Here’s what happened last time, in case you missed it – I heard that Masahiro Nitta was coming here from Japan. I heard this *just* after I took the skins off my shamisen (so I could lacquer the wood). Talk about timing. Never the less, I was optomistic. Lacquering went so flawlessly. I stretched the backside first. That went on very easy. So, after letting the back side dry for a day, I stretched the other side much tighter. The next day, the glue didn’t hold the skin down! Augh! No worries I thought, I had two chances/days left to get the skin on before the troupe arrived. Well, I put it on another time, same tension. While I was waiting for the skin to dry, rather than being hopeful, I was already expecting that the skin would pop off again. The next day, I was doing construction work next door, still thinking about the skin, and what I was going to do to stretch it before tomorrow. Mama then called out, saying that Kevin called saying that today will be their only day they can come before their tour. Right then, my spirit and aspirations sank down into my intestines… Now for the exciting conclusion!
My heart was racing. I gingerly took off each clamp, expecting to hear the terrifying crinkling sound of the glue separating. To my pinch-to-make-sure-it’s-not-a-dream amazement, no crinkling sound did I hear! However, I didn’t want to expect anything until I glued the flaps down. Only then would I relax. Gluing the flaps down went like clockwork, and so right after we started the AFM meeting which I was holding up because I was taking care of my “baby”, and couldn’t take the meeting minutes at the same time. The meeting went fine (even though I didn’t really pay attention to what was being said), the doughnuts tasted even better.
So that night, Kevin, Masahiro and his girlfriend came over for a bit. It was great. The visiting experience was different this time than previous/first time he came here. The first time he came, two years ago, it was fun. He was friendly, we performed. It was all fun. However, since I barely spoke a word of Japanese, I had to talk to him *through* Kevin (who spoke both Japanese and English). That wasn’t a problem. However, this time felt so much more “cooler”. There was no language barrier between us, so we could just look at each other and talk, rather than rely on another person (well, at least not as much as before). Anyway, that was really fun. He got an almost-first viewing of the new book, Shamisen of Japan.
They could only stay for a short time, but were gonna come back next week. So I was looking forward to that.However, the next day, Luke found out that he got a cold! Where did he get it? Dancing! Just my luck. I hoped I wouldn’t get it until after Masahiro and gang came & left. So, the following week, I got a call from Kevin saying that tomorrow would be their only chance to come. Well, it turned out that tomorrow was the same day as my Driving Test. So, I sorted out my priorities and did the right thing: I canceled the driving test. Sure, the driving test only takes 20 minutes, but I just didn’t want to ruin that day if I didn’t pass or whatever.
So, the next day, I still didn’t have a cold. They came around 2:00. Masahiro checked out the new book, Shamisen of Japan. After that, he went shopping with his girlfriend. We were gonna all play volleyball on the beach, but since it got too late, we’ll be saving that for next year. Anywho, 2 hours later, the whole gang comes back to play on the mall. I packed up my shamisen, and we headed out.
Mall Performance with Masahiro Nitta from Kyle Abbott on Vimeo.
After that, we came home and had a BBQ. We ate, took some pictures, chatted, and then said, “Jya mata rai nen!” (then again next year). Right after, I felt the cold coming on.
Say, what ever happened to the driving test? – a possibly concerned reader
Ah, excellent question! Fortunately, the cold was rather light. (it hit Luke harder) By the time the driving test came around, I felt fine. The test was a cakewalk. The driving critiquer Luke had was a stern, no-chattin’ lady. So, I was bracing myself for some cold air in the seat next to me. However, the guy was really relaxed and we talked practically the whole time (besides when he needed to say “left” or “right”). Of course, I still had to watch myself so I wouldn’t get distracted by talking. But it was a lot better than I thought. He passed my test which didn’t hurt. Now that I have a license, I don’t have to drive anymore! Yay!
