I'm feeling mellower about the whole relationship with Kadie. We are talking, and that is a good thing. I don't want to get back together, and I don't want to give her the wrong impression either. I hope that we won't have to have any more drama.
The last few days have been somewhat quiet. I have been at work, making slow progress on the innumerable tasks I have to do before the beginning of the semester. If taking Economics 101 in Montana taught me nothing else, it taught me that we only get 24 hours in the day. Even with students to assist me, I can only get so much done in a day. As my PhD supervisor cautioned me, I have to pick an area to sub-specialize in and focus on that. That is a lot harder than it sounds because I like to flit around a lot. It was why I did not accomplish as much as I would have liked while in Montana.
In good news, I have just about memorized the katakana and hiragana “alphabets”. There are approximately 80 basic characters, and I have slowly been working my way through a children's dictionary translating the Japanese characters into the Japanese pronunciation. That helps me learn the words in addition to practicing the characters. The last few days I have been going to the gym, and while I am on the recumbent bicycle I use my flashcards. It seems to be working, and I'm usually getting at least +95% correct so I am happy.
Alex is getting back from Boston late tonight, and so she, Ecole and I will head down to our local watering hole tomorrow night for a few drinks to welcome in the long weekend. It beats sitting at home all evening, although there is a 50% forecast for snow.