The Year in Review.

2011 began with our slight discombobulation at having just witnessed a car accident on the Key Bridge in Washington, DC.

January:  Read a lot.  Moved to Tokyo.  Resumed study of Japanese.  Cultivated renewed love of film photography.  Succeeded in making miso soup.  Pickle press.  Plum blossoms.

February:  Got the house all unpacked.  Narcissus.

March:  The Great Tohoku Earthquake and all its horrible aftermath.  Stayed in Okinawa for a month, punctuated by work-related trip to the States, which was miserable for its own reasons. Got pulled over for speeding for the first time in my life in Okinawa.  Violets.

April:  Cherry blossoms in DC.  Returned to Tokyo.  Wisteria.

May:  First trip to Nagano Prefecture & discovery of world’s most delicious bento.  Wrote interesting (to me, anyway) article about Okinawan castles.  Peonies and roses.

June:  Summer of setsuden, sweating and surliness.  Finished watching all of Twin Peaks.  Hydrangea and iris.

July:  A blur.  Seems I went to IKEA a lot.

August:  Got a new job.  Visited family in the US but was thwarted from seeing some friends due to the bizarre ferocity of hurricanes in upstate NY.

September:  Started new job.  The leaves started to change.

October:  Fell down in a sulfurous creek the day before birthday—still bear bruises and scars from this.  Aged.  Halloween was pleasant.

November:  Had a cold the entire month.  Painted a cat.  Chrysanthemums.

December:  Christmas was pleasant.  Golden gingko leaves everywhere.  Mt. Fuji.  Fine blue skies.

I think I have grown a lot inside.  I’ve made friends and read enormous amounts and dreamed dreams and tried to be a better braver person.  There’s nowhere to go but up.