iPod morning commute music: Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)
OK, technically NOT on my iPod yet, but well worth mentioning. This is really good, unusual music for the Boss. First, it is an album of all covers, tunes from Pete Seeger's vast catalogue of recordings. Second, they were all recorded live and unrehearsed, in his farm house in upstate New York in three 1-day acoustic sessions, with a group of up to 13 musicians playing horns, fiddles, a washboard, drums, accordions. Finally, it is a happy album, fun and loose, full of different styles ranging from folk, country, bluegrass and gospel. I swear, Springsteen is one of those few artists who can record any damn thing he wants, follow any whim he wants, and at least here get away with it. A great album.
Golden Week is a week in Japan where national holidays fall on 4 out of 6 days, with many companies giving employees all 6 days off. Not so with schools. We have only the actual holidays off: April 29th, and May 3rd, 4th and 5th. I'll be in school on Monday and Tuesday, as well as Saturday the 6th. We don't have any real plans to go anywhere. Tatsu has 12 IB final exams throughout the holidays (he is NOT happy), Kaoru is sick (she went to an allergies' doctor yesterday, who took some blood and is running tests). Besides, it is a horrible time to travel, with nation-wide traffic jams. So Tatsu, Alisa and I went down to our local video shop and rented 5 DVDs. It's time to hunker down to serious TV time.
Yesterday, I went on a hike with the entire high school junior class to Mt. Koya. Most of the day was spent in transport: I left my place at 6:10 am, and arrived, by train and bus, with the students at the starting point at 10:30 am. The actual hike was only 2 hours and 15 minutes, after which we ate our box lunches, goofed off, and then reboarded buses at 2:30 pm to begin the long trek back home. It was a gorgeous day, sunny but not hot on the forest trail up the mountain. The students were, for the most part, in good spirits. My job for the day was photographer, which always makes one popular with the kids. All in all a good day.
Now, back to my start of Golden Week.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Getting Better all the Time
iPod morning commute music: Miles Davis, Bitches Brew, disc 1 (1970)
More jazz, but sort of wasted on me this morning. I slept pretty much the whole way into work. A very important album, but...I still prefer yesterday's Blue Train.
Yesterday's headache came under control about 2:30, so I was feeling fine as I made my way with a group of teachers to my school's welcome party for new teachers, held in the Osaka Hilton. Seating is always by the luck of the draw, so people don't just sit with their friends. I got lucky and was at a table with a number of English speakers. The food was also good, with grilled salmon and beef tenderloin making up the two main dishes. Beer and wine flowed freely all evening. Then, I actually was a winner at Bingo, and received an electric takoyaki cooker. Takoyaki is hard to explain, but basically it's a ball of cooked dough with a small piece of octopus in the middle. Sweet sauce is on the top, and it's a favorite snack food in Osaka. I got home and showed Kaoru; she thought it was funny. I asked her if she knew how to make takoyaki, and she said, "Of course!" In 19 years of marriage she's never made it, but I guess if you're a woman from Osaka, the skill is genetic.
The new Springsteen album is out in the States today, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. Reviews have been very good. It sounds like a fun album. I may look for it today on my way home.
More jazz, but sort of wasted on me this morning. I slept pretty much the whole way into work. A very important album, but...I still prefer yesterday's Blue Train.
Yesterday's headache came under control about 2:30, so I was feeling fine as I made my way with a group of teachers to my school's welcome party for new teachers, held in the Osaka Hilton. Seating is always by the luck of the draw, so people don't just sit with their friends. I got lucky and was at a table with a number of English speakers. The food was also good, with grilled salmon and beef tenderloin making up the two main dishes. Beer and wine flowed freely all evening. Then, I actually was a winner at Bingo, and received an electric takoyaki cooker. Takoyaki is hard to explain, but basically it's a ball of cooked dough with a small piece of octopus in the middle. Sweet sauce is on the top, and it's a favorite snack food in Osaka. I got home and showed Kaoru; she thought it was funny. I asked her if she knew how to make takoyaki, and she said, "Of course!" In 19 years of marriage she's never made it, but I guess if you're a woman from Osaka, the skill is genetic.
The new Springsteen album is out in the States today, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. Reviews have been very good. It sounds like a fun album. I may look for it today on my way home.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Teaching with a Headache
iPod morning commute music: John Coltrane, Blue Train (1957)
Sometimes, it has to be jazz, and jazz doesn't get much better than this CD. It's hard to believe I was only 3 years old when this came out; it sounds like it was recorded last night. Essential music.
Last night, I went to the Blarney Stone Pub in Umeda to meet with some Democrats Abroad Japan Kansai people. We're in the process of setting up an online voter registration system using the DA web site www.votefromabroad.org on their computer. It was also DA Movie night. To make a long story short, I had a couple of pints of Guinness, then headed home for a late dinner and some wine. Today, headache. Not a splitting headache, just a dull one that won't go away. Never fun for teaching.
There is a lot of work being co-national chair for voter registration (VR), but I like doing it. Hopefully, once we get the system in place things should mellow out a bit.
Finally, tonight is our annual school welcome party for new teachers, a nice one as the school pays for everything. This year, it's being held in the Hilton, and looks like a great menu. Hopefully, the headache will be gone by then, or it will be the old hair of the dog.
Sometimes, it has to be jazz, and jazz doesn't get much better than this CD. It's hard to believe I was only 3 years old when this came out; it sounds like it was recorded last night. Essential music.
Last night, I went to the Blarney Stone Pub in Umeda to meet with some Democrats Abroad Japan Kansai people. We're in the process of setting up an online voter registration system using the DA web site www.votefromabroad.org on their computer. It was also DA Movie night. To make a long story short, I had a couple of pints of Guinness, then headed home for a late dinner and some wine. Today, headache. Not a splitting headache, just a dull one that won't go away. Never fun for teaching.
There is a lot of work being co-national chair for voter registration (VR), but I like doing it. Hopefully, once we get the system in place things should mellow out a bit.
Finally, tonight is our annual school welcome party for new teachers, a nice one as the school pays for everything. This year, it's being held in the Hilton, and looks like a great menu. Hopefully, the headache will be gone by then, or it will be the old hair of the dog.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Felt Better
iPod morning commute music: Passion is No Ordinary Word: The Graham Parker Anthology 1976-1991, disc 2 (1993)
Graham Parker and the Rumor first blew me away with 1979's Squeezing Out Sparks. Parker always struck me as a mix between Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. His songwriting skills are excellent, matching rocking melodies with biting lyrics. But that was all I bought back then, and it wasn't until this double-disc anthology came out that I gave him his due listen. It's really good stuff, particularly disc 1, his older stuff. However, disc 2 holds its own. Intellegent music.
I've been suffering from a cold since Tuesday. I hate colds. Tomorrow (Saturday) I'm taking a half-day holiday and will stay home, sleep, maybe go see a doctor if I don't feel better.
Am reading Alex Kerr's Demons and Dogs, The Fall of Modern Japan. It's depressing stuff about just how horrible Japan is politically, economically, and environmentally. Yet it is easy to live here. There's a contradiction somewhere.
Have to teach. Have a good weekend.
Graham Parker and the Rumor first blew me away with 1979's Squeezing Out Sparks. Parker always struck me as a mix between Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. His songwriting skills are excellent, matching rocking melodies with biting lyrics. But that was all I bought back then, and it wasn't until this double-disc anthology came out that I gave him his due listen. It's really good stuff, particularly disc 1, his older stuff. However, disc 2 holds its own. Intellegent music.
I've been suffering from a cold since Tuesday. I hate colds. Tomorrow (Saturday) I'm taking a half-day holiday and will stay home, sleep, maybe go see a doctor if I don't feel better.
Am reading Alex Kerr's Demons and Dogs, The Fall of Modern Japan. It's depressing stuff about just how horrible Japan is politically, economically, and environmentally. Yet it is easy to live here. There's a contradiction somewhere.
Have to teach. Have a good weekend.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
He's back, and blogger than ever!
iPod morning commute music: Bob Dylan, Before the Flood, disc 2 (1974)
Not much to say about this one. Dylan and The Band, live, with Dylan reinventing his songs and The Band playing gamely along. The Band has a set of their own stuff, followed by an acoustic Dylan solo set. This really set the pattern for Dylan's future never-ending tour. Very good, unless you don't like Dylan.
I'm back. It's been a helluva start to the academic year! The British kids and their teachers came on the 2nd and returned home on the 15th. It was a very successful program, but I regret missing the first 2 days of classes. Things are also heating up with the voter registration gig. I'm beginning to feel that political pulse again. I'm hyped.
This week has been busy trying to catch up on all the paperwork I should have done last week, coupled with lessons. In a way, it's kind of exhilarating to be so busy, on some edge, and yet everything works. My new students seem nice, my new textbooks good. Of course, it has only been a week.
Yesterday, our school had their welcome assembly for new students, with school clubs performing, trying to recruit new members. My club, ESS (English Speaking Society), did a very good job, and I'm hopeful we'll get some good new members.
Finally, sorry for the lack of posts over the last 3 weeks, but I hope you understand. I'll try my best to keep this blog up and running from now on.
Not much to say about this one. Dylan and The Band, live, with Dylan reinventing his songs and The Band playing gamely along. The Band has a set of their own stuff, followed by an acoustic Dylan solo set. This really set the pattern for Dylan's future never-ending tour. Very good, unless you don't like Dylan.
I'm back. It's been a helluva start to the academic year! The British kids and their teachers came on the 2nd and returned home on the 15th. It was a very successful program, but I regret missing the first 2 days of classes. Things are also heating up with the voter registration gig. I'm beginning to feel that political pulse again. I'm hyped.
This week has been busy trying to catch up on all the paperwork I should have done last week, coupled with lessons. In a way, it's kind of exhilarating to be so busy, on some edge, and yet everything works. My new students seem nice, my new textbooks good. Of course, it has only been a week.
Yesterday, our school had their welcome assembly for new students, with school clubs performing, trying to recruit new members. My club, ESS (English Speaking Society), did a very good job, and I'm hopeful we'll get some good new members.
Finally, sorry for the lack of posts over the last 3 weeks, but I hope you understand. I'll try my best to keep this blog up and running from now on.
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