Home Sweet Home

I don't really know where I consider "home" right now -- maybe I have several homes. I'm in the States about 1/2 way through a three week visit. So far I've seen a little bit of family and lots of friends. I'm getting ready to go from Oregon to New York for four days and then I'll end up in Washington State. I have to admit that I've experienced some type of culture shock this trip that I've never really had before. I'll write more about that later, but for now I just wanted to check in. Is it wrong to admit that out of everything, I've enjoyed the food the most? (Outside of people, that is.) What in the name of all that is holy is up with Cold Stone Creamery? I don't know, breakfast, lunch and dinner? Sounds good to me. I'm having fun catching up with everyone and am looking forward to the next week or so. I'll post more about my trip later :)

There's Organized and Then There's This

I wish that all of my compulsions were this productive and socially acceptable. This is a picture of my guest room walk-in closet. Yes, the boxes are labeled. No, they're not alphabetized. But that's a good idea.

Meow

Take this Hello Kitty stress test. The Kitty always knows.

Too Much To Ask?

As I'm about to embark on about 30 hours of travel to get home for a vacation, I was wondering if we could go just one day without hearing about a fiery plane crash.

Hiroshima

Today is the 60th anniversary of the Americans dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. I attended the Peace Festival, which I've done before, but it was just as moving as if I was there for the first time. I've been to Hiroshima probably 100 times by now, but it feels different to be in Hiroshima on August 6th.

I don't understand the complexities of WWII, and it will be forever debated whether or not the Americans needed to use the bomb, but I will say that being in Hiroshima makes me feel deep, deep shame. Sometimes I feel shame for being an American, but mostly I feel shame for just being human.

10,000 Floating Lanterns

Candles

Offerings

One of the most heartbreaking things you see around the Peace Park is water bottles left at monuments for the thirsty souls who died instantly. It is said that immediately after the blast, the temperature on the ground was between 3,000 to 4,000 degrees Celsius (6330 F).

Curious

Cool In Her Yukata

¥500 to Decorate a Candle

I Think This Is Kanji For "Peace"

No More

Paper Cranes Were Draped On The Monuments In The Park

Mesmerized

Paper Cranes Around His Neck

One World

Dome

You Can't Even Tell That It's 8,000 Degrees

Gosh, I had the best time on Monday. I went to my first hanabi -- Japanese fireworks party. It was so much fun! I couldn't take my eyes off of all the kawaii kids in their yukatas, but my favorite cutie pies are in the other picture. I've never gotten into American fireworks, so I almost skipped the event here. In Japan, there are fireworks all summer long, as each cho or neighborhood has their summer festival on a different day. It blew my friend's minds when I told them that in America we have fireworks once a year and it's always on the same day everywhere. She said, "Seattle?" and I said, "Yes, on July 4th." She thought about it for a minute and said, "New York?" and I said, "Yep, July 4." She doesn't know a lot of cities in the US or I think we would have been doing that all night.

My vocabulary is always pretty basic around my friends because they don't speak English and I don't speak Japanese. I try to be accommodating, so I end up saying one-word sentences a lot when my friend Toshi-san introduces me to new Japanese things. I can't really express myself by saying "You've gotta be kidding me" or "Holy crap" or "Man, that's twisted." She frequently mimics me to learn English (uh-ho...) and now has a habit of saying, "Gosh-o" all the time. Whenever she says that, she looks at me for approval. On Monday I noticed that she picked up something new since the last time we got together. Apparently she used her electronic dictionary to look up some words, so every time I said "Wow!" she whispered to herself "Shock" trying to memorize the meaning. Better keep it PG-13 around her.

Hanabi (Fireworks Watching Party)

Great Reading

Sometimes I have an insatiable appetite for reading, and other times I can go months without finishing one book. Lately, I've been reading all the time and really enjoying it. Here are some of my latest reads (disclaimer - some are rated Not for Everyone.) Most of these I couldn't put down.

Leaving the Saints -- Martha Beck
Night Fall -- Nelson De Mille
The Weight of It -- Amy Wilensky
Magical Thinking -- Augusten Burroughs
Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith -- Anne Lamott
Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers -- Fred Rogers
Assassination Vacation --Sarah Vowell
Tales from the Bed -- Jenifer Estes