It begins!

Term, that is. As of today. So the ol' nose is back to the ol' grindstone, and this being my fourth semester, one might have thought I would have a nose with which one could fell trees. Not the case, at least last time I looked in the mirror.

As well as more modern Chinese this semester, I'm doing kanbun. That is classical Japanese written using Chinese - yes, ladies and gentlemen, just when you thought the Japanese writing system had maxed out in terms of sheer ludicrousness, there's always more just around the corner. I'll let you know how I get on.

I'm also taking Medieval Japanese poetry and Modern Japanese literature seminars, and though both will no doubt prove enlightening, I doubt you, my dear readers, will be all that interested in the content.

Term brings with it money, of course, and I got my first stipend cheque of the new year, all nice and crisp and now deposited securely in my bank account. I'm not quite so poor any more, largely because they're giving me money instead of taking it away from me. To celebrate, I bought a Hokusai print of the Shiogama and Matsushima bay, to put on the wall in my apartment in memory of old times. See for yourself at http://www.allposters.com - do a search for (sic) Shogama. Nothing quite like the old 'gama. 'Course, being from the 18th C, I doubt it shows the triple smokestacks that now blight the bay...