Killing Time

It is over 30 degrees outside and the kids are practicing for sports day -- dancing, running, gymnastics, marching band. It's all I can do not to melt.

More wasted time spent at my desk, although I was 20 minutes or so late for work today, having slept through my alarm. Not that I have many classes to prepare for. I will have one tomorrow, and perhaps one or two next week, but primarily I will be getting ready for my seminar on elementary school activities for the new JHS ALTs on the 13th. Right after sports day. Brilliantly timed if I may say so.

Trying to practice reading Japanese. Finding some interesting websites for kanji, as well as ordering a book this morning by a man who creates stories to accompany every kanji. His system is not designed to help you with the readings, but only with the meanings. I am thinking that maybe because I have some vocab I will be able to put together words I know with meanings I understand of things I read, and maybe get somewhere that way. I have a couple of books (novels) I have picked up in Japanese and would like to get through.

Finished reading Norwegian Wood last night when I probably should have been sleeping. Lights were off by 11:30, but I didn't fall asleep until much later, and awoke at 3 or so for no apparent reason.

Sent a somewhat provocative email to a friend last night -- I always feel much bolder and confident at night. Fully expect to get another shocked reply from him this afternoon.

Think I will take my Japanese books and venture over to my classroom. Ideally, I would like to sleep on the floor, but I suspect I would be spotted. I'll play some of the musc I brought and maybe read the airplane novel I shoved in my bag in an attempt to maintain consciousness. It's a good thing there is no staff meeting today. I don't think I would survive.

Got a bag of nashi from my car guy yesterday. He drove all the way out from Yodoe to bring me my car insurance papers and the pears. Turns out my insurance has gone down again -- some kind of safe driving discount I suppose. It's a good thing that it only counts accidents, not tickets. As it stands, I will be paying 2,200 yen a month, or about 25 or 26 dollars. Insurance is cheap here, although it could be just like home, where it is cheap in rural areas.