Where is my head at a year after stepping away from journalism? I still feel an incredible passion for the news and I miss it (and, of course, my beloved former coworkers) every day but I am also enjoying some distance from the cutting edge of current affairs.
I’ve now got braces, sort-of, step-one of many, and getting ahead of future issues. They are slightly limiting. Pronouncing “Th” and “F” have become an adventure. I’m sure you’d find it funny.
Did a second batch of Pizza dough, this time with the same flour I previously used, and it went OK. Still many variables to perfect. Hydration was off, but the final bake was very good. Future batches will be much smaller.
BTW there is good Pizza in Tokyo. And sangria, and limoncello. Oh no.
How better to celebrate almost a year in Japan than to finally visit the Japanese equivalent of my hometown of Birmingham? You may know it as Nagoya.
What took me to Nagoya was helping a friend move. We had yakiniku and afterwards while exploring the nightlife were propositioned, were embroiled in math-class drama (in Japanese) by a onesie-clad pair and stumbled into an open-air techno rave.
A single moment made Nagoya for me: Walking past a group making merry, someone was pointing a lighter at her friends and clicking it + saying “bang”. I caught the group’s attention by nodding our group towards them. She pointed her hand at me and, *bang*. I exaggerated a feint to much laughter and applause. I love this place.
After sentō, the road-trip back was great. One of my highlights of the year.
Recently I have been refactoring my apartment slightly by sneaking in new clever features and new storage. Previously I’ve not really taken my living spaces seriously, but I’m really enjoying turning this into a space I’m proud of.
Went to a British colleague’s leaving drinks who is temporarily repatriating, and had a very good time. At the start of the evening, they were asked, “What are you looking forward to when you return to Britain?” and couldn’t answer. By my hand, I’m proud to say that at the end of the evening, the answer had become “British humour”. Lxds, we have one thing going for us, let’s celebrate it.
