9368 is the Magic Number

Yes, it's official, I'm running Bay to Breakers YET AGAIN. It's in its 99th year and this is my 4th time (I think) running the race. I am so NOT ready for it, but eh, it's nice to have goals. Yesterday morning I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym and nearly collapsed. This was coming after my most recent high mileage mark of 5 miles a couple weeks ago. I think I hate running on the treadmill. All there is to look at is me and that's not so interesting, especially at 7 in the morning. Gotta get serious with my training and get my butt outside.

Obi the Cat

On Saturday Janet and I headed off to the Dublin SPCA to go kitty shopping. I wanted to be sure to bring Janet with me since I've never adopted a cat before and thought that I needed some trusted and experienced adult supervision. This was my first visit to the pound and I imagined that it would be a hard, cold place with cement floors and pitiful looking animals. Actually what I was imagining was something along the lines of the prison on Alcatraz. How wrong I was! The kitty area consisted of a number of windowed rooms with clean linoleum floors and kitty beds and toys and food and water and well-tended litter boxes. There were a number of staff visiting with the animals and letting people in and out of the rooms. The cats looked happy, or as happy as cats can look I guess.

Janet spotted Obi first. He was in the first stall, chilling on a kitty condo with a sign outside the door that said he had been there for 5 months. Poor guy! We went in a for a visit, and he let us pet him and talk about him in his presence. Janet said he had a skinny butt and that he was a good kitty, but that I should take a look at some of the other cats, just to be sure. But I knew he was my guy. I knew he was my guy since I started looking at his profile on the internet weeks ago and saw his kind, wise eyes peering out at me. It was love then, but after meeting him I knew I'd be taking him home. So reluctantly I went to go look at some of the other cats. They were all beautiful creatures, and I went in to visit with some. There was a teenage kitty room with a couple of black cats. I always thought I was going to get a black cat, but the one that interested me didn't seem interested in ME. There were big cats, small cats, old cats, happy cats, sleepy cats. But none of them were MY cat. Obi was my cat. So I brought him home.

The adoption process was pretty easy. They had me fill out an application, and as Jenna, Obi's caretaker, was looking over it, I felt a twinge of nervousness. What if I had answered a question wrong? What if she thought I wouldn't make a good kitty companion? What if she knew that I was going to let Obi be king of the house and that I didn't really care if he was going to scratching the furniture or not. But after a minute, she said, "Looks good to me!" and that was that. I signed some papers, promised to be a good Mom to Obi, and paid for him on my credit card. It's weird to buy a friend with a credit card.

Then Jenna got one of those cardboard cat carriers and popped Obi in. Janet and I went to my car and she carried him on her lap for the seemingly, endlessly, long ride home. Obi meowed every once in a while, and Janet responded with kind and gentle words. As soon as I got home, I made sure everything in my room was ready for him, and opened the box and voila! Obi! Of course he was frightened and skittish. He walked around my room for a minute, and then promptly planted himself in the corner between my bed and the wall.By evening he was under the bed, but by the next morning I awoke to find him ON the bed, with me! They said this process takes a while. He has his safe place around the bed, and he makes little trips out into the room, and sometimes, if he wants, out of the room. They said he could spend a week or more holed up and freaked out, but I think his progress is faster. I'm letting him do all this at his own speed and at his own pace. Yesterday he came out and said hi to me as I was eating breakfast, but there was a little bump from next door and he ran back in. Small steps. Every once in a while he'll gaze up at the ceiling in wonder as if he's looking at something and when I told a friend about this she said, Cats see things. And I was like, but there's nothing there! And she said, If it were a problem you would know. Yikes! And the thing is, I believe her.

Well I think we're going to be good pals. Never mind that I may or may not be allergic to him, or that he hasn't meowed once since I let him out of the box, or that I'm already tired of having to clean out his litter box. Obi is my guy.

Funniest Thing I've Seen All Week!!

I found this video while taking a sanity break on Cute Overload this afternoon. I don't know what the hell this is, but it sure is funny! I didn't have the sound on, which probably made it even funnier!

Legend of Morning Glory at CSUMB

We performed the Legend of Morning Glory with the team at First Voice. It was a great ensemble with Maze Daiko on taiko, Mark on bass and sho, Mas on woodwinds, KK, Emma and Kimi with their beautiful dance, Jael on direction, and of course, Brenda doing the wonderful storytelling. I swear this show gets even better and tighter every time we do it.

It was great that it was in Monterey this time. The folks at Cal State Monterey Bay were wonderful hosts, and this was a journey that I really needed to take--for my soul's sake. I love that part of the world. I spent four years at UC Santa Cruz, so making my way to Monterey felt warmly familiar. I'm fairly certain that the first time I ever saw Brenda perform was at a show at UCSC. I can't remember what the show was about, but I DO remember her hair!

I'm just gonna be lazy and do slide show blogging.

Load out at our beloved RCW:

Two cars, tons of equipment. I joke that the only reason why they let me in Maze is because of my car, which holds a surprising amount since my humble Yaku is a just a Jeep Cherokee.

And this is what unloading looks like:

It turned out that all we needed to do on the first day was unload and spike. Janet and I were pleasantly surprised that we had half an afternoon to explore Monterey on our own after that. So we decided to go sight-seeing. And of course if you hang out with me, you'll end up at the beach one way or another.

And heck. We even made our way to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We managed to get in in time to see one of my favorite exhibits--the Jellyfish:

Day two was all business. The following are some shots I managed to take during our tech rehearsals. They're pretty self explanatory! These are the guys looking all jazzy:The taiko drums in the fabulously flattering side-lighting:
Mas and Mark jazzing it up:
Brenda working her magic:
More spectacular Brenda:

Bean working the sound effects. I believe that is a plastic grocery bag she is playing. I always said that Bean can play ANYTHING!! I bet if you gave her a bowl of spaghetti and a pair of chopsticks she'd be working out a symphony, or maybe a rock-opera:
All in all it was a great show!! Not sure when we are doing it again, but I don't think this is the last of Ghosts and Girls!!

Kitty Shopping

That's not my cat, but I so want him. His name is Obi and they describe him as gentle and mellow. I love the way he looks more like he's wise and disheveled. That's my kind of guy. Janet has been after me to go kitty shopping, and I'm totally excited for this. We're supposed to go after Monterey, but I need to get myself to the pet store and buy kitty things--bowls, kitty litter, collar. I don't know, feels like I'm preparing to add a child to my home. Janet wants me to get a kitten or two, and I'm open to whatever, but I think I will need to visit Obi at least once before I decide. Ahh, sweet kittyness!

Ghosts and Girls at CSU Monterey Bay

We're performing this again with the Mark and Brenda team down at CSU Monterey Bay. I'm debating whether I want to make the commute back and forth for the tech and the show, or whether I should just give myself a break and get myself a hotel down there. It would be nice to indulge myself a little though. But anyway, if you're in town, come check us out!

Brenda Wong Aoki performing in Legend of Morning Glory A Kabuki Taiko Oratorio with Jazz Ensemble and Modern Dance

A Girl, A Boy, and A Promise... The Legend of Morning Glory is a story from the Kabuki about a poor boy and a samurai's daughter. Separated from the boy, the girl wanders the countryside, searching for him. She becomes the Morning Glory, an itinerant storyteller famed for her tale of lost love. Until one day, years later, he returns... Says the San Francisco Chronicle: "It's always exciting when San Francisco actor-storyteller-dancer Brenda Wong Aoki presents a new work, blending Kyogen and Noh traditions with Western forms and jazz by her no-less eclectic husband, Mark Izu. Adding to the buzz about the premiere of Aoki's "Ghosts and Girls"...she first heard the story, from - of all people- folk icon Pete Seeger, with whom she was appearing on tour." - Robert Hurwitt Visit our website for show information, video clips, and more!	CSU Monterey Bay presents: Legend of Morning Glory A tale from the Kabuki about a girl, a boy, and a promise A kabuki taiko oratorio featuring master storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki; Asian jazz pioneer Mark Izu; dynamic women taiko drummers Maze Daiko; shakuhachi- Saxman Mas Koga; and ODC Dance Jam dancers Kai Kane Aoki Izu and Emma Lanier. Written by Brenda Aoki Wong; directed by Obie-award winning Jael Weisman; choreography by Tony-nominated Kimi Okada; original music by Mark Izu; Janet Koike. Izzy-award winning lighting and design by Patty Ann Farrel. Thursday, April 15, 2010 7:30-9:30PM California State University Monterey Bay 5260 Sixth Ave. Bldg. #28 Seaside, CA, 93955. For audiences ages 10 and up $30 General, $15 for Students Click here for more information This will be the only show playing in Monterey, so please spread the word about it to your friends and colleagues! Thank you!
Artist Biographies Brenda Wong Aoki creates monodramas. Her work synthesizes Japanese Noh and Kyogen theater, Commedia Dell'arte, modern dance and everyday experience. She is acclaimed as one of America's foremost soloists, performing in such venues as the Kennedy Center, New Victory Theater on Broadway, Hong Kong Performing Arts Center, the Adelaide Festival in Australia, the Esplanade in Singapore, the Graz Festival Austria and the Apollo. Of Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and Scottish descent, Aoki's bloodlines inspire her work, which include "Obake: Tales of Spirits Past and Present," "The Queen's Garden," "Random Acts," "Mermaid Meat," "Tales of the Pacific Rim," "Skin Privilege," "Kuan Yin: Our Lady of Compassion," and "Uncle Gunjiro's Girlfriend." Brenda has deep roots in San Francisco. Her paternal grandfather was a founder of Japantown in the 1890's, and her maternal grandmother was vice president of the first Chinatown garment union in the 1920's. Brenda's website Mark Izu's compositions are characterized by his seamless integration of jazz with other music traditions, his mastery of cross-cultural instrumentation, and his ability to compose in many musical disciplines. As the Artistic Director of the Asian American Jazz Festival for 18 years, Izu has gained national and international attention for developing a new musical genre - Asian American Jazz - and has performed with jazz artists such as James Newton, Steve Lacy, Zakir Hussain, George Lewis, Cecil Taylor, Anthony Brown, Jon Jang, and Jin Hi Kim. Izu plays acoustic bass as well as several traditional Asian instruments such as the sheng (Chinese multi-reed instrument) and sho (Japanese multi-reed instrument). Izu has performed his compositions throughout the United States, Canada, Asia and Europe. Izu also composes for film and televison. He received a Northern California Regional EMMY® Award in 2009 for outstanding Musical Composition/Arrangement for his score for Bolinao 52, a film about the Vietnamese Boat People. Mark's website Janet Koike and Maze Daiko creates an exciting mix of instrumentation and rhythms with the physical elegance and powerful sounds of taiko that fill the stage with energetic choreography and vibrant sound. Maze Daiko's website Masaru Koga has lived in Japan, the U.S., and Germany. He has been a member of the San Francisco Bay Area musical community for over eleven years. Masaru received a BA degree in Improvised Music Studies from San Jose State University in 1995, where he intensively studied and explored music traditions of different cultures around the world.He has traveled and performed with artists such as Hafez Modirzadeh, Anthony Brown, Mark Izu, Royal Hartigan, and Fred Ho. As a music educator, Masaru directed a youth improvisation workshop at Silicon Valley Youth Conservatory in 1996. Currently he is giving private instructions in the Bay Area and is artistic director of Sambasia. Masaru's goal is to create music that goes beyond styles and idioms, and ultimately help diminish and eliminate boudaries. Kimi Okada is the ODC Associate Choreographer, ODC School Director, founding member of ODC and has choreographed over 25 works for the company. She was nominated for a Tony award for the Broadway production of Largely New York, and has choreographed for theater, opera, film, television, and circus across the country. As the ODC School Director, Ms. Okada oversees a professional faculty for youth and adults offering 250 dance classes per week. Jael Weisman plays the role of director for this production and productions for most of Dell'Arte's major works. As a founding member of the Dell'Arte Players Co., Jael pioneered an actor-based theater in which the actors participate directly in the creation of a piece with the director and playwright. He has received many Dramalogue Awards for his work. He has directed and acted with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, and won an Obie for his direction of The Dragon Lady's Revenge. ODC Dance Jam is a youth company of 14 young performers, ages 14-18. The Jam performs the works of Artistic Directors Kimi Okada and KT Nelson as well as other Bay Area guest choreographers. The teens are challenged with sophisticated choreography, professional performance standards, and the goal to achieve the complexities of diverse dance style. The Jam performs in professional venues, schools, and fundraisers for many social service organizations. ODC Dance Jam website __________________________________________________________

Mushrooms!

During my walks this season, I've been noticing these strange and beautiful things popping up--mushrooms! I haven't actually taken the time to stop and examine a mushroom since my childhood. I just remember those mushrooms appeared suddenly, usually after a rain, and usually sprung out of a stinking pile of the neighbor's dog sh*t on our front lawn. My parents always warned us that mushrooms growing in the wild like that (or as wild as lawns in the LA suburbs can be) were dangerous! and poison! There was always something about the threat of something being poisonous that we took very seriously. But the mushrooms were an irresistible object of curiosity, because they had just popped up overnight after all, and they were wondrous in their marshmallowy texture, in their gentle white perfection and in the fineness of the gills that lined their underbellies that begged touch and dissection. But there were the warnings after all, because we would DIE if we touched them, and we imagined with great deliciousness the horrible writhing deaths we would face if we even thought about putting them in our mouths. Yet the forbidden is always what attracts us, and there were those brave moments when we got close enough with a stick, ready to poke and prod, to pull back the mysterious cloak of their existence--only to be driven off in disgust by the sudden and overwhelming and pungent whiff of fresh dog crap. And so curiosity is trumped. Somehow by the end of the day the mushrooms had either shriveled back brown and black upon themselves, or had been kicked to pieces, thoughts of poisoning and danger as fleeting as the mushrooms.

And so, years later on one of my walks I notice this flash of color. Just a little something out of the ordinary. Turns out it's a mushroom, and though I've seen them before, I hadn't really stopped to SEE one. This one was beautiful. Smooth and creased like an ear, sensuous in its shape, delicate among the sharp dead leaves. I mean, how cool is that? And then I started looking for them, and there is something about the weather that's making them all pop up like little exclamation points in the landscape. And not out of piles of crap either. These mushrooms appear in the piles of rough and rotting and otherwise unremarkable stretches of dead leaves. Places where the spring grasses haven't sprouted yet. The dry spots under trees you ignore. I know absolutely nothing about mushrooms. I still don't touch them (except for that one irresistible one later on), but I have been enjoying discovering them. There are so many different kinds! And different colors and shapes and sizes and groupings. Some grow in gatherings of sloppy ellipses, and some appear singly in lonesome places, and others jump out of the earth one on top of the other, as if it were a race to get there first. Different varieties appear at different times, and the rains call them forth, and the rains melt them away. I'm just gonna post a bunch of pictures and let them speak for themselves, mostly.

Piles of mushrooms. These were some of the first!

This was the one I had to touch. Cool and smooth like a cold ear in the middle of the night.

Last year there was a large cluster of mushrooms that I called "Smurf Village." When we went to go look for it this year, all we found was Azreal, the Smurf's feline nemesis. No sign of the village at all.

This one looks like a tongue!

This weird one sprouted from the earth fully formed just like this!

These were so tiny they were easy to miss! They grew on mossy trees!

This is the same one as the one above, but a few hours later. Gone already.

Is this even a mushroom?

This little mother/daugher pair found us after a walk, just sunning themselves on a log.

And is this a mushroom?

These are really big, about the size and texture of pancakes, all growing out of a tree stump!

This one was the most bizarre of all! What the heck is it?