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Hikone Castle and Personal Improvement

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 The Japanese love their castles! These castle shots are all from Hikone Castle, one of the highlights from Lake Biwako. This is the final part of my five part series. The best for last? You decide! Those of you who know me well know that I am very committed to becoming a better and better person. This is definitely a work in progress as I will be the first to admit that I have a long ways to go! Below are the primary categories for my ongoing efforts. RELATIONSHIPS In many ways, this may be the most challenging area for me. I recently started re-reading the engaging book, Atomic Habits. The author, James Clear, has started an app that helps with the development and implementation of habits. One of the habits I am working on is keeping my cool when I get frustrated, especially when interacting with those closest to me. Sound familiar? BODY FAT PERCENTAGE With all the exercise I get, you would think I would not have to worry about what and when I eat. No such luck! I have had a tend...
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Osaka Castle and Climate Change

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  This is the fourth part of a five part series. Please see my other posts from the last few days for posts 1-3. Osaka Castle is one of those places that looks good morning and night and in any kind of weather. It is just a very scenic building with great surroundings! I feel badly that due to the demands of my current teaching job, I have not been able to devote much time and effort to climate change work. I am looking forward to getting back to that work this coming summer! Below is a summary of some of the information I have found about where we are at this point with climate change. On the United Nations news web site listed below, the following five issues are highlighted https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1158446 1) Keeping the average global temperature within 1.5 degrees of pre-industrial levels.  According to this article from the Japan Times, (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2024/11/12/climate-change/global-warming-already-15c/), we may be failing that goa...
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Sunrise and the Future!

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 This is part three of the five part series. The first part was published on 12/27/28 and part two was published earlier today. I am fascinated with water! As a photographer, there are so many possibilities when working with water and light and reflections and different objects and shapes. With the exception of the top Osaka Castle photo, the others were all taken at sunrise on Lake Biwako. It was gorgeous! I recently spent some time estimating how many years of full-time work I have done. My estimate is very rough as there were years when I worked part-time and/or went to school. Ball park estimate? 40 years! I guess I have earned the right to semi-retire, at least when it comes to full-time work! I have really enjoyed my special education and teaching work. That has included 14 years at North Eugene High School, 1 year at the American School in Japan, and 1 year at the Tokyo International Progressive School. Prior to that, I worked at least part-time as a tennis teacher and coach...
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Reading and Landscapes!

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  This is the second in a five part series. The first part was posted on 12/27/24.   This may very well have been my best photo shoot ever.  All of these pictures were taken during our trip to Lake Biwako and Osaka. What a treat! Such a great variety of scenes! I also loved the range of challenges, from the moving birds to the still landscapes. Some people have asked about my editing. I make adjustments in Adobe Lightroom. Key areas include shadows, highlights, sharpness, contrast, and exposure.  Now let's talk about reading! I have found that after working all day, I do not have much mental energy left after 5:00 or so. With that in mind, I have experimented with many forms of entertainment. Back in the late 90's, I watched a lot of action movies while doing strength training workouts. I then moved to watching fictional and non-fictional crime shows, such as NCIS and the First 48. Next up was reading fictional crime and horror novels by authors such ...
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A New Series for the New Year!

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  Happy Holidays! I hope you have been having a nice holiday season! To celebrate a wonderful year in Japan, I am going to do a five part series on this blog. The five parts will include the following: Information about our most recent trip.  Photo focus: animals. A summary of the reading I have been doing.  Photo focus: landscapes. An update on my job and my plans for the future.  Photo focus: Water and sunrises and sunsets. My current perspective on climate change and the environment.  Photo focus: Osaka Castle. A summary of the personal development areas that are my current priorities.  Photo focus: Hikone Castle. All of the photos for this five part series were taken  during our recent trip to Lake Biwako.  It is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, with a circumference of 146 miles.  It is a beautiful lake that offers many interesting sightseeing places. Highlights for us included Hikone Castle, the Prince Hotel in Otsu, the Osaka Castl...
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