Thursday, November 28, 2019

A Day to Give Thanks


“Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” ~ Charles Dickens

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you're all having a wonderful day full of family and friends, good food and good company, spending time to reflect and be thankful for the things in your life.

I was at Disneyland last week.  I'll talk more on that later, but it was a great time.  And then on the way home I caught a "bug."  I've been sick with the flu/cold these last few days, but yesterday my fever broke, and even though I lost my sense of smell a couple days ago, I woke up this morning with some of that returning, and the pre-Thanksgiving meal prep smells divine.  I've been quarantined. :P  But even so I'll still eat with the family later and with my returning apatite it will be a nice afternoon.

It's amazing how much we take for granted.  A few days ago it was strange to believe there was a time I was ever well.  I knew I had to eat, but didn't want to, wishing the food would just magically end up in my belly with no act on my part.  I'm not fully well, but the glimmer is nice, the turn around a relief.  And various members in my family, mainly the kids, are off and on getting sick, so I think the flu season is upon us.  Well, on a bright note, maybe this will boost my immune system and I'll be fine for the rest of the season.

I've been playing imaginary mental games, wondering if I could handle getting trapped in the past if time-travel was a thing.  Mainly I keep getting stranded during the Edwardian era, and so many things keep coming to mind:  Has chocolate chip cookies been invented? It hasn't?!  What about grilled cheese sandwiches?  Not for another decade??!!  And hair conditioner?  Wait, how would I brush my teeth?  Having to put my hair up in a bun everyday would be really annoying.  And don't get me started on corsets.  Has Anne of Green Gables been published?  What about The Wizard of Oz?  And suddenly I was relating to the Wizard of Oz.  And music!!  I would miss having any style of music available at any moment, not to mention a lot of my favorite genres doesn't exist in 1910.  Ragtime and classical is nice, but I'm not musically proficient enough to play those pieces, just the basics.  And what would happen if my glasses ended up broken or lost?  We are so spoiled!

So I hope you have a wonderful day. Stay safe!  It's snowing like crazy here, and I'll be both thankful and relieved when my family arrives and returns safely.  I'm thankful for those who are working today to make this day safe for everyone, especially the snow plow drivers, emergency workers, and everyone else. Thank you.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Playing with Color and Light: teamLab Borderless Museum, Tokyo Japan

 
One of the places my family wanted to visit in Tokyo was teamLab's Borderless Museum, a digital arts museum in the MORI building, Odaiba Tokyo.  We watched the videos over and over again on their website and YouTube.  Besides being the perfect place to Instagram, cameras and phones everywhere, visiting this museum is such an interesting experience.

There are so many rooms that it's easy to get lost and miss stuff.  This whole experience is a kaleidoscope of colors and changing shapes, lights, sights, sounds.  So many times I found myself hypnotized with wonder.  Getting photos is fun, granted, but the real magic happens when you put the phone down and look around.
 
Borderless is a cool, crazy, unique experience.






   












 

 


 

 








 





















 (Photos by Sarah, Robin, Steven, and Ty)