Saturday, April 3, 2004

Last Snow? We had about 30cm of snow last night. It will probably be the last time to use the snow blower this winter. 9:21:55 AM    comment []

Sunday, March 21, 2004

The Preparation We spent all day yesterday shopping for the stuff Kai will need for school and somethings for us. We had to get his uniform and we all most put it off too long. The crowds weren't too bad, but they said that they would have ready the day before school starts. Kai used hand-me-downs for his junior high uniform, but they didn't have to wear it everyday like he will in high school. The decision you have to make is how much more will he grow in the next three years. Do you buy something that too large and expect him to grow into it or get one that is just about right? He had a good spurt last year and is now just 2 inches shorter than me. Will he have another spurt? Will we have to buy another jacket next year? I guess we will have to wait and see. We also looked at bikes because we are planning that he will ride to school (about 40 minutes) during the summer. Even if we take him we will take the bike so he can get around to town and back to JOY to get a ride home. I am sure the scheduling will get very complicated. And is one reason why he wants a cell phone and probably why we will break down and get him one. We will also needed to settle on return gifts for the people who have given Kai entrance gifts. In Japan, you usually give a return gift half the value of what you receive. Most people give money, which is used to buy things for school, so knowing the value of the gift to return isn't too difficult. This custom isn't just for this situation, but almost anytime you receive a gift. To Americans this a hard custom to understand. The thing we looked for ourselves is a digital camera. We have been talking about it for years, but kept putting it off. The technology kept getting better and the prices always seem to be dropping. Noriko dropped our old camera the other day (the second or third time), so we need to buy one now. I am for doing some research, but she made one trip to the store, talked one clerk (who was not very well-trained) and made a decision. We didn't buy it, so there is still time to think it through. 6:06:25 PM    comment []

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

He passed! I would have never dreamed over 23 years ago when Urashima-san took me to see the posting of Nansho (South Commercial High School) entrance exams results shortly after I arrived in Japan that I would someday be anxiously awaiting to see my only son's results. We didn't go to the high school to see the list because they are usually posted at the same time at supermarkets and other places around the city. We went to a supermarket near JOY, but they were late in posting them for some reason and I had to get back to JOY to teach a class. Kai and Noriko drove around until they found them and came back to tell me. It was pretty obvious what the results were when I saw his ear to ear smile. We had already learned after his graduation ceremony that he had passed the private school exam, but weren't really sure what would happen with the public one. We now have a lot to do to get ready. He will need to get a new uniform and other clothes plus school supplies. The big issue is cell phone or no cell phone. He really thinks he needs one, but we are in a wait and see mode. If he gets off to a good start we will think more seriously about it. We are proud of how hard he ended up working and there were times we were pretty sure he wouldn't do very well. The last three months he really concentrated and it didn't take too much nagging to get him to study. Hopefully, he can stay motivated. 10:39:22 PM    comment []

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

English Teaching in Japan This article from the Japan Times won't be very encouraging to people thinking about teaching here. I have to say that JOY is nothing like this and that we are always trying to hire the best teachers not just the cheapest. 10:45:49 AM    comment []

Friday, January 23, 2004

Ice Festival The Obihiro Ice Festival kicked off tonight with a fireworks display (there is another one tomorrow night) and I was able to watch it from the window of the classroom where I was teaching. We haven't been to it since Kai was little. It is fun when the kids are still young enough to enjoy the ice slides and the snow sculptures of the animation characters. I am having a problem with the motor on my snow blower. The throttle keeps freezing and I lose power. I have to keep a hot air dryer in the garage to thaw it out. I am trying to figure out a way to fix it. 10:04:34 PM    comment []

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Snow, Snow Snow It is snowing again today and they are predicting another 30 cm. We had 60cm Tuesday and Wednesday last week and 10cm on Monday. When I bought my snow blower last year I figured that this would be the winter we wouldn't get any snow. Boy, was I wrong! I am really glad to have the machine because it makes what is normally a two hour job into a twenty minute one. This weblog is part of my New Year's Resolution. I decided that I would try to post everyday. Well, I haven't gotten off to a very good start, but it is better later than ever. The other part of my resolution won't take effect until the end of winter. I plan to try to play tennis three times a week, so that I can win at least one tennis match in the tournament I play in the fall. We will see if I can fulfill these resolutions. 11:06:47 PM    comment []