kyburg | There is no spoon -

Haircut place is closed on Sundays. *face palms*

Tomorrow at lunch, I swear it. Hair in my eyes. And if I cut it myself to save my sanity, the children will run in fear if I step out my front door.

You act as if this has never happened before...believe me, it has.

Bother.

Nisei Week swag is just the best, though. Unpacking the Sushi & Tofu magazine's swag bags from yesterday produced two quarts of soy milk, two bottles of Kikkoman soy sauce, and maps in English of Tokyo - among other things.

project29 materials! In past years, I've come home with cookbooks, pens and pencils, rulers, t-shirts...and yesterday, Sierra Mist was present handing out all the soda you could drink, gratis. In the widdle 8 oz cans, but it was cold, it was brought to you by a nice fellow who politely insisted (and was Anglo in Little Tokyo, a nice combination) - and it was Sierra Mist, so it was all good.

There are also two sets of posters, rolled up. Haven't undone them yet - but it might be from the Japanese American Cultural Center, with a list of events for this next season. That would be helpful - it only took a fraction of the time it used to to get up to Little Tokyo from the new digs. We could do a lot more as far as attending events -

We managed to walk through everything - and see the sword displays, some of the ikebana and attended the cha-no-yu, (yummie!) though that was the last thing we managed to do.

The day began with the museum, though. And with the Go for Broke guys, who were manning tables out there Saturday morning. It was nice to see them - can't believe they are as old as they must be these days. The chatter was all about how "Reikai is giving us lunch today, did you hear guys? Let's go -"

My friend, Harold Manago is mentioned on the monument. You know Harold Manago, right? He runs his parent's old place in Captain Cook, with his son, and he's bringing a grandchild along to take over the place someday. I'm talking with them in those terms - Harold Manago is in his seventies, if he's a day, and I have to remember he's running "his parent's old place." That's the frame of reference. I have to remember Harold's middle name is Takakishi or some such - but he's the only Manago there. One of the guys knows him, and we exchange pleasantries. I am so glad I got to say thank you to Mr. Manago - he was so surprised that I had found out in he was in the 442nd!

I had to get a hat for him, of course. I'll send it out tomorrow. We adore the Managos - when we're in town, we stay there. Always. Best pork chops anywhere - and I mean it. I <3 their cooking - so do the Zagats, they gave the place a rating!

But Jim thought

caitlin should see the 9/11 exhibit. And I needed to renew our memberships at both the museum and the JACCC - which I do during Nisei Week every year.

So we went again.

That, in short terms, is tough. I might make light of psychic energies, but sitting in that exhibit hurt - and I found myself hurrying the other two through it. We could sit there all day - there is a lot to take in, frankly. And a lot to process, and every time, you process it as if it were new again. It has that immediacy about it.

Whatever your politics.

It's a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, and it will be leaving when Nisei Week ends.

And so, Nisei Week for us this year. I was able to do the things I love doing in Little Tokyo - strolling (and reading) the streets, buying sweets at Fugetso-do, and having keys made in the old hardware store. What have I gained in the years since 1997 when I first started doing this? I can read the characters on my necklace, at last - that was a shock. But it's come to routine, ritual - what have you.

And I love Nisei Week. Best summer fair in Los Angeles. Feels like the county fair in Minnesota did - just, different.