Author Archives: DELively

First in Fifty-Four

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Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Hope you have a great one, and don’t get injured wrestling for Black Friday sales. 

We woke to slush falling from the sky and, at some point, there was an earthquake that I, once again, didn’t feel, but what interested me the most was the snow.

We  got the first measurable snowfall of the year and Tokyo got its first November snow in 54 years. This was kind of fun, but it didn’t do me much good as none of the important train lines were down.

This meant I got to school on time and had to teach regular length classes. It also meant that all my students, including the bad boys, were able to get to school.

Luckily, because the trains important to my life were never affected, I was able to get home easily from my evening class.

As freak snowfalls go, it wasn’t that freaky, but that was probably for the best.

Takegami Products 100% Bamboo Notebook–End of Book Review

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The Takegami Notebook from Takegami Products is fountain pen friendly in an unfortunate way: Ink doesn’t bleed or ghost but the paper texture makes it unusable for all but a few fountain pens.

The Takegami Notebook is made in Japan from 100% Japanese bamboo. The name is made from the letter 竹 “take”  (pronounced the similar to “Takei” in George Takei) meaning “bamboo” and 紙 “gami” meaning “paper”.

The logo with 竹紙 and 100.

The logo with 竹紙, bamboo and 100.

The two notebooks I tested are B5 sized and contain 60 pages (30 sheets) of fairly hefty ruled paper. The are saddle stitched with thread. One notebook is in a tan “natural” look with pages matching the cover. The other has white pages and a white cover. If you’re in Japan, I’ve seen them for sale in ItoYa. Otherwise they are available from sellers on Amazon.

The two Takegami notebooks.

The two Takegami notebooks. I like the bamboo decoration on the covers.

Although it felt good with ballpoint pens and roller ball pens–even pencils worked well–I found the tan version to be unusable for many fountain pens. The page has some natural tooth which makes any pen scratchy. My smoothest pens sounded like Platinum or Nakaya nibs (which sound like pencils being scratched across paper). My Platinum and my Nakaya sounded as if I was pressing my fingernails tightly against the paper and dragging them across. The Nakaya, especially, was unusable on the paper, despite having a broad nib.

The white notebook was better, although it had a bit more ghosting.  I disliked the tan version enough that I stopped using it.

I’ll probably keep my eye on the company. I like the idea of notebooks made from materials other than paper. The white paper is usable, but I don’t like the size of the notebooks. I hope they stick around long enough to put out different shapes and sizes.

 

Stirred But Not Shaken

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Apparently there was a large earthquake this morning but I didn’t feel it.

It apparently hit as I was getting dressed after a shower. In fact, it may have hit while I was still in the shower. All I know is at one point She Who Must Be Obeyed insisted there was an earthquake. This was confirmed by swaying lamps and laundry.

After I realized how large the quake was, and that it had reached international news, I decided I’d better post that I’d not only survived, but hadn’t noticed. I turned on my computer to find messages from family members requesting I confirm that I had not faced catastrophe.

Oddly, this isn’t the first time I’ve not noticed an earthquake. I do not know why this is, but it may have something to do with us living on the first floor (ground floor for those from the UK) and me not being as concerned about the ground shaking as I probably ought to be.

The only consequence I faced was a delay in the start of school and the sudden belief among my students that a half-hour delay = no need to do anything.

The final twist was, after I got home from work tonight, She Who Must Be Obeyed asked if I’d felt the earthquake. I asked when it had happened. She said it had happened 20 minutes before.

Of course, I hadn’t, which kind of worries me.

The Problem With Birthday Rulin’s

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That would be scann’d.

Was abnormally busy today and that has me repondering my suggestion for birthday rulin’s (aka new year’s resolutions done on your birthday).

The main hassle I have is that my birthday arrives at the start of the busy season at the school where I work. Exams must be written. Listening tests must be recorded. Souls must be crushed. On top of that, I have three other part time jobs (two that require travel and one that can be done at home) and those eat up time.

Because I didn’t rethink the rulin’s on Saturday when I had more time, even though I was actually working at home, I won’t be able to do them until next Saturday, and then only if I’ve finished my work at home work.

The advantage of the new year is that there’s a few days off and, with the proper balance of booze,  you might be able to hammer out some proper resolutions.

That said, I’m still working on my rulin’s and hope to get them posted on Wednesday when we have a national holiday.

Redoin’ and Rethinkin’ the Rulin’s

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Had a busy day today and wasn’t able to finish work on my new set of Rulin’s for the next year of my life. Why I’m doing my new Rulin’s now should be explained.

After much consideration I’ve decided that although I like the idea of new year’s resolutions, I don’t fully understand why they have to start on New Year’s Day. It makes more sense to me to start your resolutions on your birthday.

There are a couple problems with deciding your resolutions around the new year. 1) You’re probably drunk; 2) You will not admit you are as drunk as you actually are; 3) if you’re not drunk you’re hungover and life has no meaning beyond blissful death; and 4) You’re more worried about fighting through after Christmas/New Year’s sales than you are your future. (Which is probably why you got so drunk in the first place.)

Throw in the fact that, at least in my part of the Northern hemisphere, you’re locked in the dregs of winter and the short, dark days make you feel depressed and that makes you come up with resolutions such as “Find life purpose by February or set self on fire.”  (Something like that.)

If you’re resolution is to start going to the gym to exercise, you’re also competing for gym space with the thousands upon thousands of other people who’ve also resolved to start lifting weights and the veteran regulars who wish you’d hurry and set yourself on fire.

In my case, the new year is also complicated by annual trips to in-laws. I’m surrounded by people and probably more drunk than I’ll admit and probably more annoyed than I deserve to be.

Birthday’s seem more natural for this kind of planning.  As you celebrate the start of a new year of life, that’s the perfect time to sit down with your journal and review the previous year. What did you accomplish? What are you grateful for? What are you stuck in? What got put away? What needs to be set on fire and gotten rid of? Why did you buy THAT?

After looking over your year, you can make better decisions and set clearer goals. If you decide to exercise, you’re only competing for gym space with the fraction of the population born on or around your birthday.

Then again, some birthdays are depressing and may not be the best times to make decisions.

Closer to One-Hundred Than My Birth

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I didn’t think it would be this way, but it’s clear that your fiftieth birthday is a birthday you can’t ignore or pass off as “here we go again”. Turning 50 leaves marks.

I didn’t have much reaction to my thirtieth birthday, as I was actually kind of happy to reach thirty as it meant the symbolic end of the age 25-30 freak out that I and several of my friends went through. (Mine involved Albania, Mississippi, borderline stalking, a poet and moving to Japan. Long story.) (Note: the actual end of the freak out was a couple years later, although that is debatable.)

Turning forty was no big deal, although a few months after my birthday the physical switches started flipping off, starting with my eyesight, when I noticed I could no longer read the inscription on my wedding ring without a magnifying glass.

Fifty, though, won’t be ignored. I still don’t know how I feel about it, but saying “I’m in my fifties” resonates differently than “I’m in my forties.” There’s no way to say it where you can deny how old you are. Adding “early-” doesn’t seem to help that much. Being 50 also reminds you of all those childish things you haven’t put away even though you are hell and gone from being a child. (Note: I still spake, as a child, so to spake.)

Oddly, I could feel the stress of it coming, although I didn’t realize that’s what it was. I’ve been in diet/lifestyle change rebound, short-temper mode, and a state of drift that involves doing anything that’s not productive and doing it with great passion. My goal for most of November has been to accomplish as little as possible while spending as much energy as I can.

That said, I’m in reasonably good health. I’ve rebounded in weight some, but not disasterously so as my new clothes all still fit and now that the birthday’s come and gone, I can feel myself coming to terms with it, although the beer, Bordeaux and bourbon that’s been flowing the past couple days may explain that.

The next few days (more or less) of this blog will be devoted to New Year’s resolutions (or Rulin’s) which I now believe should be made on your birthday rather than in the dark recesses of winter (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) and one or two other fiftieth birthday related posts.

Half Off Yet Consistent

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About ten minutes before class I started distrusting my notes.

I had copies made and a basic plan in mind, but then the nagging feeling that I’d done all that before set in. I checked and rechecked my notes, but I couldn’t find anything resembling certainty. I decided that whatever the truth, I could probably wing it.

About halfway to class I realized that, yes, I had done the lesson before. Luckily I was teaching a lower level class which meant they moved rather slowly through the material. However, I knew I’d need more material for my sixth period class, which was the same grade but a higher level.

Then I realized I hadn’t taught a lesson for my fifth period class which meant I couldn’t yet teach the lesson I’d planned to teach.

Somehow, I got through all the classes. It taught me, though, to take better notes, or at least to update them when plans change.

Nothing Gained Got Nothing

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A placeholder today as I spent most of the day out of the house working or waiting to work.

In fact, the thing I dislike the most about my current schedule, voluntary though it may be, is the amount of time I spend waiting to go to work.

This means time on trains, time in coffee shops and time doing actual preparation. It’s boring and that makes it more tiring that should be.

Also, perhaps because of the weather, I was more cranky than usual. (More on that in a future post.)

Luckily, my evening class was good.

One-Thousand Bits of Blather

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If I could do math, I’d figure out how many years 1,000 posts is, but I can’t be bothered to do so. Instead, I’ll just admit I’m shocked I’m still doing this and shocked I intend to keep going.

I also have to keep in mind there were a couple days posted directly to Facebook because of technical difficulties with the site, which means I’ve probably already passed 1,000.

Either way, the blog has become a regular habit, for better and for worse, and the compulsion to produce something at all costs has led me to produce more than a few bits of filler. This is partly because my usual writing time (sometime after 10:00 p.m.) has become more of a chore than it used to be and I’m not always in the mood to produce something, but then I produce something.

I’ve resisted the urge to produce nothing, even when I have very little to say, mostly because I know how addictive that “after all, tomorrow is another day” habit can be.

Readership hasn’t climbed greatly, but that’s partly the fault of the random content and lack of self-promotion.

The goal from now on is more pen and stationery posts mixed with more personal history and random philosophical bits, tying it all together whenever possible. It’s fun doing the long-term pen and notebook reviews, but they take time, not only to use the item long-term, but also to assemble notes and to take and process photos. In general, if I haven’t done all that by 10:00, I end up with a filler post.

I continue to resist any kind of plan, but I also know I’m too dependent on random posts.

For those who’ve stuck around though, thanks, although I’m not sure why you are still  around. Thanks, though. I hope you’ll stick around.

Bad Good Okay Seriously?

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The first class today was bad enough that I ended up splitting the class into “study area” and “play area”. My only hope for the future with them is to find a mustard seed’s worth of faith that keeps me from having the “play area” students in class again until they are in high school. If they are this bad as JHS 1s, they will be uncontrollable when they are in the higher grades.

My second class, which was the same grade, was much better, but a few students are starting to turn. That means more homework and some lunch dates.

My third class was JHS 3 and they divided themselves into “play area” and “study area”.

After that, the evening was topped with me having to give attitude on a few students. One refused to listen; another refused to remain coherently awake (eyes open does not count as awake); and a third decided to invent his own set of instructions because he didn’t understand the ones in front of him.

Not a bad day, really, just odd.