…because caffeine is just the beginning.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I just read this book for my Literatures in Translation class, and I have to say, it’s better than any world history book that claims to be such, without even claiming to be such. It contains an astounding amount of facts and information about world history, all presented in such a way that it effectively undermines the typical western historical narrative familiar to so many of us. I recommend it to all.
So I went into the eye doctor a week and a half ago and discovered that I’m slightly nearsighted. While I’m inclined to blame this, in part, on the fact that I’ve been working a desk job sitting in front of a computer screen day-in, day-out for the last three years, I’m not sure that’s entirely the case. Tonight I went on what is becoming my regular evening walk around the neighborhood, and as I once again was marveling at the clarity with which I can now see distant objects (and particularly illuminated objects at night), I happened to look up at the stars overhead and notice the Pleiades. I was astounded by what I saw – I could pick out each of the individual stars! Even as a child I could not do that, which leads me to suspect that my nearsightedness, however slight it is, has been around for quite some time.
Everything else is good, for the most part. Yuka is coming out to Cali for Thanksgiving, and we’ll drive up to visit Tim, Yasu, and the boys. We’re also going to see Mary Poppins while she’s in town. Fairly soon I should be going in to interview for the TA program, which will play a major role in determining whether I’ll finish my MA in 2010 or 2011. With these new glasses, I’m thinking it might end up being 2011, but we’ll see. I’m going to be spending my 29th birthday in Nagoya, Japan. I can’t wait. I may even ride the Shinkansen this time. And I’ll be sure to eat lots of ramen.
Speaking of eating, I’m still working on being conscientious about my eating habits. I haven’t been using the Livestrong calorie counter thing lately, as it’s a bit of a hassle to update regularly. Instead, I’ve just been trying to keep track in my head each day. I’ll let you know how that works for me.