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You can probably sense a pattern here…
If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why? If I could, I’d be Columbo. But if TV shows are out, then I’d be the Grandfather from The Princess Bride. I pretty much already act like both anyway 😆
Today’s Moan-day, so it seems like time to…
OK, so I have been pulling my hair out (what’s left of it) the past few days over trying to understand an email thread with “Draft2Digital.” (Note to self: this occurred in early 2024; evidently, forgot to post it! The first thing that goes is memory, and the second is…umm…) Let me sum up. (If […]
To go farther than anyone before
“It is blowing my mind what you can see with the naked eye from the moon right now,” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen radioed ahead of the flyby. “It is just unbelievable.” https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/06/artemis-ii-astronauts-record-moon-earth-distance?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Just like Apollo 8 in 1968. History does not repeat, but it sure does rhyme.
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© Matthew Apple and Taking Leave, 2009-2020. Duplication of this material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited. If you would like to post or copy brief excerpts from the blog, please provide a link to the original URL along with an author’s credit.
Category Archives: Paternity leave
Initial colleague reactions
Although I had already talked with the jinjigakaricho about child care leave, I resisted approaching the head of the English department, Professor K, until the middle of November. One reason was that I felt that waiting until a less stressful … Continue reading
The paperwork is in…but the Personnel Head is not
This morning, after the usual 25-minute walk to campus from the station, I headed straight for the General Affairs office (Soumu-ka). In my hands, a plastic sleeve folder containing the four pieces of paper so far required for the Child … Continue reading
The story begins…
I’m an American teaching English full-time in the heartland of Japan. Next year I have applied for paternity leave, making me the first male teacher at my school to do so. This blog will document my experiences raising a bilingual … Continue reading
Taking Leave 