Post Without a Cause

The problem with finding time to write is that I’ve also found that I didn’t really have as much to write about as maybe I thought I did. For a while now, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to update my blog fairly regularly, but I kept running into the problem that every day when I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is sit down and type something out.

The solution I found was to start bringing my computer to school. Most days I have at least one period of downtime, and most days I spend that time trying desperately not to fall asleep. There are days when I’m busy enough that it isn’t really a problem, but it’s hard to tell when those days will be. By bringing my computer to school, I managed to solve two problems at once. I was able to write journal entries while at school, and I didn’t have to worry about falling asleep at my desk for lack of anything to do.

Of course, the first week I tried this I ended up having no downtime whatsoever, and wrote absolutely nothing. I was still convinced it was a good idea, though, and persisted in bringing my computer with me the next week; sure enough, little windows of time started to pop up, and whenever they did, I started writing. Now I’m sitting in another of those little time pockets and I find that I don’t really have anything to talk about. Even though I’m typing, it’s more to stay loose and stay in the habit of writing than anything; then there’s also the previously-mentioned benefit of not falling asleep.

You might have already guessed this, though, from the fact that I’m actually writing about not having anything to write about. If you’ve actually read this far through the post, I apologize. I really should have told you from the beginning that you would find nothing of redeeming value here today. Then again, I should probably give you that warning at the beginning of every post.

…

So, in the middle of writing this, I had to leave my computer to go make pottery. This is how school works out here in Masago. There are plenty of days where it’s business as usual; classes, tests and the like. But there have also been plenty of days where we do something totally unexpected, at least by me. Since I’ve started teaching at Masago, I have helped carve an enormous jack-o-lantern, taken a field trip to Tsuwano, and released birds into the mountain wilderness. Today, I add making a ceramic bowl to my list of Masago extracurriculars.