Long-time readers of this lj will be familiar with my many run ins with Japan's "health" system, of which this example is one of the country's crowning achievements in weirdness.

Of course, being back in Japan again means being health examined again.

So today I dutifully trotted down to the airstream trailers parked on the uni plaza and submitted myself to the same health check I had to take a mere eight months ago in order to be admitted.

Anyway. It turned out to be a lot less invasive than the health checks I'd undergone as a civil servant. No swallowing bromide. No vampire-worthy levels of blood drawn. No (see above). It looked like it would be over in the blink of an eye, but then I made the unfortunate mistake of informing a nurse that I was currently undergoing a certain biological process.

Now, American physicians often just make note of this and carry on, but not, apparently, their Japanese counterparts. The nurse told the head physician on duty, who handed me a plastic cup and urinalysis vial and told me to bring them back at my leisure. I mean, seriously.

This would NEVER FLY in America. NEVER.

So I'm now walking around with a slightly mushed paper cup (albeit one manufactured for actual use in urinalysis tests, not a dixie cup) and (rather paraphanelia-remininscent) plastic apparatus in my bag. Apparently the contamination they will undergo in there is less worrisome than the presense of some extra platelets. I'm having a much easier time getting over this than I'd anticipated, due in no small part to the fact that I was told to complete a urine test...eh, whenever and wherever I felt like it. I mean, doesn't that defeat a large part of the purpose?

Never change, Japan. Never change.

That will be all.

tags: grad school, japan, unhealth test

I pay a hefty technology fee to AU. This technology fee goes toward things such as providing students with email access. Yesterday, my email was "migrated" from university servers to a "solution" hosted by none other than google.

Yup. I no longer have a university email account. I now have a gmail account that the university claims is still a university account. In other words, I am now paying several hundred dollars for the "privilege" of using a service available for free on the Internet. Above and beyond pointing out that this is like suddenly myself being forced to pay for the right to breathe air, it pisses me off in other ways. Namely, I do not like the fact that American University is forcing me to let third parties invade my privacy.

Don't get me wrong. I already have a gmail account and I love it. I'm fine with using it for things like mailing lists and sending pictures to friends, because it's amusing to get adverts for "Comfort with Style for Men & Women Shoes for the Otaku Generation!" every time someone sends me a squeemail about manga.

But I draw the line at my "official" email address. You know, the one I use for actual real life purposes. The one that knows everything about me, like what banks I use, what credit cards I own, what charities I give to, what classes I'm taking, and the contents of my communication with my bosses, both for the freelance work and the K Street gig.

Indeed, even though I have fewer than fifteen emails in my box at present, the gmail ads are already heavy on finance (my bank and credit card statements), and news (the K Street stuff). Also, I'm worried what will happen to the emails on the older server--those are my communications with profs, bosses, my bank, advisors, and the dual degree program.

NOT COOL, AU. NOT COOL.

That will be all.

music: the crystal method - broken glass tags: asshattery, grad school

...so far, so good!

That will be all.

tags: grad school

...so far, so good.

That will be all.

music: deltron - virus tags: grad school

...like having to turn in a 25-page research paper, knowing that the professor will cheerfully deduct points from one's grade for every miniscule typo and grammatical faux pas, on the same day for which the assigned readings appear to have been edited by a dumber specimen of the chimpanzee family. I mean, we're talking one to three typos per page.

For example, I give you this little gem, culled from ( one reading's endnotes on HIV transmission vectors in Burma. )





In case you missed what's amiss in this picture, ( here it is again, spelled out for you. )





( To which all I have to say is: )

That will be all.

music: carl cox - dr funk tags: grad school, picspam

Five fifty-eight p.m. I have just submitted my application for the Critical Language Scholarship.

I was fairly pleased with it. Now that it's submitted, I hate the whole thing.

Which AJK is right?

Only time will tell.

That will be all.

music: dochas - am bron binn tags: grad school, scholarships

...my GPA is...

4.0

That will be all.

tags: grad school

...OMFG Valerie Plame! ( Read more... )

tags: grad school, politics

( ajkd&%! )

( And then there was this tasteless fuck. )

That will be all.

tags: asshattery, grad school, politics

...about being dedded from grad school, well, I'm not. Turns out I've elected to go to school on top of a WWI chemical weapons dump. They'll be conducting emergency evacuation drills for the faculty in nearby offices, which means my profs, which further raises my chances of deddedness, given the fact that I really need help with this research project.

Ack.

That will be all.

tags: grad school

But not for me. I moved into my new place this afternoon, and left again just as quickly for my first aikido class.

Which. Was. Awesome. The sensei is a really positive guy, who's completely into teaching both the forms and techniques, and why one would want to use them. There's also a refreshing lack of "Imma kick your ass punk!" martial arts bullshit. (From him at least; one of the other students seems to have a hard on for MA, and can't stop talking about how many he's studied and for how long.)

And best of all (and for the first time in my collegiate MA experience)--so NOT about the money. Class lasts an hour; the sensei had already spent two hours at a dojo and one teaching a yoga class, but he still extended my class by another hour...just because none of us had anywhere we needed to be and we were eager to see/learn more. AWESOME.

That will be all.

tags: grad school, ma

...goes to whoever pasted this bumper sticker:



in my new neighborhood. (In all seriousness, the photo leaves me with some questions: 1) I thought Cheney was Satan; and 2) if he isn't, is this a typically cut throat reaction to his ousting in favor of the Bush・Zombie Reagan ticket of '04?)

In other news, you read right. I have a neighborhood because I have an apartment now. \(^_^)/ No word yet on move-in dates, though.

That will be all.

tags: grad school, politics, satire

The AU newspaper alerted me to the fact that none other than Tom DeLay is scheduled to speak at the university during Family Weekend.

I have yet to decide whether this is a belated unintentional punchline to his heinous record, or an amazing stroke of disaster-planning genius. I mean, even I'd probably want my mom and dad to hold me in the event I found myself within close proximity to the man, and I'm going on 30.

That will be all.

tags: grad school, politics, satire

There are some days when I just really need Japanese. "Because a suitable apartment^* was not located in time, it has been decided that I will stay with my aunt and uncle." There. Nice and to the point, and best of all, with no blame apportioned to anyone in particular.

I just got off the phone with said aunt and uncle, who are being very helpful and hospitable about the whole thing. Only problem is, while they're family, they aren't intimate family, and I feel very awkward imposing (because I don't feel I know them well enough to justify the intrusion on their lives). I was trying to explain this to my aunt, and to thank her for the help, because I am genuinely grateful. Only problem is, I could not for the life of me get the damn words out in English. Oh, I had plenty I wanted to say: 本当に助かる and お世話になる and 伯母さんに迷惑かけりたくないのに, even freakin' 恩に着る was ready to role of the tip off my tongue, but nothing useful was about to make its way out of my mouth. Which left me "Um.."ing and "Erm..."ing into the phone, sounding like an inarticulate idiot.

Not the kind of person you'd want to be 邪魔しますing your house, right?

Guh. I am not today's winner.

That will be all.

^*I would have been fine with HOOD FABULOUS PROJECT LIVING, but since mes parents are the ones cosigning on the lease, that option did not remain on the table for long.

tags: character building, grad school

or ( American University Needs To Get Its Shit Together )

That will be all

music: lab 4 - the invaders tags: asshattery, grad school

( Dear AJK... )

Now I'm feeling really guilty for not going with GWU. They like me! They really like me! AU better send me to Ritsumeikan now, or suckas is gonna hurt.

That will be all.

tags: character building, grad school

...the decision has been made.

I am now a member of the Fall 2007 matriculating class at American University's School Of International Service. Cheers!

That will be all.

tags: grad school

And on everything else as well. I've been managing a book a day, only to have one or more mooches arrive via post, so that I've been hanging strong at 65 for the better part of a week.

Still haven't decided on grad schools. Time is running out.

Ma Mere: How could you apply to two schools without thinking about which one you'd rather go to?
AJK: I did! The one I wanted to go to was the one that was eventually going to accept me. I didn't think I'd get accepted to both!

The devil is that I can neither get out of making this choice, nor have anyone else decide it for me.

Thursday Chinese class teacher (hereafter: Plateman) has been giving me intermediate level sentences to write in characters on the board at the beginning of each class. Thus far, I have been able to nail them all perfectly, just going what I know of characters and guessing at the grammar. This is a good feeling.

That will be all.

tags: chinese, grad school

( grad school news ahoy )

That will be all.

tags: grad school

...You really love me!

( Guess who was accepted to George Washington University last week! )

That will be all.

tags: grad school