Weeknotes: Mr. Soul — Week 35, 2026

Reader, this was a momentous week, because it marks the first time ever that I asked a teacher for more homework. If only I were as studious as a youngster, eh? On Monday JLPT exam applications opened, and after much rigmarole I am now signed up. Positively bricking it! Last week’s festival food did not sit right with me, and long story short, an unsettled stomach led me to an useful discovery: Calorie Mate. It’s, uh, surprisingly good? And because each piece is exactly 100 calories it is a very easy way of nudging out of a calorie deficit. I will be having this stuff again. Thursday is a farewell-for-now party for a friend under similar circumstances to my move to Bulgaria: I’m delighted but it’s still bittersweet. The restaurant has amazing chicken, and I regret not asking for more. I pass on karaoke this time. I do some big self-care things and home improvements over the week, including putting together a new shelf which now houses Memo and Denshiba. I think I have a… Read the full…