Sometimes. One thing that really makes me nuts is how one thing that gets picked up on TV is relayed instantly into everyone in the country's brain. Until a few months ago most people in Japan seemed to have many various opinions about whaling. Then the forces congealed. I have heard the exact same inane argument about 763 times in the last few months. It goes something like this: In Japan we are Buddhist so we can't understand killing any animals. Of course, no we eat animals, but as we come from a past when all there was to eat was whales, we can't understand how that is worse than eating a cow. Westerners eats cows and just take the oil from whales. We can't understand that.
This argument did not exist until a little while ago. I don't even have to watch TV to know that that is where it is coming from because I hear it everywhere.
The principal laid it on me during lunch on Friday. I told him that what makes other countries nuts is that every time Japan wants to do something outside the world community they do a huge song and dance about how no one can understand Japanese culture. Yeah sure. Most Japanese people don't understand Japanese culture. But they do understand crybaby excuses. That is all this is.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Elementary
I was at Ichizu and Koya, the two elementary schools that feed into Tomorogi, all this week. Koya is the one that is blamed for all of the badness. I spoke with the vice-principal (the most powerful position in Japanese schools) about the situation at length. She says that the 2nd years that are such a problem at junior high now, were a huge problem in elementary school as well. Maybe what we have is just a small wave of rotten kids that ended up together. Maybe it is the culmination of a wave of bad families. Maybe there was a wave of bad teachers. Who knows. Probably a little of column A a little from column B. I told her about all of the stuff going on at school and she couldn't believe it. She says it is my responsibility to beat on them. I feel the same way, but I have no back-up. We also agreed that I should tell the truth on my monthly work report that goes to the board of ed. just to build a record in case anything happens.
I go back tomorrow. Not really looking forward to it. I think I am just not taking shit and leaving class when things go bad this week. I'mm not going to sit around and bargain with the fuckers.
I also told her that I don't like teaching at elementary schools so much because they treat me like I am an animal in the zoo.
I go back tomorrow. Not really looking forward to it. I think I am just not taking shit and leaving class when things go bad this week. I'mm not going to sit around and bargain with the fuckers.
I also told her that I don't like teaching at elementary schools so much because they treat me like I am an animal in the zoo.
Album Covers
I was at elementary school all week, so no internet at school. Then I would come home and go to sleep. I came across this list of worst album covers. I think I need number 2o about right now. What the f' is that?
I always thought WHitney Houston looked really hot in #22.
I owned #19 and I own #14 right now. There is nothing(everything) wrong with it.
I always thought WHitney Houston looked really hot in #22.
I owned #19 and I own #14 right now. There is nothing(everything) wrong with it.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
UFC 84: Why I LIked Bikini Kill Review
I went 8 for 11. I was wrong about Wandy, he channeled the old beast. I was right for most of the undercard though. All in all a pretty good card.
Serious Business
I should be writing about many serious and interesting things. Instead I am going to post youtube videos.
here:
here:
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
As I Was Busy
I forgot to post things for both Mother's Day and my mother's birthday. Here you is:
How much does Elvis's drummer rule rocking the double bass '70s kit.
How much does Elvis's drummer rule rocking the double bass '70s kit.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
In The Ceiling
Just now a rat caught itself in a trap between the kitchen ceiling and my floor. I was downstairs and it sounded like a toddler riding a tricycle, pushing off with both feet, around upstairs.
UFC 84: Why I Liked Bikini Kill
The time has come. I skipped a rundown of the last UFC because it really wasn't worth any of our time, but the planets have aligned again allowing BJ Penn to descend to earth and fight for all of our benefit. If you want to watch a promo, apparently directed by Michael Mann's pet chimpanzee, go here. It is actually pretty ok. I enjoy the Machida scetion as well.
Let's start with the undercard:
Salaverry vs. Palhares: Salaverry, who possesses the best tattoo in all of MMA, is one of my favorite fighters. I don't know, however, how much he is in to it anymore. That is the common line on him. Palhares is a submission wizard. I want Salaverry to pull it out but I will not be surprised to see Palhares get a quick sub. I will call Salaverry by decision.
Wellisch vs. Carwin: Carwin looks the part. Wellisch plays the part. I think this could be a very boring fight. I will call Carwin by G-n-P TKO in the 1st in hopes that the heavyweight division will get more interesting. Reality will probably have Wellisch laying on top of him for 15 minutes.
Clementi vs. Etim: Slidell's on Clementi is own a very unexpected roll. It continues with a TKO in the 2nd.
Tan vs. Kim: I don't care. Kim by armbar.
Koppenhaver vs. Yoshida: This isn't beating up drunks in front of the gym. Yoshida by dirty boxing TKO in the 3rd.
Sokoudju vs. Nakamura: Pride revival. To judoka go at it wearing shorts. Nakamura is a tough mother (shut your mouth.) Sokoudju might be a fluke. Who knows? Sokoudju is the bigger guy and I will give him the advantage. Sokoudju TKO in the 2nd.
Silva vs. Mendes: Silva has every advantage in this fight. Silva by TKO in the 2nd.
Let's start with the undercard:
Salaverry vs. Palhares: Salaverry, who possesses the best tattoo in all of MMA, is one of my favorite fighters. I don't know, however, how much he is in to it anymore. That is the common line on him. Palhares is a submission wizard. I want Salaverry to pull it out but I will not be surprised to see Palhares get a quick sub. I will call Salaverry by decision.
Wellisch vs. Carwin: Carwin looks the part. Wellisch plays the part. I think this could be a very boring fight. I will call Carwin by G-n-P TKO in the 1st in hopes that the heavyweight division will get more interesting. Reality will probably have Wellisch laying on top of him for 15 minutes.
Clementi vs. Etim: Slidell's on Clementi is own a very unexpected roll. It continues with a TKO in the 2nd.
Tan vs. Kim: I don't care. Kim by armbar.
Koppenhaver vs. Yoshida: This isn't beating up drunks in front of the gym. Yoshida by dirty boxing TKO in the 3rd.
Sokoudju vs. Nakamura: Pride revival. To judoka go at it wearing shorts. Nakamura is a tough mother (shut your mouth.) Sokoudju might be a fluke. Who knows? Sokoudju is the bigger guy and I will give him the advantage. Sokoudju TKO in the 2nd.
Silva vs. Mendes: Silva has every advantage in this fight. Silva by TKO in the 2nd.
To the Main Card
Ortiz vs. Machida: I actually like both of these fighters a lot. I think everyone is kind of pulling for Ortiz to win so we can see what he does to piss off Dana White afterwards. This is his last fight for the UFC and you know he is motivated. On the other hand, Machida is one of my favorite fighters to watch. His style is completely unique. He uses karate as his base and has a very solid ground game. He is also undefeated. Tito could get the takedowns and punish Machida from the guard, but Machida's game is to stay away and only land decisive strikes. It will be hard for Tito to a hold of him. I am going with Machida by decision.
Gouveia vs. Reljic: Gouveia by TKO in the 2nd. No question.
Silva vs. Jardine: Is it okay to like someone who was so obviously on steroids? I do love Silva. He is a different fighter now though. A good fighter, but a different one. He is small for the division. He is better in a ring. Jardine isn't one of my favorite fighters but I admire his awkwardness. It is very hard to fight him. With the reach advantage I am calling Jardine by decision. His leg kicks are dinosaur like and his defense is solid. One caveat; What is Silva pulls the jiu-jitsu black belt out of his back pocket? Hmmmm....
Penn vs. Sherk: You know my opinion on BJ Penn. He lives above other fighters. Penn was out-striking GSP in his loss. Penn was not out-wrestled by Matt Hughes until he separated his ribs. Sean Sherk's striking is technical but not powerful. Sean Sherk's conditioning is not in question. He is a great MMA wrestler, but so is BJ Penn. Sherk is hard to submit, but are we forgetting that Joe Stevenson is too, but he was. Most people are saying it will come down to who wins the 3rd round and takes the decision. I see BJ beating up Sherk, taking the back and choking out Sherk in the 2nd. Call me crazy. Call BJ crazy when he licks up Sherk's blood.
This is a really good card, and I am looking forward to it. If you have never watched BJ Penn fight, please do. It will probably be more interesting then you think.
Gouveia vs. Reljic: Gouveia by TKO in the 2nd. No question.
Silva vs. Jardine: Is it okay to like someone who was so obviously on steroids? I do love Silva. He is a different fighter now though. A good fighter, but a different one. He is small for the division. He is better in a ring. Jardine isn't one of my favorite fighters but I admire his awkwardness. It is very hard to fight him. With the reach advantage I am calling Jardine by decision. His leg kicks are dinosaur like and his defense is solid. One caveat; What is Silva pulls the jiu-jitsu black belt out of his back pocket? Hmmmm....
Penn vs. Sherk: You know my opinion on BJ Penn. He lives above other fighters. Penn was out-striking GSP in his loss. Penn was not out-wrestled by Matt Hughes until he separated his ribs. Sean Sherk's striking is technical but not powerful. Sean Sherk's conditioning is not in question. He is a great MMA wrestler, but so is BJ Penn. Sherk is hard to submit, but are we forgetting that Joe Stevenson is too, but he was. Most people are saying it will come down to who wins the 3rd round and takes the decision. I see BJ beating up Sherk, taking the back and choking out Sherk in the 2nd. Call me crazy. Call BJ crazy when he licks up Sherk's blood.
This is a really good card, and I am looking forward to it. If you have never watched BJ Penn fight, please do. It will probably be more interesting then you think.
Friday, May 23, 2008
It Might Be Impossible...
...to describe how bad work was yesterday. The 3rd years returned from their trip. Everything went to shit. The class that I had the heartfelt talk with last week wouldn't listen in class. They did a little but they kept looking at pictures instead. Tomo, one of my favorite students ignored me and later forgot my name and decided that she hated me. Another class was so bad that I left telling them to come and get me when they felt like having class. They did after 25 mintues but it was the same thing. Other students were in the hall playing cards and kicking doors. The yakuza son was at school, without a uniform, trying to call people out of my class. I just stood there and watched the clock for the last 5 minutes and left. I had to drag one of the 1st years upstairs by his collar for telling another teacher she should die. There was some altercation during luch that I am not clear on. Later the 2nd year girl/non-humans stormed the 1st floor. Inoue blocked the door to a classroom but they barged in anyway. I went upstairs for help. Apparently they think the 1st years are telling on them and came for revenge. During this, Takahashi, the giant fat girl who always tells me to die, threw a slow punch at my head and said, "Die American." I was doing something else at the time so it didn't strike me as odd until I thought about it and figured I should have popped her one. There was spit everywhere on the floors. The rotten kids were just sitting in the stairwell. There was some large altercation that involved stealing bicycles. I am not sure what happened. One asshole was standing in fornt of the school taking everyone's shoes and flinging them outside. I am fairly fet up with the 3rd year teachers. What these kids need is an ass kicking. I feel kind of bad about thinking that but they have such a disconnect from reality. Their game is weak anyway. I went straight to the gym with no dinner and wrassled for 3 hours just to get it out of my system. No I have a big bruise around my eye.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Sleep
I slept for 10 hours last night and I still feel worn out. Mikuni. Like when Rome was just a whisper. Mikuni. Lowenstein. Mikuni. Where are you Mikuni? Hankyu. Hankyu.
Quiet?
The 3rd years are away on their school trip so I have been basking in the interim peacefulness and the knowledge that I probably won't have to fight anyone for the next few days. Or was I!?!?!?!?!?
The school has definitely quieter. Monday it came to light that the rotten 2nd year girls from last weeks bullying story have turned on the 1st and 2nd years on the volleyball team, which they are also a part of, and told them that they must do everything they say. They have the help of giant 2nd year girl Marutani, who might be my size. Inoue called a special meeting for after school on Monday. As the 3rd years are gone I resumed my post at the front of the school saying "See you" and making sure nobody devolves and starts eating their own feces. The meeting ran long and the 1st years who were waiting for their friends grew restless. I tried to keep them occupied and slightly quiet. We had fun. I let them punch me a lot and tried to remember all of their first names. I found out who was dating who. The meeting ran on and on. At some point Inoue Sensei emerged angry. I missed it but was told that instead of participating, the bad girls were playing cards. Of course they wouldn't listen to the word "stop." Inoue Sensei left them there. I watched the 1st years, who were growing tired as the meeting had exceeded and hour at this point. Inoue Sensei went back in the room. Soon after banging and yelling drowned out any conversation, this was mixed in with forced hysterical laughter. "He just wants us to be scared, but I'm not scared." They are well practiced phsychotics, these 2nd year 'girls.' The vice principal came downstairs and I told him that everything was okay. The girls bange dout of the classroom laughing. They turned on me and the 1st years. The vice-principal was new to the situation with different priorities so he didn't really grasp what was going on. He was trying to get the girls to wait while I was trying to get them to leave. One realized she had forgotten her umbrella and went back in after it. When she came out she bashed it against a column, laughing until it fell apart. Marutani, the tall one, began asking the 1st years why they were there. I told her it had nothing to do with her and that she should leave. She assured me it had nothing to do with me, that I wasn't even Japanese, plus I am disgusting and should die. The 1st years were great and ignored her. I told her she wasn't even a human and to get out of my face. It was all very funny to them. I said that I understood that they were laughing but they were really lonely and sad and that it is too bad that they can't admit that and deal with it. Of course that was funny as well as being impossible to understand, according to them.
They wouldn't leave. The rest of the volleyball team did and the girls went back for more, "Why don't you quit Inoue. We hope you are murdered." Miyaji, a 1st year boy who gets in trouble for all of the stuff I would have also gotten in trouble for (climbing on top of the home center/crashing shopping carts) came up and gave me a hug. I love the 1st years.
The rest of the 2nd year teachers came down to see what was going on. Ozaki had Marutani talk to Inoue. She lied the whole time of course. I got pissed and went home. I ran into Eda, the All-Japan Amateur Shooto champion at sanjo and we went to the gym to get it out of my system.
These kids really have mental troubles beyond or capacity to deal with them.
The school has definitely quieter. Monday it came to light that the rotten 2nd year girls from last weeks bullying story have turned on the 1st and 2nd years on the volleyball team, which they are also a part of, and told them that they must do everything they say. They have the help of giant 2nd year girl Marutani, who might be my size. Inoue called a special meeting for after school on Monday. As the 3rd years are gone I resumed my post at the front of the school saying "See you" and making sure nobody devolves and starts eating their own feces. The meeting ran long and the 1st years who were waiting for their friends grew restless. I tried to keep them occupied and slightly quiet. We had fun. I let them punch me a lot and tried to remember all of their first names. I found out who was dating who. The meeting ran on and on. At some point Inoue Sensei emerged angry. I missed it but was told that instead of participating, the bad girls were playing cards. Of course they wouldn't listen to the word "stop." Inoue Sensei left them there. I watched the 1st years, who were growing tired as the meeting had exceeded and hour at this point. Inoue Sensei went back in the room. Soon after banging and yelling drowned out any conversation, this was mixed in with forced hysterical laughter. "He just wants us to be scared, but I'm not scared." They are well practiced phsychotics, these 2nd year 'girls.' The vice principal came downstairs and I told him that everything was okay. The girls bange dout of the classroom laughing. They turned on me and the 1st years. The vice-principal was new to the situation with different priorities so he didn't really grasp what was going on. He was trying to get the girls to wait while I was trying to get them to leave. One realized she had forgotten her umbrella and went back in after it. When she came out she bashed it against a column, laughing until it fell apart. Marutani, the tall one, began asking the 1st years why they were there. I told her it had nothing to do with her and that she should leave. She assured me it had nothing to do with me, that I wasn't even Japanese, plus I am disgusting and should die. The 1st years were great and ignored her. I told her she wasn't even a human and to get out of my face. It was all very funny to them. I said that I understood that they were laughing but they were really lonely and sad and that it is too bad that they can't admit that and deal with it. Of course that was funny as well as being impossible to understand, according to them.
They wouldn't leave. The rest of the volleyball team did and the girls went back for more, "Why don't you quit Inoue. We hope you are murdered." Miyaji, a 1st year boy who gets in trouble for all of the stuff I would have also gotten in trouble for (climbing on top of the home center/crashing shopping carts) came up and gave me a hug. I love the 1st years.
The rest of the 2nd year teachers came down to see what was going on. Ozaki had Marutani talk to Inoue. She lied the whole time of course. I got pissed and went home. I ran into Eda, the All-Japan Amateur Shooto champion at sanjo and we went to the gym to get it out of my system.
These kids really have mental troubles beyond or capacity to deal with them.
Information
I don't read Daily Kos nearly as frequaently as I used to. There are various reasons for that. The good thing about Daily Kos is that, when it comes to good statistical observations, there is a lot of usable information to be found.
Today Kos himself had a very good point about the media narrative of Oregon vs. The narrative of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The main point is that Oregon is mostly white and has a lower per capita income than Ohio. But Obama is dominating there. So, if he loses Ohio he has a problem with working class white. If he wins Oregon he.....?
For some reason the media latches onto Ohio and Pennsylvania as the gritty heart of real America the same way they latch onto Brett Favre as a great quarterback. Brett Favre is a great quarteback, but not the only great quarterback. Apply that to the above mentioned states.
Today Kos himself had a very good point about the media narrative of Oregon vs. The narrative of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The main point is that Oregon is mostly white and has a lower per capita income than Ohio. But Obama is dominating there. So, if he loses Ohio he has a problem with working class white. If he wins Oregon he.....?
For some reason the media latches onto Ohio and Pennsylvania as the gritty heart of real America the same way they latch onto Brett Favre as a great quarterback. Brett Favre is a great quarteback, but not the only great quarterback. Apply that to the above mentioned states.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Slightly Cosmopolitan
Is how I feel as The New Yorker put out a list of the top 100 essential jazz recordings. I was prepared to be bewildered, but, to my surprise, I found that the majority of them were recordings that I listen to quite frequently. Check me out. Of course my list would read: Mingus, Mingus, Migus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Jelly Roll Morton, Django Reinhardt, Mingus Mingus. But that's just me.
The Family Across the Street
They have a very nice Machiya. The procession stopped to bless their house. I actually got a little choked up because the girl was wearing her junior high uniform because it was an important ceremony and my kids won't even wear theirs to school.
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