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So much has happened since the last post. I don't know what's come over me lately - I just havne't been able to write anything that seems to be of the quality that you, the reader (all three of you), would find worthy of your time.

So here's a short paraphrase:

1) I've discovered I enjoy being productive. Tonight, in the span of about 4 hours, I've done 4 loads of laundry, shaved, showered, shaved again, cleaned my room, organized my closet (somewhat), downloaded new songs to my ipod, cleaned some dishes, made dinner and texted Johnnie. Hrmm... on second viewing, it doesn't seem like a lot, but trust me it was. And it was fun - I was literally running up and down the stairs maximizing my time and feeling like an efficient machine. Maybe efficiency is bred into us Japanese? Resistance is futile...

2) My brother's 49 day memorial / burial was Sat. Johnnie and I drove up to what could have been a very very somber occasion. Fortunately, the sun was out in the afternoon and the service was very short. Although a bit disorganized compared to the funeral, it was a good closure to most. Some highlights: I found out that a friend of my brother's is having his own fight with drugs... and on the same precipice my brother found himself on a year ago. I only hope for the best for him - he seems like such a nice guy. I saw him huddled over my brother's ashes in his burial spot by himself crying after all the other attendees left - I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. On a lighter note, one of the buddhist monks forgot his little hand bell and when we called him to let him know, his reaction was somewhere along the lines of "oh - darned... not again...". Silly monks - so Zen like them to be non-attached and almost aloof about these things.

3) Segue from #2 - WTF with Buddhist burials?! There's the initial funeral, then the 49 day burial (my brother's soul has supposedly passed through 7 gates in 7 weeks to go to the other side...), then the 100 day memorial and then the 1 year memorial and then there's Obon Festival. Man... for a religion that seeks enlightenment by letting go - they sure do like to remind / hold on to their dead... This further reinforces the thought NOT to die - it's such a pain in the ass for the living to go to so many of these...

4) I was reminded once again about what it means to be a bodhisattva. A bodhisatvva is a "saint" of abuddhism... sort of. They are teachers of life. And during the burial service, I was reminded by the monks that the pain and loss I feel in my heart for my brother shows me that he truly has become a sort of bodhisattva - he reminds me these personal connections are what life is. To touch someone's life - it is a part of life. Somehow that seems to make all these silly rituals somewhat more meaningful and rational.

5) not much climbing as of late. Starting to feel my strength go... Cesar Chavez day coming up though - gives me a 3day weekend to work with to go somewhere far i.e. Bishop!!!! Obi = happy. In celebration, I think I'm going to hire some immigrant workers to feed me grapes in honor of Cesar Chavez... oh wait... maybe I'm NOT supposed to do that...