e-prime no matter how you judge me

dearest blog of blogs!
another week in japan has come to an end. i had a good time at karate today, sensei said to only use 30% of our power for sparring because of the tournament that i cannot go to on sunday becase of work. on wednesday, sensei broke 2 pieces of wood and a baseball bat with his legs. this looked amazing, and i have photos. they will be posted, all in good time.
i asked a few of my wonderful professors for their insights wrt President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more American soldiers to fight Al Qaeda in afghanistan. the responses i have gotten so far appear very thought-provoking and valuable. i will put some time into crafting my own official opinion. i wish Obama the best of luck but i go back and forth.
what can i say about japan that i have not already said? tomorrow will become saturday, and i feel thankful for a day off to clean up and do some minor chores. if my posts sound less than enthused or satisfied, then you must understand that i miss my home country and have been experiencing the zizekian notion of how my homeland and culture is experienced as totally contingent and arbitrary. it can feel stressful and upsetting sometimes, but like my dad says, this experience has no replacement and i appreciate the chance i was given every day. self control seems like the most difficult concept i have encountered, maybe even harder than being true to oneself. socially i feel totally deprived here, but that will all become okay once liz gets here and i get three weeks, the same amount of time i used to got to know her with initially, to spend with her again and relax. today i had my last day of the year at tsuji elementary school, the one near my house, where i teach with a japanese teaching assistant who writes all of the lesson plans. it can feel like a difficult environment to teach in, but utlimately i feel thankful for her presence, as i rely on it. i heard that the job market in america has suffered less than usual this past month? that bodes well for my chances upon returning to the USA, hopefully it doesnt hurt the strong yen.
i will to buy myself a christmas/hannukah (confused because of secular japan) present tomorrow in the form of a small video game. this week and a half will go by very quickly. i will now go read paradise lost, the end of which i slowly appraoach, and then retire for the night. in case i forgot to tell you, i received my blue belt, second level, in karate on wednesday. it looks cool, and i feel good about it.
great!