| Sunday, June 10th, 2007 |
| 10:35 am |
but one swallow makes no summer
I have not blogged in like, ages... Today Ben went up 3333 steps (I bade him farewell at 2300ish). And! I did the voice recording for the welcome sign at the base of this grand and painful cultural monument. It was totally in place and we pressed this button whereafter my grand and painful voice came sprawling out of a big granite block, much to the neglect of passersby (whom knew neither of me nor of my grand and painful vocals). Now, we are on the welcome back tour in super-slow-mo. Just got plane tix, just reserved all the ish for our last trip, and of course, every day there seems to be less and less moo lah left for all those silly sinful necessities, like a car and health insurance. Just goes to show ya, living in the most expensive country in the world can get a bit... expensive, yes... But, riddle me this, who will be there to welcome us when the Jenny and the Benny return!?!? |
| Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 |
| 6:54 am |
Totally Messed Up!
Not the lesson they intended
Two L.A. charter school teachers lose their jobs over a planned Black History Month presentation. "Teachers and students said the administration suggested that the Till case — in which the teenager was beaten to death in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman — was not fitting for a program intended to be celebratory, and that Till's actions could be viewed as sexual harassment." Read on.updates: We're going to the Philippines for two weeks. I hear the rainy season has started a bit early, but I look forward to making a fool of myself in yet another country and meeting new family. I'll be attending USC next fall. Yes, that'd be the "Republican school" that my father has warned me of... Well, nuts to that! It's 5 minutes from Ben's place and free. Kind of strange to be willing to challenge myeslf so much as opposed to my current position, and be rewarded in a completely non-paycheck manner... perhaps even in negative money. I miss school! |
| Wednesday, January 31st, 2007 |
| 5:32 pm |
Round and round you're turning me...
Last night was the most fun I think I've ever had out with my co-workers and in a karaoke bar. 'Do the Locomotion' actually brought a complete stranger to his feet at the bar to do a very geisha-esque paper umbrella dance. There was twirling, bobbing, and a very graceful finale when he bowed on his knees before the stage. We even got all of my non-singing and extremely shy BOE co-workers to get up and do a YMCA conga line. My boss sang 'Material Girl' with me (even though she only knew the chorus). It was fabulous. |
| Wednesday, January 17th, 2007 |
| 10:10 pm |
How am I?
 Why, how kind of you to ask. Actually, I've been pretty damn cold. |
| Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007 |
| 10:36 pm |
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| Monday, December 18th, 2006 |
| 7:28 pm |
possibly the most useless directions ever
Write a Statement of Purpose describing your background, interest, and qualifications for the MPP program. If you use more than one page for your statement be sure to number the pages and include your name on each page. Gee thanks UCLA... That would just perhaps include EVERYTHING. |
| Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 |
| 6:02 am |
Living it Up
I really want to write some long rant complaining about all the stress and pressure in my life at the moment, but just a month ago I would have been complaining about the tedium and boredom. I actually really love the spicey bite of anxiety in my life, from grad school applications to Ben coming to Japan soon (in the midst of said application deadlines), and even the community English course and seminar workshop I will be planning. Allergies do suck though. That's just true. |
| Monday, October 30th, 2006 |
| 3:40 pm |
Halloween = Awesome!
For Halloween, I was inadvertently this guy:  Pei Yong Joon, just about the hottest Korean ever to hit Japan... or so they say. I think Ilse and I make sexy men either way. What do you think?  Showing off my fly moves at our really lame hip-hop club never felt so good! I guess all it takes are big white sneakers that glow in the blacklight. |
| Tuesday, October 10th, 2006 |
| 8:42 pm |
and then my mind was blown
Monday October 9 North Korea seems to have carried out a nuclear test. I am worried about the damage to Japan. ...wow. Granted, the second round of journals are much better than the first. but, really... what junior high school student looks at a journal entry as their chance to talk about their political concerns, let alone in a different language? That just kind of makes me giddy :) |
| Tuesday, September 26th, 2006 |
| 4:33 pm |
Soooooo...
I have no school today because a kid was knifed. It really scares me. I hope whoever it is, he or she is ok. Maybe now my school will just burn the administration that wasn't working already. Maybe it has nothing to do with that at all. Why did this happen? |
| Wednesday, September 20th, 2006 |
| 3:38 pm |
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| Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 |
| 12:16 am |
my VP just did a very realistic air golf swing (with full-on distant ball scoping) when he thought no one was looking I so was. |
| Tuesday, September 12th, 2006 |
| 7:43 pm |
Go REGENTS!
perhaps the only time I will ever say that. Here's yesterday's entry for the vocab builder on the UC system's GRE prep site Word of the Day for September 11 autocrat (noun) An individual who rules with absolute power. Most of the employees saw the president as an autocrat who acted without seeking the input of anyone else in the company. hehehe... |
| Monday, September 11th, 2006 |
| 10:09 pm |
The system (slightly) redeems itself
This week my second-years are out working full-time at a local business of their choice. Wish I had gotten a taste of working life in junior high :) I'll likely be applying to grad schools soon. If any of you hear about good environmental studies and/or public policy programs let me know. I've just got the obvious ones to work with at the moment. And tips for the GRE would be GREATLY appreciated :) |
| Monday, September 4th, 2006 |
| 1:28 am |
I want to be the world peace
I'm hard to day. I am birthday. We ari a barbeque rally. I am goingo to take to walk yesterday. I'm fought yesterday. Let's summer fight! (ganbaru literally means 'to fight' in English, but in Japanese it can mean a LOT of different motivational expressions... we need to teach them a bit more 'fighting' vocabulary, methinks) It's a new year, and I'm struggling with the same inadequacies in this system. The girl who did the best diary entry (not without it's mistakes as well) wrote that she goes to a 'supplementary school' after regular school sometimes. Some didn't write anything at all. And really, it's not that surprising considering I know the most English at my school and I only teach about 10 minutes out of each 50-minute lesson for two out of three grade levels. Not that this would matter if the English teachers knew English themselves (hell I wouldn't even be necessary in that case)... but that other 40 minutes... well I'd say at least 30 of it is in Japanese. I spent so long not caring about all of this, but it really bothers me that after a year and a half of English instruction, most of my students can't write a single complete sentence about their summer vacations, let alone 15. I ratted out two of my worst teachers to my boss at the BOE, but who knows what or how things can really change in the classroom when I am just an assistant and we have a mandatory boring curriculum. Waaaah! That's it, I'm getting a real job. Someday. Hmmmmmm... public schools, where are they really working? mandatory everyone education, what a difficult beast you be |
| Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006 |
| 6:02 pm |
Saw an elephant jack-off on a tractor tire at the LA Zoo. Got my Japanese driver's license (only took me three trips to the DMV!). - the first person to give me my driving test said the second day that he knew I would pass because I "did what he said to do"... grr! - the first interrogator who determines just HOW you got your foreign license got on another ALT's case for bringing an interpretor... as in, how do you expect to get your license if you don't know enough Japanese on your own? This is AFTER he told me to make sure I HAD an interpretor the second time I came in. - I felt really bad for this other foreigner getting her license... she failed three times and will likely fail again (it's 2400 yen each time) guess this process is shitty no matter where you are... Oh well, I can finally drive (again!) and danced in a funk and soul bar with monkey ears and nose and will party at the volcano this weekend and I'm trying to maintain my sanity 7 hours a day with nothing to do but this OH, and read this: http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=12340It's a pretty moderate and straightforward editorial on rationalizing the "terrorist" mind. So,how you all doing? |
| Tuesday, July 18th, 2006 |
| 11:07 pm |
I woke up sweaty today. Ew. Check it out: Things We Learned at the Movies 57. If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St. Patrick's Day parade -- no matter what time of year it is. If you can't find a St. Patrick's Day parade, try for a Chinese New Year celebration and hide in the dragon. because it's true http://www.sff.net/paradise/movies.html |
| Sunday, July 9th, 2006 |
| 10:10 pm |
Get Down With the Sickness
Because Being Sick is Hard to Do... come on come on down doobie do down down Sorry, that friggin' melody is stuck in the abcesses of Jenny sickness once known as a functional mind. Had a way too overblown Friday night saying goodbye to loads of folks, then went to the lake Saturday for bentos and splashing. After playing in the river, I got incredibly sick (a likely combination of being hungover, not having enough sleep, digestive tract upheaval, being soaking wet head to toe, and some kind of flu... ahem). I sprawled across the front of my car and tried to sleep for about 2 hours in the CLAIR parking lot. I'm hardcore that way. Dakara, I called in sick to work on Sunday and went to the Aso reggae festival with Ilse instead. Damn those inaka volcano people really know how to throw a good party. Heard some okay music, painted for a good spell, layed out, and met some cool folks, including one woman who couldn't stop talking about Sunset Live (a three day reggae fest in Fukuoka come Sept. - I'm so there). Had to make up some excuses this morning in order to get back in time to hit up the clinic with my boss, but at least now I'm all medicated up (for only 1070 yen - yay health care!). I also have all the yoghurt and Aquarius energy drink I could have ever asked for - neighbors are so nice :) |
| Tuesday, July 4th, 2006 |
| 11:54 pm |
4th of July musings...
What Would the Founding Fathers Do? "The real American question of our times is how our country in a little over 200 years sank from the great hope to the most backward democracy in the West. The U.S. offers the worst healthcare program, one of the worst public school systems and the worst benefits for workers. The margin between rich and poor has been growing precipitously while it has been decreasing in Europe. Among the great democracies, we use military might less cautiously, show less respect for international law and are the stumbling block in international environmental cooperation. Few informed people look to the United States anymore for progressive ideas." - Mark Kurlansky seriously
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| Monday, July 3rd, 2006 |
| 6:32 pm |
Back at square one
Being back at my first school reminds me of how important good administration and organization are for students. The notable lack of both here is astounding. My whole day is trying to stay awake and not scream at anyone. |
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somnambulator's journal