I collect towels.
Not just any towels, but concert towels. You see, one of my more recent hobbies over the past several months has been going to see various musical acts, usually about two to four per month.
I think of it as the logical progression from my hobby of renting and listening to about five [...]
I realize that, looking at the title, many of you will wonder why I’m mentioning the New Year when it’s April. But, you see, the New Year actually does start in April, in a manner of speaking, at least in Japan.
April is a time of rebirth and renewal, largely because of Cherry Blossom season. [...]
Oh accursed irresponsibility, distractions, occasional catastrophe and responsibility, how you sweep me away and steal my time~
This hasn’t changed really, so I’m going to make this quick so I can still get some rest for the 2+ hours of driving I get to do tomorrow.
- I take Japanese classes now. They seem to help, [...]
How do you gauge success in a relationship? A quick and simple answer might be, “marriage or break up.” But does anyone honestly believe that? A moment’s thought is all it takes to recognize that there are both good and bad relationships and that there are people maintaining good relationships without the [...]
Tagged pain, sadness, socialAnd so goes another block of time without me writing a damn thing. Whether that speaks to my tremendously busy life or my tremendously irresponsible lifestyle, I don’t know. I can say, though, that it doesn’t speak to my lack of things to write about.
In particular, there’s one thing I’ve been aching to [...]
Let’s talk about school. I’ve not talked about school for a minute.
So yes, I teach at a junior high school. I also teach at an elementary school on occasion. However, these occasions are hardly regular. Much like the rain during Japanese Junes, it comes in great big merciless chunks. What’s [...]
RIP, my old laptop hard drive and everything that was on it.
Last Saturday I came back home from Tsutaya with a stack of rented CDs, intending to do what everyone else who rents CDs does. After finishing that business, I attempted to check my email and was mildly troubled by the slow speed of [...]
Commitment is a funny thing. When in a rhythm and maintaining a regular pattern, it can be easy to sustain. But if one eases up for the briefest of moments, the whole endeavor can fall apart. I think it’s safe to say that’s what happened to my blogging commitment over the past [...]
Tagged blogging, culture, education, work, writingIn the Japanese educational system, it is customary for teachers and staff to be transferred to different schools within the prefecture at the beginning of every April. I am not sure what criterion is used to determine which teachers are transferred and, from what I have seen, most Japanese teachers aren’t sure either. The initial [...]
Tagged culture, education, neighborhood, work, writingIt’s weak writing, unrefined and unrevised. I know that, and yet I still press on. I can feel the rawness of it, the stark honesty. The stream of consciousness is laid bare, and I can almost dip my hands in the flow and feel his emotion. I know his fear, I know his drive.
There have [...]
