Day 30 (!)

Well, today's the final day. Tonight I head out like a proud papa to ring in the first ever Tokushima Movember Gala. I think this thing may actually be growing on me...


photo by A. Liebovitz

The more you know...

Sydney Wildlife Park, 11.21.07

Free ad space

Here's a look at the official poster for Friday night's Tokushima Movember Gala. Big ups to Ingrid at Ingrid's International for putting this baby together.

After the act

I've always had this thing about sitting in empty theatres. Not little movie theatres or anything, but big wide-open spaces with balconies and boxes and an orchestra pit in front of the stage. It must be something about being alone in a place where thousands of people sat just hours earlier.






Kansai International Airport, 11.26.07

Day 27

Back from the birthplace of Movember and I can't believe the month is nearly over. Only three more days to make a donation. So far we've raised nearly a thousand dollars for prostate cancer research, but we can still do better! Thanks everyone for your continued support and have a great end of Movember.

Sydney by the sea

Sculpture by the Sea exhibition, 11.18.07

Stranded in Osaka

I am currently writing from Osaka-Kansai airport as a delayed flight caused me to miss the last bus back to Tokushima and now has me stranded at the airport for the night. Thus far I`ve managed to procure a small bottle of whiskey and have resorted to watching Missy Higgins videos on youtube. Here`s to seeing what kind of trouble I can get myself into before morning.

Aussie bound

Taking off tomorrow to see the Shins in Osaka and then it's off to Sydney for the week. I couldn't be more excited to have a break and to take in some sun while I let the coating dry on my first three months in Japan. I'll be away from the computer for a while, but I've got some exciting things planned for when I return that might actually bump my readership out of the single digits. Yes, that means YOU might actually no longer be the only one reading this blog. Congratulations...to you and to me.

Have a great week, everyone.

Day 14

Halfway home. I've begun monitoring my self-esteem levels and am fairly confident that I will make it through to the end of the month without experiencing siginificant depression. There's still plenty of time for your comments and donations. Remember, just because Hayden Panettiere isn't crying doesn't mean it's not a good cause.

Breaking news...from July

Earthquake Sets Japan Back To 2147

TOKYO —"Our society [is] temporarily reverting to a pre-cyberunification era," said prime minister Shinzo Abe, speaking non-telekinetically for the first time.

Day 9

Today my students noticed the 'stach for the first time. I wasn't entirely sure what they were laughing at at first (this type of ambiguous pointing and laughing happens quite frequently), but it became clear as soon as they began making gestures as if gripping the handles of a motorcycle. It's going to be a long month.

A clean bill

This was the form translation that I received in preparation for my health check yesterday. I am happy to report that I have neither a frog nor a brain fag. Also, I do not have bad teeth.

Day 5

Remember, remember the fifth of Movember...

The bucket list

Here's a confession: One of the biggest challenges in writing this blog has been finding ways to share personal experiences in a way that isn't overtly personal. To this point I have been fully committed to the practice of prudence and a "less is more" approach. I have been fully committed, it turns out, until now.

Here's a truth: When I first arrived in Japan, I created a tweny item laundry list of things I wanted to accomplish by the time I leave. The list is exhaustive but meant to be flexible, and in my three months in Japan I have been fortunate enough to have already put a good dent into it. That said, every once in a long while, an opportunity comes along to cross an item off the master list, the great big one in my brain and heart that I began to write from the time I could first tell my parents what I wanted for Christmas. It so happens that this weekend provided one of these moments.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted - nay, craved - to see a monkey outside the confines of the public zoo. I wanted to see it, to pet and high five it, to have it steal my hat and do something funny like crap in it and hand it back to me. I won't go into too much detail here (the pictures do modest justice to the experience where my words could not), but I can say with a certain modicum of earnestness that my time spent Saturday on Shodoshima Island scratched an itch in long need of relief. It made me believe, however briefly, that perhaps someday I can empty my own bucket list.

Please enjoy.


my first sighting!


that's one smart monkey


hmmm....this is awkward...


enjoying a family moment


"check"

Day 1

Clean shaven and ready for a long Movember. The guys are all looking sharp and I've been watching old episodes of Magnum P.I. just to get grooming tips and to keep myself in fighting shape. I think we're going to do this thing right. Thanks for your donations and keep the comments coming!