Kokochi

why I blog:

I got a wonderful, heart-warming email from a Kokochi reader:

I've been reading your blog for years (since the Tokyo

Tidbits days)--I stumbled upon it while researching

about Tokyo and your posts were so good I kept

reading. Anyways, I actually saw you at Burning Man

last month, at the tent near where Oakenfold was

spinning, but I didn't want to bug you and your

friends. Then I saw you at Love Parade this weekend

too, from far away! OK, if I see you a third time,

I'm gonna have to come over and say hi...

Anyways, congrats on your wedding and have a happy

fall!

Now, ain't that cool? I do hope to meet this person (we've exchanged some emails). I simply LOVE the online to offline connections. Sharing my ramblings online isn't just for record keeping (although it does keep details much better than my brain can these days), and it's not interesting to be doing this just to show one person's life. It's the real reaching out I get from time to time that makes it all worth it. Yay for blogging!

SupperClub

After the Folsom Street Fair, we dropped by the SupperClub that just opened, for a drink (or two). Since we know the folks there, we got to sit in the dining room even though we weren't having dinner! And got to see the neat performance art.

I loved the lighting most. Soft and playful colors. Reminded me of some bars in Tokyo that had futuristic themes. Rounded corners, smooth curvy walls, plastic chairs, and baby-colored lights.

Dav and I plan to bring my parents here when they visit soon. That'll be fun!

Folsom Street Fair

[My email isn't working on my phone now so I can't moblog. Catching up here on weekend affairs.]

There are far better pics about the Folsom Street Fairon the web, so this is just to show our new red horns Dav and I purchased at the fair, and our lovely group of friends. As usual, Elaine had a knock-out outfit.

Love Parade 2005

	Click to see video.

Again, what a fun parade the Love Parade was! Dancing down the middle of Market Street, past all the mainstream stores and shoppers, a street full of dressed up fun-loving dancers! Then filling the civic center, and finally, inside the freaking city hall!

Dancing inside the city hall was the best. Our dear friend David got a bunch of us VIP passes. Kid Beyond and the Mutator played right on the stairs in the middle, the music echoing throughout the hall. Bless SF for being so cool like that!

city hall pics

Since our BM wedding was the real deal, when we went down to the SF City Hall to file the marriage papers, I wanted it simply to be a formality and nothing special. In fact, Dav and I went to the city hall during my lunch break! However, even though we just wanted to file paperwork, we were required to do a ceremony with a judge, and do the whole "I do" thing again.

I couldn't help it. I was touched. I giggled and cried with emotions all over again. Our judge was super sweet, and Dav was super loving. I had taken pictures (the judge took the picture of us kissing; he made sure he got that shot!), but actually forgot to post them until a friend requested to see them. So here they are :)

Clarification: this was done a week after our BM wedding, on 9/7. I just completely forgot to post the pics until now.

Capoeira

Click to see video.	Click to see video.

Last Monday (still catching up with posts), I got to sit in on Elida's Capoeira class. She just passed her 2nd level test and got a new belt (congrats!). I knew Elida was really into her classes, but I had no idea how hard it was. I would have collapsed within the first 15 minutes. But once I got over my astonishment, I really enjoyed the interaction and beauty of the movements.

A very very tiny part of me wanted to try. I say tiny, because I also realized personality-wise, it's probably not for me. The group is tight and works intensely together, and often each person is in the spotlight (something I wouldn't enjoy).

The end was also fantastic. Everyone formed a circle, and sang and played music together. Then they finished with each playing the visiting Master from Brazil. I'm very glad I got to see it. I'm so impressed with Elida!

Sailing - my version

The Sunday after Burning Man, Dav took me sailing. This was my first time with him. I knew the Bay would be rougher than the New England sailing experiences I had as a kid, but jeez, now I know why Dav was required to pass 2 levels to even start sailing.

I do love sailing, but it'd been a while. So when the winds picked up and the boat keeled what seemed dangerously over, my muscles tightened. My toes barely reached the opposite seating structure which we sorta stood on as the boat tipped. I gripped the side in that strong, tiring and unnecessary way, like I do when on a roller coaster. I asked, "are we going to capsize???" to which both Dav and his sailing mate laughed, "Naw, today is beautiful. It's the calmest day ever!"

Then I got sick...all the way over to Tiburon.

Fortunately, by the time we headed back, I was feeling better, and much more prepared. Put on my skiing jacket and pants, and didn't mind one bit when waves washed over us. I took a few pictures, and wasn't going to post them until I saw Dav's post, and thought, "wait, he left out the details!!"

after a short hiatus

First of all, many MANY thanks to those who commented or sent wonderful notes about our marriage. It's the best gift of all.

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.

ただいま tadaima ... we're married!

Got back late Monday night from yet another wonderful Burning Man (pictures to come). Many thanks to my incredible Dav who labored hard packing all our stuff and drove the whole way home. Instead of the average 7 hours, it took about 12 hours! It's been an emotional adjustment back because of the horrendous Katrina tragedy. Incomprehensible. We were ignorant of it until the day before we left as news trickled in.

On a personal note though, I am extremely happy and can't believe my fortune that I am now married to Dav! We married at Twilight Zone at Burning Man on Wednesday evening. I love Dav's blog post about it. I love calling him my husband, I love him calling me his wife, I love that we will have the same last name, and I love that I get to spend the rest of my life with him. I am so warmed by the many congratulations we've been receiving. Everything feels so natural and perfect.

It's quite special that our whole relationship has been blogged about (we even had a private blog when I was living in Tokyo so yes, pretty much everything is on one blog or another!). Folks who know me from TokyoTidbits have followed our story, and to me, it's a fairytale.

The picture above is from Burning Man 2002, when we first met. I believe this is the first picture I managed to get of just the two of us (vs. a Campalicious group picture where we always 'happened' to be next to each other). I was a bit bashful of asking Dav if I could have someone take it for us...trying not to be obvious in wanting a special twosome photo. Sure glad I did!

After I went back to Tokyo that year, thanks to the internet, we continued a polite but touching banter. When he visited me 2 months later, we were still rather cordial with each other. The first day, walking around Tokyo together, I had wanted so much to hold his hand, yet dared not to. But finally we shared how we really felt ... I remember distinctly sitting on the couch in my tiny apartment, grinning and telling him how I decided I wasn't going to allow myself to be shy and reserved with him...that I wasn't going to hold back anymore...

Then, when I moved from Tokyo to San Francisco to be with Dav, I wrote on my blog, dated August 20, 2003:

I am leaving tomorrow. I continue to be a nervous wreck cuz my apt. is amazingly still full of stuff. Don't know where it all came from. Anyway, I'm off. Been waiting a very long time for this and can say with every cell of my body that this is the right thing to do. It's seems a dream that Dav and I will actually be together like a normal couple. No more relying on email and typing so much my thumb got numb.

And here we are now as a married couple. I'm looking forward to growing old together.

We plan to have some sort of celebration in October, when my parents will be visiting. Today, Ian told me that upon telling Julia and Tyler about it, Tyler then went on to tell his friends, "I'm going to my aunt's party and we have to wear funky clothes." How cute!!

And now, there is a piece of paper in some drawer at the San Francisco City Hall that records our marriage under law.

and we're off to the playa! Burning Man 2005

Been packing all last night and this morning, and thanks to Dav's brilliant packing FU, he got all our stuff to fit on the jeep and in the trailer, with spare room to have Heiko ride with us.

Migdal arrived so we can take him over to Alameda where he will pick up the rented communal truck, drive to various locations to pick up stored communal shade structures, drop off the truck so Pete, our driver, can finish the loading once he's off from work today. It's not a simple feat, but we all come together.

Just before leaving, Heiko, Migdal, and Dav cut rebar to hold down our tents on the playa.

Can't believe we're going! I'll miss my kitties (been hugging them extra), but they are in good care with my housemates. I plan to take pictures of all my costumes and will show them later.

Until then, I'll be off-line. Yay!