A Different Perspective

 After all the problems with my first Etsy order and my meltdown and overreaction, I talked to Hannah.

She had a very different perspective. She said that it was bad, but at least it was only one order; if it had been 10 orders or 100 orders, that would have been awful. She also said that I had learned a lesson and not to make the same mistake again. Wise lady!

So I have learned my lesson. I've spent most of yesterday and today going back through my listings and adding size charts; also, for every new listing, I'll add a size chart.

What I was going to write about yesterday was setting up another curriculum for self-study through this autumn and winter. Of course, Japanese- I think I'll be studying that for the rest of my life. I now have Netflix; they have some Japanese dramas with English subtitles. I plan to watch one, first with the subtitles, then without. Dramas give a more natural language experience than textbooks or even videos made for listening practice. I remember being in England once; I overheard somebody shout "Ta, mate" and wondered if any of my advanced students would have understood that phrase. I think that with language, what you learn from a textbook and real language are very different. I'm lucky because I live in Japan, so I get to hear the real language.

I need to improve my reading and writing. I'm going to ask Hannah to make some worksheets to practice writing my name and address. At least I should get that down!

Other things I want to get into are history, especially the history of Japan and this area. I have a few books to go through, and there are a lot of local museums to visit.

If time allows, I want to restudy nutrition. I've forgotten a lot of what I learned before, and there have been a lot of new discoveries about how food impacts our bodies.

I want to get back into knitting. I can do the basics but have never had the confidence to knit anything that needs shaping. My Mom taught me how to knit, but she always had to undo the part where the shaping was. I could never get it right. Time to try again, a simple pattern to start with!

Plus, I'm still learning about design and selling on Etsy! And this house needs a good clean. During the summer, I kept the main areas clean, but I've noticed that the cats have messed up some places that I haven't cleaned properly; also, there's so much dust all the time.

It's going to be a busy few months, but I actually like being busy like this. One reason I really struggle in the summer is that I can't do anything; I just feel drained all the time. I'm looking forward to the cooler months, until it gets too cold!

Alfie and Toast are being cute!