July 29, 2006

Side work/plus/

My former wife is a college teacher in Japan. She is Japanese, but lived here in the states for a little over ten years, and speaks and understands English very well. She comes to visit me every summer partly to see me, but also to keep her English skills by immersion.

One of her subjects is English composition, and she has her students write final papers, which she sends to me to look over and evaluate. She pays me ten bucks an hour to do this, and since I’ve been doing it for over twenty years now, both her own school work and her students, I’ve become pretty good at it. And, the money helps me too.

One of the neat things about it is that I get to see inside the minds of Japanese young people. This year’s batch of papers is very good. Since I am familiar with the Japanese writing style, it’s easy for me to suggest changes and to understand what they mean to say, even if it’s not correctly expressed in English.

The papers this year are really good, subject-wise. There are some on surrogacy, some on assisted suicides, some on visits by the Prime Minister to the Yasukuni Shrine for Japanese war dead (always- always a controversial subject among Japan’s neighbors, who remember Japanese acts in WW2), and papers about the rising need for two income families in Japan, same as here in the US.

Very interesting stuff, but mentally taxing too, and I get more tired, I’ve noticed, this year than in years past. Must be that age thing.

(but, but, I’m only 44! waaaa!)

So, I’m doing this in a break from the papers. I’ve got about 4 and a half hours in on them now, (which has taken me a few days to do, actually) and very soon, the boss will be calling me to pick up my share of the Sunday papers to deliver. I’m killing some time now, writing this.

Time to make more coffee and to get ready to go, so this’ll be a short entry.

*****

/Plus/

I now have a survey that I have to do.

It has to wait, I have school papers to look at.

The papers were very late this morning, but I got 276 of them and finished in just over two hours. Three hours ahead of where doofuss would have. I’m thinking the boss sould show his appreciation better – I am a very good worker. One of my stops told me that they were getting their papers two hours earlier than they ever had before.

Ever.

I saw someone buy one of the 65 papers I had just dropped there and said "thanks for buying my paper!" and the guy looked kind of surprised, but he smiled and held it up and said "thanks for bringing my paper!

Things like that make it worth my time to do my job.

I am very happy with my van. It held 43 bundles of Sunday papers (HEAVY) without a problem, and it’s little 4 cylinder engine handled it well, without complaint. (good thing I had the shocks and struts replaced this year. New tires last year)

I have put over 19,000 miles on the van since I got it last year.

19,000.

Ya fucking hooo!

It gets good mileage, works most of the time, and since I spent a boatload of money on it, reliably and without complaint.

19,000 miles.

*****

Hi… saw you on the OD front page and got hooked in. 🙂 I too correct English papers, though it is part of my main job. I teach English in Turkey but lived in Japan for two years too. From reading your “Japan tales” entry I see that your Japanese family was in OSaka. That’s where I was. Nice to read some of your latest entries. 🙂

TheWoodsprite

July 30, 2006

It sounds so interesting! It’s neat that you get to do this! hugs, Weesprite

WebWoman

Sounds like an interesting job.

gray tabby

sounds like a very good side job! take care,

LightButHearty

The side work is good for your mind and your pocketbook. Do you think you could get more of this kind of work if you looked for it or are you doing about the right amount for you right now? RYN: Looking forward to seeing some of those “flash flowers”.

Hi Cat….once again, thanks for the notes of support-they do mean alot especially whenever I am feeling down about the situation (past)~the feline~

Dot Com Man

Maybe your Girl friend in Japan could line you up with teachers in other schools in other towns to grade their students English papers all thru the year. Maybe a second career of sorts which you could do in your spare time. Also, there are Japanese college students. Perhaps your girlfriend could do the contacting by mail……say a form letter to a bunch of’em.

I agree with what LBH said….. the work is good for your mind and your bank account, sounds very interesting. I wonder if those Japanese students know their papers are going all the way to America to be reviewed?

iamshe

🙂

LilyCat

Fascinating sideline you got there, Cat. A paper delivery man by night, a Japanese english paper corrector by day, and a great Photographer ALL the time. Nothing like a little diversity to keep the ole mind exercised, eh? 🙂

hey, so you DO teach already, cat! this is great to read. i can see it would be very fascinating to see inside young people’s minds (from a distance) especially minds of a different culture. those are some heavy topics, no wonder it seems more taxing this. good set of students i assume. ya F-ing hooo right back at ya! i like that you are cheery about your work. 🙂

It’s so nice to be appreciatedisn’t it? I am glad that guy was there right then.It makes all those 19000 miles worth while.Double that in Kilometers and you have travelled 38,000 kilometres in our measurement.I think it’s 2.2 kilometres per 1 mile. That is a lot of driving!!!Now all you need to do is add up how much money you have spent on gas over those miles and you’ll see where all money

gone!!!

It sound like the japanise students are really given some thought provoking topics.Surrogacy..I wanted to be a surrogate mum for a couple over here at one stage.They really wanted children so badly.They couldn’t and it was heart breaking knowing I had mine and they had no chance of having one without someone stepping in to help out. It would have been her egg andhis sperm made into an embrio

And then just placed inside by the specialist.I would have just been the womb for the baby to grow in.But technically it would have been their child. But as it worked out, Our government in banned surrogacy in Victoria so it became impossible to do.The childless couple ended up going to Romania and adopting twins.The mother had had seven children plus the twins and had died.The father couldn’t

waywithwords

A very interesting job and you must enjoy it tremendously too. Good that you have a nice relationship with your former wife and you get paid for it by her. HUGS and HUGSxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

couldn’t cope withthe babies so he placed them in an adoption agency.Sooo sad to see the children separated from their real father.They’ll grow up wondering where he is, what he looks like, what sort of man he is etc etc.I bet in years to come they’ll go looking for him so they can get to know him and their brothers and sisters. On the flip side, the twins are being very well cared for by their

new mum and dad.Mum sits and takes dozens of photoes of them an dchats about how they are growing up and how quickly they have learnt the english language. I think the twins were 18 mnths old when brought over here.I still think surrogacy would have been the better option for them though.At least the child wouold have always been theirs, but you can’t change the out come, and they’ll manage.

sylverling

i’m impressed by that van, now that it’s working. 🙂 i bet those papers are fascinating. i like the insight into another culture like that.

Holy_Smokes!

July 31, 2006

I really admire you for enjoying marking the papers. I would loooove never to have to mark another essay/composition ever again! It is worth spending money to have a reliable car.

Red PJ's

August 1, 2006

Ahh I used to work for a newspaper company, and though I only delivered papers once, or twice, I can tell you that people get really irritated when they don’t get their paper on time. I think it’s sweet that your ex still comes to see you – the two of you must have remained good friends. 44 is far from old – especially for a man! You’re still young yet.