a history of me

I can't remember the last time Memorial Day Weekend meant a three-day vacation. For the last several years I've been completely idle before, during and after on account of school ending in mid-May. And when I had a job, I always ended up working over the weekend anyway. With my future career in Japan, where the holiday does not exist, it seems I will never truly experience this pre-summer "break" as everyone else does.

After getting so many different things done on Monday my week slowed to a crawl by Friday. At the very least, I got to spend plenty of time with Scott the past two days. We met for lunch on Thursday and caught up on a lot of things, then last night I got to check out his new apartment. His girlfriend came over and the three of us went down to see the new Satoshi Kon film, Paprika. I'm not sure what I can say about this movie other than praise its visual creativity while shrugging my shoulders as to its deeper meaning, if any.

I may not have an official "holiday" this weekend but I am bound for a hometown BBQ tomorrow. Mako wants to see pictures, of course. She's really looking forward to her visit in July, especially because she's spending so much of her time studying for upcoming exams pertaining to her job. For now, all I can do to help to tell her that I'm rooting for her and that I know she can do it.

つづく... (Click here to read more)

Let's just hope that "slow and steady" actually wins the race.

I haven't been up to much since I got to New York, but each day I try to accomplish something, however small. On Monday, I inquired at several stores about the logistics of selling unwanted media, got a hair cut, bought a new toothbrush and read through most of the material I've already received from the JET Programme. On Tuesday I filed some important paperwork relating to my former postal career (long, dull story). Today I actually sold a bunch of books, snagged the latest Chuck Palahniuk novel from the library and took a long look at my student loans, a somewhat unnerving experience. I have to admit that it's easy to forget that, by definition, student loans must be repaid. Considering my upcoming job is not an overwhelmingly high-paying one, it's going to take me a long time to take care of this.

I've already gone through this student-loan-payment process before, but that was a much smaller loan for only one year of school waaay back in 1995. Back then, I only paid $50 a month and it took me about five years. If I tried that today I'd still be paying when I turn 80 years old. I suspect they will insist on a slightly faster method of remittance.

This weekend is slowly shaping up to be fun. Plans are afoot!

つづく... (Click here to read more)

My Albany experience came to a thrilling conclusion.

It was a wonderful weekend of celebration. Several of my friends made the trip up Friday night for a late supper of burritos and margaritas. Saturday's ceremony was a satisfying, personal event where all of the East Asian Studies department seniors were feted. Professor Fessler had some nice things to say about me and even mentioned that she reads this blog! I should have capitalized on the occasion and mentioned my URL.

Speaking of announcements, the decision from Japan has arrived. More details are sure to follow, but at least the prefecture where I will be teaching has been determined...

大阪 OSAKA

Yes, I'm going to Osaka Prefecture! Exactly where in the prefecture I'm headed is not 100% clear, but the initial facts suggest I'll be in the northern suburbs, less than an hour's ride from Mako. It's as close to perfect as I could expect. Let's hope the rest of the placement information is as good as this.

Beyond the ceremony, it was a really fun weekend. My friends and I had dinner on Saturday with my sister and mother which led to an impromptu bowling adventure. I'm proud to say that I recovered from my gutter-ball-itis in the first game to offer a respectable score and then I actually won the second game with a dramatic tenth frame comeback. It was the first time I can recall my mother and my friends hanging together, which was a delightful surprise. After my mother returned to her hotel for the evening, we settled back at my place for a late-night Wii Sports contest, thanks to Ben bringing by his new console (I totally want one if I could only find one). Everyone excelled in different events, but my best showing was on the golf course.

Today was a somewhat frantic move out which put me through the usual anxieties of what to do with all my things. My first priority this summer is clearly to rid myself of at least half of all this stuff. In the meantime, the weekend came to a head with a first-class dinner at Nobu. I photographed each course for Mako's edification but I'll do my best to show them to you as well.

As for now, I'm back in Manhattan and free of obligations. See you on the streets!

つづく... (Click here to read more)

"So Long, Albany" in other words. Another good title would be 学末, gakumatsu or "end of school", a play on bakumatsu. After all, not only is this the end of my time in Albany, this is the end of my schooling in any format.

I don't have a lot of time because I'm still cleaning up my apartment and packing my things. My friends are on their way to hang with me tonight and tomorrow my family arrives. We'll all be on campus for a small East Asian Studies department ceremony, without any pomp or circumstance. There will be no photos of me wearing a cap and gown, sorry. Here at Albany, they don't hand out degrees or even call out names, everyone just stands around while people I've never met give speeches I don't want to hear. No, I'd much rather say farewell to this university in the company of the people I've shared the most time with.

Speaking of which, I attended a quiet party Wednesday night on campus which featured deviled eggs, lots of pizza and a crude party game that got me sprayed with silly string. Some ended up in my mouth but apparently it was non-toxic. Within a few hours of that event I finished my last assignment and e-mailed it to the professor. Yesterday I ate my final dining hall meal which wasn't as terrible as you might think. Things definitely worked out better this year concerning campus food but I certainly won't miss it.

In bigger news, perhaps the biggest news I can share right now, Mako is coming to visit in July! We're planning a lot of excursions, including a Yankee game, a ride on the Circle Line and maybe a day-trip out of town to see...well, I'll leave you in suspense. Of course, there's much more suspense where that came from as I have heard from the Jet Programme. It seems my placement info is...in the mail! Sorry, you'll need to wait to hear more on that too.

So farewell to Albany, university life and six-month-long winters. I'll be in New York as of Sunday night and I hope to resume blogging shortly after that. By then, I should be ready to share more about my future. In the meantime, Feit...Out.

つづく... (Click here to read more)

Hey everybody! I just got back from that trip to China I told you about. Did you miss me while I was gone?

Sorry, I'm kidding. I have no viable excuse for ignoring my blog for nearly an entire month. I wish I could say I was extra-busy with class work as the semester came to an end but the truth is I had plenty of time to go to the movies, play video games, and watch hours of Star Trek on my DVR. I could get into more detail, I suppose, but leisure activities like these have dominated my free time as of late. Since being hired to teach in Japan (no, no word yet on where I'm going) the significance of schoolwork reached an all-time low. I didn't shirk anything but I found myself caring a lot less about how my assignments were received.

Anyway, today I took the first of only three final exams (hence the Japanese title) and I was completely un-nervous. I knew I could answer the questions and that's that. In a way, the loss of grade-anxiety has given a wonderful boost to my confidence. It's almost a shame that senioritis only surfaces when school is coming to an end. If I felt this good about school in the first place I wouldn't have spent so much time panicking over grades for all these years. All in all, knowing that "school" in my life will soon be over forever is a fantastic feeling. And don't asking me about grad school. It's not happening. Ever.

Oh, one last thing: it's a close friend's 30th birthday today! I'll be seeing you real soon buddy. Congrats.

つづく... (Click here to read more)