Phoenix and the Surgery

Apparently, I haven't told everyone about this yet. So if you haven't heard it before, here it is. And if you don't read this, then you probably don't care anyway, so I'm glad I didn't tell you.

I had an operation the other day. Two weeks go, in fact.

On my penis.*

It was my first time under general anesthetic. Pretty scary, considering all the horror stories I had grown up hearing. Apparently it's much safer now, though. One minute I was taking four deep breaths, and the next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room. I couldn't keep my eyes open for more than a second at a time though, and that went on for a long time. After I could wake up a bit more, they took me back to my room and tried to get me to use the restroom, at which point I noticed that there sure was a lot of bleeding going on.

From my penis.**

Also, at this point, I feel I should say a couple words about pain. It hurt.

Eventually I could pee enough that they didn't think I would die, and they sent me home. I spent the rest of the day at Doug's house, although there was a scary incident later in the day. Because I was lying down on my back, I bled into my bladder (as opposed to out onto the gauze), and when I used the bathroom later, all those hours of blood came out at once. NOT a calming sight.

I had a follow-up appointment for one week after the surgery. I was under the impression that the bleeding would stop by then, and we would mostly talk about my recovery. You can tell by the fact that I MENTION this that the bleeding did not stop by then. Seriously, ONE FULL WEEK LATER, and I was still bleeding.

From... well, you know.

I told my doctor that I was still bleeding and he kind of just laughed and said something like "Well, yeah, that's going to go on and on." Great. We made another follow-up appointment for six weeks in the future. Hopefully that implies that the bleeding with SURELY stop by then, right? Or am I just believing what I want desperately to be true?

In the meantime, I'm taking Vicodin so I can urinate without screaming too much, so all those who think I remind you of Gregory House, well, fuck you, it's just a coincidence. And the limp will go away after I heal. The cane is just temporary. TEMPORARY!


(*Yes, of course it was a reduction.***)

(**BTW, "Bleeding from my penis" is just about the best [and worst] all-around general-purpose excuse there is.

• "Take the garbage out!" "Can't, mom, I'm bleeding from my penis!"
• "Sorry I'm late for work boss, I was bleeding from my penis!"
• "I'm sorry I can't give you a better rate on your mortgage because of all the blood coming out of my penis!"

I'm telling you, it works for everything.)

(***Sort of. I had a urethral stricture. That was cut out of me, so that it didn't close up entirely, because if it DID, I would die slowly...painfully...from a burst bladder. Isn't science fun?!)

From the "Things I wish were not true about my psyche" department

Today, I was late to class because I overslept.

I overslept because, in my dream, the alarm clock was trying to TRICK me into waking up. I can't now remember what it was that I had to do before I woke up, I just remember that it was vitally important that I did so.

But, of course, the clock wasn't trying to trick me at all. It just wanted some attention.

My new favorite commercial

OK, not really. My favorite commercial will always be "Signs" for the PS2 (Made By TBWA Los Angeles, 2002; it's in the last block at the bottom before the BMW films).

Anyway, here's a close second:

I'm not even supposed to be here today.

I'm at the office now. I've been here since about 6am. I'm running some heavy-computing projects, and I need the data for class tomorrow. (If there _is_ class tomorrow, campus is closed today because of snow)

The data is only useful at the end of each iteration. The previous iteration had been running since 9:19am. It's now 11:47am. It was a little more than a quarter complete (6000 cycles out of 20,000). I need to wait for this iteration to complete, to make sure the rest will process correctly, before I can leave.

A few minutes ago, the CEB had a power failure. No worries though, because I picked up a UPS a couple weeks ago, after the previous power failure. It's all good, right?

Well, it turns out that there are two different sides to the UPS. One is a surge protector, and one is a surge protector PLUS UPS. One of those two sides was covered by a sticker. Can you guess which one?

So now I'm starting over.

Current mood: Frustrated.

MORE GOOD NEWS!
The power outage has reset the security system. My keycard won't open any doors anymore. Also, the magnetic door stops release during power outages (the doors close). So, if I leave the building, I can't come back. If I go to the bathroom, and there's another power outage (there already was another one since the original post), I won't be able to get back to my office.

Best day evar! :'-(

UPDATED: FSM/Cthulhu '08

Remember the FSM/Cthulhu shirt design from last Friday? Sure you do.

Well, I was inspired by that to make these:
I'm not sure how they're going to turn out. Usually Zazzle prints great stuff, but the graphic on this one...

Well, it's not my best work. Let's leave it at that.

...




OK, let's not leave it at that. Here are the things wrong with the graphic:

First, I'm using the following two source images:



Now, first off, I should have looked harder for a Cthulhu image. This one is ... kind of blurry. Which is not a good starting place. But I had FSM reaching out left and Cthulhu reaching out right (or perhaps dropping a guy?)... too good to pass up.




But then, I combined them into this image:

There are a number of problems with this image. Who can spot one of the major ones?

Here's a hint: Look at Cthulhu's head.
Hint #2: Look at the crack.

The crack stops at his head! What what what? If this is supposed to be a painting, HOW does the crack mysteriously stop right at his head?

Of course the answer is that I pasted Cthulhu over the original image. And I'm lazy. And I didn't notice. So there it is.

*UPDATE*

Well, of course, I couldn't let it stand at that, now could I? ^_^ I found a better Cthulhu image:

AND learned about color matching. And learned new tricks for transparent layers. So, the updated version is:

There are still problems (there always are). Look at the buildings/rocks in the bottom right. Yeah, that's all messed up. But overall, I think it looks much better now. ^_^

Now I just need a campaign slogan....

SADNESS! Terry Pratchett Diagnosed with Alzheimer's

"One of geekdom's most popular authors, Terry Pratchett, has announced that he has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. The OBE-winning author of the Discworld fantasy series made the original announcement on the website of Discworld illustrator Paul Kidby. Pratchett remains optimistic: 'I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell.'"

I don't really have anything to add to this. :-(

ILotD: Bruce Schneier Facts

Essentially, Chuck Norris Facts, but about computer security expert Bruce Schneier.

I especially like the 3rd top fact:

Vs lbh nfxrq Oehpr Fpuarvre gb qrpelcg guvf, ur'q pehfu lbhe fxhyy jvgu uvf ynhtu.

GotD: Lost in the Static

Game of the Day:
Lost in the Static (Only for Windows, I'm afraid)
Now, this is not one of those magic-eye 3D images above. It's an actual screen-shot of a game. Everything in the game is represented by static, but different types of static move differently. It's hard to explain, unless you play it.

Also check out the Modding and Behind the Scenes pages for bonus insights. ^_^

This was made by Silver Spaceship Software, whom you may recall as the guys that made Chromatron.

Speaking of which, Chromatron is now entirely free, and available for both Windows and Mac. ^_^

ILotD: St. Gabriel Possenti Society

Interesting Link of the Day:

In 1860, a band of soldiers from the army of Garibaldi entered the mountain village of Isola, Italy. They began to burn and pillage the town, terrorizing its inhabitants.

Possenti, with his seminary rector's permission, walked into the center of town, unarmed, to face the terrorists. One of the soldiers was dragging off a young woman he intended to rape when he saw Possenti and made a snickering remark about such a young monk being all alone.

Possenti quickly grabbed the soldier's revolver from his belt and ordered the marauder to release the woman. The startled soldier complied, as Possenti grabbed the revolver of another soldier who came by. Hearing the commotion, the rest of the soldiers came running in Possenti's direction, determined to overcome the rebellious monk.

At that moment a small lizard ran across the road between Possenti and the soldiers. When the lizard briefly paused, Possenti took careful aim and struck the lizard with one shot. Turning his two handguns on the approaching soldiers, Possenti commanded them to drop their weapons. Having seen his handiwork with a pistol, the soldiers complied. Possenti ordered them to put out the fires they had set, and upon finishing, marched the whole lot out of town, ordering them never to return. The grateful townspeople escorted Possenti in triumphant procession back to the seminary, thereafter referring to him as "the Savior of Isola".

Hence, the Saint Gabriel Possenti Society, an organization dedicated to promoting St. Gabriel Possenti as the patron saint of handgunners.

Ah, religion and firearms. Is there any greater combination?

It's got what plants crave.

If for some reason you haven't heard yet, Brawndo the Thirst Mutilator, the drink from the movie Idiocracy (It's got electrolytes! It's got what plants crave), is now a real, actual drink. Here's the drink, here's a shop, and here's the commercial:

Random Links

First, 50 Answers from the Stereotypist. People asked a question in each comment, and he answered the first 50 of them. With a comic, each. Sounds like fun, eh? Someone here should do that. Not it!

Second, I found this FSM/Cthulhu '08 campaign design:

But then I lost it. While searching for it, I found a vanity plate on this page. Speaking of the old one, can I assume that everyone else has already seen the Calls for Cthulu series?


Finally, a music video: Here Comes Another Bubble - The Richter Scales (v1.1)


Where's my Friday Funday, Thomas? I needs it!

Tetris Jesus

#827006

ElGarlic: Spending your life waiting for the messiah to come save the world is like waiting around for the straight piece to come in Tetris.
ElGarlic: Even if it comes, by that time you've accumulated a mountain of shit so high that you're fucked no matter what you do.

On Ze Frank, Post-Show (UPDATE)

If you don't have an RSS feed for Ze Frank (and you might not, since it's limited to Best-Of episodes now), you may have missed his three new post-show updates.

Strike Day

Scared

Strike #2

Update:
Privacy

Update:
Un-inspired

(If you don't know who Ze Frank is, you can just get out now).

On the cake, and what a lie it is

Portal has been out for a while now, so if you haven't played it yet, you must not be a gamer.

And that's fine. But this post isn't for you, then.

If you don't have Portal (and why don't you?), you can always play Narbacular Drop for free.

Narbacular Drop was a Digipen project, and is the game Portal is based on. You can download it, as well as a number of add-on maps, for free at the Nuclear Monkey Software site. Made by the same developers, the gameplay is very very similar (but not identical) to Portal.

Of course, there is no Weighted Companion Cube, so you won't understand the poignancy of what Jesus would do for cake.

And although you may not realize it, that brings us to Portal's strongest selling point: it's pitch-black humor. People that haven't played it can't understand it, and people who have can't explain it, so I won't even try.

Portal is short. I played it all the way through twice, the first time took about three hours, and the second, about one and a half. The brevity is a good thing, because you really should play it through in a single sitting. It's like a movie. Also like a movie, there's a commentary option you can listen to. There will probably be a lot of details you miss the first time around, so while you're running around the second time catching up, you might as well get the inside scoop.

In fact, after the first play-through, I considered Portal a good, but not great, game. After the second.... well, now I have Weighted Companion Cube wallpaper on my desktop. Part of the reason I missed so much the first time was because I played in low res, and didn't realize how much graffiti on the walls I was missing until nearly the end. Thankfully the PUB computers (which have Portal on them, gratis) aren't as lame as my three year old laptop.

Also, as a bonus, the song played at the end during the credits is written (but not performed by) the excellent Jonathan Coulton. It's almost worth it just for that. The song can be found online, but I recommend not looking for it if you haven't played Portal yet, because it's spoilerific.

Finally, and because he can say it so much better than I, I'll leave you with the previously mentioned Yahtzee's review of The Orange Box (Portal review at the end).


wwwccd?

On The Awesomeness That Is Yahtzee

And I'm not talking about the deadly game of skill and chance.

I'm talking about Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw.

I first ran into Yahtzee's work with 5 Days A Stranger, a Home Of The Underdogs Top Dog. "One of the best freeware adventure games I have ever played," starts the review, and it's pretty spot-on. It has garnered a small cult following, and some fans are even remaking the game in 3D. All of Yahtzee's games, including 5DAS, are available on his website.

But if he just did games, he wouldn't be awesome enough for me to post about, would he?

He also did some webcomics, including "Yahtzee Takes On The World". Mad genius Yahtzee plots world domination from his hollowed out volcano (but laments that it's not a missile silo*).

He also did "Chris and Trilby", a comic about two guys that have adventures and aren't gay. Not my favorite, but it did have a nice comic where they meet God and talk about religious people.

Alright, enough beating around the bush, I'm really posting about Yahtzee because I want to talk about his phenomenal game reviews.

They're short, they're funny, and they're DENSE, if you know what I mean when I talk about density in entertainment. I recommend them highly, even if you're not a gamer.

Three YouTube videos on this page, start at the top and work your way down.

The rest are on The Escapist Magazine's site, here. Start at the bottom and work your way up.

Or you can go to this page with all the videos on it, if you want to crash your computer. Updated to play nicely

New videos are posted (almost) every Wednesday, and you can grab the RSS feed here if you're so inclined.

* Found here.

On The Weather, And How I'm Under It, Part 2

You know what sucks about having the flu on a major holiday?

EVERYTHING!

So, it turns out that I didn't have a cold. I have the flu. Which is much worse. Normally, I would go to my brother's house for Thanksgiving, but he has a kid, so that's out. So how am I celebrating this wonderful feast holiday?

I'm stuck in my room, sipping Sierra Mist. Mmmm....sparkly.

On Talking Cats

First, the cute cats talking to each other:


Second, the translation of what they were saying:


And a bonus:
I found these videos on the Internet. You don't know about the Internet? Perhaps you should order this 430-Part System. Fax them your e-mail address now!

The Weather, And How I'm Under It.

Hey, you know what sucks about being sick when you're at university?




Everything.

Orangina

Seriously, WTF?

(Wikipedia, which helps not at all)

The Front Fell Off

If you haven't seen it yet, you really should:



"A wave hit the ship."
"Is that unusual?"
"Oh yeah. At sea? [One] chance in a million."

John Clarke and Bryan Dawe

On being homeless in Japan

RSS subscribers, rejoice! There be updates...

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I find myself with a non-refundable ticket home to America dated August 24th, and an expiring apartment contract on August 1st with no backup place to stay for the intervening 3 weeks. How this came to be is another story. Today, I'm going to focus on what it's like to find oneself in Japan with no place to go.

That's right, I'm homeless! Again!

Also, I'd like to note that I'm very very tired as I write this. ^_^ I last slept in a bed on July 31st, from 7pm to 11pm. It's now August 2nd, 5am.

This all came down minutes before the welcome dinner for new ALTs (Group A). So I went to the dinner still processing the fact that, after the dinner, I would have no place to sleep. Of course, just about every JET who heard my plight offered me a spot on their tatami, because FJETs are cool like that, but I can't see myself imposing on others in that way. At least, not with most people. There are a few JETs with whom I am comfortable enough for something like that. Am I shy or something? News to me. Anyway, I digress.

So the party wears on, and Karl, who shall henceforth be known as Awesome Karl Whom I Love (In A Totally Heterosexual Man-Love Way), tells me about a new inn in Fukui. It's cheap and near the station. Problem solved!

I drive over (picture, if you will, me in my tiny k-car filled with my belongings. The seats don't recline, there's just too much stuff. Rear-view mirror? Who needs it?), pop in and ask for a room.

They're full. No vacancy.

Since the other hotels are too expensive, or don't have rooms after 11 or so (this was midnight or 1am, and checkout is usually 10am) I was in a bit of a spot. But this isn't my first dance; actually, this is the FOURTH time I've been sans home. So, I decide to rough it in my car.

But....where to park?

Parking in Japan is kind of strict. In America, land is cheap and plentiful. Here in Japan...not so much. Pretty much every parking space everywhere is accounted for. This goes to this apartment, this goes to this store, etc. So, where can I park my car?

My first instinct was to park in the spot for my old apartment. I know my successor isn't there yet, so it's empty. ^_^ Unfortunately, all of my old neighbors would see me and it would no doubt get back to my supervisor, and I'm not ready to bring him in on this. So that's out.

1st try: Combini
On my way down Route 8, I felt like I was falling asleep at the wheel, so I pulled into a combini for some coffee. After I made my purchase, I thought, why not just park myself here for now? Doze off for a bit...

Well, no sooner had the thought occurred than a semi-truck pulled up next to me. Was he makin deliveries to this combini? I don't know. I just know that he sat in his truck, staring at me. Creepiest thing ever. He basically didn't move until I gave up and drove away.

2nd try: Genki
Genki is a drugstore, and on Route 8, there's one with a HUGE parking lot. And since the store is closed (being 3am), it's completely empty.

Well, almost. The Genki parking lot is bordered on three sides by big bright lights from neighboring businesses. But there is the fourth side, the dark spot, away from the road noises. The ideal spot for a bit of shut-eye. That spot was of course occupied by another car. Doh!

I ended up near the road, and while I gave it a good try, the lights and sounds prevented me from sleeping much. So I decided to move on.

3rd try: Freaks
Freaks is a cyber-cafe. With reclining chairs. ^_^ Obviously, this is where I'm writing this. Internets!

It's also expensive. Roughly $5 for the first hour, and $1 for each 15 minutes after that. At that rate, I could have afforded a hotel.

And that's where the story catches up with reality. More news as it happens, later. Assuming I'm not shivved by a hobo.

Happy 4th of July.

(The following is from the excellent Questionable Content webcomic author, Jeph. He said it much better than I)

It is the Fourth of July! Today I am going to eat some hot dogs, drink some beers, and think about all the innocent civilians and armed forces personnel who have been killed due to the actions of the Bush administration. Granted, it takes a lot of fun out of the holiday, but I am certain that being alive is more fun than being dead so I guess I have it better than all of Dubya's victims.

Have a safe holiday, fellow Americans, and everyone else have as pleasant a day as possible.

PS: if you send me angry letters because I DARED to criticize our FEARLESS LEADER I will delete them, unread. Don't waste your time or mine.

Tax Day

After having been warned for the past 2.5 months that this day was coming, I felt pretty prepared when my Inhabitants Tax form came in the mail yesterday.  I was told in no uncertain terms that I had to pay it right away.  If even a SINGLE ALT didn't pay their taxes, NO ONE would get their reimbursement in the July pay period.

So during my lunch break today I went to the bank and paid it.  It was 176,000yen.

For those not up on the yen-dollar conversion, a yen is roughly a penny.

Now, I had been previously told that the amount would be between 1man and 9man (man = 10,000yen).  9man is pretty steep.  My tax bill was almost twice that.

But I paid it nonetheless, because if even a SINGLE ALT...yadda yadda.  But it still stung.  Payday is a week away.

So when I got back to the office, I sent an e-mail about the sticker shock to the head ALT.  I had heard from other ALTs that their bill was less than 2man, but they didn't live in Takefu, so...

Quite soon after I sent my message, my phone rang.  It was the head ALT.  "You didn't pay that tax bill yet, did you?"

Uh, oh.

Yeah.  Clerical error of some sort.  So I'm broke now, and they're trying to figure out how I can get my money back.

Today was not a good day.

Persistence

So, having been busy with life for a while, I finally get a chance to slow down and play some games. I break out my old PS2 and pick up a used copy of MGS3, which I have been dying to play forever.

I start with disc 2, Persistence, the online component.

That was about 30 minutes ago.

....

I think you can see where this is going. (If not, check out this informative link)

What the *$$@?

I finally finally finally get a chance to play Persistence, and...I don't. Why didn't I find out about this sooner? Sure, the Persistence - Coming Soon ads were plastered everywhere, but the Persistence - Say Goodbye To Your Purchase ads? Nowhere to be found.

Where's the emoticon for ::devestated:: ?

I understand why the game was so cheap now. If it seems too good to be true, it's probably Konami screwing you over.

Best part: "As the team now moves on to the next phase, we hope that you will continue to offer your kind support for future MGO titles."

Oh, OF COURSE. I'm going to rush right out and buy the next game you make, since your dedication to customer service is unmatched!

::cries::

(And yes, the irony of the name is lost on nobody)

The Simplest Ideas

The simplest ideas are often the best.

This thought occurs while I'm watching YouTube videos. Recently I watched the "I'm a Marvel, and I'm a DC" series. It is sort of a parody of the Mac/PC ads, but more of a commentary on the various comic books and their characters.

It's also just a guy playing with his action figures.

Here's a sample for those that haven't seen it:


These are consistently highly rated, and the premise is very simple. Simple to shoot, simple to edit, just mix in a little cleverness and Bob's your uncle.

The early Ask A Ninja videos were the same, just a guy in front of a camera. Again easy to shoot and edit, and highly popular.

So where is your simple idea?

Blogger Beta Blows pt 2

Remember when all that stuff you put in your profile had a purpose? You could click on an item and see all the other people that put that same item in that same question. It was pretty cool.

Well, that's gone. So WHAT'S THE FUCKING POINT of the questions?

The more I use the new system, the worse it gets. It was FINE when it was OPTIONAL. Now that it's mandatory, it sucks.

Ironically, my efforts to return to blogging (which forced the conversion to the new shitty system) may be what pushes me away permanently.

Way to go, Google.

Thomas' Meme

1. What is your official job title?
   Assistant Language Teacher Until the end of July anyway. Then I will be returning to EWU as a grad student and working as a systems administrator. Yay for me!
   
2. Do you wear a watch? If so, is it digital or analog? If not, why not?
   I wear a dual analog-digital Fossil. It's way old, but I love it. It has the time in Japan and the West Coast, so I know if it's a good time to call or not. Sadly, they don't make this model (or anything remotely like it) anymore.
   
3. What's a really great but fairly obscure website that you visit regularly?
   http://slumbering.lungfish.com/ is where Lore Sjöberg went to after he disappeared from the formerly-excellent Table of Malcontents. (Here is a small taste of what it used to be like) He also writes Alt Text.
   
4. How long can you hold your breath?
   I'm back up to 2:45. Not quite three minutes, but I'm almost there again. (I think it helps that I have basically no muscle mass to drain that precious precious oxygen from my blood ^_^)
   

Blogger Beta Blows

I logged in from an un-blocked computer last night, or at least I tried.  It turns out that you can NO LONGER user Blogger log-ins, you must now use Google log-ins.  And that converts all your blogs to the new blogger beta.  AND deletes your old profile.  UPDATE: AND changes the e-mail address to send new posts to.

This is ridiculously retarded.

Anyway, I redirected my blog to a different domain, so I could access it at work.  And it turns out that blogger.com is accessible from work, AS LONG AS you only use blogger beta and Japanese pages.  I can't change the language to English, so I don't know what most of the buttons do anymore, and I can't post from there (still only via e-mail).

So the stupid blogger beta and the stupid blocker at work, two great tastes that go great together.

Ah, technology.  What a bitch.

Late (update)

I went downstairs to take a picture of the "T.T." in question (not that I can send pictures to the blog ...yet), but it has already been changed to tomorrow's schedule.  Doh!  I hate missed opportunity.

However, *ALL* of tomorrow's Team Teaching lessons (regularly scheduled and otherwise) have BIG "T.T."s on them.  Someone may have been scolded for my tardiness this morning, and it wasn't me.

Late

I was late to my first class today.

Let me explain why: I had dropped by a convenience store to grab some breakfast, because I was too tired/lazy this morning to make it myself.  So, that put me a few minutes behind, and I was a bit late for work.

This is normal for me.  I'm always late.  Ask anyone.

Last school year, I was late so often that they stopped scheduling 1st-period classes for me.  I would be late up to an hour, but I'd stay after two or three (or often actually more) hours, so it MORE than balanced out.

This school year, however, I have many more classes, so my schedule is pretty full.  I can't afford to be late regularly anymore.  That's fine, I can make it on time if I try.  But today I didn't have any 1st period classes, so I was taking it easy.

This week, for some reason, we are on 45-minute lessons, and the schedule is pretty random, so when I got to the school, I checked the teacher's schedule board.  If classes are rearranged, it will be reflected here.  Last school year, this would even indicate whenever I had a Team Teaching class, because it was kind of a special class (each class would see me only once every two weeks).  Every Team Teaching lesson would have a big " T.T." written on it in yellow chalk (which stood out clearly against the normal white chalk).  This year, since I see every freshman class at the same time every week, my lessons aren't so special, so they are not indicated unless there is a change.

So anyway, I checked the schedule board, and there were no "T.T."s, so I knew my schedule hadn't been changed, and I wouldn't have class until 2nd period.  I went upstairs to my desk and sat down to enjoy my breakfast.  While I was eating, I noticed a note on my desk from the teacher I would be Team Teaching with 2nd period saying that the schedule was changed.

To 1st period.

I looked at my watch.  Class had started 10 minutes ago.  As I'm running through the halls with my stack of worksheets, I couldn't help wondering "WHY WASN'T THIS ON THE SCHEDULE BOARD?"  And, why didn't anyone call me?  My cell-phone number is on a piece of paper, taped to the bookshelf by my desk, in clear sight.  How could you miss that?

Anyway, I got to class (JUST as the teacher was about to start an alternate lesson, after having apparently waited for me for 10 minutes), apologized for my tardiness, and rushed the lesson.  It went OK (I plan flexibility into my lessons for a reason), but I was still upset at being late.

I was so mad at whomever wrote up the schedule today.  Immediately after class I went back to the schedule board to confirm that there was NO indication that I had a Team Teaching lesson 1st period.

And that's when I noticed that, next to the kanji for "English" for that class and that period, was a small " T.T." in white chalk.

In clear sight.  How could I miss that?

Unreadable

Recently, I was chastised by Thomas for not posting to my blog for a year.  He is not wrong.
Also recently, my school beefed up their computer security, so I can't bypass the block and at least read blogspot blogs anymore (farewell, Worthless Hack).  Not that I could post comments anyway, but at least before I could read the original posts sans pictures.

Well, this aggression will not stand, man.

I'm (hypothetically) going to actually start posting again, via e-mail.  This post, for example.  There are some drawbacks:

1. I won't be able to respond to comments, although I should have the comments e-mailed to me by the blogspot system, so I'll be able to read them.
2. I won't be able to edit my posts.  If I make a smistake, just live with it.  I won't even be able to see it.
   

There are lots of things I'd like to post about, but didn't have time to before.  Now I do.

What will I miss about Japan?  What will I NOT miss about Japan?  What am I looking forward to, back home?  How am I getting back home?

Look forward to it.  This is just a test post.  And a new post after a year of silence?  THIS is what RSS was invented for.  ^_^

Be seeing you.

[News] Weak!

This year's Leonids will peak in the middle of the day here in Japan.

[Me] Status Update

Haven't seen me online recently?  No blog updates?  Wondering if I fell of the face of the Earth?

Well, kind of, yeah.  My computers have died.  Both computers overheated and killed their hard drives (heat is bad, m'kay? [not that it's a problem right now]).  I should (hopefully) be back online within a week or so, but in the meantime my only Internet connection is at work, and most things are blocked.

For example, I won't be able to check to see if this gets posted correctly or not.  So maybe no one is reading this at all.  Testicles.

Anyway, it's winter now here in Japan, which really underscores the fact that my girlfriend and I broke up.

A cold room is even colder when you're in bed alone.

Sigh.

[Sad] ..||..

I remember that September.

..||..

[Link] (ZUG) Shakes on a Plane

No actual content today, but a link to the latest John Hargrave gold.

He felt the outline of the marital aid, looking at me strangely. "Is it supposed to be vibrating like that?"

"Yes," I said with authority, as if I was dying and vibrators were my medicine.

"Okay, I'm going to need to give you a private screening."

"Fine," I said, my heart pounding. I hated myself for starting this Web site.

I would try and explain, but ...

[Everything] Howdy

I am, as my GF would say, f$#^%!ng busy. But I have time for a brief rough-draft ramble.

Today is my last day of work at my base school. Tomorrow is my last day of work at my visiting school. It's difficult not to cry like the little girl I am when I think about how I'm not going to see these awesome students and teachers anymore. *sigh*

Over the past few weeks, I've managed to watch the entire "The Show" with Ze Frank archive. Considering that "The Show" only started a few months ago, and each episode is only a few minutes long, this is not a big accomplishment. Now that you know it exists, I will think less of you if you don't watch it (this will be on the test). I'm kind of an ass that way. I love his random songs; someone (not me) should rip them from the show and spread them around. Unless they're already on iTunes, in which case I should just re-install iTunes.

I love "The Show"; someone (still not me) should do one about stupid people. Because they don't know they're stupid, and that's a problem. I'm not talking about people who think the Internet is made of tubes; that is but one example of the underlying problem. The people that think Google is evil for following Chinese law on their servers located in China.... I think those people are incredibly stupid. I'm not going to go into the reasons why, because stupid people lack the capacity to comprehend them, (and it's not my job to do their thinking for them, that's Ze's job). I'm just going to say they're stupid, because they don't know.

I saw this in the comments for today's show:

So lemme get this straight. Bush executed more prisoners while governor of Texas than every other governer in the U.S. -- COMBINED -- and he's okay with that. He read that Osama bin Laden was "Determined to strike in the U.S., and he was okay with that, so he didn't do anything about it. When it happened he attacked the wrong country, killing over 2500 American soldiers and some say up to 100,000 Iraqi civilians, and he's okay with that... But take frozen masses of embryonic cells from fertility clinics that were going to be destroyed anyway and use them to find cures for diseases that could save millions of lives... no, he's not okay with that. You know, because he's so pro-life.

by The Idiot - 2:17p

I don't know of those facts are correct, but I enjoyed the contrast of ideology.

In less than a week I begin my big move from Echizen (town) to Echizen (city). I will be without Internet for a few weeks, so if you don't hear from me... it will be the same as always.

Someone (me) mentioned it elsewhere, but you all should really listen to Jonathan Coulton.

Time's up.

[Work] Placement

I'm changing schools after this contract year. There's nothing wrong with my current schools; quite the contrary, they're awesome. But I don't want to burn out in one place.

I just got the call. It went something like this (really):

Phoenix: Moshi moshi.
Nancy: Hello, Phoenix? This is Nancy. Am I interrupting anything?
Phoenix: No, what's up?
Nancy: I just wanted to call you and let you know your placement for next year.
Phoenix: Great!
Nancy: Your new school will be bzzrt.....
Phoenix: ...hello? You're breaking up.
Nancy: Can you hear me now?
Phoenix: Yes.
Nancy: Your new school is schchchchhc.....
Phoenix: ...is this a joke?
Nancy: Is that a "good" joke or a "bad" joke? Are you unhappy with your school?
Phoenix: No, I mean, my phone keeps breaking up RIGHT when you say the name of the school.
Nancy: The name of the school is ....zzzzzzzsh
Phoenix: *sigh*
Nancy: I know you were anxious to hear your placement as soon as possible.
Phoenix: Well, I still haven't heard, but I appreciate the effort.

Well, eventually it came through. My new school is

[Holiday] Today is the Glorious 25th of May

(image created by Jez)

...were you there?

As both a Terry Pratchett fan and a native of Spokane (the Lilac City), this day has a special meaning for me.

What is the Glorious 25th of May?

RIP John Keel, et al.

Misc random linkage:

• Excerpt
• Lyrics to All the Little Angels
• More art
  
• Blog
• Fanfic

Why do I care about a holiday commemorating a fictional battle? After all, how can any of us celebrate it? None of us were there.

The fight was not real, that is true, but the IDEAS are. That is enough for me.


Fittingly, today is also Towel Day, in honor of the late Douglas Adams.

RIP DNA.


Finally, today is *also* the anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars. I don't really care about that, but it is a coincidence worth mentioning.

RIP Anakin.


Today should be a catch-all holiday for all nerd-dom.

(Man, this was a link-heavy post!)

[Me] CHOsen One, Episode 3

Third CHOsen One is up. This time, because of my unfortunate accident, I didn't even have Word. Thankfully OpenOffice is a quick download.

[Me] Osashiburi

Well, it's Sunday, so of course I'm at work. :-/ Not that I can really spare much time between classes to say that I'm still not dead, but here I am.

I bet KEN ALTs have Sundays off. If I hear another KEN ALT complain about their lack of vacation time, I swear I'm going to [DELETED] their [DELETED] off.

Had an unfortunate computer problem (requiring completely reformatting the hard drive). Still recovering.

A friend of mine got a nice job offer from Amazon.com. He will be making 2x what I make. Good for him. ^_^ No one can say that I'm in JET for the money.

Don't know when I'll post again. There are so many things I want to do with my time (studying Japanese, programming, "exercising"). Hopefully, I'll have more time at my next job, wherever that is.

Talking of which, my time is up. See you next month (maybe).

[Me] The Inevitable Return

I'll be back when my typing speed returns to normal.

Well, THAT was clearly a damn, dirty lie. ^_^ Sorry about that.

I didn't say how I broke my finger? Playing basketball with my students. Two of us went for the ball at the same time ... and ... crunch. The student, who was apparently made of titanium-steel, was completely unfazed.

The good news is that I can mostly move it again. It still hurts when I bump it while I'm washing my hands though. And when I make a fist. And when I click the mouse. And when I type the letters y, u, h, j, n, and m (and I just typed them all out because: I'm retarded).

I wish I had taken a picture when it was all wrapped up but I didn't. I =did= take a picture when it was swollen and purple, but the lighting wasn't good so they didn't turn out. Plus, it was way-hard trying to focus the camera with only my left hand...

It's super-frustrating when one of your primary outlet's requires the use of a body part that is temporarily out of commission. I had so many things I wanted to write down...

The two too-long graduation ceremonies, farewell to some of my favorite students, how it SNOWED again, goodbye to the old teachers, hello to the new teachers, things my girlfriend and I argue about, the tiny tiny new students, how I cried real tears when I watched the episode of West Wing when Leo died...

I also saw many interesting posts on other sites that I didn't have a chance to respond to. I could almost touch-type with my middle finger acting as substitution, but the almost meant a LOT of mistyping and errors, which meant everything took almost twice as long to write.

Anyway. I'm semi-back now, but I likely won't be posting every day (or possibly even every week) for a while yet.

[Me] Broken Finger

Mr. Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious
Long work week + Broken finger^* = No updates
No TV and no beer makes Homer something something

I'll be back when my typing speed returns to normal.

^*Man, you don't know fun until you try to use hashi when your right-hand index finger isn't working. Boy howdy.

[Work] My School Is Cooler Than Your School

I go into the teacher's lounge, and the science teacher has a large beaker full of liquid nitrogen. He drops a piece of bread in, picks it up with a pair of glass hashi, and EATS it.

And then blew fog out of his nose.

There's no WAY your school is as cool as mine.

[Work] Az Quotes

Monday is a public holiday? Woo-hoo! Two-day weekend!

[Work] The Verdict Is In

Last week, I was sick, and actually missed a day of work (Tuesday) for the first time ever.

This was such a unique situation that by the time I went home on Wednesday, it still wasn't sorted out whether it was going to be nenkyu or byokyu. Nenkyu is limited, byokyu (in theory) isn't.

Well, it's Wednesday again and the verdict has been handed down. It's nenkyu. In fact, I just witnessed the OL being chewed out by the kyoto-sensei for trying to file it under byokyu.

There are a lot of things I'm going to miss about this place. Things like this aren't among them.

[Work] Okurete suimasen*

(^*Forgive me for being late)

I was late for work today. 20 minutes late. That's got to be a record for me.

Understand that I basically live right next to my school. I wasn't stuck in traffic, my car didn't break down, I didn't get a flat tire.

I don't even know what happened. I got up at my regular time and started getting ready and BAM! It was time to go to work and I wasn't ready yet.

It's like I walked through a time tunnel in my house and came out an hour in the future. I can't figure it out. So strange...

Someone (something?) out there owes me an hour and I want it back.

[News] Google in China

Oy, where to begin...

I initially had the same knee-jerk reaction as everyone else. "But, their motto is 'Don't Be Evil', how could they do this?" But after pondering it and considering the situation in the larger context, I believe Google made the right choice. The proper, moral, _Good_ choice. I further believe that refusing to do business in China at all would have, in fact, been evil.

And the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that people still in the "Google=evil" stage just haven't thought it all the way through yet. But that's just my opinion; we can agree to disagree. ^_^

But, how about a quick experiment?

Step one: Look around you. How many objects can you see just in the room you are in right now that were made in China? Unless the answer is ZERO, _you_ are doing business with China. You are supporting them.

Does that make you evil?

Step two: Ah, Slashdot. How I love thee.

Part A: Defeat the censorship.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/09/08/1247244&mode=thread&tid=99
Use elgooG

http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/30/technology/browser0130/index.htm?cnn=yes
Spell poorly

Part B: Relevant Results

http://www.google.cn/search?q=tiananmen+Square++massacre&btnG=%E6%90%9C%E7%B4%A2&hl=zh-CN
275 hits, that's WITH the censorship in place. If you thought there would be zero hits, you'd be mistaken.

Part C: Comments

http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=175251&cid=14571530
I used to live in a totalitarian regime for the first half of my life and know the effects of government censorship. I have to tell you that if I should choose whether to have google with censorship or not have it at all, its clear what I would choose. I would indeed perceive it as a great evil if Google would withdraw their services from me because of someone's quite stupid elitist opinion.

http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=175251&cid=14571126
It's by no means obvious to me that "provide nothing" is less evil than "provide partial."

http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=178260&cid=14781024
The fascinating news for me is Google, a private company standing up to the fascist tyranny of the US government.
Aside from the fact that it should be the job of the US poulation to do this, and the profound irony of a corporation standing up for rights the ordinary individual is too apathetic and mentally lazy to deal with there is the hilarious spectre of Washington chastising Google and Yahoo over their censorship. Could the irony be any richer?

http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=175437&cid=14584735
Just because Google is an American company, it is not within reason for it to impose American ideology on another nation. While doing business within a market sponsored and regulated by another government, it is only fair that you play by their rules. Google is NOT a liberation army, they are not defenders of democracy or freedom; nor is it their right to assume such a role in a foreign land.

http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=175437&cid=14584913
Most of the comments here and the other articles on the subject follow the "everything or nothing" mentality. This is typical when asking for opinions of people not directly affected by the matter. Most of you being outside China, it is easy to claim that you would rather not use Google at all instead of use a reliable service with certain "sensitive" pages filtered.

http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=175050&cid=14555266
For someone who is currently living in China and using it daily, I am very glad they made this particular decision. For those condemning Google for not sticking to "Don't Be Evil" or for selling out, consider this - which is the greater evil, to filter out some information (and let people know it _is_ being filtered), or to deny them access to information altogether?

[Me] Phoenix is Sick

Sick in bed.
Can barely move.
Will hopefully be better by tomorrow for work.
Blah.

[Warning] Valentine's Day

Warning signs:

1. Did you get a box of chocolates from your girlfriend?^*
   • No
2. Did you get a box of chocolates from your mom?
   • Yes

H'rmmm....

^{* In Japan, the girls give the boys chocolate on Valentine's Day.}

[Link] The Infamous Ghetto Indoor Pool

Manager: Sir, can you tell me why you’d like to return this pool?
Tynan : I was going to buy a penguin, but I was worried the pool was going to leak on my carpet. It doesn’t say anywhere not to use it inside, but I don’t think it’s sturdy enough.
Manager: Are you being serious?
Tynan: Yes.
Manager: Ok… I guess we’ll take it.

[Link] Trailers

We all remember the Shining trailer re-mix. Well, here are some new good ones:

Back to the Future (from http://chocolatecakecity.com/ )

Sleepless in Seattle (from http://tomatopatch.com/ )

I meant to post these before Sapporo, but, well, time is fleeting...

[Image] Best Valentines Day Card Ever

[Question] 19-hour Ferry Rides

The Sapporo Trip entails not one, but TWO 19-hour ferry rides.

My question is: What should I take with me to pass the time?

[Me] Adventures in Sapporo (soon)

I'm taking vacation time (!!!) this week in order to go to the Snow Festival in Sapporo.

I'll try to remember to take lots of pictures, but if I forget ... well, that'd be, you know, normal.

Of course, even if I DO take pictures, I might never get around to posting them here. I've still not put up the pictures of the palace I live in, and I've been here for a year and a half. And I'm changing houses in the Summer. So, time is ticking. AND, I never did finish the story of my adventures in Tokyo (and the related pictures).

I guess I'm just a Bad Person.

[Comic] The Adventures of Dr. McNinja

It's even more awesome than it sounds.

Great quotables, like:

"I'm a Doctor, OK. I know Science."

and

(context: he's thinking to himself, as he enters the cave)

"But if he wanted to enter the cave undetected," the coroner will ask, "why did he wear a bright white lab coat?"

"Because he was a Doctor. And he knew Science," someone will reply.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. He used to love to say that."

and

Chess is a little too... "Rooky, pawny" for my tastes.

[Fark] Light bulbs: Not such a bright idea

Ban the lightbulb and save the world?

[Comic] JETfool #2

[Slashdot] Off Kilter

"Some times I think I went to bed last night in one timeline. A timeline where normal, common sense prevails. Yet, somehow I've woken up in another timeline. One where everything is slightly off kilter. Not enough to be grossly disorienting, but just enough to be maddeningly noticeable."

[Comic] Dilbert Theory

An example of why I still love Scott Adams.



(Yesterday's "Sure, and while I do that you can be at my house cleaning the grout in my shower." was also good)

[Link] Fun Movie Quiz

How many of these can you answer correctly, given only a small, grainy, poor-quality screenshot of the movie? (enable javascript to play)

If you get stuck, here are the answers. You dirty, dirty cheater.

[Sad] Baruchito

IN BARU'S MEMORY
March 2003 - January 28th 2006

So much love inside such a small body.

You will not be forgotten.

[Interesting] The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

The familiar incident of the review on the website, January 27, 2006

Reviewer:

WordJunkie - See all my reviews

Today I decided to write a review. My counselor, who is called Harvest, told me that people like to read reviews about how you feel about a certain book. So I decided to write my review about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. This is because it is the last book I read. Even though my memory is really good, my memory about this book is the best.

I read some other reviews before writing this. A lot of people are saying that this book is about the dog being murdered. But I don't think it's about the dog. I think they are just being stupid because the book is really about a boy and his perception of the world. His perspective is unique and I think that's why the author thought it would make a good book. (I like that the boy is a lot like me. He doesn't like being touched and neither do I.) Harvest says I shouldn't call people stupid, but I don't understand why I can't call them that when that's how they're being.

A lot of people said this book was sad or depressing. I don't think it was sad or depressing. It made me feel safe. This is because the author writes in very simple terms. This made it easy to understand.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is an example of something depressing. I haven't read the book, but I have seen the movie, and it made me feel like this: >>> :( <<<. It is about a mental patient and it has a very tragic ending. I liked it because the movie has Jack Nicholson in it. Jack Nicholson is a good actor. I know this because he is very old and he has been in a lot of movies. And because he gets paid a lot to appear in his movies.

My counselor told me that I should write about what I liked and did not like about the book. Here is a list of what I liked:

1. I liked that the story was unique and very different from other books I read. There was a mystery, and I like mysteries.
2. I liked that the boy in the story tried to teach us random things (about maths problems and the constellations and how people think and God). I like to learn new things.
3. I liked it when he went off on tangents because tangents make me think of maths and I like maths. (I was going to show you my favorite maths problem involving tangents and parametric equations here, but Harvest says people aren't interested in reading about maths problems.)
4. I liked that he let us see the world through the boy's eyes. But I have already talked about this so I won't talk about it anymore.
5. I liked that I was always interested to see what would happen.
6. I liked that he liked animals because I like animals too.
7. I liked that it was short and I read it very fast.
8. I liked the illustrations, maps, and diagrams.

And here is what I did not like:

1. I think most people could probably write like this author writes. But it doesn't bother me too much since the story is interesting and good.
2. Sometimes the actions of the characters seemed a little too convenient. But it didn't bother me too much because it is not a true story.
3. His writing style is like mine. It was nice, but by the end I was a little bored with it. This is because it made me feel like I was reading a book that I wrote.
4. There was one inconsistency, and it bothered me. In chapter 113 he says he does not understand people because they imagine things that aren't real. Then right away in the next chapter he talks about imagining something that isn't real. This is a lie, and I don't understand why people tell lies.

Overall, I think the book should get 4 stars.

(New readers please note: This review deliberately mimicks the style of the book in order to give you an idea of how it reads.)

[Interesting] Cadaeic Cadenza

(from the Wikipedia article) Cadaeic Cadenza is a 1996 short story by Mike Keith.

When the number of letters in each word are written out, they form the first 3834 digits of pi.

One A Poem A Raven Midnights so dreary tired and weary,
3.  1 4    1 5     9         2  6      5     3   5

The name of the piece itself is based on pi, as "Cadaeic" is the first 7 digits of pi, when rounded.

C a d a e i c
3.1 4 1 5 9 3

(excerpt)
One
    A Poem

        A Raven

Midnights so dreary, tired and weary,
    Silently pondering volumes extolling all by-now obsolete lore.
During my rather long nap - the weirdest tap!
    An ominous vibrating sound disturbing my chamber's antedoor.
        "This", I whispered quietly, "I ignore".

(read the rest)

[Link] Don't Waste Gravity!

About the American Society for the Conservation of Gravity

---

The Society was formed by a group of concerned citizen-scientists who felt the need to alert the public to mankind's ultimate disaster. The incessant irresponsible squandering of man's most precious terrestrial resource by an unthinking, unknowing populace has to be stopped!

Consider the following:

1. The United States, with only 6% of the world's population, uses 59% of its gravity.
2. A single moon rocket launching uses more gravity in a few moments than the entire world used during all of the 18th century.
3. The Sears Tower in Chicago (103 elevators!!) uses as much gravity in one day as fifty Mount Everest expiditions.
4. Air Freight is becoming acceptable in many parts of the country.
5. Outside of our society there are no programs to develop alternatives, such as synthetic gravity, artificial gravity, or new gravity mines.

These five items (from a list of dozens in our files) should cause anyone to stop and think -- "What will happen to me when our gravity is gone?" The answer is obvious. The unprotected citizen, caught in the open with no lag bolt or other protection, is doomed. The lucky person who awakes one morning and finds himself bumping gently against the bedroom ceiling will be thankful he wasn't camping out. Birds will have to learn to fly upside-down to get back to their nests. Rabbits, kangaroos, and children on pogo sticks will disappear in a trice. Shoppers will be forced to stand in line to have their potatoes weighed while the gravity supply for the scale builds up.

A gruesome picture? It is indeed! Can something be done? It can, and the American Society for the Conservation of Gravity is doing it. Our activities fall into three broad categories:

1. Public Awareness Programs
2. Scientific Action Projects
3. Community Reaction and Publicity

Examples of our PAP programs are our posters and our bumper sticker. The Schaumburg Research Lab is our most famous SAP, while our newsletter is our most widespread CRAP. These worthy activities, conducted entirely without government intervention or support, are the only things which are presently standing between mankind and oblivion.

The Society has, in fact, established a policy of avoiding governmental sponsorship. We can envision the establishment of the Department of Gravity, with a twenty-billion dollar budget, thousands of bureaucrats, consultants and ne'er-do-well politicians. Even then, our gravity would undoubtedly all end up in Georgia, complete with a totally incomprehensible tax and coupon system. Our Society feels that this problem is a matter best handled by the intelligent individual. We urge you to do your part. A few easy steps, taken by enough concerned people, will suffice to stave off disaster. We urge you to support the Society, join in its activities, teach your friends and neighbors what they can do, and above all, conserve our most precious terrestrial resource.

[Slashdot] Rumors of Pratchett Film

kongjie writes "The BBC reports on the rumored possibility of Terry Pratchett's novel Wee Free Men being made into a Hollywood film, with Raimi attached to it. This would be the first, although in the past his stuff has made the television screen."

[Slashdot] Thoughtcrime?

(Score:5, Interesting)
by The evil non-flying (947059) on Thursday January 26, @10:35AM (#14563966)

Somedays I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.

[Slashdot] DRM In The Bible

When you think of it, DRM is not so incompatible with the bible.
The whole tree of knowledge debacle was all about this.

God is all like "No distribution of my IP".
Then the Snake is all like "I haves the 0-day".
And then Eve is all like "Adam, dude, here's a torrent".
Adam to Eve "No way, God will totally rootkit our ass".
Eve back to Adam "Chillax, guy".
Then Adam is like "K".
And God totally kickbans them from the server.

[Link] Barney's Blog

Is it just me, or is Barney's Blog in desperate need of an RSS feed? It would be Legendary.

Me out.

[Work] Heartbreaking News

I thought I'd post an update, since I haven't given any news for a while.

I'm midway through my second year in Asahi (or, the Asahi part of Echizen Town). It's great here. I have a nice big house, friendly neighbors, excellent co-workers, and awesome students. Really, really awesome students. You wish your students were as cool as mine.

But, it's pretty much the same thing as last year. I want to stay for a third year, and I felt it would be best for everyone involved if I changed to a new school. My students will be exposed to a new ALT (and accent, mannerisms, etc), I won't burn out teaching the same things over and over again, and I'll get new experiences in a new place with new people. That's kind of the point of being here, afterall.

There is a particular school I want to go to. Takefu Higashi. I worked at one of their English seminars during my first year, and have tried to volunteer as early as possible for each one since then. The students there are as cool as my students here. I know, it's unbelievable, right? So, if I have to go somewhere, I want it to be there.

All of which I've mentioned before to at least some of you. Here's where the NEW news starts:

The final paperwork for me to transfer to the Ken (prefecture) board of education went through this past Friday.

This weekend, I sent an e-mail to our kencho (boss) about what to do next, as I was wondering how to file the paperwork to request Takefu Higashi as my new school.

A few minutes ago, (after studying Japanese for two hours, which is why it's 2am as I'm writing this), I opened up my e-mail account, and found a response from the kencho. I will quote the key part:

As far as a school placement is concerned however, you will be considered a new JET. This means that your placement will be a part of the same process as new ALTs coming in July. Unfortunately, you will not have the option of requesting a particular school.

I find myself suddenly, unexpectedly, completely lost. I thought as a third-year, I would get priority placement, and in fact the opposite is true.

More news as it comes in. Phoenix out.

[Quote] History

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

• Reason in Common Sense by George Santayana, Philosopher (16 December 1863 - 26 September 1952)

"Those who can remember the past are condemned to watch it repeating."

• Ah, beloved Internet, how I adore thee.

[Random] Long Time, No Post

To say that I have been a bit over-worked this week.....

I'm sure that it's some sort of understatement, and I would normally try to insert a seemingly witty gloss, but frankly my mind has shut down almost entirely.

A bit of news though; my boss's boss's boss gave me confirmation today that they are transferring me to the prefecture board of education for next year. Meaning: Sayounara, beloved Asahi. Bai bai, gigantic castle-house. I shall be moved to a different school and a different town.

I know it will probably be for the best, and I will look back in gladness (hopefully), but at the moment I just don't see it. I already miss this place, and I'm still going to be here for another half-year.

Anyway. I'm not dead yet.

In other news, a little bird told me that Kris and Lindy have been filming the pilot for a new sketch comedy show. According to Lindy, it's in the format of Kids in the Hall, with a Monty Python pace and South Park sensibilities. Which is setting the bar quite high.

There's a teaser trailer on the site, but it doesn't show much, which worries me a bit. Pacing is so important in comedy, and it's so often done poorly. Remember Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show? Horrible, horrible timing.

It's not enough for something to be humorous. It has to be timed properly. If the humor doesn't come fast enough, it isn't funny. The Sketch Show was WAY too slow.

Here's an example of what I mean. Picture this setup: some people are talking, eg, in class or a meeting or working on some problem. Some guy says "...you know what I don't get?" That's the setup. (And if you read Bash, you know where I'm going with this)

On The Sketch Show, the "punchline" would be one of his friends saying "laid" and then another saying "respect". One at a time, to be SURE that you heard and understood each line. It might have been humorous, but it wasn't very funny.

No, you need to have everyone in the room talking at once, over each other, shouting out answers. "Laid!" "Respect!" "Good grades!" "Jokes!" "Decent haircuts!" "Raises!" "Ooh! Love from your parents!" (everyone goes "Oooh!"), each person trying to top the others.

Our brains are complex, and can handle a lot of simultaneous input. There's an upper limit, of course, but there's also a lower tolerance limit. Below that level, the stimuli comes so slow we lose interest.

Anyway, since the teaser on www.throbosho.com doesn't have a full clip from the show itself, we just have to wait...

I hate waiting.

[Sad] West Wing Makes Me Cry

I took a break from Japanese tonight in order to watch West Wing, which recently suffered a heavy loss.

This particular episode, filmed months before John's death, had a few unintentionally tear-jerking lines.

Toby: (on phone to Josh) Is somebody dead?

...later...

Josh: It's Leo.
Toby: He'll survive, too.

...later...

Josh: (after an inappropriate joke) Too soon? (This is exactly what I said after I made an inappropriate joke upon hearing the news about John. Its only relevance is as a personal reminder of the grief)

...later...

Leo: By an overwhelming percentage, the first warning sign of a heart attack is death. I'm fortunate to be here, but it wasn't all luck.

...later...

Leo: We want every man, woman, and child in this country to have full and equal access to the first-class treatment that I firmly believe saved my life.




This Phoenix is an even sadder Phoenix.

[Godstuff] Why Atheism?

Hello. My name is Phoenix, and I'm an atheist. Please read Mark Thomas' well written article on Atheism.

[Godstuff] WWJD?

What would Jesus drive?

One theory is that Jesus would tool around in an old Plymouth because the Bible says, "God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden in a Fury."

and of course

"Hell hath no Fury. . ."

[Slashdot] We Are Not At War

(Some of the parents to this post were also quite interesting)

(Score:4, Insightful)
by Catbeller (118204) on Tuesday January 10, @04:17AM (#14429653)
(http://slashdot.org/)

They believe it because buildings blew up and their President, along with EVERY SINGLE NEWS SOURCE in the mainstream media, has repeated the meme until it became a really real fact.

War exists between nations. Anything else is a metaphor, OR a lie. In the war on "terror", it's a lie. Terror is a name we give to guerilla warfare practiced against civilians by anational networks. If someone we like practices it, it's freedom fighting. If not, they're terrorists.

The cool thing about a war against unspecified enemies located in no particular place (if they exist at all; find and watch "The Power of Nightmares") is that it begins when Bush says it does, and ends when he declares it "over". Give it two seconds of thought: how in hell do you win against "terror"? This is a Forever War.

The neocons have stated - categorically -- that war gives the President unlimited powers not only over the military as CinC, but over the civilian population as well. And no law applies to him if he deems it a hindrance. No exaggeration. Lookee at the recent anti-torture bill; after signing, Bush signed an addendum -- an understanding, sort of an opinion piece -- stating that he would disregard the law if it suits his needs. The Forever War gives us a Forever King. I'd use the term dictator, but it's so loaded that the rightists moderating would bury this postimmediately...

We ain't at war with Afghanistan either. They didn't attack us; they just hosted the attackers, and wouldn't let us take them without proof, which Bush categorically denied them. He wanted "bombs falling in 30 days", and Afghanistan volunteered for the sacrificial lamb position. What we did was not war, and it was not moral. And we've made a mess of it.

We ain't at war with Iraq, as it never attacked and did not threaten to. We just lied, invaded, occupied, and stole the oil fields and are building a Pentagon-like embassy forthe long haul. We're fighting an insurgency from many fronts, united only in their belief that we are lying a-holes and need to get the hell out. You don't war with insurgents, you try to kill or imprison them. The only way to kill a real insurgency is to murder everyone -- because anyone left alive is just a seed waiting to sprout new insurgency. Fallujah, anyone?

We may soon attack Iran and then perhaps Syria, also under false pretenses. Bush has been delivering "Iran is a pack of terrorists" packets to Arab leaders for the past month or so, so his boys haven't given up on their Project for the New American Century yet. It's the Domino Theory all over again, only they want to be the domino players. It was a silly theory in the 50s and 60s, and it's doubly silly now. Counties aren't domino pieces, and they don't "fall" when you push them. And beware what you wish for, neocons, because people might really want a democratically elected religious dictatorship that will ally itself with other Godly dictatorships. People LIKE dictators, if they agree with them.

Thinking about it, the Forever War generates the fantasy enemy it proclaims existed in the first place, even if it really didn't. It's self-renewing. And like the first Forever War against "communism", it is making a lot of people so very, very rich and others so very, very powerful.