randomwisdom.com

Ever have those days where you feel like you've reached a plateau in one area or another? For me, it's the linguistic barrier. Maybe it's the fact that I don't feel like I'm really being challenged in my current language class, or that I can't seem to remember new words anymore; they just kinda drip out the other end of my brain, like salsa out of an overloaded taco. Sure, I can manage, but I want to be able to listen to people and actually understand MOST of what they're saying. Grammatical structures only take you so far before you need a good base of vocabulary to kick in. And it's really easy to trip over just a single word you don't know, let alone 4 or 5.

So I just got back from what was basically a 2 day vacation from lab, to attempt to give my brain some time to sort the information that's been thrown at it lately. And to play computer games, since I haven't had an opportunity to do that in more than a month.

On the bright side of things, my project is finally starting to come together. And the support I'm getting from my lab members is helping a lot. I'll give some more information when I actually get the dictionary files loaded in.

Sorry for the lack of updates, but yesterday was "Worker Appreciation Day" (I think) which means we had the day off. That said, I made the most of my day off by eating cow tongue (a local delicacy) with a few of my Japanese friends, celebrating Ian's birthday with a cake and some fireworks, and playing card games until midnight.

And the Saturday before, a few of us attempted to play badminton outside in the wind. Needless to say, it didn't really work out that well. But it was still fun.

Right now, I have to work on installing the compiler I just downloaded from my computer in the US. And then I have to find somewhere to put these 5 CDs I just burned in order to install it.

For those of you who don't know, FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. These are things I get asked all the time by various people. Expect this to be expanded in the next few days as I find more free time.

My normal bike route to Aobayama, where my research is located, takes me through the Kawauchi campus, where my other classes are. I decided to take a break after the first 15 minute stretch yesterday, even though I didn't have any classes there that day. I decided to take a quick snapshot of this phone booth.

Public phones here are usually green. If you want to use one, you insert your card or your coins; even local calls here are charged by the minute. It's easiest to get a phone card, because you get a few bonus minutes, and you always know exactly how much time you have. But then again, if you're willing to spend 1000 yen on a payphone card, maybe you should just invest in a mobile phone.

Click to view the full image

I went to a gyoza restaurant downtown last night with some of my lab members. I was trying to figure out what the name of the place was, and then one of my friends told me it wasn't a Japanese name, and then showed me the sign. I know ONE of you will get a kick out of this:

Click it

I've been riding the 2-wheeled death machine for a couple weeks now. Here is a tally of the objects I've run into:

• One (1) young woman, downtown Sendai
• One (1) large grey propane tank, near home
• One (1) yakuza (Japanese mafia) boss, downtown Sendai (true story, sorry for bumping into you, please don't chop my fingers off)
• One (1) stupid bicyclist who turned in front of me, on the way to class; it was his fault, I swear

Regardless, I am feeling more confident on this thing, and it's actually becoming fun. I rode down Aobayama for the first time a couple days ago; it's the same hill I ran up last weekend. It takes about 15 minutes to walk the bike up, and about 2 minutes to get back down. Lots of fun.

If you have keen eyes, you'll notice that the look of the overhead banner has changed ever so slightly. I added some tabs, courtesy of a method I found on A List Apart. Hopefully this will make it easier to find your way around here.