iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Also, I totally ate it on the stairs today. I was going up to the second floor and somehow missed the step. I went down but managed to keep myself from getting hurt. Well, except my pride. One student at the top asked if I was OK, but the boys laughed, then ran away so I wouldn't see who they were.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Spinning plates today. After a full day of classes, I've managed to grade several 6ème assignments, plan tomorrow's 3ème lessons & submit additional documents to immigration. Bless my husband for cooking dinner, helping w/ our daughter's homework & putting her to bed. Still more to get done!

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Listening to the opening bars of The Smiths’ “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” while an entire murder of crows convenes outside my window… it’s quite the vibe.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It was a beautiful, crisp Sunday morning, so we decided to bike down to Royal Host in Otsuka for breakfast.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I was wondering if it's possible to make a pumpkin cake using kabocha, so I decided to see if there were any recipes online. Went to youtube, where I learned English speakers pronounce it kuh-BO-chuh. 🤭

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This is probably the sixth or seventh time I’ve read The House on Mango Street, and by the end I’m always in tears. And now I’m crying on train at rush hour.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Taught my daughter how to make a pot of beans today! And they came out delicious.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I'm so sad! I was so relieved when TRU decided to keep operating stores in Japan when they closed stores in the US. Now, it's going away. 😭🦒

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I used to get so annoyed when I'd get home from school, and my mom would nod off while I was watching cartoons... snoring while I was trying to enjoy Ducktales. Now, my daughter just got home and is playing a game while eating a snack, and I'm just trying so damned hard to stay awake.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I disabled all the "smart" features on my gmail account, and god, it is like a 10,000% improvement.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

They weren't kidding about the equinox... It's 6 p.m. and pitch black outside. I think they are a bit late changing the neighborhood evening song, though. It's supposed to play at 4:30 after the equinox.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I have a pretty high tolerance for subpar movies, especially factoring in nostalgia. I'll always love movies I loved as a kid. The ones I never saw, tho? Meh. Halloweentown, for example. Saw it for the first time & it was..bad. But people genuinely love it. Is it the nostalgia goggles or am I wrong?

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I've been in a bad mood since I got home this afternoon. I grumbled through a nice dinner my husband made; I snapped at my daughter for being scared of a cockroach; I complained about every aspect of my life that is out of my control. And I burned hours scrolling instead of getting shit done.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

At least the doctor's office finally responded to my request for a referral. Because of Silver Week, I had to wait nearly a week. And since my PCP is only in the office M-W, I have to wait until next week to know if she'll give me the referral. Meanwhile, I feel like shit, and I'm stressed about it.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Requested my absentee ballot on 9/13. On 9/14, the county's vote-by-mail official confirmed receipt and processing. Texas was set to send ballots out on 9/19. I emailed on 9/22 asking when I could expect mine to arrive. It is now 9/24, and I haven't gotten so much as an acknowledgement of my email.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Sometimes I get these random waves of nostalgia, even when I’m not doing anything particularly special. It hits and suddenly I’m 10 again. Like just now, I thought of opening the box of Christmas decorations, and the smell of decades-old tinsel and cardboard, and the glitter of colorful ornaments.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I tend to pay off my credit card after every purchase, whether it's $10 or $100. So Capital One decided it was in everyone's interest to reduce my credit limit by more than half. Yay capitalism.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

My daughter befriended a young girl in the neighborhood, and her parents invited us to participate in today’s mikoshi-gyoretsu. Glad to have kind neighbors like this, especially when feeling like the country has become so anti-immigrant.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Over the past two days my nose has sprouted two huge pimples. I rarely get pimples on my nose, and I have no idea why they would appear now. But they are both painful and ugly.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I feel like it’s a bit early but the smell of キンモクセイ is definitely in the air!

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Just sent my request for my absentee ballot (FPCA). Should be easy enough to receive (via email), but returning it is always a crapshoot. It's really difficult to even know when/if mail to the US from Japan even arrives.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

3 things about my 8yo daughter: 1. Her Frida Kahlo drawings are amazing. 2. Watched Jurassic Park for the first time tonight. Loved it but now terrified of dilophosaurus spit. 3. Got really upset because we thought she was joking, but she actually thought Philippines was pronounced "Philip's Penis."

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Also, I was FINALLY able to submit my visa extension application online (after weeks of errors and incomplete info, and nearly three hours of attempting to fill out the form). So I'm a little cranky. Anyway, fingers crossed there are no more issues.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Outside temperature dipped to below 80ºF (26ºC), so of course they are running the heat in this cafe. Effing bonkers—but not surprising at all. There are probably people who already have their parkas aired out and kotatsu ready to go.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Meant to go to bed over two hours ago, but here I am listening to Thompson Twins at 1:47 a.m.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Was falling asleep over my work, so I got ready for bed and went to lie down. But the rain hitting our balcony is so loud, I decided to come downstairs and sleep on the couch. And now, I’m wide awake. 😤

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Listening to the audiobook of The Midnight Library. I know the narrator is Carey Mulligan, but I cannot help but picture Hannah Fry.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

First day of school done! I only had 2 classes (6ème & 3ème) & it was pretty much just syllabus+introductions. Tomorrow will be 2 hours with 6ème in the afternoon. Friday will be 1 hour with 6ème & (unfortunately) 4 hours with the other 3ème section. Overall, I think I'm happy to get back to it.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Just discovered the leak in our crawlspace from over a year ago had also infiltrated the storage space beneath our hall closet. The entire contents is covered in mold and our winter coats that are stored in the closet smell like mildew.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A good movie is what I really needed at the end of this awful week. Too much heartache with the loss of Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Yayoi Kusama. Not to mention the scary medical stuff. But now there's just one weekend left until school starts up again, and it's back to work.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I just watched Princess Mononoke for the umpteenth time, and it never fails to give me the feels. Of course, these days I watch it in Japanese, but I remember sitting in my college Mac lab 27 years ago downloading the Quicktime trailer for the US version. And damn, it still holds up.

youtube.com

Princess Mononoke - Official Trailer

YouTube video by Crunchyroll Store Australia

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Spent all day at the hospital getting tests/doctor consultations. The good news is there’s nothing serious. Despite the issue I’m having, everything came back normal. Doctor prescribed meds for the issue but said it might not work. Bad news, there’s no other treatment & I just have to monitor it.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Just got an erection during my testicular ultrasound. Can this day get worse? 😭

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Reposted by Michael E.

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

It’s true that Dolly Parton was a country music icon. But far more importantly, she was a human decency, kindness, empathy & generosity icon. And we lose her at a time when those traits are more urgently needed than ever, especially in the USA. As we honour her remarkable life, honour those traits.

nbcnews.com

Dolly Parton, country music icon, dies at 80

In May, she announced she was canceling a Las Vegas show and said she’d been undergoing treatment for kidney stones for several years.

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Reposted by Michael E.

Mara Wilson @marawilson.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Sometimes, when someone dies, what helps me is thinking about how wonderful it is that they were even alive in the first place. Dolly was the closest you could get to an American saint. We all loved her.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

And guess whose visa is up for renewal in October?

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Just finished reading This is How You Lose the Time War, and... I think I missed something. So many people love this book, and sure, it's good. There's a lot I like about it, too, but NGL I found it a bit predictable and... thin? There were some great images, vivid moments, but they didn't last...

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Of course this little reminder would have to come up on my feed as I’m worrying about my health… Kon was my age when he died of pancreatic cancer.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I have a feeling that there’s something wrong with me healthwise. I’ve had some concerning issues the past few months that my doctor assured me are normal. But it’s recently gotten worse, and now I’ve got some pain. I need to ask for a referral & get it checked before school starts… but I’m scared.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

It’s been just about a year since my sister’s leukemia diagnosis. She’s doing alright despite the close call early on & chemo has been hard. But she hasn’t had any treatments in the past several weeks. I thought the regimen was done—actually her insurance dropped her & she’s been without coverage. 🤬

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Big quake… alarms scared the shit out of me. But everything’s ok.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

It makes me sad to see how rundown my hometown has become. I really should've become a city planner... I'm just sitting here at 2 a.m. cruising down google street view imagining what I'd do to improve infrastructure, business opportunities, population growth, and quality of life. It's frustrating...

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Is there some rule that says Amazon reviewers who post photos have to have the shittiest aesthetics ever? Like clean your room and at least try to style the product you're showing off.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

My daughter is somehow a magnet for lice. I swear, she is a clean kid… hair is always washed. But if there is one kid around who has lice, she’s going to get them. Just pulled 20 or so nits and a live bug from her hair. 😩

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

My jet lagged 8 year old, who has not slept in 20 hours, just shouted at me for not letting her put the groceries away (she wanted to carry the heaviest bag), stormed off, and now there’s complete silence in the house. I think she finally passed out.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Back in Tokyo and desperately trying to adjust to the time difference. I couldn't believe we slept until 2 p.m. until I realized that's 7 a.m. in France. It's also strange that the sun is setting at 5 p.m., while sunset in France wasn't until nearly 10 p.m.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

This month in France has been a dream. Hard to believe we'll be heading back to Japan tomorrow. But I think I'm ready to be back home... my own bed, routine, and far less second-hand smoke.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

A few months ago, I told my husband to mark my words: At some point in early August, Trump would miraculously find a way to end the Iran war. Just in time to tout it as a huge win for the midterms. Now, will this actually be the end of the war? Probably not. But still... apnews.com/article/trum...

apnews.com

Trump says he will order halt to Iran strikes after parameters reached for deal to end war

U.S. President Donald Trump says he'll order American forces to hold off on strikes he had threatened against Iran, claiming Mideast allies have reached the parameters of a deal to end the war.

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