Okinawa

It's almost been a year since I was in Okinawa, so I figured now was as good a time as any to get that film developed. I love these shots of my sandal-tanned feet. Thank goodness they don't look all striped like that anymore. Our feet are actually underwater, in the ocean. I'm telling you, I can't wait to go back. When I was there there was a typhoon and although it didn't rain, the wind was blowing sand into places you didn't even know you had.

Let me know . . .

If you've reached my blog, then you've reached the end of the internet, and that's got to be new and exciting. If I reached the end of the universe, I might be tempted to leave a little interstellar graffiti. So, if you have anything at all to say about me or my blog, please feel free to COMMENT. Even if you're shy like me, you can comment anonymously. I'm begging you. I'm blogging out into a void. I would totally appreciate any input and I may even respond.

Until then, thank you for visiting!!

-Kathryn

O Shime

I SOOOOOOO want a shime. I'd be such a good mom to it and I'd take really good care of it. I'm even going to a shime-parenting class called TIASOU Method. It's one of the workshops I got into for the taiko conference. It's taught by Kris Bergstrom from On Ensemble, who are, by the way, fast becoming one of my favorite taiko groups (I don't know if anyone can surpass San Jose Taiko as my all-time favorite group. Not yet anyway). But as I was saying, I'm taking the TIASOU class because I've been wanting to get a shime for some time, but I absolutely forbade myself from having my own shime until I knew how to take care of it, which really means, until I knew how to lace and tighten one myself. Shime have a high-pitched sound that rises above the boominess of josuke (the barrel-sized drums), and the shime gets that high pitch from the skins being pulled tight over the body of the drum. Now, I know there are drums that can be tensioned using a bolt system, but personally, I think the bolts are ugly and they make the drum really heavy. There is nothing more beautiful than the rope wrapped around the drum, and it just seems strange that the earthiness of leather and wood should be forced together using something so unfairly strong as metal bolts. I think since I'm the one making the drum speak, then I should be the one to put that tension on the drum, using my own sweat and my own muscles. I think there is a relationship between player and drum whether you're aware of it or not. The TIASOU Method class is going to show us how one person, using more brains than brawn, can tighten a shime on their own. Once I know how to tie my own drum, then I can get my own, and I plan on doing that at the Taiko Conference. There will be a ton of vendors there and I've got a shime burning a hole in my pocket.

DEBUT!!

On Sunday, our performing group debuted for the first time at the Marin Arts Festival. We played that 4-drum song I'd been working so hard on, Madoka. I think it went well. It was fast and genki and I don't think anyone dropped any bachi. The best part was that we got to play on real drums, not those foam and carpet-covered practice drums we've been playing everything on lately. The stage was tiny, and we were all squished together--all five of us, and all 20 of the drums we use to play the song. But it was great.

One of my classmates who was watching us play said that I didn't look as genki as I did the day before at rehearsal. This perplexes me since I was kiai-ing and smiling and doing my on-stage best at bringing all of my energy into the performance. It's possible that I was nervous and that energy didn't show through. It's more likely that at rehearsal I messed up more, and when I mess up, I usually smile. But I have to say, I wasn't that nervous. I was more excited to be playing and making our debut. I think people think that since I'm so shy and quiet, that I have stage fright or stage shyness. I think the exact opposite is true. On stage, I'm the complete polar opposite of the mild-mannered Kathryn that everyone is used to. I scream. I jump. I make tons of noise. After the performance Janet said something like, "You just need another year of being on stage." Well, I totally trust her and I always appreciate what she has to say and I take her advice and everything, but I've been on stage for 4 years! I'm not nervous! I love to perform. But there must be something that isn't coming through. There's a video of us that I'm going to get a hold of and I'm gonna watch it to see what people are talking about. I guess until then, I'll have to work on projecting. Oh, and making my solo longer!

I forgot the BEST part!

In my excitement over Ted and the paddle boats, I forgot to show you one of the most interesting parts of my day! As we pedaled along on the paddle boats, we noticed a log floating in the water. Atop this log were several little turtles and one mean sea gull. The turtles were enjoying the fine day, what with all the sunshine and the calm waters and all. But then this gull, this mean and cranky seagull, comes along and procedes to push each and every turtle off the log into the water. It was methodical and maniacal. Turtle, plop. Turtle, plop. Turtle, plop.

But there was one turtle who wasn't having it at all. The gull pushed and prodded. Pulled and poked. No way. That turtle wasn't going anywhere. We watched in horror as the gull grabbed one of the turtle's legs and visciously (alligator-like if you ask me) shook the poor thing and tried to pull it off the log. But that turtle didn't budge. Heck, some of his turtle friends were using him as a distraction to get back onto the log, but the gull just pushed them back into the water again.

I have to say we really admired that turtle. We were rooting him on (or her--I really think it was a her) . Go turtle! Stick in there!

I don't know what happened in the end because we were chased away by another group of rowdy paddle-boaters.

A Stinkin' Day Off

On Tuesday, me and KB took the day off from work and decided to go to the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It's housed in a beautiful glass building atop a little hill. A few years ago, the building had been shut down because of extensive damage to the windows. I assumed it was earthquake damage, but surprisingly, it was caused by storms. Today the building is as spectacular as ever:


So what was all the stink about, you might ask? (Hee hee hee. Just had to throw that in there.) The reason why we went was to see "Ted," a.k.a. Amorphophallus titanum, a.k.a. Titan Arum, a.k.a. Corpse Flower. Ted is a gigantic, stinky flower that only blooms every few years, but when it does, everyone makes a big stink about it. (oh come on, I'm funny!) Actually, when it blooms, it emits a horrible smell like a rotting corpse that attracts flies, beetles and other insects that are into that kind of thing. And it's gigantic--did I mention that already? You could lose small pets or babies in that thing.

We arrived the morning after it was at its worst stinkiness. They put him in his own gazeebo inside a very hot and humid section of the conservatory. Not only was it muggy and damp, but it stank too! But actually the smell wasn't as bad as I thought it would be--but still. Ted was a little shy at first:


But when you get a little closer, you can't help but be impressed:


It kind of reminds me of that thing from The Little Shop of Horrors. I think Ted is beautiful in his own stinky way, but I don't think I'm going to try growing that thing in my house.

The Conservatory is just one attraction in Golden Gate Park. We drove around a bit until we found Stow Lake. We had a nice little lunch of hot dogs and Icee's, and I insisted on renting a paddle boat:


Are they called "paddle" boats or "pedal" boats? KB insists they're pedal boats--which makes sense because you have to pedal the boats to paddle them along.

A perfect day!