This morning I had a continental breakfast: bread and cheese with a strong cup of coffee. If I would’ve had some fruit jam, a raging hangover and an extra ounce of self-hatred, it would’ve been a Swedish breakfast. (I’ve been laughing since 7:30 this morning just thinking about writing that sentence!)
My class this morning was pathetic. I really feel that my students are getting worse, and I’m no Ann Sullivan (i.e., a “miracle-worker”). Only one more time to meet this class again. Only two more meetings for my other classes. (Yeah!)

Saturday I finally caught the commercial that was filmed for Baiko. Enrollment has been dwindling for years now; one of my freshman classes has gone from over 20 students to only 10 in only two years. The ad was about five minutes long. For at least four of those minutes, the only thing that was mentioned was the fact that one can study baton twirling at one of the high school campuses! That’s sure to bring in the crowds! (In Japan, that is not considered irony but rather established fact.) The foreigners were mentioned for the remainder of the ad, but thankfully I was cut out of most of the shots. Only my ear/earring and the back of my wrinkled shirt were shown. How am I ever going to get the big Japanese ad agencies to offer me a contract unless I get more camera time?! Can’t you see me as the next super *gaijin model of Japan? I’d even consider staying here if the yen was big enough.