I get excited about the weekend

Ahh, Friday, the smell of the weekend is just wafting through the door (along with an icy cold breeze thanks to the staffroom CleanAir Nazi and her open window policy). Every Friday I think "Didn't the week just fly by!" and every Monday I think "This week is never going to end." So I guess the relative proximity of a day off increases the positivity with which I view my working life and the passage of time in general. Imagine how excited about work I will be when faced with an entire week or 2 off! Good lord, I won't even have the words for it.

Tonight is the staff drinking party loosely entitled "Jo's Welcome Party". At least I think it is since I haven't heard another word about it since someone mentioned a date and time a couple of weeks ago. I just hope that it isn't going to be one of those events where we do all you can eat and drink that ends after only 2 hours with everyone else heading home and me standing in front of the train station half cut with a deep desire to talk to anyone. The Japanese have a reputation for being heavy drinkers, but I have to say that unless there is a particularly crazy drinking fan among the bosses no one really puts much of an effort in. During a 2 hour all-you-can-drink frenzy, or nomihoudai, my Japanese friends will drink an average of 3 drinks. I, on the other hand will drink as many as the waiters can bring me and still be feeling a little ripped off at the end of the session. The other strange thing is the Japanese "late night". Any time I return to my abode before it is the next day is not a late night out. So after only 2 hours worth of eating and warm-up drinks I am ready to move on to say, dancing, standing in loud bars, drinking further and having ambiguous and slightly bizarre conversations with people I hardly know. While heading out to do this by yourself is slightly overwhelming and a little draining I think that is what I will be doing this evening. Hey, at least it isn't raining!