Monday, July 31, 2006

Consult or Work for a Company?

I have recently been considering what I want to do when I grow up. I worked for over 10 years for companies (most of it for 1 company), and then left there to consult and take freelance work for the past 4 years. This has given me a lot of freedom, including the time to try starting a software company and also time to go to Japan to take intensive Japanese language courses. But this also has not provided a steady money flow for me, and has not provided any benefits.
最近次の仕方を考えている。前に10年間以上会社で働いた。その後会社を止めて、4年間ビジネスコンサルタントした。新規事業を始まったり、日本に日本語を勉強しにいったり、したのを含むよく自由があった。でもいつも沢山お金を稼ぎ取らない。そして手当がない。

Recently, I have been considering going back to work for a company, and have even been on an interview or two. But I have been very picky about what positions I am interested in. One thing I am looking for is an opportunity to work with Japan and to use my Japanese language skills. I don't feel like I am fluent yet, so would like to find a position that would allow me to get more practice in the language.
最近っ会社に入る事を考えている。就職の面接もした。でも私はえり好みだ。日本語を使う事は大切だ。 まだぺらぺらだと思う。だから日本語を練習できる仕事がほしい。

I am sometimes asked why I don't move to Japan and work there for a few years. Yes, this would definitely allow me to become fluent. There are definitely things I like about Japan, but also things I like about America. I think the optimal job for me would be one that allows me to spend time in both countries. Or maybe one that has me go to Japan for a few months for a project.
人はどうして日本へ引っ越して、日本で働くと時々聞いた。いい質問だ。引っ越すともちろん日本語が上手になる。日本のいいことがある、けどアメリカもいいことがある。日本に行ったり来たり仕事はとてもいいだ。 それともプロジェクト のために2,3ヶ月にいる仕事もいい。

What should I do? I don't know yet. If you have suggestions, feel free to send them to me. For more details, my resume can be found at http://www.singlespeed.org/resume.html.
何をしようかまだ分からない。何か良い考えば、教えてください。私のレジメはhttp://www.singlespeed.org/nihongo/resume-nihongo.htmlにある。

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Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Delayed update

I know, I haven't written much here recently. Sorry about that.
知っているよ。最近あまり読まなかった。ごめん。

It has been hot here recently. Very hot. This has made me want to kayaking more, rather than cycling. The weekend before last I went with some friends in a boat I borrowed from them. Because it was so hot, I wore less clothes than normal, and I forgot to put suntan lotion on my exposed shoulders. They ended up very sunburned. Even now, they are still red. Sunburn or not, the kayaking was a lot of fun.
最近そこにとても熱いんだ。だからカヤックする事は自転車に乗る事よりしたかった。2週間前に友達とカヤックした。熱かったので、あまり服を着た。肩に日焼け止めを忘れちゃったので、とても日焼けだ。そうだけど、カヤックした事はとても楽しかったよ。

the intrepid hikers of GamagoriI received some news of friends. Ann, who I met when I was studying in Japan back in 2003, is moving to California from Hawaii next month. I am looking forward to seeing her again. Interesting, there were 4 of us who went on a hike to Gamagori (talked about here, and in the red shirt in the picture to the right), and now we will live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Gordon moved here shortly after finishing his studies in Okazaki, and Stephanie is from the Bay Area (though currently in school out East).
友達の事だ。2003年に岡崎で会ったアンさんは来月ハワイからサンフランシスコ・ベイ・エリアに引っ越す。楽しみ。勉強したとき4人はハイキングした(ここでブログで読んだ)。来月からみんなさんはこの辺に住んでいる。ゴードンさんは勉強を終わった後にここに引っ越した。シュテファーニさんはもうここに住んでいた。

Efrat recieving an award from SenseiEfrat, who I met last year when I was studying, is moving to Kyoto. She has a scholarship to go to Doshisha University. Congrads to her. Plus, she is moving from Israel, so the added benefit of getting away from a troubled region. I am jealous - it sounds like a lot of fun and a great experience for her.
去年の勉強したときに会ったエフラトさんは京都に引っ越して、同志社大学に入る。奨学金を受ける。おめでとう! そしてエフラトさんは戦争があるイスラエルから来るので、安全になるんだ。いいなー。

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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Organ donor

I want to be an organ donor. I am pretty sure that I have filled out the appropriate forms when I got my driver's license (that is how we sign up here in California), but that was a long time ago. I recently heard about a web site where California residents could sign up, and to make sure I was signed up, I have also signed up there.

If you are a California resident and are willing to allow your organs to be used to save other people's lives after you die, please consider going to this web site -
https://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/.

If you live in a different state that California, please go to http://www.organdonor.gov/.

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Friday, July 07, 2006

Blogs I Read - SFGate World Views

The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper also has an on-line site, http://www.sfgate.com. In the last few months, they have added a set of Blogs to this site. One that I have started reading is World Views.
サンフランシスコのSan Francisco Chronicleと言う新聞はホームページもある。http://www.sfgate.comだ。最近ブログも付け加えた。読んでいる一つはWorld Views(世界の見識)だ。

The author of the Blog, Edward M. Gomez, is a former U.S. diplomat and has worked as a reporter for TIME, The New York Times, the Japan Times and the International Herald Tribune.
詠み人はEdward M. Gomezだ。外交官だった。TIMEの雑誌とNew York TimesとJapan TimesとInternational Herald Tribuneのレポーターもだった。

日本語に以下の書き物の翻訳をできない。訳し難い。ごめんなさい。
I like how he calls it like he sees it, and reminds Americans about things which other media don't report. One example is in his post on North Korea's Missile Tests, he mentions how even though the US Government is in an uproar over North Korea's missile and nuclear program, we conveniently ignore the missile and nuclear programs of our friends, Israel, India, Pakistan, etc. Also he reminds us that the moratorium that was agreed to between Clinton and North Korea was scrapped by Bush early on in his administration.

I also like how he brings in what is being published on the subject in other country's media, which provides a different outlook than what we see here in America.

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Thursday, July 06, 2006

Cars are expensive / 車は高いよ

I have had my Subaru Outback for 5 years now, and driven 60,000 miles. I decided to see how much the car has been costing me, so I pulled out my files and added up all my expenses. The summary is listed below:
5年間Subaru Outback(日本のLegacy Lancasterと大体同じ)を持っている。今まで100,000キロメートルぐらいを運転した。いくらか知りたいんだ。運転費を加えた。

SummaryTotalPer MilePer KM
Depreciation (減価償却)$13,966.80$0.23$0.14
Car insurance (インシュアランス)$4,000.00$0.07$0.04
Service / Repairs (手入れ)$4,281.70$0.07$0.04
Gas Cost (ガソリン)??$0.14$0.08
Registration (書留料)$905.00$0.02$0.01
Total (全部) $0.52$0.32

Expensive, isn't it.
高いね。

Depreciation, insurance, and registration won't change much with the amount I drive, so they are essentially fixed costs. Only if I sell the car would these expenses go away. But service costs and gas costs are directly related to how much I drive, so are variable costs.
減価償却とインシュアランスと書留料はどれだけ運転しても大体同じエクスペンスだ。 車を売るなら、そのエクスペンスがある。だから固定費だろう。 手入れとガソリンは変動費だ。

If I find I am not using my car a lot, it may make sense to sell it. There are car share companies in San Francisco that could work, such as Zip Car and City Car Share.
もし車をあまり使わなかったら、売れる。短い時間のレンタカー会社がある。例えば、Zip CarCity Car Shareだ。

You can see the spreadsheet I used to calculate this at http://www.singlespeed.org/blog/carcosts.xls.
コストを加えるためにスプレッドシートを見たかったら、http://www.singlespeed.org/blog/carcosts.xlsを見る。

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Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Le Tour

To cyclists, July means one thing - it's time for the The Tour de France. It is shown on the Outdoor Life Channel here in the States, but I do not have cable, so can not see it. But I have been reading http://www.tdfblog.com/, which has kept me up to date on what is happening.
サイクリストには7月になるとツール・ド・フランスだよ。 アメリカにはOutdoor Life Channelのテレビチャネルにあるけど、ケーブルテレビがないので、見えない。でもhttp://www.tdfblog.com/のブログを読んで、ツールに関する情報に追い着いていく。

This year's Tour started with a bang, with many of the top riders disqualified just before the race started. Definitely will make it an interesting year.
今年のツールはとても面白いよ。発走の直前に二人の最高の競争相手は欠格した。

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