OK, folks, got some housekeeping stuff to pass along. Firstly, this week's column is up over at the main site. It's the thrilling second part of Don't Panic 2: the Female Buddha. Here's a clip:
Since it was early afternoon on a workday, the train was pretty deserted. I counted myself lucky as being able to get a seat. I sat down, removed the new roll of film from my pocket, and loaded my camera. There was the familiar hiss of the doors closing, and with a gentle tug, the train was off. At first, it was a little odd. I had never gone very far down the line before. Within 5 minutes, we reached the first stop on the line, Kagohara. This was the farthest I had gone, as I have a co-worker who lives in this town and I went to visit her one day. The doors hissed again and again we were off. Next down the line was Fukiya. This is where my most remote students live. Another hiss and I was off to unexplored territory.
Click here to read it all!
And also, because it is the dawn of October, here's my latest issue of The Monthly Spam. Typically, this is exclusive to the dozen people in my address book, but for once, I show it to you, the general public:
Hey All! Mark/Scarecrow with the latest and greatest at his site.
Well, I've now officially been back in school for a month. It seems to be going OK. I have to take courses in basic grammar and basic computer skills that I find so easy that they're insulting. They leave me with a bit of a moral conundrum. Should I drop them and free up my days, or should I stick with them? I mean, if I stick with them, it'll inflate my average and put me in a better position for some sweet, sweet, scholarship cash. So, for now, I'm sticking with them. But what else is going on?
WHAT'S NEW AT CHAOSINABOX.COM
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Not much, as I don't seem to have a lot of free time anymore. Still got the weekly column, though. Before my laptop broke down for the third time, I was finally able to back up all the columns that had been imprisoned on my hard drive! Right now, I'm in the middle of three part epic entitled, "Don't Panic II: The Female Buddha," so please please read it! Got the new poll for October up. Plus, the new sister site, Midnight Ramblings (http://chaosinabox.blogspot.com) is still update pretty much daily. So, it's pretty much business as usual.
Yeah, the laptop broke down a third time. Let me share the wisdom I've learned from the past six months: 1) Don't buy Compaq 2) Don't go to Future Shop or Best Buy for computer repairs.
SCHOOL DAYS
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As already mentioned, I've been back in school for a month now, and I'm getting a bit of a reputation. Suddenly, I'm the "performer." Now, I'm sure you're all saying, "But Mark, you've always been a performer," but believe me, there's a difference between having your friends say it about you and having strangers expect it of you. And I don't know what the heck I'm doing to get that reputation. I'm sorry, but when my radio script says, "Scream," I'm going to scream. When it says, "Nervous voice," I'm going to do a nervous voice. It's just the same hammy overacting I've done since junior high.
Actually, I know why this is upsetting me so much. When I stood up before the class to do my most recent script reading, one of the women in my class said to her friend, "Just looking at him makes me laugh now." I'm sure that's what EVERY man wants to hear from a woman.
BOLDLY GOING....
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And I'd like to take a minute to point out that my good friend and recurring character Trouble will be leaving us soon. After spending years of longing and hoping and wishing for the chance to teach English in Japan, she's off to teach English...in China. "It's just to get closer to Japan," she says. But anyway, we just spent our last day together in Edmonton, where we did things like laugh at people who learn two or three words of Japanese from poorly dubbed anime, only to use those two or three words incorrectly in an effort to sound worldly and express their dream of going to Japan someday. Part of the main reason why Trouble's going to China is to get away from these people. But still, it makes me sad. It's like I just got back from Japan, and we hardly had any time together, and now she's going. Oh, well. I'm going to flood her with Alberta postcards for her classroom, like she did to me. Good luck, Trouble!
FAVOURITE QUOTES OF THE MONTH
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Sorry, I got nothing. Not keeping a very close track of quotable quotes right now.
...AND THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES...
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And that's all for this month! Seeing as to how I just did all this, I'm wondering exactly how much I have to study for my computers test tomorrow. "Introduction to the Internet." At least acing that course impresses the girls. Did I tell you about my class? 30 students. 21 girls. 9 boys. The odds are definitly in my favour.
Mark/Scarecrow (wondering if his Spider-Man Halloween costume from last year still fits.)
Next Issue...The Money's Great!
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