I'm "studying" Japanese again. It's a bit like when I "quit" smoking. I feel obliged to have a go at it every once in a while. Aside from general laziness and overall ineptitude at languages other than English (oh, shut up!), it's a mystery to me why Japanese hasn't, after almost 13 years, sort of percolated its way into my brain. Well, it's a bit of an embarrassment really. I meet guys who have been here only a few months who know more Japanese than me. (Although I should point out that knowing Japanese and knowing Japan and the Japanese are not quite the same thing. I've managed well enough.) Really, though, there's no excuse for me to suck so badly at Japanese after all this time. I never planned to stay more than a year or two when I first came. By the time I realized I was here for the long haul I was well into my 40s, married, had a kid, and was working my ass off. The last thing I felt/feel like doing at the end of the day is opening a textbook. (I think I'm a pretty good teacher. I know I'm an awful student.) Anyway, I'm trying a different approach this time. Instead of formalized lessons (with homework, etc.), I'm meeting twice a week with a young Japanese guy in Grad Studies where I work. He's getting his degree to teach Japanese to non-Japanese. We meet twice a week for an hour, and talk for 30 minutes in English and 30 minutes in Japanese (he wants to practice English). We've only met 3 times, but I'm already starting to feel good about improving my Japanese. (As a teacher of English, it's no mystery to me why this might work out. I've been "swimming" in Japanese and Japan for 13 years, but my learning curve seemed to drop off about the time it was absolutely necessary for me to actually speak Japanese--I've basically been coasting since then.)
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I suppose I could attempt to explain how innocent was my stumbling across a book titled "Orgasmic Beginner Sex Positions That Are Super Easy," but you probably wouldn't believe me. (I was browsing audio torrents-- what did I just tell you?) It's funny, but I don't remember more than one "beginner sex position." And it wasn't that difficult. How has humanity survived all these millennia?
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Two albums you should definitely check out (in no particular order... er...): The Black Keys, Brothers; and The Sadies, Darker Circles. Both are recent, both are damned good.
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A documentary: The sad story of Ronald McDonald.
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I can always tell when my daughter's been rifling through my stuff (her inability to resist drawing something on any empty space of any piece of paper is somewhat damning). Every kid sucks at this in their own way ("I have no ideeear wheeeere your beeeer is, Daddy-o"!). Note to self: Teach your kid to be a better spy/thief. [I assume that anything not meant to be seen by anyone can't be found by simply opening a drawer. If it can, then I guess you didn't care that much about it. I'm not advocating spying on people, you know. I'm only suggesting that kids are curious--and that's GOOD. Right?]
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The Stanley Cup Finals begin sometime Sunday morning here in Japan. If you had to click that link, then you are pitifully unaware that hockey is the coolest game on earth. Canadians generally promote hockey simply by breathing and being alive. Here's a guide for American fans in a more hostile environment: Hockey fans are obligated to do the following during Finals. Watch a hockey game. If you can, go to one. You'll understand...
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