Kokochi

Blogging for Charity

Hi Everyone,

A little announcement. I'm going to participate in Project Blog 2004. I'll post a pic or a dazed mumbling every half hour depending on the time it is from 8 a.m. for 24 hours on July 24th. Don't know if this is crazy or if I'll just get even more addicted to moblogging, but if you can sponsor me, some special animals will be very happy at the Best Friends Animal Santuary. Click on "sponsor a blogger" under the project-blog menu and search for Kokochi.

Thanks!

"Jimmy (center) and his pals. Feral cats don't usually take well to people, so at the WildCats Village they can make friends with each other and do their own thing together"

"You're really just like any other kind of orphaned child when you first come to Dogtown. Brandi had been kept chained in a yard in Ohio. She broke away, got into a fight, and was taken to the pound. A Best Friends member there was able to arrange for her to come to the sanctuary."

Via Best Friends Animal Santuary

Tokyo

I have a short biz trip to Tokyo and am about to hop on the plane! I'm quite happy about this, but unfortunately, I won't have much time to meet socially. I'll actually be back in SF before Dav even gets home from NC (shucks, no time to finish painting the door...)

My brother is there with his wife and kids too. A rare moment when my parents and us can all get together. We'll miss Dav though.

Anyhow, I hope to post a bit from there, but sorry if I'm not able to meet up with anyone!

Why I love blogging

There are many reasons why I love blogging: the act of documenting what I'm doing or thinking, the enhanced perception of things I get from always thinking "is that blogging material?", the developing diary I've never had which can be fun to go back through, and more.

However, by far, what touches me most are the personal connections that are created through all this. I met some very cool people in Tokyo through blogging and blogging meet-ups. I still keep in touch through reading their blogs and occasional personal emails. There are also people I feel connected with since they have left many comments on my site even though I've never met them. These online relations really are meaningful...at least for me. It's an exciting and whole new way to interact with my fellow human beings.

And just recently, I received the most touching email from Anne, a person living in Australia, who had been reading my scribblings, unbeknownst to me, for quite some time. She had stumbled across Tokyo Tidbits when she was thinking of moving there. I instantly felt Anne's warm reach and responded. Hopefully she'll get a blog up soon and we can both get to know each other. Kind of like a new version of pen pals. Anyway, allow me to share some of Anne's words.

"Dear Mie,

Well this feels kind of weird but I've been reading your weblog for a

while now...I can't even remember how long...I think it was a little

while after you moved from Tokyo Tidbits to Kokochi. Anyway, I really feel

like I should introduce myself to you since I have been getting to know

you through your blog. It feels somehow...unfair or rude that I should

get to know you and not introduce myself! It's interesting how blogs

can foster new forms of social interaction, where it's hard to know the

etiquette."

Thank you, Anne. I'm not sure if there is any set etiquette, but I totally appreciate your words. It's true that a big part of my life is "out there in public" but it doesn't feel that way, precisely because of interactions such as ours. There's something very meaningful and powerful going on.

Kai-kun!

Having dinner with friends Esther, Kevin, and their 8 month old son, Kai. Last time I saw little Kai, he was a baby...Now he looks like a little boy! And Kevin and Esther love being parents...They are all too cute!

A proud moment in Kokochi history

Well, Silvetta's awesome camera quality had a lot to do with this, but for the first time, I received an inquiry for permission to use a photo I took with my phone.

This photo, from the Forgotten Opera:

And the person asking permission was no less than the photographer in that photo! I certainly never expected that.

Incidentally, Kokochi came up 4th (now it's 5th) on Google if you type, "can you give your cat a haircut?"

And it's pretty popular for "eeny meeny miny mo" too.

You just never know when you start these sorta things...

Muir Woods

	Click to see video

After much eating and drinking for July 4th, we decided to go hiking today. Eric joined us. So nice to breathe sweet air and be among old trees.

Wakame's New Strategy

Remember Wakame's morning ritual? Eventually, she stopped bringing the sock into our room and reverted back to the doorstep method. We have the same dance though: she brings it around midnight, meows outside the door, pokes her way through the cat door, snuggles in with Dav and I, then in the morning I put the sock back in the cat toy pile. Then we repeat.

Well, today we discovered a surprise. In addition to the sock, she dragged a poi swing thing all the way from the living room, down the long hallway, to the door. The Poi Swing has a small, but weighted sand bag that creates momentum when one is swirling it. I crack up just imagining small Wakame dragging this heavy sack with a long tail all by herself in the middle of the night.

I'm now thinking she's identifying objects that match our bedroom door colors. Could this be her ode to the door I painted? (Which, by the way, I started painting during Dav's last business trip and haven't quite finished. He has another trip this week, so I'll finish it and show you the final product in all its flying colors.)

Berlin Wall

After dinner we went to Larry's place that is full of art. There was a pic of a part of the Berlin Wall...and Dav pointed out "Mie" on it! Anyone have an idea what the context could be? I am curious.

Larry also collects kaleidoscopes. We were like kids looking into each and saying "cooool." His were true collector's items.

Not to make you jealous, but

Sushi for dinner

With Dav, my brother and his friend Larry at Okoze in Russian Hill. Heaven!