Well, I'm gonna give Livejournal a try. Seems to be easier to comment on, and several people have mentioned the comments are a pain on blogspot. So for the time being go to
http://www.livejournal.com/users/apsio/
Speech Contest
Well, the city English speech contest is tomorrow. I've spent the past few weeks with the unenviable task of preparing three (3) students for this. One at each of my junior high schools, and another girl who spent some significant time abroad so she's goes under a different category from the rest of the kids. Two kids from the regular group, and two kids from the 'have-been-abroad-for-awhile' group advance on to the prefectural contest some time in October. If I understand everything, there are only two girls (one from Brian's school, Jutoko, and my student) who were abroad. So it means auto-advancement. I think.
Speaking of Jutoko, a nice black town car rolls into my school today. A driver gets out and opens the door for two older gents in suits. They come into the staff room and then go into the principal's office. I assume they're city officials of some sort. So I ask. Nope, principal of Jutoko. With a chauffeur. To each their own, I guess.
So the girl at Hirosawa seems to be going first (of the 20 some odd kids) and she's nervous for like 84 different reasons. Teeangers. Teenage girls. Whatever, she'll do fine. Just got the damn thing commited to memory today so I hope it all sinks in and stays there. My Minami girl has had it down pat for a few days now, but she doesn't have the best pronunciation, though she works rediculously hard at it. The other girl, who lived abroad, just finished writing her speech on Friday, I worked on it over the weekend. She's not too worried because she'll make it to the prefectural level automatically so we've spent our time working on her timing. She can go like 2-3 minutes sounding almost normal, and then a Japanese-ized 'r' or 'L' or something sneaks in. So it sticks out more than normal. Dunno what to say to her really but we've worked on it.
So basically I've been driving around everyday after school working with three kids at two different schools on their speeches. Glad the things is almost over. Just gotta slap on a necktie (since I'm judging) and smile. The kids seem to be enjoying themselves and I'm glad I've been able to do so. I got to know each of them a little better and hopefully got their interest in English a bit higher. Which brings up another anecdote.
Saya, the girl at Minami is kinda short. I've only seen her in the classroom sitting down, in the teachers' room with me sitting down at my desk, or quickly in passing in the halls. So we've spent the past 2-3 weeks working on her speech. We spent all the time at a table in the staff room. So she catches up with me in the hall this morning, I turn around, and am greeted by a VERY short student. Seems my perception was that she wasn't THAT short. I comment (nicely!!) on this (about the always talking with her while seated) and she adds that she is shortest not only in her class, but probably in all of the city for her year. I tell her about this one kid at another school and she got a real kick out of it. For reference, she's done growing and like 4'11'' (149cm).
Song-of-the-moment awards goes to R.E.M. -
E-Bow The Letter, whicked good.
Hey Mickey!
It just occured to me today that somehow, both of my Jr. High Schools are using the same song, Toni Basil's "Mickey", for part of their Sports Day dance routine. I kept thinking, 'wow, I'm hearing this song everywhere I go.' It was kinda troubling me today because I
know that one girl at Hirosawa asked me to explain the song to her. Took me about 3 seconds...masterful lyrics and all. Then I know that this girl at Minami asked me if the outfits they made (WTF???) were in-line with the song. Using my vast knowledge of cheerleaders circa 1985, I signed off on them and quickly left to room trying not to laught too hard. I finally put two-and-two together...yes, I'm slow.
Wow...and double wow
Before I write anything else, I want everyone to give
Mozilla's Firefox a try. It is probably the best browser out right now. Its footprint is miniscule, completely standards compliant, and does a bang-up keeping me happy. And it has this uber-iffic plugin called
BugMeNot. This badboy auto-fills all those annoying website registration pages with just a simple right-click. Anyway, my two cents.
So yesterday (Saturday), my baseball team had its first-round game in the Shinjin Taikai (新人大会) or New Player's Tournament. While the 3rd year students have left to team to prepare for their high school entrance exams, the first and second grade students are doing their best to fill in for the lost players and come together as a team. This is their first tournament as such. Anywho, yesterday we matched up with Kita Jr. High and destroyed them. After 3 innings the umpires called the game with us leading 15-0. It was uglier than the score indicates...by far. This got the juices flowing for the team and kept our ace pitcher fresh for today (Sunday).
Total sidenote, one of the baseball moms asked me if I had a problems eating any foods (meat, fish, milk, etc.) I said no and left it at that, figuring that perhaps this is normal to ask. Turns out the moms had gotten bento (box lunches) for the me and the other coach, and she wanted to make sure I could eat the damned thing. The thing is, I had to leave after the game to get home and change into my soccer gear for a game. We played the city hall team. I started as keeper and allowed one goal in the first half. I left the game leading 2-1 but we wound up drawing 2-2. Looks like we might do well next month in Nagano.
Anyway, fast forward to today's match against the dreaded Kawauchi Jr. High. Well, not quite dreaded, but their catcher seems to be on steroids and their pitches has this nasty habit of throwing inside heat which 1/2 our teams seems to like popping up for the catcher. But I digress. We had morning practice then made our way to the stadium to catch the last couple innings of the Showa v. Aioi Jr. High school match. In MLB terms this would be the Red Sox (Aioi) v. the Brewers (Showa). Somehow, Showa won 4-0. Which bodes well because we would matchup with the winner of that match in the semis, should we win our game.
So we get going and the game turns into a real pitchers duel. We get their catcher (son of BALCO) to strikeout in his first two at bats. Both teams are hitless (couple walks though) through 5. Then their catcher sends an inside fastball nearly out of the park, hits off the top-lip of the wall for a double. We all heave a collective sigh of relief and get out of the innings on a strikeout (looking). The games gets back into pitching-duel mode quickly and we end regulation (7 innings) tied 0-0 with Hirosawa (my team) nailing the third out of the 7th at the plate with a damn-lucky play. So onto extra-innings we go. I inquire how far we'll play if theirs a tie. Coach hands me the rulebook and highlights the 'rule of doom' as I like to call it. From the 11th innings onward, the bases will be loaded to start the inning. As it happens, we find outselves in the top of the 11th.
We get the first out on 3-2 (firstbase to catcher) ground up, just missing doubling them up at first. Next batter, somehow, the umpire calls our pitcher for a
balk. I understand this rule. Most don't. The pitcher didn't really balk though I can understand the umpire's call. See he got into the set position, the left it, perfectly legally. The things is, he kinda sorta moved his head towards home (which is legal) but the umpire inferred he must have moved something else too...such is life. So we're down 1-0, runners on 1st and 2nd, 1 out. Batters his a dribbler along the 3B line, the runer from second had started runnning on conteact so was around third when our catcher (who gives me fits which his occasional lapses in seemingly all brain activity) runs him back to third base and manages to tag both him, and the runner advancing from 2nd to get a crazy double player. The other team's coach kinda went crazy at this point, but sat himself down after he said his peace.
So bottom of the 11th, down 1-0, we load the bases for our best hitter (who happens to be our best pitcher....ehem). He promptly pops up the first pitch. I ask whether we might want to squeeze a run in and the coach looks at me with the 'arent you from America look?' and says no, we'll hit em in. Perhaps it is in bad taste to use the squeeze play in these situations. So the next batters draws a bases loaded walk to tie it up 1-1. Did a good job of it too, took balls and fouled off strikes. By this point you can see the pitcher is dead tired but is still getting it over the plate. I guess the level of their #2 pitcher was pretty low. Anyway, the guy on 3rd gets picked off by a whicked throw from their road-ragin catcher and we fly-out to left for the final out.
Now its the top of the 12th, bases loaded, again. We strikeout their team captain/shortstop. We get the next guy on a foul popup behind the plate. We get the next guy to 2 strikes (this is their steroid crazed gorilla of a 14 year-old). The pitcher then throw a friggin SIC slider and strikes the guy out. Things is the pitch was about 2 feet outside and the catcher barely gets a glove on it. It bounces off the glove and roles about 8 feet behind the mound. As the rules go, the batter takes off the first and the guy on 3rd races home. Our pitcher covers home, gets the ball from the catch and nails him @ the plate. End of the frame.
We now only need ONE run to win. One. We had the bottom of our lineup up now. So this might take some luck. Leadoff guy strike outs somehow. Next guy hits a screamer up the middle but its snared by the second-baseman. Last guy pops out to the catcher.
Our pitcher now has a look of 'WTF? ANOTHER inning?'. He trudges out their and sits them down in order: strikeout (looking), strikeout (swinging), strikeout (swinging). He gives me a look sayingg 'I ain't going out there again, probably' then smiles and sits down to rest on my orders (instead of standing and cheering). This brings up the bottom of the 13th. top of our lineup is up, again needed one run. They retire our first two guys on groundouts leaving our centerfielder up. He works the count like Ricky Henderson did. After something like 12 or 13 pitchers the count is full, the umpire is out of balls (being retrieved by the bench players), and the pitcher is laboring. Next pitch decided the match, ball four. Take your base. I yell to everyone to be sure to touch the bases, and voila. We're in the semifinals next Saturday.
I've had a rediculously long weekend, topped off with dinner with everyone at Jamuna to kinda sorta celebrate Christy's b-day. He husband Brian called me right as I was settling in for a nap at 3pm or so. I set my alarm and wokeup at 7pm for dinner. It was good. I'm full. I'm going to bed. Full. I really should've done more work on my grad school stuff but whatever, justabout done. And the apartment is a bit messy. But whatever. Dodgers taken two from the Cards too, so I had a good weekend overall. Went out with Ayako on Friday night, crazy busy Satuday with baseball and soccer, LONG Sunday with a 13 innings baseball game. Now time to sleep, got school in the morning.
Bento
Well, today the home ec. teacher asked me if I was free during 5th and 6th periods (which I was) and if I wanted to learn how to make bento (which I did). Bento means 'box lunch' and is a pretty common way for people to eat lunch. They are either made by the mom/wife at home or bought from a store. Usually rice, fish or chicken, some kind of pickled veggies, and various other doo-dads that find their way in there.
So the nice teachers give me instruction in Japanese, which with some dictionary assistance I roughly translate into what I need. Seems quite a bit more work that I thought can go into making a bento. The long and short of it is that it turned out quite well. I'll see if I can get some of the photos one of the ladies took. Mainly because they made me wear an apron and a head scarf, though I questioned that since my beard prolly sheds more than my head does...
On a side note, I got about 1800 words for my grad. school personal statement. Probably should take a look at the flow and whatnot tomorrow...[braces for disappointment].
Don Mossi
For non-baseball fans, there's a funny excerpt at the bottom.
I don't know if many of you have read
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, but for any serious baseball person, it is kinda must-read. The 998-page tome covers baseball from its inception to the year 2000. In the first half of the book, James breaks down baseball history decade-by-decade. The second half is devoted to analyzing each positions' top 100 players. The book is filled with excellent anecdotes and stories as well as the normal historical and analytical stuff you'd expect from the man who revolutionized baseball analysis by popularizing the sabermetrics movement.
Anyway, I found time to read this bad boy, cover to cover, last fall in between classes. It was extremely worthwhile. It then founds its way into my, um...library, for casual perusing as....circumstances permitted. I've probably read the whole damn thing again by this point but I still find it interesting. In particular, one of the lighter stories made me laugh out loud today. I've put part of it below.
The Man Who Invented Ugly, p245
Dom Mossi has two careers, one as a reliever an one as a starter, and he
was pretty darned good at both. No one who saw him play remembers that, because Mossi's ears looked as if they had been borrowed from a much larger species, and reattached without proper supervision. His nose was crooked, his eyes were in the wrong place...he looked like Gary Gaetti escaping from Devil's Island.
One of the problems with choosing the ugliest and handsomest players is
that a player who looks short of grotesque in one pose or one photograph will look fine in another. Susie, [my wife], showed me a picture of Hoyt Wilhelm in which he looked positively handsome. I assured her it was just a bad shot.
You never had this problem with Don Mossi. Don Mossi was the complete
five-tool* ugly player. He could run ugly, hit ugly, throw ugly, field ugly, and ugly for power. He was ugly to all fields. He could ugly behind the runner as well as anybody, and you talk about pressure...man, you never saw a player who was uglier the in clutch.
*Five-tool is a baseball term to descibe a player who can run, hit, throw, field, and hit for power.
Well,
this certainly explains the earthquake from last night.
Bleh
Me have fever. Me no like. Me go back to bed now.
Monthly Pay
Monthly pay sucks. I don't find myself running out of money or anything (usually), but I'm just used to getting much more regular disbursements and the novely of a big FAT payday has decidely worn off.
Then again my night class pays me for the whole month on the first class each month, so I guess I get paid every 2 weeks or so.
And this is a shoutout for Nat, FARK ROONEY!! Man U must die!!
OOTP v6
Holy sweet jock-strap Batman! Ehem.
I enjoy baseball. If you don't know this about me, then I don't know what to say. Seriously.
I bought and downloaded this baseball simulation game, Out of the Park 6 several months ago after reading some awesome reviews. I never did more than tool around with the interface, sim a season or two, etc. But with the summer duldrums I toted my laptop around here and there and simmed the living snot out of it. Worked my processor to the bone because it literally simulate every pitch, at-bat, etc. of the season. For every player, on every team, to boot. Anyway, to make a long story short, this game rocks.
I'm running two teams. One is an online league where we started with rosters of the 1975 season and are working our way forward. About 1 simulated year per real month. Pretty darn cool. You can coach every single at-bat, sim the whole game, or anything in between. The killer part if the team management. You manage trades, free agents, promotional stadium days, ticket prices, tv contracts, you name it. The online league has about 25 guys (I assume) in it, pretty good group. I also sim a solo-league where I just play against the computer. Not as fun but gives me something to do if I'm really bored.
So if any of you are baseball nuts and want something to do in your spare time (I put in 2-3 hours a week, roughly...), give a spin.
Besides OOTP6, I'm doing pretty well. Had a smile on my face for a good few weeks now. Classes begin again tomorrow so we'll see how it holds up...just kidding. Love my work out here, relaxing but still interesting. I've found my Japanese is getting good enough to just chill with a group of Japanese speakers. Wish my vocabulary was about 10 times the size though, I hate having to describe words I don't know.
Like I didn't know what to call a diploma. So I said 'the paper you get when you gradute from university that says "you graduated". When the conversation moves to a topic where context clues leave me empty, it sucks even more. I can follow the grammar now though, letting me ask what a specific word means. Like if they are talking about the Olympics I can follow but they'll throwout some vocab I just don't know. I can say 'what is __________ ?' and they will attempt to explain. Sometimes they know the English word, or can explain another way in Japanese. But often we all just grimace and move on. I don't mind so much anymore.
I do miss having intellectual conversations on a regular basis though. Not to say I'm not surrounded by intelligent people, but that perhaps the social or language dynamic hasn't/doesn't allow for it. 'Just so' as they say...just so.
On the agenda for the upcoming weeks is Christy's birthday party on Saturday, a trip to Nikko on the 11th, and whatever comes up in between. I'm out.
That was...
...interesting. If and when I wakeup, I'll fill the rest out.
Song of Whenever I Feel Like Posting
I guess when I feel like sharing a song, I'll just stick it here. Several months ago I got into a 1960s folk musician, Phil Ochs. I've stuck with em for a while and continue to find nuances in his lyrics that stick with me.
I'd recommend pretty much his entire collection but
"When I'm Gone" is particularly good. Makes you think, well, it makes me think. Somewhat of a downer when you consider Ochs' short life, but take another look, like I've been doing of late, and tell me what you think.
