I'm not the only one...

MY eagles have made national news again.

I was watching religiously until Shimane BOE decided to block streaming media. Now I can only get my fix in the evenings and on weekends. If you haven't checked it out yet, go here.

How EVIL are you?

60%??? I find it really difficult to believe that I am more evil than Lena (52%) or Erin (54%). Maybe it's because I have had a few more years to be evil?

You Are 60% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side. Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

Coolest Blanket Ever??

Hell YEAH!!
I just bought this baby blanket for a friend. LOVE IT!



Purchased from One Lucky Baby

I know you're all so curious

When will Gotsugirl leave Gotsu forever??? Take a look at my countdown.

It's like crack for crafters

Do you like crafts?

I do.

Check out the great crafting forums at Craftster.

For buying and selling of crafts check out Etsy.

Many sellers on Etsy will ship to international addresses...always appreciated!

Opening up the video vault

First, Rebecca and Gemma discuss the longest place name in the world.


Katy shows how the taiko game is REALLY supposed to be played.


A little 80's dance fever takes over the Shimane orientation 2005.

Erin introduces the beauty of Nishinoshima

Repeat After Me...turn up your volume!!!

Water Polo 2006

Over spring break I was fortunate enough to travel with my school's water polo team to the Junior Olympic Cup in Chiba ken. Actual water polo players, Katy and Craig, came with us as well.

To read the story and see the pictures please go to the album.

Thankful

By some amazing stroke of luck I still have unlimited internet access at my desk. This year the Shimane BOE decided that it would be too dangerous for teachers to have internet access at their desks, or so I was told.

Each day may be my last day...
But for now, everything is fine....

*looks over shoulder*

Eagle Cam

This is a live webcam of an eagle's nest on Hornby Island, BC.
The eggs are going to hatch later this month.
It's excellent quality and a little bit addictive.

Too excited for words!!

Rumor has it that HE is going to sit somewhere else next year!!! (Next year begins in about a week).

This is the greatest news I've heard in a long time.

It's like having a paper doll

I heard about this on the radio.

Dress Kevin "I didn't know what to wear so I made a website"

He has pictures of his wardrobe, including socks and accessories, for you to choose from. So you create an outfit and other people vote. The winning outfit is the one he wears that day, or to the gym, or for lounging on the couch, whatever.

He has gotten a sickening amount of press about this...

I picked out an outfit for him, but I don't think it will win cause a lot of the things have been worn recently (it tells you when things were last worn).

Yes, I have no classes today.

Interesting Blogs

Here are the winners and nominees of this year's Bloggies Awards. I particularly like the craft blogs, for example:

Not Martha
Angry Chicken

This one wasn't nominated but I found it by checking out the others. I fell in love with the cute little projects she has available, free, for download. Check it out...if you like that sort of thing.

Wee Wonderfuls

I'm thinking of trying this project with my ESS club:

Pointy Kitty

Picture it with really nice Japanese fabric.

Another Reason to Avoid the Japanese Medical System....

This happened in MY town!!! In MY local hospital!!! Unbelievable!!!! He was the grandfather of one of my students, and a local Shinto priest. Why would anyone do such a thing??

Patient, 79, strangled at hospital in Shimane

The Yomiuri Shimbun

A 79-year-old patient was found dead, apparently after being strangled, at a hospital in Gotsu, Shimane Prefecture, late Saturday, police said.
According to the police, two nurses at Saiseikai Gotsu General Hospital found Michiaki Kono dead in his bed on the hospital's third floor at about 11:25 p.m. Saturday. Marks around Kono's neck indicated he had been strangled, but police said they would perform an autopsy Sunday to determine the cause of death.
Kono's clothes were not disheveled and the room had not been ransacked, police said. Nurses at the hospital check on patients every few hours, but they found nothing unusual when they checked Kono at 9:30 p.m.
(Mar. 20, 2006)

Source

It's a Girl!!!

Welcome Erika Marlene!!!!

Born March 13th, 9:10pm, 5lbs 14oz

Congratulations to my cousin Steve, his wife Tracy, and big sisters Larissa and Dayna.

Happy Paddy's Day!!

Look what arrived in the mail today...

Good timing Kathy!

On a snowy Monday morning, which may explain the tone...

An Open Letter to My Colleagues

Maybe it's because I have no classes today, maybe it's because I'm cold and cranky, or maybe it's because I only have 85 more days of school(!!!!!!!), but I need to inform you of a few things....

• The sink in the bathroom is THE perfect place to brush your teeth. So WHY do you do it while sitting at your desk?
• If you need to practice your pronunciation leave the room, find a quiet place, and practice. DO NOT practice in the silent staff room where people are trying to work in peace.
• Stop smoking you filthy disgusting people.
• If you're too hot, take off your coat, don't open the window while it's fucking snowing outside and there are other teachers wrapping themselves in blankets.
• Stop running everywhere, you look retarded.
• Keep your shit off my desk, keep your ass off my chair, and don't even think about taking my pen.

My Japanese Subculture

You Are a Kogyaru!

If it's cute, you'll wear it. Fake and bake, hair bleach, and bright makeup line your bathroom cabinet.As for clothes - anything that's short and cute ("kawaii!").You are the prize object of all sorts of men - but you are really looking for a rich foreign guy.He'll find you out hanging out in Shibuya shopping at the 109, text messaging and sending photos over your cellphone.

What's" Your Japanese Subculture?

I'm not like this at all!! What the hell?

Graduation

Friday was grad. It was such a sad day for me. 3-4 class were the kids who made me feel so welcome when I first arrived here, they made up the majority of my english club, and they were such cool kids. I made them an english yearbook in the western style with superlatives like best smile, favortie movie, etc. It doesn't compare to their real yearbook which is gorgeous, with full color glossy pages, but I hope they like it, and maybe actually read it.

I feel a little lost knowing that I won't ever see most of them again. Lot's of students talk about studying in Canada or just visiting, but who will actually do it?

I hope they keep in touch. I'm still in touch with several students who I have taught over the years. When I was a student teacher I became friends with a student named Lisa. I was also able to use her for a case study assignment. We have been writing to each other since before she could properly write a sentence. She's in grade 6 now. Students like her make all the bullshit involved in teaching worth it.

Anyway...enough of that. Here are some pictures from grad.


Atsuki, Asagi, and I.


This is Daiki. It was touch-and-go for a while as to whether or not he would graduate. But he did!!! He's a sweetie pie.


A lovely girl named Shoko. She has a very bright future ahead of her.


This is the whole 3-4 class with their homeroom teacher.


These are the "baseball boys".


These are the current and some graduating members of the english club. We bought the grads tulips and made cards.


Asagi and Miyuki showing off their diploma holders.