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Do I Write Like AI?
If you answer yes, I won’t be surprised. I think my writing sounds like AI, and I know why. It’s not to do with em dashes, though I use them enough that I wrote about open vs closed dashes in an article on Medium in 2019. It’s to do with my reading. I am a
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Never Fully Enculturated
In a conversation with an older friend recently, I realised that no matter how long you live in Japan, an international resident can never be fully enculturated. You can speak fluently. You can have Japanese family. You can easily manage your daily life. You can even navigate natural disasters with grace. But if you grew
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New Year Snow
Although it’s not much accumulation, enough snow fell in overnight to cap all of the trees on the mountain. It looks like a wonderland out there right now. I can even see it through my loft window. Last night, a red lunar halo indicated snow and I was delighted when it started fluffing down big
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Hinoe-uma, the Fire Horse
It’s my kanreki this year. The Chinese zodiac has made a full 60 year cycle back around to the Fire Horse, hinoe-uma in Japanese. It’s the worst sign for women. We Fire Horses are said to be troublesome and even cause our husbands to die young (hang in there, Tod). But why are Fire Horse
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Happy 2026
Wishing you and yours a bright and energetic Year of the Horse!
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25 words
This is the 25th year of 25 words. Reading back through them, they tell a tale. Here is this year’s 25 word summary: Stretched myself this year, though not with yoga. Hernia turned me toward playful joy with color and art events. Unexpected notoriety via the Ending Note. 2024: Living my best life teaching crafts
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Starting in December
I don’t know why, but I often get a head-start on “new year, new me” by starting things in December. Maybe it’s a result of summing up the year and seeing the gaps in accomplishments or dreams. Or perhaps the lull between Christmas and the new year presents extra time to fill. I’m not sure.
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Mountain to sea
The weather today was beautiful so Tod & I decided to go for a little hike. He always has his eye on local mountains to walk up and today it was Ondara-yama in Minamiboso. What an absolute delight. It’s a ten minute walk on a moderately steep, well maintained trail from the parking lot to
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2025 in Pictures
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, here’s my 2025 as a novel-length work. January February March April May June July August September October November December It was a big year. There were many unphotographed moments and events, perhaps enough for a second novel.
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Weaving in public
This year’s theme word was “weave” and I made good use of it. Metaphorically I wove myself more tightly into my community (unfortunately, I feel like a loose end much of the time). And though it took me most of the year to get around to actual weaving on a loom, I did it. When
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