Oh man, I am so tired. Being in this office drains my life force. As does working with kindergarteners.
We went to Kinomoto KG today for an hour and a half, and let me tell you, that is too long to try to teach English to little kids. They weren't awful like last year's bunch, but they were a little on the rowdy side. One kid clearly needs to be medicated. Another one is a fat, ugly hitter, so he's already on our shit list. But Ryouta (from the good class 2 years ago)'s little sister is in that class, and she looks just like him (so cute! with chubby cheeks!), so I'm looking forward to seeing her again.
Catherine and I are going to the gym today. Last time, I actually got up to a jog on the treadmill! I always fast walk, usually on an incline. But I think walking to work every day has helped with my endurance, since I didn't start gasping for breath immediately. Perhaps I will jog again today!
Only 30 more minutes.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
soooooosh
Alas, Virginia said no regarding an increase in my scholarship. Oh well. It didn't hurt to ask. And $10,000 a year is still nice.
Today was my third day of class and it was at Iruka. I'm very pleased with the 1st years. There are 6 of them! A much better number to work with than 4, like the 2nd years. The 3rd years were less than genki, but whatever.
After work, we went out for sushi. Unfortunately, after I had my salmon, I decided I wasn't in the mood for sushi. So I had a pumpkin mousse and then went home and ate a bunch of grapes. And some cheese.
Tomorrow is our first day with the new Kinomoto kindergarteners. I hope they're good. The Ido kids (all 9 of them) were good yesterday, not as cute as last years, unfortunately, but cute. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, they want us to go with them on a little field trip. If it does, we'll just have regular class. I'm kind of hoping for rain, just in case they turn out to be awful like the last group.
The new vice principal at Kinomoto is pretty awesome. He's been in Belgium for the last few years, and when he comes back to Kumano, they put him in the worst school in town. Nice. But he came into the office and talked to Catherine and I (in English!) for a bit. He referred to the students at his school as "naughty" (which is totally true, we didn't deny it) in this great European-accented English. He then invited us to visit his school, which I will only do because the kindergarten is in the same building. I'd rather not see the rest of those kids (with the exception of the 2nd graders).
I've been watching a lot of Numb3rs lately, especially the 3rd season, and I noticed that the actress playing Megan was a little fatter than in the other seasons. She was pregnant, of course, and so in watching episodes from earlier in her pregnancy, it was really interesting to see how they were hiding her belly. In the later episodes, she was mostly shot sitting down behind a desk, but in the earlier ones, she'd hold stuff in front of her body or stand behind something. So sneaky!
There's a weird buzzing sound going on, and I don't know where it's coming from. My computer? The kotatsu? The lights? The fridge? Can't tell. But it's irritating, so I'm going to bed.
Today was my third day of class and it was at Iruka. I'm very pleased with the 1st years. There are 6 of them! A much better number to work with than 4, like the 2nd years. The 3rd years were less than genki, but whatever.
After work, we went out for sushi. Unfortunately, after I had my salmon, I decided I wasn't in the mood for sushi. So I had a pumpkin mousse and then went home and ate a bunch of grapes. And some cheese.
Tomorrow is our first day with the new Kinomoto kindergarteners. I hope they're good. The Ido kids (all 9 of them) were good yesterday, not as cute as last years, unfortunately, but cute. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, they want us to go with them on a little field trip. If it does, we'll just have regular class. I'm kind of hoping for rain, just in case they turn out to be awful like the last group.
The new vice principal at Kinomoto is pretty awesome. He's been in Belgium for the last few years, and when he comes back to Kumano, they put him in the worst school in town. Nice. But he came into the office and talked to Catherine and I (in English!) for a bit. He referred to the students at his school as "naughty" (which is totally true, we didn't deny it) in this great European-accented English. He then invited us to visit his school, which I will only do because the kindergarten is in the same building. I'd rather not see the rest of those kids (with the exception of the 2nd graders).
I've been watching a lot of Numb3rs lately, especially the 3rd season, and I noticed that the actress playing Megan was a little fatter than in the other seasons. She was pregnant, of course, and so in watching episodes from earlier in her pregnancy, it was really interesting to see how they were hiding her belly. In the later episodes, she was mostly shot sitting down behind a desk, but in the earlier ones, she'd hold stuff in front of her body or stand behind something. So sneaky!
There's a weird buzzing sound going on, and I don't know where it's coming from. My computer? The kotatsu? The lights? The fridge? Can't tell. But it's irritating, so I'm going to bed.
Monday, April 14, 2008
school, finally
Today was my first day of school in almost a month. I felt a little rusty, to be quite honest, but it was a good day overall. I went to Isato, which, all things considered, is probably my favorite school. The kids are nice and not terrible at English, and now there are finally a decent number of students in each class--8 1st years, 9 2nd years, and 8 3rd years!
I cleaned for about 6 straight hours yesterday, and I kind of feel like I didn't make a dent. That's not really true, I did, but my apartment is still messy. I did lots of dishes and I scrubbed the weird blue stuff out of the shower and sink (I think it's something in the water), but I didn't touch my bedroom. That's probably why it doesn't seem like I accomplished anything.
After my hours and hours of cleaning, I watched Clueless. What a great movie, really. Paul Rudd has always been so cute. And then I watched Step Up, which is also wonderful. Channing Tatum can't really act, but damn. I don't care. He doesn't ruin the whole movie with his presence like some people. *coughhaydenchristensencough*
Are the people downstairs having an argument? I can't really tell. Somebody's yelling, though. Maybe it's the TV. I would yell if I was watching the shit that passes for Japanese TV too.
That's all I can think to write at the moment. I'm tired. And I really need to go to bed earlier tonight, since we're teaching kindergarten tomorrow. Yay! I'm so excited to see the new kids.
I cleaned for about 6 straight hours yesterday, and I kind of feel like I didn't make a dent. That's not really true, I did, but my apartment is still messy. I did lots of dishes and I scrubbed the weird blue stuff out of the shower and sink (I think it's something in the water), but I didn't touch my bedroom. That's probably why it doesn't seem like I accomplished anything.
After my hours and hours of cleaning, I watched Clueless. What a great movie, really. Paul Rudd has always been so cute. And then I watched Step Up, which is also wonderful. Channing Tatum can't really act, but damn. I don't care. He doesn't ruin the whole movie with his presence like some people. *coughhaydenchristensencough*
Are the people downstairs having an argument? I can't really tell. Somebody's yelling, though. Maybe it's the TV. I would yell if I was watching the shit that passes for Japanese TV too.
That's all I can think to write at the moment. I'm tired. And I really need to go to bed earlier tonight, since we're teaching kindergarten tomorrow. Yay! I'm so excited to see the new kids.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
ise
Today was the April Stitch-n-Bitch, and it was in Ise this month, so I drove up with Lauren, Catherine, and Jamie. We drove about 3 hours to Taki and then met up with Megan and trained it the rest of the way. I think there were 12? 14? people there. We rented out a little restaurant owned by the relatives of this Japanese girl who some of the ALTs are friends with. It was really cute. I had this DELICIOUS beef stew, because I was hungry for more than a drink and cakes. Those were good too, but the beef stew was especially wonderful.
I also knitted a bit. I've been working on this black scarf since the November SnB, and I really only work on it at those events. Despite that, it's pretty long, and looks fairly even and normal. No dropped stitches or anything! Too bad the weather is finally warming up, so I'll have to wait until the end of the year to wear it, provided I finish it, of course.
Next month's SnB will be in Kumano. How exciting! I'm expecting a turnout of maybe 6 people, since nobody ever wants to come all the way down here. I don't really blame them; it's a long way to drive, and it's a long way and a big expense to train. But we go up north, so they should do us a favor once in a while! This is giving me a reason to clean my apartment, in case anyone needs a place to stay, as it is horrifying.
We got home around 7-something. Not too late. When I got home, I downloaded the new episode of 30 Rock, and damn, I have missed that show. I love Tina Fey so much. It was a great episode; I'm so glad they didn't get rusty during the break.
I also downloaded the new chapter of Naruto. Things have been getting very interesting lately after a long string of emo and lameness. And I believe some of my predictions are coming to fruition. Go me. For being a nerd.
I also knitted a bit. I've been working on this black scarf since the November SnB, and I really only work on it at those events. Despite that, it's pretty long, and looks fairly even and normal. No dropped stitches or anything! Too bad the weather is finally warming up, so I'll have to wait until the end of the year to wear it, provided I finish it, of course.
Next month's SnB will be in Kumano. How exciting! I'm expecting a turnout of maybe 6 people, since nobody ever wants to come all the way down here. I don't really blame them; it's a long way to drive, and it's a long way and a big expense to train. But we go up north, so they should do us a favor once in a while! This is giving me a reason to clean my apartment, in case anyone needs a place to stay, as it is horrifying.
We got home around 7-something. Not too late. When I got home, I downloaded the new episode of 30 Rock, and damn, I have missed that show. I love Tina Fey so much. It was a great episode; I'm so glad they didn't get rusty during the break.
I also downloaded the new chapter of Naruto. Things have been getting very interesting lately after a long string of emo and lameness. And I believe some of my predictions are coming to fruition. Go me. For being a nerd.
Friday, April 11, 2008
practice
For the last 15 minutes or so, there have been fireworks going off at the beach. At first, I thought the town was being bombed, but then I realized that was a stupid thought, because Kumano is too insignificant to be a target for anything. I looked out of my bedroom doors, but didn't see anything, and it's hard to tell where sounds originate here, since everything echoes off the mountains.
Then I went out my front door, I saw that the noise was coming from random fireworks. We stood out and watched them for a while, and then the lady next to Catherine came out, and when I asked if there was a festival or something, she said it was just practice. Practice for what? I guess the big summer spectacular, but that's not until August. Weird.
We finally had our scheduling meeting for this semester. I'm only partially busy, but it looks like a decent school-to-office ratio this time around. And I only have one elementary school visit and it's to Ido, the only big school without horrible, horrible children (now that the 6th graders have graduated).
It was stupid, however, that I start class on Monday, but the meeting was at 4pm today. Thanks for giving us planning time, Sato-sensei. At least my first class is at Isato, where I plan all the lessons, so I planned them out before lunch. Still. A pain.
Also a pain was the fact that we only work until 4:30, but the meeting didn't end until 4:50. I expect to be able to get off work 20 minutes early sometime soon. I know that's kind of dickish, but after being around the office a-holes for three-and-a-half weeks, I don't care. If they were nice, I'd let it slide.
Anyway, seeing my schedule for the next 3 months all laid out in front of me made me very happy, because that's all I have left. After those classes are out of the way, I am going home, and I am thrilled.
My parents are thrilled too. I think Mama mentions in every email how many months it is until I go home. It's pretty sweet. Also pretty sweet is that my parents have been planning on paying my rent while I'm in school. I wasn't expecting that. Thanks, Mama and Daddy!
After spending several days looking at apartments, I have moved on to looking for furniture. So yesterday, I spent most of my time at the office on the Ikea website. I'm so happy that I'll finally be able to buy something from there. The one item I want the most is the Malm bed; I've been wanting that for years, and soon, it will be mine.
I can already tell that I'm going to have a hard time picking out color schemes. I'm liking green a lot lately, and also dark purple. Blue is a longtime favorite. And dark brown is very nice too, especially combined with blue or pink. Argh.
In addition to checking out furnishings, I also did some cell phone and plan research. I want to stick with T-Mobile, because they haven't done me wrong yet. They have these "myFaves" plans that give you unlimited minutes to call up to 5 numbers. I already know what 3 of those would be: parents, Ali, and Michelle. The other two are up for grabs. And text and internet plans are a lot cheaper than I'd anticipated ($4.99/month and $5.99/month, respectively). I also looked at Blackberry plans, since I'm considering getting one of those. Whichever way I decide, I'll be spending between $50 and $60 a month, which is exactly what I pay now. Not bad.
Did I mention there were hot guys at Mosburger the other day? Because there were. HOT. And tall. And they were in suits. God I hope they live/work here, if only so I can see them around town. Too bad one of them was wearing these god-awful blindingly orange Crocs. Crocs make me want to amputate the feet of the people wearing them, that's how much I hate them. What hideous shoes.
Then I went out my front door, I saw that the noise was coming from random fireworks. We stood out and watched them for a while, and then the lady next to Catherine came out, and when I asked if there was a festival or something, she said it was just practice. Practice for what? I guess the big summer spectacular, but that's not until August. Weird.
We finally had our scheduling meeting for this semester. I'm only partially busy, but it looks like a decent school-to-office ratio this time around. And I only have one elementary school visit and it's to Ido, the only big school without horrible, horrible children (now that the 6th graders have graduated).
It was stupid, however, that I start class on Monday, but the meeting was at 4pm today. Thanks for giving us planning time, Sato-sensei. At least my first class is at Isato, where I plan all the lessons, so I planned them out before lunch. Still. A pain.
Also a pain was the fact that we only work until 4:30, but the meeting didn't end until 4:50. I expect to be able to get off work 20 minutes early sometime soon. I know that's kind of dickish, but after being around the office a-holes for three-and-a-half weeks, I don't care. If they were nice, I'd let it slide.
Anyway, seeing my schedule for the next 3 months all laid out in front of me made me very happy, because that's all I have left. After those classes are out of the way, I am going home, and I am thrilled.
My parents are thrilled too. I think Mama mentions in every email how many months it is until I go home. It's pretty sweet. Also pretty sweet is that my parents have been planning on paying my rent while I'm in school. I wasn't expecting that. Thanks, Mama and Daddy!
After spending several days looking at apartments, I have moved on to looking for furniture. So yesterday, I spent most of my time at the office on the Ikea website. I'm so happy that I'll finally be able to buy something from there. The one item I want the most is the Malm bed; I've been wanting that for years, and soon, it will be mine.
I can already tell that I'm going to have a hard time picking out color schemes. I'm liking green a lot lately, and also dark purple. Blue is a longtime favorite. And dark brown is very nice too, especially combined with blue or pink. Argh.
In addition to checking out furnishings, I also did some cell phone and plan research. I want to stick with T-Mobile, because they haven't done me wrong yet. They have these "myFaves" plans that give you unlimited minutes to call up to 5 numbers. I already know what 3 of those would be: parents, Ali, and Michelle. The other two are up for grabs. And text and internet plans are a lot cheaper than I'd anticipated ($4.99/month and $5.99/month, respectively). I also looked at Blackberry plans, since I'm considering getting one of those. Whichever way I decide, I'll be spending between $50 and $60 a month, which is exactly what I pay now. Not bad.
Did I mention there were hot guys at Mosburger the other day? Because there were. HOT. And tall. And they were in suits. God I hope they live/work here, if only so I can see them around town. Too bad one of them was wearing these god-awful blindingly orange Crocs. Crocs make me want to amputate the feet of the people wearing them, that's how much I hate them. What hideous shoes.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
just when everything was settled
Hmm...
I got a letter from Columbia telling me that my application has been put in their "Reserve group". So I've been wait-listed. This screws things up a bit, as I have been getting excited about going to Virginia. But if I could possibly get into Columbia, that would be awesome.
I think what I'm going to do is send in the first deposit to Virginia, since that's due at the end of the month, but also accept the spot on the Reserve list. They're going to reevaluate the applications at the end of May, which is before the second Virginia deposit is due.
I highly doubt I will get in, but at least I wasn't flat-out rejected on the first pass! How exciting!
I got a letter from Columbia telling me that my application has been put in their "Reserve group". So I've been wait-listed. This screws things up a bit, as I have been getting excited about going to Virginia. But if I could possibly get into Columbia, that would be awesome.
I think what I'm going to do is send in the first deposit to Virginia, since that's due at the end of the month, but also accept the spot on the Reserve list. They're going to reevaluate the applications at the end of May, which is before the second Virginia deposit is due.
I highly doubt I will get in, but at least I wasn't flat-out rejected on the first pass! How exciting!
112 days and counting
I looked at my calendar today and I have 112 days until the end of my contract. I hope I can leave about a week earlier than that, but if that's not possible, it's 112. I can't wait to leave.
The main reason that I want to get out of Japan is that I hate being in the office. I have nothing to do and it sucks. And that crazy bitch Miyahara yelled at us again yesterday for talking. Is she unable to do her job unless there is complete silence? If so, I don't consider that my problem; get some fucking ear plugs, they have them at the 100yen store. If it's just English she doesn't like to hear, still not my problem. I don't negotiate with racists.
I've spent the last few days looking at apartments in Charlottesville. I found a few that are very close to the law school (like a 5-minute walk), but upon closer inspection, they look slightly ghetto and have bad reviews online. There are some that are very nice, though. One of my favorites (and of course, the most expensive), is in a converted 1924 warehouse, with hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and 9' ceilings. So pretty!
My parents are going to actually go up to VA to check these places out for me, since it's not really convenient for me to go myself. I made them a Google map (I had no idea this was possible until a few days ago, but it's awesome.), with the locations of the apartments plotted out in relation to the school. I've tagged them in different colors based on my preferences: purple for the ones I really like, pink for the ones I like okay, and yellow for the ones I'd settle for.
Yesterday after work, Lauren, Catherine, and I went for a little hike on the Matsumoto trail. Cat had never done that one, and it's pretty easy and doesn't take long, so we did that instead of going to the gym. The weather was nice, not too hot or cold, and the crazy wind we had yesterday had died down by then, so it was a pleasant little hike. And then Lauren and I went out for cheap yakiniku. It was so good. I love meat.
Oh yes, and there was an earthquake this morning. It woke me up about 4:40. At first I thought I was imagining it, since I was still half-asleep, but when I kept being shaken, I realized it wasn't just a figment of my imagination. I thought about getting out of bed and getting in the doorway, just in case that was just a fore-shock, and then I thought about how I don't have a little earthquake pack, and then I went back to sleep. So much for that.
The main reason that I want to get out of Japan is that I hate being in the office. I have nothing to do and it sucks. And that crazy bitch Miyahara yelled at us again yesterday for talking. Is she unable to do her job unless there is complete silence? If so, I don't consider that my problem; get some fucking ear plugs, they have them at the 100yen store. If it's just English she doesn't like to hear, still not my problem. I don't negotiate with racists.
I've spent the last few days looking at apartments in Charlottesville. I found a few that are very close to the law school (like a 5-minute walk), but upon closer inspection, they look slightly ghetto and have bad reviews online. There are some that are very nice, though. One of my favorites (and of course, the most expensive), is in a converted 1924 warehouse, with hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and 9' ceilings. So pretty!
My parents are going to actually go up to VA to check these places out for me, since it's not really convenient for me to go myself. I made them a Google map (I had no idea this was possible until a few days ago, but it's awesome.), with the locations of the apartments plotted out in relation to the school. I've tagged them in different colors based on my preferences: purple for the ones I really like, pink for the ones I like okay, and yellow for the ones I'd settle for.
Yesterday after work, Lauren, Catherine, and I went for a little hike on the Matsumoto trail. Cat had never done that one, and it's pretty easy and doesn't take long, so we did that instead of going to the gym. The weather was nice, not too hot or cold, and the crazy wind we had yesterday had died down by then, so it was a pleasant little hike. And then Lauren and I went out for cheap yakiniku. It was so good. I love meat.
Oh yes, and there was an earthquake this morning. It woke me up about 4:40. At first I thought I was imagining it, since I was still half-asleep, but when I kept being shaken, I realized it wasn't just a figment of my imagination. I thought about getting out of bed and getting in the doorway, just in case that was just a fore-shock, and then I thought about how I don't have a little earthquake pack, and then I went back to sleep. So much for that.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
jusco
I just ate a huge plate of fried chicken and now I feel a little ill. It was delicious, but kind of greasy. I really didn't intend on eating the whole thing, just half, but I couldn't stop myself. I wasn't even that hungry.
Said chicken was purchased at Jusco this morning. I got up about 11:30 and went to the store a little before noon and got lots more food than I planned on getting, but it's all stuff I will definitely eat. I was especially pleased to see that they still have the Special K with the strawberries. I was afraid it was going to be one of those damn seasonal products.
Yesterday, I got up early and did three loads of laundry. Exciting, I know, but it needed to be done.
And last night, I went out to Shinbashi with some of the girls and had dinner and got pleasantly buzzed. But then, this table of Japanese guys next to us started talking to us and buying drinks, and I was like, ugh. I hate drunk, middle-aged Japanese men. Drunk, young Japanese men, no problem. But the older guys, no thanks. I don't care if you know a little English. Whatever. After a little while of that ridiculousness, Catherine and I gave the girls money for our share and left. Thank god we live within walking distance.
After I got home, I called my parents. I haven't talked to them on the phone in at least two weeks, so Mom was a little desperate to hear from me, I think. We ended up talking for over two hours. Thanks for being so cheap, Skype!
I told my parents that I'm 95% sure about Virginia, and they were thrilled, because that's where they wanted me to go. So now they're planning on taking a trip up to Charlottesville sometime soon to look at apartments, after I pick a few out, of course. I told them that I want a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, closet space, and preferably hardwood floors. I also want to live alone, because I've come to realize that the only people I can live with and not go insane are Ali and Michelle. I do want two bedrooms, but that second one is just for guests.
I think I might watch Mulan today. I rented it from iTunes a few weeks ago, but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet. And I might watch Independence Day again. I should clean, but I don't feel like it. Sorry, apartment!
Said chicken was purchased at Jusco this morning. I got up about 11:30 and went to the store a little before noon and got lots more food than I planned on getting, but it's all stuff I will definitely eat. I was especially pleased to see that they still have the Special K with the strawberries. I was afraid it was going to be one of those damn seasonal products.
Yesterday, I got up early and did three loads of laundry. Exciting, I know, but it needed to be done.
And last night, I went out to Shinbashi with some of the girls and had dinner and got pleasantly buzzed. But then, this table of Japanese guys next to us started talking to us and buying drinks, and I was like, ugh. I hate drunk, middle-aged Japanese men. Drunk, young Japanese men, no problem. But the older guys, no thanks. I don't care if you know a little English. Whatever. After a little while of that ridiculousness, Catherine and I gave the girls money for our share and left. Thank god we live within walking distance.
After I got home, I called my parents. I haven't talked to them on the phone in at least two weeks, so Mom was a little desperate to hear from me, I think. We ended up talking for over two hours. Thanks for being so cheap, Skype!
I told my parents that I'm 95% sure about Virginia, and they were thrilled, because that's where they wanted me to go. So now they're planning on taking a trip up to Charlottesville sometime soon to look at apartments, after I pick a few out, of course. I told them that I want a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, closet space, and preferably hardwood floors. I also want to live alone, because I've come to realize that the only people I can live with and not go insane are Ali and Michelle. I do want two bedrooms, but that second one is just for guests.
I think I might watch Mulan today. I rented it from iTunes a few weeks ago, but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet. And I might watch Independence Day again. I should clean, but I don't feel like it. Sorry, apartment!
Friday, April 4, 2008
tgif, bitches
Yay, it's Friday! And where am I? Having the life sucked out of me at the office, of course. I'm so terribly bored. At least the weather is nice.
I spent a little time looking up Mythbusters episodes to see if they had done anything on whether or not it's safer to jump when a car is about to hit you than just stand there. They haven't. I think I might submit that, because I would like to know, preferably before I leave Japan, as I am more likely to get hit by a car here than at home.
I really wanted yakiniku tonight, but Lauren has an enkai, so no go. Why does Catherine have to be a vegetarian?! I can't just go by myself, that would be sad. I'll just have fish. Again.
Jesus. Not even 2:30. Maybe I'll find something interesting on Wikipedia that will keep me awake for the next 2 hours.
I spent a little time looking up Mythbusters episodes to see if they had done anything on whether or not it's safer to jump when a car is about to hit you than just stand there. They haven't. I think I might submit that, because I would like to know, preferably before I leave Japan, as I am more likely to get hit by a car here than at home.
I really wanted yakiniku tonight, but Lauren has an enkai, so no go. Why does Catherine have to be a vegetarian?! I can't just go by myself, that would be sad. I'll just have fish. Again.
Jesus. Not even 2:30. Maybe I'll find something interesting on Wikipedia that will keep me awake for the next 2 hours.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
dinosaurs!
The new boss is so much better. Seriously. Not loud and obnoxious at all.
The enkai Tuesday night wasn't too bad. I didn't particularly enjoy the food, though the fruit was good. At least we were seated by Hamano-sensei. I like him. But apparently he got fired? Total bullshit. But he's still at the office, so maybe he meant they got rid of his old position and he had to move to another one? I don't really know.
I rented some movies the other night and have actually been watching them for a change. Last night, I watched Crimson Tide (I thought it was The Hunt for Red October, the covers look very similar, and they're both about subs, so it was cool), and now I'm watching Jurassic Park, which I haven't seen in years. I also rented and Independence Day and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I had a dream about UCLA, Virginia, and Georgia playing hockey against each other, three teams playing one game. It was weird, but then I woke up and thought about how to make a three-team game logistically possible. I think, if there was a circular rink, divided into thirds, with a net in each third, it could work. Two defensemen to stay in each zone, and two forwards that can move to all three, plus goalies. That way you could have four-on-four in each zone. See? That's totally possible. Nobody steal my idea, plz.
I think I'm going to go to Virginia. Even though George Washington will give me $30,000 a year, and Virginia is only giving me $30,000 total, I think it will be better for me to live in Charlottesville than in DC. At least for the time I'm in school. It's a smaller city, so maybe fewer distractions? Definitely cheaper. And it's a really pretty campus. Not to mention that the average starting salary for lawyers going into private firms is $140,000, and there are Virginia grads at each of the top 100 firms in the country. So even though I will have about $100,000 in debt when I get out, as long as I don't screw around, I should be able to get a good job and pay it off in a reasonable amount of time.
It figures that Michelle and I plan a trip to Korea at the same time that the North is threatening to blow it up. I mean, they don't have nukes, but still, regular bombs are just as effective. I don't think they'll go through with it, since that would be beyond stupid. If anything, China will stop them, since a war across the border would mean even more bad press ahead of the Olympics. But we'll be watching the situation. I'd rather forfeit my plane fare than get caught in a war. We can just chill in Fuku instead.
I finished the zombie book I was reading. It was really great, and not super scary. Then I started reading Sense and Sensibility, and while I respect Jane Austen and the fact that she wrote lots of classics, I cannot say that I am thrilled with it. I think it's the writing style, it's too much to parse for pleasure-reading. I feel like I'm back in school reading Hanz Morgenthau or some German IR theory shit. I have some other books at the apartment that I might take to work instead, like To Kill a Mockingbird or one of the Murder, She Wrote novels. (I didn't know there were books of those until I found them in my apartment.) At least I feel like I'm doing something worthwhile when I'm reading at work, instead of just staring at the Internet. Plus, it's much better for my eyes.
Oh, and I got to drive a K-truck yesterday! It's one of the little snub-nosed trucks that are everywhere in Japan, usually driven by old men or people with farms. The story is that Catherine wanted to buy a new couch, so we went to Komeri and she bought it. Of course, a three-seater couch wouldn't fit in her car, so we asked if they had delivery. The guy said they did, so he called and asked how much it was. 5000 yen! What?! 2000 for the actual delivery, plus 3000 for two guys to carry it to the apartment. But they also had the option of loaning us a K-truck for up to an hour and a half (for FREE!), and we could just do the stuff ourselves. So we chose that option. Luckily, Drew happened to be circling the block and helped us get it up the stairs (it wasn't heavy, just unwieldy), and we got it from the store to her apartment in less than 15 minutes. Awesome.
The enkai Tuesday night wasn't too bad. I didn't particularly enjoy the food, though the fruit was good. At least we were seated by Hamano-sensei. I like him. But apparently he got fired? Total bullshit. But he's still at the office, so maybe he meant they got rid of his old position and he had to move to another one? I don't really know.
I rented some movies the other night and have actually been watching them for a change. Last night, I watched Crimson Tide (I thought it was The Hunt for Red October, the covers look very similar, and they're both about subs, so it was cool), and now I'm watching Jurassic Park, which I haven't seen in years. I also rented and Independence Day and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I had a dream about UCLA, Virginia, and Georgia playing hockey against each other, three teams playing one game. It was weird, but then I woke up and thought about how to make a three-team game logistically possible. I think, if there was a circular rink, divided into thirds, with a net in each third, it could work. Two defensemen to stay in each zone, and two forwards that can move to all three, plus goalies. That way you could have four-on-four in each zone. See? That's totally possible. Nobody steal my idea, plz.
I think I'm going to go to Virginia. Even though George Washington will give me $30,000 a year, and Virginia is only giving me $30,000 total, I think it will be better for me to live in Charlottesville than in DC. At least for the time I'm in school. It's a smaller city, so maybe fewer distractions? Definitely cheaper. And it's a really pretty campus. Not to mention that the average starting salary for lawyers going into private firms is $140,000, and there are Virginia grads at each of the top 100 firms in the country. So even though I will have about $100,000 in debt when I get out, as long as I don't screw around, I should be able to get a good job and pay it off in a reasonable amount of time.
It figures that Michelle and I plan a trip to Korea at the same time that the North is threatening to blow it up. I mean, they don't have nukes, but still, regular bombs are just as effective. I don't think they'll go through with it, since that would be beyond stupid. If anything, China will stop them, since a war across the border would mean even more bad press ahead of the Olympics. But we'll be watching the situation. I'd rather forfeit my plane fare than get caught in a war. We can just chill in Fuku instead.
I finished the zombie book I was reading. It was really great, and not super scary. Then I started reading Sense and Sensibility, and while I respect Jane Austen and the fact that she wrote lots of classics, I cannot say that I am thrilled with it. I think it's the writing style, it's too much to parse for pleasure-reading. I feel like I'm back in school reading Hanz Morgenthau or some German IR theory shit. I have some other books at the apartment that I might take to work instead, like To Kill a Mockingbird or one of the Murder, She Wrote novels. (I didn't know there were books of those until I found them in my apartment.) At least I feel like I'm doing something worthwhile when I'm reading at work, instead of just staring at the Internet. Plus, it's much better for my eyes.
Oh, and I got to drive a K-truck yesterday! It's one of the little snub-nosed trucks that are everywhere in Japan, usually driven by old men or people with farms. The story is that Catherine wanted to buy a new couch, so we went to Komeri and she bought it. Of course, a three-seater couch wouldn't fit in her car, so we asked if they had delivery. The guy said they did, so he called and asked how much it was. 5000 yen! What?! 2000 for the actual delivery, plus 3000 for two guys to carry it to the apartment. But they also had the option of loaning us a K-truck for up to an hour and a half (for FREE!), and we could just do the stuff ourselves. So we chose that option. Luckily, Drew happened to be circling the block and helped us get it up the stairs (it wasn't heavy, just unwieldy), and we got it from the store to her apartment in less than 15 minutes. Awesome.
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