Long Time Expat In Japan
Great Chinese calligraphers of old were also great drinkers. The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup (飲中八仙) were Tang Dynasty scholars known for their love of wine. Probably the best known was Zhang Xu, who used to get so plastered, he'd write calligraphy with his own hair. When he finally sobered up, he could never … Continue reading Honoring the 8 Immortals of the Wine Cup
image from genius.com On at least one occasion, though probably more, I have written that I live in Chiba, and that's the place where the novel Neuromancer begins, "The sky was the color of a tv tuned to a dead channel." Clearly, I like the reference; I am a scifi fan. I also like how … Continue reading Screen Withdrawal
My sensei turned me on to a style of calligraphy based on a famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Yan Zhenqing (Gan Shinkei in Japanese) was a governor during the Tang Dynasty. Apparently he was pretty wild at the time. His style had really thick vertical lines with thin horizontals. What I wrote here is … Continue reading Yan Zhengqing Style
Amazingly, it's been a year since I started Japanese calligraphy. I started it because of my youngest. She was struggling with her kanji tests at school, and I saw it as a way to encourage her, and also a way we could spend our Saturday's together. About three months in, I decided to pursue it … Continue reading Shodo Anniversary
Image from wikipedia Book Review The Martian by Andy Weir The best novel I read in 2015. I should probably just stop there. Or maybe I've said too much. Personally, I suffer from post-hype depression. When a book, novel, movie, or game is over sold, I feel let down when it isn't a good as … Continue reading Book Review – The Martian
Image from Amazon ebook cover Book Review The End of All Things by John Scalzi A good friend of mine just recently wrote about The End of All Things. In it, he writes, "Scalzi is one of a very few genre writers whose work I'll buy immediately in hardcover, no questions asked." Since he said … Continue reading Book Review – The End of All Things
Netflix was in the news last month. The company announced that employees can take a year of maternity or paternity leave during the first year after having a child. Sounds great. Most people hear this and think, "what a great company to work for. They must really care for their employees, think of them as … Continue reading Championing Disaffection
Poetry Review The Trouble with Poetry - And Other Poems By Billy Collins I did not buy this book of poetry. I say that not to distance myself from it or poetry in general. I state it simply as a point of fact. I've written before that I am a genre reader. I like my … Continue reading Poetry Review – The Trouble with Poetry
Kanji has been hard for me. I freeze up. I get stuck in my head, get tense. Thankfully, last month the kanji practice was a more fluid style. More freedom. Below is my kanji for next month (not the one that got me the level up). Still, you can see, I hope, a little more … Continue reading Level Up! Kana 7th kyu
Since I had such a good time yesterday with some night shots, I decided to keep experimenting. Below is early sunset from my balcony. About an hour before sunset. And here is nearly the same view about an hour later. Not actually sunset, but just moments before. And here's a panorama, combining 3 photos stitched … Continue reading Makuhari Sunset
B.S. Donovan 