2016 has been a year defined by social media, exposing its power and the serious limitations. People declare it to be more efficient — and it can be — but that doesn't mean that we will be on-time with sending out our holiday greetings. Again ... our apologies, and please don't take it personally. I mean ... it's not you, it's me!
Be that as it may, time reels out as it always has, so we not only hope for the best, but step more carefully. Perhaps this is a residual of our Star Warsisms, but we find ourselves seeking Obi-wan more often ;) — or as our friend James would declare, "WINKYFACE!")
Many of our friends have crossed into "oh my god I'm old" zone. As one of the elders, I get to smirk ... but also to feel like Yoda, dispensing stuff that can pass as wisdom. We get it now, and I assume there are things I still cannot see clearly yet.
Mom is spending a lot of her time at the farm in Mikata, and Brian went for an extended visit this year — and I'd charged him with learning how my aunt Keiko performed her "old lady magic" to make the best umeboshi, ever. In return, Brian did some building projects and served as a chauffeur so that Mom and her sister could travel to other regions of Japan in comfort. This past summer, they went to Dad's home area and made a loop through Hiroshima; my aunt had never been to any of those places.
The year has been notable for the deaths of talents and celebrities, seemingly en masse. Having lost Dad over two years ago, it seems that the world is playing catch-up, sometimes. But it's also been a year of personal discoveries and re-discoveries — such as attending the Essex Shad Bake with one of my PhD supervisors (have I held the degree for so long already??); teaching myself the details of a Melton Mowbray pork pie (amazingly "refreshing" in the hot summer, as the old recipes promised); reviewing what I understand about death in doing the "first year visit" to Dad's grave and in contemplating what is left after a friend dies. We've made new friends, renewed relationships, and feel personally enriched in a year of loss and disappointment, too.
The year was punctuated by a dog we call "Fatso" — we're ending the year dog-sitting for a friend. That's the cute dog I'm wrestling (and thus who hides from me, but not often enough) in the photos this year. He came into our lives via friends who could no longer keep him; Brian mentioned him to a woman who'd been pining for a little white dog. (Fatso isn't his real name ... just his Maki-name.) He taught us a lot — WINKYFACE!!!
Maki's company's growth justified the opening of a Manhattan office, across the street from Grand Central Station. Besides enjoying the locale and the commute (she gets to read more), she hides things in the freezer to lunch upon, including loaves of sourdough. Drop by for a snack!
Friends have used us to fulfill their love of our chosen native city (which we refer to as "The Island of Misfit Gay Toys"), and they've been gracious enough to let us lead them around the sites, drag them to the opera, feed them stuff that is either not readily available elsewhere or simply iconic or atmospheric. SMILYFACE! We press homemade bento-boxes on them with peanut butter and marmalade sandwiches and cookies in jars, or classic barbeque in ziploc bags or muffuletta in shipping boxes. Sometimes chestnuts and hotdogs on the streets or ethnic supermarkets in grittier sections of town, too. So un-hip, and we love them all for indulging us and for introducing us to things old and new in our own town! But especially, we enjoy going to places we'd never go to ... like to the Oculus or the new World Trade Center — very worth going to. You should visit!
We have traveled a bit — in addition to Brian's month in the steamy summer of Japan, he's made trips to Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Cape Canaveral to help with construction and storage projects there. He's the tradesman people want to know to help with punch lists and maintenance projects. It's a good break from his hospice work, and he's managed to time these projects when I'd be traveling to those locales, too. Best of all possibilities SMILYFACE!
Enjoy the photo slideshow for this year — it's always hard to cull the selection down to representative shots. You're welcome to friend us on Facebook to see more, where we put a description up of nearly every photo we share. It's important that we document our daily meals and happenings there — we've found that it's so easy to forget the finer details of what's happened, what we ate, and even who we might have been with and when! But we don't forget the fun we had with you, and we hope the feeling is mutual!
See you for more adventures in 2017!
Maki & Brian
Made it this far? BONUS!
Fatso is training Maki to make a bed ... Maki is trying to chase Fatso off the darned bed! Neither of us wins ...
And when Prince Fluffypants was returned to his throne within his UES realm:
