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Setouchi Tsurezure #7 – Ushima Adventure

https://jimrion.com/2024/07/11/setouchi-tsurezure-7-ushima-adventure/

Published: July 10, 2024 23:00

Technically, this would be the eighth of my articles for the local Seouchi Times papers, but I’m skipping one for reasons. This time, I wrote about a trip to a nearby island, Ushima, that hosts local kids once a year to get them more interested in the less…

Review – The Saint of Bright Doors

https://jimrion.com/2024/06/19/review-the-saint-of-bright-doors/

Published: June 19, 2024 01:59

Despite my inconsequentiality, I have thoughts about The Saint of Bright Doors. In short, it is a Great book and one I am grateful for.

The Jason Ogg Theory of Luck

https://jimrion.com/2024/06/14/the-jason-ogg-theory-of-luck/

Published: June 14, 2024 03:04

I’m a lucky guy, all in all. Bad things have happened in my life, but I’ve made it through them more or less intact. I have a loving, healthy family. A career that is basically ideal. And through it all, I’ve been able to experience the world in ways I…

Setouchi Tsurezure #6 – Spring is Come

https://jimrion.com/2024/06/13/setouchi-tsurezure-6-spring-is-come/

Published: June 12, 2024 23:09

My sixth column for the local Setouchi Times newspaper was about my encounter with spring at a local park. It was one of my favorites, mostly for the pictures. I spotted a Longtailed Tit couple building a nest from spiderweb and moss, and while I was…

20 Years

https://jimrion.com/2024/06/10/20-years/

Published: June 10, 2024 01:30

I stepped off the plane in Osaka on June 9, 2004. Though I didn’t know it yet, I was home. My memories of that first day are blurry. I remember buying my first bottle of “Milk Tea,” syrupy sweet and delightful, at an airport kiosk. Riding the shinkansen…

Enough with the LLM BS, Already

https://jimrion.com/2024/05/24/enough-with-the-llm-bs-already/

Published: May 24, 2024 05:25

I know that, in doing this, I contribute to the problem in its own way, but I simply can’t bear it anymore. The AI frenzy I have seen among my fellow translators has to stop. It feels like I’m watching otherwise intelligent, literate folks suddenly…

Setouchi Tsurezure #5 – First Photo Show

https://jimrion.com/2024/05/16/setouchi-tsurezure-5-first-photo-show/

Published: May 15, 2024 23:53

My fifth column for Setouchi was about my experiences with my first photo show, as part of my Hikari Shayukai club. The photos I showed all ended up with someone word-play/punnish types of names, which I know the editor likes. He chose to run one with two…

I Am Here To Fart Around

https://jimrion.com/2024/05/14/i-am-here-to-fart-around/

Published: May 14, 2024 02:22

The other day, I was talking to some friends as we walked along a small river running through Okayama City, when I stopped up short to watch a small cormorant swimming by, not two meters away. I rarely get to see them up close like that, since the local…

Setouchi Tsurezure #4 – Pottery Love

https://jimrion.com/2024/04/11/setouchi-tsurezure-4-pottery-love/

Published: April 10, 2024 23:43

My fourth column for the local Setouchi Times newspaper was about my growing fascination with Japanese pottery. I discussed my discovery of the beauties of functional art, my interactions with local potters, and my growing collection. 陶芸に陶然 ライオン　ジミー…

Thoughts on The Book of Tea

https://jimrion.com/2024/04/04/thoughts-on-the-book-of-tea/

Published: April 4, 2024 05:37

When I was a wee lad, I was a bit of an “intellectual.” This was both an affectation, in that I tried very hard to be “smart,” and something that in retrospect was actually true. I was much more into thinking and learning than I was into doing anything…