Alpha.

Before I say anything, I should say sorry. I have always wanted to say this, and doing so will undoubtedly cement me as a nerd of the greatest degree.

Captain's Log. Stardate 109.01.16 (Yes, I just googled how to make today's date into a star-date (Wow, I know)). I think the crew is mutinous...ever since we left the Dagobah system (Yes, just mixed in Star Wars), something has been amiss. I will report back shortly.

Well. It's decided that I can never show this to anyone, after that last tangent. At the very least I will have to wait a while to post this link to my Facebook profile; maybe then I will say something bizarre enough that the preceding nerd-dom will be forgotten. Anyway.

This will be my first post, hopefully of many (thought my previous record of diligence in matters such as these is more than spotted). So. First and foremost, it is January 16th, I believe, of 2009. I have finished all of my classes at Franklin College (somehow I managed to finish everything in only three and a half years!?). Shortly before the end of this past fall semester, I had the pleasure of going through the hiring process for the assistant teaching position in Kuji, Japan. To my knowledge, there were only two other candidates applying for the position (It really isn't very highly advertised). One way or another, I managed to scrap my way to the top of the interview process, and I was fortunate enough to be hired!

What that means, for me, is that in six months, I will be going across the world. I can't even express how excited I am for this opportunity! Don't get me wrong, I have some minor apprehensions as well; however the pros outweigh the cons in a big way. I have traveled abroad in the past; however, never has it been for more than a five-week period. The idea of throwing myself into a culture and language completely different from my own is both invigorating and frightening at the same time.

I might be ridiculous. I have already lined up a hobby (which I have never done before) to pursue after my arrival in Japan. In fact, I even mentioned this in my interviews for the position! Before I go any further, I should probably tell readers just what this pastime is...surf fishing. For those who aren't familiar with this particular activity, let me fill you in. Surf fishing encompasses one person and a twelve to fifteen-foot long fishing pole. With said person's back to the water, he or she will wind up, and cast about a half of a pound of bait over one hundred yards into the ocean. Kuji is an ocean town, by the way. It's really pretty interesting how the whole thing works. One has to cast over 100 yards in hopes of clearing the breaking point of the waves. This area, just past said breaking point, is typically a feeding ground for large fish. Large fish will hug the line of the breaking point of the waves, as many smaller fish will be underneath the breaking waves. By casting past the breaking point, one has hopes of snagging a ridiculously large fish. I've looked into it much more than I probably should have, and some of the fish that can be caught include huge tuna, sharks, and flounder. I really hope to not catch flounder, as they have to be specially prepared (in fact, one has to have a special license to even cook them). If they are prepared incorrectly, it can result in the poisoning and death of the poor carniverous customer. So I'm avoiding them. Anyway, I will try to figure out how to post a couple photos of the pole and some of the surf-fishing catches underneath this paragraph. Here goes:

Well, it took some work, but here are a couple photos. I somehow underlined all of the text and can't figure out how to undo it...Oh well! Peace everyone!