Back To Broke

There was a Borders sale this weekend.
Uh oh, I know.

It was Borders' 10th anniversary, so I took advantage of the "30% off non-fiction" on Friday and bought a Japanese phrasebook (includes such gems as "you're just using me for sex", "I should never have let you near me!" (intended for the hairdresser?!) and "is it safe for gay people?". The fact that we still, in 2009, live in a world where some places aren't safe for gay people makes me feel physically ill.
Still, there's much fun to be had with this phrasebook. Hopefully it will supplement my Japanese classes at Otago next year. And, if all else fails, once I get to Japan, I'll just get an iPhone with as many Japanese apps as possible so I can get around the place. I am, however, pinning my hopes on being a fluent speaker by the end of next year.

Today was "3 for 2 fiction" day, so I bought three texts that I'm required to read for my January summer paper (Post-Modern Fiction... which seems to be my most over-studied area outside chemistry). Luckily for me, I've read four of the required texts in previous classes, so I should be an expert. But remind me of that when I fail the class.

For all my spending at Borders, I was rewarded with $20 in vouchers, valid next January and February - when I'm in Otago, of course, where there is no Borders. I love my life.

I forgot to mention... other awesome phrases in the phrasebook include "will you marry me?" and "will you meet my parents?". Um, I don't know, but it seems rather unlikely that if you're in Japan on vacay, you're going to a) propose to some unsuspecting member of the population and b) have your parents on hand for said member of the population to meet. But, whatever.