Nothing is going right
The post that appeared here before wasn't supposed to be published, but this software decided to make a private post public. Sorry about that. Things just haven't been going well recently, it seems.
NTT phoned me up and told me my Internet service, which was originally slated to begin on September 14th and later delayed a week to the 21st, was now going to be delayed until next month.
I've finished building and installing my fuel computer, after getting all the parts I absolutely needed to get it running. It starts up and idles just fine, but loses serial sync after a few seconds of running, requiring a complete restart. This makes tuning impossible. I don't know whether it's because of a bad solder joint somewhere, bad software, a bad driver, or a problem with the USB to serial adapter I'm using. I'm running in circles trying to fix it.
Yesterday I took my laptop apart completely, stripped it down to the motherboard, trying to find out why the power connector has become so unreliable in the past few months. There were carbon scorch marks on the board by the power plug, which I cleaned off, and I resoldered the connections. This took about 3 hours, during which I had every idiot in the staffroom breathing down my neck asking multiple times what I was doing. Not to offer help, but just seemingly to interrupt me while I was trying to remember which screws went where. I think it's fixed, but the only way to make sure is just to wait and see if it breaks again. If it's not I'll have to drop a couple grand on a new laptop.
Today I came into elementary school for the new semester. I guess they hired another teacher, because I got moved to a different desk. They took out all the neatly organized English word cards from my old desk (which took several hours to sort into some kind of order) and dumped them in a pile in a closet on the other side of the room. Apparently my new desk has no drawers or storage of any kind. I had two really important file folders on top of my desk, and the one with my curriculum somehow vanished into thin air. If they had simply waited for me to come in, or told me in advance, I would have moved these things on my own. Instead I walked in with 5 classes in a row scheduled and everything I needed to do my job scattered to the four goddamn winds. And to top it all off, the pointy haired bastards in some office somewhere decided to block my webmail portal, so I can't get email at elementary school anymore.
I haven't gotten much sleep the past week. It feels like nothing is coming to a close, I can't finish any projects. And while I can see the finish line, every time I approach it the line moves back. I feel exhausted, I haven't taken a real vacation in almost a year.
It looks like my webhost is having trouble now...
August 31st, 2007 at 2:37 am
I'm worried about you. You sound so bitter and unhappy. Why don't you just come home? If they're not treating you right, just tell them to take a hike and head back. I think you may have overstayed your welcome. Another year is a long time. We miss you.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:54 am
Sorry to hear that you are having a tough time!! Can you come home now as your mother suggests?
August 31st, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Hang in there Jeff, life seems to have these moments when it sucks, but then things have a way of turning themselves around, often in ways you don't even expect :) And while I'd love to see you back here, I know that living there is your dream and it will take more than some bad stuff to make you pack it up and leave *hugs* You know where to find me if you want to chat :)
August 31st, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Hang in there, Jeff! I'm sure it's frustrating having to deal with differences in culture as well as the everyday craziness that naturally comes with the field of education. Just keep reminding yourself to stay flexible and go with the flow. Part of the reason we all like teaching (whether we admit it or not) is the challenge of having to think on our feet. It's an excellent, though seemingly contradictory, counterpart to being a control freak. As much as we enjoy having you here, remember that there is chaos in every workplace, and take time to enjoy the path you have chosen. Think of all the great stories you'll always have to tell!
September 1st, 2007 at 11:57 pm
I googled for Nakaniida, and stumbled upon your site. I've recently moved here, and it's nice to know there's another American in town.
If you've got some time and don't mind talking about life in Miyagi, I'd love to have coffee or a meal together before you decide you've had enough of Japan.
(edit: address removed)