Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in ottoschmidlap's LiveJournal:

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Monday, March 12th, 2007
1:32 am	Funny thing at the mall today. Tomoko and I were walking past a shop, and i though i heard a robotic voice say something offensive. I looked into the nearby shop which was geared toward girls selling stuffed animals, pens, stickers and all sorts of cute stuff. There was a family in there and a little girl around the age of 8 playing with a toy. She was pushing the button over and over in front of her parents and baby sister. Sure enough, as i got closer it became clear that it was this toy which pointed a plastic finger at you saying "fuck you, fuck you!" Nobody understood the vulgarity of it, but i thought it was hilarious. I bought it and explained to the clerk that it's really rude in America and it's not something that should be in a store for children. But I guess here it doesn't carry the same weight. Current Mood: amused (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 7th, 2006
1:55 am	Shinsyo has been easy for the past couple weeks due to testing and the school trip to Okinawa. That means most of my classes were canceled, but i still had to go in 2 of the 3 days to grade papers and then to procrastinate and play Scrabble against my coworkers. I've been obsessed with Scrabble lately, playing almost every night. At KuraKura recycle a couple weeks ago, i found a 200 yen Japanese edition of the game. Playing Corey today, we threw around the idea of making a Japanese version of the game with hiragana tiles. Thinking about it more, we would have to change the board and the rules some, but I think some kind of crossword game could be made out of it. Maybe something will come out of it if either of us shows any kind of initiative. Initiative is hard to come by these days as I'm still repressed by the daily grind. About 2 weeks of winter vacation is starting on the 22nd. It's desperately needed. I can't write, i can't get excited about much, i can't let my mind wander. Not letting my mind wander is killing my Japanese progress too. I find that to really sound better, i have to unnaturally shift the tone of my voice and stop moving my lips so much. I'm very uncomfortable with that and i'd rather have a bad accent so that i can sound like myself. My Muslim friend has the hots for the new gaijin in town, a computer nerd NYC Jew. He wants us all to go out sometime. I want us to get together for Scrabble at Hallelujah. He doesn't drink. Weather sucks so most nights I can't go due to frigid rain and wind. Only 4 more months of this! Went to Tokyo to take the 3rd level of the Japanese proficiency test. Screwed up on the hiragana readings of some of the kanji, but pretty sure I passed all sections, especially the grammar/reading comprehension section. Had the Thanksgiving/Christmas party at the LOFT on the same day. Had wine, schmoozed, got real tired, cleaned up, woke back up, stayed up late, then slept like a log. Oh, I went to Kyoto and Nara for a couple days. Here are pictures. Current Mood: discontent Current Music: Josh Rouse, Broadcast (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, October 6th, 2006
12:16 am	spinning in place I'm on the straight and narrow now and have been for quite a while. Working two jobs and not slacking at either. I guess it's worth the money, but I'm really getting a raw deal at this high school job. The worst is this business English class that I have to make an activity for every 2 or 3 weeks. The kids don't really want to be there, and the book is crap. Other than that, i have to grade journals for about 4 hours every week on my own time, then spend an hour writing an essay for 2 other classes each week. And then sometimes there are essays to grade. Outside of the 8 hours I get paid to be there, I'm doing about another 8-10 per week. I feel taken advantage of. If i can't handle it, i'll just quit. One thing that has been complicating the busy schedule is an abrupt bout of bronchitis. Well at least I think it's bronchitis. I haven't gone to the doctor, but based on conversations I've had with others, i'm pretty sure that's what I have. About 3 days of weakness, sweating in my sleep, fever, the chills, and then a lingering cough for a couple weeks now. I think i got it from breathing in bleach fumes. A rancid odor was present in the kitchen sink drain, so i hastily poured bleach down it without opening the doors or windows. Then i sat in my living room and breathed fumes in for a while. I got sick a couple days later. But now something seems to be weird with my immune system. I think it's hyperーreacting. I'm getting pimples on my face and under my scalp, and a welt in my armpit. If this isn't cleared up by Monday i'm going to the doctor. There's a lack of people to hang out with. Phil left and Peter's too busy in far-away Kameda. Michele is just on a different plane from me. I can't hang out with her too long without feeling like I should be doing something else. Risa is nice but also out there. Errol is OK but he's hard to get a hold of. Corey and Tim are comic book nerds, but at least Tim and I have the same political opinions. And the other Kevin is married and well, i see him enough at work. So I feel like i'm just sticking to myself all the time now even though i'm bombarded with so many different people every day. I guess it's out of necessity to get things done. But it really sucks on a Monday when you've got nothing to do and nobody to hang out with. At least I'm probably going to Kyoto in November with Yassin and hopefully Tomoko. Fucking new class at 10 in the morning on Saturday. Now instead of coming in at 10:30, i come in at 9:30, and that's just early enough so that I can't stay up late on Friday night. Worst thing is that this 10AM class isn't even profitable for the school cuz he's paying group rates but he's the only one in the group. See, we're in the middle of trying to get many more students and we just attract them with unbelievably good deals. We need to expand and this is the hard work that must be done. Anyhow, he better get switched to a later group class soon. There's no time to let my mind wander. I can't remember the last time i've done something that requires imagination. I haven't read a piece of fiction since sometime in 2005. I can really feel it. I feel like a vending machine. And so of course i keep thinking of coming back to the U.S. Where will I work? How will Tomoko come? What city would we go to? When should we do it? I have many ideas floating around and March is when I'll start acting on them. Until then, I just have to keep my head down and keep dispensing. Current Mood: 我慢している (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 7th, 2006
12:18 am	You scored as HongKonger. HK! </td> HongKonger 75% Japanese 70% Chinese 70% British 65% French 50% German 50% Taiwanese 50% American 35% Aussie 35% Singaporean 25% What will you be after reborn? (translation) created with QuizFarm.com Current Mood: tired Current Music: crickets (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, July 31st, 2006
8:15 pm	Watch me do tricks After hearing the terrible stories of friends and acquaintances for the past few weeks, today I took the Japanese driving test for the first time. It contained everything they had warned about, and more. Much more. It has to be up there in the top 10 worst experiences of my life. No, I'm not a big baby who can't deal with failure; the problem is that when you fail the test, they tear you down and make you feel like a piece of shit. Of course, you don't fail because of an inability to drive, you fail because the course is only a complex system of the most technically anal details you could ever imagine. So it's not only possible, but the *rule* that good drivers fail the test the first time, and often the second time, and even a good 7 or 8 times before they master the little rat maze. I've read and heard lots of advice: - Stay very close to the left. - Exaggerate your head turns to show that you're looking around. - Verbalize your actions. - Don't verbalize your actions. - If you're a girl, wear a short skirt and flirt. Really, nothing can fully prepare you for this debacle. The day started off bad when I arrived at 10:04 instead of 10:00 and the cog behind the counter mentioned my lateness. My options: take the 9:30 bus and arrive at 10:03, or take the 7:55 bus and arrive at 8:28, then wait an hour and a half till 10. As if he doesn't know the bus schedule that's posted right at the entrance of the place he's been wasting his life away at for the past 20 years. Dick. Just as everyone else does, the group of foreigners and I got through the eye and paper exams without a hitch of course, then we had to wait another couple hours before we got to go down and try to jump through the hoops. I am no longer calling this a driving test because if anyone were to actually drive like they recommend on the course, he and probably other innocent people would be killed in a terrible accident. It's really just an experiment in training people as if they were pets. The umm... "routine" started for the 7 of us, with a small chinese woman as the unfortunate one who had to go first. I went third, observing the second person from the backseat. She sucked and failed just like the rest of us. After I finished, the driver didn't get out of the car and since he was busy marking his papers, it didn't look like he was even paying attention to me so i wasn't sure if it was OK to start. I have no idea if i erred here, but getting no indication of what i should do, i was left feeling dumbfounded and awkward from the start. So after checking around the vehicle, i got in, wanting to take time to adjust the mirrors, seat, and seat belt, and then take some time to think about all the exact order of everything you do when starting the car. But the bastard was telling me to hurry instead of letting me think things through. I don't really remember the order of everything I did to start the car, so I probably made a mistake there too. Then we pulled out for the practice lap which isn't supposed to be part of the test. There was an oncoming car way off in the distance that he pointed out even though it was safe to go and urged me to stop. After it passed, he tells me to go even though there was a car coming from the left. I pointed out his mistake, so I'm sure that just pissed him off more. Of course this was just during the practice lap which isn't supposed to be reflected in the results. I have a hard time believing that. So I completed the rest of the course naively feeling that i had driven pretty well, except at the end he kept saying not to turn off the car, which would be ridiculous since one is supposed to stop the car so that the next person can go through the starting procedure. Then we all had to go wait again until everyone was finished, at which time he would give us the results. After telling us that we all failed, he took the time to personally berate all of us in front of each other, especially me, saying that i simply had way too many errors. And that's fine, i understand that he's measuring how well we memorize techniques from the book, but he forgets the fact that we were all adults and should be treated as such. I wanted to hear him say how I could have done better, but he has the power and this was his time to flaunt it in front of us, the motley group of foreigners. When I asked for an example of a mistake, he wouldn't give me one, just saying that there were too many. And then asks me condescendingly if I had practiced at the private driving school. I explained that I had wanted to but didn't have the time, having a job where I usually have to work when the practice center operates. Of course, I'll go now. Get to waste a lot more time and money on this demented affair. I meekly wandered out of there like a dog with its tail between its legs, ashamed and angry. I started reflecting on what I may have done wrong, if the woman's herky-jerky driving style before me was better or worse than my comparatively fluid style, or if he had already decided to fail me before the test started. But I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up in the first place since this happens to practically everyone. Now that I've experienced and can judge the whole ridiculous thing for what it actually is, I don't feel so bad. I just have to go through this whole ordeal just like everyone else. After my experience, here are two pieces of advice to people who may take this test: 1) have everyone you know tell you how pathetic you are so that you're used to it when the proctor tells you after the test. 2) take at least one lesson on the course before you take the test. And even then, be prepared to fail. Current Mood: irritated Current Music: Ethiopiques Vol. 14 (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 11th, 2006
1:02 am	Fucking Mission Impossible 3 is being shown on something like 23908423 screens at the theater so there's no room for Broken Flowers, which only ran for a week. I wanted to see it again with some friends, but nooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo. I guess I could go see The Goddamn DaVinci Code. Once again shafted by pop culture. Curses! Current Mood: aggravated (Comment on this)
Monday, July 10th, 2006
10:29 am	Things I can remember from the last month or so For some reason, my lower back has started to hurt. Maybe it's because I was sitting in a bad position at Phil's party on Friday night and then further aggravated it by sitting funny again at the event on Saturday night. The pain in my neck, right shoulder and arm has nearly vanished over the past week, but been replaced by this new problem. I've felt this before for maybe a couple hours, but this is the first time it's lasted a couple days. I guess I'll go to the doctor if it continues much longer. Speaking of pain, I get to have periodontal surgery today! I saw a picture of a patient's bloody sliced up gums and it's a damn good thing they'll use plenty of local anesthetic and then give me pain killers. Still, I'm imagining an evening of discomfort and soft food. Since the last update- * Masaya left, dammit. I miss the kid. There was some delay in him leaving due to visa issues, but he finally made it. Before we left we had an official going away party for him, going to a nice spanish tapas restaurant, and then going to the Black Pig where the owner played some salsa music onto which we got our dorky grooves. Masaya's in good hands in Boston, with Jess helping him get acquainted, and Jen perhaps taking him to a concert or two if it can be coordinated. Without him here, my main source of cool Japanese is gone! Now I'm going to sound even girlier when i speak! Since he left I have had to find other people to hang out with including a researcher at the local brain research center, Vince. He works at the world-renowned Brain Research Institute at Niigata University. * Went to Yahiko with Vince. We took climbed to the top of the mountain and took pictures on the way. We could have taken the ropeway to the top like wimps, but we decided to get some exercise and take the steep path to the top. We saw snakes and hidden shrines deep in the woods. Once you get to the top, you can see the Sea of Japan off to the west, and the Niigata plain off to the north and east. * Saw fireworks in Maki with Tomoko. Her house was really close to where they were being launched, so we just walked about 2 minutes and sat in front of the rice fields, bullfrogs croaking during the breaks. This night I also spent some significant time with her family for the first time. They don't speak any English, so i got mentally tired very quickly after conversing as best I could. But her family was very friendly and down to earth. Her dad was joking all the time. They are very close and I think they like me. * Had baseball practice and BBQ at the Agano River recreation site. Broke in the new glove some. Tomoko came and when she took batting practice i caught her line drive. Then promptly dropped it to make her feel better. We want to play some games, but Erik broke his finger and we can't find any opponents. But i met somebody at party Friday night who has a team, so perhaps in August. * Got a job teaching 7 classes a week at a high school. I'll be an "assistant language teacher" at Niigata Shougyou High School, working 3 days a week in the morning. It will be a little stressful, but it's only until March, so i can deal with it and rake in some extra dough. And i'll have more experience in a different teaching environment. * Went to Tomoko's brother's punk rock event in Maki and the same evening saw fireflies. Wow, I thought we were just going to go to some field to do it, but turns out that it's a popular local attraction that families and friends see together. You park your car and then walk up a secluded mountain road. Candles line the path at the beginning but soon there are no lights and you can see the fireflies. It's been about 10 years since i last saw them. Tomoko and I went with her friends Naoko and Masako. Vince and Peter couldn't make it to the punk rock event, but they really should have gone. There were lots of cute girls for them to talk to, the music was good , the mood was festive and people were dancing. Tomoko and her friends told me about the female equivalent to nanpa. Nanpa is a word that guys use which means "pick up chicks". Girls have another word which means "pick up guys". If I remember correctly, it's gyakunan. Anyhow, my single friends should have been there for that. * Continuing onward in the ridiculously complicated process of getting my Japanese license. The license center is far away and costs about 1500 yen round trip by bus each time. I thought I had everything I needed, but I learned about some more required paperwork last time I went. Waste of a day, and I can't go again until the end of the month, thanks to schedule incompatibilities. Going to be at least a 2 month process. Current Music: Optiganally Yours (Comment on this)
Monday, May 29th, 2006
1:41 am	The previously mentioned oxygen product was found and consumed, but not in canned, convenience store form. Instead, it happened to be on display at the sou-ppa (spa). Great, free sample. However, it was only after soaking in steaming hot pools and thoroughly washing every crevice of my body with water of widely varying temperatures that I hooked the oxygen contraption up to myself. So, I was already in a state of bliss before having the oxygen fortified air shot up my nose. Didn't notice much effect. Still need to try it under normal circumstances. Turns out that "onsen" and "sou-ppa" are two totally different things. Before I knew this, i would say that i wanted to go to an onsen when i really meant i wanted to go to a sou-ppa. It was only after wasting time driving to an onsen that Tomoko explained to me the difference. "Onsen" is the term used when talking about baths attached to a traditional Japanese hotels, and they usually come from geothermally heated water. "Sou-ppa", or "SPA" before fucking katakana Japanese completely mangles it's pronunciation, is the term generally used for the big bathing centers which are professionally run and can be enjoyed at anytime during regular business hours. It's run kind of like a gym except you don't need to be a member. Of course, I could have recognized the connection to soaking in hot water if it weren't for retarded katakana-izing of English words, but NoooooOOOOOooooOOOOOoooo! Hello Japan- Katakana is a linguistic anachronism which handicaps any of your 127 million speakers who try to learn English! Trash that shit. Speaking of katakana-ized English, I learned a new phrase that I have to use in class. I think the source of it is this dweeby version of indigenous hip hop that some stylish youth are into. You can picture the perfectly angled solid colored oversized baseball caps and designer sunglasses already. It's "check it out, yo!" warped into the Japanese "che ki ra, chyo!" Gotta point down to the subject matter at hand with both hands rigidly cocked. Went to Kate's birthday party at Hot Spot, saw the regular gaijin crowd, stuck mainly with Phil and his girlfriend (Ikue), and Jason for the short time he was there. I wasn't up for dancing much or chatting it up with the regulars, but it was generally a good time. Phil was in good spirits and even though I feel nervous tension between us, we are aware that we're both just a little socially challenged. The conversation, while sporadic, was still better than the shallow drunken exchanges with the Hot Spot regulars. Not that any of them are bad people, they're just completely disconnected from my life. I was surprised at how little English his girlfriend spoke, but I guess it makes sense since Phil's fluent in Japanese and all. It was good though because I got to practice speaking and listening to a lot of Japanese. I gave choco mochi and some other odd candy to Kate for her birthday. Happiness on the work front, as I'm making extra money picking up a couple extra classes. I feel like my students are engaged and learning, so i must not be doing a bad job. Keichi, who had been on hiatus for about 10 months, came back. I'm his teacher again and when I compare how our classes when then and how they are going now, i feel much happier with the latter. And I'm sure he does too. Some mother who doesn't know shit about education is coming into our school and telling us how to teach, which is causing headaches. And she's talking to other mothers too. Overall, it's a huge waste of our time because we have to wrangle with her demands instead of concentrating on the quality of our classes. Her bickering is detrimental to the quality she so covets. However, somewhat related to this problem is one of the teachers who could put an end to it just by putting in a bit more effort. But now as it stands, i gotta jump into the class and see if i can make the moms happy and the price is that i have to give up one of my favorite classes where the students have had a great turnaround in the past 7 months or so. I'll leave you with a link to a tearjerking segment of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Current Music: Dolorean - Not Exotic (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 17th, 2006
12:32 am	Oxygen Hit Of course I'm going to try this as soon as I can find it. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 16th, 2006
11:17 pm	nonstop supersonic service to the Gate of Jerusalem Well the bout of negativity ended last week, probably because I started working again. I get satisfaction out of working. It stimulates the brain. It's nice to come home at the end of the day and feel that i didn't do a half bad job. And when I work, I have to squeeze all other responsibilities into free time, so things aren't put off. Work gradually gets more and more challenging and simultaneously I feel more confident in my abilities. That's how it should be, right? It's not fair. I brush and floss my teeth like i'm supposed to. I'd go so far as to say that my dental hygiene is better than your average person's. But the condition of my teeth is terrible! I'm almost 27 and already have two crowns and god knows how many fillings. Today I went to the dentist. Dr. Harada excavated an old filling to find an infection under it. He cleaned it out and refilled it, but the remaining bone is thin and fragile. Losing the tooth is a real possibility, so I have to get a protective crown to put a stop to further decay. Not only that, but he also suggests that I have periodontal surgery! This sucks because the affected tooth is not in the back. Aesthetic issues come into play, and the national health insurance doesn't cover porcelain crowns. Maybe he will make a half metal, half porcelain hybrid like he did for me before. The big problem is that I brush my teeth too hard- bad habit of mine. Also bad teeth are in the genes. Dad's teeth are gone, I think, and my mom's aren't in great shape. I'm going to have to be really strict with any kids i have about taking care of their teeth. Jesus has been a big part of my life in the past couple days. Not that I'm religious, but because my friend Risa has recently Seen The Light. We went downtown on our bikes the other day and found ourselves at the front of her church. Got a great whispy, ghost-like picture of the man himself. After that, I made a Jesus mix CD for Risa including such hits as I Saw the Light by Hank Williams Sr., a cover of XTC's Dear God by Sarah McLachlan, and some great vintage stuff from 1970's evangelical music such as The Christian Astronauts. I'm really happy with how it turned out, the vintage stuff being great filler. I've been hanging out with Yassin, the Sudanese national who was raised mainly in Saudi Arabia. How does this relationship continue to be fruitful you may be wondering. Well, it surprisingly is. Even though his view of how to lead one's life is almost exactly the opposite of mine, he's intelligent and speaks English at almost a native level, so with the whole war and the great cultural battle and all, we have a lot to talk about. And today he called with information about prospective students. Yatta ze! We went to see the worst movie ever together. It's Mel Brooks' The Producers. Man do i really hate musicals. He loved it, i hated it. Yassin is pretty negative about things in general. Always saying what sucks about his job, research, japanese society, teachers... everybody actually and I don't want to be around that. When we job a couple times a week, okay, i can just joke about it for a while, but not for hours just hanging out together. After I get paid at the end of the month, i'm going to send money home and pay off the credit card bill again, and put some in savings. I am reluctant to start the online TEFL course until then. Of course, i could do it now but it's a psychological barrier. I bought the new camera and i want that debt totally gone before I make another major purchase. Plus there's this whole issue of the cost of dental treatment. Not that I'm poor, but i'm strictly pay-as-you-go. Such a little Democrat I am. Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: Jesus Saves mix Cd (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006
2:09 pm	Kyoto wa honne tanosikatta Half sleeping on overnight buses really screws up your energy levels. First day in Kyoto, the plan was to go out drinking during the evening, but after an hour nap and dinner, it was out of the question. Good thing too because it would have been impossible to cover the distance we did on Sunday by bike if we hadn't rested. After returning to Niigata, i couldn't function past 5PM on Monday and got real grumpy. But lots of drive today, getting shit done. Wow, Kyoto was wonderful. (Check out the photoset!) We got lucky with warm weather, although the skies were a little gray and highly reflective. We mainly just did the tourist thing, seeing all the sites: Kiomizudera, Ginkakuji, Nijyojyo Castle, Kinkakuji, Ninnaji, the philosopher's trail, and the Arashiyama area. We also found some great random places while meandering around on the bikes including a great restaurant, a nice park, picturesque side streets... While biking between sites, a guy interviewed me for his school project. Something about cycling in Kyoto as opposed to other ways of touring the city. Camera strap around my neck, wearing my silly travel hat and Mr. Rogers cardigan, and also looking very caucasian, I asked him how he knew I was a tourist. So he asked me a set of questions to which my replies exalted the benefits of touring by bike. Actually i felt kind of bad for the people going from place to place by bus, rental car or taxi. Traffic was terrible and they had to pay for parking everywhere. Of course, we had to pay to park our bikes, but it was 200 yen each and transferable all day to other places. And there were all sorts of places we passed by and on a whim decided to visit- stores, cafes, scenic spots, street vendors, etc. And even though Kyoto's a big city, you can plan your day so that it doesn't take too long to get between attractions. If you're going to visit Kyoto, you definitely need more than two days. Four would be just about right. There's just so much to see. It was my first time to Kyoto and to the Kansai area in general. There's a perceivable difference in people's character compared to Niigatans. People in Niigata are so damn timid around gaijin which automatically puts up this wall between me and them. But that timidity wasn't there with a lot of people in Kyoto. People there were more generally more laid back. The city is full of foreign tourists, it didn't surprise people that there was a gaijin among them. Store workers acted less like automatic robots and more like real people- i could actually chit chat with one of the hotel staff. And when I did talk to people, i could do it without them asking me the standard gaijin questions. And even though my Japanese still sucks, I was sure to toot my own horn and speak it a lot in front of other tourists. Yeah, i get a real kick out of that, sue me. Today Makiko is visiting and at the last minute she asked if her friend could come along too. This prompted tears from Tomoko. I think deep down she fears that another girl may capture my interest, especially since our relationship is stuck at a once-per-week visitation schedule. But right now I'm really happy with Tomoko and it would take something a lot more than the fact that a girl is cute for me to act upon my manly impulses. Anyhow, Makiko is coming from Tochigi, so we are going to get some of Niigata's famous fresh seafood, see a couple local sites (Hakusan, Furumachi), and probably go out of the city to go hiking or see some tulip festival. Current Mood: productive Current Music: Beatles Yellow Sub. Sndtrk (Comment on this)
Saturday, April 29th, 2006
6:36 am	Kyoto ni hajimete kimasita It's early morning in Kyoto. Tomoko and I just arrived from our overnight bus trip from Niigata. In all it wasn't so bad except for the snoring. The ryokan here is great- the main reception lady speaks some english and there's a really nice computer here to keep up on the rest of the world. Nice mix of traditional lodging plus technology! We are here freshening up before heading off into the city. Breakfast, then picking up bikes at 9:00. Got my new camera ready and charged, now if only the grey morning clouds would lift. Current Mood: hungry Current Music: clanging dishes from the ladies preparing breakfast (Comment on this)
Monday, April 24th, 2006
4:34 pm	Today we have dust. It came from China's Gobi desert and it's messing up our sky goddammit. Today's the worst I've seen of it, but apparently it's been in the atmosphere to some degree for the past couple weeks SCREWING SPRING UP. What was a nice sunny sky this morning quickly degraded into a highly reflective, gradient of silvery light blue. It's bad for taking pictures, and it's keeping temps down too. I can feel it around my lips and taste it in my mouth. Risa and I went to a coffee shop to study a bit. The owner was interested in learning bad words from movies, so we practiced "goddamn", "son of a bitch", and "fucking asshole" together. I think a rough translation for "fucking asshole" is 「くそやろう」. He gave us 4 pieces of free cake. Saturday night was Hallelujah's 15th anniversary party. It had been a while since going out celebrating and dancing. Saw Phil, Melissa, Kate, their friends, Peter from New Zealand, Peter from England, and Peter from NJ. Met new people, laughed a lot, and was both ends of shoving through the crowd. Peter slept on my couch since there's no late night train for drunks back to Kameda. Creationists should be classified as officially suffering from delirium because of their gross negligence toward reality. When I'm an old fart and looking for something to do in my spare time, I would love to start up privately funded secular community organizations so that people have more alternatives to religiously oriented groups. They'd spread the message of how to be a good human being, but leave all the God shit out of it. I think people are naturally drawn to churches largely because of the chance to socialize with everyone in your community. People want to meet others, network, help each other at a local level. It just so happens that churches are the best place to do it. Why can't places like this be humanistic rather than religious? Don't get me wrong- I think that churches are generally great to have in a community. It's just unfortunate that people get brainwashed into believing fairytales in the process. Anyhow, this may be handy for when you need to defend your secularism. Current Mood: happy Current Music: Jonathan Richman (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 23rd, 2006
7:10 pm	gimme summa dat xenoglossy Constant irritating restlessness lately; hyperactive foot tapping, drinking more, smoked a pack of Bali Hais faster than I've ever smoked before. Unable to write down any of the funny or wonderful things that i see everyday. Forget reading a novel. Seems that any half interesting original thoughts that I think to myself are quickly forgotten before I can transmit it out to anyone who may be listening. I feel guilty about half starting things and not finishing them. The kanji study game, getting my driver's license, the borrowed documentaries which i've yet to watch, the pictures that collect but are rarely shared, the Japanese blog that i haven't updated in 2 months, and maybe most of all, the plan to open the other LOFT. I also feel bad about not going out and spending time with friends. Prioritize and act!! Masaya wants me to write a song for his little guitar tune, but I'm at a complete loss as for a topic on which I might have something significant to say. Will the upcoming holidays help me out of this funk? Seemingly contradictory to this inability to write anything original i feel that my classes are going well for the most part. I'm at ease and talkative. I feel like my students are learning and that they are getting value out of the class. I have a lot to talk about there, but outside of work, my brain just doesn't want to spark. I bought a new digital camera. The Fujifilm S5200 There was a newer camera in this series, but it was pricier and its features were more than a dabbling hobbyist like me needs. Since I saved by not getting the newest model, I was able to get a nice wide angle lens. Better than extra pixelage and nonessential features. Now if i can just figure out how to use the manual settings better- specifically, the ISO and spot meter options. I put all my eggs into one basket by putting a chunk of money into one stock. But if it acts like any other the other alternative energy companies I've been watching, it will increase significantly and relatively quickly. If it doesn't, i lose money, but this is money that is completely out of my budget. Little to no pain if lost, and i can be very patient. I wanted to buy a mutual fund of alt. energy stocks, but there was a $5,000 minimum investment. I wish i had more money to put into some other companies. The religious scholar and philosopher Kirk Cameron promotes intelligent design mumbo jumbo. Current Mood: restless Current Music: Mike Doughty, Wig in a Box (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 12th, 2006
11:32 am	fear of stagnating For what it's worth, I'm thinking about going through some sort of online TESOL certification program. Considering what I've learned here while working, getting the official certification wouldn't be that hard and the things I learn would be immediately applicable in my classes. I realize that the gig here isn't exactly experience coveted by employers back in the states, so I need to continue on improving myself. Getting the TESOL certification would be a small, yet worthwhile step. That and opening the other branch would amount to somewhat respectable amount of accomplishment. And let's face it, it's either I get further credentials the online way or not at all. I figure i'm in a pretty good situation since I can actually work while going through some kind of educational program. Others may have the paper qualifications but no experience or application of what they have learned. While I can, I must take advantage of the situation. (Comment on this)
Monday, April 10th, 2006
12:57 am	Daily Wacky Japanese Culture Item: In the UFO catcher at the arcade, you can win cans of sardines and other salted sea life. Eating right has a significant impact on one's mood. On Monday night for the first time in a long time, I made a fresh leafy salad. I've also been drinking a lot of milk lately for more protein. The effect has been noticeable, doing my best at work, brain neurons busy firing. Before going to Japanese class this morning, I had a nice breakfast at a bakery at Niigata station. The effect has been that I am more talkative and better able to focus. The past week at work was challenging because I had more classes than usual, and some of them were new or had new students in them. Yes, there was crying, but those who cried later laughed within the same 50 minutes, so I consider it a success. There was also a trial class with one of Kevin's best students who has an extra watchful mother. He's also kind of wild and easily distracted, so if he joins the class, I'll have the weekly challenge of keeping his attention and making sure he's learning well. Guess this is what happens when you get better at teaching- you get more challenging classes. But rising to challenges is never a bad thing. Sad to report that nothing too interesting has been going on outside of work. The credit card debt has been paid off... and the camera is still an issue. Yodabashi camera doesn't carry the Dimage A2, so I'll check a couple more shops. If they don't have it, I'll probably order it from the States. To do tomorrow: Halleluja with Masaya (do some studying), bike around looking for good LOFT locations, plant some morning glories, check those other camera shops, organize MP3s. Current Music: Mike Viola - Just Before Dark (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 2nd, 2006
9:37 pm	Since Friday morning, I've been pretty wrapped up in work affairs, as there is talk of opening up that new branch. Where? nobody knows. We're still hypothesizing about the area with the best demand right now. Kevin and I explored an area around a school today, and threw a few ideas around, then he came over later and we discussed it a little more. I really like one place, I think it offers a lot of advantages, but we're going to look around a bit more. Too bad the weather is crappy because it makes the search unpleasant. I'm going to push for the place which would have a student base made up mainly of those who I can teach most comfortably (group kids' classes, college students, middle aged professionals...) "Play to your strengths" and all that. I got to thinking, and it's strange to think that the LOFT would subsidize the apartment. I mean, if I want to be more independent, i should take the risk of not receiving the subsidy. Maybe i'm not to that point yet in terms of living and working here. I think it took chad a couple years to accomplish, and he's very successful now. Is his success at all attributable to the online teaching master's degree he completed? If i were to run a branch of the LOFT, i'd want to incorporate some "outside the box" ideas into the business, including chat/email english practice, monthly school events, etc. I just can't seem to get rid of the final balance on the credit card. I could do it right now, but that would mean sending a lot of money over now and would leave me with just enough for the month. I kind of want to splurge this month, with the weather getting nice, and the fact that I'll have to pay some considerable fees in order to get my license. Although... i could reconsider in a couple weeks. I don't really know how much it affects my level of happiness, but getting rid of that debt would probably have a measurable impact. My camera is kinda broken, but it seems to work better in warm weather. So hopefully the big camera purchase can hold off until May or June. It would be nice to have a manual camera for Kyoto though... one with instructions in English. This week i've gotta get some things accomplished while not busy in the beginning part of the week. It's going to be a tough week because the work schedule slightly shifted which means I'll be teaching some new classes. Gotta be prepared for those. Current Music: Mini onsen/Hyoko vacation mix (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 30th, 2006
1:42 am	bein' all serious and shit The place I work is facing competition which started in the same neighborhood about 3 months ago. It's a pain in the ass because it's causing us to be more aggressive about finding students and also more aggressive in our curriculum. Prospective students in the area now have a choice of two quality schools. It's a good thing because there's pressure on all of us to become better teachers and for us in general to become a better school. If we don't suffer financially, this is only a good thing. But, if we start to struggle with income, that's no fun at all. On top of that, there's the chance of expanding the school and also a possibility of working some hours at the Kameda branch. So things are changing and it means taking the job more seriously, more responsibility, and more money. That's alright because I like to accomplish and I like money. Reiko said that many students of eikaiwas and their parents see it as an extracurricular activity, not as serious study. For real studying, they think the Japanese-run cram schools are the way to go. Now, i'm not sure which is better for the student, as I've never seen any empirical studies about who generally does better on English tests. The student who studies at a cram school, or one who studies at an eikaiwa. I'd like to find this data. There are many non-standard ways of teaching English that eikaiwas don't utilize. I think all the competition going on now, you're going to see some schools start to incorporate new methods such as English email correspondence, chatting, real-life activities (such as going grocery shopping together), etc. When I think about how I study Japanese and what works best for me, I realize that people studying English seriously can use these same methods. When we open up the other branch (which I would manage), I'd like to do these types of things (and others) if the student is up for them. I finished my taxes and I was all extra thorough about it, even reporting the $3.99 I made on dividends from the really crappy mutual fund i invested in a long time ago. I wanna sell that shit, but found out I can't on the Scottrade website. I'm not "set up for web trading". So I have to call them and get it set up because the fund I have sucks ass! I've been keeping my eye on these alternative energy related companies for the past couple years and if I had invested in them, i'd be a rich man. Some of them we up 400, 600, or even 900% since I first wanted to buy. But I got, and at the time didn't have any money! So the plan is to exchange what I have for something that actually has a return. I know, risky, but you know, i pretty much forgot about that money and can afford to lose it. And I could make a good amount. I mean the value of pretty much everything that I wanted to buy has skyrocketed. It only makes sense, oil is running out, so that means alternative fuel companies are gunna get investment, government subsidies, and will start producing profit making innovations. And with hurricanes destroying off-shore oil rigs, it's happening faster. They really took off during last hurricane season so hopefully i'll have some money invested during the next one. Current Music: Jon Brion (Comment on this)
Monday, March 27th, 2006
11:50 pm	a not so bad weekend Funny expression of the day: "When you wrestle a pig you both get dirty and the pig ends up having a good time." Saturday was an easy day at work, one of my three classes canceled, so I spent a lot of time organizing the LOFT. Well I did what i could anyway. I finished up around 4 and then came back to clean my apartment before Tomo came over. We had a nice night, we watched a Japanese movie with no English subtitles. It's one of the most popular recent movies, "Densha no Otoko", which basically means "Train Boy". It's about a guy with no social skills who ends up striking up a relationship with a gentle upper class woman. During the process he transforms into a pretty hip guy, and his chat room friends cheer him on the whole time. Japan seems to be more "wired" than the U.S. and the culture of this is reflected regularly pop culture. I say this because of the ubiquity of highly advanced cell phones, super fast internet access, and the fact that even dinky clothing stores have websites with lots of detail. Side note- there's this feature on cell phones where you can scan a bar code and then go to a website. So if a drink can has a barcode, you can just scan it and go. I also saw on TV a new service of TV for cell phones. They are trying to develop it to the point where from your cell phone, you can instantly shop for what you see in the programs. I'm not interested in technology that will make it easier for consumers to spend money on the wants that big companies manufacture for them, but lots of people certainly will be. One thing I am in the market for is a new camera. Mine repeatedly wouldn't work today. The shutter mechanism is broken so i can open it or close it with gravity. Also, the video function bit the dust around New Year's. On top of that, on several occasions today it wouldn't go into "take picture" mode after i turned it on. Uh oh, serious problems. The little guy has served me well for almost 3 years now. Got a lot of great shots out of it, but alas, it's time to make that move to a digital SLR. Perhaps I'll get one before the trip to Kyoto at the end of April. After the movie, Masaya also came over on Saturday night with his guitar. We sang a couple Elliott Smith songs and then i let him listen to Mike Viola's "Hair of the Dog". He picked it up after a few minutes, i wrote out the words and we did it. Not so bad, i can actually carry that tune. He wants to do a mini concert of some sort but I'm way too shy to perform on stage. But I told him to start working on a country riff because i could write a country song about being in love in Kyoto during Golden Week. Of course it would be satiricle. Yesterday was kind of boring, i didn't feel like doing anything after Japanese class. I took a nap, tried to do a little homework. Got some tax forms together, wrote emails, talked to Jess on the phone, watched part 4 of the giant Hitler documentary, did a little studying. But today I woke up with some energy so I went downtown by bike with Masaya. We met up with Yu-chan and explored downtown taking pictures and poking around different streets and shops. Masaya and I have a silly idea of doing a radio show. I was wondering if there was a college station or something, but apparently it's not like the U.S. Anyway, we had lots of questions and were wondering exactly what is possible, so as we passed the Niigata FM headquarters, we decided to go in and ask somebody. It was really awkward as we just walked into the office unannounced. Everyone was working furiously when we walked in. The first woman who clearly was not happy to have uninformed idiots walk in directed us to another guy who was nice enough to sit down with us for 5 minutes and talk. He recommended checking out FM Kento which is less corporate and more indy, but i doubt it will go anywhere. But we're going to email them anyway. There's totally no indy scene here. Oh, and gomiyama at the dental university was a bummer this year, but i did manage to find another set of giant model teeth. Score! Current Music: Josh Rouse (Comment on this)
Friday, March 24th, 2006
12:54 am	Lots has been going on lately. The work week is in full swing so I'm trying to stay busy to make it go faster. I've been seeing a lot of Masaya lately because he has graduated and his girlfriend went to Nagaoka for the week. So I've been helping him with questions he has about going to Berklee. We had to be clear about the enrollment process. Unbelievable, i wonder if after going to Berklee for the summer, he may want to remain in Boston. I'd be really happy if he could, but of course I want him to do what's best for him. If he's still there next summer when i plan to visit, we're hanging out! Monday we went out to Hallelujah, just me and him. It was his first time there and he had a good time talking music with Jun. And- it turns out that Jun had a copy of TMBG's first album on vinyl! I was shocked, he actually played the first side of it with other customers in the bar. The only girl there looked like she had a pounding headache and about to puke. Later that night after Hallelujah, for the first time in a long time, I talked to Makiko. She might come visit in early or late April, depending on what days she gets off of work. It will be nice to see her, and this may be her first time to Niigata. Tuesday was work, the morning was boring. Just the typical routine of waking up late and farting around until 3 or so. But i did manage to study a little. I had wanted to watch a Japanese movie with Masaya, but it was raining so we couldn't go rent one. Movies are great for studying, so I plan on watching one with Tomoko on Saturday night. Tuesday at work, I had to get Kouyuu under control so that he would concentrate on his reading comprehension, and after i chased him into the bathroom and dragged him out, he said i was violent. That's alright though, he cooperates if i force him to. I found these great little readings that will help him with his comprehension. Little stories with questions and activities at the end that force kids to think about what they just read. The book's from 1982, but the best I've found at the LOFT. Wednesday I met with Lily and we had a really good study session. I came prepared with questions that I had made a few days earlier. We sat there and made sentences with grammar points I had questions about. I'm going through all my flashcards and writing down any worthwhile words that I don't know and will make sentences out of them over the next few weeks. When I meet with Lily, she will check them. Wednesday at work was pretty good. The class of 6 year old girls was rowdy, and one of the girls cried. She's the funny one who says poop, pee, butt, burp, etc. But she's falling behind so i had to scold her when she wasn't concentrating. That made her cry a little, but it was amazing to see her fight it off with maniacal laughter. Smart kid, i thought. Later that day, I have a student who kind of looks up to me, so i want to give him some good advice. We got to talking and I learned that lately, he has problems sleeping and is generally kind of anxious and down. He stays in a lot and watches anime. Hikikomori to a degree. Well, he wants to accomplish more but thinks that he needs time alone to think through his anxiety. He thinks that he can resolve his conflicts without the help of others, so i think i got the point across of how self-improvement and accountability to others is linked. In my case, if i'm not in Japanese class, i'll study a lot less. If I don't put myself in some kind of structure where I'm accountable to somebody, I just waste away the time. Anyhow, isn't it a kind of self-centeredness to not share yourself, at least a little, with others? When this happens you just start really not liking yourself because you don't have any friends. Today was nice... it was possible to prod Masaya out of his house by 11:15, and we went off to Mr. Donut where we studied until 1:30, then I came back home and went to work by 2:30. It was a nice day at work as I got to throw plastic french fries at one student and then we played some fun tic-tac-toe reading game with a plastic suction cup covered ball. lots of happy students today. Tomorrow is the day of tough classes at work, but lately it's been getting easier. It's challenging to think of how to conduct those classes. After class, Masaya and I are heading off to Hallelujah again, but for the real Friday Night Experience. Before then, I have to make a best of Mike Viola mix CD for Jun. I'm sure he'll love it. Masaya and I are waiting with baited breath for trash mountain day at the dental university. I swung by there today on my bike and saw people throwing lots of stuff on it. Oh yes, it's getting bigger. Last year, we went on a Sunday, so we plan to go this Sunday. (1 Comment |Comment on this)