iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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

My husband is ecstatic about this!

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

Today was a rough day. I had to skip my writing group because of my doctor's appointment, and my 6th grade classes have been unbelievably difficult this year. I'm also just feeling a bit down... that old nag of my brain... What good am I? Why aren't I better? Must be that time of the year.

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

Fun times at the urologist. He doesn't seem too concerned considering my GP's findings, but he went ahead and scheduled an MRI for October 21. Also, I know it was just a consultation, but the fee I had to pay was ¥260 JPY. That's $1.64 USD. It would probably have been $164 if I'd been in the US!

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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

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Original is best, but the second is great too (The Secret of the Ooze).

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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 · 03/10/2026

Definitely the LOTR trilogy, the original TMNT movie, 80s dark fantasy like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Legend, and The Neverending Story.

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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

This reminds me of a thought I had while my daughter was recording a song she made up on her ipad. My generation rarely heard/saw ourselves on recordings, so it was incredibly hard to listen/watch. Now we record ourselves so often, it's a less traumatic experience. Glad you're feeling good about it!

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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

Did it help? Do I feel any better? Of course not. I'm even more stressed out because I wasted all that time. So now it's time to stop being an asshole, wash the dishes, and go to bed. Get this day over with!

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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

Mine dropped 15 points after the bank decided to cut my credit limit by more than half because I paid off my credit card every month.

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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 · 23/09/2026

I always assumed the Gravitron was invented by ancient aliens, so why not?

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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 · 13/09/2026

Exactly what I was just thinking… Trans people are not to blame for transphobia.

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

The crime was Eve knew what she wanted.

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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

This happened with Line this evening, and I almost threw my phone.

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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

My daughter has also been sneezing since we returned from France a few weeks ago, and now I know why. Not sure how I'm going to clean this out because everything I put down there was meant to be pulled back up, only now it disintegrates as I touch 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 · 30/08/2026

I have a feeling the Legend of Zelda movie is going to be right up your alley.

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

Bunnicula was my favorite, too. A few months before we adopted (2017), my MIL bought me the box set of books so I could introduce them to our child. Just last year, we finally got through all of them. They weren’t as good as I remembered them, but I was so happy my daughter enjoyed them.

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Michael E. @elverboser.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Four siblings quarrel with a Japanese immigrant because they heard on the news that he might be responsible for their dad’s disappearance.

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

Chain Drive... which was also the name of a really seedy (pun intended) gay bar my ex used to work at about 20 years ago in Austin.

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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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