The following took place in a mix of Japanese and English.

5th grader:  Karla-sensei, the lead actress  in the Friday Night Movie looked just like you!

Me:  Friday Night Movie?

5th grader:  Yeah, it was all about fashion and stuff.

Me:  …The Devil Wears Prada?

5th grader:  That was it!

Now people on both sides of the Pacific think I look like Anne Hathaway.  I’m definitely not complaining!

Okay, I’m going to try and ease back into this posting thing.  I’ve been going through some old pictures and while they may not have a large overarching theme they’re still neat.  Later I want to write some more posts about learning Japanese… but let’s start slowly, slowly.

First:  Odaiba, an island in Tokyo Bay, has all kinds of shopping and television headquarters and touristy hot springs.  They also have this:

Think what you will.

This morning I cut my thumb while slicing up a persimmon.  Nothing terribly deep, just enough to draw some blood and sting.  The following ensued (all in English):

Me:  Ow!  I cut my thumb.

~Ken rushes in and has a look~

Ken: Oh, I thought ~mimes thumb falling onto counter~

Me:  That’s “I cut off my thumb”.

This is the stuff you can’t find in a textbook but really should know.

Ken says I bear a resemblance to Q-chan, a vintage manga/anime character.  He’s a ghost that likes to make mischief and steal other people’s food.

I know Ken’s not alone in this because I heard some of my students saying the same thing under their breath.  Other than both of us having big eyes I don’t see how we’re alike at all.

If I ever need material for the blog I should just go to the supermarket.  Today – cuts of beef.

Isn’t he cute.

I love brain teasers and this one is right up there.  Go to this webpage.  Watch the video, counting how many times the white team passes the ball.  Got the number?  Good.

Now watch the video again without counting.

Tell me what you think in the comments.

The JLPT is over and I couldn’t be more happy.  I haven’t had a drink in a long time (I had to keep my mind clear to study!) so tonight it’s plum wine, knitting, and mindless tv.  Woo!

Thanks for your well wishes, I think they did me some good!  I’ll let you know the test results as soon as I get them… in September.  Just enough time to forget I took the test in the first place.  -_^

..and studying.

Adding cards to Anki, an amazing open-source flashcard program.

I know you like steam engines but in Japan this is the best I could get.

Happy father’s day, Dad!

Gotta love paychecks–I can use them to buy games!

This is Rhythm Tengoku Gold and it’s just as addicting as it looks with 50 mini games plus loads of unlockable fun.  Don’t read Japanese?  There’s an English version, too.  Yea!