The long and the short

Partly sunny, 14C (13C)

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Also November 2, AKA October 33rd, AKA Cheshvan 25th.

That's right, folks. Today I go to work, what work I can't be sure. I'll have a full schedule. What schedule, I can't be sure. When are my classes, what students are coming, when will it end, what am I teaching. Nobody fucking knows shit about it.

Boo-yeah, Japanese business management! What?

So the plan is to go in earlier than early to try to be prepared--or at least be present.

Oh, did I mention that now I have to be at the school between about noon and about ten five days a week. That's right, folks. That shit is not even fucking funny. And I don't have time right now to go into how my contract terms combined with this new system make this whole situation even more unstable.

I can't take this shit seriously at all, anymore. If I do, I will come completely unhinged (as opposed to half hanging off, as I am, now).

I want more pillows on my bed.

Have I mentioned yet that I'm going to start shipping things statesside just as soon as mima gets moved? Yeah, I'll use the super-cheap slow-boat method.

I just feel like I need to be more nimble. This living in company-housing business is just so very unstable.

I'm going to a tea party in Kobe next weekend. I don't mean a political one--one of my former student's friends is married to an American that got started teaching in the unis here and the tea party is for use to meet and talk some shop. Then three weeks later I've got a networking/independent training event thing.

Oh, and that secret incident surely is going to cost me all my savings--but I've got it worked out to do that over the next four months instead of all at once tonight, to ease the shock.

God help me.

(no subject)

Mostly cloudy, 15C (13C)

I just got back from meeting with this d00d from the secret incident. I figured it was just my problem that this is basically extortion and was prepared to read through the contract he said he was preparing very carefully--Japanese legalese and all. It was a really simple, straight-forward, above-board document, though. Impressively so, actually. I'm not even being charged interest for making payments. It's probably still extortion--this is the kind of thing insurance is for, afterall--but that's just one of the costs of... life... and I get that.

Anyway, he actually seemed really nice. It's really too bad that we had to meet over something like this, even though he genuinely didn't seem to hold it against me and, really, let's be honest, this is the only way I'm going to meet anyone, here. And it's probably mostly the solitude talking up the impression I'm left with.

I should probably stop thinking about him and get my dinner together.

40 minutes is pretty noticeably short for most of my classes. The new company still hasn't distributed the new texts and manuals so for some of them I'm just completely BSing the "lesson" and making it more of an introduction session/assessment/series of one-point lessons.

I still need god to be helping me. Probably forever. I'm glad I'm taking a break from drinking.