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Children

Recently, at a family wedding, I was very distressed to find out that my year and a bit worth of teaching experience has not improved my ability to talk to children. I met a rather cool three year old (he could talk three languages and sing most of Frere Jacques) and, when called upon to…

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Stuff I Wish More Karaoke Machines Had

Invocal More Stephen Sondheim, specifically:  Moments in the Woods from Into the Woods You Could Drive a Person Crazy from Company  More from Dick Tracy Girl you don’t need make-up from Inside Amy Schumer Free cake, even if you’re not singing karaoke Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus Closing Time by Semi-sonic Remix to Ignition by Kelly…

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Celebrity

  It’s quite nice to be admired and even nicer to be respected- in Japan, as a gaijin-sensei, I certainly receive a lot of admiration. But I sometimes feel a dearth of respect. Once a week, I teach at one of four elementary schools. If you’re good at math, and Lord knows you don’t have…

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November 2016

Hello all, November, November, I scarcely remember. November has always felt like a filler month to me; nowadays it’s little more than an extension of December, everyone just anticipating Christmas now that we’ve got the pesky first five sixths of the year out of the way. Certainly, there’s very little to distinguish it from its…

Rebecca on an Aeroplane

Rebecca on an Aeroplane

  Last night, I had a dream we flew Pacific Northwest again. But we never can. I suppose I should introduce myself, but I won’t; suffice to say, you’d probably pronounce my name wrong. Certainly they did when I first boarded that plane, all those years ago: “Hello, Miss” an incomprehensible murmur. Nowadays, I would…