New Japanese Names I've Never Heard

New students today. 屋比久　（やびく)　　社務　（しゃむ）　　領内　（りょうない）

Yabiku, Shamu, and Ryonai, three last names that I've never heard...until today.

I started teaching at Shinikuno-Chu today. It was pretty nice. I had about 2 hours sleep. I only had one class. The kids were actually terrible. I think I have bought into the strict Japanese teacher mindset. Kids who don't do the proper greeting before they come into the office make me nuts. Kids who sit on their desks and don't face the front make me crazy. For some reason there are 2 teachers in the class. I make three. So, I can't really tell the kids, "You're behaving terribly." Because that means the other teachers are failing.

You know what never gets old but always rings hollow? The inevitability of the 15 year old girls coming around to the office to peak in the window to yell about how hot you are. Yeah, I know. I got it like that. They got it right this time. But I know that if I was any other foreign guy they would come by and say the same stuff...so.

On a similar note I saw a giant fat white guy with a big beard wearing a Washington Redskins jersey and riding a small bike around Ikuno-ku at 8 this morning. Hmmm?

On the train ride home I saw a really thin dude, with sharp features and a pony tail wearing big, frosted sunglasses and a floor length fur coat, with leopard spot slacks.

On the same train was a guy with these big, neon, Flavor-Flav yellow glasses, a pierced (what do you call that...under your lip??) A strange bright yellow jacket that had hard, plastic bits and regular jacket bits interspersed, a bright yellow hat, big stupid pants, a vacant expression and a stupid hot girlfriend.

In case you didn't know, Ikuno-Ku is like the Magnolia Projects of Osaka. Which is why I requested it. Of course, calling it "the Magnolia Projects of Osaka" means that it would be the safest neighborhood in any American city I have ever lived in.

Speaking of Ikuno....this