Stormy Weather

The weather here is slowly turning from pleasant to uncomfortable.

I've heard that it's bound to happen. First it's warm, then muggy, then rainy. That last part lasts for about a month. Today I got a preview:

It didn't pour so much as drizzle incessantly. It was that gross in-between where you can't decide whether to open your umbrella or not and you always wind up wet regardless. I did not remember my golashes so I spent most of the day sloshing around in waterlogged boat shoes.

I also got my first real animation assignment today: a para-para manga flipbook. Basically I just have to do a head turnaround in a flipbook. I'm trying something a bit more ambitious, though, so it's probably going to take me a good while.

Add that to the other assignments I've incurred in the past few weeks and my workload looks a little waterlogged too.

So it looks like I'm going to have to switch into acting a bit less like an explorer and more like a student. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I suppose it was innevitable.

Oh well. Read more!

Galoshes

Galoshes are rubber slips that go over your shoes. They have their roots back in the middle ages, but have fallen out of fashion recently because they look retarded. They are, however, practical and cheap.

As I dragged myself through the pouring rain back to my apartment at the end of a difficult day today I found sanctity in two things - my half gallon of boss coffee and my galoshes.

See, I don't speak any Japanese. In a Japanese school in Japan this can be an issue. Especially when your Japanese teacher calls on your to introduce yourself in Japanese and your brain (metaphorically) explodes.

Fortunately (for me) none of the other MICA students spoke any Japanese either - so at least we all looked like idiots together. I think they're putting us in our own section. It's going to focus on basic conversational Japanese since trying to teach us how to write is apparently far too advanced. Maybe they'll give us special helmets to wear, too.

I mean, these galoshes do already make me look like I'm waring safety shoes.

Overcoming the language barrier is going to be as big a challenge as I've faced. I know that there will be more frustrating days ahead - conquering them is what's ultimately going to bring me the most satisfaction.

Classes continue tomorrow. Bring it on!

Read more!

A Damp Evening Walk

The best time to see Sea Cliff is late on a rainy night. The town goes silent. So silent that you can hear someone sneeze across town, maybe even recognize who it is. It's probably someone you want to avoid, but at least you know.

The rain uncovers the village's true scent. Its normal bouquet of exhaust and weed smell gives way to more familiar things - pavement, wet earth, pine needles and wood. It's comforting.

I spent most of my childhood playing in Sea Cliff - that's not something a lot of people can say. Most kids here spend more time at the seven eleven than Roslyn Park.

When I look out on these empty parks and winding streets I feel like they're mine - earned by twenty years of eminent domain. I don't feel like giving them up yet. Read more!