JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

I read that Fats Domino, who lives in New Orleans, is missing about an hour ago. I keep waiting to hear the news that he has been found. Even on a small Pacific island like Okinawa, Fats is well known for his numerous contibutions to the world through music. As a member of the local music community, I want Fats, his family, and his friends to know where ever you may be our hearts and prayers are with you.

I just returned from Koza 2005, an enjoyable theatrical performance by a troupe visiting from Nagoya. The play was created by a mainland Japanese artist who was inspired by the history of rock ‘n’ roll music on Okinawa and the how it affected the lives of everyday people who were part of the scene. The story, loosely set in a Gate 2 Street-style backdrop, was of one fictitious family and the overwhelming role rock played in the lives of the grandfather and his family. Unfortunately the slide clips that followed the performance brought on an atmosphere of anti-war propaganda. The cliché themes of “love”, “peace”, and “make love not war” of the ‘60s demonstrated a failure to comprehend that the underlying force behind the rock music scene on Okinawa was the desire of individuals of varying cultures, thrown together due to tragedies of history beyond their control, to express their belief in the unity of the brotherhood of humankind through the universal language of music. The finale was a rallying performance by the troupe where the artists demonstrated their prowess in the acquired skills of the local art of Eisa drumming.

Two local dragonflies in a dogfight pattern.

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Although this species is not native to the islands, it (and the beautiful call it emits) can be found throughout Okinawa.

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The other night I was watching Jay Leno interview Bill Maher. Bill, a self-professed man of liking 50 and the single life, had three items of advice for women. Two of them really seemed to hit the mark as far as I, a woman of similar number of years, am concerned. The remarks may sound a bit chauvinistic, but my observations lead to similar conclusions. One remark was that if the man hasn’t commited in eighteen months, chances are it’s not going to happen, move on. The other remark was that approximately 75% of men are incapable of being monogamous. I would add, it’s even harder to find a man who doesn’t think the ends justify the means, whatever they may be. So unless you are looking for that type of man, if you are lucky enough to find one of the rare men who actually have a conscience, hang on to him it’s well worth it.

Another local creature of Okinawa visiting the house. This particular insect (a beetle called a kamikirimushi) looks like a very large and colorful cockroach.

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Well the good B-B-Q weather was short lived this year as mini-monsoon season has given way to the first typhoon to blow below us on it’s way to Taiwan. And so the real typhoon season begins once again with the usual pattern being one every seven to ten days for a few weeks and then one every three weeks for a few months. With any luck we will still be able to have some great B-B-Q days in a few weeks.

A local creature that stopped by for a munchie at the house this morning.

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Another flower that thrives in the sub-tropical environment as the mini-monsoon season on Okinawa begins to come to an end.

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