Gad, How Embarassking...
Apr. 14th, 2004 10:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ltmurnauEvery Wednesday morning is "Goodie Day" at my office - one of the side benefits of working in a branch that consists of 26 women and 4 men. We take it in turns to do this, and whoever gets the goodies is usually expected to speak on something (not necessarily work-related).
Today it was my turn - I had forgotten, so I had to nip out to the Rheinland Bakery on Fort St. where I usually get my baked nummies.
So that was that taken care of, now what was I going to talk about? A month or so ago someone had set up a "poetry day" where you drew the name of a co-worker out of a hat and had to write some kind of ditty about her. I declined to participate because I felt I could not refrain from insulting someone inadvertently. But today I thought I would read some of my poetry, written years ago when I was an ESL teacher in Japan. It was 1991, Dr. Seuss had just died so I composed some doggerel in imitation of his style - though in retrospect it seems more like Percy Dovetonsils.
Here is what I read, An ABC of Japanese Substance Abuse. And obviously, once again I totally misjudged my audience. Some people got it right away while others stood there as if I'd banged a railroad spike between their eyes. Didn't even get much of a laugh when someone asked me if I used that to teach English and I told them the Cigarette Joke.
A great flop and this time I really embarrassed myself. I guess what sets me doing something like this now from me doing this 20 years ago is that I won't dwell on it and I think, fuck, if they don't understand it, it's their fucking loss, right?
I mean, what the fucking fuck, eh?
Ya buncha stiffs....
Today it was my turn - I had forgotten, so I had to nip out to the Rheinland Bakery on Fort St. where I usually get my baked nummies.
So that was that taken care of, now what was I going to talk about? A month or so ago someone had set up a "poetry day" where you drew the name of a co-worker out of a hat and had to write some kind of ditty about her. I declined to participate because I felt I could not refrain from insulting someone inadvertently. But today I thought I would read some of my poetry, written years ago when I was an ESL teacher in Japan. It was 1991, Dr. Seuss had just died so I composed some doggerel in imitation of his style - though in retrospect it seems more like Percy Dovetonsils.
Here is what I read, An ABC of Japanese Substance Abuse. And obviously, once again I totally misjudged my audience. Some people got it right away while others stood there as if I'd banged a railroad spike between their eyes. Didn't even get much of a laugh when someone asked me if I used that to teach English and I told them the Cigarette Joke.
A great flop and this time I really embarrassed myself. I guess what sets me doing something like this now from me doing this 20 years ago is that I won't dwell on it and I think, fuck, if they don't understand it, it's their fucking loss, right?
I mean, what the fucking fuck, eh?
Ya buncha stiffs....
