I packed my little Nissan with our last load of 29 years in the rain and arrived here just after midnight two months ago. Our country life has began. I guerilla-opened SOY within a month for Rosendale Street Festival in mid-July. It was just like a film shoot- finding problems in many corners of the building, equipment breaking down in the last minute, staff having a melt-down, etc, etc. Some people didn't believe I'd make it that quickly, and I had doubts at times. But my new neighbors helped me tremendously and the day before the festival bunch of friends from New York City trekked up to clear the space and I opened my door July 15th, 2017. I've been back in business ever since, slowly but surely. This tiny town is just amazing- sweet and crazy people, incrediblely friendly and positive energy, and beautiful scenery. You have to come and see it yourself. Getting ready for our first big party this Friday!

It was a long, crazy month. Very dramatic. I was ending an important chapter of my life. People returned, some who I hadn't seen in many years. Others sent me regards from all over the world. People mourned. It was as though SOY was becoming a legend by dying. For Taiyo and I it was natural order, evolution; we were outgrowing the space, aided by a romantic expectation depicted in my favorite show "Green Acres." So people were sad but congratulatory, supporting my theory of "life is a mixed blessing."

I thought I'd start packing, but I started making mini "trophies" instead. I've been feeling that I've accomplished something big. Besides, my trophies are darn cute. This is my open-ended interim semi-vacation. All is good.

I think the time is tricking us these days and also I find more black holes in my surroundings. There got to be black holes. Why could things disappear otherwise? It's more serious than my theory of "Law of a Rubber-band" - a phenomenon that a common object such as a rubber band you always see around the house somehow cannot be found when you actually need it. And this doesn't explain anything about what's going on really, does it? Also this picture of Taiyo. I just wanted to show you how time flies and how he looks so grown-up in this picture. Though he still wants to carry his 'kitty' his best friend the stuffed animal everywhere and of course he has to sleep with her every night.

Feels like I kept saying "two more months" for a while but now it really seems like just another month of SOY on Suffolk Street. Every day there's someone going "NOOOOOOOOOO!!" finding out that we're leaving. Mostly happy for Taiyo and myself, but this move is of course bitter-sweet with so many good-byes. And more bitter-sweet in defferent depth and combinations, like I'm already missing the old neighborhood anyway; it's already gone before me. I'm not going to miss all these high-rises curving more chunks out of our sky around Delancey Street. I'm not going to miss any of these new hipster joints that's mushrooming around the neighborhood. But I'm going to miss very much of this tiny restaurant that I spent all of my last 15 years. It was so personal. And that's why it was so special.

Then February zapped by because it IS really a short month! Thanks to our new President, people seemed to have been seeking more "comfort" and I sold good amount of Niku Jaga, our comfort food champion. Then there were Valentine's Day which doesn't have much effect for us (what, are we not romantic enough for ya??) and a few days later, SOY's 15-year anniversary!! 15 years of SOY, 23 years on Suffolk Street, 25 years of Lower East Side, 27 years of Manhattan, all of my adult years in America. All feels like maybe three years, or at least about half a century, which I haven't lived (phew, but getting close). All these reminiscing is also due since Taiyo and I along with SOY are relocating 90-mile north to a cute little Hudson Valley town of Rosendale in about two month. We are very excited and maybe a bit scared. We've never lived in a "country." But certainly grass is greener in upstate. So please come see us soon. Not tomorrow because we're closed on Wednesdays.

So there was Festivus, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year. Then in this new year 2017 two weeks have passed in about two seconds. Seriously. Life sometimes feels like a Kurt Vonnegut novel. Comical and sad. Absurd and complex. Time travels. And so on.

Anyway, for Taiyo the new year began with this super rich deep fried brioche french toast with fruits and bacon. For many years my new year's resolution was to blog every week, or just little bit more. Of course this was never achieved so lately I would not set any goal I cannot make. Besides, how could I dramatize and recite my life in public space when my actual life feels like just so full of it? Non-responsive o,p, and l keys on my laptop were also to be blamed. And it's all because of Donald Trump anyway. It's like Mercury retrograde- we've got someone to blame everything on for the next 4 years (maybe.)

Oh how happy and hopeful we were back on Halloween- Taiyo in his beard and me in my rice bag space suite. It's been 10 days since the dark election day and finally people are coming out to have my comfort food. Here in Manhattan 86$ voted for Clinton and there's so much anger, sadness, and anxiety all over the place. Collectively we haven't felt this much threat and sense of urgency since 9/11. And like post 9/11, I've lost a few friends who didn't share this feeling. Then there's so much more tight and long hugs going around and I'm sure we can let our goodness grow among us in this intense time. Taiyo's been making "Token of Appreciation" out of bottle caps. Please come get one. And order beer so he can make more for other people.

So of course we had way too much fun and the month of September truly flew by. Approaching mid-October and we are still blessed with extended mild fall. Winter may feel tougher this year. Another long holiday weekend, with Rosh Hashanah last week and Columbus day this week. Yesterday we took a ride to Long Island, where I spent first two years arriving in this country. There's a Children's Museum behind the campus now. We visited this place for the first time, and this turned out to be the best of its kind, I think.

It was the best equipped and interestingly beautifully presented and pretty well-staffed. It was a chilly and wet sunday afternoon and was rather chaotic at times, but still amazing over all. And it was only 40-minute away from our house (in pouring rain!) We stopped at big and beautiful shopping mall Roosevelt Field then went to check out "Rise of Jack O'Lamterms" show at Old Westbury Gardens. Fortunately the rain stopped and made it a bit less disappointing experience.

So you walk around among the gardens adorned with 5000 jack o-lanterns. But most of them are simply carved jack o-lanterns spaced out like this across the lawns. Then there's some Disney characters, Marvel characters, Sesame Street, Star Wars and such. Even presidential candidates! And dinosaurs. The whole this isn't so interesting nor impressive, artistically or otherwise. It could been better. I wished it was better. I would recommend only if it was $5 each. It was pretty expensive!
Nevertheless, it was a beautiful evening and it was not a bad idea after all.