Well, here we are again. I did something type-worthy this week! Hurrah!

Since we didn't have school on Friday, a few girls on my bus were making a huge fuss about being able to go out on Thursday. The reason? Every Thursday is Ladies' Night at the Lexington Queen in Roppongi. That means that admission is one-tenth of the normal price (down to ¥300 from ¥3,000) for all-you-can-drink and dancing. One of these girls invited me to go out with her friends and herself. I had never gone to Roppongi and had a bit of a phobia (kind of like my Shinjuku-phobia, but less severe due to its split-embodiment in my running-into-kids-from-school-phobia and club-phobia.) The girl, Jade, and I have talked a lot on bus rides and many of her crew-members and I are on chatting terms so, after getting over the slightly daunting prospect of going salsa dancing before the Lexington opened, I decided to tag along.

The plan was to meet at TGI Friday's for dinner at eight. I had no idea where it was in relation to the station (check dem rhymes, foo'), so I met Jade at our base-station. Only one person was at Friday's before us (Kei), one came soon after we arrived (Ellen), and the other three (Jillian, Junie, and Ruri) didn't show up for a while. We secured a place on the waiting list at Friday's and went down the street to an establishment called BarMania where it was Salsa night. There was a television screen with a lady doing salsa moves and, in an attempt to mimic her booty-shaking actions, I cramped up my ill-excersized abdominal muscles. I hadn't exercised in a really, really long time, so attempting prolonged, difficult movements was not a very smart thing to do.

In hopes that the three late ladies had arrived, we returned to Friday's. It wasn't too important that they arrived on time, seeing as our table wasn't ready for another twenty minutes. Over dinner, I drowned in inside jokes and gossip about people in school who I never knew existed. It was very girly. After dinner, Kei left and another was invited. The invitee was Erica, a tenth grader who was the third person at Monica's birthday "party." She was surprised to see me, naturally.

Since the Lexington Queen didn't open until ten o'clock, we returned to BarMania where there was enough time for me to teach Ruri the pretzel and finish off Jillian and Jade's drinks. Despite the sign on the door of Lex that apologizes for their strict ID checking policy, we entered without any resistance. The music was not excessively loud and the selections were surprisingly familiar (Thriller!!). There were random movie trailers projected on the wall and the bathroom was covered in what looked like shiny wrapping paper. The girls' hand-dryer was signed by Paris Hilton. Oh my golly! (Either that or someone just wrote her name on it.)

In any case, I was late to return home and my inability to lie managed to shine through. I told Mom that I was going to Shibuya (which was invalidated when I told her that my phone would be disconnected if I continued down into the subway station) and that I was home by eleven (busted by that same phone call from mom). In any case, it didn't end up mattering too much. I just felt a bit like a fool.

I had a surprisingly good time. I was pleased that I didn't spend more than ¥2,000. Nothing was too crowded, seeing as it was a week-night for most people. Unfortunately, that also meant that the percentage of students from my school in Roppongi was through the roof and we ran into crowds of them continuously through the night. My expectations for the evening were surpassed and I learned that it's important not to lie to your mother because you will eventually be found out.

In other news, I found a web site with free sheet music and am now teaching myself Chopin's Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 (the really difficult and complicated piece, which is one of my favorite for piano) and also found the sheet music for Linus & Lucy, the Peanuts theme song. The piano and I are reunited through new adventures. I've mastered the first page of the ten page Polonaise and am ready to tackle the other nine... perhaps after my AP exams and SAT are over. Next week is test infested. Once it is through, I will feel a great weight lifted. Until then, I must continue to review American History and rest well.

Dad! Did you hear anything from CCA? I was supposed to be notified by the twenty-eighth, which has passed both here and in the United States.

Love and misses!! There are less than twenty school days until I am home free. I can't wait to get back to the peace and quiet of the American 'burbs.

Oh yes, speaking of suburbs, we were discussing the fifties in history class and my teacher woefully told us of his suburban upbringing: TV dinners every Friday night, friends whose living rooms were strictly off limits... We talked about how this era of conformity and good morals evolved into the "swingin' sixties," which my history teacher had much better things to say about. "I bet you have lots of good stories from the sixties," I presumed, to which he replied, "I don't remember most of the sixties." "Well then, you must have had a good time."