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The Hunt is On... for Japanese
Oct. 9th, 2014 01:21 pm The new chapter/installment for School for Wayward Demons is up: http://entertheunseen.com/01-05-the-hunt-is-on/
In this chapter, Theo's breaking & entering is starting to have consequences. People are after her. But who will get to her first? The good guys or the ones who want to kill her?
Check it out, if you're so inclined.
There will be more news later tonight because the Bleach chapter came out early. Mason and I will be podcasting this evening. We've kind of given up being perfectly timely, especially since I had to work at Roseville last night.
I thought I should also give you an update about my Japanese class. If you've been following the story, you know that I asked the instructor (Tetsuyo) if Mason could join. There was some hemming and hawing because Mason is significantly younger than the cut off age of 16, but he said Mason could certainly try it and, if nothing else, could audit. Mason and I spent much of last week getting ready to knock Tetsuyo's katsushita (socks) off with all the Japanese we'd memorized. So, around came Tuesday night and Mason I bundled off together, quizzing each other all the way...
...only to get turned away by the two administrative people who sit guard.
Apparently, they asked after Mason further up the pike and the administration came down with a HARD NO. The email one of the women showed me made it sound like somehow having a child in the class would destroy the "adult" experience, but just looking at that my first inkling was that there had to be some deeper story here, like maybe they just didn't want to get into the habit of letting kids in, because then there'd be a precedent.
I was only cranky because no one told me BEFORE I showed up with kid in tow, and having him sit in the hall seemed 1) AWFUL and 2) stupid, given that he had homework to do at home. As I dithered the ladies apologized for not contacting me... kind of. One of them asked, "Are you registered for the class?" (to me.) I gave her a look. "What? Are you kidding? OF COURSE." She says, "What's your name?" I said, "Lyda." Then the two women get this look, which they exchange sort of guiltily with each other. "Oh," the other one says, "T kept saying Lyda."
They apparently can't cope with saying Tetsuyo. (Any anime fan who has seen Akira can handle this name, btw. It's not THAT hard.)
But, I'm not even horrified by that yet. I said back, "Yeah, that's because THAT'S MY NAME."
One of the women say, "I looked on the list, but I thought that said Lydia."
Right, I thought silently, because you can't cope with a simple name like Tetsuyo, so CLEARLY THAT PERSON CAN'T SAY LYDA CORRECTLY AND GOD FORBID SOMEONE BE NAMED SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT EXPECTING.
I say, snippily, "Well, It doesn't. My name isn't Lydia, it's Lyda. Just like the instructor said."
On that note, I left.
I ran into the instructor, Tetsuyo, in the parking lot and told him I was going to have to drop Mason off, but I'd be back, only probably quite a bit late. He asked what was wrong, why Mason wasn't staying, but all I managed to tell him was that the administration said Mason couldn't attend. I mean, to be fair, writing this now it's all processed in my head, but at the time I was feeling all the FEELS, and most of them were WTF. I AM DISAPPOINTED AND ANGRY AND HAVE NO WORDS.
To be very, very honest, I was far more bummed not to have Mason able to take the class than I think Mason was. So, I actually spent much the car ride home and back to class again being SAD. Mason and I had practiced so hard. I'd had this wonderful plan to surprise Tetsuyo by having Mason introduce himself properly with bows and everything. It was going to be cute. Now it was not, and I was sad. And the whole thing about "T" and them not able to cope with my name was floating around in there feeling cranky and not quite knowing why, you know?
Class itself was fine, once I was back and in the groove. We were talking about money (and later counting), but Tetsuyo and I have this funny thing about me being the Anime fan in the class. He's clearly NOT an Anime fan. I think he's especially annoyed by it because it's a connection a lot of people taking his class have to Japan. Probably it'd be like going to Japan and having everyone wanting to talk about something you hate, like American football. And like not really GETTING that it's not your thing, and going on about favorite teams and players, etc.
Anyway, I mostly don't mention it, but he was asking the class if any of us knew what the significance of the chrysthanimum (sp) is? I said, "It's the flower of the Imperial House." Then we get to the cherry blossom. I wait, hoping I'm not the only one, but then I say, "It's the national flower of Japan." Tetsuyo looks surprised and asks, "Lyda-san, how do you know all this?" I smile and say, "Anime."
He just shakes his head.
After class he asked me to stay and I learn that he's heard that the policy about not having kids under 16 is a result of some bad apple or another using Community Ed. as cheap babysitting. That makes sense to me. I mean, Mason wouldn't be like that, but if people have abused this in the past, being firm about the age limit is suddenly far more understandable. I told him it was fine. (At this point I was WAY more calm) and I understood policy is policy. He confessed to me that one of the other student is actually underage and he only found out because he got curious, given that Mason might be joining the class. He found out this other student is only 15. She was supposed to wait to sign up. OR someone made an exception for HER. He was not happy with this, if only because it seemed that much more unfair to Mason. Again, I told him it was fine. Mason wasn't nearly as upset as I was. I was bummed to be losing a study buddy who could have helped with an 'ear' to pronunciation, but he was still keen to learn and would keep learning from me, at home.
I think this actually made Tetsuyo sadder that he couldn't let Mason in, but I told him that Mason would sign up as soon as he was able. Maybe, he'd even be able to join me in a later, more advanced class, if possible.
So, it kind of all worked out. I still think it's a shame the way the two desk ladies gave me the news, especially given their weird issue with unconventional/unusual names. But whatever.
I'll learn how to tell them to fuck off in Japanese and it will be my great revenge.
:-)
In this chapter, Theo's breaking & entering is starting to have consequences. People are after her. But who will get to her first? The good guys or the ones who want to kill her?
Check it out, if you're so inclined.
There will be more news later tonight because the Bleach chapter came out early. Mason and I will be podcasting this evening. We've kind of given up being perfectly timely, especially since I had to work at Roseville last night.
I thought I should also give you an update about my Japanese class. If you've been following the story, you know that I asked the instructor (Tetsuyo) if Mason could join. There was some hemming and hawing because Mason is significantly younger than the cut off age of 16, but he said Mason could certainly try it and, if nothing else, could audit. Mason and I spent much of last week getting ready to knock Tetsuyo's katsushita (socks) off with all the Japanese we'd memorized. So, around came Tuesday night and Mason I bundled off together, quizzing each other all the way...
...only to get turned away by the two administrative people who sit guard.
Apparently, they asked after Mason further up the pike and the administration came down with a HARD NO. The email one of the women showed me made it sound like somehow having a child in the class would destroy the "adult" experience, but just looking at that my first inkling was that there had to be some deeper story here, like maybe they just didn't want to get into the habit of letting kids in, because then there'd be a precedent.
I was only cranky because no one told me BEFORE I showed up with kid in tow, and having him sit in the hall seemed 1) AWFUL and 2) stupid, given that he had homework to do at home. As I dithered the ladies apologized for not contacting me... kind of. One of them asked, "Are you registered for the class?" (to me.) I gave her a look. "What? Are you kidding? OF COURSE." She says, "What's your name?" I said, "Lyda." Then the two women get this look, which they exchange sort of guiltily with each other. "Oh," the other one says, "T kept saying Lyda."
They apparently can't cope with saying Tetsuyo. (Any anime fan who has seen Akira can handle this name, btw. It's not THAT hard.)
But, I'm not even horrified by that yet. I said back, "Yeah, that's because THAT'S MY NAME."
One of the women say, "I looked on the list, but I thought that said Lydia."
Right, I thought silently, because you can't cope with a simple name like Tetsuyo, so CLEARLY THAT PERSON CAN'T SAY LYDA CORRECTLY AND GOD FORBID SOMEONE BE NAMED SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT EXPECTING.
I say, snippily, "Well, It doesn't. My name isn't Lydia, it's Lyda. Just like the instructor said."
On that note, I left.
I ran into the instructor, Tetsuyo, in the parking lot and told him I was going to have to drop Mason off, but I'd be back, only probably quite a bit late. He asked what was wrong, why Mason wasn't staying, but all I managed to tell him was that the administration said Mason couldn't attend. I mean, to be fair, writing this now it's all processed in my head, but at the time I was feeling all the FEELS, and most of them were WTF. I AM DISAPPOINTED AND ANGRY AND HAVE NO WORDS.
To be very, very honest, I was far more bummed not to have Mason able to take the class than I think Mason was. So, I actually spent much the car ride home and back to class again being SAD. Mason and I had practiced so hard. I'd had this wonderful plan to surprise Tetsuyo by having Mason introduce himself properly with bows and everything. It was going to be cute. Now it was not, and I was sad. And the whole thing about "T" and them not able to cope with my name was floating around in there feeling cranky and not quite knowing why, you know?
Class itself was fine, once I was back and in the groove. We were talking about money (and later counting), but Tetsuyo and I have this funny thing about me being the Anime fan in the class. He's clearly NOT an Anime fan. I think he's especially annoyed by it because it's a connection a lot of people taking his class have to Japan. Probably it'd be like going to Japan and having everyone wanting to talk about something you hate, like American football. And like not really GETTING that it's not your thing, and going on about favorite teams and players, etc.
Anyway, I mostly don't mention it, but he was asking the class if any of us knew what the significance of the chrysthanimum (sp) is? I said, "It's the flower of the Imperial House." Then we get to the cherry blossom. I wait, hoping I'm not the only one, but then I say, "It's the national flower of Japan." Tetsuyo looks surprised and asks, "Lyda-san, how do you know all this?" I smile and say, "Anime."
He just shakes his head.
After class he asked me to stay and I learn that he's heard that the policy about not having kids under 16 is a result of some bad apple or another using Community Ed. as cheap babysitting. That makes sense to me. I mean, Mason wouldn't be like that, but if people have abused this in the past, being firm about the age limit is suddenly far more understandable. I told him it was fine. (At this point I was WAY more calm) and I understood policy is policy. He confessed to me that one of the other student is actually underage and he only found out because he got curious, given that Mason might be joining the class. He found out this other student is only 15. She was supposed to wait to sign up. OR someone made an exception for HER. He was not happy with this, if only because it seemed that much more unfair to Mason. Again, I told him it was fine. Mason wasn't nearly as upset as I was. I was bummed to be losing a study buddy who could have helped with an 'ear' to pronunciation, but he was still keen to learn and would keep learning from me, at home.
I think this actually made Tetsuyo sadder that he couldn't let Mason in, but I told him that Mason would sign up as soon as he was able. Maybe, he'd even be able to join me in a later, more advanced class, if possible.
So, it kind of all worked out. I still think it's a shame the way the two desk ladies gave me the news, especially given their weird issue with unconventional/unusual names. But whatever.
I'll learn how to tell them to fuck off in Japanese and it will be my great revenge.
:-)
