Monthly Archives: October 2015

Hug

Posted on October 31, 2015 by d4vid

  

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Fragrance

Posted on October 28, 2015 by d4vid

China throws the term “fragrant” around a lot.  Off the top of my head there is… 香港 (xiānggǎng “fragrant harbor”) Hong Kong 香草 (xiāngcǎo “fragrant grass”) cilantro or parsley 香菜 (xiāngcài “fragrant vegetable”) vanilla 香菇(xiānggū “fragrant mushroom”) mushrooms 香花 (xiāng huā … Continue reading →

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Gnostic

Posted on October 18, 2015 by d4vid

From the gnostic gospel of St. Thomas: Jesus said, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth … Continue reading →

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Gigawatt

Posted on October 17, 2015 by d4vid

Back to the Future was on television.  Nothing has made me more homesick:  the Burger King in Burbank, the clock tower square on the Universal backlot, the Gamble House.

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Mimesis

Posted on October 12, 2015 by d4vid
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Button

Posted on October 11, 2015 by d4vid

I don’t love The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as a film, but I think this quote from the script written by Eli Roth — whose late mother was a beloved screenwriting teacher of mine back at USC — is … Continue reading →

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Sayōnara

Posted on October 9, 2015 by d4vid

So, I go to Terminal 1.  But there are no China Eastern flights from Terminal 1.  That’s an “I” for the “International” terminal. Fuck you, Haneda Airport and your serif-dependent abbreviations. I plan for these things when traveling, though, so … Continue reading →

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Wisdom

Posted on October 9, 2015 by d4vid

  Roasted banana with vanilla ice cream was my birthday dessert. I don’t think anyone knows this story except my mother.  And she’s joined the Church Triumphant.  And would have baked me apple pie à la mode instead anyway.  When I … Continue reading →

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Postprandial

Posted on October 9, 2015 by d4vid

Having drinks at the bar at the Kanaya Hotel.  It’s the ritzy (colonialist?) hotel perched above the Shinkyo bridge over the Daiya River.  In the foreground please note a double of Yamizaki 12.  So much smoother than the Yamizaki 18, … Continue reading →

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Numeromancy

Posted on October 9, 2015 by d4vid

Beloved, today I turned 41.  Which means a scant 366 days until my Answer Year!  Life, the Universe, and Everything!  42!

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Design

Posted on October 8, 2015 by d4vid

  This is a lovely spot by the Daiyu River where I sat and read my book.A huge boulder by the bank has a shrine nook carved into it — moss-covered and empty, now — and lots of Japanese (hard … Continue reading →

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Axis

Posted on October 8, 2015 by d4vid

  The maps around Nikko look super ominous until you realize those are all Buddhist temples (and the swastikas are twisting in an inoffensive direction.)

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Blasphemy

Posted on October 7, 2015 by d4vid

As I approached Taiyu-in’s Niten-mon Gate… Fu-jin the God of Wind goes, “This temple is FABU-lous!” But then Komoku-ten the Protector of the West Sky is like, “Wait. Who invited you?” And Jikoku-ten the Protector of the East Sky is … Continue reading →

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Kamikaze

Posted on October 7, 2015 by d4vid

I made my way to Kirifuri-no-taki.  Perhaps not as impressive a waterfall as Kegon, but in some ways more beautiful, more serene, nestled away, forested mountains as far as you can see in every direction. I stood, red-cheeked, in what … Continue reading →

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Hallowed

Posted on October 7, 2015 by d4vid

  Late one night, in the Stygian darkness, I stumbled on this impossibly chilling shrine & graveyard.  Not nearly enough light to photograph then, but I captured it here the next day at twilight.  (Twilight. Heh.) To enter, one must cross … Continue reading →

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