it's about time for something new

After some expert recommendations, I bought the Canon PowerShot G9 right before coming back to Japan and so far I'm really happy with it. This means that I will be taking my camera more places and documenting my time here (and other in countries) even better. Hopefully having a nice camera will encourage me to become familiar with the manual settings and other cool stuff on the G9.



above- the view from my apartment at dusk.
below- YRG cafe in Tokushima City.

To say that work is slow right now is an understatement because I am free to sit in the office and read books all day. Actually, it's often a rotation between books, Wikipedia 'research', email, and a few other random things. I don't mind it right now because it just feels like an extended summer vacation.

School starts on September 1st and I'm looking forward to teaching again. The break has been nice and was much needed but going into the second year of work isn't stressful because I know what to expect. In fact, I'm already planning my next trips. This morning I bought tickets to Seoul, Korea to see Jon in mid October (almost the same time that I went last year) and the wheels are in motion for some relatively lengthy traveling in Indonesia during December and January. More on that as the plans unfold.

Late summer in Tokushima is full of cicadas, humidity, fresh pears, and ample time to catch your breath before returning to life in the Japanese public school system. Knowing that this will probably be my final year of teaching in Naruto will hopefully cause me to appreciate doing everything for the last time. I can say for sure though that doing most things here for the last time will be easier than figuring them out for the first time.