So, just to let you know...
...that it's really not safe letting me go out when I am half asleep. Dana says my horoscope for today said something about unexpected financial loss and damn was it right.
But first - the high school graduation exams. I finished typing the question papers at 6 AM, exhausted and profusely hating Japan, its people and language and culture and pretty much anything I had to write short-but-comprehensible texts (plus furigana) about. I went to bed for some three hours and then got up, put a face on the mug and set off for that damned high school. Ah, I still remembered what it was for me seven years ago, so I tried being nice to everyone there, even though I was so damn tired and cranky. My job was rather easy, though, as only one of my students was going to sit for the Japanese exam. I was a bit nervous, but not more than the poor kid. Anyway, the exam itself went okay, the boy did fine, got his well-deserved B, hands were shaken and I left soon afterward. So there I am, sitting in the train and musing happily about what should I prepare for dinner, when suddenly a train inspector comes and hell, I find out I forgot to buy myself a season ticket this month. Well, no use saying anything but "how much is the fine, officer?".
700 CZK,- to be precise. That's... uh, can't really count how much dollars/pounds it is (it's 3500 yen, though, that much I know). Anyway, it's a lot. Roughly the cost of one big shopping bag stuffed with food for the whole weekend. Or two pretty good books. Or a complete vaccination for one cat. Or a reasonably elegant Orsay blouse.
Never mind. So I pay the fine and when I get off the train, I remember to buy the season ticket. I go to withdraw money from the cash dispenser, put my card in, withdraw 1000,- CZK (food for a week, complete series of Hiizuru tokoro no tenshi, one Birman kitty of less popular colour pattern), take my card and go to buy the ticket. Once I reach the shop, I remember I do not have my 1000,- CZK banknote. So I rush back to the cash dispenser only to find someone has already been kind enough to take care of the poor orphan.
Well.
I think I will spare you the following conversation I had with the station master (mistress). I think her sympathetic approach, logical skills and wit (or the lack thereof) might have hit me particularly hard because I have just returned from the Land of Heavenly Service, thus making me sound not exactly fair. So, just in short: after she finally stopped talking to her friend on the phone and raised an eyebrow into my direction (which I took as a cue to start speaking), she expressed her awe about the fact there was a cash dispenser (she's supposed to guard it, you know... that's why she has about a dozen of monitors above her head) and after the whole banknote story sunk in a bit, she concluded that "well, someone must have nicked it". Empress of Obvious, aren't we? Ah, no use wasting my time there.
So I withdraw another money from my considerably thinner account, buy the ticket, decide to get myself Bake Rolls to indulge a bit, go to the shop, pay for the Bake Rolls, leave them on the counter and go home.
The full financial loss thus equals exactly 1715,- CZK and I won't bother you with saying what could I buy for all that money.
Lesson learned?
Will take fucking taxi next time I am half asleep. At least I will get some relative comfort for all the money.
But first - the high school graduation exams. I finished typing the question papers at 6 AM, exhausted and profusely hating Japan, its people and language and culture and pretty much anything I had to write short-but-comprehensible texts (plus furigana) about. I went to bed for some three hours and then got up, put a face on the mug and set off for that damned high school. Ah, I still remembered what it was for me seven years ago, so I tried being nice to everyone there, even though I was so damn tired and cranky. My job was rather easy, though, as only one of my students was going to sit for the Japanese exam. I was a bit nervous, but not more than the poor kid. Anyway, the exam itself went okay, the boy did fine, got his well-deserved B, hands were shaken and I left soon afterward. So there I am, sitting in the train and musing happily about what should I prepare for dinner, when suddenly a train inspector comes and hell, I find out I forgot to buy myself a season ticket this month. Well, no use saying anything but "how much is the fine, officer?".
700 CZK,- to be precise. That's... uh, can't really count how much dollars/pounds it is (it's 3500 yen, though, that much I know). Anyway, it's a lot. Roughly the cost of one big shopping bag stuffed with food for the whole weekend. Or two pretty good books. Or a complete vaccination for one cat. Or a reasonably elegant Orsay blouse.
Never mind. So I pay the fine and when I get off the train, I remember to buy the season ticket. I go to withdraw money from the cash dispenser, put my card in, withdraw 1000,- CZK (food for a week, complete series of Hiizuru tokoro no tenshi, one Birman kitty of less popular colour pattern), take my card and go to buy the ticket. Once I reach the shop, I remember I do not have my 1000,- CZK banknote. So I rush back to the cash dispenser only to find someone has already been kind enough to take care of the poor orphan.
Well.
I think I will spare you the following conversation I had with the station master (mistress). I think her sympathetic approach, logical skills and wit (or the lack thereof) might have hit me particularly hard because I have just returned from the Land of Heavenly Service, thus making me sound not exactly fair. So, just in short: after she finally stopped talking to her friend on the phone and raised an eyebrow into my direction (which I took as a cue to start speaking), she expressed her awe about the fact there was a cash dispenser (she's supposed to guard it, you know... that's why she has about a dozen of monitors above her head) and after the whole banknote story sunk in a bit, she concluded that "well, someone must have nicked it". Empress of Obvious, aren't we? Ah, no use wasting my time there.
So I withdraw another money from my considerably thinner account, buy the ticket, decide to get myself Bake Rolls to indulge a bit, go to the shop, pay for the Bake Rolls, leave them on the counter and go home.
The full financial loss thus equals exactly 1715,- CZK and I won't bother you with saying what could I buy for all that money.
Lesson learned?
Will take fucking taxi next time I am half asleep. At least I will get some relative comfort for all the money.