to-do

The things I do with Kendall are the stories that I like telling the most. On Friday night, she and I spontaneously decided to climb Daimonji. This is a mountain to the east of Kyoto with a huge 'dai' character 大 built into the hill face. Every year in the summer, there is a huge festival where they burn lamps within the character, lighting it up/on fire. The hike was short and easy, and the moon was full and huge and bright. We sat in the middle of the character, at the point where all the lines intersect, and we watched the glow of the city lights beneath us. I wrote this poem:

Daimonji at night

The full moon shines bright above

The city below

We brought some snacks and some sake, and when we went back to the city we went to a cafe that had surprisingly great falafel. 

This was probably the best way possible to celebrate the end of classes for the semester. They were something of a joke, and finishing my final projects and stuff was time consuming but I actually produced work I am (somewhat) proud of. This week I have finals for my Japanese class but I am not too worried about those either. 

I have been thinking a lot about many things, none of which I am in the presence of mind to write about here. But here is a list of things I would want to write something about: 

old/new

trees

time and place

when and where?

old people who want to be young

young people who want to be old

how little kids don't know anything

how little kids know way more than anybody

late autumn, just before early winter

early winter, just after late autumn

Sakyamuni Buddha

one life/many lives

the very hungry caterpillar

being a tourist

being a permanent resident

permanence?

the body as a portal

brains

beards

seasonal activities

things that happen once, ever

eyes

ears

how trees have eyes and ears

colors

inside/outside

absolute energy

amoebas

cities

amoebas that build cities

bicycles

memory as dream

the ocean

mountains

the desert