hey all,
Last week was E3. We got some interesting games coming out this year, but nothing that really grabbed me like last year.
I barely got any sleep at all last week, but that is my fault. I started a new series called The Kingkiller Chronicles, and the first two books were really good. So good, in fact, that I didn't get to bed until 1AM or 2AM most nights. Not sure when the third book is coming out, but I'm looking forward to it.
I'm still plugging away at the teaching books, though my pace is slow. One of my coworkers complained about books all having the same plot, etc, and I recommended she read Gravity's Rainbow and Infinite Jest. I actually started Infinite Jest for my second read through this weekend, as well.
Friday was a brutish day. We had a potential new teacher come in and teach a bit, but he had zero experience and would need a lot of training. My class had to finish early so I could head over to the immigration bureau and pick up my new visa. I applied for the three year visa, and I actually got it, so that was nice. But then both of my afternoon classes severely disappointed me. The younger kids never look up any words, and I yelled at them for not making enough efforts at home (such as looking up words they didn't know). Then my high school class. It starts at 6:10PM, and despite telling them to review the vocabulary because there would be a quiz, they hadn't. The class only meets once a week, and is only 50 minutes long, but it is nothing but a waste of time. The students don't study, they don't seem to retain what is taught, etc. I told them to come back next week with a goal for us to reach. Hopefully, if they can come up with a reason to study, it will go much smoother.
Probably because of the stress and lack of sleep, I've come down with a headcold. One of those, "why did my ancestors need to have evolved sinuses?" headcolds that through off your balance, your hearing, and give you a killer headache. I slept through most of Saturday, and I'll be going to bed early tonight as well.
I have got in a few more hours in Kingdoms of Amalur, too. The combat really makes the game.
Next week we have more potential teachers coming in. We'll see if they work out.
Cheers,
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Course
hey all,
I've gotten the feedback for my final assignment in that curriculum development course. I basically got half points on one part, and almost full points on the other part, so it evened out to 75% percent. The instructor liked my powerpoint presentation, but for some reason did not like the critique I wrote up. I think part of it was the formatting. He wanted a title page, references listed on a separate page, etc. And all I could think about was how much paper that would waste. Of course, he returned the files with digital comments on them, so I know he didn't print them out to grade them. But still.
The other part was citations. Apparently, I was supposed to cite the textbook (or some other source) as a credible source for my judgment of the quality of the presentation, but I didn't.
Oh well. I guess that's what I get for being out of academia for a few years.
Cheers,
I've gotten the feedback for my final assignment in that curriculum development course. I basically got half points on one part, and almost full points on the other part, so it evened out to 75% percent. The instructor liked my powerpoint presentation, but for some reason did not like the critique I wrote up. I think part of it was the formatting. He wanted a title page, references listed on a separate page, etc. And all I could think about was how much paper that would waste. Of course, he returned the files with digital comments on them, so I know he didn't print them out to grade them. But still.
The other part was citations. Apparently, I was supposed to cite the textbook (or some other source) as a credible source for my judgment of the quality of the presentation, but I didn't.
Oh well. I guess that's what I get for being out of academia for a few years.
Cheers,
Monday, June 04, 2012
One More Year
hey all,
Just finished watching the season finale of Game of Thrones. I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with how they have adapted the books so far. I still have my grudges and gripes about that one red haired whore character, and I'm a little tweaked that some characters were introduced and then apparently cut for no reason. But their handling of the battle on Blackwater was very well done, even if yes, it was different from the book. And they did manage to justify, at least partially, a major deviation involving the dragons and Qarth. Of course, down the road, this also means another deviation if they get around to filming A Dance with Dragons, as they have killed off one (at least implicitly) of the characters who comes back in that book.
But they can deal with that problem when they get there. For now, they have apparently already started casting for season three, and probably will be moving into shooting sooner or later. But that means I've got a whole ten months or so to wait for the next season.
And who knows when good old GRRM will get around to publishing the next book in the series. My bet is that I will have my student loans paid off before he finishes his next novel. I mean, he has the TV series to help with, his various conventions to go to, his other projects such as Wild Cards and others to keep going.
Cheers,
Just finished watching the season finale of Game of Thrones. I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with how they have adapted the books so far. I still have my grudges and gripes about that one red haired whore character, and I'm a little tweaked that some characters were introduced and then apparently cut for no reason. But their handling of the battle on Blackwater was very well done, even if yes, it was different from the book. And they did manage to justify, at least partially, a major deviation involving the dragons and Qarth. Of course, down the road, this also means another deviation if they get around to filming A Dance with Dragons, as they have killed off one (at least implicitly) of the characters who comes back in that book.
But they can deal with that problem when they get there. For now, they have apparently already started casting for season three, and probably will be moving into shooting sooner or later. But that means I've got a whole ten months or so to wait for the next season.
And who knows when good old GRRM will get around to publishing the next book in the series. My bet is that I will have my student loans paid off before he finishes his next novel. I mean, he has the TV series to help with, his various conventions to go to, his other projects such as Wild Cards and others to keep going.
Cheers,
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Funny
hey all,
Just a short one here. Yesterday there was an earthquake during one of my PM group lessons. I was quizzing them on pronoun references in one of our reading passages, and then the building started shaking a little. My students kept their hands up so I could call on them, even though their moms, myself and the other classes in session where judging whether or not to get out of the building. I only smiled and said "I love your focus right now."
Cheers,
Just a short one here. Yesterday there was an earthquake during one of my PM group lessons. I was quizzing them on pronoun references in one of our reading passages, and then the building started shaking a little. My students kept their hands up so I could call on them, even though their moms, myself and the other classes in session where judging whether or not to get out of the building. I only smiled and said "I love your focus right now."
Cheers,
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
1-1
hey all,
So I wasn't detained or put into handcuffs at the immigration bureau. I did have to wait 3 hours, but that is just a bit longer than average. I got the application in, and I was only missing one form, which nobody at the school, nor even Michi had heard of or seen before.
School is going OK, but as I mentioned, one of the unstable students has returned so the AM class can be a little touch and go.
Thankfully, I only had my group PM class after that, so I got a new packet printed out, plus I made a new vocab quiz, flashcards, and made two videos for my AM class.
Afterwards, I got to put in a few more hours in Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning. Still fun.
For anyone keeping track, now that I have finished reading Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos for the second time, I am making some progress on those education books, like Teach Like a Champion, Making Thinking Visible, and Visible Learning for Teachers.
I wanted to mention that Michi and I watched this really old Japanese flick (it feels like 1970's but was made in 1987) last weekend called Watashi-o ski-ni tsurettete, which is something like Please Take me Skiing. It is like your classic skiiing movie from the 1980's, but you can tell it is Japanese because the protagonists have a really tough ski course that they need to complete in order to save their company's butt. There is a romantic interest between the main character and an office lady that also happens to work at his company (of course). Pretty funny, worth seeing once, but Michi is obsessed with it now.
Cheers,
So I wasn't detained or put into handcuffs at the immigration bureau. I did have to wait 3 hours, but that is just a bit longer than average. I got the application in, and I was only missing one form, which nobody at the school, nor even Michi had heard of or seen before.
School is going OK, but as I mentioned, one of the unstable students has returned so the AM class can be a little touch and go.
Thankfully, I only had my group PM class after that, so I got a new packet printed out, plus I made a new vocab quiz, flashcards, and made two videos for my AM class.
Afterwards, I got to put in a few more hours in Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning. Still fun.
For anyone keeping track, now that I have finished reading Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos for the second time, I am making some progress on those education books, like Teach Like a Champion, Making Thinking Visible, and Visible Learning for Teachers.
I wanted to mention that Michi and I watched this really old Japanese flick (it feels like 1970's but was made in 1987) last weekend called Watashi-o ski-ni tsurettete, which is something like Please Take me Skiing. It is like your classic skiiing movie from the 1980's, but you can tell it is Japanese because the protagonists have a really tough ski course that they need to complete in order to save their company's butt. There is a romantic interest between the main character and an office lady that also happens to work at his company (of course). Pretty funny, worth seeing once, but Michi is obsessed with it now.
Cheers,
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Pass and Fail
hey all,
Well, work-wise this week has gone pretty well. Morning classes are going pretty smooth again. But that probably has something to do with one of those mentally unstable students being gone again.
In terms of bureaucracy, I think this week's score is 1-0, them. If you look at the diagram, you can see that the Tokyo Immigration Bureau includes offices in Niigata, Utsunomiya, and other places pretty far from Tokyo itself. Since I work in Yokohama,I thought it would be more convenient for me to go to the Yokohama branch office, instead of the one in Tokyo-to Minato-ku.
Apparently this is not allowable. Why, don't ask me. So I have to go back to the Immigration office, this time I have to go to the one in Tokyo. At the time they told me I was really pissed. As in I folded my 100 ¥ umbrella into fourths on my way out of the building. I had waited for two hours before I even got to present my papers and application, and then I had to wait another 30 minutes while they consulted with various people about how to inform this gaijin without making him go Spartan on their Persian butts.
Anyway, I went back to work, having already called them on the way back and made plans for Monday to go in again. The only good news is that my new passport has arrived, so at least on Monday I can give them all the paperwork they need.
In health news, the temperature is still climbing here, and last weekend I started going swimming at a local pool. It is a little on the pricey side, about 4 or 5 dollars each time, and I'm only swimming for about 20 or 30 minutes (about 500 to 700 meters), since I don't want to mess up one of my shoulders again.
Cheers,
Well, work-wise this week has gone pretty well. Morning classes are going pretty smooth again. But that probably has something to do with one of those mentally unstable students being gone again.
Apparently this is not allowable. Why, don't ask me. So I have to go back to the Immigration office, this time I have to go to the one in Tokyo. At the time they told me I was really pissed. As in I folded my 100 ¥ umbrella into fourths on my way out of the building. I had waited for two hours before I even got to present my papers and application, and then I had to wait another 30 minutes while they consulted with various people about how to inform this gaijin without making him go Spartan on their Persian butts.
Anyway, I went back to work, having already called them on the way back and made plans for Monday to go in again. The only good news is that my new passport has arrived, so at least on Monday I can give them all the paperwork they need.
In health news, the temperature is still climbing here, and last weekend I started going swimming at a local pool. It is a little on the pricey side, about 4 or 5 dollars each time, and I'm only swimming for about 20 or 30 minutes (about 500 to 700 meters), since I don't want to mess up one of my shoulders again.
Cheers,
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Bean Counting
hey all,
So I am now being screwed by the bureaucracy of not one but two nations. The people at the US Embassy told me at the Embassy that it would be 4-5 days before I got my passport back, and then said it usually takes 2-3 weeks when I called. They still have not even shipped the thing.
Michi was kind enough to write a letter to the Japanese Immigration Bureau explaining that I don't have my passport on me, and thus wouldn't be able to come in before my visa expired. However, they called me at work and explained that that was unacceptable, and that I should still come in with the paperwork that I had before the visa expired. So now I've had to ask one of my coworkers to take over one of my classes, and explain to the parents and students of my AM class that I need to leave a bit early on Friday; otherwise they will soon have a new teacher and I'll be headed for the US.
The thing that really gets me about the Japanese end of this is the paperwork. They need proof from the city or ward office that I have paid my taxes. I need to physically go there, ask for this piece of paper in person, carry it in my bag, and play mailman to deliver it into the hands of the people at Immigration. Now, the people at Immigration know full well where I have lived. They are the ones that said "Make sure you go to the city office of ___" and pick up these forms. Why can't they call, fax, or e-mail that office and get them sent over? What is so mystical or special or essential for the legality of this process about me playing mailman? They are government officials who have a legal right (and according to them, a need) to view these documents, why do I need to be involved at all? Given the fact that I am a foreigner, it should actually be easier for them just to do it themselves.
Anywho,
So I am now being screwed by the bureaucracy of not one but two nations. The people at the US Embassy told me at the Embassy that it would be 4-5 days before I got my passport back, and then said it usually takes 2-3 weeks when I called. They still have not even shipped the thing.
Michi was kind enough to write a letter to the Japanese Immigration Bureau explaining that I don't have my passport on me, and thus wouldn't be able to come in before my visa expired. However, they called me at work and explained that that was unacceptable, and that I should still come in with the paperwork that I had before the visa expired. So now I've had to ask one of my coworkers to take over one of my classes, and explain to the parents and students of my AM class that I need to leave a bit early on Friday; otherwise they will soon have a new teacher and I'll be headed for the US.
The thing that really gets me about the Japanese end of this is the paperwork. They need proof from the city or ward office that I have paid my taxes. I need to physically go there, ask for this piece of paper in person, carry it in my bag, and play mailman to deliver it into the hands of the people at Immigration. Now, the people at Immigration know full well where I have lived. They are the ones that said "Make sure you go to the city office of ___" and pick up these forms. Why can't they call, fax, or e-mail that office and get them sent over? What is so mystical or special or essential for the legality of this process about me playing mailman? They are government officials who have a legal right (and according to them, a need) to view these documents, why do I need to be involved at all? Given the fact that I am a foreigner, it should actually be easier for them just to do it themselves.
Anywho,
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