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Rob is 20,118 days old today.

Entries this day: Email_to_Miss_Carter Work dream_colleen

Email to Miss Carter

Hey toots

I'm up to like level 55 in Mafia Wars; I have built up my max energy enough that I can leave the
frikkin' game alone to get stuff done in what we like to call the "real world" for nearly 15 hours
while my Mafia-energy continues to accumulate.

In other news, I recently got a job, so I'm getting some up close and personal time with this Real
World and making real money (not exactly *tons* of money, but nearly as much as I was making while
teaching English full time, and a lot saner on my brain.  (*))

(*) a little rant about Japan / Japanese people who want "to learn English":

ARGH!  The prevailing school system and social paradigm tells Japanese people to sit down, shut up,
and memorize this so they can parrot later.

As you may know, languages require a bit more organic thinking than parrotry, and the "shut up" part
of "sit down and shut up" does not lend itself well to people actually trying to use the language in
real world situations.

I had a student come sit in front of me for our first lesson (1 to 1 lessons) and say "yoroshiku,"
which in that case, I'd essentially translate to "yes please," or at best "let's do this thing," but
implied all the direction would come from me, especially because she did *not* have a book, notebook
nor writing utensil..  I thought, "um, wtf do you want to learn?  The topic of English spans quite a
range," and knew I had to quit that job.

end rant

Can you relate to unmotivated students?

What about to sarcasm?

In other news, Japanese people don't seem to understand sarcasm.

- - -

My best friend / housemate has left me in charge of her house while she visits Australia for 20
days, mostly to attend a course by a group called Avatar, and hopefully to attend trapeze camp for a
couple days as a bonus.

Initially, I intended to travel with her, but my position as assistant manager for a fledgling
language school has kept me here in Tokyo for the time being.  That, and my previously mentioned
job, which I didn't mention pays for my time as a computer programmer, changed my mind.  Plus I
realized I might not enjoy Australia as much during their winter as during their summer.

I hope you've enjoyed this letter written in E-Prime, and continue to have a lovely day!

     Peace and Mafia
     - Rob!!
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Work

9:10pm JST Tuesday 18 August 2009 (day 14391)

Because my computer crashed on the way to work yesterday, I fell a bit behind in journaling, emailing, and studying kanji, which I had planned to do on the train to and from work yesterday, but instead read my book, chowed yummy treats, and played Scramble on iPhone.

Last night I revived my computer by reseating the hard drive and wrote this to Alfonzo:

My pooter is working again.  You may have been right; I just reseated the new HD (after seating the
old HD (after taking the entire case off (required removal of about 20 screws) because the rubber
grommets that hold the HD came squirming out when I pulled out the new HD the first time (which
gives credence to your theory that it was poorly seated))) and now it's working again.  Yay!

Because I had never taken my laptop that far apart, the whole task took pretty much my entire available evening (after arriving home well fed from my snack-filled train ride which started after my meeting with Ryoko, our latest new Cow-Go student).

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dream colleen

9:20pm JST Tuesday 18 August 2009 (day 14391)

After much persusion, ("why are you hesitant to gimme the details?" "Cause you're still my little colleenie beanie about fifteenie!!") I wrote to Colleen the basics of my recent dream with her:

I was watching the dream as a third person, watching you and me in the middle of a room, with your parents on the other side of the door! I dunno if you were nekked, but I was totally hard and you were showing me your mad fellatio skills and I totally came and it was great.

EEEEKkkk I can't believe I just told you that!    Are you traumatized????

Fortunately, she was not traumatized:

HAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA why were my parents on the other side of the door?! THAT is the
only traumatizing part of the story. But I literally laughed out loud really hard for a few minutes
when i read that last sentence. Who told you I had mad fellatio skillz!!!??!  Heeheehee.

Why am I posting this online???

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