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Category Archives: Memphis
Sakura Memorial
This week, April 10 Memphis time marked the one-year anniversary of my mother’s death. This week, the remains of the sakura blossoms snowed down on gentle winds, piling up in pale pink drifts, their trees gradually yellowing with growing leaves … Continue reading
The U.S. South Is Japan in Disguise
Okay, well, some things about the South and Japan remind me of each other, such as people not always saying what they mean or meaning what they say. But here’s further proof: My nephew, an upstanding young Southern gentleman, just … Continue reading
In Flip-Flops and Summery White Shirts
In flip-flops and summery white shirts, on a whim, we clean out the last remnants in my parents’ house. Sister, brother, sister-in-law, daughter, me. The waves of heat in the attic are almost too much for the two Californians. Mountains … Continue reading
Judgmental Ways
In Osaka, a strange woman walks up to me in a restaurant and tells me I shouldn’t have ordered the raw egg if I didn’t want to eat it. It’s such a waste. (From the picture, I thought it was … Continue reading
Memphis in June
Hot, muggy air, broken sidewalks, neighborhoods that leapfrog from opulent to artsy to straining hard to poor and then back again, cicadas buzzing and dragonflies dancing, porch swings with cushions, giant, lush trees softening the heat. Everybody you pass says … Continue reading
View from the Attic
I spent many moments looking out this window as a child. Once, I climbed out and sat on the steep roof. I wanted to have adventures. I wanted to fly. Then my father saw me. He called me to his … Continue reading
Starting at the End
I’m on the brink of many ends. I’m soon leaving Silicon Valley and moving to Osaka, Japan. My only daughter is approaching adulthood at the speed of light. And two weeks ago my father died. Somehow, when the guests are … Continue reading
