Ambrosia of Japanese Anime

 My daughters range in age from teenage, to tween, to first grade. I am never more joyful than when I am with them, just having fun. Sometimes their interest vary, because they are at different stages of childhood. I like to make time for each of my daughters, to hang with them for a little while and experience the things they enjoy. The other night my teenage daughter and I created a themed supper together.

 My daughter Mistaya is obsessed with Japanese pop culture. I've always had an interest in Japanese culture too. With me, my interest in Japanese culture stared at age six when we had a Japanese university exchange student named Misa live with our family. For Mistaya, it started when I first introduced my wee little girls to Hayao Miyazaki. She was still in preschool. I believe the first movie I got for them was Kiki's Delivery Service. It was fitting because later, when her youngest sister (Pippi) was learning to talk, she couldn't pronounce Mistaya and tried to call her Misty but it came out as Kiki. 

Mistaya is now studying Japanese language at school and continues her cultural studies at home through her Manga and Anime collections. I was treated to an evening immersed in Japan with Mist this week. We made homemade sushi, sipped green tea and watched 2 Hell Girl episodes. Hell Girl is really dark--a little dark for me. But our yam rolls were wickedly good. 

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Mistaya and our sushi feast

Mistaya and her favorite shushi rolls (yam and avacado).

Our homemade Green Dragon yam rolls.

Take Me To The Secret World

HARD day.
no. No. NO. NO. NO!
That sums up my day.
Tired from reading and hearing that word all day long.
After a day of that word I received a last minute request from the University. Could I sub a Zumba class tonight? Why yes! Yes, indeed I could.
Arrived to discover it wasn't a Zumba class after all. It was belly fit. I explained to the students that  "sorry, but we're doing Zumba tonight and I promise I will work your bellies."
And then the sound system broke. No music. Called IT services. After 1/2 h we finally had music. What did I do with my patient students for the first half hour of no music? I took them through dance steps--the tricky ones.

 Succumbed to stopping by Taco Delmar on the way home for a burrito to go. The place was closed! What kind of a restaurant closes by 7 pm on a Thursday? What to do? We had no groceries at home. Out of all our basics even. Stopped by grocery store (yes, I've succumbed and am back to shopping at that blasted Super Store :P). Got home past 8 and remembered I was supposed to be home before 7:30 to take Mist to Ballet. Mist missed ballet :(

All my 3 darlings have the day off school tomorrow. I teach at noon and again at 5:30. I'll have Peter bring the girls down after my dance class so we can rush to the theatre to see the premier of Studio Ghibli's latest film The Secret World of Arrietty (see above trailer). I am a Hayao Miyazaki junkie and so are my daughters.
 Have a great weekend dear readers!

Passions of the Mind

A beautiful Orange Orb spider in our lavender garden. The wind was blowing the lavender, thus the pic came out a little blurry.

I have been resting my knee yesterday and again today. I want it to fully heal and soon so I can launch into my workouts by Monday.

Kyran goes home tomorrow. Miranda and family will drive him and spend a few days in Nelson visiting. My family? Hmm...we have sailing lessons next weekend and swimming lessons for the girls the following two weeks. September long weekend will be our Kamloops weekend: gold panning, canoeing, ghost hunting. I am hope full Miranda and Theresa and families will join us in Kamloops for that weekend. I would like to do a trip down to Osoyoos this week. It is nectarine season and we could use a crate. Unfortunately, Peter and my passports just expired and we will not have enough time to renew them in order to zip across the border into Orville for our favorite Mexican food--they have a great restaurant run by a Mexican family just across the border--we have been know to drive down to the states just for supper and back again.

It is amazing how one leg injury can catapult one into a depression. I already feel desperate--knowing I can't hike, run or bike for a few days. It is what I do. I hate not moving!

Oh, most exciting: we will be seeing the new Hayao Miyazaki film downtown tonight! I love that director. He is brilliant.

Also, I am re-editing Sugar Shack at Sea--and realizing what a bang-up novel it is! Once my two junior fiction novels are completely reedited--then I am off to pound the earth getting them published.

Still undecided about how to fit in painting. I think I may just write a novel and then alternate with painting a series. Write-paint, write-paint and depending on my sales--I will alter the sequence to go with what it is my meal ticket at that time. I love doing both, they are burning passions of mine. I cannot, not do one of them--this is how I must juggle my passions mentally, so I can free my mind up to get down to business and create!

Saddened by the high suicide rate and poverty up in the Canadian Arctic. The youth suicide rates continue to climb at unheard of rates. What can we as fellow Canadians do to help?