Lalala, at work, twiddling my thumbs, as the students are all practicing for Sports Day this Saturday. Their version of the mini-Olympics. It's a big deal, I guess, as all week long the afternoon classes are canceled so the kids and the teachers can practice whatever their specialty sport happens to be. For hours and hours. It's crazy. And at various times, they get into the three teams that the entire population of Edosaki Junior High comprises, and practice their team chants. I think it's just a form of cheerleading, sort of. But more along the lines of lining up at different places on the field and one group starting a chant that says they're going to win, and then the other teams doing their replies. Sort of like that movie, Bring it On, only no black and white girl class problems.

Earlier I taught my first Sawayaka class alone. Sawayaka, I think, means refreshing or to refresh, and it's just a nice way of saying Special Education. I had four kids to teach who are really really really behind in all aspects of their education. They understand how to greet and ask how someone is, and how to answer that they are good, thank you. But since they mostly seem tired all the time, I decided to teach them more expressions for how to answer if someone asks how they are. Now they can say, So so, or I'm tired, or I'm hungry, or I'm cold or hot etc. They liked being able to say they were tired. We mostly played identification games the whole time, for days of the week and colors and roman alphabet letters. Games here will get any kid's attention.

Have been reading other people's accounts of Worldcon, and getting emails about it. Wish I could have been there and seen everyone. Alas, I am like, working. An eight hour job five days a week. Wow, it's been a long time since I did that. I'm exhausted at the end of the evening. But I feel really bad for the Japanese teachers, because I leave at 4:30 but they stay for hours and hours longer. Till 7 or 8 at night, and come back at 8 the next day and do it again. I will never complain about jobs in America again.

I really don't know how they do it and are still sane. I would have gone postal by now. Heck, eight hour five day a week jobs make me crazy in a matter of months, so their ten and twelve hour long days five days a week, with no end in sight, since this is their career, would give me enough reason to find the nearest bridge and jump off it screaming, *Bonzai!*

Every morning I listen to J-Wave on the radio as I drive to work. J-Wave is a decent station. I pick up little phrases occasionally when the DJ goes back and forth from Japanese to English. I have lately, though, been really irritated by a song that has become popular in the last week or so. I don't know its name, alas, but basically it sounds like a Japanese version of Paula Cole. I mean, it's in English, but sung by a Japanese woman who sounds like Paul Cole. And she has this refrain that goes something like, You're easy breezy and I'm Japan easy. And she complains about whoever is easy breezy going around telling his friends how he got with her the other night. Somehow she thinks she has one up on him, but though I've listened to the song a million times it seems, bleah, I still can't figure out her logic. And I am just sick of her saying the easy breezy Japan easy thing. *hates*

On the other hand, there is another song out that is sung in Japanese that reminds me of a Japanese TLC sort of song. That one I like, even though I can't understand it, maybe because I can't understand it.

It is hot and humid here like nearly every damned day. And supposedly I missed the hot season. I am ready for fall, dammit. Apparently there are signs here that it is on its way, but the only one I've noticed is the sun going down earlier, it seems.