*blink blink*

Skipping past the apologies and the remonstrations, etc. and moving on to just continuing to exist.

So, here's what I've been doing lately, in no particular order:

1. taking horseback riding lessons. This is a fun (if expensive) activity I've picked up. I enjoy it immensely, but I really need to move up from the beginners' lesson because I'm starting to get bored of the whole "walking around in a circle" thing. All that's holding me back is figuring out the tack, which I mostly have down. It is a universal truth, perhaps, that instructors always seem to be there when you make a mistake but aren't around when you actually do it correctly.

2. intensely studying Japanese. I've been racking up to 2-3 hours per day recently. Am I actually improving? Not so far as I can tell. But the kind staff at Tully's Coffee have taken notice of it and continually encourage me to keep up the good work.

3. writing. Well, mostly editing. The novel I worked on for NaNo has undergone great amounts of editing after I decided it needed dual points of view and a tense change.

4. reading Agatha Christie novels. Went through six of them last month, already gone through two this month. I'm not sure who I like better: Poirot or Marple. I must admit that I was rather disappointed with Murder on the Orient Express, though. Death on the Nile was a much better story (if not a more predictable one; I solved the mystery before the murder even took place). Most disappointing was the play "The Mousetrap." HIGHLY predictable. Not sure why it's considered the best of her plays. "Verdict" and "Witness for the Prosecution" are much better.

5. butting heads with the manager. We're having, um, "personality" differences.

6. practicing Japanese songs for karaoke. Mixed results.

7. surviving without the internet. Shocking.

8. promising to update this blog yet never really getting around to it. Must remedy this at once. (see #5 for a good reason WHY I haven't been able to blog)