Entries this day: AAM_Dream Class Email Francois_clues Francois_search Got_Francois!! fashion_show hitomi_again

AAM Dream

4:19am PST Thursday 11 August 2005

For the second time I just dreamt that

I was like stopping a bad guy from stealing a book and he tried to hurt me by injecting some drugs into my blood vessels.

Class

9:45am PST Thursday 11 August 2005

I've just finished today's first class (the Happy Wonderful Girls, two (of seven) of whom were present); I have only 4 more classes with them. It's been quite a challenge for me to know what they want/need to study because they simply won't speak up in class.

At all.

Ever.

Individually they are happy to talk and ask questions, but it's like complete silence when they are together.

Email

10:37am PST Thursday 11 August 2005

I have just written the first part of the mail I plan to send everyone tomorrow from Vancouver. Right now I'm wrapping up some question cards for my next class. Puttin' 'em in my pocket so they won't get ripped up.

I'm looking for Niveen's email address and it's completely shocking that I don't have it! I've looked in both places where I could possibly have put it, and it's not there.

Francois clues

3pm PDT Thursday 11 August 2005

There are clues in the paper today: "the first clue will be where the students would" and then it got cut off there.

Then I found another clue randomly that said, "the next clue will be where we go to pee."

Francois search

6pm PDT Thursday 11 August 2005

It's the 80th day of the voyage and I *just* *now* found out we have folders near the GET Board where students can write us notes. That's where the first clue was trying to send me. Carissa said she didn't know until a week ago. She suggests they replaced the ones we had had down in GET Office.

Now I'm going to the Sunshine Bar to find another note. *aha*

      In the most recent article about kidnapped rabbits, please find
      the third person quoted.  That will be the password to open the
      first document.

What?

Where could there be an article about kidnapped rabbits?

Where could there be a *most recent* article about kidnapped rabbits?

Something that has repeated articles? On the boat? Encarta??

I spent a great deal of time on this, and ultimately decided there could not possibly be any actual articles about kidnapped rabbits, though I must admit I did a couple of Encarta searches of various intensities.

So there must be a fake article about kidnapped rabbits, and the only articles I knew of were typed by Tami as little snippets from actual news headlines.

I zipped up to the English news binder and found a page on top of all the others:

August 08, 2005

Authorities are frantically searching for clues regarding the rabbit
Francois, who went missing on August 5.  A ransom note was delivered
on August 7, and apparently the demands were met, but the rabbit was
not returned.  "This is why you should never bargain with rabbit-nappers," 
said Shawn, a co-worker of the owner, "they will keep asking and
asking for more.  Eventually when they get tired of the game they will
just throw the rabbit overboard and run away- or maybe paddle.  At any
rate, you can never win."  The P-B Daily English Newspaper on
August 8 published more demands from the rabbit-nappers.  The new
demands are that the owner, Rob, wear his shirt backwards until
Vancouver, take off his ugly nail polish, read a poem "Ode to
Francois" in a public meeting, and shave the left half of his head.
The translator himself, Fei, offered no comment.  He is claiming a
journalist's right to protect his sources and refuses to divulge who
the rabbit-nappers are.  A huge controversy has begun about a
journalist's right to protect his sources and his duty to ensure the
protection of innocent stuffed animals. Kim, a close friend of the
owner, said, "I was shocked that the translator of the newspaper would
print such scandalous things in the newspaper.  I assure you that I am
canceling my subscription immediately.  We should all boycott any
organization that is willing to cooperate with rabbit-nappers in that
way."  Authorities are asking anyone with information about the rabbit
to come forward.

August 07, 2005

On August 5, a stuffed rabbit known as Francois went missing.  The
disappearance had stumped authorities because no clues were left
behind as to the rabbit's whereabouts.  Early in the morning of August
7 a ransom note was discovered near the classroom where Rob, the
owner, teaches English class.  According to sources, there were
demands made in order to secure the release of Francois.  The
authorities have refused to divulge the contents of the ransom note
for security reasons.  "All I can say is that I'm glad it isn't my
rabbit.  This is a terrible thing for anyone to have to go through.
Fortunately, Rob has a good support network here and we are all going
to help him.  We won't rest until Francois is brought back," said
Brandt, a close friend of the owner.  Authorities say that they have
many suspects, but due to the lack of clues they are still not close
to making an arrest.

August 05, 2005

Onboard the P-B, a Japanese-based cruise ship/NGO that is
traveling around the world, a blue stuffed rabbit known as Francois
has been kidnapped.  The owner Rob at first thought the rabbit had
just gone to play with some of the children on the boat.  "I knew
something was wrong when Francois didn't join me for dinner.  He never
misses a chance to nibble on my carrot sticks," said Rob.  A general
search has been started for Francois and authorities are still hoping
for the best.  In the meantime the general public is being asked to
participate by searching in laundry baskets and trash cans around the
ship.

10pm PDT Thursday 11 August 2005

Kim and Katt cracked it; 'brandt' is the password, but he is not the third person quoted in the most recent article.

We ultimately recognized he is the third person quoted on the paper, Fei isn't actually quoted.

What place?

- - - -

Fuckin' hell, this is supposed to rhyme: "far" and "Francois." Katt believes it rhymes. Silly girl.

- - - -

It looks like the white square could look like a whiteboard, which exists in the GET meeting room. I bet he's there.

Got Francois!!

11:14pm PDT Thursday 11 August 2005

I've got Francois back!! I got stuck on a couple of the clues, but it turns out I had been on the right track: a clue had been left in one of the women's restrooms up on the 7th floor, but (!) the clue had been tossed into the garbage before it could be recovered. Also, I didn't know we had folders in which students could leave us notes/messages/etc. One of the clues was like, "look where students can communicate with us," and I was like, "where ??????" but Petra was like, "go back to the GET Board" and I looked more carefully and found the folders.

For a while I got stuck on the one that was like, "In the most recent article on kidnapped rabbits, find the name of the third person quoted. That's the password of the first file," but then I realized it must be in the English news section of the boat: faked articles about rabbit-nappings, and I found it.

Katt and Kim got the password; it was the third name quoted on the page, but not within the 'most recent article' ah well; I'm just being anal.

The clue revealed in that file gave the location. Francois was tied up in a plastic bag on the back of the whiteboard in the GET meeting room labeled in Japanese [do not steal, please.]

- - - -

I'm walking back from the seminar room now, with Francois in my pocket; I am almost embarassed to be seen with him.. I just want hugs first from Kim and Katt (who helped me get him) and feel happy that he's back and sad he was gone and be with people who understand.

fashion show

Tonight's rabbit search was interrupted by the Fashion Show, including the Sweat Shop Fashion Show (( short version: Nike bad; GAP bad; Timberland good )). I'm going to alter my beloved GAP hoodie to say "BOYCOTT GAP" instead of just GAP.

Now Katt and I are going to watch Simpsons episodes.

hitomi again

4:40am PDT Friday 12 August 2005

Katt and I were watching Simpsons in GET Room 4 until around 3:50am, and she went to bed and I wrote in my journal about finding Francois and then went downstairs and for an apparently 'random' reason, Hitomi was on the 4th floor writing in her notebook and I came down (with the intention of going to bed) and I saw her and was like, "aw fuck," and she asked me where I had been and what I had been doing. I told her "upstairs, having a picnic" and she was like, "what?" and I was like, "this conversation is over," and she basically let me go. I went upstairs to 6th floor with the intention of taking the elevator down to 3rd floor to bypass Hitomi, and then on the 3rd floor, she was just walking down.

I believe she couldn't have consciously known, but it sure was convenient for the fates. I stopped and she stopped and we spent THIRTY MINUTES of her asking me why I don't talk to her and me saying "because I don't trust you and you won't let me go to bed when I want to go to bed." She was like, "I want to sleep with you," and I was like, "no; it's not appropriate," and she finally gave up and was like, "can I hug you?" and I was like yes, but didn't hug her back, and then she was like, "will you hug me?" and I'm like, "only if you don't tax me for it later," cause she has used my compassion for her as a human as if it's love for *her*, and I hugged her, and then she looked up to kiss me and I was like no, and then she was like something, and I was tired and thinking what the hell, and went in to kiss her and then *she* pulled away, and I was like, "oh, fuck off. what. do. you. want. ??" and she goes, "do you feel?" "what? yes I feel. What are you talking about?" "do you feel bad or good?" and finally I realized she was asking if I have any feelings for her, and I was like, "no. I don't love you; I don't want to kiss you; I don't want to talk to you; I don't want to fuck you; I just want to go to bed."

And she seemed to get it and then began to walk away and I was like, "you can do it," (wanting to bless her cause I know it's hard for me to pull away from someone I love,) and she was like, "what???" almost sounding like she took offense, and I'm like, ah jeez, how can I fucking explain Namaste to this girl? and that turned into a big fuckin' thing too, and I just collapsed onto the floor and was like, "good god just fucking go away," in tears, and "can I please just go to bed?" and it's like some power thing; each of us want the other to leave first, and then she's like, "don't cry" and I'm like, "man, fuck you, I'm crying because of you; I'm just devastated here."

I'm in my room and too tired to feel too sad, and I haven't taken a shower for a while and the tears just burned sizzling body oil into my eyes.

I also had to write a note to Kim to tell her that I wouldn't be joining her tomorrow in Vancouver; I am just too completely wiped emotionally and physically.

I think I put the note under the right door.

- - - -

Oh, *and*, though Hitomi may have been unaware that I would be coming down (and therefore not actually waiting for me), she certainly pounced on the chance to talk to me and went straight to bed after I got rid of her.