Faculty Meeting

I don’t know how it happened. I just know it happened. Last night, we went to bed. I read a little in the office, it’s cooler in there and Chrissy read Harry Potter in bed. When I started feeling drowsy, I put Jack Kerouac away and went to bed. The alarm said 11:00. I had 8 hours ahead of me. I fell asleep quickly and just as quickly went to dreaming.

I dreamt of Nigel and Honey, our dog and cat but not in that order. There were no actions in my dream, just the feeling of warmth, and security. Something stirred me at 11:15. I awoke. I lay there for a moment, extremely sad to be away from my dream and awake. I knew I would not fall back asleep anytime soon. So I got up and flipped channels on the TV trying to find something to put me back to sleep. It took me a couple of hours to fall back asleep.

Before going to bed, I set the alarm for 7:00 am. At 6:00, I woke slightly and checked the time. The morning light was just tinting our curtains in our room. It seemed dark still. At 7:00 the alarm buzzed. I turned it off and reset it for 7:30. I was tired. I slept fitfully until then.

When it rang again, I got up and cursed the fact that I forgot to get the trash out. I had until 8:00, but that would mean I would have to hustle in the shower. I took the trash out right away. In the trash cage there sat my bound bundle of cardboard and another bound bundle of milk cartons from last Friday. In our apartment, we must separate and bundle our trash. Every Monday and Thursday is burnable trash, every 2nd and 4th Tuesday are No. 1 recyclable bottles, every 3rd Wednesday is glasses and cans, and every 4th Friday is Cardboard and paper cartons. (Mind you, I wrote the preceding sentence without referring to any notes!) Last Tuesday, I took out our no 1 bottles only to realize that it was the third Tuesday of the month, so Friday I took out the cardboard and cartons. Evidently, last Friday was the 4th Friday of the month. Those items may be there a while.

Before my shower, I tried to trim my goatee. My trimmer, which had been plugged in since yesterday afternoon, still wasn’t charged. The voltage here is slightly less than the US. So I trimmed my goatee with it plugged in. The power barely was enough for it to trim-yank out the hairs on my chin-ee chin chin.

I jumped in the shower. It didn’t warm up. I stood in the cold water for several minutes, considering taking a cold shower or checking if I had actually turned the hot water on. (The water isn’t cold, It’s almost lukewarm and we have to turn our hot water on and off for the shower. We have a little switch outside the bathroom) I stepped out and turned on the hot water.

In the shower, I began to shave my weekend stubble. Something has happened to my razor here. Usually a razor will last me two months. This razor was new two weeks ago. As I drug it across my face this morning, it only yanked most of the hairs out. Long patches of hairs remained. I stepped out of the shower again. Threw that razor away, in an empty trashcan.

As I got out of the shower, Chrissy was on the phone with Jess. I had only a half of an hour to get ready, eat breakfast and be on my bike. I didn’t think I would have time for a cup of coffee. A hot cup of coffee, before stepping out into 90-degree heat and humidity for a bike ride isn’t fun. I begin sweating as soon as I step out our front door.

I grabbed a shirt and pair of pants. The shirt was missing a button.

I turned on the TV and that’s when it happened. Someone messed up. The time on the morning clock, the only thing I can understand said 7:00 am. My alarms should just be going off now! I thought. Chrissy was still on the phone with Jess. I asked her what time it was. I won’t need to tell you, but she agreed with the TV. Somehow, I don’t know how or when, my alarm clock was reset an hour fast. All Chrissy said was, “I wondered why you got up so early.”

Well at least I had time to slow down. I sewed a button on, to calm myself. I spoke with Jess while Chrissy made coffee. The day began breaking my way. I ate breakfast. Today, unlike last Friday, the milk I used was real milk not buttermilk-at least I think it was buttermilk. Outside even wasn’t as hot as it has been. I even found a vending machine, which sold Coke Zero for only 100 yen right on my way to work, of course I bought it, cold caffeine is great! I got to work 10 minutes early. Sakurai gave me a book about the big earthquake from 95 and I began to read. When my cohort, Claudia came in, Sakurai gave her the same book and said. “I have a seminar. Go ahead and read the book, and then explore Nishinomiya. . .” It was 9:05. I got up and got to work to be sent home?

I wanted to be productive. I wanted to do some work. Roll my sleeves up and get some good ole paper cuts like when I was a rookie teacher. No such luck. At least I had the day and a book, which I did read in the 15 minutes I was at work.

I decided to go to Kawaragi, my junior high, and see if they had something for me. I could get to know people. I rode over there walked into the faculty room and they were in the middle of a meeting. The vice-principal and Chinami, an English teacher came to me and we stepped outside. Chinami explained to the vice principal who I was and I told them I just stopped by to see if I could help work on anything. Chinami translated for us. She explained to me that the meeting may last another hour and that my desk was not ready, but that I was welcome to stay. The vice principal went in and got me a chair, so I decided to stick it out.

The faculty meeting was a lot like the ones back in the states, except this meeting is held in the faculty room where all the teachers sit at their assigned desks. Teachers paid even less attention though. Some actually had full newspapers open in front of them, not down on the table like we do; others were filling papers on and around their desks, never leaving their seats; some had date books or other materials in front of them. Very few actually had the pertinent papers that the speakers would talk about. Chinami snuck some books over to me. “Very boring.” She said about the meeting then she walked back to her desk on her haunches.

The books she left were very interesting. The Principal got up and introduced me. Chinami looked at me and said, “He’s talking about you.” I already knew that, but I got to say a few words like, “I got nothing better to do than to crash your faculty meeting where I only understand my name and hang out for an hour, but if you knew the type of morning I had, you would realize, this is the highlight of my day.”. . . So far. . .

It is now, straight up one o’clock and I am going to take a quick nap and escort my bride to Osaka. We will explore the area around the embassy.