Thinking about leaving Guam. Nah, bought a house!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Jun 07 - 06:58 AM

I don't know. Neither one of us asked... The school is one of the better schools on the island. It is dedicated to Father Duenas, a priest beaten and executed by the Japanese during WWII. It is built on the spot where he was executed.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 06:34 AM

Today I saw a note in the newspaper that the Ukelele Hut is going to be running an open mike at their store on Fridays and Saturdays.

That's good!

But it's only open to people who play the Uke.

That's bad.

I have five guitars!

That's good!

But one has a broken tuning peg.

That's bad.

If I take off two strings and play it with a capo on the fifth fret I have a ukelele!

That's VERY good.

But I don't know how to play a uke.

That's bad.

But I bought a book today!

That's good.

I have to go turn a guitar into a uke. Have a great weekend!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 11:12 AM

one of our uke players runs workshops at Festivals & sells pretty pink ukes to his students! If they can play their pretty pink ukes, I'm sure you can play your homemade (handcrafted?) uke.

I just found his website & here are his instant instructions!

have fun

sandra

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 01:19 PM

Brett-

You're in luck! The bottom four strings of your guitar should be tuned the same as a uke (that's assuming you hold the guitar in a normal position and are not standing on your head!).

But you'll be accused of bringing in a "Hummer" of a uke.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 07:31 PM

One of my goals in this experiment is to bring real ukulele music back to the east coast, and wherever I go from here. I have learned since I got here that the uke is not a toy to be strummed to simple chords for a silly song. The book I bought lists 800 chords. The songs and playing styles people use are very complex. The playing styles range from the simple strum through to complex finger picking. If I can unlock just a few of the bits that make the uke such an interesting instrument then I will feel I have succeeded.

Thanks for the website, Sandra. I will explore that and see what he has to offer.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: SINSULL
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 08:41 PM

I would love to know more about Snake Bone jewelry, Brett. Any chance of a ring? BTW, Screech to be mailed this week. Hope it gets by Customs.
SINS

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 09:28 PM

If I know anything about Screech they might stop it for being an explosive. Your next post might be from a prison PC.

Gordon's never made any rings. The bones are too... pointy. The dangly earrings are very nice. One of my students bought some and wore them to class several times. I wonder what her friends back in Japan thought of them when she got home?

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 10:59 PM

Great looking site, Sandra, thanks!

Oo-koo-lay-lays rule!I love my sister's baritone uke. Remember that video someone posted a few years ago of the kid in Central park playing classical on a uke? I think he was Japanese. Lemme go look...ah, it was "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and his name is Jake Shimabukuro. You can watch it on youtube right here.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 01:53 AM

Mike Jackson is an amazingly versatile performer who knows zillions of songs. I've had a great time at nostalgia sing-alongs with him (Grandfather's clock!)

The most amazing uke player I've ever seen was Cameron Murray, whose hand was a blur as he played.

Another famous uke player is
Mic Conway , also a very versatile performer!

sandra

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 03:54 AM

Thanks for the links. Jake Shimabukuro is good, almost as good as the guys here on the island. But then, I haven't heard these guys trying to play While My Guitar...

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 09 Jun 07 - 04:20 AM

Yesterday I went to the open mike at the Ukulele Hut. It was held in the center court at the Agana Shopping Center, about as unfriendly a spot as you can get. The acoustics go way beyond terrible. The speaker were turned up too loud and the voices, on the rare times that anyone tried to sing, were unintelligible.

That being said the talent was impressive. There was a 16 year old kid who played While My Guitar almost as well as Jake S. And his other stuff was much better.

Wakana and I met Paul and Greshna there. They are from Poland. Paul is a physical therapist and she has a Ph.D. in Math. She teaches at the university. They have two kids but the kids are in Poland now with the grandmother.

Paul wants a sailboat. He hungers for it. He lusts for it. It was my unhappy mission to explain the reality to him. I think he has settled for a kayak. We will go out tomorrow and paddle down to the Spanish bridge in Agat. That should be fun. If the weather is good we might go out to Anae Island.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Jun 07 - 07:06 PM

Paul, Greshna, and I went out kayaking from Nimitz Beach yesterday. It was a nice day but we went in the middle of the afternoon to take advantage of the high tide. They used Gordon's two person kayak and I used TISK (The Incredible Sinking Kayak). I had tried yet another repair on Saturday. Thankfully this one is holding. At the end of the trip I had no water in the boat.

It was a nice trip. We went south along the shore and then doglegged out to Anae Island. At the southern end the brown boobies were fishing and we got very close to their colony. There was a rental boat from the base there. Two men were snorkeling and there was another man and two women on the boat. We paddled back to Nimitz and went on from there to the boat basin. We looked at the boats, some were in very sad condition, and some (fewer) were in very nice shape. Then we headed for home where Wakana had iced lemonade, a nice rice casserole, and her mango bread pudding waiting for us.

The whole time we were in the water we were in smoke from a grass fire up in the hills. We couldn't see the fire, it was on the other side of the ridge, but the smoke swirled up, over the ridge and down on to the water. Occasional burned bits of grass floated down around us. It didn't ruin the day but it took some of the magic out of it.

All in all a very nice experience. We plan to go again next weekend.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Jun 07 - 06:13 AM

Some news.

Yesterday, for no reason at all, the radio in my car started to work. You gotta love a car that fixes itself.

I got a call today from a member of the canoe club. He says they want me to be the construction manager on the new canoe. We are building a full size version of the Anson Proa. For those who do not know Commodore George Anson visited the Marianas Islands in the 1740s. He captured a proa and kept it on board bringing it back to England with him. There is a drawing of that proa available that is the only known record of the shape of the Chamorro Flying Proa. The only problem is that nobody knows if the drawing is accurate. The only way to find out is to go ahead and build the thing.

I love the idea BUT! I do not want to get involved in petty politics. Somebody else wants the job and if I take it then we may never get it done. The bickering and fighting will consume all the good will and leave a trail of misery that I just do not need.

We will talk it out on Saturday.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Jun 07 - 08:12 AM

The wise man looks well before he leaps!

"Chamorro Flying Proa" sounds like a killer name for a folk-rock group. Consider that as a fall-back position.

It's time for me to get back to re-patching my old Boston Whaler.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 15 Jun 07 - 07:48 AM

This is what the Chamorro Flying Proa looks like. Check out the other drawings in the atlas. Especially look at those of "Tenian".

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: MMario
Date: 15 Jun 07 - 08:47 AM

The 'Tenian' pictures are 34,35,36,and 37

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 15 Jun 07 - 10:02 AM

Those are really neat, Brett! What an honour to be involved with building one of those.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Jun 07 - 08:30 AM

For those who don't know I have been fighting depression for a long time. Well, today I went to my therapist for a regular visit. He made a comment about being consistent and I had to explain to him that I have never been consistent in my life. One thing led to another and after a whole rash of questions and explanations he told me I was ADHD. News to me. He gave me a new pill that apparently will not only fix that but screw up my appetite. I like that idea. Don't need to eat.

Poor Wakana has a cold. She is miserable. She's swigging Nyquil and sleeping a lot.

Tomorrow Paul, Greshna, and I will go kayaking again. I think this time we'll go out on Agat Bay and see if we can visit the dolphins.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jun 07 - 10:47 AM

hoorah for a proper diagnosis.

hope you both are feeling better

sandra (& you certainly will be when the postcards arrive!!)

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Jun 07 - 11:07 AM

Brett-

Do monitor carefully the side effects of your new ADHD medication, or mention the need to monitor them to Wakana and other friends. The side effects for one person I know were paranoid fantasies, which totally disappeared when her doctor was convinced to switch medication.

Of course, it's entirely reasonable to think others in this world are out to get us...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Jun 07 - 03:22 PM

Hey look, Charlie, even us paranoids got enemies!

I understand what you mean. I will talk to Wakana in the morning when I take my first pill. I'm not sure what to expect. As I explained to Doctor Ismael my mind is a fog. Things emerge from that fog occasionally and I work at them until they disappear into the fog again. Then I don't even think of them until they re-emerge. So, I might play my guitar for a few evenings and then one day I notice the guitar sitting there and think, "Huh, it's been two weeks since I picked it up." That doesn't mean I start playing again because the next time I notice the guitar six weeks may have passed.

I hope the side effects are limited. I am excited about this.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Jun 07 - 02:43 AM

I just returned from the kayak trip, my second in two weeks. We set out from Agat and headed straight out to where the dol

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Jun 07 - 03:14 AM

I just returned from the kayak trip, my second in two weeks. We set out from Agat and headed straight out to where the dolphins were playing. We sat there for the better part of an hour watching them. There was a big whale watching boat there also. The dolphins are used to the big boats but our little kayaks were new and strange so they stayed away from us.

After they,and the boat, left we paddled out to Turtle Island. We had the wind at our backs so that part of the trip was easy. The problem was that we had to get home again. That part wasn't so easy. But we stayed close to shore to take advantage of what calm water we could get into and made it back to the cars OK. It was a good trip. We must have paddled about three miles or so. Paul and Greshna love it and were thrilled to see the dolphins.

After the trip we came back to the house where everyone changed into dry clothes and then we went to Jan Z's for lunch. Jan Z's is a bar and grill down at the Agat Boat Basin. It has pretty good food though we were surprised to see they'd changed their menu. And the prices have gone up. C'est la vie.

Now, I am tired. My arms are, at least. Maybe I'll go take a nap.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 08:42 AM

New student. Ryoko came from Japan to learn English. She is on the island for a month and attends class two hours every weekday! She's wearing me out. She is a competitive swimmer and has been to Guam nine times but has never actually gone out to see any of it.

Another new student is a Korean mother. She runs her own business here on Guam, a convenience store. She says she has been on the island for twenty years but when I pulled out a map of the island she confessed she has been nowhere other than her home, store, shopping, and Ypao Beach. Some people live such enclosed lives.

One of my former students came back today. Yulia is Indonesian. Two months ago she left to have her baby. Today she showed up thin and stylishly dressed and very happy. BUT NO BABY PICTURES! Humph! She says she will bring the baby tomorrow.

Life goes on. My car continues to repair itself. When I bought it NONE of the accessories worked. Now the four-way flashers work, the radio and CD player work, the clock works, the dome light works, and the windshield wipers, which would not turn off now can be controlled. I did nothing to make this happen. Go figure. Any ideas?

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: MMario
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 08:47 AM

YOu (or your vehicle) seem to have attracted the attention of a reverse entropy gnome - sometimes known as a Maxwell's Daemon

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Amos
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 09:52 AM

OR you may have latched on to one of the few anti-cyclic models ever produced -- there were just a handful turned out by the graveyard shift on September 19, 1983, a period when that part of the world was haphazardly enveloped by a vortex reversal which spread from the Sedona Vortex through the ether across the United States, was picked up by harmonic induction by the Stonehenge Vortex, and follwed the meridian lines of aethereal force across Western Europe. These few cars looked strangely patchy and ran poorly when they first came off the assembly line and began improving themselves every month. Seers believe it is connected with the sign and phase of the moon, but it is hard to prove this.


A

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 11:57 AM

Or maybe it's just the fact that the car is bumping along on all those back roads, shaking loose some of the corrosion.

What you do need to watch out for is if Hisenberg's Uncertainly Principle is varying as well. You'll know it varies if you can't find your car where you think you left it.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Ebbie
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 12:59 PM

What Amos said and what Charley implied.

On the other hand, have you considered the fact that molecules, whether in animal life or in "inanimate" objects are lively things?

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 10:26 PM

Ebbi-

Yes, the perversity of the inanimate object! I know it well...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Jun 07 - 06:13 AM

Kayaking again. I love having a kayak and someone to go with. Wakana hasn't been up to it lately but she bravely stays home and feeds us when we return.

Today we planned a two part trip. The first stop would be a run out to see the dolphins, if they were around and the second run would be a trip out to explore the western side of Apra Harbor.

There were no dolphins. We paddled out to the two islands nearest the shore and sat there for a while waiting for some sign of them. Nothing. A rain squall moved through with some gusty winds so we sheltered on the lee side of the islands. The only wildlife we saw were the crabs running around on the rocks and a spray of small fish escaping larger fish.

We returned to the car and reloaded the kayaks. We drove to the Marianas Yacht Club. We looked at the water. Whitecaps. Wind. I looked at Paul and Greshna. They looked at me. We talked about our last run paddling into the wind. We looked at the water. Nope! Not today!

We headed over to the marina that sits in the shadow of the power plant. We launched near the boatyard and paddled around looking at the boats, those afloat and those sunk. It was a nice trip. We were mostly protected from the wind by the mangroves. We enjoyed ourselves.

And we came home to a nice dinner of curry that Wakana cooked up. We sat in the living room and talked. They told us of life in Poland at the end of the communist regime. They talked of life under communism. It was very interesting. Life was hard for many. They talked of saving food throughout the winter so they could go hiking in the mountains. They told of walking down the street and finding a line of people standing waiting at a store. When you found a line like that you joined it because someone must know something, maybe a truck would appear with a load of goods. Children were issued shoes in school. There would be a lottery and the lucky winners got leather shoes. Those were your only shoes. You got no more. If you lost them you went without.

They talked of how the communist party controlled the people. they told of the archives of documents left over from the communist times, documents that could ruin many innocent people but could also punish a few of the guilty ones. What do you do with such things?

It was a very interesting day.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Jun 07 - 05:58 PM

Brett-

Your old friends in Roll & Go just finished another joint concert on the Eastern Promenade in Portland. It was a lovely Sunday at the Fort Allen Gazebo, not a cloud in the sky, lots of boats running up and down the harbor. There were three groups performing, including Roll & Go, and we all got well paid. But once again the group producing the event failed to generate any visible publicity and there were never more than a couple of dozen folks listening at any one time. When will they ever learn?

Well, it was a fine rehearsal for us and we had a lot of fun leading some new songs, and lots of other ones that you would be familiar with.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Jun 07 - 06:33 PM

Glad to hear that some things never change. It seems to be a common error that everyone makes. You plan an event, you work hard preparing for it and someone fails to advertise it. Happens here all the time. Doesn't help that the local paper doesn't announce things (small things) until the day they occur.

But I am truly glad that Roll & Go had such a nice place to rehearse... uh, perform. I hope you enjoyed yourselves. Hello to the gang. Good luck with the rest of the summer.

Have you ever considered employing an agent? This thought just occurred to me. After 10 years of singing with you guys and a few years out here I finally realized that you could probably do something with a professional setting things up for you. I don't think we ever talked of it while I was in the group.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 06:32 PM

A couple of weeks ago I dropped off a resume at Notre Dame High School in Talafofo. When I did they told me that there was an opening for an English teacher. So I filled out an application and handed it in.

Monday I have an interview.

I'm already nervous.

I haven't gone into much detail on working at Liberal Academy but the shine has faded on that job. I still love working with the students but my co-workers are another story. The boss never has any money to support the school but has no problem loaning money to friends and taking trips to New York and Japan. The vice-president is a former Olympic swimmer. His primary interest is swimming. He teaches and coaches and organizes races, etc. He does almost nothing for the school.

I am supposedly the manager for the "English department" but that means nothing. It is a title for the business cards. I make requests to the boss for things like ink or paper for the copier and printer and she tells me she will get them. Two days later I still cannot copy or print worksheets for my students. The computer is falling apart and the Internet connection is sporadic at best. She said we could get a new one after her latest trip. Yesterday it kept dying, shutting down all on its own. She seemed surprised that we need another one.

And then there are the rubber paychecks. Wakana and I have started cashing our checks at her bank. That way we can deposit real money into our accounts... assuming there is money in her account to cover the checks. Wakana couldn't cash her April check until the end of May and she only cashed her May check last week... after someone loaned the boss enough money to give to Wakana. The boss had to make those arrangements from where she was in Japan, a hot springs spa in the mountains.

One of my co-workers commented that she thought the school really exists to launder money for the Yakusa, the Japanese Mafia. I wouldn't be surprised.The boss has plenty of money but none for the school. We don't have enough students to pay the expenses. She doesn't spend much time on the business. I can't think of another reason for it.

The explanation given to us is that her husband's company is providing money for the school. We have to wait for another payment from him before we can spend any money. And her trip to New York was a visit to her boyfriend! Hmm. What does the future bring? I think I want to watch from a distance.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 29 Jun 07 - 06:55 PM

distance is a Good Idea in certain situations, like this one!

good luck on Monday

sandra

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 03:10 AM

The interview went well. I was in there for an hour and a quarter. She had a list of questions, they had called my references, and she wanted to know about my position on a number of issues. We chatted, I did most of the talking, and she ushered me out of the door with a comment about my having a good shot at the job. She believes in people being 'called' into a profession by God. I didn't go to the school because I knew of the job. I just dropped off my resume. In fact, I didn't even know what the job was until I asked her at the beginning of the interview.

She says there are three jobs available. They need a Spanish teacher (No hablo Espanol.) , an accounting teacher (I can't even balance my checkbook), and an English teacher. The course is English II, Introduction to Literature. I get goosebumps just thinking about that subject. What a chance! I love to read and I know most kids don't. What a challenge. I don't want to get my hopes up too far.

It is Independence Day here. Soon the dawn will break on the celebration in the USA. I hope all my United Statesian friends have a good holiday.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 05:22 AM

yah!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 10:28 AM

English Literature! Well I remember the joys of taking such classes at college. I never considered them work, and would gobble up all the books in a couple of weeks while my classmates were complaining about keeping up with the initial reading assignments. Back in those days I had plenty of "memory" for storing details such as names and plot switches. Now, of course, I can hardly remember the name of a major character (unless his name is Jack Aubrey).

Roll & Go had another great party with the China Sea Marine Trading Co. folks. Check out the thread if you can find it.

Best of luck!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 10:52 AM

Good for you, Brett. Keep your thoughts positive and *see* the outcome you desire. SOunds as if distance and change from the other school are in order.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 08:28 AM

I quit my job today. I gave them notice that July 31 would be my last day.

On Tuesday the boss paid me using two checks drawn on different banks. She gave them to me too late for me to cash them then. Of course the next day was the holiday. I went to the banks during my lunch time today to cash them. There was insufficient money in the one account at First Hawaiian. I was able to cash the other one.

I drove back to the office and told Shinko that the relationship between an employer and an employee must include some level of respect. By not paying us (Wakana and me) she was not showing us the respect she owed us. I told her that I was done.

Of course, she didn't understand what I said but Wakana was standing there and explained it after I left the room. She immediately went out and found the money to finish paying me.

It's too late. I will not continue there. I've started telling my students that I would be finished at the end of the month. I was surprised at the reactions. One guy, one of my oldest students was shocked. My newer student in the same class, a young restaurant manager asked if I would be willing to work with him after I left. My newest student, a young housewife, looked ready to cry. And I couldn't bear telling my youngest student. She's 14 and is exhausted from her final exams at the Japanese School. I don't think she'll take my departure very well if the others can't.

I love working with my students but I can't bear the thought of waiting for another paycheck. I have asked for some measure of support from the boss and she has ignored my (our) needs while she plays at running a business. She just returned from a trip to visit her boyfriend in New York with a stop in Japan to visit her husband and their children. She bought a new car and loaned a couple of thousand to a friend. In the office our one computer, a very old and tired machine has finally crapped out. We cannot print lesson plans and I cannot maintain the schedule of classes. The copier is old and slow and provides very poor quality copies.

No more!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 09:17 AM

Singing Take this job and shove it/I ain't workin' here no more!

Good for you, Brett!

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 09:31 AM

good onya.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 12:48 PM

Sounds like you've made a good decision. But it's stressful to quit in any circumstances and I wish there was some way we could take you and Wakana out to dinner and a few drinks. A virtual hug may not quite do it (but it's cheaper and available)!

We just lost one of our new friends who worked at the Maine Maritime Museum, mortally injured in a stupid accident in the Bath Heritage Parade. I could use a drink and a hug myself. The details are unimportant but clearly the Parade volunteers responsible for checking out the safety of floats did not adequately do their job. The float that took out our new friend was towed by a lawn tractor, and went out of control coming down a steep hill, its brakes and gearbox being inadequate to control momentum. It's a miracle, I suppose, that no one else was seriously injured.

Less than cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 05 Jul 07 - 08:21 PM

hugs to you, Charley

love from sandra

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 06 Jul 07 - 10:17 AM

Oh Charley! What an awful thing to happen. Bath Heritage Days are so much fun. I hold such lovely memories. My condolences to you, his (?) friends, and his family.

Today Wakana and I celebrated the end of our association with Liberal Academy. We went to the Mermaid and had dinner and I finally got a micro-brewed beer. Very nice.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Jul 07 - 08:04 AM

Kayaking again today. I know, I know, It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. Today we ran down the coast from Agat to Nimitz Beach. Technically that is still in Agat. It was only about three miles and we had the wind at our backs for a change. Very nice run. Our group was Paul, Ryoko, and myself.

Ryoko is one of my students. She got bad advice from Shinko, the boss, on where to stay while in Guam. Pia Resort is expensive and there is no bus service to the rest of the tourist areas. Consequently her "vacation" consists of sitting at the hotel. Not the best. Wakana and I have taken her under our wing and are giving her more than her money's worth. We like her.

The run down the coast was lovely. We ran out to the little islands off Inn on the Bay to see if the dolphins were home. No luck. So we headed south. We HAD to make the run because that's where the cars were. The wind was at our backs for a change so we had a chance to raft up and drift while we talked and enjoyed the scenery.

It was a beautiful day. There were wispy clouds high overhead and the occasional big low cloud that blundered by. The water was clear. We could see the coral under our boats as we paddled by, bright colors seemingly just below the paddles but actually much deeper.

We stopped on a small island and ate some fresh mangoes Wakana had packed for us, peeling them with our fingers and slurping up the juice, biting the sweet fruit off the big stone. We walked the island and found the remains of an old car or truck. All that was left of it was the engine block (a big V-8), parts of the frame, and the rear axle. We picked up some shells and watched the sun on the water for a while. Then we headed out on the last run down to, and through, the marina. While in the marina a rain squall caught us. Ryoko and I sheltered in the lee of a big sailboat while Paul paddled around in the rain and wind like a madman.

Now I am home and tired. there is a tropical depression working down on us so we will have rain for the next few days. Nothing to worry about... yet.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Jul 07 - 06:04 PM

It's a windy rainy day here on Guam. I can hear the canopy frame knocking against the house. I'll have to secure it before I go to work. This will be the last of the mangoes. the wind will strip the trees. Wakana was out there earlier picking up what she can. I like this weather as long as it doesn't get out of hand. The surf will be high and the snorkeling will be lousy for a few days until the water clears but the sky and the sea are dramatic. There is energy here. Lots of it.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Jul 07 - 07:39 PM

Last Thursday my fourteen year old student brought in her shamisen. I had asked to hear it but stopped asking when I learned the instrument had cost her parents $10,000. Yes, my friends, there is no mistake in the number of zeros. Most of us wouldn't consider paying a quarter of that much for a guitar but there shelled out ten grand for a banjo-like instrument with three strings and oversized tuning pegs.

Here is a picture of a shamisen. And here is a video of a man playing a shamisen.

Hers is a Tsugaru shamisen, a little larger than the southern instruments. For those of you who are animal lovers I probably should warn you not to read this next sentence. The skin covering on the traditional instruments are leathers made from dog and cat skins; dog for the larger instruments and cat for the smaller ones.

My student is very, very good. Apparently she placed first in her age group in a competition in Japan. I was impressed and pleased. It was great fun.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Jul 07 - 10:41 PM

Brett-

Have you played her your favorite Bluegrass CD? I wonder what she'd do with Orange Blossom Special or Fox on the Run.

Remind me to send you a wicked parody of Fox on the Run someday.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 14 Jul 07 - 10:55 AM

I did lend her a Roll & Go CD. She said she liked it but she may have just been polite. She is Japanese, after all, and the Japanese take polite to new heights.

So, Charley, how about that parody of Fox on the Run?

Thursday morning before I headed out to the school we got a strange call from the mayor's office. It seems Gordon had ordered a load of crushed coral to fill in the area under my canopy so I would have a dry place to work during the rainy season. They wanted to deliver it that morning. Soooo, Wakana and I ran out to take down half the canopy and clear all the stuff out of the way so a dump truck could back in and drop its load. Now I have a pile of crushed coral sitting out there waiting for me and my shovel. Fun, Fun.

Subject: RE: Thinking about leaving Guam.
From: Naemanson
Date: 16 Jul 07 - 07:50 PM

Still shoveling.

We aren't working hard. An hour or so and then we quit. We are creating a level space. The beauty of the crushed coral is that it hardens after it gets wet. Of course the difficulty in shoveling is that the coral has hardened.

For those of you who cannot picture what I am talking about imagine regular gravel. Regular gravel is a mix of dirt and small rocks. (Small being a relative term. Some gravel has some rather large items in it.) Now picture that gravel as being stark white, hospital white, glaring white under the hot sun. THAT is crushed coral. It is difficult to shovel because of the larger lumps of coral and the 'dirt' you track into the house is white. Still, it makes for a nice floor for the workshop.

I am still waiting to hear from Notre Dame on that job. I called last week and was told they'd been busy with their 'Foundation Banquet'. Gordon confirmed that. Apparently they have an annual banquet. The teachers are strongly urged to attend. Tickets are $50 each! I hope to hear from them soon. If they refuse me then I can tell my current students that I will continue to work with them only on my own, not affiliated with the school. If they accept me then I will still keep a couple of my students just because I like them and they seem to really need me. We all want to be needed don't we?

Ryoko, my morning student, went back to Japan last Saturday so my mornings are free. Today I don't have to go into the school until 1:00! Ah, such bliss... except for that damned shovel...