after a short hiatus

I don't know what is was. After Burning Man, I needed a break. Physically, I was tired, but even after I recovered, I guess I needed some internal time. This was one of the longest volunteer breaks from blogging I've ever taken. I rather enjoyed it, but I missed you!

I actually have quite a few updates to make now, but let me begin with Karen, my freshman college roommate from Germany. She visited here with her partner Gunter, whom I was delighted to finally meet. After seeing her, I finally got the urge to blog. I'm excited to have her appear on Kokochi, as I know she follows it [hi Karen!!].

She's a cat lover too. We hung out catching up on our lives - boy, we've been through a lot together - and giving Kats and Waka lots of love. Karen taught me to enjoy taking afternoon walks through the forests of Portland, OR. Coming from Tokyo, I always walked "to somewhere" with some goal. She always had warm tea and cookies in the afternoon, and come to think of it, grounded me during that bewildering first year. She is dear to me.