Still here!

Okay, I'm up to like my third e-mail asking me if I've passed away. I guess that's as good as sign as any to update this thing. The problem is, since I last wrote a blog entry embarrassingly little has happened to me.
Well, that's not entirely true: being back in Ireland has confirmed for me that Japan is where my heart is. I'll be heading back there to start a new job in November. I'm well excited: I'll be a proper grey salary man, all suited up and living in the centre of Tokyo. I've really missed my life there.
Apart from that though, it's slim pickings. Let me think...
I had a nice quiet family Christmas; I had one of the most fun New-Year parties that I can remember; I flew over to Boston to visit with friends and shocked them all by actually bonding with an infant and not coming out in a rash (maybe there is some paternal instinct in me after all); I've had an ongoing battle with my parent's dog - the more I hate him, the more he seems to love me - we're all about dysfunctional relationships in my family; I've really enjoyed doing my Masters - as I said to a friend, it's been really nice to feel good at something. I'm not used to feeling that way; I've given up the booze - two months and counting. I've never felt better. And that's about it. A bit of a sad tally for nearly 10 months.
So, the outlook for the next couple of months is a lot of the same - mostly writing up my dissertation and preparing to head back to the rising sun. Perhaps knowing the clock is ticking for my time in Dublin will cause me to see the place with different eyes and think of something worth saying about the place. We'll see.