Journal for 2005-10-31 Mon.. Weather: Cloudy Plan: Akagi JHS
Today was Halloween, but I didn't do anything special for it. There was a Halloween party at a Matsue night club on Saturday, but I really don't like night clubs, so I didn't go. Instead, a got together with a few friends and chatted. That was more fun, I think, but I still want to see the pictures from the party. All my ALT frields dressed up in funny and weird costumes.
Journal for 2005-10-28 Fri.. Weather: Cloudy Plan: Akagi JHS
I didn't have any classes in the morning so I spent it readin a book about the foreign service. The amazing stories in the book have only made my desire to join the foreign service grow. I went and cleaned the road around Route 54 with the junior high school and high school students today. It gave me a chance to chat with students that went to Akagi JHS two years ago that I haven't seen in a long time. It was really nice.
Journal for 2005-10-27 Thu.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
Today was an average day at junior high school, but I was feeling lethargic all day long for some odd reason. We didn't do anything special in my favorite 9th grade elective English class, but just seeing those 3 girls' smiling faces cheered me up. I think I need more focus in my life. I have all these things I want to study, but I don't know where to start. I have to take things one step at a time, I suppose.
Journal for 2005-10-26 Wed.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Kijima Ele.
I taught the super cute kids at Kijima Elementary School again today. The classes were fun, as always, but I had the most fun playing with the kids during the breaks. We played dodgeball. When I was a kid, I didn't like sports at all, but now I know that playing sports is an important thing to do for your body.
Journal for 2005-10-25 Tue.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Kijima Ele.
I went and taught at Kijima Elementary School today. As always, I played with the super hyper kids there. I didn't do anything special, but I had a really fun time. Third period the Social Studies teacher, Mr. Shiraishi, drove me to the junior high school for the annual teachers' photo. I put on a suit for the picture, but of course afterwards I changed into a track suit, since it would be a little odd to teach elementary school kids in a suit.
Journal for 2005-10-24 Mon.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
This morning was a normal day at junior high school. I taught classes, read the news, and checked email, but in the afternoon I went to Iinan Hospital to have my annual checkup required for all town employees. The doctor said I looked fine, but the alanine transaminase (ALT) in my blood is a little high at 57. There is a tiny chance I might have hepatitis type B or C, so I am going back in a couple months for anothe test.
Journal for 2005-10-21 Fri.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
I went to Iinan Hospital with Signe this morning. She has a cold. I was there because I had to have my blood drawn for my annual check-up next week. After I did that we waited for over an hour for the doctor to see Signe for her cold. It was all good though because we got out of there with some sweet drugs. In the 9th grade class today my lines in the dialog we were reading was made for a girl, so Ms. Suyama made me speak like a girl during the dialog. The kids totally ate it up.
Journal for 2005-10-20 Thu.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
I went to teach at Iinan High School today, which is always fun for me. Leslie and I taught the lower-level 10th graders English class together. We talked about Halloween. She is an awesome teacher. The kids totally understood her lesson.Ms. Suyama wasn't here again today, so I taught the lower-level 9th grade elective English class by myself today. I almost felt like a real teacher.
Journal for 2005-10-19 Wed.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
Ms. Suyama was at a seminar in Matsue today, so Ms. Mishima and I had to teach the 8th and 9th graders alone today. Ms. Mishima was worried because Ms. Suyama is in charge of both those classes, but it actually went really well. The 9th graders were a little cold at first, so Ms Mishima told a funny story of her's and got everyone laughing. After that, things went swimingly.
Journal for 2005-10-18 Tue.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
Today in my always interesting 9th grade elective English class we talked about Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the war-related Yasukuni Shrine yesterday. His visit to the shrine has upset both China and South Korea because Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to the war dead including 14 Class-A war criminals. I read in a newspaper today that about half of Japanese polled think that his going to the shrine was a bad idea, but most Japanese don't really care one way or another.
Journal for 2005-10-17 Mon.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
Signe and I were stressed out today because of a tax problem we had. Back in 2002 I was unemployed for about 6 months, so I collected unemployment insurance for that time. That year at tax time, like I did every year before, I bought software to do my own taxes with. The problem was that the software didn't know (and neither did I) that the unemployment insurance I was collecting was taxable income, so now, so many years later, I not only have to pay the taxes I own, but all these years of interest as well. From now on I definitely am having my taxes done by a CPA. It might be a little pricey, but it is a whole less pricey than my dumb mistake.
Journal for 2005-10-14 Fri.. Weather: Rainy Plan: Akagi JHS
Today was the first day of the second term mid-term exams. First period, while the seventh graders took their English test, I walked around the room looking for cheaters. I think that their average score on this test is going to be better than their average on last term's finals. Monday, the eighth and ninth graders take their English mid-terms. Good luck, everybody!
Journal for 2005-10-13 Thu.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
This morning Jane Doe, a 7th grader, gave me some habanero peppers that her father grew. Last year Jane's dad wanted to buy these habanero seeds, but he couldn't read the English on the websites to order them, so I ordered them for him and gave them to him. Anyway, I showed them to the teachers and students today and gave them a little to try. You know, these habanero peppers, the Red Savina, are the hottest spice in the world, so watching their reactions as they tried the peppers was priceless.
Journal for 2005-10-12 Wed.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
I had four classes today, so I'm pretty tired. I don't really know why, but the kids were all really upbeat today. Signe left this morning to teach English for 2 days in Hamada. From now on every Wednesday I'll be coming home to an empty house. I don't think I could have lived alone here for 3 years without being able to come home to my loving wife every night.
Journal for 2005-10-11 Tue.. Weather: Cloudy Plan: Akagi JHS
Today went by fast! After teaching 3 classes, I went to the CATV building for a planning meeting for my TV show. The theme for November's show will be Thanksgiving. Most Japanese people don't know about Thanksgiving in America, so we will use our English conversation class TV show to introduce it to them. I miss those Thanksgiving dinners from my childhood.
Journal for 2005-10-7 Fri.. Weather: Sunny Plan: Akagi JHS
Today was good because nothing especially bad happened. I spent most of my free time writing and posting this month's Trev Report. I can't believe that I have been writing the Trev Report for just about 9 years now. I have a lot of good memories, but it is easy for me to forget. It always makes me feel good when I look back and read those old reports. I have a good life.
Hello everyone and welcome once again you your monthly Trev Report wherein you shall find musings about the goings on of Trevor Menagh in these carefree times. And now on with the report!
Trev's Lovelife --------------- Signe got a new job in Hamada, a city about 1 1/2 hours drive from our house, for two days a week. She also got her old job at Miyoshi High School back for another two days a week. That is great news for us here. The extra income will go towards our debts. The only downside to the new situation is that since Hamada is a good distance away, and she is teaching in the evenings there, she stays over in Hamada for one night each week. It's not so bad, but still a downside. Besides that we are just living life over here. We are both getting over