about me
2008.03.10 (updated : 2024.09.09)
I am Canadian, my wife's from Japan. As a father of two, I do what I can. Once was lost, but not any more. Learning to juggle, not yet up to four.
🤹
basics
I am a husband, father and some-day novelist. Well, I'm married, and a dad, and I'm slowly dicking around with my various novel projects.
I support the family working in the IT field. I've been at it since 1994. Here's me around the 29 year mark with some of my team at a life insurance firm.
Collections containing this photo.
- NN Acceleration event
hobbies
I've been engaged in one form or another of creative writing since I was in high school in the late '80s. Still not a lot that ever got finished, but there's this.
I'm also an avid amateur photographer. I've been making photos since 1980 at age nine. I really got into it though when I was living Sydney in '00/'01, and have been shooting steadily ever since. At one point I had more than ten cameras but I don't do that sort of thing now. It's one digital cam and one film cam for me.
I also cycle, but mostly to commute to work. While I lived in Japan I learned that the Japanese have distinct terms for "cycling for fun" and "cycling for errands or to commute". I do both, but with the arrival of The Boy, the 'for fun' part took a back seat, as it were. Then a little later, he took the back seat. Now he's a bike-commuter of his own.
I also dabble in occasional wood carving. I usually carve things as gifts for those around me.
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And finally, I usually keep an aquarium. I won't go as far as to say I keep fish, because that would imply that I can keep fish alive. Which would be a lie.
Collections containing this photo.
family
I'm Canadian by birth, and I've lived in a number of places in this great big empty country. I found my wife in Japan but brought her and son to Toronto ten weeks before the Great Earthquake in 2011. We've since had another baby, this one a darling girl. We moved back to Tokyo in 2020 when I needed work. I arrived about ten days before the city went into lock-down.
My name is German, as is my father's family. I'm first-generation Canadian on that side, but the eleventh generation to have lived in North America on my mum's side. Placing at least one line the continent before there were countries!
journal
Long before the advent of blogs, I began keeping a hournal. Without theme (or even spell checking), it documents my long stumble through this world. In 2022, I discovered that I have written more than a million words on this website, mostly in that journal.
Ech, grafitti.
hmmmmmm, you’re fine!!!
Right back atcha, anonymous fan...
Nice web site, entertaining and very readable.
You need more pics of yourself though, preferably nude
Thanks. We'll see about the pics...
about me
Please e-mail me re: your Amazon comments re: Desolation Road.
ckramer@prometheusbooks.com
Thank you.
Oh, the poorly-made OCR book.
Done.
cicadas [journal of m. werneburg]
I love the Semi too... did you know that there is a variety that only comes out in late afternoon and early evening? I was told that they don't like the extreme heat... These variety of semi make a melodic sound, something like chiku chiku chuuuu and are a green color with violet colored wings... almost beautiful. My favorite...
Hey, I had noticed a different sound in the evening. I'll watch for them, to be sure.
Hi I would like to ask for your help about the diamond jewellery photography taking. Can I ask for your email? Thanks!
Sure, send me your questions, I'll help if I can.
Hi Michael, Nice blog and great about me section :) My name is Carlo Rubinstein, I'm the founder of an Israeli startup. i wanted to share our product in case it might interest your readers, since we are all about diamond photography. I've linked our website below. I am available for you if you want to be in touch, All the best, Carlo
Hi, Carlo. You've got an interesting product at tweezar.com. Thanks for your kind note.
Hi Michael, Your site seems to be the only one I've found with any good information on spousal immigration to Canada. I'm in need of advice and can't seem to find answers anywhere (that aren't going to cost an arm and a leg). My boyfriend is from South Africa and we have been in a relationship for 5 years. I ended up coming back to Canada a few months ago. I had been living in SA with him since 2011. We are trying to sort out the best way to apply for Canadian PR. If you would be so kind as to contact me via my email i would greatly appreciate any help you could give my partner and I.
Hi, Roberta!
When we did this, which is now nearly five years ago, the "outland" process was the way to go. There were two sets of forms that you can obtain from the government, the outland and inland. The former is the way we went, even though my Japanese wife was already living in Canada, for a few reasons:
1. It is much shorter than the "outland" route.
2. We could file again if we had to (e.g. due to some unlikely, unforeseen circumstances).
3. Mari would be unable to leave the country during the two year+ process
The "inland" route originated as an amnesty vehicle for people who'd already been living illegally in Canada. That's the underlying reason for #1 - #3 above, but it also meant that the gov't would treat our application the same way that it does people in the amnesty category. There was simply no reason to go about things that way.
Everything I can advise is on my website. But on the website I reference some free forums. I strongly advise you to go to one of those rather than my (rapidly aging) advice because I'm just not keeping current.
All the best to you and your boyfriend!
Just following up as I didn't hear back from you, sorry to email you again. I noticed your page http://emuu.net/journal/2014.11.13/16%2C000-days links to timeanddate.com. Unfortunately, that site isn't very accessible for the sight impaired. Would you consider adding a link to a more accessible version likewww.thetimenow.com which is WCAG 2.0 compatible? Also, if you ever want to see how accessible a page is, I recommend http://wave.webaim.org. It is really helpful. Thanks, Lily
Thanks for the tip, Lily.
rand()m quote
The skill of accurate perception is called cynicism by those who don't possess it.
—-Alan Millar
Are u Al Cohallic
U R Gay ??? Yes