tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63380062011-11-17T23:10:39.345ZLook up at the sky. Ask yourself, "Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?"<br>And you'll see how everything changes....Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.comBlogger2651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-34160081182858964982011-03-18T12:41:00.001Z2011-03-18T12:41:45.965Z

I missed 2010 entirely!

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-67389255596859234522009-12-15T03:50:00.003Z2009-12-15T04:29:00.977Z

Several months ago, I read somewhere (I wish I remembered where) that when one prefaces a statement of opinion with a qualifying statement meant to dissuade the listener from developing a poor view of the speaker in light of the opinion about to be uttered, it actually has the opposite effect.That didn't make sense, so I'll just explain it by example. If you say, "I don't mean to sound like a

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-81304977168350225452009-07-01T19:34:00.000+01:002009-07-01T19:35:25.908+01:00

There are some kinks to work out of the SMS blog post functionality, it would seem....

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-15539453229232743002009-07-01T19:33:00.003+01:002009-07-01T19:33:08.629+01:00

? ?? $f?? ?{NO???E?~????2? ???f ] ?????? ???2? ???f ] ?????? ???2? ???f ] ?????? ???2? ???f ] ?????? ???2? ???f ] ?????? ???2? ???

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-88456176937467141172009-04-10T01:03:00.002+01:002009-04-10T01:07:15.626+01:00

Walking past the Green Line Cafe on 45th and Locust today, I passed by a small group of kids. I would've been wearing sneakers, but I was coming back from a last-minute job interview and lunch in Center City, and was wearing the most formal-looking shoes I could walk in.Girl #1: She's got Sketchers on.Girl #2: That's so dumb!Girl #1: What's so dumb?But I never did find out.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-46172346471801022302009-03-17T12:56:00.007Z2009-03-19T03:18:09.531Z

Once in a great while I'll have one of those dreams of song and light that help me understand how it is to be full of life and the universe—my eyes wide open, laughter dancing at the back of my throat. And when I wake and feel the last of the sand slipping through the hourglass, I grab for it, desperately hoping that a few grains might stick to my fingertips, to carry that delicious feeling

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-67940222559383556012009-03-10T04:36:00.007Z2009-03-13T03:49:30.672Z

Some years ago, I think I was in middle school, I visited a reservoir in Upstate New York with Aunt Beth. We followed the path to the dam, where we could see the lake as well as the cascade. Water was gushing from halfway up the dam down to the river below, but at the top, behind the dam, the lake was still as glass. Beth pointed out to me the tiny stirrings, little whorls flirting, dancing,

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-78521295255856624312009-02-01T04:56:00.006Z2009-02-04T03:55:31.989Z

Some months after our dad moved out, and got his own place, my brother and I would visit him on Sundays. Our visits in those days often began with instructions to inquire about the child support check, possibly followed by a heated exchange between our parents. After this, we'd wait for Dad to get ready, and then we'd go to church. I never really liked that church, though I didn't realize it

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-42310379687243176412009-01-30T13:21:00.004Z2009-01-30T13:30:08.530Z

I've decided to take a less laissez-faire attitude toward developing friendships here in Philadelphia. Which basically means I've been asking people out for lunch recently. It's just baby steps for me at this point, but it's a little strange to be participating in this extroverted behavior all of a sudden. It's probably not so all-of-a-sudden, though, but more the result of spending New Year's

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-53476020008623650852008-12-29T05:37:00.003Z2008-12-31T06:01:16.749Z

Some of my clothes still smell like tatami.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-69651757660171720182008-10-05T04:34:00.002+01:002008-10-05T05:20:51.856+01:00

Philadelphia is the kind of place where you can find an Emily Street nine blocks south of a Watkins Street.I think I'll move there someday.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-56756994585705663352008-06-18T06:25:00.004+01:002008-06-20T04:25:52.956+01:00

Every time I see the full moon, it reminds me of Japan, cos I left Japan on a full moon.Oh Emily, how maudlin can you get?Yeah, I know. But it's true. Both the leaving and the remembering.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-47046719538957161112008-06-08T00:39:00.002+01:002008-06-08T01:52:54.421+01:00

There have been a number of changes in my life in recent months, and chief among them is my ascendancy to in-lawhood. My brother got married April 12th in a beautiful wedding in Dover, Delaware. His beloved, Kim, had asked me to be one of her bridesmaids, so I got myself all gussied up (even painted my face) and crammed my feet into pretty little three-inch heels and watched my brother become a

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-49250681068497905692008-06-05T05:01:00.002+01:002008-06-05T05:39:13.806+01:00

When I started working in the jewelry department, other people said, "Oh nice, no fitting rooms." I didn't understand why this was something to be relieved about, but I took their word for it.Now... ahahahaha... ha hah ... aheh....Attention Departo shoppers: If, at any time during your shopping experience, you look around and think, Why can't I find anyone to check me out? this is because we're

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-37459863161183156042008-04-29T06:38:00.003+01:002008-04-29T07:03:09.245+01:00

if there were two other people out there with very similar e-mail addresses to yours, and you sometimes received e-mails intended for one of those two other people, and your attempts to communicate the error to the senders of the e-mails were sometimes met with gratitude, sometimes with rudeness, but usually wholly ignored?I don't even know what the real e-mail addresses of these people are, else

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-72010215551808076642008-03-13T19:02:00.002Z2008-03-13T19:07:14.217Z

A few weeks ago I scored a full-time position in the jewelry department at Departo.* This is somewhat different work from my previous part-time position in Customer Service. I'd been kind of hoping I'd have to deal with fewer frustrating customers, but this isn't so much the case.Customer: Is it okay if I try on these earrings?Me: We prefer that you don't.Customer: You prefer. So that means

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-42630565560904182432007-07-21T17:34:00.003+01:002009-02-04T04:39:28.050Z

I saw this on national television the other night."Oshirikajirimushi" means "butt-biting bug."Edit 2007-09-13: Dumb NHK had it pulled. (-_-)*Edit 2008-02-02: I took down the ugly non-functional YouTube screen. To hear the song, you can visit the website for the upcoming Nintendo DS game.Edit 2009-02-03: Dailymotion is hosting the video now: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2yxtl_funHooray for

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-4629019175035385642007-07-16T05:45:00.000+01:002007-07-16T06:13:44.936+01:00

I wanted to tell you that when I came here, I was on a large ship full of strangers in the middle of the ocean. But over time I realized they were my family, and it had just taken me some time to recognize them.And then the people I loved held a small ceremony, disowned me, set me on a raft and pushed me away, out to the empty sea, where the dark, hungry waters stretched beyond my comprehension.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-90025727665360873962007-06-25T04:40:00.000+01:002007-07-16T05:37:30.035+01:00

I'm not sure why I said she'd stumbled blindly. The truth is, her face was buried in her hand, but she walked in a straight line toward the exit, moving quickly, crying quietly, determined to get out of the godforsaken building where nonsense had exploded in her hands, her face, her heart. The teachers all ran to the window to watch her leave, and later to watch her older brother leave. I

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-85411952365437211332007-05-30T04:39:00.001+01:002007-05-30T16:11:40.923+01:00

An hour and a half ago the father of two of my students killed himself.Right now I don't give a damn about what sort of distress he was in when he did it. All I can think of is a twelve-year old girl, face buried in hand, sobbing as she stumbled blindly past the open door.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-39523263667901806212007-05-29T17:38:00.000+01:002007-05-30T16:10:20.923+01:00

I'll just post this video to my blog, and then I'll be ready.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-59631150953190223922007-05-19T19:56:00.000+01:002007-05-19T20:06:19.483+01:00

OkuizumoOkuizumo-choNitaNita-gunYokotaShimaneShimane-kenJapanBoard of EducationJunior High SchoolALTAssistant Language TeacherJET ProgramJET ProgrammeThere. That about covers all the search terms I can think of.I mean, it worked last year.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-33726081669465502312007-05-15T17:07:00.000+01:002007-05-15T17:58:29.356+01:00

It often helps, when I'm confronted with something in Japan that I find silly or stupid or insane, if I can think of its American correlation. Like, when I heard that the national weather bureau tries to predict when the sakura (cherry blossoms) will bloom in different areas across the country, and tracks the sakura front across the country from south to north each year, I thought that was kind

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-5378878159087566722007-04-25T14:29:00.001+01:002009-02-01T04:14:20.482Z

Augh! I've completely missed the month of April! My archives will be incomplete! Quick, what's something I was thinking about blogging in April but didn't?Ah, here we go:If you click on the photo, you can see that I actually took this photo on April 24th. Good enough for me! Change post date, doot do-doo, and done.While running laps with the track and field team after school, I passed a

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-30246695009596283162007-03-23T06:56:00.000Z2007-05-15T18:03:32.230+01:00

Yesterday at lunch I said to New Sensei, "Today the students will find out which teachers are leaving?""Yes, that's right.""Why is it a secret?"He thought a few moments before a lightbulb went on. "Ah. It's because if the students find out before then, maybe they will be confused, and ask the teachers many questions.""That's a bad thing?""Mmm.... I don't know," he smiled uncertainly."I'm

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-21688719534666445702007-03-17T18:10:00.000Z2008-02-01T05:03:08.781Z

Friday was a really bittersweet day.It started on Wednesday, when I found out that five of my favorite teachers from Yokota JHS are being transfered to other schools at the end of the month. Worst of all, Toothpaste Maniac is one of them. I was at the post-graduation enkai Wednesday night, sitting next to the school nurse, when Kool-Aid Man came by, and the nurse got him to tell her which

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-75990522571984633042007-02-23T04:27:00.000Z2007-05-15T18:02:27.448+01:00

Note: I'm kind of cheating by pre-dating this post, but this has been a work-in-progress for the last few weeks. So if you're thinking, Wait, this post wasn't here a few days ago, that's because it wasn't.The last two times I had to do it, deciding to recontract was an easy decision. "I'll stay!" This year I agonized over it. I was completely split down the middle. On the one hand, I've

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1170257047829510302007-01-31T14:58:00.000Z2007-05-15T18:03:05.558+01:00

Several weeks ago there was an assembly at Yokota Junior High. I had been told that the assembly was about human rights, and was the first of its kind at this school. The students and staff all gathered in the gym, listened to one of the teachers give a speech, and then did a couple of activities. In the first activity, the students wrote down their birthdays on small sheets of paper, and then

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1166020689426836662006-12-13T14:37:00.000Z2006-12-13T14:38:09.850Z

It's not serious, Mom. Just the usual vertigo, but this time the Board of Education found out about it, and they decided I should go to the hospital. The doctor prescribed an antivertigo medicine and an antienemic (nausea inhibiting) medicine, and then sent me down the hall for a drip of an antienemic and some fluids.It got boring really fast.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1165655194711587522006-12-09T09:06:00.000Z2006-12-09T09:06:34.823Z

Christmas party in Hakuta, Yasugi City.That's turkey! (And deviled eggs.)

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1162830619514176202006-11-06T16:30:00.000Z2006-11-06T16:30:19.670Z

About a month ago I dreamt that I was walking down a tree-covered path and reading a poem. It was written on a bit of brown paper, and as I made my way to a cabin to meet my friends, I thought about what had inspired the man who wrote it.When I woke, I found that I could recall the poem perfectly, and I quickly found a pen.FirecrackersWhistling in the night.The night was whistling, too.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1159952012229049812006-10-04T09:47:00.000+01:002006-10-04T09:53:32.396+01:00

Everything is perfect. Cheese! (*^_^*)

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1159418636636927212006-09-28T05:37:00.000+01:002006-09-28T08:18:36.463+01:00

A small group of first-year girls at Nita JHS gave me this drawing just now. They made one for most of the teachers, if not all of them.The poor dears think I'm from Canada, it would seem. I didn't have the heart to correct them.My likeness is saying, "Hello Ms. Emily," with Emily in Japanese.I'm just so tickled! They even drew in my braid.o(^-^)o

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1158324918279137512006-09-15T13:55:00.000+01:002006-09-15T13:55:18.393+01:00

It seems that the roof of my new apartment building has a fair bit of coverage beyond my balcony railing.This is bad news for my potted plants, but good news for my laundry.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1157707973726832762006-09-08T10:24:00.000+01:002006-09-08T10:33:33.263+01:00

This is only an update.I've just moved apartments. Glutton for punishment I am, but it feels good to finally be in a nice place. Unfortunately, I only got this place cos Orasa had to leave.My internet will be back up by the end of this month. In the meantime, I can pick up scraps at the Board of Education and school.P.S. How're the new colors working for all y'all?

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1154915097252070992006-08-07T02:42:00.000+01:002006-08-07T02:44:57.310+01:00

at Saty last night, before the fireworks.Mata, ne.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1151913918450937922006-07-15T05:52:00.000+01:002006-07-15T06:12:17.846+01:00

I was "tagged" over three months ago by Himene, and it's high time I stepped up.Eight weird/interesting things about myself:1. I'm really obsessive compulsive about anything that grows on the surface of my body, namely my hair, my skin, and my nails. Especially my nails. The hair on my head is fine, but once in a while I get a hair in my chin, and I can't stop picking at it. Once it's out, I

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1152871292648683062006-07-14T11:01:00.001+01:002009-03-13T08:35:57.420Z

This is a difficult time of year, because the new JETs are coming in soon, which means the old ones have to leave. You know what I've discovered about myself? I don't much like people when I first meet them. At best they're just all right, but usually I find them somewhat annoying. Very rarely do I like someone immediately. It's worse when I feel I'm forced to interact and be friendly with new

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1152806932847066312006-07-13T17:05:00.000+01:002006-07-13T17:08:52.893+01:00

When these commercials came out at the end of the last decade, I tried to find them online, but couldn't. This site seems to be a new creation.The Orphanage nearly moved me to tears when I first saw it.Yokatta! I'm so glad I found them!

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1151911458245129432006-07-03T07:45:00.000+01:002006-07-03T08:43:08.913+01:00

I just found out from New Cheeky Supervisor (have I given him a nickname yet? He's my new supervisor, effective this last April, and he's cheekier than Cheeky Supervisor, but doesn't steal my candy)... anyway, he just told me that Okuizumo has found an ALT for the new elementary position. I don't know how I feel about that. I was a little relieved when Trevor wasn't able to take the position,

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1151559531258061192006-06-29T07:04:00.000+01:002006-07-02T12:21:45.693+01:00

Some weeks ago Toothpaste Maniac showed me a flier for a concert her friend would be singing in. It was a choir concert, and they'd be performing some Renaissance pieces. At one time in the past, this choir was selected to receive an hour of instruction from a particular famous choir director. I was mildly amused. "Ooo, a whole hour!"A couple of days later it clicked, and I e-mailed TM to ask

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1151561707571581242006-06-29T06:47:00.000+01:002006-06-29T07:15:07.590+01:00

If you tried recently to reach my blog and were greeted with a 404: Page not found, or by a list of Japanese websites and little else, that's because I accidentally deleted my blog on Monday afternoon.Oh, the humiliation! But more than that, I'd lost two and a half years of public journal in under 2.5 seconds. In a panic, I wrote to Blogger support. It took a few days, but they were able to

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1147681735457718302006-05-15T08:53:00.000+01:002006-05-15T09:28:55.486+01:00

Today I visited Ai Kindergarten. Last year there were only 12 students. I visited the school several times, and it took a while for the kids to warm up to me. This year there are maybe 20, and they're all "supah genki" and warmed up to me during my first visit two weeks ago. They're great, I love them. They ask me crazy questions like if I'm going back to America tonight, and how to say '

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1147024786166121502006-05-07T18:54:00.000+01:002006-05-07T18:59:46.166+01:00

I've gone an entire month without writing anything!Well, that's not entirely true. A couple of weeks ago, I started another post, but got bored and moved on to something else—this makes three unfinished posts I need to publish. I'll see what I can do today while I'm at the Board of Education. No school visits scheduled for the day, so if I don't get distracted by something else on the internet

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1145852965038108152006-04-24T05:09:00.000+01:002006-05-08T09:03:37.740+01:00

The trouble with blogging, at least for me, is that I'm usually far from my computer when something happens or I remember something that seems blogworthy. And then a few hours (or days) later, when I find myself both within proximity of an available internet-connected computer and with enough time to write something, either I can't remember what I was going to write, or I decide (often

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1143326330437133972006-03-25T21:50:00.000Z2006-03-25T22:38:50.523Z

When I flew over Japan, grey fields filled in the valleys of the green mountains, and I could be sure that there were many, many people below me.When I flew over the Yukon, the winding rivers and oxbow lakes ran through the white mountains, the snow, in the pale purple-orange sunrise, everything was snow, and I wondered if there were a soul out there.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1141715896004831472006-03-07T07:18:00.000Z2006-03-07T07:18:16.053Z

Today I arm-wrestled my JTE. In class. We taught comparative sentences. "Who is stronger, Ms. Chipmunk or Emily?"And we went at it. For real. A classroom full of 14-year olds watching, our personal pride was at stake. We were well matched; it took almost a minute of precious class time before the victor emerged, but boy did those kids learn a valuable lesson:"Ms. Chipmunk is stronger than Emily."

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1140792648783263092006-02-24T14:42:00.000Z2006-02-25T17:24:32.376Z

http://www.tenpla.net/atp/indexE.htmlAnd from today's Daily Yomiuri:http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060224TDY03004.htm"In your toilet we'd like you to feel the vastness of the universe and realize that men and the Earth exist as part of the universe."I actually own one of these. I got it five months ago from the little science museum on Mt. Sanbe. If I were sure I could get some more, I

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1140142348169773032006-02-17T02:06:00.000Z2006-02-17T02:12:28.183Z

For the last few weeks, the souji (cleaning time) music at Yokota JHS has been a CD of string quartet arrangements of Beatles songs. I got really tired of this music really fast. I mean, the Beatles are fine, and string quartets are fine, but this combination is like the worst of both worlds. I can't rock to it, and I can't relax to it either cos the lyrics keep playing in my head (and, when I

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1139164724199208062006-02-05T18:33:00.000Z2006-02-05T18:39:48.056Z

Was doing a bit of research tonight on Guthrie, Oklahoma on Wikipedia.org when I came across this gem:Guthrie, is also known as the bed and breakfast capitol of the U.S.A. and I believe it !! There are many to choose from , old victorian homes renovated, just like the one I am in now writing this to you.I don't know enough about Guthrie, Oklahoma to feel justified in editing this myself, but I'd

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1138939602669384582006-02-03T04:06:00.000Z2006-02-05T12:47:00.036Z

My beautiful *sniff* electronic dictionary!Kawaisou.... *bawl*

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1138335980412634912006-01-27T02:13:00.000Z2006-01-27T04:26:20.503Z

I'm really coming to like the new "web clips" that Gmail's been using lately instead of the traditional Google ads. I almost never clicked on the ads, but more and more I find myself intrigued by the web clips' headlines. Like today, I found this:Mexico scraps plan to give maps to migrantsLike, wow.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1138067996444274892006-01-24T01:59:00.000Z2006-01-25T01:53:55.770Z

Gary the Bird died on Wednesday, January 11, 2006 from unknown causes. He is survived by Susan the Bird.Gary was always the noisy one. When I came home and turned on the lights that day, I was a little surprised I hadn't heard from him; usually the sound of the front door sets him off. I set down my bags and turned toward the cage, where I saw them sitting together at the back of the cage. Except

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1134714438390967172005-12-16T06:27:00.000Z2005-12-19T04:57:50.870Z

It has the the ranking of all the poker hands.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1134654529527752172005-12-15T13:34:00.000Z2005-12-15T13:48:49.630Z

I was just looking over some old posts when I realized that I'd learned some new information about something I'd written a few months ago.A couple of weeks after the "grass in the soup" incident, I was at Ai Kindergarten. Sayuri, who speaks some English and is the only kindergarten teacher who invites me to her kindergarten, said to me, "Did you hear about the problem with the school lunch

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1134553248407156132005-12-14T08:16:00.000Z2005-12-14T09:40:48.510Z

Judging from the response to my last post, I should write more about digging dead cells from various bodily orifices more often. But I'm not so much in the mood for that right now. What we all need right now is a well-rounded update. Yes, all of us.Grammy's Christmas present arrived last Wednesday. My doorbell rang at about 5:30pm, and it was the mailman carrying a large box for me. The

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1133409220640919162005-12-01T03:53:00.000Z2005-12-01T03:53:40.723Z

or Things You Wish You'd Never ReadI just finished removing two very large clots of wax from my ears (and I highly recommend having long hair if you want to attempt this activity in public). Seriously, these things must weigh a gram or two each, and they're dark, dark brown, almost black. Yes, that's nasty, and you're lucky my phone makes a loud noise whenever I take a photo (a sound that I can

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1132558621092482972005-11-21T06:50:00.000Z2005-11-21T07:37:35.756Z

I think it's about time for another edition of Funny Things My Students Have Written. It's been a while since my last (and only) edition, and the summertime essays have yielded a healthy crop.But first, while I've still got it in my mouth, there is such a thing as salt candy. Cheeky Supervisor gave me a piece, insisting it was delicious. It's sweet, and kinda salty. I don't know how else to

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1132072365090748472005-11-15T16:32:00.000Z2005-11-21T06:39:47.856Z

It's pretty small.From the bottom of the photo, it's about six feet (two meters) to the wall and balcony behind me. You can see the front door at the end of the hallway/kitchen. Out of view to the right of the hallway are the toilet room and bathroom (they're kept separate from each other in most Japanese domiciles).The low table in the foreground is the kotatsu. The tabletop lifts up, and you

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1130133730988402592005-10-24T05:47:00.000+01:002005-10-24T07:21:57.210+01:00

Since my desk at the BoE has been changed, I now sit next to Cheeky Supervisor. Cheeky Supervisor discovered my small candy stash several months ago, when one day my large desk drawer was open as he walked by. Location of candy duly noted, he reached down and helped himself to a Werther's Original (yes, they sell them here). I'd been just about to offer him one, so I said sarcastically, "Dozo"

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1129901889217657352005-10-21T14:16:00.000+01:002005-10-21T14:38:09.280+01:00

For some reason, I've had Coldplay's "Warning Sign" stuck in my head for the last few days. Since Monday, at least.Months ago, in late May, Dad sent me a short e-mail asking if I was homesick, and if there was anything he could send me. I wasn't feeling especially homesick at the time, but a couple of nights later I had a dream.A man and a woman were engaged to be married. They were very

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1129730374641237462005-10-19T13:14:00.000+01:002005-10-21T13:20:18.623+01:00

Last night started one of those bad dizzy spells I get, this one being the worst I've had in Japan. I had to "call in" to school today (read: I e-mailed my JTE at 5am and asked her to tell the vice principal and the other JTE that I wouldn't be in). It sucks, cos yesterday I had no classes, and today I would have had four, and maybe five if Beckham had been able to trade periods with another

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1128609781414886962005-10-06T15:07:00.000+01:002005-10-06T15:43:01.520+01:00

Not much happening lately. Oh, well, there was something of an upset during lunch today. Kocho-sensei went up to the microphone in the cafeteria of Nita JHS and said something, and what he said caused quite a stir among the students. I didn't understand what was going on, and I figured I'd find out later, so I continued eating. I reached for my bowl of soup, but the girls I was sitting with

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1128005667680604252005-09-29T14:58:00.000+01:002005-10-02T09:27:29.550+01:00

I have got to stop blogging at 3am. I know the last entry says it was posted at about 1:30am, but that's just when I began composing it; I actually futzed around with it for hour and a half, and finally went to bed shortly after 3.That morning I got a call on my cell phone. Who was it but Toothpaste Maniac. Since I'm never awakened by a phone call on weekdays, I somehow got it into my head, in

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1127756572027843522005-09-26T17:33:00.000+01:002005-09-26T19:03:43.933+01:00

The longer I keep this blog, the greater the chance that someone I work with will read it. It's not really gossip when the people I'm talking to don't know the people I'm talking about, but where those two groups converge, I have to be more careful. Additionally, when the latter group's native language is different from my own, unintentional offense may result, and I would be at a disadvantage

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1126166824304725492005-09-08T08:23:00.000+01:002005-09-08T15:16:36.583+01:00

Internet! And I discovered that Nita Town owns my phone line. No matter that my apartment is in Yokota, or that, strictly speaking, neither Nita nor Yokota exist any longer. All that matters is what's contained in some computer database somewhere.I uploaded all of my Mt. Fuji photos from last month. Take a look at them—the view from almost-the-top is still pretty cool.The typhoon that blew

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1123675651490993942005-08-10T13:07:00.000+01:002005-09-17T17:12:19.333+01:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 1px #000000;}.flickr-yourcomment {}.flickr-frame { float: left; width: 150px; text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin-right: 10px;}.flickr-caption { font: 75%;/* color: #666666; */ margin-top: 0px;}.flickr-buddyicon { margin-right:5px; vertical-align:middle; border: solid 1px;}.flickr-postedby { font: 75%;} I feel like death.But we've still got mobile

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1123658752635829982005-08-10T08:25:00.000+01:002005-09-17T17:13:04.253+01:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 1px #000000;}.flickr-yourcomment {}.flickr-frame { float: left; width: 150px; text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin-right: 10px;}.flickr-caption { font: 75%;/* color: #666666; */ margin-top: 0px;}.flickr-buddyicon { margin-right:5px; vertical-align:middle; border: solid 1px;}.flickr-postedby { font: 75%;} Getting cold and windy. And my cell phone still has

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1123625421036237862005-08-09T23:10:00.000+01:002005-09-17T17:13:42.166+01:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 1px #000000;}.flickr-yourcomment {}.flickr-frame { float: left; width: 150px; text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin-right: 10px;}.flickr-caption { font: 75%;/* color: #666666; */ margin-top: 0px;}.flickr-buddyicon { margin-right:5px; vertical-align:middle; border: solid 1px;}.flickr-postedby { font: 75%;} This is the mountain I'll be climbing today with

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1123511681645831322005-08-08T15:34:00.000+01:002005-09-17T17:14:05.813+01:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 1px #000000;}.flickr-yourcomment {}.flickr-frame { float: left; width: 150px; text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin-right: 10px;}.flickr-caption { font: 75%;/* color: #666666; */ margin-top: 0px;}.flickr-buddyicon { margin-right:5px; vertical-align:middle; border: solid 1px;}.flickr-postedby { font: 75%;} in Okayama City

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1122549782455710032005-07-28T12:23:00.000+01:002007-07-24T04:25:48.562+01:00

This little guy was waiting to greet me when I returned home from the hardware store after this evening's thunderstorm.On a related note, today marks the one-year anniversary of my arrival in Shimane.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1121157525357883012005-07-12T09:17:00.000+01:002005-07-12T09:38:45.426+01:00

Just taking an informal survey. For those of you who aren't from the UK or Ireland, and who are currently residing in the country of your citizenship, do one or both of the following apply to you?A) You know exactly how many nationals from your country were injured or killed in last week's London bombings.B) You know exactly where to find out how many nationals from your country were injured or

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1120806912034908372005-07-08T07:02:00.000+01:002005-07-08T08:15:12.066+01:00

Blogging from school again today. Kyoto-sensei is nodding off at his desk. I left my laptop here last night cos I knew I had a lot of work to do, getting my apartment sort of clean, and I didn't need the extra distraction. But after what transpired in London, I drove back to pick it up. Ran into Ikeda-sensei in the parking lot (not literally), and we chatted briefly; she's been to London a few

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1120721845445193152005-07-07T08:15:00.000+01:002005-07-07T08:37:25.476+01:00

So I've found a new apartment, and I'll be moving in over the next two (or more) weeks. It's about half the size of my current apartment, and though it was a step up from the other apartments I'd seen the week prior, when I had a day to think about it I began to seriously regret saying I'd take it. It has one large room, the size of 12 tatami mats, and a proper toilet what flushes and doesn't

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1120060240560734912005-06-29T16:01:00.000+01:002005-06-29T16:50:40.606+01:00

The last couple of days I've killed time at school by reading the new English textbooks. Every few years the textbooks are changed, and the major textbook companies submit their revised books; each prefecture then decides which set they'll use for the next few years. Shimane uses the New Horizon English textbooks for the junior high schools.One of the more memorable stories the 3rd year

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1119679486677308722005-06-25T07:04:00.000+01:002005-07-03T16:47:28.946+01:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 1px #000000;}.flickr-yourcomment {}.flickr-frame { float: left; width: 150px; text-align: center; padding: 3px; margin-right: 10px;}.flickr-caption { font: 75%;/* color: #666666; */ margin-top: 0px;}.flickr-buddyicon { margin-right:5px; vertical-align:middle; border: solid 1px;}.flickr-postedby { font: 75%;}

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1119454990480093662005-06-22T15:04:00.000+01:002005-06-22T16:43:10.530+01:00

A couple of months ago I changed the way my name displays on this blog. Before then, I was simply "Em." But I got tired of being so far down on Google searches for "Emily Watkins" (I mean any reference to me, not just to this blog), so I changed it.And I'm proud to report that this blog is currently listed at No. 4 in a Google search for "Emily Watkins."For a long time some viola-playing girl

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1119371229103121122005-06-21T15:23:00.000+01:002005-06-21T17:27:09.136+01:00

Hotaru, or firefly, was one of the first Japanese words I learned here—strangely enough it wasn't even during firefly season. It was on one of those days last year when Tane-sensei (JTE) and Kasuga-sensei (art teacher) from Nita JHS would come over and do a bit of language/culture exchange dialogue. Well, it was supposed to be them teaching me Japanese and me teaching them English, but most of

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1118978613015934802005-06-17T04:07:00.000+01:002005-06-17T04:25:41.556+01:00

Here's an article about a documentary on gymnasts in North Korea from the Washington Post (you'll need to subscribe to read it, but subscribing is free).An excerpt from that article:The film documents North Koreans' extraordinary devotion to Kim [Jong Il], who is viewed in the country as a semi-religious figure. He is kept at the center of national life through everything from propaganda cartoons

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1118757970843239992005-06-14T13:39:00.000+01:002005-06-14T15:06:10.926+01:00

Thanks to Mom for the subtle hint to update my blog. Yes, I'm an American living in Japan, and yes, most Westerners think of living in Japan as something quite exciting or exotic or strange, and yes, they'd be somewhat correct, but really most of that wears off after a few months and one's life quickly becomes ordinary. Our lives must become ordinary—our brains require it, I think, and without

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1117541191811768252005-05-31T13:06:00.000+01:002005-05-31T13:06:31.873+01:00

in KobeFor hicks like us Shimaneans, this is a rare treat.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1117532558765787092005-05-31T10:42:00.000+01:002005-05-31T10:42:38.823+01:00

in Kobe

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1117446408601618482005-05-30T10:46:00.000+01:002005-05-30T10:46:49.036+01:00

On the train on Port Island.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1116419654414801252005-05-18T13:34:00.001+01:002009-02-19T02:28:38.526Z

because when the weather is warm, it smells like church camp.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1115872363049468742005-05-12T05:32:00.000+01:002005-05-12T05:32:45.686+01:00

cos it has this entry.Skaneateles Lake is where Syracuse gets its water. We pronounce it "skinny atlas."Canon Wordtank G50

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1114763932373704792005-04-29T09:19:00.000+01:002005-05-17T12:51:31.730+01:00

Sony Overseas Models FAQI've been trying to figure out how realistic this "Important Notice" is, and all I can think of is, "Not very."Important notice for Japan Tourist modelsTourist models are neither designed nor manufactured for the use in Japan.Refrain from using them in Japan.So let me get this straight: A foreigner-friendly computer which can be serviced in Japan and, so far as I can tell,

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1114700243834562092005-04-28T15:55:00.000+01:002005-04-28T15:58:17.740+01:00

I just like the way this turned out.Thick clouds were moving in over Matsue after I passed the driver's test. This is the stoplight just out of the parking lot of the Driver's License Center; the building is behind the camera and to the right. Lake Shinji is straight ahead.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1114675092895383062005-04-28T08:32:00.000+01:002005-04-28T08:58:12.900+01:00

I just got out of a meeting with all of my JTEs at both schools, and dagnabbit, I forgot to take a photo while they were all there. My lapse in memory may have been due to the coma I was about to slip into.One room, six English teachers, and myself, and no one spoke a word of English for the entire meeting.English teachers.Of course they're far more comfortable speaking in their native language,

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1114531556712408912005-04-26T17:05:00.000+01:002005-04-26T17:05:56.713+01:00

Nothing like a little suspense to make things interesting....The crank turns (two consecutive 90-degree turns) on the narrow roads looked really difficult from the observation room, where I took the photo yesterday, and from the back seat of the car, where I sat while the woman before me drove her test. But when I was actually driving, they weren't so daunting.When we got back inside, we (five of

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1114406610007707752005-04-25T06:23:00.000+01:002005-04-25T06:23:30.006+01:00

Laugh at me for writing down my birth year according to the Gregorian calendar (80) instead of by potentially ambiguous Japanese emperor calendar (55). Share this misunderstanding with your nearest co-worker, and laugh again.For extra punch, perform the above at the Driver's License Center, after you've thrown a bunch of Japanese-only forms in my face, rattled off a bunch of instructions to

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1113558722365905212005-04-15T10:14:00.000+01:002005-04-15T11:07:05.040+01:00

Ventura Highway in the sunshineWhere the days are longer, the nights are stronger than moonshine.You're gonna go, I know...Cos the free wind is blowin' through your hairAnd the days surround your daylight there.Seasons crying, no despair,Alligator lizards in the air.In the air....I'd bought a copy of America's Greatest Hits a year or two ago. I ripped the whole CD, though I really just got it

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1112891833865816532005-04-07T17:01:00.000+01:002005-04-07T17:52:31.173+01:00

Reading from the Japundit archives tonight, I came across an interesting commentary on a Japan Times article. Ampontan makes some good points about recognizing and reacting appropriately to Japanese conversational conventions, and John Thacker writes a comment comparing these Japanese customs to those in North Carolina.As a Southerner, I’ve never though it weird to talk about the weather. Nor to

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1112871611893426052005-04-07T11:59:00.000+01:002005-04-07T12:00:11.893+01:00

It talks to me at 8pm, too.

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1112801579745078692005-04-06T16:32:00.000+01:002005-04-07T10:09:24.600+01:00

I don't know what to call it, so I call it a box. Some Japanese residences have them. At various times throughout the day they make some noise, usually announcements about events in town. I'd heard about them from other JETs who had them in their apartments, and offered words of sympathy to the stricken.My heart sank when my supervisor informed me last week that I, too, would soon be subjected to

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1112395944891346992005-04-01T23:27:00.000+01:002005-04-01T23:52:24.893+01:00

Today I'm leaving for the 2005 World Expo in Aichi Prefecture. Trevor and Signe and I will drive down, take in the sights and sounds on Sunday and Monday, and drive back on Tuesday.I'll let'cha'll know how it goes.(Let'cha'll?)

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1112180485798917912005-03-30T12:01:00.000+01:002005-03-30T15:12:36.716+01:00

I hardly know what to make of this, so better that you educate yourselves.Ask your favorite search engine to return webpages containing the words "Takeshima," "Shimane," "Japan," and "Korea."Then run the same search again, only replace "Takeshima" with "Tok-do."And since most of the results for either search will be for Japanese news outlets, make sure you hit a Korean site, too. They'll tell

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1111734536560826432005-03-25T05:18:00.001Z2010-01-07T05:45:45.878Z

N'kay, where was I?I'm glad the schools here have ceremonies to say goodbye to the teachers who are leaving. When I was in tenth grade, I made the audition for the next year's show choir at my school. Mr. Windheim was going to be our teacher, as he had been for the past, oh, twenty-something years. That September when I got my schedule there was no teacher listed next to Show Choir, only a

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1111720210142596152005-03-25T00:10:00.000Z2005-03-25T03:10:10.146Z

My recent absence from the blogosphere is in no way related to the recent earthquake in Kyushu. Just in case you were wondering.Today is my last day at the Nita Board of Education. Ordinarily I'd be at Nita Junior High School on a Friday, but yesterday was the last day of school, so the next two weeks are Spring Break. Not that I get time off; I have to use personal days to get out of work, so

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1110631118047409232005-03-12T12:29:00.000Z2005-03-21T13:53:48.306Z

Trevor, down in Akagi, does this little mini-eikaiwa on the local television station. He showed us some video clips from a DVD. The shows are mostly kinda boring, with classroom-style English lessons, but in each episode there is a skit. A really funny skit. When we saw them, I fairly begged him to put them online. And now he has.One-Point English Conversation ClassYou'll need to download

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338006.post-1110541964665377522005-03-11T11:02:00.000Z2005-03-11T11:52:44.666Z

Nita and Yokota will be merging on March 31st, and the new town's name will be Okuizumo. "Oku," as Tane-sensei pointed out to me, means "back" or "bottom," and Izumo is the name of the eastern region of Shimane Prefecture. Nita and Yokota are tucked into the lower eastern corner of the prefecture, so I guess the name is appropriate. The name is already associated with this area, as there's

Emily Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01850862259027334648noreply@blogger.com0