Long Time Expat In Japan
The best part of the level up test is when you can write free hand. Normally, I have to copy as perfectly as possible. That can be fun but a little boring. Of course, Sensei always helps with composition, but I really do have a free hand. This time, the assignment was the following waka … Continue reading Kana Level-up Test
...what Kim Jong Un is thinking about the nuclear deal with Trump.
Politics in the US are made up of the left and the right. On the right, there's nothing right. On the left, there's nothing left. I wish I could give proper credit for the above joke. I heard it somewhere. It's not a direct quote either. But it is amazingly true. There's nothing for me … Continue reading A Political Joke
Book Review Bannerless By Carrie Vaughn As always, I spoil with out warning so be...warned. I've never read any of Ms. Vaughn's novels. She's famous for a series in which a werewolf named Kitty hosts a radio talk show for the supernatural. I discovered Bannerless on John Scalzi's blog, Whatever, and decided to give it … Continue reading Book Review – Bannerless
Book Review Artificial Condition By Martha Wells As always, I spoil when it pleases me. About 4 months ago I read the first in this series, All Systems Red, which I bought for four bucks on Kindle, and was very pleased. It set up the character, as well as established a longer arc and mystery. … Continue reading Book Review – Artificial Condition
I continue to follow the exercises in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Unlike in my misspent youth, I follow the book about as exactly as I can. IN the past, I'm sure I would have jumped all over the place, probably wouldn't have even read the text, just gone to the parts … Continue reading Drawing – Hands and Feet
Book Review The Last Town By Blake Crouch I will spoil without warning, so let this serve as ... a warning. I went off on a Blake Crouch binge last year, bought all the Wayward Pines books (Pines, Wayward, now the Last Town), the standalone Dark Matter, and Abandoned. I guess he hit a nerve. … Continue reading Book Review – The Last Town
Some smart person in marketing must have figured out the low carb craze. Then they married zero carbs with Chu-hi, which is made of Shochu, a Korean cheap alcohol. Then they made it twice as strong as beer. Unsatisfied with just one flavor they started in on lychee and yes, mango. The result? A quick … Continue reading Japan is Awesome- Chu-hi
Sensei tells me that I'm finally getting my lines straight. I love how she says it. It's onomatopoeia, "Pshee!" Which means like wicked straight. I must admit, the following is probably the most "Pshee!" I have ever written my kanji. Kana is still my strong suit, but I had a hell of a time this … Continue reading June Shodo, aka “Pshee!”
More Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Another exercise is to draw your hand without looking at your paper. Just get lost in the shapes and let your hand draw what you see. Below is my first try. I got pretty lost. The exercise was five minutes. I used a timer. But I … Continue reading Drawing Plump Worms
B.S. Donovan 