Thursday, February 20, 2003

*... be careful what you wish for ...*
"Days like this I don't know what to do with myself all day and all night..." Yeah, sing it, Fiona, because that is exactly how I feel. I am going mad over here with nothing to occupy my head, no creative juices being tapped, since all I am STILL DOING are these stupid speaking tests. (remember those, I mentioned way back when?). So I wished for a distraction, and what did I get? FOOD POISONING! Yes!! What a clear answer to my prayers... (uhh, yeah, hi, I was thinking more along the lines of a new hobby, or a cute boy maybe?) LOL. Despite the fact that nothing would stay in my stomach, I still dragged myself to school, half out of guilt and half out of desire to make some progress on these tests so I won't be doing them for the rest of my life. So far I have 2 out of 16 classes finished. Not a very good batting average, methinks.

Oddly enough, about 4 days ago (2 days before the vomitting began... hehehe) I used my endless time and mind space to ponder what happens over here when one suddenly gets sick on public transportation, like the bus or train. It is pretty much a cardinal sin to speak to the bus driver. Well, I will be going straight to hell now, apparently, as I almost lost it on the bus driver yesterday on the way home, and he actually pulled over. Of course, he left me there, not close to any bus stop, but at least he pulled over. Damn, I tell ya, ESP is a curse.
10:31 AM

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

*... something Japanese, something not so much ...*
Japanese: did you know they allow 15 minutes for lunch over here (in my school)? Yup, that's fifteen WHOLE minutes. No wonder I thought the sounds they make while eating sounded like they just inhale their food...

Not so much: There are 3 potentially dangerous habits I that have been instilled in my from my years in Colorguard. Habit #1 - I point my toes pretty much all the time, or at least anytime I use my legs for anything other than walking. This can be quite dangerous in activities such as karate, where I have yet to break my toe(s) (knock on wood!) because of this hazardous habit, although I did jam them one good one on Ophi's elbow once (Obviously I am in much greater peril if I am kicking her elbow in the first place...). Habit #2 - Maybe viewed as a talent, but I can catch things with parts of my body other than my hands. This is a fabulous skill to have when you're in competition because you lose points if any equipment hits the ground. So you sacrifice what you have to to save the 3 foot long, 8 pound hunk of solid wood you just launched 20 feet into the air and is coming down somewhere other than near your hands. Common landing spots include hips, elbows, backs, stomachs, and the ever popular smack-dab-in-the-middle-o'-your-shin, where it bounces off with a sickening thud and you can grab it and keep going. This is called a "rifle kiss" and I practically made out with mine (but I only dropped maybe 2 times in 3 years!). And now I can't help but catch falling things with body parts that were never intended to meet things like the very large cast iron skillet that fell off the drain board last night. I have a series of "kisses" down my left leg and a beautiful purple colored toe. BUT! That skillet never touched the floor! (I often wonder what would happen if a puppy, a small child, or some other "precious" material were to slip out of my arms...). Habit #3 - is one that, for modesty's sake, I will not actually reveal, but I will say that it has something to do with Spandex. ; ) If you can guess it, you win a prize.
1:37 PM

Monday, February 17, 2003

*... hazard to my health ...*
I hate, I hate, I HATE the bus. I don't have high regards for the train, either, but I hate the bus more. The people at Koshin JHS are way lucky that I am a naturally very genki, happy, easygoing person, since the bus pretty much starts me off with a foul mood everyday. Besides the logistics of it (the bus drivers who can't drive, the jerkiness of it so I feel like dizzy and nauseous, the scheduling (it comes too early in the morning, too late in the evening)), I think it's the people that really drive me batty. I am sure they are nice, decent people, but let's just say that the biggest difference between us is our personal hygiene habits, which makes the ride pretty unbearable. This morning, the guy sitting in front of me (we'll call him Rockstar) I swear has not showered for at least 2 weeks, since he often gets the seat in front of me. Evidence of this lies in the abundance of grease and flakes in his wannabe-80s-rockstar hair that flaps in my face, and gives off the most horrendous odor. Couple this with a really old, leather jacket (with puffy sleeves, that I am sure is actually a woman's jacket) and cheap cologne, and you have reason enough for a gas mask. But oh no, that's not all. Standing over me was the Gray Man, called so since he only ever wears gray suits, and his hair is gray, and his face is gray (I'm so not kidding! it's freaky!). He likes to give off these little halitosis-laden coughs about once every 15 seconds or so (I timed him) and it sounds like he is grunting. Loudly. I've taken to wearing headphones on the bus just to drown him out (he likes to sit up front, and will stand there until a seat becomes available, even if there are other seats in the back) and I am about to take to wearing a raincoat, since he sprays these stinky grunts. He also wears a leather jacket, so I got a double dose of old-leather smell (not a personal favorite). Gray Man is quite vicious; not a small man by any means, he merely mows people over to get on or off the bus. Then there was Ashtray Guy behind me, who very quite obviously is at least a pack-a-day smoker. I smelled him before I heard him (thanks to the genetic lotto, I was blessed with a super-sensitive olfactory system). He apparently has quite the hacking cough, and I could actually smell the tar that resides in his lungs. It kinda washed over me, and I had no escape from it unless I pulled my turtleneck up over my nose for some fresh air. His cough was so bad, that i thought I might have brown spray marks across my back when I got off the bus. All this made me want to barf, but that was already taken care of by the guy across the aisle from me who was gagging so hard, his feet were lifting off the floor.

You see what I put up with?? And you see why I am getting a little nervous since the supply I brought of flouridated toothpaste and deodorant is almost gone? Since they believe in neither over here, what am I going to do?? Blend right in, I guess...
8:40 AM