December 2016 Archives

25 Words

By Kristen on December 31, 2016 8:53 AM | No Comments

Half century joys: circus successes; drawing again; driver's license; warm neighbors; loving husband. Sorrows: multiverse branched and Zoupi vanished; my heart broke; mould ruined everything.


And all the 25 Word entries I've written since 2001:

2015

A new era began with Japanese eijuuken and freedom to do anything! We quit Tokyo for rural Chiba. Now we have time, space, and ease.


2014

Our 25th anniversary. Eyes opened in Ireland and India to a new life together. More adventures, independence, inventiveness, alliances. Yes, yes! The ayes have it.


2013

Running away to the circus confused me. Spent ten months wondering "What next?" Tried resting, contests, midwifery - not my things. Travel, teaching, performance? Yes. Circus.


2012

Hooping took me up to Tohoku, down to Niijima, and around the world on tour. Ukulele, yoga, improv, songwriting, skating, visiting, & fundraising filled the gaps.


2011

Mother Earth trembled and futures fell apart. Uncertainty ruled us for months but in the end I'm still in Japan, married, hooping, and feeling happy.


2010

Lived my hoop dreams, wheeee! Connected, created, collaborated, choreographed, costumed, capered, camped, coordinated, but then crashed hard. Ouch. Healed and found my truth. Full circle.


2009

Rose petals in blue sky and the scent of muddy elephants conducted me to presence. An intense upwelling of joy revealed the universe inside me.


2008

I made dresses, meals, 100 necklaces, friends. Grew food. Witnessed a birth! I am greying, wrinkling and fading, but I started hooping, so who cares?


2007

Food ruled 2007: went almost vegan, developed recipes, and lost 10 kilos. Also sewed Morsbags, made political statements with robots, and explored Tokyo real estate.


2006

Forty was a pleasure/pain year - a roiling emotional sea. Heartbreaking anguish half drowned me but also un-dammed a flood of patterns, photography and creativity.


2005

This year, a lesson in

How to bear pain and loss.

Travel doesn't cure heartache;

Friends ease the agony.

Healing and peace flow like water.


2004

Did more, finished less.

Strengthened friendships and traveled.

Constructed 18 videos, knitted scarves,

Shared my pencils and my love.

Still seeking realisation of my principles.


2003

Hello Tokyo finally done

Neon Chopstix now begun.

'Twas mostly work but also fun.

Hosted friends from far away.

Another visa for three years' stay.


2002

Celebrating four years in Japan, I exercised my right brain and my poetic voice. I filmed then procrastinated. I waited for the axe to fall.


2001

Spent seven weeks on holiday in Maui, China, mainland US. Wrote lots, taught many, earned little. Saw the inside of my head. Didn't do enough.

Open 2017

By Kristen on December 28, 2016 9:24 AM | No Comments
My guiding theme for 2017 will be Open.

Some years, choosing the theme word for the year involves a lot of thesaurus consulting, debating and mind-changing. But this year it came to me in a flash and I haven't considered anything else. Open is just right: honest, undecided, unobstructed, obvious, objective. I may find myself beginning something new, or exposing something hidden. 

Here are my guiding words and themes for previous years:
2010, connect: https://mt.mediatinker.com/blog/archives/010736.html

Last year, I noticed a two year lag in the words and it seems to have held true again. Though my theme for 2016 was "realise," I feel that 2014's "develop" was more appropriate. So I suspect 2017 will be all about "explore" and with our new driver's licenses, Tod & I already have plans to do that.

Evolution of Christmas Spirit

By Kristen on December 26, 2016 8:56 AM | No Comments
This year end has been hectic and stressful with driving school, health issues, a broken fridge, blah, blah, blah. I was not feeling the usual "I hate Christmas' mood this year as much as I was completely indifferent and almost ignorant of the holiday coming up. 

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Boxes arrived from family overseas. I stacked them up. Topped with a bottle of wine, there's our tree for the year. Good enough. I was not interested in being creative.

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But inspiration finally struck on Christmas day and I designed a tree out of the cardboard from the boxes. I scissored, taped and slotted to create a three dimensional, self-standing tree. Sort of Suessian, it echoed the shape of the two origami balls we received from the 3rd graders at Nagasa Elementary school.

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A string of lights completed the look. I'm rather proud of this tree that came from nowhere. It is whimsical and no-waste. 

We completed our holiday festivities with a lovely dinner and opening the presents that family sent. Tod & I agreed to not exchange gifts this year - the first time in 28 years I didn't buy something for him - but he surprised me with a stollen from one of our local bakers. 

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Creole duck breast, mashed potatoes, greens, and wild rice. Yum.

Omens, Talismans, and Offerings

By Kristen on December 13, 2016 11:24 AM | No Comments
I am solidly superstitious, though usually pretty quiet about it. Omens are things of legend and talismans are for the weak and foolish. Despite that, I've always had a feeling that there are objects and actions that will improve any situation.  Yesterday, when I went to the Driving License Center to take my final exam, I was well armed:

  • I'd dreamed about my hair in big, bun-like knobs, so I styled something as close to that as possible. 
  • I put on a matching bra and panties. I feel more confident if I am nicely dressed on every layer.
  • I wore a necklace that keeps me calm and safe. It is visible in my driver's license picture and that is sweet.
  • I polished my boots to honor my father who taught me not only the value of shiny shoes but also was my driving inspiration. 
  • I was thrilled to see Mt Fuji clearly en route to Makuhari; for me, she is a herald of good things to come.
I am certain it wasn't actually any of these actions or objects that caused me to pass the exam. I prepared with study, practice, and review to pass the test. The scientific side of me says superstitions are rubbish. However, they can't hurt and they do help me through the nervous bits of challenging days. So thank you to my talismans, omens, and offerings for ensuring that I passed the test, completed the paperwork correctly, and received my license.


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