As the year ends.

the christmas rush is in the past.
We are home for the quiet of a big city largely empty.
New years in Japan is a cleaning out, thoughtful, peaceful holiday.
A time to pause and consider.
There is much considering to do.
There is also much tea drinking, and doggie snuggling, and loitering and
lazing around to do. While I think about the future.

Home for the Holidays

Tap dancing santas, and baking
and food
and family and
by the way palm trees- but
There is snow on the cabinet top.
Makes dreams of a white christmas
come true.
And all the love makes it
all cozy anyway.

Wintery Heart

Feeling clear, cold and blue.
Just like a December morning in Tokyo.
The detachment is helpful in the chaos.

Winding Down

Final bursts of color

and lights 

and yellow and brown leaves 

as we wind down this 

very

very

very 

interesting year. 

It has been a year of moving, and changes

and passion and collapse

and so much more. 

I feel a need for some quiet thinking 

and pondering what is next.

Holiday Tea Time

the only thing better than delicious, strong, hot, tea with milk and sugar
is that same tea all dressed up for christmas-
with carols
and lights
and sweet things
and dreams
and old ornaments
and older movies
and friends
and family
and presents with bows
and some without
figgy pudding, goose, cheese plates, family await

Lounging

Sometimes you need to lounge on red velvet
to try to feel fabulous.
It doesn't always work.
But it helps.
In fact when feeling fabulous is difficult
I recommend flashes of luxury
wherever you find them.

Dreaming time

Sun and moon rises,
and so much to do between each one
as the days to this year
are rushing down to the final hours.
Trying to find some dreaming time-
To think about what comes next.

Sign of the times...

sometimes it is just all a scattered mess.
oh, and by the way- it's been raining
all day.

giving thanks, 2012 version.

It's that time again.
Thankful that we are here.
Celebrating with each other and others and more others.
Making tons of turkeys and sharing the love
oh and the mashed potatoes.
pie too, don't forget the pie.

pulled and pushed

Things are more than a bit out of control.
pulled like crazy in too many directions and making mistakes
for everyone
behind, on everything
and just trying to hang on.

basking

How long can you bask? (before it is considered old news?)
I intend to see how long I can stretch it out.
good stuff.
good man.
good future.
Time to get some stuff done. 

behind the times

fall is here.
I feel like I am not yet ready, but
I think my team, and family, and friends are.
Usually i go into this season raring to go...
Have to get some help and advice.
Anyone know the number for the Great Pumpkin?

Break Time is Almost Over

break time is almost over.
see you later sea, sun and sand.
just enough time left for a lovely family meal
and a dip in the hot tub.
then back at it.
It was a good wedding-related visit and our
congrats to the happy couple.
family time is a wonderful wonderful thing.

break time

Sometimes you need a break
more than you think you do
more than you admit to yourself or others
more than some people may think proper.
When you find yourself in those moments,
I recommend pink champagne, oh, and palm trees if you can get them.
And the most important ingredient of a proper break...
no guilt.

working together

Working in the fall, on the porch
with those I love!
very nice way to build a life.

roll over

Sometimes what i WANT to do is roll over and play dead
but when i resist the urge, more often than not,
good things happen.
Yes, we are too busy,
and yes we are not perfect,
and yes we can do better BUT
we still kick ass- and we are getting it done.
Just maybe not the way we imagined.
Upside down is also ok.

big city / big lists

I'm home again. Back to the big city.
Big plans, and a godizilla sized work load.
My to do list could wrap around Tokyo.
(Perhaps more than once.)
And Fall is here.
Busy busy time of year.
Nose - meet - grindstone.

breaktime

Autumn colored kitties,
and backyard breaks
cleaning and clearing
endings and beginnings
uptime and downtime
plans and schemes
cool mornings
sunny afternoons
and restful nights
much work 
we are getting it done.

Royal-Tea

Mornings with tea.
thinking through plans and priorities.
-good starts.
for good accomplishments. 

down home

I had a taste of the south, it was inspiring, energizing
and tiring all at once.
Now I am ready to roll up my sleeves
and dive into it.
Searching, freeing, cleaning,
packing and prepping.
Writing, pushing, reading
and voting.
In a glorious mixed up mess,
Together.

not so footloose and fancy free

Leaving home is hard, being away is hard.
I love to travel- but I hate when things go wrong while I am away.
Flooding, injury, missed opportunity.
It makes it difficult.
Hope it all stays together for another 12 days.
Too.Much.Stress.

A Wee Bit Weary

After such a long hot summer
we could all use a little rest.
Alas it is not time yet- still more to do.
as they say here in Japan,
"issho ni gambarimasho"

Summer Pause

Summer is winding down.
A big hot sultry season with wins and losses.
Lists and accomplisments.
We still have some long roads to walk.
But we are looking ahead and preparing-
From this brief pause in the summer sun. 

Cheers!

Yesterday was a day of Toasts!
Cheers to me, and 45 years.
Cheers to breakfasts, lunches, cafes and dinners.
Cheers to LIFE! in all of it's bubbles, and creams, and rich flavors.
Cheers to celebrating each moment. 

Pitfalls, Potholes, and Hidden Tacks

Sometimes watching out
for hidden tacks and slippery slopes
is a full time job.

Droopy sunny heads and blossoms

Droopy summer sunflowers
I am alternately energetic and wilted
optimistic and overwhelmed
skilled and screwed up
as the blue hazy skies change from clear to cloudy and back again
and the heat rolls off the city streets

bits of beauty

so I walk a certain part of my area every day
sometimes multiple times
zoning out, usually...
But there are bits a beauty everywhere, and I decided
I am going to pay attention
and share
and revel
in "a place"
wherever I go.

well and truly summer

Hot days and sultry nights
hours of fireworks
beaches and ice in colors nature never intended
sugar sweet stickiness and oh the flowers
lazy bobbing heads of yellow and black
it is well, and truly summer

Old Windows, New Opportunties

Doors and windows close

new ones open
new pathways and new experiences
new people and new opportunities.
But we move on always with a little sadness
for what we left behind.

Holding Court

Crowning the kings and queens of summer.

The heat from the pavement

makes me want to run away to the beach

and hold court with the seashells, the sand and Oh, the waves.

Soon we will sneak away for a few days, and it can't happen soon enough. 

 

On the road

Having wheels is not always enough.
Sometimes the going is slow, the road is winding
and the traffic signs are confusing.
You just gotta keep going.
Assume the best and believe
that when the time is right
somehow you will arrive.

Crystal Clear

Before you can serve people
you have to set the table.
Before you can move forward
you have to take a moment and think.
And prepare,
For what comes next.
But for a few minutes when the table is set
and the guests have not yet come- you can
imagine that the future is as perfect
as a white table cloth and shining silver and
clear clear crystal.

quiet colorlessness

This week I am feeling it all in black and white
Feeling muted and quiet and tired and grey
the color will come back I know but maybe not today
in the meantime- just letting it happen.

Making Sense of Senselessness

Sometimes no matter how much you want to understand why
you cannot make sense of senselessness
It is not like the movies
There is no time machine to go back and change the course
there is no sudden hero to save the day
no epiphany - just a choice in a dark, quiet moment
and then silence as the world keeps moving past

giving in to summer

Jumping into summer.
breathing in the heat. 
immersing myself in sultry days, cool bits of shade
water and frogs and dogs and bits of beauty-
and summer fun.

your home is your castle

This one is not my style. But the sentiment is true.
Your home should be your castle, your keep, your citadel. 
A place that makes you feel safe, happy, at peace.
There should be beauty and love.
And a little luxury too- be it a flower in a vase
a glass of wine with a loved one, a window to the world
or a cozy spot to dream and recharge.

Simply Delicious

There is a simple beauty
to things well made respect paid to details.
There is a satisfaction to sharing ideas
and sharing with all our senses to all of your senses
there is a pride
in a job well done.

A Toast, to Life!

It's been a week of celebrations. (and cocktails)
Projects launched, marriages and big milestones,
wine dinners, and websites.
Important to take the time to say "cheers" along the way.

Making Rainbows

Sometimes I need to just be proud of myself
and my rainbows.
I have done some pretty good stuff.

dreamers and wishers

Even in a city this big, with this many people and this much haze.
you can still find a starry night sky
to dream under
and wish upon

in black and white

There is something about the past that is so resolute.
I think nostalgia comes from the certainty of understanding.
It happened and you looked at it and filed it away- like an old postcard, school year book, favorite snippet.
It is now black and white because it is not longer unclear.
It happened.
It was real.

How To-s

I was so intrigued by this little pamphlet in a DIY shot. How to Idea!
indeed.
There are good and productive ways to Idea.
I like the idea that TO IDEA is an action, a verb, an activity on it's own
Not To Make, To DO, To Finish, To Complete-
but first TO IDEA.
I love possibilities.

woman-power

Last weekend it was all about what we can all do
find our confidence
reward and support ourselves and each other
find a path
deviate from it
find it again
be real
and be women

there's a lot out there

I love to play and many of the tools seem better than the ones before.
the question is how to choose, what works best, what is a fad and what has some long term staying power?
What does my online life look like? How does it fit with my offline life?
Questions for a new age.

Sometimes it is easy in all the obligations and details and paperwork
to forget that it is about the food and making things taste great
and sharing that with others. That is what makes me passionate.
That is the reason.

round and round

We are back from SXSW 2012. It was a round and round circle of walking, ideas, talking, thinking, tweeting, texting, seeing, doing, sitting, recovering, sleeping, and planning. Mostly planning. Glad we went. Want to go again next year.
Still. Love. Austin.

from A to Z

It is really time to get all the pieces in line.
Time to think about ALL of the steps, not just the ones I dance most naturally.
Time to harness my energy a little better and hone my focus.
Hand off what someone else can do better.
And get done what I can do myself.
A to Z

Making Strides

Lots of things are moving forward.
Slowly.
But I feel like I am getting there, step by step.
Time to focus on a few of the sticky parts.
The ones I avoid.
Time to get real.

half time

These days,
1/2 the time it is going right
sometimes better than right.

...but just don't ask me about the other half

slow start

This year is starting slow. 

Lots to do, but for now

most of it is bumping around in my head.

A bit sluggish on the outside

not a bit on the inside.