Hongdae, Seoul

Korea and Japan are both big on cranes as symbols of happiness. In the country, in Korea, you can see them wheeling about in the sky (white-naped? red-crowned?), untroubled by bad news. If you told them about the threats they face, they'd probably laugh it off. The Japanese word for crane is "tsuru."

My biggest Asia souvenir besides the photos and the memories is a piece of crane art. The only other things I bought were food and $1 chopsticks and some insane postcards.

In Wisconsin, the sandhills flap flap overhead when I go on long bike rides, when I'm driving from point A to point B. Always part of a journey.

Should I recuse myself from further stories about cranes? Because yes, I kind of love them.

My body thinks it's the future still

I am back from wandering east Asia. Left a trail of chopstick wrappers, subway tickets, leaky/dried-up pens and good-bye hugs in my wake. Some sort of summary or collection of anecdotes or observations or 4 of 500 photographs will appear at some point.

A room of tatami mats and sore knees, a table crammed with fried pork and tofu and horse meat (the kind of thing a person has to try if she is only 85% vegetarian and which is, admittedly, delicious) and super chocolate brownies, four Japanese conversationalists, two American teachers, two gawk-eyed tourists, lots of laughter, rain on a tin roof. Robin and I teach the Japanese "party foul" and "jail bait," after they tell us Hal has already taught them "cougar," and "sugar mama." 24 hours in the country, and she still has not knocked anything over. I have knocked over wineglasses (party foul), and several small old people who just bow and say the Japanese or Korean equivalent of "no problem." At least I think this is what they said. I have a photo of me next to a woman who is way shorter than me. I am big and klutzy and I keep forgetting that it's rude to yawn.

8 months and no vaycay

The trip in March is fleshing out, fleshing out. The 4 days in Korea is going to be radically different from the 4 days in Japan. Think, "Three writers muse through the Wyoming of Asia" versus, "Three mad rascals take on Tokyo." I like it both ways.

This photo borrowed from one of the Korea writers.