Prelude to the Sunrise of Shikoku in E Flat

After the three day weekend I have filled my mind with more things I want to do. I think I keep finding things to put on my list because I don't have many other plans or commitments. Plus, I feel like it is a really good opportunity to just DO THINGS. Things that hold my interest or seem rewarding. Next weekend I plan to finish cleaning up my balcony area and emptying the soil out of plant containers. I would really like to start working on my painting project so I will have to gather more information on what I need and where I should go to acquire supplies.

More than half the time my life is surreal and the other portion is real. My journey up to the mountains on Monday is a good example of that. I will be writing that up soon when I put it at the top of my priorities.

Last night catching up on my Japanese took my time. I am making really great progress in that respect. Next month I begin the JET Japanese course which will come to me every month in the mail. This will be good for cleaning up and expanding grammar. At the same time I have reached chapter 48 in my kanji workbook which means I know should know the readings of at least 700 kanji characters. Keyword is SHOULD KNOW but I actually can remember a significant chunk of those. I'm aiming to get to chapter 76 before the end of the year. At that point I will reach about 1,000 kanji. After that point I would like to direct my study toward the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test). I would be preparing for level 2 of the test. I believe there are five levels with five being the lowest. It would be pointless and a waste of money to even take 3 because I'm much closer to the level 2. I feel like my speaking is what comes out of garbage disposal most of the time. I do notice that because of my kanji study I can understand a lot of random words people use. My communication is just a little butchered. But if you can talk about the scenery with the Japanese hikers up in the mountains does it really matter how good you are? No because I understand them and they understand me. What more do we need?

Anyway, I'll catch you up soon. I'm off to wrangle some 5th and 6th graders into English enjoyment with a dash of kindergarten on the side. I hope it works out.