Year of the Space Cowboy

Yep. Normally this would be about the time to evaluate this entire year and decide at all once if it was a successful one or not. Judging by all I have learned this year, I would say it has been a pretty good year. The fact that I can now say it in Japanese that this year has been a good one (今年はいいですね！) proves it.

When I moved here in February, it was after a year of soul searching. After failing to get the only spot available in the M.A. Directing program at the University of Texas, I wasn't sure where to go next. I was told, very politely, that my biggest downfall was my age (23 at the time) and that they sincerely hope, after I gain a little more worldly experience, that I would try again. I took the worldly experience thing to heart. Here I sit in Hamamatsu planning the next phase:

Tokyo 2010.

A big factor in my decision to come to Japan was to study, or at least observe, Kabuki, No, and Bunraku theatre. After seeing a kabuki version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by preeminent Japanese director Ninagawa Yukio, I knew I made a wise decision. It's been a few months since I've seen a show (the last was Sarah Kane's Blasted, performed by a Japanese company with a French director). That's the territory that comes with dating someone a few hours away. The days become counters for the next encounter. Until the clock stops cold. And you're standing there wondering what the hell to do with these batteries.

So, I've been redirecting that energy back where it belongs: travel and theatre. And there's no better way to celebrate the homecoming of my he(art) than to come home. During my two weeks, I will see the people who have kept me strong through the loneliness that comes with not being able to speak to even your neighbors because of the language barrier. And I will visit my Mecca for my very first pilgrimage. I will visit NYC for NYE.

I am truly amazed at how this year has unfolded. I've seen things I never imagined and I constantly make plans that once seemed impossible. I feel powerful and impotent at the same time.

Maybe it's a Gemini thing.

This weekend, I am staying in-bed to do some much needed reading. The Kite Runner, perhaps. Maybe some Shakespeare. He never fails to equally humble and inspire.

Oyasumi. Today will be a good day for you.
I am living in the future after all.