You made the wise choice. I should have talked to you first.

On a separate note I’m absolutely freaked the fuck out by what’s going on in the United States government right now.

Hard same.

I am vicariously excited about the rad prizes (and the rest of the fair) and the non-verbal performance! Also the blueberry muffins, really.

The non-verbal performance was fun! It's been running since 2012 so it is like the local Blue Man.

It had all the stuff that made you cringe if you weren't in RenFaire or a theater kid. It had mime, juggling, magic, break dancing and audience participation. (Fortunately I was in the balcony, so beyond the reach of such shenanigans.)

Beautiful post apocalyptic steampunk doll factory setting, with four "robodroids" (color coded dudes with the aforementioned skills) who "do the robot" as they try to maintain their falling apart factory. Then there's a doll (a girl!). And she comes to life. And when she interacts with the robo-dudes they get zapped with color coded electricity, and joyfully display their skillsets.

It's not really plot driven.

It's a total spectacle with fantastic laser generated light effects which bring the set to life, and music, dancing, and (not particularly funny) physical comedy. The individual performers were all very expert and the integrated light and sound design was superb.

One disquieting thing was that before the show started and at a few key dramatic moments in the story, it went completely pitch black. I have never noticed the lack of lit exit signs and running lights before in my life. It was claustrophobic being completely immersed in darkness.

Anyway, a good 90 minute distraction. I talked to Matilda on the phone after. She's been doing homework all weekend learning her various Japanese alphabets. Her host mom took her to the kendo tournament banquet and she met a lot of teens and they wanted to practice their English on her. They said she should take up Kendo because it's just like baseball, but you swing vertically instead of horizontally.

Her classes this week start at Noon, so I'm actually going to see her this morning before I leave for the airport.

I had a dream about Jacqueline last night.

It’s the first time when I’ve dreamed about her where we interacted or talked.

She was crying like Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle when she was falling through time and space. She kept wiping the tears away but she wasn’t so sad.

She felt so present to me and I said “How can you be here?! How can this be real?!”

She said, “I don’t know.” We were very tender with each other, kissing and touching faces.

Then she heard Matilda from inside the Japanese house. And she went in to check on her.

And I said, “Come back soon.” And she turned to me and said, “ I will.” I was afraid I wouldn’t see her again when she went inside.

Then she crossed through the door and - pop - I woke up.

It made me so happy to see her.

That is lovely, David.

At my gate in Osaka ready to board

Flight 3006 to Tokyo
Then Flight 58 to SFO
On JAL

Weirdly I leave at 5:20pm on 2/3 and arrive on the morning of 2/3.

Super extra long Monday

Safe travels David.

Safe travels David

Thanks! I’m at my gate in Tokyo. Only a ten hour flight coming home.

I left a small bag of souvenirs at security by mistake but I’m hoping Japanese efficiency can round it up.

Travel safely, David. It's just too late for me to suggest, since you've had owls and otters that next you should seek out octopi?

It's been fun catching up with everybody. I share the heart-clenchy dread at each day's news, which I'm studiously avoiding. My reaction reminds me of the Deep Impact movie, "NOW what?" And my opinion on a certain gentleman named after a melon is that he isn't elected, he isn't even a citizen, he's got no right nor business running his pudgy sticky fingers through our financial and other business. He has no plans to emigrate permanently, he's an undesirable immigrant and should be deported. To where? I can think of a few dot-sized uninhabited islands completely out of satellite phone range that would do very well.

As punishment for my uncharitable thoughts, I fell down my back stairs last week, landed on my tailbone, and have been hobbling and complaining and unhappy ever since. My advice? Don't do that.