Kimono World

Yesterday I drove with three friends to Pateley Bridge to attend Kimono World, a show put on by ten women from Japan. The show is a basic introduction to some popular elements of Japanese culture. The show was scheduled to open with a koto music performance but the koto musician had to leave her instrument behind in Tokyo. It did not meet the weight restrictions at Narita airport. As a last-minute substitute the kimono-clad women sang a chorus from a traditional Japanese folk song. After the folk song, the ladies solicited volunteers from the audience to model kimono. While most of the volunteers were whisked backstage, one young woman from the audience stood center stage while Emiko Kajino, the group's leader, dressed her in a beautiful semi-formal kimono. It was amazing how many layers of clothing and straps and sashes went into one outfit. The process is so complicated, it seems impossible for one person to dress herself in a kimono. But Emiko assured us that it only takes her 10 or 15 minutes to accomplish the task on her own. Next, a male volunteer was dressed in a formal kimono. The men's kimono seemed less complicated than that of a woman. The show included demonstrations of brush writing (shodo), flower arranging (ikebana) and a performance of a mask dance. The grand finale was a "kimono parade". All the volunteers who had disappeared backstage came out to model various kimono styles ranging from casual summer yukata, to formal kimono, to a bridal kimono. As a final gesture of hospitality, the women of Kimono World invited each member of the audience to take home a colorful origami creation. The Kimono World troupe had fashioned the origami while flying to England from Tokyo. The show was well received by the audience in the nearly full Pateley Playhouse. As for me, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia for the time Brad and I lived in Tokyo. The women of Kimono World, with their elegant manners, sweet demeanor and ardent wish to represent their culture reminded me of many of the reasons why I loved living in Japan.

Foot in the Door

The bad news is I didn't get hired by either of the two companies I recently interviewed with.

The good news is I will be working on a project for one of the companies on a freelance basis.

Actually this is all good news, 'cause I didn't really want a full-time job anyhow. I'm beginning to make contacts that will lead to assignments. This first assignment is purely artworking using Quark. That's fine with me. I'm getting a bit rusty and it will be nice to flex my Quark muscles again. I will be working all next week at a marketing firm in Leeds. I could drive there, but I think I'll commute by bus instead. I really don't want to have to deal with the headache of rush hour traffic.

Happy Bloomsday!

Today marks the centenary of the day James Joyce immortalized in Ulysses. They must be celebrating like mad in Dublin but here in North Yorkshire the event garnered just a brief mention on the morning news. There was a clip showing a tour guide in Dublin retracing the steps of Leopold Bloom in Dublin. Then there was a gaggle of Americans sitting down to lunch at Davy Byrne's Pub. They were all having the same lunch enjoyed by Leopold Bloom on June 16, 1904: a glass of burgundy and a Gorgonzola sandwich.

I guess someday I ought to read Ulysses. Maybe after I read Samuel Pepys' Diary. After all, I was an English major in college!

Yahoo for Yahoo!

I was checking my email today in my Yahoo! account and the look of Yahoo! changed before my very eyes. Along with the new interface comes a whopping 100MB free storage space. I have been squeaking by for quite a while with a mailbox that was about 70% full. If someone sent me an email with a large attachment I'd get a screaming red warning that my mailbox was nearly full. Now with all this free storage space my mailbox is only 5% full. Wonder how long it will take me to fill the other 95%?

Anniversary

A year ago today we moved from Tokyo to Harrogate. We paid a visit to family and friends in the States for three weeks before changing households. At times it feels as if we just moved here. Our lives in Tokyo are still quite fresh in our memories. I am surprised at how long it has taken us to adjust to life in England. It has, perhaps, been a tougher adjustment than when we moved to Japan. At least in Japan we expected things to be different. We didn't expect life in England to be that different from life in the States, but it is.

Back Home

I arrived back in Harrogate yesterday. The flight back was uneventful. Had a slight delay in Baltimore which gave me just barely enough time to make my connection in Boston. Watched the movie "Shattered Glass" while dinner was being served. The movie was pretty good. The food was pretty awful. Then I was actually able to catch a bit of sleep before they served breakfast. Arrived at Manchester airport at 7 a.m. By the time we got to Harrogate I was really tired and took a nap. I was awakened by the doorbell. The courier had arrived with my new (used) Mac G5! Brad has set it up for me but I haven't loaded any software yet. Just getting acquainted with OSX (Panther) and the built-in software for now.

My last few days in the U.S. were a whirlwind of activity. In three days I fit in a visit to D.C. with JoAnn and Domenica, a date with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, visits with friends, lunches and dinners out, a bit of shopping, close encounters with some 17-year cicadas, a few doctor appointments and a visit to our property on Hawthorne Road to investigate the water damage our poor house has suffered. Whew! No wonder I was so tired when I got back.

Crab Feast

We gathered today at JL's place for a crab feast. It was a real treat for me to be cracking crabs again. Haven't done so in a year. We also had corn on the cob and Italian sausages on the grill. After eating we spent some time hanging out in front of JL's Wurlitzer playing 45s, then gathered in the living room to watch Liz and Shawn's wedding video. The day was cool and overcast, but the sun finally broke out in the late afternoon. Just in time for another set of garage door pictures. There was talk of a trip to Albany in July to visit the Genovese side of the family. Wish I could be there for that visit.

Reunion Dinner

The Reunion Dinner was a blast. The Genovese siblings gathered first at Anna, Sergio and Maria's for a brief visit. It was so good to see them, if only for a brief time. Maria is looking remarkably good for her age and is as sweet as ever. Then we walked down the street to Caesar's Den. Our party was in the banquet room upstairs. There was a good turnout for the dinner and the food was great. For me, the best part was the slide show that Domenica had put together on a CD. The photo selection was excellent. All families of the Bagnato siblings were represented, as well as their pets. Lots of candid shots, both funny and touching scenes, and the obligatory garage door line-ups. The photos were accompanied by a terrific soundtrack and I'm willing to bet that everyone who watched found reason to both laugh and cry. The party animals of the evening were the oldest and youngest representatives of the Bagnato clan: Uncle Luigi, Aunt Domenica, and Ella and Ian Graffunder -- all of whom hammed it up for the crowd and the cameras. The rain lasted all day and into the night, even though the weathermen had promised us clearing skies in the afternoon. But, as Domenica pointed out, it was actually quite appropriate. After all the name Bagnato means wet in Italian.

Sports Update
Smarty Jones came in second.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It has been raining all day, coming down in torrents at times. The weatherman said it would clear up by afternoon but it's 2:30 p.m. and still coming down steadily. JoAnn and I drove out to Veteran's Cemetery today to visit Vickie. The road to the cemetery was flooded in one spot, nearly impassable, but JoAnn made it through without a problem. We met JL, Uncle Luigi, Mary Lou, Ed, Gary and Aileen there. Afterwards all but JL and Uncle Lou came to JoAnn's place for refreshments. I had brought a Yorkshire tea loaf and some Wensleydale cheese from Harrogate. The cheese, unfortunately, didn't make the trip too well. I opened it to find it covered with a blue mold...but it's not supposed to be a blue cheese! This evening we will visit with Anna, Sergio and Maria in Little Italy before attending our reunion dinner at Caesar's Den. Been trying to save my appetite for the feast.

Sports Update

The O's lost to the Tampa Devil Rays last night, 8-7. It would've been a fun game to watch if it hadn't been for the weather.

The Belmont Stakes will be run today. The nation is all abuzz over Smarty Jones, a potential triple crown winner. They are comparing this horse to Seattle Slew. Smarty is somewhat of an underdog, undefeated so far and has won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. I love his name and for that alone would put money on him to win.

Welcome to Bawlmer, Hon

Today I drove into town for a couple of doctor appts. I had to resist the inclination to drive on the left side of the ride, but soon got my orientation straight. I was disappointed that the "Hon" sign was not there to great me as I entered the city via the BW Parkway. I had no problem navigating around Baltimore and felt quite at ease making my way around town. I managed to drive by no less than three of my former apartment buildings. I drove past the B&O Railroad Museum where construction is still ongoing to repair the roof that collapsed during a blizzard. I also drove down 33rd Street where Memorial Stadium used to be. The stadium is gone now and I felt sad as I looked at the construction on the site of the old ballpark. I sure wish the city could have found a way to save the original structure.

Most all the Bagnato clan showed up at Baltimore's new ball park, Oriole Park at Camden yards, this evening, but the weather was miserable. It was cold, windy and rainy -- typical North Yorkshire weather. We ended up leaving at the bottom of the fifth inning, but managed to see the O's get a grand slam home run before leaving.

I'm tired, my throat is sore and I feel like I'm coming down with something. I'm gonna go drink my lemon-ginger tea and go to bed.

A Long and Tedious Journey

I'm in Maryland now for a family reunion. Brad couldn't manage the time off work to come with me. Yesterday Brad and I left the house at 7:30 a.m. for the drive to Manchester airport. We arrived to a long long line at the AA check in counter. There had been a problem with the air traffic control computer system somewhere near London. Flights from London had been rerouted to Manchester, crating chaos with flight schedules. It took me all of 1 and a half hours just to check in. Didn't even have enough time to grab a cup of coffee with Brad before going through the security check. My flight left an hour behind schedule. No problem, though, as i had a long layover in Boston for my connection to BWI. At least that's what I thought! My flight out of Boston was delayed by about two hours, apparently also due to the computer malfunction in London which had generated a series of scheduling backups. I finally arrived at BWI around 8:30 p.m. JoAnn picked me up and now I'm at her place. Other members of the family have begun to arrive and I imagine I'll see them this afternoon and this evening. I've scheduled a few dr. appts. for today and then we will be going to a ballgame tonight. Haven't been to a ballgame in eons!!