Category Archives: Samurai

The Funky Mood has Abdicated

Weather in the Tries:
Somewhat warmer, high 30s and low 40s with Sunday on deck to be 49F! Break out the swimwear!! One of the ‘problems’ with the warmer weather  in the winterly months is it usually means wetter weather, too, which robs the air of its warmth.  Somedays I just don’t get no respect. (Thanks Rodney D for a great saying.)

The Funky Mood has Abdicated: 
Well, the funky mood has, I hope, passed. Finally dawned on me that when the dr. changed my neuropathy meds the new ones weren’t quite the same, and the side effects weren’t the same, either. Where the other ones let me sleep a good night, all night, every night, the new ones don’t care if I sleep or not. The old ones were originally used as anti-depressants and for other things like neuropathy, as secondary, so of course I wasn’t in a funky mood. The main thing, though, is the new ones are not as good as controlling the neuropathy pain. I may have to go back to the first ones. 

So a couple weeks ago, I wore my Women’s Army Corps cap to a meeting. Like a good (ex) WAC, I removed my cover (hat) when inside, and laid it on a chair next to my purse. A lady in the meeting saw it, and asked if it was mine. She then proceeded to tell me there’s a group of Lady Veterans in the Tries, and they were having their next meeting Dec 7 and would I like to come. I did like and I did attend. It’s the first time I’ve seen so many Lady vets all in a group since I received my discharge back in 1969.  What fun to have so many gals together. We had quite a gathering, and Santa even left some gifts for everyone! 

And we have a Veteran’s Center! I had no idea. I looked Veteran’s up once, but could only find the clinic, and I don’t qualify. Yes, my discharges were Honorable, but I have excellent insurance through The Boeing Company, so I can’t use the VA system, even on a sliding scale. I’m not complaining.

The other fun thing that happened is I bought a new Roku stick, it came the other day, and I got it all connected and one of the free Roku channels is Midsomer Murders. OMG, I can binge and sew at the same time. I love the Midsomer Murders, I’ve seen several, but so far they’re all new to me. Great fun.

Photo of the Week: 
Here’s my baseball cap. It’s like the other military ones, but for the WAC. I laid out a bunch of my new fat quarters (FQ) to put some color in the picture. A FQ is a quarter yard of fabric, only instead of  cutting 9” off the width of fabric (WOF). It’s 18” of the WOF and that cut in half at the fold so it’s 18” by ½ the WOF. More things can be made from FQs that skinny pieces. I’ll wear my hat, sans the FQ when I attend the Coffee Bunker at the Vet Center this Friday morning.

from the desk of the brave chihuahua;
my human is spending more time in the living room now. she’s watching the telly and sewing. sometimes, she sits on the sofa so I can sit with her and snuggle while she watches the telly. my favorite is when she’s on the sofa. then I can get close and get lots of pets. after all, that’s my primary job description—collect pets and snuggle.

Earworm of the Week:
this isn’t an earworm, per se, but one of several I play while writing. It’s kind of like white noise but prettier. There are several of these ambient soundtracks on YouTube, check them out, find one that works for you. Samurai Meditation For 11 Hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kch_zrI1YO8&t=2382s

Quote of the Week, courtesy Reader’s Digest https://www.rd.com/article/veterans-day-quotes/ :

“Freedom is fragile and must be protected. To sacrifice it, even as a temporary measure, is to betray it.” —Germaine Greer

“Re-examine all you have been told. Dismiss what insults your soul.” ~Walt Whitman

As You May Imagine

Weather in the Tries:

Oof Da! Can you say: Sun? Can you say: Hot? Yep, that be us. Am listening to the ambient music, Miyamoto Musashi: Embracing Loneliness. Not that I’m lonely, but it’s raining in the video. You know, cool.

As you may imagine:
Well, I imagine you can imagine this past week was not the bestest in my world. It took a few days for me to get over SCOTUS’ ruling on Monday. Maybe not over it, but through it. Through most of it. 

On the sunny side of the street, I was in a bookstore the other day, and came home with two books. Yeah, I know, you’re so surprised. /snort/ One is a book of poetry by Margaret Atwater. I love her poetry, and haven’t seen a new book of hers in a long time. So I am reading Dearly before I turn the light out at night.

The second book is, The Book of Delights by Ross Gay. A small book, maybe 5” x 8”, filled with delightful 2-3 page essays he wrote over a year finding delights where he could, including memories. It is a delightful book, and just what the doctor ordered!

Should you find yourself wandering in a bookstore, wander over to the poetry/essay section and look through his book. Take the time to read a couple of his essays. Shucks, while you’re there, look at Dearly by Margaret Atwood, even if you don’t like poetry. Particularly if you don’t like poetry! Her poems are mini stories in a different form. Try a couple. Perhaps you will walk out of the store with two books (or more).

Also, I discovered some new-to-me channels on YouTube and I thoroughly enjoy them—woodturning and woodworking channels! Absolutely great ways to get my eyes and ears out of the news that is so damn depressing. My two favorite woodworking channels are Foureyes furniture and Blacktail Studio. The guys are fun, they explain what they are doing, what they did wrong, and how they fixed it. I love how they work, too. Would I ever spend $15K on a table? uh, no, but if I decided to, it would be from one of these two guys. And I must be learning something—on Sunday I decided to watch someone else make a table. I was quite taken with the top and I wanted to see how he made it. He made it cheaply. Where the guys above glue and clamp, this guy used way less glue and nails. Where Chris (?) and Cam (above furniture builders) take the time to get every join perfect, where they use several grits of sandpaper, where they spend time finishing their work, the table I was so taken by was very shoddily made. The joins did not match, the sanding was perfunctory, and the finish was sprayed on. I watch they guys for entertainment, but apparently, I’m also getting an education.

If you are in the market for some new and high quality furniture, I strongly suggest you watch a few episodes of the guys at the links above. Not that I’m recommending them to you (which I am) but to see how they work, and what to look for when you go shopping. 

By the way, Cam at Blacktail Studio is the one who came up with the Damascus Denim Desk. Yes, a desk made out of denim. Check it out here. Talk about fabric art!!!

Photo of the Week:
Yep, it’s me. I had to get some new headshots for the new book, Saying Goodbye to Thomas, which will be ready for pre-order probably in in Feb/Mar 2025. As you undoubtedly know, there are few things I hate worse than having my picture taken. From my POV, I look like Sophia Loren. From the camera’s POV, I look like me. God, what a let-down for all concerned.

photo by Katrina

from the desk of the hot dog;
the one and only bad thing about the heat is sometimes the hard, black surface of the driveway where most of my walking is done, is too hot for my feets. otherwise, all this sun and hot is pure heaven for this desert dog. can you see my tail wag.

Music of the Week:
Miyamoto Musashi: Embracing Loneliness. Great ambient music to have on, turned low, and write or study by. There are several pieces online for this music. I think if I could play it on the bedside radio I do not have, I could easily sleep with it. No, it doesn’t make me sleepy (couldn’t work or study if it did) but I think it would make great sleeping music.

Quote of the Week:

“Re-examine all you have been told.
Dismiss what insults your soul.”

—Walt Whitman

ps: 
Looking for a nightmare? Give this site a once or twice over: American Autocracy Threat Tracker. Truly scary stuff! But necessary. How sad is that?

Yojimbo

DVD, Criterion Collection
Toho Co. Film, 1961
110m

Rating: 5 out of 5.

One of the many Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune movies, and the first of the duology of Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Kurosawa and Mifune made something like 16 movies together before parting ways, and every one of them are fantastic. 

Mifune play the title character of this movie, and is quite believable as a ronin samurai, who, like all samurai of the final years of the Edo period is down on his luck. (Samurai were disbanded in 1876) He wanders into a village where two men are fighting each other and hiring gangs to fight for them. 

Mifune, being a crafty ronin, sets it up so the two gangs will fight each other and kill each other. Alas, a government official comes, and the two warring gangs must appear to be getting along. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and ronin.

Lots of swordfights, although Mifune prefers to talk when possible. He saves a kidnapped woman, her husband, and their son. The husband lost everything, including his wife to gambling, and Mifune gets them reunited and they almost don’t make it out as they keep bowing to Mifune instead of running away. This, of course, causes some consternation with Ushitora as he wanted to keep her. 

If you liked A Fistful of Dollars, you’ll love the original, Yojimbo 😉

Trailer of Yojimbo