Music, Cultural Exchanges, & More!

After not playing for several years, I was finally able to play with the UW-Parkside Reunion band.  I'm hoping to be able to keep playing again, this fall in the Parkside Community Band, as well as get on the substitute list for the Racine Municipal Band.  It's fun.  Here is me, at the event:

In participating in the reunion event for the Parkside 50th anniversary, I was able to get on a list to host a couple of members of a German municipal band, which is actually a community-based band.  They will be here September 14th - 16th.  I'm looking forward to it, and hope people will come to the event.

Not only will I be hosting them, I'll be helping to pick them up, take them to their appointments here (which includes a concert), and back to where they need to go to depart to the next stop on their tour.  It will be a nice lesson in cultural exchanges for my son & husband, also.

Speaking of Lessons (chapter 46) - In chapter 46, Lessons, in my friend, Soldwolf’s story, Meeting the Parents, it’s more than pizza, for those who aren't used to "Earthling" food... Maybe it's the cheese, and they should visit Wisconsin? But wait... tactical issues need to be discussed, and lessons need to be reviewed... More training on tactical issues is also in order. The hero's lovely is sweet, yet, she knows how to keep him in line while keeping their best interests in mind.

Speaking of homemade pizza, my son did a good job not long ago on his. I also miss cooking with him when he was little... To be able to have good family relationships... Well, I guess I'll just have to live vicariously, this way.

Be dears and read it, okay? Don’t worry about Big Brother, because I’ll be the one to give you the Big Sister Interrogation (Ch 3). But the best type of A Mother’s Gift (Ch 20) I can give to my son is to keep pursuing my options to set the example. Maybe I just need some Celebrations (Ch 32) to lighten up the mood? And if you don’t comply, we’ll haul you to Zrik'hlfa, the capital of Tamal (the planet that the hero's lovely is from), for some major Takedowns (Ch 40). For now, I have some major Discoveries and Decisions (Ch 45) to make for myself... Kind of like how April showers bring May flowers. What do May Flowers bring? Pilgrims... I wonder what kind of pilgrimage I ought to go on?

Sometimes, personal touches can help move professional connections forward. Read on to read all of the details! I guaranty you, more than heads will be rolling here, and maybe some people will be turned into sausage! I just hope it doesn't end up on the pizza... With enough readership, the publishers on DeviantArt may pick up the story to publish it into a real book, which I'm hoping will happen!

I'm also a co-administrator for a support group, and the founder of this Sibling Abuse Survivors is on a Blogtalk Radio show.  Please have a listen, HERE - Thank you!

People, Talents & Hey!

I met Soldwolf, the author of Meeting the Parents, a little over a year ago at one of the places I volunteer with.  He'd been regular there for a while, and very established in his role there, and has been very active with the day to day activities that happen.  The place is lucky to have him there, especially in the morning, and even the paid staff relies on him a lot.  With all that he gives of himself to the center to serve the neediest people in the community, he still takes a lot of guff from fellow staff & especially the clients.

Because the clientele is highly needy to an extent, coming in for a variety of reasons, there are those who are thankful to be there to help make their ends meet, then there are those who want to get anything and everything they can get their hands on.  My friend has no issues firmly telling people "no", and often, because he is firm with his principle, some people misinterpret him as being mean, rude, etc...  





It is interesting, because as much flack as he takes, these people get forgiven, and he faithfully comes in ridiculously early to dedicate a part of his day to ensure that things are going smoothly.  Many people seem to overlook that.  Yet I think there are those who go in that makes it worthwhile for him to go in, such as the very talented resident artist who does an excellent job drawing & painting people/scenes there.  There are also a couple of musicians (a pianist and an aspiring fiddler), and I think I remember someone bringing in a knitting or crocheting project along that line.  Being that I'm pretty crafty myself, I understand why Soldwolf appreciates these people who help brighten the day, when others can be stressful.

In getting to know him, I find that he's smart, funny, and very accommodating.  When he puts his foot down, there is always a logical reason for it.  And, if people were to actually give him 10% of the slack he gives everybody else, they'd realize he's a good guy to know...  And, I really enjoy his military sci-fi story, which is still a work in progress (I've posted chapters in previous blogs), and because I think reading is a good thing, I'm sharing since you know, sharing the love is the right thing to do.

Chapter 39 - Fireworks

Now, who doesn't love a good fireworks show?  But who am I kidding?  Us Asian people love our light & sound shows.  It would be neat to learn how to become a pyrotechnic, and the hero's Japanese friend won't miss it, either.  I like how the author captured authentic cultural characteristics in the story.  It is also cute how certain things can sound really strange to someone from another planet when they don't have a basis for reference.  You're going to have to read about which sweet treat it is...

But of course, even during a celebratory fireworks show, not everything is fun and games.  The hero is in charge of some military operations, and of course, there are always things that need to be done, especially with personnel.  Other things are going on in the background.  Do heads roll?  Is there a death toll? You'll have to find out what kind of damage control is being done yourself.

Chapter 40 - Takedowns

Oh, and what a takedown...  I'd really hate to be in the position of this guy...  When a retired military officer comes out of retirement to see you, you know it isn't good!  And the intel that is being dug up, wow...  It's HUGE!

And with the Hero & his lovely (among those there to support them), being that they have pull within the military, still have to balance the work/life cycle delicately...  The tension & excitement grows, as to what will happen next.

The author's highlighted name at the top will bring you to his writing profile, and for those who want to read from the beginning, the title of the story will take you to chapter 1.  With more people stopping in to read, the better chance he gets of having publishers taking his story, once he's done, and actually printing it into a book.  With how he gives his time, also being a veteran, this would be a great way to be able to give back to him.

Cultural Rant of an Advocate...

Here in North America, today is Mother's Day.  I kind of like the idea of celebrating parenthood.  It's weird, though, because I spent the 1st 8 years of my life in Japan, and don't remember having specific days where we honored our parents of either or both genders.  In Japan, they celebrate Girls' Day on March 3 of every year, and I remember the doll set that would be carefully taken out, in honor of the ancient old customs of the Japanese royalty coming out and placed just right in a prominent spot in the house, to show off to everyone who comes in, to brag that you are proud parents of daughters.  I guess because all children are expected to respect and obey their elders, to the point that even teachers are revered as secondary parents to all in school.  I do vaguely remember celebrating Grandparent's day, but, because I had no living grandparents there, I never got to celebrate.  But my sister & I always looked forward to putting this up, just because it was fun, and it was carried over into our teens even after coming here.

Even though people like to think that Eastern and Western cultures are very different, there ARE similarities.  While specific foods might be different, what carries over is the love of barbecued foods, except those of us who live(d) in Tokyo could never have anything awesome such as a Barbecue Pit (Ch 13)!  Reading is also something that is common, and of course, the most popular types of things were documentaries, biographies, crime fiction, and of course, who can forget Sci-Fi?  I bring this up, because my friend, Soldwolf, the Navy veteran who is writing a story called Meeting the Parents, which is a military Sci-Fi novel with a few other genres put in, and has aspects of work ethic, family values, romance, and humor...  He also spent at least a little bit of time in Japan, and actually trusts my cooking skills in making ethnic, homestyle Japanese food and enjoys it.  I just hope it doesn't get back to the Naval SSQH (Ch 14) because the only thing I might be able to keep up with the sailors is my swearing capacity, possibly... But, I do enjoy feeding people, especially family and friends.



Even though my mother is totally a born & raised American, from right here in Racine, WI (she never left the area until she married my father), and my original language was English, (I actually had to go out to the playground as a tot to learn Japanese from the other children), I basically was raised mostly Japanese while there, so when my mother came here with my sister and I, there was a time where I had to go through Familiarization (Ch 17) to get acclimated to life in these United States.  It wasn't always peaches and cream, that's for sure, and some fresh strawberries have always been my favorite.  Of course, when I had my own family, I have a son, but we've always been here, so I was never able to celebrate Boys' Day, which happens ever May 5th, by being able to fly windsocks like this off my front porch to brag that I am a boy mom!  I'm not sure, but I think I would have 2, a bigger black one to represent my 1st son who I lost in childbirth, and then a red or orange one that is slightly smaller to celebrate my now 19-year-old.



Of course, we shouldn't always be afraid of Cultural Differences (Ch 16) because I think it's fun celebrating many of those unique things.  Think about how fun it is to go to events such as Italian Fest or Greek Fest.  I think we should bring back Afro Fest, and then add Asian Fest or something!  



Anyway, please click the highlighted chapter titles incorporated into my blog.  The more reads he gets, the better chance Soldwolf actually gets to being sold as an author.  Thank you!