An Early AM Call

Edy Kizaki called me from Seattle this morning sounding as though she were still in bed (the three hour time difference) and began to lecture me concerning Feng Shui as it relates to relationships. I 'zeroed in' on what it might inform me about my items in my storage locker and made a dramatic decision as to how to dispose of my things in there: they are gone! I will keep only that which is TOTALLY necessary as regards personal items.

This is an exciting development for me. I have been churning this concern over and over in my mind for quite some time now and the thought of throwing away most of my belongings has not been an idea I favored. Afterwords, I called the Salvation Army and arranged to have a truck meet me at my the storage facility before noon this Monday.

I may yet get out of town by next Wednesday if I can get my tent problems taken care of. The folks at Mombasa USA in Texas are sending out two new hinges. I have little confidence that will solve my problem of a separating floor but am willing to work with them (or the moment).

Thanks Edy for the unintended consequences!!

Edy and I met in Kitakyushu, Japan, in 1987 at an English language school were we were both teaching ESL. The name of the private, for-profit school was PLADY House. Not quite sure the genesis of that name. She had come in from California with a fellow teacher, Jake. Not sure why, never really asked, but she and Jake presented themselves as a married when they arrived. Jake quickly disabused people of that notion as he began to 'date' many of the very interested students. We Westerners were quite exotic to the locals in this small southern city 1 million (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitaky%C5%ABsh%C5%AB). Soon after, Edy met a great guy, Hidenori, and in a very short time they had a beautiful baby daughter, Ami. Within a year I followed suit with my own son, Ian Touma.

The trials of an international marriage were shared freely and frequently between Edy and I and a very few others in town. International marriages were a rarity in this most homogeneous of nations and the social microscope was on every one of them. Fast forward, and today Edy and Ami are both successfully selling real estate in Seattle. Hidenori visits for about two months of every year and remains the stable rock in the vortex of activity which is and has always been the character of Edy's life.

Edy is very encouraging of my interest in moving to Seattle ~ very positive about job prospects! It will be a challenge to decide what direction to go in when I have to decide between Anchorage, Portland, Fairbanks, Vancouver and Seattle as to where to put my stake.

CD