Category Archives: Memoires

Rashomon Series: Mother and Daughter Remember Great Britain

It’s that time again – time for “something a little different”! Inspired by one of my favorite stories, Rashomon, I solicit the thoughts and opinions of others who have tread the same path as me, but (inevitably) they bring a different perspective. End result: you get twice the story. This time, my mother (known hereContinue reading “Rashomon Series: Mother and Daughter Remember Great Britain”

Trivial Things: Okoto Tsume

I’d forgotten I still had these. Then during the ordinary course of packing and purging for a move to a new, smaller, better-located home, my mother brought over a box of my stuff from my year of teaching in the JET Programme. A box that she’d found that had been moved in their last move,Continue reading “Trivial Things: Okoto Tsume”

Trivial Things: Ukiyo-e (Grandma’s Gifts)

Growing up, I never thought of my grandmother as a loving woman. Intimidating ? Yes. Opinionated and critical? Check and check. A force of nature who changed the energy of every room she walked into? Boy howdy. But loving? That’s what other people’s grandmothers were, sweet and coddling, giggly and cute. The only way toContinue reading “Trivial Things: Ukiyo-e (Grandma’s Gifts)”

Trivial Things: Katana Collection – Kenshin

You may know him as Samurai X, but he’ll always be Himura Kenshin to me. Adorable, red-haired, charming, committed pacifist, the quintessential wielder of the reverse-blade, and my absolute favorite anime hero, ever. You may be asking yourself, why am I, an (apparent) grown-up, talking about my favorite cartoon character, in a post that promisedContinue reading “Trivial Things: Katana Collection – Kenshin”

Trivial Things: Katana Collection – An Origin Story

I’ve got to hand it to them — swords do make an impression. I would guess that most people, having lived long enough and done enough stupid things involving a kitchen knife, typically have an emotional response to bladed weaponry. Sure, it’s often fear, or at least a reasonable level of nervousness. For some othersContinue reading “Trivial Things: Katana Collection – An Origin Story”

Rashomon Series: The Notebook – NOLA

It’s that time again – time for “something a little different”! Inspired by one of my favorite stories, Rashomon, I solicit the thoughts and opinions of others who have tread the same path as me, but (inevitably) they bring a different perspective. End result: you get twice the story. (I’ve successfully wrangled a “second voice”Continue reading “Rashomon Series: The Notebook – NOLA”

Blessings from Bast – Positano, Italy

She knows a good gig when she sees one — this furry ball of gorgeous has actually shown up more than once in my reading of other people’s blogs about journeys to Positano. An absolute camera-mugging, attention-crazed, ultra-self-confident specimen, milking her chance to steal the attention of tourist lenses far and wide. Everyone is Mr.Continue reading “Blessings from Bast – Positano, Italy”

Rashomon Series: Positano, Italy

Back to my “something a little different”, inspired by one of my favorite stories, Rashomon. (Does doing it twice officially make it a habit? Okay, okay, not quite there yet.) The idea is to occasionally solicit the thoughts and opinions of others who have tread the same path as me, but (inevitably) they bring aContinue reading “Rashomon Series: Positano, Italy”

Disney Cruising

Adult Disney. It’s a thing. And nowhere is it more of a thing than on the Disney cruise lines. In fact, it’s so much a thing on their cruises that you can even bring all of your kids, and it’s still Adult Disney. For those who are unfamiliar with this concept, contrary to popular beliefContinue reading “Disney Cruising”