And so it begins

The JET application is supposed to go up online today. It doesn't seem to be up yet and if I don't see it today, I'll call the consul in Seattle tomorrow (I default to Seattle because I'm a Washington resident and that's the consul I've always dealt with). Someone there will know what I need to do and, anyway, it's not like I've never called and harassed them before. My JET to-do list is massive and daunting (and everything must be in triplicate, because Japan is like that), and I have about seven weeks to complete all of it. But I can't start anything until I have the forms, which is why they have till tomorrow to get everything up online before the annoying 'yo, what the hell' phone calls begin.

If JET doesn't, for whatever reason, work out (though I have some qualifications that should give me at least a bit of an edge, so I'm tentatively optimistic), all hope is not lost and I have other avenues I can pursue. But it would be so nice if this just would be it. JET people, you better hire me, because I am awesome and deserving of a job.

Just saying.

While I'm on the Japan subject:

Dear Economy Gods,

Please to be returning the exchange rate to something nearing my favour before I leave the country again. Right now it's 84 yen to the dollar, which in terms of buying power means Japan is owning us. Last August it was 103 yen to the dollar and I was happy. This 84 yen thing? Not Cool.

Peace out,
Me

By the way, according to Yahoo!Finance, it's ¥89.87 to the dollar and, while that may be true in theory, in practice it's a lie. No one is ever trading as high as Yahoo!Finance says they are.

Also, I'm onto another book (The Difference Engine by William Gibson in collaboration with someone else - steampunk this time around, and awesome). Book number 24 for 2009. So I know I will have made it at least half-way through my intended 50, because I will definitely read at least one more book after this. That's pretty sweet, considering how crazy everything is these days. I'm also on internet restriction again, because I acquired a couple of Asian horror movies (one, Alone, is Thai and about the surviving half of a pair of conjoined twins getting haunted by her dead sister (or something), and the other, Kwaidan, is Japanese and classic). I've been meaning to see Kwaidan forever - it's from the '60s and is four stories based on old legends/folk tales, and it's supposed to be really good. So sometime soon, we'll have to have an Asian horror night.

Finally, since I never actually talked about this semester's camping trip up in the Cascades (can't say where - it's sort of protected and most people aren't allowed to go there), have a picture. It was raining and cold and we got soaked through on our hike up to this cliff, but the lake was still gorgeous.

Such a beautiful place, even in the rain.

ETA: My media blog actually has 6 whole entries in it now! With some variety and everything! Now to remember to update it more than once a month. That'd be pretty awesome.