-
Weave 2025
Every year since 2009 I have selected a word to guide me. My theme word for 2025 is weave. It narrowly beat out color, draw, muse, and present. I want to weave community through creating connections and weave beauty in patterns. I want to weave my ideas into the rich history and culture of this…
-
Ending Notes
Am I obsessed with death? Perhaps. Any of my friends will tell you that I am deeply aware of the passage of time whether it’s mere moments or long ago futures. I am always thinking ahead and looking back. Planning and remembering. That’s who I am. I can’t help it. One of my goals this…
-
Mystery Drones over Chiba?
For the past couple of weeks, people in the US have reported mysterious nighttime drone sightings, specifically over New Jersey and now spreading along the east coast and elsewhere. There are been reports of drones over US bases in the UK, too. And last night, Tod saw flying objects in the sky over our local…
-
Skeleton of Naya
Thanks to Nagai-san’s hard work over the past couple of days, the barn is cleared, the metal siding removed, almost all the trash taken out, and the interesting stuff put aside. Now we can get to work on the next stages – stabilising it and planning its final form as Tod’s space.
-
Pegboard
Pegboard is a total delight. I really want to have my tools where I can see them. They have lived for a decade inside boxes in an attempt to keep rust and mould at bay. Now that I have an enclosed workplace, I can array them neatly and make that dream come true. My father’s…
-
WTF is Neoliberal?
I find political theory confusing. For example, what’s up with the “neoliberal” label? I keep seeing it used in reference to Trump and his band. Those guys are certainly conservative, not liberal. Are they trying to “own the libs” by co-opting their label? So I asked Claude.ai for an explanation and as usual, Claude gave…
-
Bonenkai
Last night was the Oyama Senmaida year-end party. It filled my heart with happiness and my belly with good Chinese food. I am sure my table laughed the most and the loudest. Was it the alcohol? Maybe. Our conversations ranged from looking up how to say fried rice in Chinese (chǎofàn) and French (riz frit),…
-
December rush
Yesterday the calendar page turned to December. And because I sauntered through November, hobbled by a bandaged hand, now I am feeling the rush to get all the things done to tie up 2024 with a ribbon and make holidays happy for myself and others. Pressure builds as I resist this highly active wrap up.…
-
Community Center Festival
This weekend was the Kamogawa Kominkan Matsuri, a gathering of all the clubs, circles, and hobby groups that meet at the city’s community centers. Each showed off their activities at the city gymnasium. It was like the craft hall of a county fair. There are so many interesting hobby clubs in this town. Who knew?…
-
Naya, the next stage
It’s taken three years but I got the barn cleared out. And “I got” means that I hired a strong young man to do it for me. We are three days into it and there will be a few more days next week, but the bulk of it is done. Nagai-san started at the top…
Archives