Halfway to Nowhere

Within my 19 months in Japan, the only foreign country I have visited is the United States of America. I went home in the spring last year and for the most recent winter break. On top of that, except for a few trips to Japan's three largest metro areas -- Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya -- I have not been out of Mie prefecture.

There are some practical reasons (read: excuses) for my lack of exploration. One is the financial factor. After sending home about a few hundred bucks for bills and loan payments, there is plenty of money for daily life and the occasional trip, but it is not as if I am raking in the dough in sums that make every free period a travel opportunity.

Another excuse is more complicated. I tend to want to travel with someone else or with a group. I certainly don't mind traveling alone, but without the travel companion(s) from the start, the planning or execution of a trip can be slow or simply non-existent. Some travel plans have been in the works but fallen apart. I was going to climb Mt. Fuji, but we had to cancel. I was going to go skiing in Gifu prefecture, but a farewell-party was a priority.

So here I am at the midpoint of my JET experience and I have yet to really explore Japan. During the back half of my time on the program, I hope to change course. I want to see some other parts of Japan, perhaps Hirosihma, Hokkaido or the mountains of Nagano. I want to visit another country or two, maybe South Korea, Thailand or China.

These things won't come cheap, and some plans might not materialize. But I hope to do what I can to get out of Mie a bit as the next several months tick away.

If I am successful, you can read about it all right here.

Decision Day

I have on my desk a completed form stating my intent to re-contract with the JET program, thus extending my current contractual time in Japan to the summer of 2010.

Mainly, I'm interested in continuing what I have here, while at the same time figuring out what I'll do next.

Broadly, I know that I'm interested in going to grad school, but I have yet to decide upon a program I'd like to try to get in to.

A friend pointed me to a grad program in journalism at a well-known university in Tokyo, and for a moment I thought it might be an English curriculum, but upon inspection, only some classes are offered in English.

There remains no university in Japan which offers an English language graduate program that I currently think would be a good fit. I'd be interested in such a program because I've long been interested in doing journalism in Japan, and I'd be interested in a productive way to further my stay here.

But that may not be a realistic idea. So for now I shall enjoy my time here, along with some other more fleshed out goals. One is to finally take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in December. Another is to do some freelance writing for one of the English language magazines in Japan.

With those goals on board, along with the usual routine of fun and work, I expect to have a good experience over the next several months.

Perhaps I'll give the blog some more attention ... perhaps.

A wide-ranging post of things and news

When I found out I was coming to Ise way back in the early summer of 2007, I started trying to the plug in to the community here. It was part of my time-killing exercise in that pre-departure, post-graduation summer. I graduated -- one giant exhale, but I was about to move to Japan -- an inward breath for sure.

One of the ways I tried to get pre-connected with Ise was reading the blogs of the ALTs who were already placed there. At the time I noticed that most of the blogs started off with many posts in the beginning, only to peter off over time to the point where a single post in a month was not uncommon.

I scoffed at this non-bloggery and told myself I'd never fall that far. Well, I was wrong.

Now my blog looks much like the blogs of those now-moved-away ALTs who gave me my introduction to my tiny bit of Japan.

And I completely understand why.

Ise, Japan, today, is my home. I don't know exactly how long it will be my home, but for now it is everything a home is supposed to be. It does not feel foreign. It isn't strange or mysterious. It's just where I happen to wake up every morning and go to work or meet friends.

In the beginning, in a new place, there's a feeling of excitement. There's a defining period when things take shape, friendships are made, routines established.

So this is my bar. That's my grocery store. Here's my route to the post office.

But that defining period comes to an end, and things become what they are. That's not to say that new things don't occur. New people, new places and new ideas appear on the scene. But as they do, it's just like the new things you face right now back in your home in Portland or Corvallis or New York. It's your life, and it takes place where you are.

The wider point is that I want to blog about things I feel are interesting, in addition to the occasional "what I'm up to" post. And while that day-to-day stuff might be interesting to my close friends and family who aren't here to experience it, it's hard for me, in the middle of it, to pull from daily life what could be a post.

Because as I said, it's all very normal now.

No, I'm not announcing some kind of silly "suspension" of the blog. More so I'm admitting that it probably won't go back to its old form, with a few posts a week. So, for the moment, perhaps you too can ponder the novelty of what's new and the establishment of home.

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As for what I've been up to ... since returning form the winter trip to Oregon, I've been out and about nearly every weekend night. There were birthday parties, dinners out, marathon karaoke nights and movie nights that give way to late-night ramen runs. All in all that means lots of fun but also lots of cash.

Looking ahead, I'm hoping to make a ski trip some time in February.

---

Looking further ahead, I'm now pretty sure that I'm going to re-contract and stay with this job for a third (and final) year. While I'm excited about moving on, to graduate school, perhaps, I'm not yet sure what school or program I'd like to try for. So instead of rushing a decision or just going home and searching for a job, I'm going to stay with what I've got here, enjoy it for a year, try to add in some other goals, and see what develops.

That pushes the end of my time at this school to the summer of 2010.

It has not been easy to decide, and 2010 seems so far off, but I'm enjoying myself here and I'm just not quite ready for what's next, since I don't know just what will be next.

So sure, I've buried the lead. Guess I'm getting rusty in journalism.

Siren Sunday

It was a piercing siren, louder for me because I live right across from the community center hosting the speakers. At first I thought it was a particularly loud police car.

Instead, a message warned of a tsunami approaching the southern coast of Japan, a result of a 7.5 quake near Indonesia. I didn't understand everything they said in the warning, but I heard the word tsunami quite clearly.

So I turn on the TV and get online.

I'm a few miles away from the coast, so it would take a monster wave to actually send water to where I am, so I didn't go into panic mode.

We're basically under a tsunami advisory, meaning a small tsunami appears to be coming our way. The highest they're talking about any area getting in Japan is about two feet.

It's good to know the emergency alert system works, and while I can't pick up all the Japanese in the message, at least I know that siren is loud enough to wake me up.

A new project ...

My college friend Andrew has started a new online magazine / blog called InsertCulture. I have signed on as a contributing writer. Basically it's about culture, so there is content about music, TV, movies, art, the Web, life, and on and on.

Take a look when you have a chance.

Quiz Scandal! And decisions to make

After sitting at the top of the pack after round one (sports), we moved gradually downward, holding onto third place at the mid-point but finally slipping into a respectable but prize-less fifth. Over all, the Pub Quiz was a decent affair, with a wide variety of questions.

Our biggest complaint was the team sitting across from us, which had seven -- yes, seven -- members instead of the regulation four. One of their bonus members was a Japanese wife. Fair enough that she came along, but surely she helped out during the Japan-questions round.

Naturally, the cheating team beat us (fourth). But whatever. We've moved on from this minor issue (we'll let the courts decide).

Otherwise, we got our first taste of cold today, but it wasn't as bad as forecasts wanted it to be. The overnight low was suppose to dip below freezing. I don't buy it. Especially because today's forecast high of 45 has already been overtaken by 7 degrees.

It is about time to think about looking for those gloves, and the winter coat might be in use within a few weeks.

---

I have also been thinking more about whether I'll stay for a third year on JET. Here now is an attempt to look at some pros and cons of various courses.

OPTION: Stay very, very still ... or ... Remain on JET for a third year

The good

-Well, for one, stability. The economy is in the dumps, newsrooms continue to lay people off, and everyone seems to agree that it'll get worse before it gets better. Why not just stay with my decent job and decent, just-out-of-college paycheck?

-Also, staying here means putting off those goodbyes, be they to friends, teachers or students. I'd definitely miss students and it'd be nice to see one more class through to graduation. I've made some good friends here and once this JET thing is over, we'll surely be spread out across the globe.

-Another plus is simply the chance to spread out my time here, using the best available means. That is, stay here to study more Japanese, to have more unique experiences, to meet new people. If I'm gonna stay in Japan, why take a pay cut with another job?

The bad

-With this kind of job, there's nowhere to go but sideways, career-wise. ALT positions generally offer no chance of advancement, no pay raises, and generally no new benefits for staying, other than simply getting to stay and enjoy the other perks. By staying you're putting off your career for another year. But as mentioned, being here longer does have its upsides.

-The monotony is also an issue. In general the job is fun, at times it's great. Overall it's absolutely easy and generally painless. But sometimes, we have to sit at our desks for days at a time with zero responsibilities. This can be mind-numbing. Though the proper way to deal with this is find something productive to do, like study Japanese or read. So in a way this con is not really a big deal.

-Miss America? Sure, maybe I do sometimes miss the U.S. It's probably more about missing that road not traveled. That nagging question: "What could I be doing?" By staying here, I'm staying. Shouldn't I be going? I've always had that urge to change my surroundings. It manifests in tiny ways, like re-arranging the room; and big ways, like dropping everything and leaving the country. Alternative paths are there: Newspaper career, grad school, adventures in other countries. But in the end I realize that these alternatives will be there when I do finish up with Japan. So my advice to myself is, don't panic. A con? More of an ever-present thought-distraction.

Now, moving on:

OPTION: Leave the country(side) at once ... or ... Leave JET, head to Osaka (or Tokyo)

The good:

-Another con of JET, unstated above, is that you're stuck living where you're living. I didn't mention it above because I've come to like Ise and my friends and my school, so it's not a huge deal. But trying out life in the city in Japan does have its draw. I'd have more of a chance at finding domestic freelance writing work, there'd be more to do on weekends, more people to see, more conveniences to enjoy.

-Briefly, if I do leave JET, moving to the city in Japan would extend my time here, which has its benefits as noted above.

-If I got lucky, maybe I'd find work in journalism in Tokyo or another big city, but such work is hard to find.

The bad:

-Money! Leaving JET, I'd almost certainly take a pay cut. Whether my new job was in media or education, pay is not that impressive. It's enough to live on, but it'd be less than JET.

-My living space would certainly shrink. Life in the city means tighter quarters. Not a big deal but that's the reality.

And now ...

OPTION: Return to Sender ... or ... Return to the U.S.

The good:

-I could get started on one of those aforementioned alternate paths. Enough said.

-Access to the things I can't get here, like root beer and quality sandwiches.

-Being closer to family and friends, of course.

The bad:

-By returning home, I yet again would be faced with a "what if I'd stayed" situation. It never ends.

-I can probably get root beer somewhere here, right? Plus pop isn't even healthy.

-Forgot about this so far, but I'd love family and friends to visit me here. By returning home I close the door.

-I'd also close the door on the overall experience, the learning Japanese, the ... all of it.

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So all things considered I'm leaning toward staying in Japan for a third year. This isn't a final decision just a present-day leaning. As for the new question of Ise vs. The City, completely undecided.

An update

The days pass, the blog is neglected. Let's see what I can do:

Let's start with Halloween. The picture I tried to post in the previous entry didn't work, so let's try that again.

That's the stuff.

So one time at karaoke some time in early October, somebody brought a horse mask like the one above. Hilarity ensued. Just to be clear, it's not difficult for hilarity to ensue at karaoke, because the only activity available there is singing, and alternatively, listening to your friends sing.

So the horse mask spiced things up considerably.

Also, the idea was floated to keep the equestrian fun going. So by the time Halloween hit, we had four horse-masked foreigners roaming the night.

The problem with the costume is that you cannot speak, nor drink, while wearing the mask. So for much of the night the masks just rested on our heads as we socialized. The funnest part was probably walking into a convenience store and buying a beer, in full horse mode.

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I just took a look at last November's blog posts. In one, I noted that nearly all JETs travel during the winter break, and the fact that I had no plans was surprising for nearly everyone. Last Christmas I did just stay in Ise. Fortunately there were a few friends around, but I certainly did miss the normal routine. This year I'll be back in Oregon for two weeks over the holiday.

Another post from November 2007 complained that my apartment was devoid of furniture. I talked about a "couch crisis." Not long after, I had purchased a sofa-bed. But a year later the sofa bed has been designated as a bed only, moved into the bedroom, and the main room is once again a work in progress. The current plan involves a new area rug and a load of pillows around the low, Japanese style table. We shall see how it works.

--

Now, I'm looking at a weekend pub quiz. If we somehow win, we earn a cash prize. Next weekend, Yamasho celebrates its 100-year anniversary with a ceremony downtown. Beyond that, no other big events before the Oregon trip. Then it'll be another new year's even in Japan (not sure where yet) followed by a certain deadline: to re-contract or not to re-contract. No real progress on that yet.

That's all for now.

Happy Halloween

Here now, is a Business Horse:

The Ise Derby

I guess I neglected the blog for a solid 20 days. And no, I have not reached a decision on next year. My supervisor here encouraged me to stay on. Both my ALT colleagues are probably leaving. But I'm not really closer to a decision, probably because I don't yet have to be.

All is well over here. Trying to save some money in the months before going to America, as there a few things I'd like to buy over there. This is a difficult task since being social is pretty expensive, and not being social means being a shut-in. Of course one could be social without spending too much -- this would be an ideal goal.

Friday is Halloween, and I'll go to a party at the local bar. This year a few of us decided we'd be a group of guys in horse masks (of course you can get horse masks in Japan). Some friends will be Mario characters. The idea has been floated to have a derby (the British pronounce this "darby" for no obvious reason) during which the Mario characters ride the horse characters. If this actually goes down, I'll give a full injury report later.

A year from now ...

With most jobs, when you want to leave, you give a reasonable notice, a month or more if you're nice, two weeks to stay within the norm.

With the JET program, the re-contracting process for the August 2009 to August 2010 year has already begun, with information about what to do circulating, meetings on the process looming, and various colleagues asking if you're planning to stay.

In case you've lost track, I'm now at the beginning of my second JET year. It started in August and lasts until next August. But I'm right in the middle of thinking over whether I'll stay for a third year. I have to make this final decision by the end of January, and it's not an easy decision to make.

There are plenty of factors. But perhaps more interesting to start with are the option:

1. Stay with JET on my current job for a third year.

2. Return to the U.S. First, of course, to Oregon, and then to wherever I can find a job in journalism.

3. Return to the U.S. and dive right into grad school for journalism (but where? And with what money?)

4. Leave the JET program but find a new job in Japan, be it in media or education, in another location.

5. Attend grad school somewhere other than the U.S., like the University of Hong Kong's journalism program (again, money?)

Those, as of now, are the wide list of options, which include the easy to pull-off (staying another year; returning home) and the difficult to imagine (grad school in Hong Kong? Really?). But that's where I am now.

And as of now I'm not learning heavily in any direction. There are times when I think that I'd love to be back to living in the states. There are other times when it's hard to imagine leaving this school and the students and teachers I've come to know. Then there are times when I'm drawn to journalism, be in practicing or studying.

There are times I'm drawn to normal, that is, being home. But then I'm immediately pulled back to the sense of adventure that comes with living abroad. Sometimes I'm bothered by the routine being the same every day; the course work the same each year. But then I realize even if the material is the same, the students are new.

Sometimes I'm happy to be in the workforce, earning a paycheck instead of running up debt to academia. But then I miss being a student, or I'm drawn to the idea of earning that master's degree or lining myself up for a top tier internship with a major news organization. And while it's nice to be working and earning, even if you like your job, work is work, the morning is the morning, and stress is stress.

And the point of this writing isn't to flesh out my ideas, but to share them. This is where I am now, which is, nowhere near a decision. Perhaps later I could expand on the pros and cons of the above choices. Maybe you have your own thoughts you want to share here or in an e-mail. Maybe you'll just wait it out, and let the suspense build.

For now, the the larger question looming on my horizon is: what's for dinner tonight?

October: The month of the horse?

Since that previous typhoon missed, another has threatened and missed. Now, it's sunny.

Today was the second and final day of the school festival, which I described on the blog last year. Briefly, on day one, students, parents and staff enjoy festival food, some student performances, and theme-decorated homerooms.

On day two, we move to a culture center downtown, and there are more student/teacher musical performances on a big stage followed by a semi-famous musical act. Today's act was Redballoon, a rock/pop group that didn't have much recognition among the students but put on an energetic show.

October has brought mild temperatures, and when it's not raining, it's wonderful outside. Since it's so nice today I'm thinking of what to do other the lay around watching TV or movies. I might venture out to the Thursday-night Japanese class, a place I haven't been in many, many months. I stopped going to the class last winter and never went back. The volunteer teacher who I worked with most of the time saw me at a summer festival and invited me back. Maybe I'll oblige today, then stop by Nanaimo for a pint ... just one though, because I have very little money in the wake of ...

URGENT BREAKING WINTER UPDATE

I'm visiting Oregon in December. Those who read this blog probably already know this, but it will be from Dec. 17 to Dec. 30. Kinda short but the best I can do.

Thanks to help from the parents and a big chunk of my paycheck, the ticket has been purchased and the Broke October begins.

...

And I just re-read October 2007's posts ... Haloween was a common theme. Last year I went as a Mormon to the JET-sponsored party. Then a few months later a pair of American Mormon missionaries started visiting often, but I didn't answer the door most of the time. Sorry, guys. They caught me and a friend riding out bikes to the bar one night, and stopped us to tell us their basic message: that their religion is the one true religion. Nice opener. They also said we should chat over a meal of McDonald's someday. Getting warmer, but I'm with Bill Maher on this religion stuff.

Anyway, Halloween is approaching, and this year a few of us might invest in horse masks and be a group of horses wearing suits. Gold.

Typhoon update

It's hard to say, and we're still under storm warnings, but Sinlaku appears to have passed by far enough off shore that we're hardly seeing any effects. It was raining all afternoon and into this evening but the rain has let up and the high winds have not come. Still could see it pick up again, but it looks like this calm may last.

Typhoon Sinlaku nears

Once a Category 4 typhoon, Sinlaku is nearing Mie as a Category 1 storm after moving up the coastline mainly as a tropical storm. Sinlaku killed about 15 people in Taiwan, but bear in mind it was much more powerful when it made landfall there.

On my commute to work this morning, which being Friday included my bike and a bus, there was no rain. But the rain started up around 10, and by 11:30 schools around the region were sending students home. In another part of Mie, news reports say that more than 17,000 people had to evacuate.

I was in the middle of a lesson when the announcement came over the loudspeaker for teachers to report to the staff room. Moments later the decision to send students was made (though teachers are expected to stay throughout their workday; I got to go home on an earlier than usual bus.)

After my ride home from the bus area, I was completely soaked. The plan now is to hang out at home for a bit then ride out the storm at our usual bar, Nanaimo, where I anticipate a small massing of the regulars for a typhoon party of sorts.

I caught a glimpse of the area's largest river on the way home.

Here's a shot of it on a semi-normal day, though it was pretty high on this day too:
And here's another shot today:


You can clearly see a rise in the water level ... the river looks a lot more fierce that usual as well. Not sure if there will be any flooding, but we are under a flood warning, a heavy rain warning, a wind warning, etc.

The storm does not appear to making a direct pass overhead, but it will be passing nearby, bring perhaps 50 mph winds or higher and torrential rain.

Here's a tracking map from 9 a.m. this morning Japan time (it's now 2:45 or so p.m.)


Right near where it says 9 p.m. Friday is where I live. The yellow indicates the storm will likely still be a category 1 typhoon (same as category 1 hurricane back home) as it passes by.

I really don't know what kind of actual effects we'll see here in Ise, but if there's anything worth photographing I'll post it later on.

For now it's just raining without rest and the wind appears to be picking up.

Otherwise, it's the weekend!

On the third day, we hiked

Normal weekends here consist of going to the bar and/or going to karaoke, but on Monday (three-day weekend) I mixed things up a bit by going for a hike.

Kentaro, who owns the bar we frequent, and Ben-chan, another regular customer who is a hair-dresser/mountain guide, and I headed for Mt. Asama, Ise's highest point at roughly 1,800 feet above sea level. (There's another, much taller Mt. Asama between Nagano and Gunma prefectures; the kanji characters for the two mountains are different.)

While this is obviously not a towering mountain like Fuji or Hood, it makes for a good hike. Since it had been quite a while since I'd done anything like this, I was quite tired on the way up and I'm a little soar today. It makes me wonder how I would have fared at Mt. Fuiji had those plans not faded (we're hoping to try Fuji next summer ... perhaps I should go for some more regional hikes to get in condition).

But the slight pain aside, it felt good to be out doing something different. We set off just after 10 after Ben's boat of a car weaved through the tiny capillary-like streets of rural Japan neighborhoods.

While the summer humidity was in full force, the temperature was mild thanks to cloud cover, which would later dump heavy rain and leave us soaked but cool for the return trip.

The only wildlife we encountered were bees, which had us occasionally running up sections of the trail. A sign at the trailhead suggests that other possible sightings could have included wild boars, foxes, or a raccoon-like animal called a raccoon-dog, along with a host of other insects.

Instead of such animals, we saw a number of middle-aged to nearly-elderly climbers heading down. They had obviously started early in the morning and wisely avoided the coming rain. The three of us had been at the bar until about 2:30 that morning ... so 10 a.m. was already a stretch.

After about 90 minutes up the trail, the official path ends at a viewpoint. But at this point you reach a paved road connected to other area points of interest accessible by car. So we hiked up the road and later through the woods again for a while, eventually coming to a visitors center and view point at the actual summit of the mountain. Here we ate lunch, took a rest, changed shirts and then set off for the decent.

Overall, it was a nice return to hiking, something I've always included in my list of hobbies when asked here, but something that I hadn't actually done in an entire year. I'd like to find some more trails nearby before winter sets in.

Well, the chimes say it's lunch time, so I'll grab my sandwich and head to the international building for "English Lunch." I may come back to this post and add a photo or two from yesterday's hike.

No other news to report, except this ... typhoon Sinlaku is now a tropical storm. Having left Taiwan, it's turning toward Japan and will skirt the southern edge of the main archipelago in the coming days. Perhaps by late Thursday or Friday Mie's coast will see heavy winds, rain and thunderstorms, but I don't expect anything major.

Dr. Catfish

As a typhoon (hurricane) slowly churns toward Okinawa, some Brazilian "prophet" has predicted a huge earthquake in Japan set for this Saturday. While I don't buy into it, a huge earthquake could happen at any time, so, I plan to follow the advice of Dr. Catfish:


If you want to read more of Dr. Catfish's advice, download this (large) pdf file.

photos

Well just as soon as I post about the iPhone photo blog, the application dies. Won't open. So here are a couple photos from today's festival, old school upload style. I would describe this festival as a a bit of a counter culture event, far from the traditional festival format.

The was a skate park set up, some bike jumping, wild and crazy musical acts and of course traditional staples like beer and festival food.

The main stage and the flea market were moved inside because the usual outdoor site was rain-soaked after a week of nearly non-stop precipitation. This particular band puts on quite a show, and the act features guys running around in garments that barely contain their personal regions. This is naturally comical and, of course, terribly frightening.



Also, the nearly naked dudes' faces are painted white, so they kinda look like scary clowns who forgot to put on their clown suits this morning. What's scarier than a clown? A naked clown.

And that's all the imagery the iPhone captured today.

Bike Cycles

The Washington Post features an interesting article about cycling around the world. Of course the U.S. lags behind, but in developed countries high gas prices are pushing more people to commute on bikes. (Interestingly, in China and India, rapid economic development is prompting people to shun bikes in favor of the cars they can now afford.)

In Japan it's very common to get around via bike as part of or all of one's transportation routine. Bike parking at train stations is plentiful, and everyone is riding from school children to salary men.

The article also gives a shout-out to Portland, Ore., which has the highest rate of bike commuters of any U.S. city.

I am one of those residents in Japan who relies only on a bike or public transport. I get around fine, but on bad-weather days I'm reminded of why it would be nice to have a car. But having a car leads to using it even for short trips, so perhaps it's better to keep the car out of the driveway and just tough it out on the bike.

It's better for my wallet, and helps add more physical activity to my daily routine.

And back home, I believe brother Phil is one of those Portlanders who at least occasionally bikes to work. Right Phil? Respond via Twitter.

iPhone photo blog

I've started a photo blog exclusively for photos from my iPhone's decidedly not-that-great camera. The blog is set up so I can directly upload photos from the phone with just one click. Right now there's only a sample photo, but later today I'll send a shot or two from a festival.

Breaking news summer update news flash!

Hello blog.

It may be pretty obvious, but I took the summer off from the blog. This wasn't the plan, but it just happened.

Fortunately, the small group of readers of this operation have been kept informed of the basics:

1. Summer is hot and humid, and I complain about this at every opportunity.

2. I was somehow broke during my week of vacation, so that ruled out traveling anywhere beyond, for example, the grocery store.

3. On the non-vacation days I had to go to work where there is very often nothing to do, and I complain about this at every opportunity.

4. I won 13 Olympic gold medals.

So that was summer.

Now summer begins its wind-down. At least for now, weather conditions have gone from Holy Shit It's Hot to I Can't Believe I'm Still Sweating This Much. So that's good.

School starts up next week, and things get rolling for me work-wise this afternoon, when I'll have a meeting at my once-a-week school to plan the second term there.

I just remembered a couple things I should do right now, so I'll let this post end. I'll aim to get back to updating on a more regular basis.

And I'll post a photo with my gold medals later.

Study Hall

Summer is ticking along. After a few days of watching TV shows online at work, I burned out. Also ran out of episodes of Dexter (season three starts up this fall). So on a front of momentum from studying Japanese yesterday, I today announce a New Month's Resolution: Spend most of my down time at work studying Japanese.

This winter, I plan to take Level 3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I am not ready for this test. I hardly know any kanji, the Chinese characters that make studying Japanese extra difficult. And my vocabulary has some major gaps (for example, I don't know how to say major gap in Japanese). Meanwhile, there are some grammatical areas where I'm sure I'm not up to speed as well.

So yesterday, today and for the rest of summer, I plan to hit the books. So far I've got a couple of books of practice tests. I can go through the booklet, check my answers, and attempt to discover where I went wrong on all the questions which result in failure.

I don't have to ace this test to pass. In fact, just a 60 percent is enough to get the certification. But I still need to polish up before December. So no more Seinfeld at work. Much less random Internet time-kill-surfing. It's time to try to get serious about studying, perhaps, for the first time in my life.

That's not going to be easy. Will all of this fluff be forgotten in a few weeks?

Maybe.

But the only way to reach that level of failure is to get started.

Man ... I should write a self-help book.