off to kyoto! apologies to everyone i have neglected this past week. best wishes for a happy new year!


edit one: i am at my local airport and i regret to report that my face wash has already been confiscated.

edit two: i am in minneapolis and my plane leaves in about three hours. on the way here, i sat across the aisle from a baby about 8 months old, who entertained herself for fifteen minutes or so by making faces at me and laughing when i imitated them, by slapping her leg and then giggling when i slapped mine, too. it must be so hard to be parent. her mother was sitting next to her, sometimes holding her hand and sometimes gazing out the window, and every time her daughter smiled that giddy open-mouthed smile while her mother was looking elsewhere, it seemed tragic. if i had a baby like that, i would probably want to do nothing but stare at her all day long.

i spent the majority of the trip watching the sun above the clouds -- it's been pretty gloomy and grey at home lately, and it's the same on the ground here, but while we were in flight, we slowly arced into the sun's path and suddenly everything was pink and blue and gold. it made me happy just to watch my hair turn orange and red in the yellow light.

as happy as that made me, though, nothing made me happier than to feel the wheels touch ground in gloomy, grey minnesota. i'm not the best flier.

i've been entertaining myself while coco_palmolive does crosswords by attempting to translate the kanji on the walls of the noodlery in our terminal. i'm three for five -- i got light, beautiful, longevity. the other two, no idea. not reassuring!

edit three: in ginza! currently forsaking world's most comfortable bed, even after having been awake for about 33.5 hours straight! can't wait to subject you all to the Odd Surface Ice Formations as Spied from My Airplane Window as We Flew over Alaska slideshow! would talk more but i am way too tired!

Hello.

I used to have to go to these weekly staff meetings, wherein my management team was required to tell the rest of the group the best thing that happened to them in the past week. It was difficult and embarrassing and everyone hated it, and as we were all sullen, pessimistic people, we would have to spend the whole week between meetings trying to think of something we could tell, keeping little lists -- well, that was good, but was it as good as... -- and still we would be panicked when it was our turn on Monday.

Anyway. This is going to be short and clumsy because 1) this is awkward and 2) i want to do it quickly to get keri off my back, but anyway, what that made me do is really take note of good things that were happening to me. I'm the sort that kind of forgets them not long after they happen, and the kind that remembers the bad things for a long time to come. You all are probably better at being positive than I am, but maybe not, and in either case, I think this will be good for you.

Tell me the best thing that happened to you last week. Here, I'll start:

My friend mythfish came to town today. We went out for lunch. He danced to Toxic, although he insists it was ironically. It was a good time, and he gives good hugs, and I was glad to see him.

What about you?

-- right after checking lj, that is, but then there's this new meme thing you all are doing, and so I had to click and see what it was all about.

1. Go here.
2. Pass it on.

( I didn't answer. I suppose the problem is that I haven't met many of you in person. )