Hannah and Kloe, Japanese Phonetics , and Lens (Patreon)

Good evening patrons! I have a couple quick announcements I wanted to share with everyone. First, and this is a big one:

I'm now the father of twin girls, Hannah and Kloe!

The girls were actually born a few weeks back, but things have finally settled down a bit, so I'm just now getting around to announcements. I want to personally thank each and every one of you that has contributed to Japanese Phonetics, or signed up in one of the lower price tiers—not only have you helped me move into a new apartment (more on this in a second), but your support has allowed me to buy these girls a proper baby bed, a double stroller, and small collection of books. I've also been able to pay off all hospital fees due of your patronage—thank you!

Here's the bad news: in the girls' first post-discharge check-up, our doctor discovered a health complication, so my wife and I need to spend two days in the hospital this week. As a result, Japanese Phonetics #36, which I originally planned on releasing on the 15th of this month, will be coming out on the 17th. I truly apologize for the delay, and thank you for your understanding in this matter. I promise this will not become a regular occurrence—the last couple episodes of Japanese Phonetics were actually created after the girls were born, so I can guarantee this.

In related news, Patreon recently released a feature in their mobile app called 'Lens' which works a lot like snapchat. I've been meaning to make several less formal, exclusive videos for Patrons, but each time I start, I fall into my production habits and complicate things by creating scripts, or over-editing videos, primarily because I know the final work will remain on my page. Lens, however, should allow me to avoid these OCD tendencies, as all videos and pictures are automatically deleted after a day. Thus, in the near future I'll be testing out Lens, starting with an apartment tour. Please note that Lens notifications only show up in the mobile app, so if you're interested in seeing this content please be on the lookout! I'll try to share a couple pictures beforehand just to make sure everything is working.

Going to end things here as time is of the essence! Incidentally, I'm trying to keep the baby announcement limited to Patreon, so I would appreciate it if everyone refrained from mentioning the matter on other social media platforms.

Thank you again for your incredible support, good luck with your studies, and see you again soon!

Best from Beppu,

Dōgen