Merry Christmas to all.

JOB CORPS ADMISSIONS is in search of some great young people ages 16-24!

Job Corps is operated through the U.S. Department of Labor and has been a viable (no cost) option for young people for 45 years! The premise of this residential program is to make a young person employable by encouraging self development and providing an environment conducive to creating a more marketable and independent youth. To us, employability includes the following: 1. Hands on training (over 100 competitive trades are offered at various centers across the country including CNA, LPN, Medical Office Support, Culinary Arts, Carpentry, Heavy Equipment Operator, Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Welding, Urban Forestry and much more!) 2. A completed education (earn a high school diploma or GED if a person does not have one already) 3. Mobility (students have an opportunity to earn a driver’s license while in the program)

Job Corps is a drug free environment and drug tests are mandatory upon entry; there are also other “zero tolerance” policies in place to ensure the safety of students and staff, and create an environment similar to work/school.

To Find Out More Information: Contact Honoria Middough, Outreach & Retention Specialist at 901-525-4491 or email hmiddough@chpinternational.com to find out about the current orientation schedule.

No appointment is necessary for orientations however. Once the person attends orientation, they will be scheduled for an interview- at that time, it will be determined if they are suitable and eligible for the Job Corps opportunity.

(All applicants are subject to a background check and cannot be mandated to enroll in this program by any court.)

Current Orientation Schedule is:

Every Monday at 10am and Every Wednesday at 2pm for those 18-24.

 Orientation is once per month for those 16-17 year olds: the next one is January 11th at 2pm 100 N. Main Street, Suite 906- Memphis, TN 38103/901-525-4491 x 11

*please note, no jeans or tennis shoes should be worn to orientation; a collard shirt should be worn by males as well*

Honoria Middough, Outreach & Retention Specialist

CHP International- Job Corps Admissions

100 N. Main Street, Suite 906 Memphis, TN 38103

901-525-4491

the past few weeks i’ve been working on the Times Square New Year’s Eve webcast and as the big day approaches, it occurs to me, we’re not ready! but we will be. i’m responsible for all the pre-taped video segments and footage. for instance, the intro to the show (at 5:50pm E.S.T.) and a history lesson on New Years in Times Square. And all kinds of behind-the-scenes footage of what goes into making the whole thing happen. Click here and watch live (or maybe afterwards) wherever you are. It’ll be a bit different from the TV broadcast, though all the important parts will be the same.
Happy New Year and to all a good night!

• Guerrilla gardening.
• This assignment from Soul Pancake.
• Underground parking.
• Beans. So good and so economical.

My final Grace in Small Things for today deserves a bit more space than a bullet point.

Though I was in my younger days, I am no longer much of a party person. I decided nonetheless to accept a former coworker’s invitation to a holiday party since I don’t get out much and could benefit from a few hours of shared holiday cheer. Not only was I looking forward to seeing my friend again, but couldn’t wait to hear more about her lawsuit against our former employer.  But even with events I’m looking forward to, I almost always experience a moment that morning when I regret having committed myself. But I’ve known myself long enough to know that although it would be yummy to stay home and read, if I go ahead and give myself that extra little nudge it takes to FOLLOW THROUGH, I won’t regret it afterward.

Often when I do attend a party, I find a quiet corner where I pull books one by one from the host’s bookshelf, or I make my way to wherever the children have been told to go play, or I find the host’s cat or dog and commune with that species instead of humans. Perhaps because of all the recent social isolation, I found myself in a good mood and willing to meet, greet and mingle with adult homo sapiens.

When asked how I knew the hosts, I explained that we had worked together and that I had quit a couple of months before she did. To the question, “are you still in insurance,” I said that I’d gone to Toronto to obtain a certificate in teaching English as a second language.

I was sitting by myself at the bar eating mixed nuts and sipping my punch when a young woman came up and–having overheard the previous exchange–said, “I’m an English teacher.”

“Where do you teach?” I asked her, assuming she would say she taught in the public school system or at a community college, or that she had taught in Korea at some point.

“At the YMCA,” she said.

I quickly swallowed the peanuts and gave her my full attention. “You’re a LINC teacher?” I asked.

She was. She is. For the next twenty minutes we questioned each other. She wanted to know where I’d gotten certified, how much it had cost, how long it had taken. It had taken her a year since she did it through the university of Saskatchewan via their distance education program since she had maintained a day job while working through the courses.

“I had to get in and out quickly to get back to earning money,” I told her.

She said that the Y was always looking for supply teachers and that she would give them my name this week. I expressed my deep gratitude and took the opportunity to pick her brain about all the areas that have been giving me apprehension: what’s it like supply teaching, how much notice do you get, does the teacher leave you with any resources, and so on.

By the time she was ready to return to her clutch of friends on the sectional, I had her business card and she had my contact information. I wandered back upstairs to the buffet feeling taller, lighter, calmer about everything.

How do I repeatedly manage to forget such a basic fact about life in human form? The universe can’t help us if we don’t show up. Sometimes that means showing up at work. Sometimes it means not flaking out on that lunch date with so-and-so who says she wants to get to know you better. Sometimes it means accepting a party invitation and then going anyway when you wake up that morning feeling like cancelling. Because you never know what the Universe is trying to line up for you if you’ll only … show up.

Yesterday I was paralyzed, thrown into a state of complete procrastination and inaction by fear. You see, I don’t know how to leap over the chasm between being a great TESL student and being a wonderful, seasoned teacher. Somewhere in between those two, I have to face an interview and the first few days and weeks on the job. The thing is…I don’t go into anything half-cocked. I’m either 110% prepared or I don’t attempt whatever it is.

LINC classes are not taught from any book. You are not handed a curriculum or syllabus. Everything is customized for each new group of students coming in off the street with their particular set of needs, which you determine by conducting a needs assessment in week one. After the NA is done, you sit down and put together a curriculum for that level using the Canadian Language Benchmarks and companion tables as your guide. You use authentic materials as much as possible, though supplementing to some extent with photocopies from a variety of books and workbooks found in the teachers’ resource room is also acceptable. Using authentic materials means that if one of the needs is for students to learn to communicate during a visit to the doctor, you might bring in or adapt/simplify a real medical form taken from a real doctor’s office and teach students how to fill it out.

Unlike a teacher who has been at this a while, I don’t yet have a file cabinet full of lessons I’ve used in the past, trusty stand-by activities to get me through the next day’s teaching when I’m having a brain dead night. The thought of how on earth to survive the first days of teaching is terrifying to me.

My mind has been driving me crazy with dreadful scenarios of both an interview wherein I cannot claim to be ready for those first months and with visions of those first weeks in months when I am–God forbid–not yet the world’s most amazing teacher. There is another voice in there somewhere, mind you…the one that tells me it’s all going to be just fine. But I’m not talking to you about those (wonderful, peace-filled) moments right now. I’m talking to you about what happens when I freeze up.

My day-long paralysis got me to worrying. I cannot afford to let days slip past while I take no action on this job search. The clock is tick-tick-ticking and I have to get a move on unless I want to be homeless two to three months from now.

Last night I dreamed about my (late) second ex. It wasn’t the kind of super realistic dream of the recently departed that feels like a visitation. In fact, Pete in my dream didn’t even look all that much like the real Pete. Since I have never dreamed about him before, it left me wondering why.

As I always do when I feel a dream is important enough to stop and ask, “What is your message for me?” I remember what my Jungian analyst would have asked me during a session: what is Peter’s essence?

While I showered, I found my mind drifting back to that question. Peter was very into control, we can say that. And then there was that crucial point in our marriage, the one that would make or break it. Since I was having a great deal of difficulty living in such tight quarters with someone who insisted on having the television on 12/7, I had suggested we try moving out of the Independent Living project into a house of our own. This would mean relying on Outreach Services rather than having attendants upstairs in an office at his disposal throughout the day. Granted, given his level of disability, this would have been a scary and risky move. But if we also had a live-in, I said, we might be able to make it work. Pete wanted little part of any such discussions. Finally, as our marriage was disintegrating, he admitted that he had not wanted us to move into our own house because if our marriage did not survive, he would have to go on a very long waiting list to get back into the project site he had helped found. He might get stuck in one of the other sites that was less enculturated with the Independent Living philosophy of which he was such a strong advocate and avid cultivator.

I thought about the dream. What part of me was like Pete? With special reflection on my paralysis of yesterday, what part of me was sabotaging my continuing to move along with this calling?

He had been unwilling to take a risk. It was too scary, too unpredictable, the possible losses outweighing, in his mind, the possible gains.

Mmmmm, I thought as I stepped from the bath tub, that’s what my dream is telling me. Pete in the dream wanted me back. My inner control freak wants me back.

Just acknowledging this didn’t immediately free me from the previous day’s feeling of inability to move forward. I still did not want to work on my teaching resume or pick up the phone to let the coordinators know I’m back in town and ready to be on the supply list. So I just nodded to that part of me, acknowledged its presence in the room with me.

In a while, as if handed to me by angels floating just above me the whole time, memories came back of the things I had learned and taken so to heart while reading Callings this summer. Oh, right. I’m not in this alone. The Universe is in this with me. I’m not expected to have every detail figured out already. That’s why they call it a leap of Faith.

Right.

Remembering this gave me just enough of a nudge to take the next little step. I spent the day working on the teacher resume and contacting my references.

The end of a day of action–even a small action–feels SO much better than the end of a day with no action. I’m still frightened, but I’m frightened and moving forward, not frightened and standing still.

I was at work with a couple of my coworkers a while back and this topic came along quite humorously. Some background first, I am white, co-worker 1, lets call him Shoes, was Hispanic, and co-worker 2, who shall be known as Slick, was black.

We were just standing around watching people go by when out of the blue Shoes says, “God South Americans have no swagger.” with a disgusted look on his face. Slick and I turned to look and we watched a younger Latina walking by with an older Hispanic guy.

I said, “What are you talking about? How did you know he was South American?”

Shoes replied, “You can’t tell?”

I said, “No, how in the hell am I supposed to be able to do that?”

He pointed out a couple of Hispanics and I couldn’t tell where they were from and neither could Slick. Shoes told us where each of them was from, then rolled his eyes and said, “What do we all look the same?”

I then pointed out a White woman walking by and asked Shoes where she was from originally, he had no idea. I then pointed out a second family and asked the same question. He couldn’t tell. I told them the first was from France and the second was a British family. I said I was calling bullshit on his getting pissed that I couldn’t tell Hispanics apart when he couldn’t tell white people apart. Slick had this hilarious grin on his face.  We started talking about it, and came to the conclusion that the only people who can tell other people apart within the broad ethnic groups (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Islander, Middle Eastern) where people from within those groups. The exception was Jamaicans. Everyone who has ever met a Jamaican can tell where they are from. Everyone present agreed.

It was then postulated that the reason for this was because the people in the ethnic groups could tell because they tended to dislike at least one other group within their primary ethnicity. There was some discussion and we made a list. Don’t ever call a Puerto Rican a Columbian, an American black a Haitian, a Korean a Japanese, or a white American a Frenchman. These seemed to be the greatest sins of ethnic confusion, because everyone had at least 3-4 stories about someone mixing it up and getting reamed out for it.

It really was an interesting discussion, because there has always been the “All of you look alike.” stereotype out there and while a lot of people pretend to be color blind, the truth is they couldn’t spot the difference between a Guatemalan and a Mexican, but the Guatemalan and Mexican sure can.

The reason people hold the “You all look the same.” Mentality is because we actually do. The reasoning is simple. I look like my parents, who look like their parents. Every major ethnic group, if it went far enough back, could trace its roots to a tribal group that eventually grew bigger and split up into smaller groups that grew and split up and grew and so on and so forth until they eventually formed countries. While the splitting would create enough visible differences between the groups that they could spot the differences, higher cheekbones or stronger chin lines or blonde versus red hair for example, between each other, people outside of their primary ethnic group would be less able to see most of those differences, because the common traits would be more visible. A great example of this is when people look at babies and kids, they are always drawn to the similarities they have to the parents, and not the differences. When was the last time you heard someone say, “He doesn’t have your X” to a parent? Never. It’s always, “She has your eyes.”  Some differences would be more visible than others, and all of them could be noticed with training and observation, but for the most part people don’t bother to learn to tell the difference. It is just like trying to tell the difference between a Jaguar, a Cheetah, and a Leopard, you can spot the differences, but at first glance, it won’t be easy.

The discussion ended with me learning how to tell various Hispanics apart, and trading my knowledge of how to spot the difference between Europeans. Ultimately I had to agree, with Shoes. South Americans, except Brazilians, really don’t have swagger, not when you compare them to Caribbeaners.

Since the road conditions were NOT improving, I decided to pack all of my work clothes, lunch, shower stuff, etc. Tuesday night and bring it to Hirosaki with me for my night at the gym. Again, crashed at my 2nd home, and rode the train back in the a.m. I had to walk from the station directly to school, because there was no way I could bike with how slick the roads were. I am foolish at times, but I’m not stupid.

I nervously sat around all morning, fearing the fate of my evaluation. I know that probably seems foolish, since I get along with all of the employees and staff, but I am just too critical of myself and feel like I’m not as good of a teacher as my predecessor, because he was fluent in Japanese, obviously a huge perk in the staffroom.

Well, Mr. Shimoyama and Watanabe made an appearance at 2a.m. Right on schedule. I was sitting at my desk, sweaty palms and unable to stomach my lunch (until after the meeting, due to nerves!) I waited for Mr. V.P. to summon me to the Judgement room (aka the principal’s office), but all of a sudden, he walked by and they all left the staff room…without me. Hmmm, the meeting was held without me being there, which seems odd, but kind of a relief. Apparently there was a miscommunication with my contract and my school, and it wasn’t exactly being followed (i.e. not being able to leave at lunch, and working too many hours…)

So, it looks like I am doing everything right, so far, so good…minus my frequent eating habits. That’s just too bad.

Mr. Kimura came over to my house after school to drop off my skis and it was late, cold, and unpleasant outside. Sooooooooo NO GYM! Yup, I made the call. I’m a slacker. BUT on a totally different note, I DID go to this awesome, awesome thrift store on Tuesday (NOT AT ALL MY TYPE), but in Japan, it’s like you’re making a brand new purchase. Not one item is torn, worn, or frayed. I was in heaven. Everything was super cheap and in mint condition. I owe you many pics from this week, but I will have a full unveiling of my purchases, which included:

• CUTE boots ($20)
• Skinny Jeans ($5)
• 2 scarves ($5 each)
• 1 scarf ($3)
• 2 sweaters ($5 each)

WHAT A STEAL!

Ok, it’s time for a low-key, computer-free evening, ok yea right. But low-key for sure. Maybe a lil’ Gossip Girl!?

Until next time,

Molly

Wow, busy is an understatement here! With my nightly gym’s sesh’s, I go home at 4p.m., sometimes 5p.m. lucky if I can whip together a quick dinner and hop on the train, and am going, going, going until 11p.m. at the gym, get home to Rachelle’s by 12a.m….only to be up again at 6a.m. Wow, talk about lack of sleep and SANITY.

Back to Mondays happenings. Sorry about the delay!

I was all ready to teach my 4 classes today and the minute I walked into the office, it was all yanked from right under my nose. Dang. I was supposed to meet wit h Ms. Itoh (3rd grade teacher) about our lesson on Friday, however another teacher changed her teaching plan that day, not allowing us to meet, making Ms. Itoh NOT HAPPY. I was really bummed too, because we were supposed to teach the students Christmas songs and for once, the kids get to do something fun! Instead, I got to sit in the office. Boo.

I’m gonna just vent for a brief moment. Okay, so my job here is definitely not a hard one. I don’t lesson plan, I am basically a little puppet for the English teachers, who don’t completely know English (frustrating?!) but then again, I don’t know Japanese, so it’s even I suppose, except that in my opinion, you should be an expert in your area of study/what you’re teaching. Just my opinion.

So, when I’m not teaching, I’ve been told to lesson plan. But the teachers don’t use my lesson plans, they create their own. Problem #1. Problem #2, even if I did create lessons, it seems slightly pointless, considering my desk is stocked FULL of plans/games/activities/la la la from the previous ALT’s. AND ever since the slightly intimidating V.P. came to Owani J.H., he made a rule that kids need to study more and have less activities (or none at all). It’s really hard for me to waltz in here and tell them all how my culture works and how I think things should go. It wouldn’t go over well, I can tell you that. Plus, I’m pretty sure I’m already causing a stir in other areas.

So, most of my time in the office is spent studying or blogging, but I feel guilty even studying. What’s a girl to do?! Wednesday is my evaluation- we’ll see once and for all how much I clash with this culture :-/

Back to the gym for the night and it was NOT A GOOD ONE. I didn’t feel too well doin cardio, but probably because I  took three days off. Gross.

It’s gettin’ snowy here, time to bundle up!

Hope you’re all staying warm where ever you are!

~Molly

What a full and productive day! Sometimes the weight of knowing I’m unemployed with no way to know when I will once again have an income causes me to sink into a funk where I find it hard to get moving on anything, be it sending out my resume or working on one of the last two school assignments.

Not today!

First of all, I had to be up early since Sylvain was off today and had proposed we both get haircuts. It was good to have a reason to pry my lazy body out of that cushy wooshy wonderful bed of mine while the sun was still low on the horizon. Meditation was good. Thanks to my sweetie’s thoughtfulness, there were blueberries in the fridge, and they tasted great on my cereal.

When Sylvain arrived, we spent some time getting caught up on each other’s week. As the time drew nearer for us to leave, I realized how much I was dreading going to the mall. I threw my arms around Sylvain’s neck and whimpered like a little child, “I don’t waaaaannnnna go to the mall.”  I didn’t have the energy to face all the holiday shoppers and glitz and bells and whistles and lights. I wanted to call the whole thing off, let him go get his hair cut while I kept working on my sociolinguistics assignment.

Instead of saying, “Come on, we agreed on this,” Sylvain said, “That’s okay, we have all day.”

He noticed a Sudoku puzzle lying on the chair.  ”Want to do it together?” I asked, feeling slightly guilty about hijacking the morning’s plan. But he was totally cool with the sudden shift in direction, and soon we were huddled over the puzzle at the breakfast table, collaborating to complete it.

By the time we had solved all the squares, I was full of energy and ready to face the mall.

“Thanks, Sweetie!” I said, and gave him a big smack.

After haircuts, Sylvain talked me into popping into the Telus store to look at mobile phones. For a few months he’s been telling me that the one he has loaned me is pretty old and outdated. He said texting would not be such a dreaded struggle for me if I had a better interface. He also had been saying that Telus would probably give him a newer one for free.  (His  cell phone is on loan to me because a) I don’t have a land line and he needs some way to get hold of me and b) he carries a company BlackBerry.) But if he has to give back his BlackBerry when his job ends, the phone on loan to me will go back to him.

Anyway, he brought me into the phone store and asked me which designs I liked, pointing out that there were several BlackBerry models marked $0 with a 3-year contract. Sylvain has already been with that provider for five years and doesn’t foresee changing, so it looked like a free BlackBerry was in the picture. I told him which keyboard configurations I liked and told him that I preferred to leave the “looking under the hood” part to him. He was okay with that, so I dashed off down the hall to Chapters.

By the time we met up again he was the proud owner of a shiny new black BlackBerry CURVE to be broken in by yours truly. I wonder if EVERY BlackBerry user becomes addicted, or if I will be an exception.

This evening my friend A treated me to dinner at a Caribbean Roti place downtown. She wanted to say her goodbyes before she returns to Trinidad on Sunday.  I am so glad that I went to meet her because although we did not always have good energy together, tonight the vibes between us were clean and good.

With the exception of a second proof reading and possibly a few finishing touches, I am DONE with my sociolinguistics assignment. This is the one all of YOU helped me with by taking the language survey in October. Whew, it is such a load off my mind to have that finished. I will happily send it to anyone who is curious to know what ever became of their survey answers.

That leaves only the testing assignment, which has had me feeling blocked for several days. But tonight some good karma seeds have sprouted for me to reap! A classmate I’ve helped in the past sent me–unbidden–hers to peek at. Just being able to see how someone else tackled the assignment has unblocked my mind and inspired me to get started first thing tomorrow morning.

It has been a day full of so many Graces big and small…way more than five.

Hello.

While I’m looking back at projects from this past year, here’s one I particularly enjoyed. Creative Alternatives of New York (CANY) and MudBone Theater Company hired me to make a video about an after school drama group they were leading in the Bronx at the International Community High School, in conjunction with the International Rescue Committee. The student body of ICHS is comprised of recent immigrants to the U.S. so it’s a bit like the United Nations and at a bit like any other New York High school. The group we worked with were all West African kids who came to the States with asylum/refugee status due to conflicts in their home countries.

this is not a test.

it’s the first entry in what i hope to be a convenient forum for posting recent work, news and inspirations. here’s a video i made recently with my friend Jenn for WNYC (New York Public Radio) where she works on the cultural page.

As I was sitting in the office today, the Vice Principal started rambling off Japanese and I am able to pick up on a few things here and there now…hehe, I’m so sneaky. However, all of a sudden, I hear “Pearl Harbor.” Hmmm, where could he be going with this? Basically he was telling the office that he was telling his classes about Pearl Harbor and I found it really interesting that the Japanese “celebrate”/remember the day as December 8, 1941. Don’t worry, there wasn’t any anger towards me (being American!) Obviously, the United States remember the day as December 7, 1941. The reason that the Japanese History books mark it as the 8th, is because when flying over international waters from Japan to the U.S. (specifically Hawai’i), you gain a day. Therefore, the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred on both the 7th & 8th! Just an interesting little tidbit!

~~~

Today I had a break through moment. I was teaching the 2nd graders with Oyama sensei and she was mistakingly telling the students to write : “Please buy me a video game. Please buy this game to me” –It was like nails on a chalkboards just screeching in my head. She meant to use “for” obviously, but when I explained this to her, she asked why & when do you use “to” vs. “for”? Like most English grammar issues, I know them, I can recognize them, but I have the hardest time explaining why it is they way it is. Frustrating. She also said it would be too confusing to explain to the students at this level. WHAT?! You can’t teach it to them wrong!!! That’s just going to cause more problems later…Thankfully, I convinced her to tell the kids they needed to say “for” in this instance, and later I’d be able to tell them why. It’s tricky, that’s for sure, especially when teaching English as a foreign language. I mean, when you say, “Please give it to me, but please make it for me”- there’s a lot of confusions there! Dang those prepositions!

Well folks, have no fear- I found the answer. And if you are at all interested in knowing why, well here ya go:

When do you use the preposition to and when do you use for? FOR is used to express doing something on someone’s behalf (for them). TO expresses direction.

Examples:

FOR- I hurt my hand and cannot carry my books myself, can you carry them for me?
I also can’t use my hand to write. Can you write a letter for me, so I can send it to my mother?

TO- I am up on the ladder painting and I forgot the brush, but I don’t want to come down to get it. Can you carry the brush to me?

Whew, glad I solved that pickle! Like I said, I know and recognize grammatical errors, yet explaining them is a little tricky at times (I’m gonna say right now- grammar was not pushed hard enough in my elementary school/middle school…I’m just sayin’).

When I sat down and explained it to Oyama sensei, it was really self-gratifying to see her understand what I was saying and have it all of a sudden ‘click.’ Ahh, the beauty of being a teacher.

~~~

Nightly gym action, as per usual. One more day this week…(until Saturday, ha)…YAY!

Does everyone have up their Christmas decorations?! Lights, trees, garland, snow villages?!?! That is one depressing thing here in Japan…no decorations on the houses (well, except mine!). I’m still in the Christmas spirit here!

Hopefully all my family and friends were able to dig out of the massive blizzarding snow in the past few days. Drive safely!

I love Calvin & Hobbes

~Molly

Published: 5 June 2007

Dear Dr. Style,

I just got the news that I’m going to start an internship with a really great company located in the business district. I’m really excited to have this on my resume, but I’m a little nervous because I might eventually want to work for this company, and I don’t have a clue what to wear to work. This is a big deal for me, and I need your help quickly because I start next week. What’s a guy to do?

- Desperate in Dockers

Dear Desperate,

The general rule of thumb for getting dressed to go to work is “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.” Now, mind you, this doesn’t mean you have to travel the same diamond tie pin route that is no doubt favored by the junior executive set in your office, but it does mean that a little extra effort is going to be required on your part.

Since you’ve been in the office before – when you went in for the interview – use that to your advantage. Think about the kind of atmosphere you encountered there. Was it stuffy and professional or relaxed and modern? What was the average age of the people who work there? And most importantly, what kind of people are you going to be working with, and what kind of person is your supervisor?

If these people are generally older and more conservative, you should stick to the classics – your standard Oxford shirts with pleated dress pants game. If there’s a decidedly younger crowd working at the firm, you may be able to get away with something a little more modern and cut closer to your frame.

Since it is summer – and since Columbia is absolutely sweltering – you’re going to want to stay away from all manmade fabrics. Stick to cotton poplin. These fabrics are natural products and will breathe wonderfully in the heat. But be sure to stay away from linen. It may be the quintessential summer suit choice, but it will wrinkle faster than you can put it on and get to the office.

One thing that will never fail you in your summer office is the khaki suit. So long as it’s cotton and it fits, you can get away with wearing it all the time, whether you’re in the office or off the clock. The pants can be worn separately with a shirt and tie, and the jacket will make for a great blazer with a pair of jeans.

But if you really want to impress your boss, you have to make strides to stand out. This applies to the quality of the work you do and to your appearance. Always make sure your hair and nails are neat. Avoid wrinkles like the plague, keep your shoes in good condition and wear a tie like it’s your job. After all, it is!

• Walking to work in non-waterproof boots or biking through the slush?
• Lunchtime sales people lingering in the teacher office or telemarketers calling you on the phone at home?
• Procrastinating on the Japanese Language Course or even signing up for it in the first place?

TODAY WAS BLUSTERY–>

By the time I left the office after my day of NOT teaching, I was shocked by the frigid temps. Thanks to my cozy coat, scarf, hat, and mittens, I was as comfy as could be expected, despite the conditions.

The teachers were in a bit of a panic today. Evidently, a junior high student called from school to the BoE (Board of Education) and said they were going to commit suicide. Obviously a serious matter, I just don’t know how they’ll be able to track down who made the call! Hopefully it all turns out okay.

Since I left the office late (almost 5:30p.m.), I whipped together a quick din of rice covered with corn and beans and a little taco seasoning. So lame, but tasty none-the-less. In addition, I had a Green Monster prepped for my pre-workout/morning boost.

I trekked to Rach’s, set up camp, and made my way via bike to the gym. Check out my Moves to see what was accomplished. I hope I can make it there everyday this week. Fingers crossed.

~Molly

I’ll admit that since returning from Toronto I’ve been a bit besieged by that low-level anxiety that can put me in a state of perpetual procrastination. I wish I could just keep working on the last of the school projects rather than try to find work now. But since I really like food and a roof over my head with no other heads under that roof, and being able to pop across town in my very own reliable newish car instead of waiting 20 minutes in rain and snow for the bus…well, I have to start earning money again soon.

So it was a blessing when today I broke through the shackles of procrastination and got out my resume to rework it for my current circumstances. After working for a couple of hours on the tailoring, I sent my new resume off to two agencies that I’ve worked with in the past.  This effort is not for the teaching position, this is for the contract or temporary work that will pay the bills until a teaching gig opens up at one of the four places in town that offer LINC classes.

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When I first woke up, rather than jumping right out of bed, I reached for the current issue of the Shambhala Sun, which was still on my bedside table from the previous night’s bedtime reading. Inspired by one of the articles, I had a very good mediation period on my mat in front of the big window.

*******

It felt good to smile, laugh and be provoked to think by this TED Talk. Thank you, Melle.

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Laughing tonight when Sylvain said he would like to cover my mouth with duct tape.

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Enjoying the sweet slowness of these days before the next job starts.

So, I may have a kindergarten crush on one of my coworkers. I laughed to myself as I typed that because I’m so against talking to any of my coworkers. Even though there are several couples and f*ck friends at my job, I really can’t see myself being involved with a coworker; I hate the idea of mixing my personal life and work life…and I also think it’ll create an intense/stressful work environment. Ugh.

Anyway, back to this crush thing. It seems pretty mutual. Whenever we pass each other we smile & chuckle/giggle or one of us will say something to the other to make the smile/laugh. Last night was the first time we actually got a chance to spend prolonged time around each other. Sidenote: usually I give people nicknames on my blog, but this is just a crush; he could be here today, gone tomorrow. I don’t think he needs a nickname at this moment.

Usually he doesn’t come around me because EG (the stalker chubby guy I told you about a few posts ago) is hovering around somewhere, ready to cockblock. Fortunately, EG wasn’t there (thank the heavens). We had our lunch break at the same time; neither of us said anything to the other, but I caught him staring at me, he caught me staring at him…we were so lame about it. Later that nigh after the store closed, we were doing our part in making sure everything was organized.  We started off sorting and straightening different tables of merchandise, but he (the crush) eventually eased over to my table and struck up a light conversation. Our light convo turned into friendly flirting. I was enjoyin’ it until he dropped a bomb on my ass:

he has a daughter (about 1 or 2 years old, he showed me a pic of her on his phone…she was so cute) and he and the mother of the child still live in the same house; he didnt say whether he and his kid’s mother are still together, but he didn’t refer to her as ‘my girlfriend,’ he called her his baby momma & he said he sleeps on the couch (*side eye*). That actually made me sad and mad because he’s so cute & he intrigues me. Whenever I see him coming my way, I feel a lil giddy inside and I always smile (hell, Im smiling as I type this!). The days that I work when he’s off, I feel a lil sad (I know his name and I want to find him on the schedule so I can know the days we work together, but then I’d feel like a stalker lol).

There’s a part of me that’s telling me “dont f*ck with it Jaye,” and a part that’s saying “ehh, keep flirting with him just to see what happens. You know you want to.” I can’t see myself getting serious with him (because of the whole having a kid, still living with the baby momma, and him being my coworker thing), but he could be my lil work flirt friend (it’ll give me something to look forward to while at work). Eh, but that could turn into folks starting rumors and saying that he & I are f*cking around…I don’t need that.

So the title of this posts kinda reflect my thoughts on the situation: Im pondering what could and couldnt become of this elementary crush. Maybe it’s just a simple lil crush & it’ll be over in a couple of days or maybe we’ll just be flirt buddies? I’ll let you know.

Back in the toasty, warm summer days, here in Owani-machi:

And a little grape action from Hachinohe:

So I have yet to sleep in my own bed this week. Poor Rachelle has acquired an extra roommate, and I’m practically throwing my little yens out the train window. Wednesday morning, bright and early, I mustered up just enough energy to get off the cold, inflatable mattress to get dressed, just inches from the heater at an attempt to thaw the bod.

As I was getting ready, I set my dress pants on top of the stove. It’s a grated top, and not that hot (so no harm right?!) Wrong. Within a minute or so, my pants were emitting a lil’ smoke. Oops. I immediately rescued them and crossed my fingers for no damage…but it was done. OOOOOOH the travesty. I felt a hard, crunchy spot on the back leg of my pants and thought, “Oh once they cool off, they’ll be back to normal.” I threw on the pants in a hurry right over my long undies and much to my dismay- I rubbed the hot-spot and it cracked and crumbled right before my very eyes. What the heck are dress pants made of?! With the gaping hole at the seat of my pants, I obv could not go out like this, so back into the sweats, and I would have to change again at home. What.A.Bummer. BUT…if it’s any consolation, I have owned these pants SINCE high school :0) So, I did get a good 8+ years out of them! The clasp was falling off, the bottoms were a bit tattered and worn, and despite being my favorite pair, maybe it was time we parted ways. I think I kept them this long, because they’re the only size 2 pants I still own!! (although, they’re most-likely stretched to a 4!!! haha).

This gym action is really wearing me out. I get to bed at about 12a.m. and up again at 6a.m., take the  train to Owani, bike home, and make a mad-dash for work, arriving in a sweat. Gross.

I FINALLY saw the supe today. I’d been texting him about the gym and NO response. Frustrating. But, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, I know he’s busy. (But word to the wise- it’s polite to respond to people, whether email, call, text…just take 2 minutes of your life and give the people some peace of mind.) Thank you.

ANYWAY!….the bad just got worse. Actually it’s not that bad, but Shimoyama broke the news to me today that he cannot go to the gym until JANUARY. Yes…a MONTH from now. Did I mention that I have already conveniently paid for my December membership, so besides throwing that money out the window, I now have to fork over more cash to catch the train to and from Hirosaki on a daily basis. BAH-freakin’-HUMBUG! GRRRRRRRRR. Ok, that’s my anger. I got it out, but seriously, this membership has gone from Y5000 per month to a whopping Y15000 ($150) for the freaking transportation. Did I mention that most days I have to bike to and from Rach’s too, and sleep on plastic. (Well an airmattress, but still.) Ok, ENOUGH complaining here I promise. Just had to say it. All of this could be avoided, however, the gym is THAT important to me, and getting outta the house is good for the mind, body, and soul….+ sanity. I’ll just make cuts in other areas and work around my budget a bit. Who needs $50/week in grocery’s anyway, right?! Or going out to eat, shopping, etc….not that I really did any of those things now anyway, but I’ve got a college ed. to pay for, so no time for fun and games people, we got to budget.budget.budget. OOOOOOOOOOOOOh being grown up stinks, man.

Well, that’s all from this end for my Hump Day recap. It’s almost the weekend. And I’ve got company coming.

Me with co-star Dre' Michael Chaney.

I had my ADR (looping) session today for my part as Ann Herron on Criminal Minds. It was interesting to say the least. Never realized how hard it could be to relive getting attacked with the same intensity as on the day we shot it. I had to scream, cry, breathe hard and make struggling noises, and try to sound the same as the day we filmed it.

Well, OK. I am now standing in a trailer watching the playback and have one headphone to my ear, a microphone in front of me, two people behind me working, and a man and woman on the other side of the glass controlling the playback.

The first playback, all I noticed was my hair and how I looked, so I needed to see it again to get past the vanity side of it. Then I listened for my three beeps to cue me to start screaming — fun stuff. I was really getting into a groove toward the end of it, but now I am hoarse and emotionally exhausted.

Still…love it.

This morning, I caught Neil Gaiman’s story on NPR about audiobooks. As a frequent listener of audiobooks on my commute, I’ve really grown to love audiobooks. The audiobook reader can make or break a book for me. Many times I’m so involved in a book that it’s all that I think about at work.

The story brought up an interesting point, one that I know we discussed ad nauseam in a few of my classes at school: is listening to a book the same as reading a book?

When kids come into the library when we don’t have the print copy of a book, they sometimes ask if I think their teacher would approve them listening to the book. I tell them that I think it’s the same as reading, though I do think it’s a different experience. Other kids have told me that they aren’t allowed to listen to an audiobook for school. I’m curious what others’ experiences have been with kids and audiobooks. When I recently visited a junior high meeting for parents whose kids are struggling with reading and math, I mentioned that we have audiobooks that they can listen to and follow along with the book.

After enduring a month of unsettlingly pre-mature cheer, it’s finally allowed to be Christmas.

October 18: I walked into Duane Reade and gasped at the Christmas isle all set up and ready to go. Why do companies think this it the way to go?

November 3rd: I was cold and went into Starbucks for a hot cocoa. (It’s impossible to avoid Starbucks in NYC, they are literally on ever corner- fortunate because they are essentially the New Yorker’s Public Restroom, internet hot spot, and place to take cover from inclement weather. Often I go into a Starbucks, do any of those aforementioned, and purchase nothing. They’re the man. But when I have a chocolate hankering that needs quenching, I purchase the Kid’s Hot Cocoa. Usually they don’t question my kid-less-ness, it is the perfect size, and the cheapest thing on the menu.) They were playing Christmas music. My poor barista, searching for some shred of logic, actually said this to me: “Tell me, does Christmas music this early make you want to buy things?” No. It makes me want to die. Or at least boycott places that play it. Want me to write to someone?

November 7th: A gigantic Christmas tree assaults me in the plaza outside work. It already looks a bit bedraggled as they set it up, woe to what it will look like when it’s actually near Christmas.

The morning after Halloween most every retail window I passed had magically changed over night to obtrusive HOLIDAY!! GIFTS!! I walked into Banana Republic and immediately turned around and walked out when high volume Christmas music bombarded my ears. This was on a 63 degree day. I can’t handle “Let it snow!” in warm sunny weather. Not on the east coast. I turned around, got an ice cream cone and ate it while strolling through the color changing leaves of Central Park.

Why aren’t consumers allowed to have Fall any more? Thanksgiving is completely forgotten, and I’m still mourning the loss of summer when Christmas assault us. Yes, I feel assaulted. It’s horrible. I can’t appreciate the pretty lights, snow flakes, decorations- nothing. If they pop up before Thanksgiving all I can think is STOP MOVING SO FAST! I’M NOT READY FOR THIS YET! 

Has it always been like this? I remember that post-Halloween was always Christmas-y because that was when we started learning the music in chorus, but I have no recollection of the rest of the world reflecting the season as well. Have they pushed “The Holiday Season” as early as possible this year in a hope to increase spending? Also, is this a New York phenomenon or were you graced with Santa hats and wrapping paper before you even put on your Halloween costume?

Fortunately I am only a Scrooge before actual Christmas time (and given that, “Scrooge” isn’t even really an appropriate term- ah well). The morning after Thanksgiving I embraced the cheer. I was finally able to see the charm in the bedraggled Christmas tree outside my work, even. Yes, I spent “Black Friday” (don’t get me started on that consumer ridiculousness) working. Really I spent all Thanksgiving weekend working. Which was less than fun. But when I wasn’t working, I was Christmas caroling! See, I wasn’t kidding when I said I embraced the cheer. Embraced it and spread it. I went out with my roommates for maybe 4 hours and we ended up with over $250 in our hat. I suppose that makes me a professional cheer-spreader? Christmas caroling is so fun, it’s nice to have fun AND make money for a change!

Yes, this is how I feel today- and it’s a MONDAY! I can’t tell you how great it feels to be back at work. One good thing about this job is that I never dread going. I love seeing the kids in the halls and having a little social interaction!

I made these emotions cards for my first grade class, and after being out for a week + 2 days, I finally had them assembled and ready to go. Look forward to more emotions in future posts, because they are just so fun.

I walked into the office, anticipating to teach a lesson or two, BUT much to my dismay, the 3rd graders had just taken a test last Thursday, leaving me with no material to teach them. Well plenty of time to write letters, B-day cards, and study Japanese. In that order, obviously.

The day flew by, despite not doing really anything of great importance, and I was so excited to get home, cleaned up and ready for the gym. I don’t care how I got there, but I.WAS.GOING! After a week off, my mind was about to implode.

Turns out Shimoyama’s father is in the hospital, but here that could mean he just has the common cold. Who knows. Well, guess that means I’m takin’ the train to Hiro and going from there. Got ahold of Rach, that’s a plus, and she welcomed me over with open arms, double plus, but I couldn’t get ahold of Aya for a ride to the gym. Rats! Guess that means I’m biking. Mom don’t read this. Yes, I biked to the gym and back- a workout in itself! Good thing for brightly lit roads- especially at 11p.m.

Made it home (to Rach’s) safe and sound. Ate some protein to repair my overworked muscles, and jumping into bed as we speak.

Ahh, zzzzz.

some snippets of the kids that day.

top: yuki bro and yuki!                          liwen and yongjun

javier. they were playing musical chairs. i didnt know musical chairs is so well-loved by kids. i remembered i dunt like it then.

yuki loves her bro. heard that at night, she suddenly sat up and pat on her bro saying : “zehzeh will take care of you one okay.”

its swimming time! yongjun is proud of his gooogles. after swimming, it’s play time!

yj only swam around that area.

kids are fun to be with. cos they think things much simply.

they are happy with nice marshmellows! like me!

after a stressful day, it’s always nice to look at these lovely pics as their smiles are really genuine and infectious!

it had been a tiring day with the kids, asking them to queue, dun fight dun cry dun run play games with them bbq food for them. but it’s still quite rewarding to see their satisfied face and innocent replies at the end of the day!:)

I knew when I restarted Krab-cakes and Football, it would be next to impossible to separate my voice here, which is simply Charlie Kraebel being Charlie Kraebel, from Charlie Kraebel, the news editor of a local paper.
But, with every problem comes a solution, so here it is.
After discussing the matter over with the so-called “powers that be” at my present place of employment, we’ve decided to launch a blog that falls under the umbrella of the paper and is solely meant to “raise the bar” when it comes to discussion of local issues.
Enter The Venner Vox, which you can view by clicking HERE or by clicking the link provided on the right-hand side of the page.
It’s not a blog intended to give me free reign to sound off on stories covered by the paper. Instead, it’s intended to give the community another avenue in which they can discuss local issues.
However, the blog is not intended to be a free-for-all, so make sure you read the RULES page before you jump into the fray.
Here’s hoping that you get on board, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Krab-cakes and Football will not, by any stretch of the imagination, stray too much from the local (although the wrestling and examples of state and national idiocy will also continue to reside here), but the discussions about stuff covered in the Recorder will likely take place on that site.

For the most part …