, I felt sleepy in the next class. I had two more classes after that.

Thursday 5, June

It was raining in the morning, but stopped in the afternoon. I had speaking, writing and American-culture today. After classes some members of the archery club and I went to Shibuya Archery in Shinjuku to order allows. First the length of arms was measured, and decided the color of vanes of allows. I chose blue and light blue. There were many beautiful and cool bows. I will go there again two weeks later to order a bow. I’m really looking forward to have my own bow.

Friday 6, June

It was sunny and very hot today. I had two classes. On the third period, my friend and I were free. So we decided to study in the library. However it was impossible. We were both sleepy. Actually I think everybody gets sleepy being in the library. There are always many students sleeping in the library. Some people lie on the sofa and sleep. I think the student lounge is almost napping room. It is fanny but annoying that someone is snoring. We went to the library to STUDY, but we fall asleep. We did not sleep on purpose. I worked part-time after school

Saturday 7, June

I had a practice of archery. I knew almost nothing about archery, but now I really like archery and the members of the club. The seniors teach us kindly. And it is nice to get along with other freshmen. I want to use my own bow soon!

Sunday 8, June

The members of the archery club and I went to Tamagawa Gakuen for a game.Today’s game was for sophomores. There were three other archery clubs: Tamagawa Gakuen, Nihon Taiiku Daigaku and Gakushuin. We, who don't play but support the game, had to wear suits. It was cool in the morning, but it got hotter and hotter by the noon. Watching the game was useful to learn archery. And there were many people and many kinds of colorful and cool bows. The result of the game was not so good, but it was a good experience for me. I am looking forward to going there as a player next year. After the game we came back to Yotsuya and had dinner. Though I didn't play, I got so tired.

Monday 9, June

I always have four classes on Mondays. But I had only three classes, because Mr. Yamamoto will be in the United Kingdom of Great Britain for a week. I envy him. I want to go abroad, too. I have been to the United States of America and Australia. I went to the United States about three years ago with my mother. The purpose of the trip was to watch Wrestle Mania 21 in Los Angeles, California. It was very exciting. I want to go there again!

My diaries 5/24~6/1

Saturday 24, May

I had a club activity today. It was cloudy, but humid. Archery is difficult at least for me, but it is fun. I want to buy my own bow and arrows soon!


Sunday 25, May

It was Sohpians’ Day today. We had to wear suits of clothes because many alumni and alumnae came to Sophia University. I will practice hard not only for myself but also for them. I appreciate their supports.


Monday 26, May

The deadline of English Grammar paper is 0:00. I have to try very hard to finish it!


Tuesday 27, May

I barely finished the paper last night.　It was about 23:50 that I send the e-mail. I should have finished it on weekend, but I was so busy.

On the second period, I practiced archery. After practicing for a while, I took a test to use a 24-pond bow, and passed it!!! It was so hard to keep the form for 7 seconds. I have to try harder to get used to a 24-pond bow.


Wednesday 28, May

I practiced archery as usual in the morning, and I had three classes today. On Wednesdays I have a class in the 5th period. The class ends as 6:30, so the time I get home is about 8:00. I’m always tired on Wednesday night. I want 30 hours a day! I need more time to study and sleep!!!


Thursday 29, May

It was rainy today. I don’t like rainy days. Anyway I had three classes. I’m going to go to Nagoya tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to Jounan-sen. I can’t wait!


Friday 30, May

After attending two classes, some of the archery club member and I took a bullet train (Shinkansen) at 18:10. Others, who didn’t have classes, left the school 9 hours earlier. We played UNO in the train. We arrived at Nagoya station at 20:00 and had dinner. I ate misonikomi-udon. It is a dish of udon noodles boiled in miso soup for a long time to soak in the flavor. Until then I didn’t know that udon noodles in Nagoya are harder than ones that I always eat. Although it was good, I like normal soft noodles better. After dinner, we went to the hotel, Nagoya Crown Hotel. It was nice hotel. I played UNO again with other freshmen. It was very fun, and we wanted to play more. However we didn’t play for a long time because we had to get up early the next day.


Saturday 31, May

I got up at 6:30 in the morning. We ate breakfast in the bus on the way to Nanzan University. Nanzan University was very large. However it was unfortunately rainy. I watched the game of archery for the first time. In the morning, targets are 50 meters away from the archers. It was so far that I was not able to see where the arrows stuck. After the lunch the archers shot arrows toward the targets 30 meters away. I tried hard to support the players. I was surprised that many arrows pointed the yellow circle on the center. I hope I will be able to play archery like them someday. I will practice hard. As a result women of Sophia won but men lost.
After the game we, the members of Nanzan University and Sophia University, went dinner. It was so fun to talk to Nanzan University students and I ate a lot. I got very tired, but I had a very good time.


Sunday 1, June

I got up at 7 o’clock. We left the hotel at nine twenty for sightseeing in Nagoya. The member of Nanzan archery club supposed to guide us in Nagoya, but they took us to a zoo. I had not expected that I went to zoo in Nagoya. I wanted to see Nagoya castle. Moreover it was sunny and soooooooo hot! We saw lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, penguins, koalas, ostriches, hippopotamuses, rhinoceros, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, monkeys, many kinds of birds, bats, rats, hedgehogs, zebras and so on. It was not so boring than I had expected. After walking around in the zoo for about two hours, we had lunch. We ate misonikomi-udon again. I felt it was better than the first one. We went back to Nanzan University at 15:30, and attended closing ceremony. As a result, Sophia University lost, but I was happy to come to Nagoya for the first time and meet students of Nanzan University. In the evening, we ate shabu-shabu. It was very delicious.

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My diaries 5/10~5/23

Saturday 10, May

I had a practice of archery club. I didn't use arrows yet and learned the form to draw a bow. Drawing a bow is very heavy so I always get tired as soon as I draw a bow several times. The bow that I am using now is 20 ponds.

After the practice, we had lunch. I ate curry of shrimp and mushrooms.　It was delicious and a little bit spicy.


Sunday 11, May

In the morning I did homework, though I didn't finish it. In the evening I was so sad because I knew something very sad had happened 4 days ago, but I won't write about it. It was too sad. (;_;)


Monday 12, May

I almost overslept this morning. I set two alarms and stopped them, though, I went back to my bed without setting alarms again! However my mother woke me up at seven and I didn't be late for school. Actually I never be late or absent from high school! I never caught a cold except for weekends or summer vacation. I got a prize for full attendance and 2000 yen book coupon.

After school I went to Ikebukuro to meet my childhood friends. We have been friends for more than 15 years. First we took a purikura (photo). Actually I hadn't taken any prikura for two and a half years, it was more fun than I had thought. After that we had dinner in Saizeriya. Because the last time that all of us met was about two years ago, we had lots to talk. It was so fun and the time passed really fast. All of us were very busy, so we had only 3 hours. We didn't want to go home. I hope I can see them a whole day soon!!!


Tuesday 13, May

I had 2 classes and practiced archery. Spanish is so difficult for me. I regret choosing Spanish. I should have chosen German because I learned it in high school. I can speak German a little bit. Guten Tag!


Wednesday 14, May

I practiced archery on the first period. Because of it, I was sooooo sleepy in the next class, Intensive Reading. I'm sorry Mr. Yamamoto. I don’t sleep on purpose. I just can’t stand my sleepiness.


Thursday 15, May

I had 3 classes today, but I was so sleepy all the day. I had to write a paper for the Writing class, until 3 O'clock yesterday!!!


Friday 16, May

I had two classes today. Spanish was difficult as always. I have to study hard.


Saturday 17, May

After practicing archery, we had a welcome freshman party. Seniors of archery club are very kind and fun. I like them so much!!! I ate a lot and we had a very good time. I will never regret being member of this club. I really looking forward to Jonan-sen and going to Nagoya with them. I’ve never been to Nagoya. I want to eat hitumabushi.


Sunday 18, May

I stayed at home all day and did the paper of English Grammar. I always get sleepy reading English. What should I do not to sleep while I'm studying?


Monday 19, May

I had four classes as usual. Although it is Monday, I was so tired. On my way home, I fall asleep on the train. I have to be careful not to pass the station that I get off.


Tuesday 20, May

I had two classes and practiced archery. Today I released an arrow from a bow for the first time. It was more interesting than practicing the form, though they are both important.


Wednesday 21, May

First I practiced Archery. To release an arrow straight, it is important not to grip the bow hard. However it is very difficult for me. I always grip it the moment I release an arrow. I try hard not to do that.


Thursday 22, May

It was deadline of American culture 2 midterm. So I went to bed late last night. I really regreted that I didn’t finish it earlier. I was so sleepy today, but I think I’m always sleepy. I always write “I’m sleepy” in this blog, don’t I?


Friday 23,May
I had two classes. I’m not good at Spanish. I can’t understand it well. So I bought a book to study Spanish! After classes, I had a part-time job.

My Pets

Hello! It may be difficult to find out what and where it is, because I’m not a good photographer. This is a picture of my pets, three little shrimps. I bought them about two months ago. They are about 8 mm, and living in a small bottle. In the bottle, there are two marimos, round green algae, and they produce oxygen by photosynthesis. The shrimps eat the marimos and plankton in the water, so I don’t have to feed them! However I have to condition the temperature. It must be in 20~28 ℃. They can’t live if it is colder than 15 ℃! Anyway it’s far easier to have them than dogs. They are so cute, and I love them! I hope they live long lives.

I’ve always wanted to have dogs, but I have never have dogs. If I can have them, I’d like blown toy-poodle. I think toy-poodle is the cutest dog.

About 12 years ago, I had medakas, Japanese killifish. I did almost nothing for them, but my dad often cleaned up the aquarium. I thought it vary tough. One day, my mom left the aquarium with medakas in it out of house, and nobody cared of them. We neglected them. Of course they died. I feel sorry now.

Seven years ago, my brother and I got three goldfish when we went to summer festival. We were so happy and put them in an aquarium. The next day, I woke up and found all of them dead and floating. It was very shocking and my brother and I were so sad.

This is not about animals, but plants. When I was a junior high school student, I was asked to take care of flowers in the class during summer vacation. So I brought them home and took care of it, at least I thought I did all right. However three weeks later, there ware a lot of aphid on the flowers. I felt sick at the sight of it. The flowers became weaker and weaker. At last it died. I had to buy new flowers and took them to school on September 1.

I think it is ten years ago, I bought a cactus. My family and I though it might be easy to take care of it. However we failed. We watered it too much and it rotted.

Eight years ago, I bought a carnivorous plant. It had pairs of leaves that look like shells, and they emit smell that is liked by insects. When a fly come into the leaves, it close the leaves and eats the fly. I was interesting to see the leaves closed when I touch insides them. However, it was winter that I bought it, so there were few flies. Moreover I watered a lot again, and it was getting rotten. it died because it didn't eat enough flies and got rotten.

My brother got some beetles near my cousin's house about six years ago, he was so happy even though he hate cockroaches extremely. Anyway he took them home and put them in a cage. One day when he look into the cage, he noticed that one of beetles isn't there. We looked for it hardly, but we didn't find it. So we thought that it went out the home and became free. Two weeks later, my mom cleaned the house and then she moved the refrigerator. "Aaaaaaaaaaa" She screamed and found the beetle was dead.

As I said I'm bad at taking care of living things. So are my mom and brother. Even though I really try hard for them, I often fail. I like animals and plants. Actually I was in charge of raising rabbits in elementary school. I feel so sorry for animals and plants that died of me. I want the shrimps to live long so I will do really hard that I can do for them, but not too much.