Deprived Boston sports fan

I now have the dubious distinction of surviving 2 weeks in Japan on $100. Relying on nothing more than resourcefulness and survival instincts, I was able to go through that rough stretch without too much trouble. Translation: eating tons of Cup O'Noodles, cooking leftover pasta and bumming off my gf. Thank god I finally got paid yesterday and can live like a normal person again, as opposed to being a hermit for the past 2 weeks. Seriously though, it took my brain some time to realize that I finally have some spending cash now. Brain: "You mean, I can actually eat something that costs more than 100 yen?!" Anyways, it's over.

This past weekend, I was invited/dragged to join a tea ceremony event in Imamiya by my gf. Although I didn't really plan on going anywhere that Sunday, I did have some interest in seeing what all the hoopla was about. It was pretty interesting to see the whole process of the tea ceremony from behind the scenes. I've already experienced going through the process as a customer, so I was curious to see what happens on the other side. Of course, to make myself useful, I decided to participate in the way that I felt best suited to do so, by washing the tea bowls. In exchange for my services, I was treated to some traditional tea ceremony sweets and green tea. Now, this isn't just your average tea. It had a bold, earthy taste to it. By the time the event was over, I had drunk at least 6 cups of tea and my head was swimming. Heck, maybe the tea's still in my system now.