Berlin Film Review: ‘Fukushima, mon amour’

February 15, 2016February 17, 2016 ~ bsdonovan ~ 1 Comment

The film I mentioned earlier was reviewed by Variety. It was well-received. Some quotes from the review "rapturous response at the Berlinale" "Although she employs blunt metaphors involving tea ceremonies and geishas... Doerrie [the director] doesn’t presume to understand or verbalize what the living victims of such cataclysmic misfortune feel. Instead, her penchant for drawing awkward misfits allows … Continue reading Berlin Film Review: ‘Fukushima, mon amour’

Tei Dosho style

February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 ~ bsdonovan ~ 2 Comments

Ok, so not Gangnam Style, but even better, Tei Dosho style! Tei Dosho, as they say in Japan, was a Chinese official during the Northern Wei Dynasty. In Chinese, his name is pronounced Zheng Daozhao, and he was Wei awesome. When was the Northern Wei Dynasty? Like 386-534 AD. He is way cooler than Park … Continue reading Tei Dosho style

December Shodo Level Up

January 30, 2016January 30, 2016 ~ bsdonovan ~ 3 Comments

The folks that run the Shodo ranking are pretty smart, I figure. I wrote about the ranking system before, kind of like belts in karate, yellow, purple, green, brown, black. There are twenty or so ranks. Getting to the first dan (like a black belt) is a long process, but achievable, with tiny incremental steps. … Continue reading December Shodo Level Up

Grüße aus Fukushima (Greetings from Fukushima)

January 23, 2016March 21, 2022 ~ bsdonovan ~ 3 Comments

Last year, I went to Fukushima to make a film. My part in it was small, not acting, drone camerawork. It was a lot more devastating than I thought it would be. Devastating because the place was devastated, but also the impact it had on me. There were whole towns, communities, counties that have become … Continue reading Grüße aus Fukushima (Greetings from Fukushima)

Short Story Exerpt – Adapt or Die

January 15, 2016March 28, 2016 ~ bsdonovan ~ Leave a comment

More figurative pen to paper. If you want to be a beta-reader, please send me an email or leave me a comment and I'll share the rest of the story. --- Adapt or Die Morena rounded the street corner onto the orange dusty road. The morning sun cast long silhouettes, her shadow a painfully thin … Continue reading Short Story Exerpt – Adapt or Die

Short Story Exerpt – From hitokoto, the blog of Chianna Noguchi

December 25, 2015March 28, 2016 ~ bsdonovan ~ 3 Comments

I've put pen to paper, figuratively, in the last year or so. I've had ideas for a long time, including short fiction. Here is the first part of one. If you want to be a beta-reader, send me an email or leave me a comment and I'll share it with you. --- From hitokoto, the … Continue reading Short Story Exerpt – From hitokoto, the blog of Chianna Noguchi

Level Up! Kanji ! and Kana, both!

December 7, 2015 ~ bsdonovan ~ 2 Comments

I am way too excited that I leveled up in Kanji last month. I had been struggling a little bit. When I have to stay within the rules, write textbook style, I tense up and really don't do well. I've been doing this for over a year now (since September of 2014, so 15 months?), … Continue reading Level Up! Kanji ! and Kana, both!

November Shodo

December 6, 2015 ~ bsdonovan ~ Leave a comment

This month's kanji reads hakugan soushin in Japanese, or baiyan shuangxin in Chinese. Like a lot of these four character sayings, it evokes sense imagery and invites you to fill in the gaps. Hakugan (baiyan) means white goose. Sou (shuang) means frost. And shin (xin) means to believe, to know, to inform. Long story short, when … Continue reading November Shodo

Where is the Open Source Uber?

November 21, 2015December 20, 2015 ~ bsdonovan ~ 6 Comments

I am not a user of Uber. I think it fair to state this up front. My reason for not using Uber has nothing to do with my feelings about the company or the service. I think it is perfectly fine as a service. I have read some controversial things about hiring practices (if you … Continue reading Where is the Open Source Uber?

Book Review – The Bone Clocks

November 20, 2015 ~ bsdonovan ~ 7 Comments

Book Review The Bone Clocks By David Mitchell Cover Image from Amazon.com As time passes (what I really mean is, as I get older) I am increasingly unforgiving about what I read. If a novel doesn't appeal, I will give it 60 pages to recapture my interest. If, after those sixty pages, it has recaptured … Continue reading Book Review – The Bone Clocks