Tales of the Shokuinshitsu

     Maybe comedy is the secret. Just because I can't enjoy my time here doesn't mean others can't. That being said, sit back, relax and enjoy the first edition of a brand new feature.

Tales of the Shokuinshitsu

Vol 1: We Need Pictures

     After first period today I returned to my desk and got back to editing some tracks in Audacity for use in a future exam. The JTE known heretofore by such identifiers as "it" and "that one" shall henceforth be known simply as y. This person doesn't get a capital letter and if that bothers you I'm afraid that I'm sorry I'm not sorry. y walked over to my desk in y's usual foot dragging how-do-you-still-have-rubber-down-there way and sat at the desk next to mine.

     I should note that all of my JTEs are women, so it won't be a giveaway to refer to y by the nondescript pronouns 'she' or 'her'.

     As she sat down she uttered, "Joshuerr, I'm-so-sorry." This is a common greeting where she comes from and because of that I offered nothing except the smallest of an 'Oh' to indicate that I acknowledged her feeble attempt to be social with me. She continued. "So, I don't know who is in the speech contest on the. . . 28th." She said pausing halfway through to examine a calendar off in the distance. 

     "Well . . ." I explained all of the students who would be participating and what they were planning on doing.

     "Are there pictures for Chihiro?" She inquired of me.

     "No, she's going to be reading Snow White." I replied, already with a sense of where this was going.

    "So, last year Moeno and Rie read a story and Ms. X made some pictures. . ." At this point I can tell that she's trying to explain that a former teacher made a PowerPoint® presentation with some picture slides on it. I know this, because I know.

     "Yeah, Chihiro just told us yesterday what she wanted to do." y was unfazed.

     "So, if we had pictures. . . yeah. I'm sorry. I could not talk with Ms. A, so I talked with you." To this I only nod once in order to symbolize that I accepted she was saying words. It speaks again. "もし, if you have time. . ."*

     "I'll see." I won't. She gets up and leaves. I sit back in my chair and look out the window, admiring the winter silhouette of a yet to bud Ginkgo.

-J

Notes

もし (moshi), is a very common phrase that means any variation of ' if ' or ' in the case that ~' etc.