Hail in San Dimas

It was raining tonight, so we were a small group.

Because Ron's piece was hilarious, he was requested to read it again.  This was right after his punch line of the first paragraph.  Only the members who were there know it.  So, don't miss your meetings!

After 9 p.m., we came out of Taco Factory and saw this.

I don't remember whose feet they are, but he must be 12 years old.

This was a bonus scene.  Outside was cold, but we just had the warmest writers workshop ever!
I love our group!

Dancing on the snow in San Dimas!  Well, it was hail, but it sure looked like snow to me!

rain turned to hail
readings jumped to laughter
we went home dancing


Thank you, Lewis, for giving me and my bike a ride home.

The Beatles Tokyo Concert in 1966

If you missed the Beatles Tokyo concert in 1966, this is for you.  The download is good only until Monday.

"34 Minutes"  Chapter 10 from my memoir in progress 

Read by Mike Hacker

http://tbf.me/a/Pikp7

My Thought on Haiku Part 2

I've taken one haiku class/workshop in Japan a few years ago, and I can’t remember exactly, but it was like this.  The format of the meeting was that we all wrote on a few strips of paper one haiku each, and the instructor gathered and mixed them up.  I don't remember how many, but we also wrote at home and brought them in.  Anyway, the instructor also did the same and mixed all up and gave five or six strips to each student. We had more than 20 people in the class.  Then we wrote those haikus we received on a sheet of paper.  If we saw our own, we just returned it to the instructor.  Anyway, I don't remember how many we received and wrote on a sheet of paper, but we did that a few times.  

The rest I don't remember, but it was quite democratic process to select good ones.  We don't know which ku belong to the instructor or senior students until the end.  A few times, mine was selected out of blue.  The instructor asked who wrote it, and I just raised my hand.  I was so glad needless to say.

Anyway, I'll go back to Japan and take the same haiku class, and this time, I'll pay attention and learn and write about what I learned in English and take photos if I need to and report it on my blog and FB.  I've read Basho's books and a few other books by Takahama Kyoshi, but I'll reread them again.  Oh, just one I recently reread was Kyoshi's books "The road to Haiku."

Kathabela asked me if that book was available a few times, and I always answered I don't know, so I just checked Amazon.  I searched Takahama Kyoshi and found only Japanese books.  Because the language and culture are different, it must be hard to translate, and as soon as Japanese talk of the tradition, non-Japanese would not accept it as saying "why cannot be done in other ways?"  Anyway, Japanese haiku is based on the tradition, and without the tradition, haiku was not created.  So I feel in the middle.   I nods to Americans here, and I go to Japan, and I nod there, too.  But I’m sure I’ll learn and discover something interesting, not just conflicts.

Also, there are always exceptions, but exceptions are exceptions.  Mostly we don't strive to write those kinds.  They just happen sometimes.  That’s my opinion.

More on Onomatopoeia

I enjoyed my first haiku meet at Pacific Asia Museum yesterday.  Thank you、 Deborah and Kathabela for inviting me.  At the meeting, one haiku made me giggle.  I received his permission to blog about his haiku.   Here it is.

In the winter fog

a cuckoo cries

wrong kigo, wrong kigo

by Amir Sapir

The last line sounded so funny looking at his mischievous smile.  Because I blogged about onomatopoeia before, I wanted to blog about it, but this morning I found one problem.  I think I didn't pay attention to the first line yesterday.  The last two lines still make sense and they are funny, but the first line has a correct kigo, winter.   So if the haiku didn't have "winter" in it, it works.  Only one kigo is needed, and I've never heard of haiku with two kigo.   Two is too much.  Zero kigo is not haiku, but I guess in American haiku, they allow no kigo.  That’s easier to choose words, so I wrote one with kigo yesterday, and the other last Friday, without kigo.

first haiku meeting

mother’s red-bean colored kimono coat

february sun

friday afternoon

a bus ride to my poetry meeting

noises rise to screams

I just loved the way Amir pronounced the last line of his winter haiku.  I wanted to see his spelling because it sounded like "kegle," like kegle exercise   He is from Israel and his native language is Hebrew, so when he recited the last line, it was a new music to my ear.  The sound was fresh and humorous.  It certainly made my day.   It's always something when people meet.  

My Plumber

Last few weeks, I had a leak from my faucet, and I was wondering what to do about it.  If I hire a professional plumber, I'd like to fix more than one place.  But I could not think of any other plumbing problem.  To make this story short, my son came over early this morning and fixed it.   I wasn't sure if he could do it.  This blog is my appreciation to my son.

Mask Party

This was the mask party of Coffee House Writers Group last Friday.  

This is to show you writing comes before partying?!

I uploaded all these photos in the order I took them.   The first mask I came in contact was Darth Vader, and for the rest, I let pictures tell the story. 

Heidi's teramisu.  Above is with rum, and the bottom, with whiskey. 

Cameron gave me a ride, and we were talking about Heidi's teramisu.  

The first cut of the teramisu.

 Hello Kitty said, "I made the mask using my printer."  Her or his printer must be very good quality.

My photographer competitor.  Rick M.

"This is my honey," Christine said.  He exists for real, not a ghost although the house was known to be a haunted house.  This was my first time there, and yes, the house had an aura of haunted like in movies.

A poet without a mask.

Beautiful Heather looks relaxed in the middle of Mardi Gras Carnival.

A youngest participant.

I love the design of this rug and the fur of this dog.

Guess who?  Yes, me.

When I heard Rick won the mask contest, I thought this pig mask won.  The nose was great.

It was a mask party, not a beauty contest.

"I made this," he said.  The cheese cake with dark chocolate was really good.

I also love other people's foods and cakes, but they didn't carry them around as Wade did, so excuse me if they I didn't show up here.  They all disappeared into our stomachs.

Darth Vader needs fuel, too. 

This mask won one of two prizes.  Rick M. said, "This is made of CDs.  My wife made it."  Look at the feathers on top.  It was gorgeous.   I love feathers.  He and his wife gave me a ride going back home.   Thank you, Cameron and Rick.

Here is his wife.

I thought his hair was a wig.  It's like Cinderella's hair.  He said, "No, this is mine."  Lillian's husband took off his hat and showed the top of his hair.  Too bad.  I didn't snap a photo. 

Isn't this gorgeous mask?

Thank you, Elyzabyth, Heather, and Christine for making this party successful.

He took his sword and pointed to the sky.

It was a beautiful ceiling, so I took the photo.

The time for awards!

Here it is!

Eric came just in time for the first award.   The award went to the biggest smile as below.

The owner of the haunted house and the cockatoo.

And here is Janis with a large feather and exquisite coat.