And then I realized, I'm just slutty.

So this week has been fucking shitty overall.  On Wednesday, Yao, the Chinese boy at school had 3,000 stolen from his wallet.  He thinks that it was Kobayashi, his helper/friend but of course denied it when asked.  But it was rather suspicious that Kobayashi started feeling sick and then went home early.  Luckily I had Chinese langague support installed on my computer so Yao could type and then translate to Japanese.  It wasn't perfect but better than me floundering in two languages I can't speak fluently.  I don't think the money was ever found.

Yesterday I had no classes because grade 6 are in Nikko.  I went to Toyoshiki and worked on my Japanese-singing-in-English thing for English club (and found so much good stuff!) and then to Ni-shou for 5th period.  Which ended up being 6th period but whatever because they had some kind of practice.  Naito-sensei had to leave early so I would be by myself.  Alright, that's fine.  I pretty much teach alone anyway.  But the fucking class were 15 minutes late and then took at least 5 minutes to put all their stuff away and no one had their book or nametags and they chatted the whole time.  And then when I gave them their work to do, which was pretty much just homework since they didn't even have time to write their names, I was one copy short.  So I went to the teacher's room to run off a copy and when I came back, one boy is lying on the floor at the back of the room clutching his stomach.  I thought maybe he was sick or something but I think another kid punched him.  I flagged down a teacher walking in the hall for help and ran for the nurse since I thought it was serious but I guess not.  And then the vice-principal was supposed to come and do the end-of-day aisatsu but he disappeared.  I didn't know what they were supposed to do (which ended up just being "Sayonara" and then they are free to go).  Ugh. 

I just get the feeling that no one takes me seriously.  I didn't yell at them like I usually would, but maybe I should have. 

This morning I wake up to a dozen crows outside my apartment.  They are flying all over the place and fighting in the street.  Where the hell did they come from?  They are huge.

I think I might try to get tickets to Nino's play this summer.  Anyone interested?  How many tickets should I try for?  Of course this has to happen when I am on a super tight budget.  If I don't score, I'll get my money back anyway.  It's right when I'm off work for summer!  I wonder what show time/date would be the least busy. 

Why is it that CD Japan always has a listing up for goods before any of the Japanese distributors do? I want to place an order for this book somewhere since it's limited. It's supposed to be released in two weeks; talk about short notice. I guess I'll check again tomorrow.

I got a solid 8 hours of sleep--actually woke up before the alarm went off at 5:55--but I still feel a bit tired. I don't have class first period so I can have a coffee and read my book or something. Or look productive and put some stuff together for elementary school (not that I have to do anything really). Then just one first year class and then two electives (Eiken test prep)for the 3rd years. But Kaneko is doing all of them. -__- So it's going to be a very long day.

I like my new dress. I should already know that since I bought it but I'm terrible at passing up sales and this that fit. Because those don't seem to come along as much as they should. It's a nice pastel green sundress but not... more like... smock? Adjustable straps and elastic waist around the chest but you have to (or should?) wear a shit underneath. That's how it was designed anyway. And there's a cute eyelet pattern around the hem. It gives me aboslutely no shape but that also covers the lumpiness. It never cesses to amaze me how Japanese clothes are so flowy and just hang off the body; it doesn't look weird on tiny Asian women but make me look like a whale.

I haven't heard from mom in ages. I'm kind of starting to get concerned? Her MSN was left on yesterday and I sent a couple messages but then figured out it was 9am so she'd be at work. I don't know, what's so difficult/time consuming/taxing about firing off a short reply? Unless something happened and she's doing damage control. Maybe I should email dad and Sean to see what the hell is going on.

Today is going to be a short day. There's no class in the afternoon because of home visits and an assembly during 3rd and 4th. I only have 1st and 2nd and then I'm free~! But I can't go anywhere. I need to make a plan for English club this week so I'll have something to do. I need to make another appointment at Plaza Clinic. Maybe I could go on Thursday? I want to go before Yuka's wedding but I should really wait until after pay day. Well, I don't even know if I could get an appointment that soon anyway.

I always think I have a lot more to say than I actually do.

I want to write.  Prompt me.  I will make a pouty post on my comm.  I went to see if anyone wrote anything for the Anonymeme and I found this: Sho/Shige math!sex.  The nerd in me is regailing even though Math was my worst subject by far. 

I watched the Utaban performance last night.  I really hate how they do filmings and then chop the shit out of them for broadcast.  But Nino's dumbstruck face was priceless.  Holy shit, they need a new choreographer.  I've seen those moves before.  Ohno looked bored and underchallenged as usual and Nino looked like he was doing the Chicken Dance on speed.

Today was another full day.  I'm kind of glad my first class got cancelled but that still meant I had 4.  I come back down from 3rd to change my textbooks and Kameyama-san is waiting for me in the hallway.  "You can speak Chinese, can't you?" she asks me and when I say yes, takes me into the principal's office.  There's a boy and his mom and sister there who is transferring in to our school from China and they want me to talk to him.  They don't really need me there since the mom and sister speak (enough) Japanese but I guess maybe they wanted someone who can speak to them in their own language?  I don't know.  But oh my god, I've forgotten everything.  I couldn't even remember the word "when".  Fuck.  He's 3rd year age, but can't speak, write, read or understand Japanese.  At all.  And they want him to be able to go to high school next year...  I wonder what's going to happen... he said he could speak a bit of English but he's not good (haha as if Japanese kids are good, and especially not our 3rd years this year).  They want him to just communicate anyway he can.  I hope he can make some friends.  This kid Kobayashi's mom is Chinese apparently and there are a couple Mongolian kids but I don't think that's going to help at all.  

He's starting on Thursday and the year just started so he'll have the whole year to get up to speed.  I think he should be fine.  I recommended going to check out the Kashiwa Interantional Relations Association because they've got free Japanese classes for foreigners.  Look how far I've come in a year without any particular studying.  If he studies and is surrounded by it constantly, he should be able to become at least conversational by year end.  He won't have a huge problem with kanji and reading comprehension but it's still worrying.  I just feel really bad that I can't speak Chinese anymore so I'm no help to him.  Well, if he writes it down I can read it and look it up and I will study a bit.  I should let the teachers know to tell him if he needs something... he can ask me.  Even though I won't be able to do much.  Kyoto-sensei contacted the BOE today and asked them to send a helper/tutor who speaks Chinese to help him catch up a few days a week. 

I'm at work for 1 day and I have to skip 40 entries? Jesus. And it's like the same person cross-posting on 3 different communities. Fuck.

Work was entertaining. Kaneko found a lock for the latop (I knew there had to be one because it was locked up when I first arrived) so it's staying on my desk. :D Teaching with Imai-sensei was great fun. I'm really surprised how good all these kids are. I'll be sad I won't get to see them through to the end of 3rd year. Napped after school. Totally wasn't intentional! I hope I'm not fucked tonight (anymore than I already am).

What to do about dinner... I have left over curry but don't want to eat it. Or raisin rolls and cream cheese but that's more of a breakfast/late nite snack thing. I don't want conbini dinner again~ どうしよ～？ Maybe I just have to suck it up.

I got in contact with Nelson. :D I need to write him an epic email.

Last night's Shukudai-kun looks kind of 微妙. No one is raving so I obviously didn't miss much. I'm still going to download it though, once Door to Door is finished.

Really bad. Please to listen to these songs. They are only a selection of the ones from the new album (plus one that isn't). He's a fucking magician, a power house. He writes, plays and mixes all his own stuff. He's 6 months younger than I am (and exactly 2 years younger than our beloved Matsujun!) and just so amazingly talented. I really can't rave enough about this kid. His SoCal LA accent kind of is a bit grating at times but it's totally amusing to me whenever he says 'and' in his blog videos. He makes me want to go out and blog about random shit in Japan for the folks back home. The smelliest train in Chiba? Speaking of blogging, I haven't updated my Vox in a while. Not that anyone reads that or gives a shit.

Still no concert information, but I am going.


I am happy that I could finally find the lyrics for 車. I could actually catch most of them but I was like... is this really what I think he's singing about? He wrote about what happens when you don't buckle up. Yep. More to love. Kid even did the infamous Mentos/Coke experiment. He and Aiba would be great friends.



It's amazing--I know maybe 1/10th about this guy (or less) compared to Arashi but I feel more love for him that I (ever?) have for them. That's serious. I'm really in deep here; I have tried to get most of my friends to listen to him. Too bad Andrew and Justin only listen to pop and R&B. Won't even give him a chance. Oh, well. More Joe love for me! ♥

UGH I wish these fucking seasonal allergies would go away! I'm tired of sneezing. I should probably cook dinner, even though I ate 4 breaded goodies after work. Which was a total gongshow. I didn't do anything. Kaneko didn't get fired, but he's not a homeroom teacher anymore. Nakamura is still doing 3rd year and Imai is doing 2nd, Kaneko got demoted to 1st and a new pricipal. There are about 6 new teachers at Toyoshiki and another handful at Ni Shou and a new VP. I get my own desk at Ni Shou this year too! All my favourite teachers are still there. No Watanabe-sensei to look at but 3 or so new younger teachers who I might be able to be friends with. One of them wants English lessons?! So Kaneko told me. I'll see more about that on Monday, I guess. It's going to be a great year. :)

Meeting Blake for lunch before going to Ariel's violin concert tomorrow. I haven't seen him forever. He sent me a message today apologizing for a being a shit lately which I never expected. He hasn't gotten back to me yet about plans though. Smile is on in another hour and a half. I am going to try writing for this Rare Pair Meme to get out of my writer's block funk I've found myself in.

What it was about Jun's hair (which I'm liking-- it's Bambino Jr!) that was bothering me:



He's doing the Yamapi Fringe.  That fucking little front piece that falls across his nose that bugged me so much.  I think Yamapi looks good all the time (even with the perm or whatever he has going on these days) but that fucking was like "I WANT TO CUT IT OFFF".  Jun's isn't nearly that bad but that's what it is.  I totally hotlinked from Yuckie; so shoot me.  She said "don't reupload".  So I didn't.  Just think of this as "free advertising". 

Mmmm I'm totally not sleepy.  I should get up at 8 tomorrow so I can be lazy and eat something for breakfast and do my hair and get pretty for the long day.  I've got to be in Azabu Juban at 11am to sign my new contract and that shit is going to take like an hour because stupid boss is probably going to wax poetic about what our contracts say (as if it's going to be tragically different from last year) and do paperwork etc.  I will find out for sure that I'm back at Toyoshiki (I fucking better be) and if I got a raise.  Last year they gave only a couple people raises who did good jobs.  I did a good job, but I hadn't been with them for the whole year so I didn't qualify.  Bullshit but whatever.  They don't have any excuses this year and I had perfect attendance and my school even requested for me personally to come back.  That's got to count for something.  Stupid Tatsuya hasn't even given me my fucking observation comments yet.  I'll ask for them tomorrow, I guess.

I'm meeting Taka for drinks tomorrow night somewhere in Akihabara so I'm just going to hang out in Tokyo.  Go somewhere, find a cafe and get caffeinated and read Wicked.  Andrew's free to do some filming for our CM around 430 so I'll go hang out there in the afternoon.  I don't even know when Taka will be free for drinks.  Probably around 7.  I've got to call him tomorrow.

I feel exhausted.  And I didn't even really do anything today.  I had 2 classes with Kaneko and it was just kgjadsfffffff.  I can't believe how fucking disorganized that man is.  He said to me in 2nd period, "I am mentally and physically exhausted."  HOW?  What is it that is so tough and draining that you are doing that all the other teachers aren't?  Nothing as far as I can tell.  I ended up ranting a little bit to Imai-sensei about it when I had class with her.  His lessons are pointless.  It's supposed to be English class, not fucking Social Studies.  I'm all for contextualizing stuff: give them a short passage about WW2 to set the scene for Sound of Music--in Japanese, if you must--and they can read it in their spare time.  It would also help if you brought you fucking shit to class.  He wasted 20 minutes today because he had to go back downstairs twice.  Imai-sensei was like... well, then who's going to teach 3rd year next year?  I don't care.  Anyone but him. /rant

Doctor says the toe is looking better slightly but he's still worried about the redness.  Finish the antibiotics and keep doing what I'm doing with it.  Go back if it gets worse.  Thankfully I didn't have to wait that long to hear him tell me that.

Got the rest of the things I need to wear my kimono!  For 9000 yen. T_______T  Ugh my life.  Thankfully I won't have to buy those things again (and if I think about it, I didn't pay for 1 obi and got the other for 1000 yen at a flea market).  The most expensive thing was the obijime, the braided cord that goes over the top of the obi.  I went with the longer size because I am bigger than the average Japanese lady and it cost 5000 yen alone.  Makes me cry.  But the lady was really nice when I asked her which colours I should get.  I will try it on after dinner and do a test run before Saturday.  I'm excited to help Ariel tomorrow! :D

Speaking of which, my sleeping arrangements for tomorrow are still up in the air.  I really don't want to go home after shopping just to go back out to Yoyogi (well, Roppongi, then Yoyogi) the next day.  It's all Dan's fault.  

Need angry idol icon.

I think I need to get a new hair dryer.  My shitty one I inherited from the Abiko place is starting to spark and smoke when I flip the switch.  That can't be good at all. O_o

3,389 words for chapter 12.  I think it's nearly done.  I'd like to get 400 more in the last paragraph to balance it out with the 2nd but I don't know if there's anything else I should add.  And then the epilogue and it'll be done.  I might be able to post it tonight, if not tomorrow.  Pending Lydia's editing.  よろしく！

Today's the last day at elementary school.  I'm going to bring my camera and take pictures.  Tried to upload video from the Okura Kai yesterday and it took 2 hours and wasn't finished yet.  It's only 333mb!  Maybe I should convert it to smaller .mp4 and try again.

It was a hard thing to get up and out to work this morning. It was the worst head cold I've had in a long time and I don't understand where I got it. Unless sleeping all night with the AC on at Andrew's was the cause since I don't do that at home because no one else was feeling gross. I was wavering between hungry and nauseated all the way until lunch and then I felt better. I napped through first and second periods and that helped a bit too. And I read Lipstick Jungle the rest of the day. Very productive. Kaneko fucked up the schedule on day 1 which is par for the course so I had no classes at all. He gave each first year two or three while all the second have three or four. It's going to be a very long three weeks.

( It's been a while since I fangirled )

Tomorrow is supposed to be shit weather.  What the hell, February.  What the hell.

I JUST LOOKED AT MY POWER BILL.  5400 YEN.  FUCKKKK.