The Panama Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Today I toured the Panama Hotel, the hotel that is featured in the book "On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet." The hotel owner, since 1985, gave us the personal touch. She is kind of like a walking history book and has procured an amazing amount of artifacts about the Japanese internment on the West Coast, many of which she shared today. The Panama Hotel is still in operation. It boasts a tea room/cafe, 101 rooms with bathrooms and showers down the hall, a basement in which many of the trunks left by Japanese families during the interment still reside, and best of all the ONLY fully intact old-style Japanese bath house in Northern America. The bath house was the best part. It has not been renovated or updated in any way and was fully functioning until 1963. Apparently, following internment, many Japanese families moved out of the city and relocated to homes with land. The small block near the Panama Hotel that housed over 8,000 Japanese before the war was changed forever. With bathrooms in their own homes, they no longer needed to come to the public bath house. If you ever come to Seattle for a visit and have an inkling for times gone by, The Panama Hotel would be a great place to spend a night or two.

New Year's Resolutions

It is a popular thing to do this time of year, post resolutions to rid oneself of bad habits and replace them with good ones in the new year. I like to do this and have had more lists than I can keep track of in my lifetime that urge me to throw away my vices and become a better person. Now in the year 2010 I find that I have a few resolutions that I can put out there and will probably be willing to keep throughout the year. I don't know about giving up my vices (red wine, coffee, paper books, and hair products) but I do know that there are a few areas of self-improvement that I must try and hold myself accountable to.

The first one would be finding time and space to write more often and maybe in shorter bursts. I plan to tackle the project of shopping for a small, portable computer that I can call my own (i.e., one that I don't share with the rest of the family) hopefully as soon as this weekend. Ideally, it would be nice to be home to write, but in reality I am rarely ever home, at least not during the day and at night I am just to damn tired. So a quick and portable method that does not require paper and pen is most likely what I need to make this goal a reality. At present I do write. It just comes in short and prolific bursts whereby I produce copious amounts of non-quality written work.

Planning a fitness regimen and diet is always a popular one. I have always worked out in one form or another. It was a habit that I started in high school. The difference between me then and me now is caloric intake. Before I started heading towards dreaded middle age, I could eat any amount of whatever I wanted and burn it all off quickly with a five mile run. Now I really have to watch what and how much I eat or there is literally no workout in the world that will help me get rid of the extra pounds. So, I resolve this year to continue doing my workouts as always AND to monitor what goes into my mouth more closely. I have had to become more diligent regarding this if I don't want to weigh 300 pounds, but I still think that there is room for improvement.

I am going to start making coffee more often at home. Yes, I do live in latteland and Howard Schultz resides somewhere in a nearby neighborhood, so by going to Starbucks almost daily I am supporting a local business, right? Well, that may be so, but the support is expensive! I have already started doing this and found that I have been missing steaming, home brewed coffee especially at this chilly time of year.

Other areas that I could try to do better in include the following: Remembering birthdays, I am truly rubbish at this. I don't really hold my own birthday in very high or special regard, so I am not always that great about honoring the birthdays of others. Perhaps it is time that I become a bit less egocentric about this. I also need to tie up loose ends in my personal life. Sometimes I have terrific amounts of difficulty saying "no." I don't seem to have this trouble at work, mostly just in personal situations. There are definitely some personal situations that I need to resolve. I must become less passive-aggressive this year and become slightly more comfortable with a wee bit of conflict here and there. The last thing that I must do on a very regular basis is learn how to relax. We went away over the holiday and I got so relaxed that when I came home I forgot about a number of things that needed doing, including renewing my professional license which I was able, thankfully, to do on-line. I am now thinking that if I relaxed a little and more often, maybe I wouldn't fall into such a pit of laziness and confusion when returning from a restful vacation. The great news here is that my sleep issues are finally being resolved and I am now able to get great sleep most nights without medication.

That's all for now! I will try to update progress WHEN it happens.

"Goodbyes" are the HARDEST THING!!

Today we said "goodbye" to our dear friends the Ady's as they make their way back to Meg's place of birth, the land of Oz. During the past several years, our families have gotten to know each other well. We were a good match, the parents and children. There would always be more good times to come. Now Meg is gone and I can't quite believe it. I have been in denial for so long, it feels like waking up from a bad dream. Ultimately, I sense that this move will be good for their family, not so good for ours. It is hard to be the ones left behind. Meg and I crossed over into many groups in each of our lives and that makes the leaving that much harder. She says that there is a string attaching us and this morning, while saying goodbye, she told me that the string was short and that it will get longer as she moves farther away, but it won't break. I hope it won't break. I will do everything in my power to keep it from breaking, but right now everything is just sad and I am sick at heart and just trying to keep moving through this day and the next, hoping to feel better.

Humane Society Walk

My oldest daughter, two of her friends, and two parents participated in this walk today and it was a fun event all the way around and for such a good cause! We don't own a dog, but our neighbors were nice enough to share theirs with us during the walk. Only later did I find out that we could have registered to walk a shelter dog, maybe next year. Terrific weather, terrific day, and terrific turn-out. When I last looked the Humane Society had raised over $90,000.00 from this event.

Shouts & Murmurs: Easy Cocktails from the Cursing Mommy: newyorker.com

Although I do not swear constantly and fanatically, a friend of mine sent this to me and I found it to be hilarious, plus I actually could relate.

Shouts & Murmurs: Easy Cocktails from the Cursing Mommy: newyorker.com

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School is Back in Session, Drive Safe!

This is my daughter doing her safety patrol duty at our local public school. Last week, during the first week of school, there was an accident that occurred near the school and thankfully not near a crosswalk where children are patrolling. The cause of the accident was lack of attention and speed. Please remember to drive carefully in school zones. If you need to go through a school zone on your way to work and you are late, take another route. If this accident had occurred a block later than it did, a child could have been seriously hurt.

Gifford-Hirlinger Winery

This is a small winery in the Walla Walla, Washington and I just don't have enough good things to say about their wine. I first visited this winery on a wine tasing weekend trip with some friends last fall. I had another chance to explore new flavors at a local wine tasting at which the owner of Gifford-Hirlinger was present. This is a small, family owned winery. I haven't had a bad vintage from them yet and thanks to addicted friends I have been able to sample more than just a few of their fantastic wines http://giffordhirlinger.com. I recommend the LV or Stateline red for starters. Good with food or just to sip at the end of a long (or short) day.

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

I picked this short read up from the library recently. I liked the title. It is supposed to be almost summer, but in my neck of the woods (Seattle) the seasons can't seem to make up their minds so we go from freezing, raining, wind storms to hot and sunny all within a matter of days. My expectations of this book were not high, I thought maybe it would be boring. As I was only checking it out and not buying the book, I figured that I would take a chance. What a nice surprise. As it says in the introduction, it is almost as though this book is about nothing. However, it is about something, it is about the relationship between a young girl and her grandmother. The girl's mother has died and she and her father and grandmother summer, as they always have, in their cottage on an island off of the Finnish coast. Sadly, I had not heard of this author/illustrator, Tove Jansson, prior to this book. She is quite well known in her own country for her artwork and writing, she died in 2001.

In this book the child and the grandmother have many simple and wonderful adventures together. The father is more a backdrop in this story, he is present usually sitting or working, not interacting. It is the granddaughter and grandmother that are wound in their own secret world. Their adventures include such things going for long walks in the woods, discovering secrets in the attic, and sharing in nature, animal, and people exploits together. Grandmother has some interesting ideas about human behavior, many of which match my own, that I have not heard articulated in a book prior to this. For example, the granddaughter wants to hear about grandmother's long ago exploits as a Girl Scout. Grandmother searchs her mind to try and remember. She does remember that when she wanted to share these exploits with her family, no one was interested and now she just can't remember anymore. I understand that. A newcomer builds a huge house across the water from the family's cottage. Grandmother and granddaughter row out to it and it is padlocked. Grandmother says that they should pick the lock and go inside as no one on the island has ever locked anything before, people with class would never trespass, but to be faced with a padlock and a "no trespassing" sign is like a slap in the face to the common decency of the islanders. Like I said, it is a charming narrative. I will be looking for more by this author soon.

Andrew Bird is Terrific

This new album (does anyone but me say "album" these days?) by Andrew Bird is truly amazing. It is lyrical, symphonic, and textured. Thank you to my wonderful writing group for choosing to meet at Third Place Books Pub on Sunday night so that I could hear it. The best new music, new to me at least, that I have heard in a very long time!

I Love the Elephant Today

Today, I love Elephant Car Wash. Yesterday, I got a speeding ticket, I didn't deserve it, but then does anyone ever deserve a speeding ticket? I could dedicate an entire blog entry to how I think that police officers exist to do police work and not have a traffic patrol to set speed traps in order to line their coffers with extraneous funds from innocent motorists, but I will save that diatribe for a later time. So I digress. To continue, I showed copy of said ticket to the attendant at the Elephant Car Wash and he gave me a 50% discount on the spot. That is great customer service and makes me want to advertise! To the elephant I shall go!

It All Happens at the Opera

I am an infrequent opera attender. I have a friend who loves the opera. She used to live in New York city and has a repertoire of favorite opera stars, some of whom she flies specifically to New York to see. I usually attend at least a couple of operas a year with her and sometimes with a few other friends as well.

Last week Seattle Opera featured two operas, Bluebeard's Castle by, Bela Bartok and Erwartung by, Arnold Schoenberg.

Bluebeard's Castle is an old story, but the staging brought a definite new life to this version. It appeared as though the two performers, Bluebeard and wife number four, were being viewed in a moving picture as the stage was bordered by a huge, opulent frame. The stage was dark, there was actual water. Bluebeard's first three wives emerged from door number seven and swam through the small pool in order to get onto the stage. The effect was quite staggering. The shadows and lighting set the tone for "weeping" walls and "blood soaked" riches. Each wife had a time. The first was "dawn," the second "noon," the third was "evening," and wife number four embraces her fate eloquently as "night" to march off stage with the rest of the doomed wives and "all shall be darkness, darkness, darkness."

Erwartung is a one-woman opera. At least she is the only one singing, the stage is full of people though, moving, dancing, and rolling though this dark tale. The story follows a woman who is on an internal journey, where time is fluid, searching the woods for her lover. As the opera progresses, she becomes more disheveled and more panicked as she believes her lover to be with another woman. Is she in an asylum? or Is she really roaming the woods? In the end, she discovers the body of her lover, did she kill him?

The staging was again excellent. The movement of people, furniture, walls, and trees reminded me of Salvadore Dali's art come to life. People were pulled from the wall and slid effortlessly off and under the bed and chair, the water was used again as the naked, almost dead lover rolled across stage, finally splashing into the pool with his last breath.

No, these were not uplifting pieces in a bright and cheery way. They were, however, thoughtfully provoking in a dark and soul challenging way. I loved them both, but I actually liked Erwartung better. I had thought that I might not like it at all and maybe would sit out in the lobby sipping wine instead, but it captivated me in a surprising and spellbinding way.

Ballerina Movie and Beautiful Movement

I just got through reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog," by Muriel Barbery and Alison Anderson. In this book, the young character, Paloma, is considering committing suicide. She is twelve years of age. She decides that she won't take her own life if the can find a movement that is beautiful and perfect.

Yesterday, I saw the documentary Ballerina with my children. The trailer for this movie can be viewed at http://firstrunfeatures.com/trailers_ballerina.html in the beginning of this trailer a ballerina is rehearsing and her arm movements are the most beautiful movement that I have ever seen. The stillness of the studio with the dancer in the shadows and the children peering through the window to watch her rehearse only add to the effect. Although this arm movement is probably the most beautiful movement I have ever seen, I am unlike Paloma in that I wouldn't stake my life on it.

The entire portion of this part of the movie can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGW90ex9QwA It starts between 34-54 seconds into the video.

Slumdog Millionaire

I saw this movie today. I was a bit reluctant after all of the "hype," but I have to say that it has taken its proper place as one of my favorite movies of all time. There is something in it for everyone, action/adventure, drama, romance...The best part for me, at least, was that it didn't present India as a Hollywood image. India is a country that is near and dear to my heart. I have only visited it once, but look forward to returning when my children are older. It is all here in this movie, the beautiful, the bad, the ugly, and the great. India is many things and it would be fair to warn people that some of the ugliness will be hard for Americans to tolerate. I say this based on the conversation of the women seated behind me. They were "horrified" and did not count this movie as one of the best that they had ever seen. I guess that is an appropriate reaction for people who want to view the world through their own cutural lense, but it wasn't mine, so I will count this viewing as a great experience and a wonderful story.

Local Coffee Haunt...Closing

It is with great sadness that I post this entry. We have a small coffee "hut" in our neighborhood and I just found out that they are closing. The best thing about this coffee hut is the barrista, Carla. Not only does she make great coffee, she is always ready to talk about local and world events, her grandchild, my children... just about anything. She is a real touchstone for our neighborhood. I have heard that Starbucks will be opening a coffee bar where the hut once stood. This saddens me even more as I live in an area where gentrification is the norm and the coffee hut was one thing that was eccentric and communal. I have been getting my coffee there for almost a decade. I guess that change must come, I am saddened by the communal loss that will come with it.

Harold and Maude

This remains my favorite movie of all time. I just love the contradictions, he is young and hates life, she is old and in love with it, what she views as a free for all, he views as stealing, his mother wants him to settle down, he wants to settle for an old woman, his uncle preaches war, and he can only see peace. Cat Stevens was still normal, so the soundtrack is great, circa 1971. I love this movie. It is rated in the top 46 for humor. It is in the top one as my favorite.

Dance, Dance, Dance

All three of my girls take ballet. One of my daughters in particular has recently been inspired by this dancer, Lindsi Dec, a principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet. Who knows, maybe this well be one of my kids in the future (not likely if they have inherited my coordination and balance or lack thereof).

Book Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma by, Michael Pollen

I have to say that I was initially skeptical about this book. I really wanted to read it, actually I felt obligated to read it. So many people had said so many good things about it. I am naturally the type of person that veers away from something that comes too highly recommended. It seems that if it has to be that buoyed by everyone it is too slick and commercial for me to enjoy. Also, I was afraid that this book would condemn meat eaters and I am just not ready, probably never will be, to become a vegetarian. My favorite part was when he talked about how easy it is to be a vegetarian when you live in an urban area and are more removed from the laws and activities of nature.

In actuality, this author gave many good reasons for not becoming vegetarian. These are discussed in "The Ethics of Eating Animals" chapter. This author set out to follow four different meals to the end of their food chain. They were as follows, the industrial food chain which culminated in a meal from McDonals that was eaten in the car. The Big Organic food chain ended in a meal made from products purchased almost entirely from Whole Foods. The family farm food chain was next on the list. The author spent a week working with quite a wondrous and interesting "old school" family farmer. The meal culminated in foods grown on this farm, most notably a chicken from the stock that the author became brave enough to help butcher. The last food chain, the natural food chain was the most impressive. The author cooked and served a meal to friends that he foraged, hunted, and gathered himself. He did have some help with things like homemade wine and wild hog pate, but overall the meal was mostly his creation and cost nothing.

This book gives interesting thoughts on how we eat and what eating means in our culture and what it used to mean in cultures past when people lived and died closer to the earth. This book also clarified some things that I have long suspected regarding how our diet contributes to the look and feel of our bodies in this culture. What the meat that you eat eats makes a huge difference, same goes for the plants, and dairy products. Contrary to popular belief, dairy products on the mass level are not necessarily produced without causing harm to the animals.
This is an acting book, I don't think that one can help but not make some changes to what they eat or how after reading it.

Burn After Reading

After much hoopla and not much forethought, I saw the new Coen brothers movie, "Burn After Reading." Let me start by talking about what this movie was about...uh I don't really know. I could summarize, a bunch of people who don't go together at the beginning of the movie are all together in some shape or form at the end after a lot of blackmail, adultery, boozing, working out, fighting, internet dating, stealing, divorcing, and murdering. I guess that about sums it up. The Coen brothers were able to work their typical magic of having you laugh one minute, then having your laughter abruptly interrupted by interspersing scenes of raw violence. Thankfully it lacked sappy tears and emotion, predictable and boring romance, and unrealistic love and expectations in relationships. This movie had all of the elements that I look for when I want to be entertained by the big screen.

Summer Fun

Peace, Love, and Happy 4th of July!

Summer Fun

We went to the Forest Theater on the Kitsap Peninsula today for Father's Day. This is an outdoor theater and performances are given once to twice a year by the Mountaineer's Players. Today's performance was "Beauty and the Beast." The costumes were fabulous, the singing was average, and the weather was beautiful. We have had quite a run of rain and nasty weather here lately in Seattle, so this was a real blessing. Afterwards all of the kids hiked around the theater and played in the creek. All in all a pretty fantastic day. Learn more about the Forest Theater at http://www.foresttheater.com/. If you live out of state and are visiting this area in May-June and enjoy plays this is a really unique experience. They have been doing productions since 1923. The environment is very family friendly.