Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but that eye is shaped to find particular things beautiful. We talk about attraction, how it’s shaped, how it differs by place, upbringing, and how it’s tied into sex. Content note: Medical procedures and sex are discussed in some detail. Transcript K: So, lately I’ve...
This may come as a surprise to you, my lovely readers, but my Japanese friends are mostly in their 40s or older. Those of you that have read my earlier posts would know that I have a rather narrow definition of friend, as I’ve talked about it in once or twice before. For those...
I’m in this weird place where I had to come out as an atheist. The weirdest part was that I was semi-in closets about it in the first place. As part of building my practice, I would tell people that I am “faith neutral” at work, which is fairly accurate in that I do...
Talk about security and insecurity, both valid and not. How it plays out for different people, different issues, and different times. Transcript K: So, lately I’ve been thinking about feeling secure versus feeling insecure. C: Like turning on two-factor identification for everything? Because I’ve had to do that for work, so that’s on my...
My entire life, my mother has told me that one day I would “launch.” I always thought launching meant that I would go off on my own and become my own man. I would find my career path and build a life for myself entirely separate from her and my dad. Now that I’m...
I feel very lucky to have met Chad and even luckier to be married to him. He is a kind, loving and attentive husband, even if it is not in the ways I need him to be. I feel like he does his best to make me feel well loved and liked by him....
We talk about money, cash, credit, employment (and what’s considered a “real” job), and other money-related topics as they happen in Japan and the US. Transcript K: So, lately I’ve been thinking about money. C: Yeah? K: Yeah. C: Like money? K: (laughs) I was actually thinking of the song “money changes everything.” C:...
As some of you might be aware, I like romance. In all of my relationships, I try my best to be romantic with dates and romantic in how I express myself. In Japan, however, the culture is different. Expressions of affection and romance aren’t normal. In fact, compliments and positivity in that form is...
Recently a friend was hospitalized and I thought it would be nice to go and visit them. I have spent months at a time in the hospital in the US and found it to be lonely and depressing. Not a single friend of mine came to visit me. I also was the only person...
Japanese furniture, flooring, and other things starting with F. Big question of the episode: Can you replace pleather with transparent tape? Transcript K: So, lately I’ve been thinking about furniture in Japan. C: That is not what tabling the discussion means. K: (laughs) Okay, I don’t know if that one’s funny or a surprise....