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Lazy Monday Afternoon
Aug. 7th, 2006 04:20 pmThis past half-week I've not had afternoon classes to teach, which has been a rather lovely relief. Last week, I came home and slept through most of the afternoons, and then started to sort through all my boxes in the garage. So far I've cleared 6 or so boxes, have thrown out one bag of crap, put two boxes in the "loft" pile and left two boxes in the living room. One is full of car boot material, and the other (hidden craftily behind the computer) is full of proofs I'm trying to flog on eBay. If you haven't decided to help fund my removal to the other side of the globe, I suggest you dig deep. All proceeds go into the ISA and will then no doubt go towards the recovering Japanese economy when I cough up for my plane ticket.
Part one of the GEOS indoctrination package turned up at the weekend. Every time I get a letter from GEOS I feel a little sick. I am quite sure that I am doing the right thing, but the impending upheaval (to someone who is not very good with rapid or large changes) seems to be causing little panics. I make it sound like I'm dreading going, and to a certain extent there has to be some dread. This, after all, is a rather serious move, and I fully intend for it to not only improve my boring English life a little, but help with future plans - be it writing experience and material, or merely financial (the MA plan is still afoot). The package includes a section on grammar, which I looked at briefly. There is also a section on culture and (more specifically) work. One of the questions was: " A Japanese businessman keeps turning up to your lessons drunk. What do you do?" I must resist the desire to say: "Cancel class and head down the hostess bar with him". There was something in there about colleagues wearing cotton trousers to work. Do they mean JEANS? If the latter, I fully understand, if not, then what the hell am I going to wear? Cotton seems the logical choice in a hot and humid country and polyester just seems wrong. I've been on the hunt for cheap suits in the sales, but every time I find a nice jacket, or a nice pair of trousers, I can't find the matching part of the suit anywhere. I was in Principles (in the Petite section) today and found a nice pair of pinstripe trousers. But are there matching jackets? No. One of the odd rules we have at GEOS, or maybe just in Japan, is that trousers suits must match. And having made this mistake, I fully appreciate it and will endeavour to find matching outfits.
Speaking of suits, I popped into a tailor in Brighton last weekend and enquired (or inquired?) about having a suit made. They had a rather wonderful red pinstripe number in the window, which I drooled over. The sales assistant said: " I'm new, so I'll just go and check the prices", and went scuttling off into the back of the shop. It was then I noticed pictures of Davina Macall, Frank Skinner and other celebs on the wall behind the counter, all quite clearly dressed in bespoke suits. The sales assistant came back out. " For a made-to-measure suit," she said, "it will be £650. For a bespoke suit, it will be around a £1000." I was glad I had my sunglasses on as they hopefully hid the widening of my eyes in shock. However, the sudden pallor of my skin must have given me away, as she handed me a flier, recommended my looking at their website, and then shooed me out of the shop.
Meanwhile in Brighton, I parted with large amounts of money in Bromptons, buying a rather fabulous pair of new glasses. My brother made comparisons to Dame Edna, but a comment from work (which was much more appreciated) was that they made me look like Catwoman - and not the Halle Berry one either.
Well, maybe a bit more tomorrow, as right now I could do with a cup of tea and a Bourbon biscuit.
Part one of the GEOS indoctrination package turned up at the weekend. Every time I get a letter from GEOS I feel a little sick. I am quite sure that I am doing the right thing, but the impending upheaval (to someone who is not very good with rapid or large changes) seems to be causing little panics. I make it sound like I'm dreading going, and to a certain extent there has to be some dread. This, after all, is a rather serious move, and I fully intend for it to not only improve my boring English life a little, but help with future plans - be it writing experience and material, or merely financial (the MA plan is still afoot). The package includes a section on grammar, which I looked at briefly. There is also a section on culture and (more specifically) work. One of the questions was: " A Japanese businessman keeps turning up to your lessons drunk. What do you do?" I must resist the desire to say: "Cancel class and head down the hostess bar with him". There was something in there about colleagues wearing cotton trousers to work. Do they mean JEANS? If the latter, I fully understand, if not, then what the hell am I going to wear? Cotton seems the logical choice in a hot and humid country and polyester just seems wrong. I've been on the hunt for cheap suits in the sales, but every time I find a nice jacket, or a nice pair of trousers, I can't find the matching part of the suit anywhere. I was in Principles (in the Petite section) today and found a nice pair of pinstripe trousers. But are there matching jackets? No. One of the odd rules we have at GEOS, or maybe just in Japan, is that trousers suits must match. And having made this mistake, I fully appreciate it and will endeavour to find matching outfits.
Speaking of suits, I popped into a tailor in Brighton last weekend and enquired (or inquired?) about having a suit made. They had a rather wonderful red pinstripe number in the window, which I drooled over. The sales assistant said: " I'm new, so I'll just go and check the prices", and went scuttling off into the back of the shop. It was then I noticed pictures of Davina Macall, Frank Skinner and other celebs on the wall behind the counter, all quite clearly dressed in bespoke suits. The sales assistant came back out. " For a made-to-measure suit," she said, "it will be £650. For a bespoke suit, it will be around a £1000." I was glad I had my sunglasses on as they hopefully hid the widening of my eyes in shock. However, the sudden pallor of my skin must have given me away, as she handed me a flier, recommended my looking at their website, and then shooed me out of the shop.
Meanwhile in Brighton, I parted with large amounts of money in Bromptons, buying a rather fabulous pair of new glasses. My brother made comparisons to Dame Edna, but a comment from work (which was much more appreciated) was that they made me look like Catwoman - and not the Halle Berry one either.
Well, maybe a bit more tomorrow, as right now I could do with a cup of tea and a Bourbon biscuit.
