RAKUSU

The

Folding cloth. Sewing basting stitches to hold the folds in place. Laying out the pieces for the field.

SPICY SHRIMP BOWL

In an earlier timeline, The Wife was an excellent cook, and I attempted to pair beers with the dishes she created for dinner. Then, I gave up alcohol.

In this timeline, The Wife is an excellent cook, and I get to simply enjoy her culinary creations. Now, rather than trying to find flavors that complement one another in drink and dish, or searching for subtle notes in both food and beer, I just enjoy the full range of flavors on the plate in their own right.

I was initially skeptical of this Spicy Shrimp Bowl, but it was delicious! The bowl was filled with romaine lettuce, cilantro, cucumber, bell pepper, white corn, blackened shrimp, and a yogurt-based dressing. Mixing the plated ingredients allowed exploration of the various flavor combinations.

SMILE 2

Smile 2 (2024) written and directed by Parker Finn. Psychological horror, possession horror, and body horror converge in a well-done takedown of fame and celebrity culture. Think Britney Spears, for example. It's a sequel to the original SMILE (surpassing it), with the relentlessness of It Follows, some interesting set pieces and continuity in the spirit of Happy Death Day, and a final nod to the finale of The Substance. It is constantly "on" and quite gruesome at times so be prepared; you've been warned.

Streaming on Netflix.

RAKUSU

Taking folds on a test run in paper before applying them to cloth.

ZEN MASTER EMILY DICKINSON

The dharma talk at tonight's sit included one of my favorite poems by Emily Dickinson.

•

The Heart is the capital
Of the Mind,
The Mind is a single State.
The Heart and the Mind
Together make
A single continent.

One — is the population —
Numerous enough.
This ecstatic nation
Seek — it is
Yourself.

TACOMA MOON FESTIVAL

The best part of the Tacoma Moon Festival each year is the Mak Fai Kung Fu Dragon and Lion Dance Association. While the rest of the troupe played on various percussion, the four dancers that make up the two lions put on a spectacular array of acrobatics, and interacted with those gathered to celebrate.

RAKUSU

Marking and cutting fabric for the (rice) field on the front of the rakusu I'm sewing by hand.

THE MANDALORIAN and GROGU

The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) directed by Jon Favreau. I'm glad I missed this on the big screen. (I saw Backrooms instead.) This is essentially a condensed season of a Star Wars streaming series, forced into the mold of a movie, and it shows. It's just one Star Wars trope after another, and it wears thin. It also borrows from other franchises—Bladerunner, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter—and not in a good way. There isn't really anything interesting or new here. It's just rehashed scenes you've seen before. They feel familiar because they are. Meh.

Streaming on Disney+.

•

Kathleen Kennedy is finally away from the helm of the Star Wars franchise. I think it is also time to ask Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni to step back. Let some new blood try their hand at Star Wars films.

RUSTON WAY

Ruston Way. An hour before sunset.

A walk along the water after dinner at Katie Downs.

LUCERNE GOLDCOLLAR

This year, the chickens are once again shown during the last week of the Washington State Fair. But, new, is the pigeons being shown during opening weekend. So, I brought my donations for the Puyallup Food Bank and went and visited with some of the most beautiful birds, including this Lucerne Goldcollar. He's young. He's cool. He just calmly watched as I took his photo and cooed at him.