So the bad stuff ( Read more... )

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you and I were sitting face to face and I ( Read more... )

On Thursday I get on the flight that will, eventually, get me to my intensive Japanese program. I am excited and scared and excited and blah and excited and scared in turns. Give me five minutes and I'll change my mind about what I'm feeling ( Read more... )

This is part of what I'm studying for my Japanese exam.  Other highlights include how to say a fraction in Japanese, and another 'set phrase ( Read more... )

In the funny way that all life seems to mirror itself, my mom was at the California Democratic Convention this weekend (which happened to be in my town) discovering just how frustrating it is to be someone who is expected to show up and represent, but to not actually voice an opinion on the events (or to rubber stamp the Democratic platform as it ( Read more... )

The program I will now be attending has a Language Pledge.  They actually do throw people out if they violate it.  It's so stringent it takes up most of the "congratulations you're in" letter.  I'm reproducing it here for the curious.

( The Language Pledge )

1/3 of the 3 day Japanese test down.  (and sadly, mostly failed, no, really, i'm serious).  At least I have most of the weekend to study for the next two parts ( Read more... )

Despite the grim warnings Friday night seemed to be throwing out I actually had a pretty fantastic birthday.  Not the usual sort of thing LA thing - no wild party with much drunkenness (which has pretty much been my modus operendi for years and years), but instead a series of events that were all together entertaining.

( Friday we saw Inglorious Bastards - possible spoilers ahoy )

It was just last week and I kept meaning to post something then, and now it's already the next week and here I am on Saturday again thinking .... oh, i'll just post later.

This is not conductive to actually filling a livejournal with content.

So here, a couple of the highlights of the last two weeks:

( you thought I was a new media kid? well no more computer for me )

Monday was, to quote, "A rare and historic occasion, bringing critics AZUMA Hiroki and MIYADAI Shinji together in dialogue with North American scholars for the first time outside of Japan." And it happened at our University.

( And these guys?  They are so frigging smart )