Friday, June 20, 2003
First things first, not that it will affect you because I put an automatic refresh in, but I changed the URL of my blog because I was never really happy with the first one. After reading an e-mail from my buddy Josh Auzins, I decided that the URL should be muddysan.blogspot.com I hope that this doesn't cause too much of a problem for you, but if it does, what are you going to do about it? Yeah, that's right.
Today, I got bored at Meikei. I think it's the early mornings doing it to me. They are taking their toll on me after almost a full year with very few breaks to catch up on sleep. Then I do stupid things with my free time like maintain this mindless drivel for you to read. I don't know if anyone besides Josh and Stephanie have even given it a second thought so far. As a matter of fact, they may be dumber after actually reading it. I have been trying to get one of those nifty hit counters, but I haven't been able to get it put in yet because of automatically generated e-mail promises that never come true. And the hit counter web site told me it loved me!! If it loved me, it'd at least send me an e-mail after everything we did together.
Back on topic, after I left Meikei, I went to the lab at NIMS to see what my buddy Nathan was up to. He and Masa (a Tsukuba University grad student) had the plasma chamber lit up where they do their diamond CVD (chemical vapor deposition). I don't know much about plasma but I am sure I have seen it before. The sun, fluorescent light bulbs, expensive TVs (sort of, I think), Earthworm Jim, probably a few others I can't think of. This plasma did look much cooler than any of those. But not in a temperature sort of way. The optical pyrometer showed a temperature of about 1400 K. Smokin'!!
On to something I find to be both a blessing and a curse about Japan. Portion sizes at grocery stores. Pretty much everything is packaged individually in these small little servings, sort of like those variety packs of Kellogg's cereal that we all loved to get as kids. I guess it helps people monitor their eating habits or makes things seem cheaper. I don't know, I like buying in bulk. Mostly because I like to eat a lot. Well, soy sauce comes in bulk. Have you ever seen a 2-liter bottle of soy sauce? I hadn't until today. I guess for when you're really, REALLY thirsty... Speaking of which, I have yet to find a large enough glass for me to use at home. I'm sorry, the 6-oz glass that came with the apartment just doesn't work for me. I don't want to stand around the sink for 12 minutes filling up the glass each time I down a whole glass in one swallow just to get a decent amount of water in my system.
The temperature outside today was 32. I was burning up on my bike. The big guy exchange student from Argentina, Jose, was just pouring sweat this morning while riding his bike to school becuase it was so hot. You're probably saying, 32 is hot?!? Well, it is on the Celcius scale, buddy. These guys have it right with their metric system. Probably one of the reasons their students are typically smarter than ours. You don't think so?? Quickly, tell me how many feet are in a yard. Easy? Now how many yards in a mile? Now how many rods are in a furlong? Harder? Now how many meters are in a kilometer? If you can't answer the last one, it's not your fault. It's the government's. Now the Japanese just need to grasp the concept of volume, as stated in the previous paragraph.
I am sure I could write more, but I am growing weary and I need to go and fill up that glass a few hundred more times.
Muddy-san
Today, I got bored at Meikei. I think it's the early mornings doing it to me. They are taking their toll on me after almost a full year with very few breaks to catch up on sleep. Then I do stupid things with my free time like maintain this mindless drivel for you to read. I don't know if anyone besides Josh and Stephanie have even given it a second thought so far. As a matter of fact, they may be dumber after actually reading it. I have been trying to get one of those nifty hit counters, but I haven't been able to get it put in yet because of automatically generated e-mail promises that never come true. And the hit counter web site told me it loved me!! If it loved me, it'd at least send me an e-mail after everything we did together.
Back on topic, after I left Meikei, I went to the lab at NIMS to see what my buddy Nathan was up to. He and Masa (a Tsukuba University grad student) had the plasma chamber lit up where they do their diamond CVD (chemical vapor deposition). I don't know much about plasma but I am sure I have seen it before. The sun, fluorescent light bulbs, expensive TVs (sort of, I think), Earthworm Jim, probably a few others I can't think of. This plasma did look much cooler than any of those. But not in a temperature sort of way. The optical pyrometer showed a temperature of about 1400 K. Smokin'!!
On to something I find to be both a blessing and a curse about Japan. Portion sizes at grocery stores. Pretty much everything is packaged individually in these small little servings, sort of like those variety packs of Kellogg's cereal that we all loved to get as kids. I guess it helps people monitor their eating habits or makes things seem cheaper. I don't know, I like buying in bulk. Mostly because I like to eat a lot. Well, soy sauce comes in bulk. Have you ever seen a 2-liter bottle of soy sauce? I hadn't until today. I guess for when you're really, REALLY thirsty... Speaking of which, I have yet to find a large enough glass for me to use at home. I'm sorry, the 6-oz glass that came with the apartment just doesn't work for me. I don't want to stand around the sink for 12 minutes filling up the glass each time I down a whole glass in one swallow just to get a decent amount of water in my system.
The temperature outside today was 32. I was burning up on my bike. The big guy exchange student from Argentina, Jose, was just pouring sweat this morning while riding his bike to school becuase it was so hot. You're probably saying, 32 is hot?!? Well, it is on the Celcius scale, buddy. These guys have it right with their metric system. Probably one of the reasons their students are typically smarter than ours. You don't think so?? Quickly, tell me how many feet are in a yard. Easy? Now how many yards in a mile? Now how many rods are in a furlong? Harder? Now how many meters are in a kilometer? If you can't answer the last one, it's not your fault. It's the government's. Now the Japanese just need to grasp the concept of volume, as stated in the previous paragraph.
I am sure I could write more, but I am growing weary and I need to go and fill up that glass a few hundred more times.
Muddy-san
Thursday, June 19, 2003
Wow! I feel fat. Maybe thats because I just ate one metric buttload of sushi at a very interesting restaurant. Dr. Ahmadyar treated me to a wonderful meal at a sushi bar near Meikei HS. The coolest part about the restaurant is that you dont really have to order much other than any special items you may want, such as soups. There is a conveyor belt (maybe a job for Stephanie?) that carries around color-coded plates with freshly-made sushi, made right before you in the center of the conveyor system. Think typical Dairy Queen sized restaurant, not just one lazy susan type table. If you see something you like, you just grab it. Its that simple. The plates are colored-coded so you know how much the item on it will cost, especially useful for money-conscious college student types. You just stack your plates and they count them at the end of your meal for your total. He promises me many restaurants to take.
So you may be confused by that last sentence. I have spent a good portion of the day trying to learn some Japanese. It is slow going because I have to learn all of those new symbols that make up the Japanese written language. I guess the spoken language too, since they represent the phonics. I have never really thought as much about a foreign language as I have today. Spanish didnt really count I suppose because it was mostly things like word substitution, gato = cat, or noun goes before adjective. No major changes from English minus a few grammatical discrepancies. This is totally blowing my mind. It is very fun to see the responses of people, especially students, when I pop out a Japanese phrase. Of course, that only leads to a quick assumption that I know Japanese and I constantly find myself soon after such an instance trying to explain that I only know very little Japanese. Maybe I will get better in a few weeks.
So, you have probably noticed the fact that I havent really been using punctuation as I usually would, such as apostrophes, etc. Well, that may be due to the fact that I am using a Japanese keyboard. The most noticeable difference other than the plethora of symbols on each key is the fact that a great deal of the punctuation marks are moved around. Colon is where apostrophe should be, quotation mark is where @ should be. Obviously, @ is also moved. I grow weary of trying to remember where the right ones are, so I have just decided to not use them at all for now. If you are lucky, I may figure it out one day. Right now, I will focus my efforts on learning hiragana and more Japanese words and phrases. Did I mention ridiculously small spacebar?
I finally got more Yen yesterday. It took me forever to find an ATM compatible with my card. It seems that we will only be able to use post office ATMs, so I went ahead and took out a good quantity yesterday because it is many blocks away. Finding the post office was a good experience because most people dont expect anyone to talk to them. Most people seem to be quite animated and helpful when probed. So, after this experience, I have made it my duty to act like an arrogant foreigner and greet people as I pass them on the street. I started today while riding to school. I rang my bell and said ohayo gozaimasu, or `good morning,` to as many people as possible. You should see the looks on many of their faces. It is priceless. But not in the MasterCard sort of way.
Until tomorrow,
Muddy-san
So you may be confused by that last sentence. I have spent a good portion of the day trying to learn some Japanese. It is slow going because I have to learn all of those new symbols that make up the Japanese written language. I guess the spoken language too, since they represent the phonics. I have never really thought as much about a foreign language as I have today. Spanish didnt really count I suppose because it was mostly things like word substitution, gato = cat, or noun goes before adjective. No major changes from English minus a few grammatical discrepancies. This is totally blowing my mind. It is very fun to see the responses of people, especially students, when I pop out a Japanese phrase. Of course, that only leads to a quick assumption that I know Japanese and I constantly find myself soon after such an instance trying to explain that I only know very little Japanese. Maybe I will get better in a few weeks.
So, you have probably noticed the fact that I havent really been using punctuation as I usually would, such as apostrophes, etc. Well, that may be due to the fact that I am using a Japanese keyboard. The most noticeable difference other than the plethora of symbols on each key is the fact that a great deal of the punctuation marks are moved around. Colon is where apostrophe should be, quotation mark is where @ should be. Obviously, @ is also moved. I grow weary of trying to remember where the right ones are, so I have just decided to not use them at all for now. If you are lucky, I may figure it out one day. Right now, I will focus my efforts on learning hiragana and more Japanese words and phrases. Did I mention ridiculously small spacebar?
I finally got more Yen yesterday. It took me forever to find an ATM compatible with my card. It seems that we will only be able to use post office ATMs, so I went ahead and took out a good quantity yesterday because it is many blocks away. Finding the post office was a good experience because most people dont expect anyone to talk to them. Most people seem to be quite animated and helpful when probed. So, after this experience, I have made it my duty to act like an arrogant foreigner and greet people as I pass them on the street. I started today while riding to school. I rang my bell and said ohayo gozaimasu, or `good morning,` to as many people as possible. You should see the looks on many of their faces. It is priceless. But not in the MasterCard sort of way.
Until tomorrow,
Muddy-san
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Konnichi wa!
I spent a majority of the day learning some Japanese. Obviously that is an easy one I already knew, but how in the heck am I supposed to start an entry with something like 'Thank you' or ' I'm sorry?' If you haven't watched Japanese Cartoon #2 yet (see links on the right), then this won't make sense, but shoyu is Japanese for soy sauce. I can also say mushiatsui, which means 'hot and humid.' That's what it is here. Just like Atlanta. Leave it to me to get a vacation exactly like home. Well, I guess I can actually read and talk to virtually anyone at home, but who needs those luxuries?
Apparently bank ATMs here only have systems linked to Japanese card services. You know, how the card has funky symbols on the back that let you use some other banks ATM? Apparently, there are tons compatible with mine in Japan, just not in Tsukuba. I found from the web that the post office may have a suitable ATM. If I have time after this, I may bike up to the nearest one. Yes, I have to bike while it is mushiatsui. Not cool! Literally.
I got to observe some teaching this morning. Went to chemistry, physics, biology, and geology. The only things I understood were chemical formulas, a picture of a test tube over a bunsen burner, and the Kreb's cycle diagram in biology. I guess I should take into consideration that they are reviewing for next weeks exams, but I am definitely handicapped over here. Maybe it can get me a special parking spot somewhere.
<'Seinfeld> What's the deal with kanji? I mean, is it a letter or is it a phonic or is it just some dead Japanese dude's scribblings after he had a bit too much sake? <'/Seinfeld> I got my first lesson in hiragana today. Basically the Japanese written language is made up of three, not one, character sets: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. If you think that's wack, how about the fact that the sentence 'I study at the library' when said in Japanese becomes the equivalent of 'Library at study?' And ji shin means 'self-confidence' in one set of kanji and 'earthquake' with some different characters. But it is said the exact same way! I think the reason Japanese are typically better at studying is that it was so hard for them to even learn to talk and write to one another.
I know I may seem negative sometimes, but realize that this is really my only chance to vent. I am having a great time, really. It sure as hell beats PlayStation 2, plus I'm bank after my regular teacher paycheck and my research stipend.
I spent a majority of the day learning some Japanese. Obviously that is an easy one I already knew, but how in the heck am I supposed to start an entry with something like 'Thank you' or ' I'm sorry?' If you haven't watched Japanese Cartoon #2 yet (see links on the right), then this won't make sense, but shoyu is Japanese for soy sauce. I can also say mushiatsui, which means 'hot and humid.' That's what it is here. Just like Atlanta. Leave it to me to get a vacation exactly like home. Well, I guess I can actually read and talk to virtually anyone at home, but who needs those luxuries?
Apparently bank ATMs here only have systems linked to Japanese card services. You know, how the card has funky symbols on the back that let you use some other banks ATM? Apparently, there are tons compatible with mine in Japan, just not in Tsukuba. I found from the web that the post office may have a suitable ATM. If I have time after this, I may bike up to the nearest one. Yes, I have to bike while it is mushiatsui. Not cool! Literally.
I got to observe some teaching this morning. Went to chemistry, physics, biology, and geology. The only things I understood were chemical formulas, a picture of a test tube over a bunsen burner, and the Kreb's cycle diagram in biology. I guess I should take into consideration that they are reviewing for next weeks exams, but I am definitely handicapped over here. Maybe it can get me a special parking spot somewhere.
<'Seinfeld> What's the deal with kanji? I mean, is it a letter or is it a phonic or is it just some dead Japanese dude's scribblings after he had a bit too much sake? <'/Seinfeld> I got my first lesson in hiragana today. Basically the Japanese written language is made up of three, not one, character sets: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. If you think that's wack, how about the fact that the sentence 'I study at the library' when said in Japanese becomes the equivalent of 'Library at study?' And ji shin means 'self-confidence' in one set of kanji and 'earthquake' with some different characters. But it is said the exact same way! I think the reason Japanese are typically better at studying is that it was so hard for them to even learn to talk and write to one another.
I know I may seem negative sometimes, but realize that this is really my only chance to vent. I am having a great time, really. It sure as hell beats PlayStation 2, plus I'm bank after my regular teacher paycheck and my research stipend.
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
I think I am done with the cheating part. Today is today. I feel like a philosophy major now, minus the stench of cigarettes and cheap perfume of the sorority sluts I'm trying to score.
After El Cheap-but-good Japanese Lunch at NIMS (figure out the acronym from the previous posts), Dr. Sekine took me to Meikei High School (English site) where I will be spending much of the next four weeks, including some Saturdays!! Can you believe they have school on Saturdays?? And we wonder why the Asian kids are the top performers in our schools! I got to meet Dr. Ahmadyar, the guy who is coordinating my visit at the school. He's a great guy so far and I am sure he will be helpful in figuring out what this place is all about in such a short amount of time. I am sure there will be obstacles due to the language barrier, but all university students are required to take an English exam for admission so it may not be much of an issue. I do feel a little left out when they go all "Japanese" on me, but 'wakarimashite.' That means 'I understand.' It's easier and faster for them to do it that way. It'd probably be more painful for me if they spoke really slow English, so I think I'm okay with it.
I got the grand tour of the school in slippers that fell off every time I attempted a stair. I'll definitely have to get my own shoes. The school is cool, at least from an educators perspective. Their philosophy seems pretty similar to ours in the magnet program at home, they just do a little better in the 'all subject' realm. That's why they're a private school and we are just a magnet for math and science. I got to see tons of student work, sculptures, paintings, Japanese calligraphy. I just hope I can find shoes big enough for my gargantuan 10.5 size feet. Speaking of small Japanese things...
My stove hood sucks. And I'm not just talking about its job. It is probably at a height of about 5'8". I'm 6'0". Do the math. I keep busting my head on it anytime I'm in the cabinet next to it or while I'm trying to cook. Don't these guys know that not everyone in a residence for foreign researchers is as short as the typical Japanese person? I mean, at least put a rubber edge on it or something.
Archenemy #2: Kanji (Japanese written language)
Archenemy #1: Obnoxiously short range hood
After El Cheap-but-good Japanese Lunch at NIMS (figure out the acronym from the previous posts), Dr. Sekine took me to Meikei High School (English site) where I will be spending much of the next four weeks, including some Saturdays!! Can you believe they have school on Saturdays?? And we wonder why the Asian kids are the top performers in our schools! I got to meet Dr. Ahmadyar, the guy who is coordinating my visit at the school. He's a great guy so far and I am sure he will be helpful in figuring out what this place is all about in such a short amount of time. I am sure there will be obstacles due to the language barrier, but all university students are required to take an English exam for admission so it may not be much of an issue. I do feel a little left out when they go all "Japanese" on me, but 'wakarimashite.' That means 'I understand.' It's easier and faster for them to do it that way. It'd probably be more painful for me if they spoke really slow English, so I think I'm okay with it.
I got the grand tour of the school in slippers that fell off every time I attempted a stair. I'll definitely have to get my own shoes. The school is cool, at least from an educators perspective. Their philosophy seems pretty similar to ours in the magnet program at home, they just do a little better in the 'all subject' realm. That's why they're a private school and we are just a magnet for math and science. I got to see tons of student work, sculptures, paintings, Japanese calligraphy. I just hope I can find shoes big enough for my gargantuan 10.5 size feet. Speaking of small Japanese things...
My stove hood sucks. And I'm not just talking about its job. It is probably at a height of about 5'8". I'm 6'0". Do the math. I keep busting my head on it anytime I'm in the cabinet next to it or while I'm trying to cook. Don't these guys know that not everyone in a residence for foreign researchers is as short as the typical Japanese person? I mean, at least put a rubber edge on it or something.
Archenemy #2: Kanji (Japanese written language)
Monday, June 16, 2003
Last time I will cheat, I swear.
The best thing about Japan so far:
I got to meet my host researcher, Sekine san, today. He does research in shock physics for the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), a government laboratory. He showed us around the laboratory. They have some pretty cool stuff going on there. He is part of the Advanced Materials Laboratory so he is working to build the materials of the future. (insert cheesy echo sound effect) This was after a bus ride from Narita to Tsukuba, Japan's Science City! Every square inch of farmable land between the two cities was utilized, or so it seemed. The countryside was remarkable and the architecture is mostly what you expect from Japanese films. Immaculate gardens, steep roofs with those funky shingles for ninjas to fly from rooftop to rooftop on, bonsai trees, three car garage. The works.
We have a pretty sweet pad. The room isn't huge, but it's big enough for my scrawny ass. I'll have to figure out how the butt washer on the toilet works. It's a typical Western toilet. I have yet to see the infamous Japanese squatting toilet.
We also went to the supermarket. Further emphasis on the fact that I can't read a thing. Luckily, Dr. Sekine was with us as a guide. I ended up with about 5000 Yen (about $43) worth of strange food that I will have to guess how to prepare. My plan is to have breakfast at home, a reasonable lunch and then I'll have to option to use the rest of my per diem at some decent restaurants in the evenings.
Finished the evening with an Asahi beer from our
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Cheating again...
To avoid jet lag, I deprived myself of sleep on Friday night and during the plane trip. Well, I did get to sleep once on the plane, but having the aisle seat proved to be an insurmountable hazard when nature called for the aforementioned elderly Korean woman. Maybe that two seconds of sleep was when we went through the wormhole, like in that Steven King book "Four Past Midnight." But without the whole people disappearing bit. And without the scary monsters and without Al from Quantum Leap.
Getting through Immigration was easy enough. Haven't been to China or Hong Kong so not such a big SARS risk. It is interesting to see a lot of people wearing the masks.
I now know what it feels like to be from Alabama. I can't read a damned thing unless it is written in Japanese AND English. I really feel for those inbred bastards now. At least everything can be communicated in numbers at Talladega. #8 in first?!? Go Lil' E!! 2,474 laps to go!!
After conking out at 6 pm local time, I woke up at midnight (11 am on hometown schedule). Couldn't go back to sleep and sure as hell couldn't tell what they were talking about on television. It was slightly amusing to make up my own dialogue "Kung Pow Style." Would've been more fun with another person to make up responses. Finally fell asleep again at 3. Not much to write about when Delta steals half of your day.
Saturday, June 14, 2003
Ok, it looks like I may have to cheat since I didn't get this set up from day one. Bear with me as I go waaaaay back in time (insert eerie spacy sound effects here, cue up Huey Lewis and the News' "Back in Time."
Someone should have told Robert Zemeckis. It is possible to time travel. I left Atlanta on a plane at 10:15 am this morning. After a 14 hour direct flight to Tokyo, it should have been just after midnight, right? No, it was 1:15 in the afternoon. On Sunday!! I don't know if we went through some wormhole or something, but how in the heck did I lose a whole day in 14 hours?
The flight was uneventful, unfortunately. The problem with flying overseas, it seems in my case (east Asia), that a majority of the people on the plane do not speak much English, if at all. I tried talking to the elderly Korean woman sitting next to me. BIG mistake!!! I spent the next 30 minutes or so trying to end a conversation I should have never started. I kept pretending like I understood what the hell she was trying to say just to get it over faster. It was self-inflicted torture. It may have not been so bad if she were trying to tell me about anything other than her new shoes. I think I finally figured out that her daughter is a student in the States studying neurology after she pointed to her head for over a minute trying to convey some message through the worlds most difficult game of charades, ever! I probably sound like an ass, but you have to remember that I had at least another 13 hours of this to look forward to.
