Work Safety Issues

Saw this delivery guy doing a very delicate balancing act in order to work on some unknown problem with the light fixture at the back of the cargo bay.

Ever heard of a stepladder?

It's a little hard to tell from this photo, but he's got one of those hefty cargo straps rigged like a tightrope, and he used that in order to reach the problem area on the ceiling.

Didn't stick around long enough to see if he broke his neck on the dismount...

Work Safety Issues

The t-shirts students wear

This t-shirt appeared in one of my classes last semester. The wearer shall remain nameless, but I can confirm that he did indeed understand the subtext.

The t-shirts students wear

I can hear them clearing their throats (a day without my iPod)

Left the apartment yesterday without my beloved iPod. It wasn't on purpose, it just happened. Before getting on the train I debated returning home to retrieve it, but I decided against it.

I decided that it might be a good experiment for me to attempt to make it one full working day without the aid of my mp3 player.

Boy was that a stupid idea.

• The whole ride to work I got to listen to people sniffling and sneezing like there was a ragweed patch in the middle of the train.
• In the shops I had to navigate the incessant "Welcome to our humble store!" and other sales-related, but automated, jingles that routinely assault shoppers' aural faculties here.
• In Vie de France (a bakery/cafe) I was treated to a teenager barking into her phone at her obviously at-fault boyfriend. For 25 minutes.
• On the return trip home, the business guy sitting next to me repeatedly cleared his throat as though he was intending to spit something large down a drain that I couldn't immediately perceive. However, the drain appeared to be in my general direction.
  

So let's just say that I learned my lesson. If I happen to leave the apartment without my music again, then I'll be scurrying back home before you can say, "Christopher is a lame-ass twerp". But even if you do say it out loud, which some of you will, it won't matter because I'll be listening to Murs.

I can hear them clearing their throats (a day without my iPod)

Waseda (Tutorial) Summer Party 2008

Kelly's band of teachers at Waseda University got absorbed by my band of teachers which means that she was able to cop an invite to the annual summer piss-up that is held at/near the end of the spring Tutorial English/Chinese semester.

This is a photo of her floating towards the after-party at the Cantina near Takadanobaba station.

That's Okuma Hall in the background.

Waseda (Tutorial) Summer Party 2008

A Reason to Celebrate

The men's toilet on the third floor at Nishi-Waseda has been remodeled!

If you've ever tried to use a squat-style toilet, then you probably understand my feeling of euphoria. I have never really enjoyed pooping in a hole whenever I go camping, so I don't see any reason to make it a habit when I'm at work.

Any male teacher at Waseda will be able to tell you that the only western-style toilets at the Nishi-Waseda campus were located on the first and third floors over in building number one. Those two bowls were getting so much attention that they became a little wobbly. Now they have backup.

And for those of you who are so inclined, and are in possession of a small behind, one of the new toilets is equipped with a "washlet".

Spray away!

A Reason to Celebrate

Prospective NOVA Employees

You should definitely click on this or this before buying your ticket to come and work in Japan.

Prospective NOVA Employees

End of Spring Term: July 2007

Preparing for whiskey.

End of Spring Term: July 2007

School's Out

Today it became painfully obvious that the measles vaccination is indeed a good idea.

After my first lesson of the day finished (3rd period Academic Writing) I was informed that the entire next week of classes had been cancelled. The students rejoiced, and I was left to figure out how I can stay on top of all of my grading over the next week or so.

The measles, from what I've heard, are only fun for those who don't come down with them. And it seems that MMR (measles, mumps, and rubeola) shots are not as common in Japan as one would expect. Measles outbreaks tend to occur only in developing countries these days, but there is a large population of individuals in Japan that is not immune to the virus, so Waseda University is officially off-limits (for most people) until next Wednesday at the earliest.

It was reported that Waseda has had 30 reported cases of the measles so far this spring. To put that number in perspective, in 2002 there were 44 cases reported nationwide in the United States.

The whole economy that revolves around the tens of thousands of students from Waseda University has been put on hold for at least seven days, and there's no guarantee that the one week break will stem an epidemic.

Since many students cannot change their work schedules at a part-time job on short notice, they are finding it difficult to fill their windfall of a vacation. Many "circles" (university clubs) are using the extra time off from school to do some extra drinking. The measles virus has an incubation period of between four and twelve days, so the drinking parties are probably not going to help the situation much.

To make matters more exciting, a friend of mine who works at a hospital here in Tokyo said that they are already out of measles shots. Nice nice!

School's Out

Finished My Grading!!!

Holy crap it took forever! It always seems to.
I submitted my grades (for my students) about two hours and ten minutes before the deadline. It takes about two weeks to write the reports that are required for each individual student. It definitely takes a toll mentally!
But I'm done.

Finished My Grading!!!

Big Day Out (WUI) Winter, 2004. One of the buses heading out to eastern Tokyo for the afternoon. Followed by a dinner cruise in Odaiba!

Steve Kane and Liz Watson sharing a cold one. This was at the 'nijikai', or 'after-party-party'. Unfortunately, like Kyoko, these two left as well.

Waseda University End-of-Spring-Term Party, 2003!

Back to Work

After a three week vacation, it's back to the office tomorrow. I can't really complain though, because I only have a few more weeks of work this semester. Two of those weeks involve grading, so I can't really call it work. I won't mention how much paid time off I get each year, but it's plenty. One of the nice things about working for a university is that if the students aren't there, then I don't really need to be there either. And in my experience, the more expensive the university (tuition), the less time the students are required to spend in class. For the record, I teach at a very expensive university.

Back to Work

WUI

I just completed my second full year at Waseda University International. I plan to sign on for a third year in the near future. We had our end-of-the-academic-year party last night, and all of the full-time staff headed to Yokohama for some sightseeing and a nice, 11-course, Chinese, all-you-can-eat/drink bonanza in Chinatown.

The final stop on the tour was Landmark Tower in downtown Yokohama. We took the express elevators to the 69th floor (it's the tallest building in Japan), but the view was literally nonexistent. The fog and mist effectively erased the famous nighttime views! We all circled our way around to the bar, and had a beer on the management as a consolation prize.

Despite the rain and mud, it seemed like everyone had a lot of fun. I didn't have my camera with me, so I don't have any photos to post, but I noticed a lot of smiles from the teachers who tend to keep to themselves. There were a lot of people there--close to 70 I believe. Another 40-some-odd instructors are signing on this April, so I'm sure that we're in for some madness this year!

WUI