The Geisha Anorak

I haven't posted in a very long time. No excuses apart from the usual ones. Last weekend went to the Japan Matsuri in London's Spitalfields Market. It was brilliant. There were so many people. Didn't get to eat my favourite takomaki, but maybe next time. :)  Pictures are on Flickr as per usual. Enjoy, and hope you are all well.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shigatsuhana/sets/72157622414982658/

Hello folks!

For starters life has been pretty darn good! The trip to Venice in July was spectacular. I loved it so much, I'm dragging my husband there in November for a long weekend. Pics on my flickr account if your interested. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shigatsuhana/sets/72157621143524434/

Monday I finally passed my UK driving test and am now an official UK driver. What a faff. I've had my American license for 22 years now and it isn't any good here unless I go home and come back again and then it's only good for a year. If I had been born 50 miles north just over the border in Canada I wouldn't have had to take a test because a Canadian license here is fine. WTF? How stupid! Just because we dumped a little tea and told King George III to stuff it more than 200 years ago! LOL! Anywho this was the second time I took the test. I have had a provisional license since 2004 when I could be bothered.  I have been the queen of procrastination here. LOL!  I finally took the theory test back in June 2006. After you take the theory test you have 2 years to do your practical. I waited til the last moment to take my test and promptly failed it. I was far too stressed over it and not surprised to fail. I failed because I got in the wrong lane on a roundabout. I really hate driving tests! It took me three times to get my American one because I get too darn nervous. Believe it or not I am a good driver. It even says "Safe Driver" on my license.  So I re-took my theory test exam last August. And once again procrastinated about getting an instructor. So, finally when my social engagements were winding down for the summer I found myself a very good instructor and started to unlearn all of my bad habbits and learn the English way.  So the day of reckoning came earlier this week and I managed to pass it. The examinor was very kind and chatty with me. I thought I had failed it within the first 5 minutes since I nicked a curb. I thought to myself I'm just going to keep going and do my best. So before I pulled in I'd made a comment to the effect that I knew I'd failed and I'll just keep taking the test until I pass. The examinor told me not to be so hard on myself because I'd passed! Wow! What a pleasant surprise. So I'm off to Alton Towers this weekend with one of my collegues! Whoot!

Now for the niggling crap. A certain member of my family recently added me on Facebook. They promptly responded to my thread about passing my test and made a snide remark about my driving in the US when they had never actually been a passenger of mine. So I made said snide comment back. This person got all on the defensive, couldn't take a joke back and has dropped me from their friends list. Good grief! Last time I checked, I am 40 and said person is over 60 years of age. Do we really have to pretend it's high school and walk on eggshells? Nope! Not me. I'm not the insecure person I used to be. I'm well in control of my life and don't need to take crap from anyone anymore. Get a grip people! I've moved on, so should you! Just because you used to snap your fingers and tell me to jump, doesn't mean I'm doing that anymore! I don't have to take any garbage from anyone anymore.

Ok, rant over. Continue to normal programming. :)

On a lighter note I'm going to the Isle of Wight for a week at the end of the month. I so need a holiday!

Just really busy for the past few months. I haven't even visited LJ, let alone have time to post here. I'm going to Italy in less than two weeks so getting ready for that trip. I'm so excited. I've never been to Italy and I'm going with my best friend from school who is Italian. She has lived in Venice a few times and her mother and mother's family are all from Venice. I'm so happy to be going with someone who knows the city and speaks the language. I did buy a little phrase book, so hopefully I won't be a total foreign loser!

Started driving lessons again so need to study before my next lesson.

Right. Off to colour my hair and get a packing list ready. And must phone dad for birthday, father's day and anniversary that all fall in the same week!

If you haven't been keeping yourself informed of what's happening in the US government, at least read this.  People have got to keep themselves up to date of what's actually happened. I am appalled that there has been no referendem on this. And even more appalled that this is so close to become the truth! Be afraid, be very afraid of HR 1388.  JFK would be rolling in his grave if he thought this is what America has come to. Goodness gracious, this is exactly the thing the government has been trying to avoid since it was created!  Do not let your freedoms be taken away with a gentle sweep of a white tooth smile!

http://www.e3gazette.com/2009/03/hr-1388-is-arbeit-macht-frei-too-strong.html

I'll spare you all of the literary comparisons and let the website tell you.

We had a great time in London for the Tokyo City promotion day! It was fun having so many dressed in kimono. We got quite a lot of attention and many photos were taken of us. There weren't quite as many booths as I'd hoped, but we stil had fun. The kanzashi maker was very popular. After the event we went to JapanCentre in Piccadilly for a lovely Japanese meal. This is the first time I've eaten in a Japanese restaurant in kimono! Yay! I'm glad this event took place on Saturday because now London is under a very heavy blanket of snow. 12 inches in some parts which is a rare occurance indeed. Only 5 inches at my house at it's peak. Enjoy!


This isn't all of us, there were two more dressed in kimono. The lady on the end in Furisode was a nihon buyo dancer.

( More Tokyo fun here: )

 

I find it very sad when I hear so many people saying "For the first time in my life I feel proud to be an American."

Why? Because there is someone different in the White House?! What difference should that make in YOU? Being proud to be an American should come from within and the acts that you do, not what others do! As an American living in a foreign country, I always feel proud to be an American. It's who I am, not who's in government! It's how I treat other people, and how I represent my country, not someone I don't know who cares little about me as an individual. I may like or dislike what's going on politically in my own country but that's no excuse to feel poorly about myself or my fellow countrymen!  Being American is who I am, not what someone makes me. I have a sense of pride for the country, not the politics.

Don't get me wrong, the government of America has made plenty of mistakes globally! That is politicians making those choices, not me! I never feel personally embarrassed or responsible because of what some twit in the White House does! My life would be a rollercoaster of emotions if I only felt proud of who I was when there is a change in the government!

Look inside yourself and find out who you are, and feel proud of yourself regardless of what nationality you are or who governs your country! You can be proud of other people for making real changes, or being a hero, etc.

Ok... rant over....resume normal programming.

For those of you in London on the 31st January, you may be interested in attending the Tokyo City Promotion.

Here's the link:  http://www.tcp2009.com/index.html

I will be attending with a few girls from Immortal Geisha and we wil be wearing kimono.

I'm not sure if this works outside of the UK, but you can go to this website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/local_radio/ and click the Listen Again link and listen to the Breakfast Show from today. I'm on just after 8 AM and before 8:20 AM. I think I'm fairly articulate, but I could be wrong! LOL!

The studio was quite posh. It was a very relaxing atmosphere. I might have liked a job in radio, Lord knows I can talk! :)

Some kind soul from my Birmingham Japanese Society committee volunteered me to be on the radio tomorrow. And the suject? Tokyo Subway Trains and crowding issues. Ok, so it's really random. Luckily I've had some experience here and can lend some insight. I think it will really be comparing Japanese trains to British trains. Chalk and cheese if you ask me, and they are. LOL! I'll let you know how it turns out!

This week your's truly will be playing the part of Queen Eleanor in Sleeping Beauty panto in Stonnall, Staffordshire, England. I have made my costumes. They were fun to make, and I'd be tempted to make one for myself to keep. It's the Butterick medieval dress pattern. Hopefully I will add more pictures later from the panto. Enjoy!

( The Queen's dress )
More pictures to be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shigatsuhana/sets/72157612143354615/

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/daniel_finkelstein/article5461544.ece

Sad news for those who were wanting to see David Tennant in Hamlet over Christmas.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article5321215.ece

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. This is the first year that I've lived in the UK that I'm not doing Thanksgiving. I'm much busier this year and it's also my 40th birthday. My husband and I are off to London to see Spamalot and have some decent Japanese food and window shop. I'm just looking forward to spending a couple of relaxing days away.

Pretty incredible! I'm afraid that this represents far too many Americans. People are just not educated and believe everything they hear and read. Very sad! Now you know why I didn't vote for Obama, and why I'm so very afraid for America. People are so out of touch!

Rarely will I ever make a political post here but I feel that I need to speak my mind a bit now.
( my view... )( my view.... )

If you are on Multiply and you want to join a group about kimono collecting, I've started one here:

http://kimonocollections.multiply.com/

So I've been thinking for a couple of years that I'd like to learn shamisen. I'm somewhat musical as I used to play French Horn and I now play percussion in a couple of orchestras. However, I know shamisen will be completely different. I've just bought an inexpensive one from Yahoo Japan Auctions, so we'll see how it goes! This is my Christmas present. I guess I'll hunt down the IG forums for other shamisen players to find out which books are good for beginners. Watch out Gion Kouta and Yoshida Brothers, here I come! LOL!

Some of you may have seen this on IG already, but I really love this new kimono. This obi gets dragged out once a year and this time I've teamed it with my newest wool kimono. $8 kimono! What a bargain! Kimono is from RyuJapan, kanzashi from Vivcore and the obi? Might be Japanese Antiques on e-bay 2 years ago.

( kimono piccys here )

stolen from bebemochi 


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		I will marry Kevin.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in London in our fabulous Shack.
		We will have 007 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Purple Jaguar.
		I will spend my days as a Rocket scientist, and live happily ever after.