Haha! I did it! I out-Japanesed a Japanese person! Wow, this feels so good, let me just bask in this glory. Ahhh feels good.
My supervisor just came back, and he's wearing a short-sleeved work-shirt. Oh, and what's this? Cool-biz ended yesterday. He totally got asked "Aren't you cold today in that short-sleeve shirt?"
You don't understand, this is the equivalent of "Tomorrow, wear long-sleeves." The actual temperature (currently perfect, maybe high 60's) has no bearing on the comment. It's how Japanese culture works, nice and indirect.
And, who is wearing a long-sleeve shirt and tie, on this first day of non-cool biz. Why, that would be moi ;).
Actually just had a 5 minute conversation with my supervisor. He was worried that I would be getting paid for helping out at the Takko Beef and Garlic Festival this weekend. It turns out that it looks bad if civil servants are paid for helping out. Or, we are only supposed to have one job, and having another would look back upon the system. Or, something to that effect.
Either way, it doesn't matter, as I'm not getting paid, except maybe in delicious food.
Well, I have to be up for my 5:30am pickup tomorrow morning to help out. Oh, the things we do for beef and garlic.
またね。
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Quick Thoughts
Here are some quick thoughts- like lightning!
-I hiked Nakuidake last weekend with Matt and Andy. It was great fun. It took us 4.5 hours and we saw EVERYTHING. I'm really glad we ignored the guide who said it's 50 minutes to the top and then we're done.
-I read some reviews for False Priest, the new Of Montreal album. I disagree with the reviews that said, and I quote: "Barnes' lyrics remain a stumbling block," and "...mainly because the lyrics are simply too dense and abstract to enjoy in this setting." No. No, no, no. Intelligent, dense lyrics are no reason to dislike music. In fact, it makes music MORE enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed the nods to Greek and Nordic mythology in Of Montreal's previous albums. It raises the level of music to give a line or two to sing about Tristan and Isolde to describe one's sadness without actually saying "I'm sad." Intelligent music is a way to fight against the bevy of sugar-pop and gangster-rap lyrics that saturate the airwaves. You should be giving them points, reviewers, not taking points away.
-Politics. Ugh. I read sections of "A Pledge to America" earlier today. Distorted facts, ignoring evidence, and quoting things from a year ago that have changed- these are things I've come to expect, which, in itself, is quite terrifying. If this system were to act as it should, this shouldn't be popping up, much less be expected by a citizen. But, I expect it, and learn to ignore it. Both sides are going to ignore facts (or make them up out of thin air- going to factcheck.org is quite fun). But what really angered me was that there were NO concrete plans. Just vague ambiguities, like:
"• Cut Congress’ Budget: This year, Congress increased its own budget by 5.8 percent at a time when families and small businesses across the country are cutting back. We will make Congress do more with less by significantly reducing its budget. "
That's it. That is what sickens me. Putting up a series of vague promises on what you will do. Maybe I'm too concrete, or too details-oriented. I need to know how and what the plan is.
-I hiked Nakuidake last weekend with Matt and Andy. It was great fun. It took us 4.5 hours and we saw EVERYTHING. I'm really glad we ignored the guide who said it's 50 minutes to the top and then we're done.
-I read some reviews for False Priest, the new Of Montreal album. I disagree with the reviews that said, and I quote: "Barnes' lyrics remain a stumbling block," and "...mainly because the lyrics are simply too dense and abstract to enjoy in this setting." No. No, no, no. Intelligent, dense lyrics are no reason to dislike music. In fact, it makes music MORE enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed the nods to Greek and Nordic mythology in Of Montreal's previous albums. It raises the level of music to give a line or two to sing about Tristan and Isolde to describe one's sadness without actually saying "I'm sad." Intelligent music is a way to fight against the bevy of sugar-pop and gangster-rap lyrics that saturate the airwaves. You should be giving them points, reviewers, not taking points away.
-Politics. Ugh. I read sections of "A Pledge to America" earlier today. Distorted facts, ignoring evidence, and quoting things from a year ago that have changed- these are things I've come to expect, which, in itself, is quite terrifying. If this system were to act as it should, this shouldn't be popping up, much less be expected by a citizen. But, I expect it, and learn to ignore it. Both sides are going to ignore facts (or make them up out of thin air- going to factcheck.org is quite fun). But what really angered me was that there were NO concrete plans. Just vague ambiguities, like:
"• Cut Congress’ Budget: This year, Congress increased its own budget by 5.8 percent at a time when families and small businesses across the country are cutting back. We will make Congress do more with less by significantly reducing its budget. "
That's it. That is what sickens me. Putting up a series of vague promises on what you will do. Maybe I'm too concrete, or too details-oriented. I need to know how and what the plan is.
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