I'm pretty sure this doesn't matter to a whole lot of you, but I finally got all my computer issues fixed. What this means to you is that I will hopefully be able to respond faster to things and also be able to create better content faster. So be looking

I had an incredibly busy week teaching an intensive that I do twice a year (12 hour days of teaching). This is usually a good opportunity because I have a lot of choice in how to teach the class and how the material is presented. I get to experiment...

Still getting used to the bitter humid cold of Japan's winter. We don't get that much snow in Kyoto, but it is definitely windy and the cold goes right through your clothes. It makes the morning and evening commutes pretty interesting. Since I've be...

I just got back in a few days ago and I'm struggling with jetlag off and on. I do seem to get better at it every time I go. This time it has left me a little drunk more than anything else. I've also been getting through my massive backlog of emails and co

I stocked up on some books before I left on vacation. I still think used books are the best bargain for practicing vocabulary and grammar. It also helps you really get a feel of the language and how it flows. I think all those that are N4 and higher can g

I'm still tearing my way through my conversation tips book. It is a great read full of a few challenging but rather short passages. It is incredibly easy to whip through. I think after I am finished I'll write up a post about some of the tips I learned...

I've been continuing along at a leisurely pace with my studies. I would say I only do about an hour of studying tops a day at the moment. It is actually a lot of fun, because I'm picking up a lot of idioms out of the book I'm reading, …. It is incredibl

So, the December test has come and gone for 2011. Here comes the lull in studying Japanese. I always feel a bit strange in this season, because I know I should be studying, but there is some much stuff I've been putting off because I've been studying so h

I've pretty much put down all my JLPT study books for now.  It is a real relief to not have to go through more drill books and take practice tests.  I still excited to take the test, but it is also good to have it over with and be able to relax with som

So, it's been a heart breaking last couple of days for me the computer geek. My hard drive in my new computer for some reason spontaneously imploded upon itself, so here I am writing to you from my old battle horse, a 7 year old Sony Vaio. So instead of d