I'm in the process of transferring 6 years worth of blog content over to a different host. This means that if you come to this blog through any address other than www.johannawrites.com, you should update it in your feed or bookmarks.
It's been interesting to go back through old posts, especially those written when we lived in Japan. I had forgotten how surreal life could be over there. One post that I started but never published, simply says, "a nurse greeted us at the door bearing a giant syringe and a pair of handcuffs." Just another everyday Tokyo experience... (I'm pretty sure I was writing about our visit to the Alcatraz prison/mental hospital theme restaurant we went to one time in Shibuya).
I love Barcelona but reading these old posts really makes me miss Japan and although I felt ready to leave when we did, I wouldn't object to going back again and I've been subtly planting the seeds of future possibility in Alex's head (ALEX! LET'S MOVE BACK TO JAPAN!!). I want to live again in a place where I can again write stuff like "On my way home from the Straw Raincoat Field Event, I narrowly missed being run over by a young Japanese man on a motorcycle who was blaring Dolly Parton at top volume," or "Now perhaps at this point you're beginning to think that Tokyo isn't really for you. Perhaps you're thinking, "You know, wandering around and eating noodles with a bunch of strangers in their bathrobes under a fake starry sky sounds fine and all... but I don't know if it's really for me. I'd much rather be parading around with a mob of people carrying giant dicks on pedestals. That's what sounds really fun to me" Well guess what people? You can do that in Tokyo too!"
We shall see...
Another thing I realized in looking over the history of my blog is that it has suffered from a serious case of multiple personality disorder. Not only has it changed names twice (or 3 times?) but two babies have been born, three languages have been studied, and three different countries (four different cities) have been lived in. I began a career as a freelance writer, started a food blog and enrolled in culinary school.
And then we have the hobbies. I've always been one for a good hobby or two (or three or four) but I didn't realize just how many I've bounced through in the last 6 years. There's been knitting, sewing, doll-making, shoe-making, altered books, spinning wool, bag-making and quilting, to name but a few.
I suppose that most of these interests have developed and endured over time, although all those hundreds of hours spent studying Japanese vocabulary and cutting shoe leather didn't produce too many direct results. Still, I like to think it wasn't a complete waste. I haven't made any shoes, spoken Japanese or spun any wool recently, but I do still make art, write and knit. My cooking has improved and although I never became fluent in either Japanese or French, my Spanish has gotten pretty good.
Can anyone tell that I've gone into self-reassurance mode?
Anyway, it's genetic so not my fault. Over the years my Dad has gone from one obsession to another, including bridge (the card game), bridges (the structures), swing dancing, photography, record-collecting, building a movie library, playing the guitar, hiking, bird-watching, and repairing clocks and radios. I suppose you could criticize us for many things but we never have to worry about getting bored, right?
What will happen next around here? Well, I'm not quite sure yet and I'm still trying to formulate it in my head. I've been doing more and more illustrations so I'm building a portfolio site where I can show them all in one spot. Other than that, who knows? Basket weaving? Sword swallowing? Sugar packet collecting? Oh wait, I'm already doing that last one. As for the rest, the world is my oyster!
Yes! Come back! It is all still the same I think...a lot of the cafes and shops have probably changed but there are still big penis statues being carried around and noodles under fake stars still on offer.
d
xx
Posted by: Deanne Love | February 07, 2011 at 11:59 AM