A Love Story with Balloons

The Fun and Function of Mime and Balloon Art Performing

Costumes, Performance Tips-- and a Bit of Banter-- Enjoy!

[Go to the first post in this series]

Here is the version of a story I tell as I make a heart balloon with kissing birds for couples who speak English. It's the basis for a routine that I use in Japanese with fewer words and more mine.

I first ask if they want to hear a love story. Then, as I tie a balloon in a circle I say,

"Love, the real kind, lasts forever. It's like a circle that has no end.”

(for married couples I'd add, 'like your wedding ring')

"Sometimes, people even 'tie the knot' (get married) — to the boy: “Don't worry.”

Married couples often reply, "Oh, we've taken care of that", or something similar.

"Even the path of true love isn't always straight,” as I shape the circle into a heart.

“There is sometimes a bit of friction”, as I rub the two sides to make them even.

“But love always wins in the end,” as I show them the completed heart.

I then get the couple to each hold one side, pausing to say,

'Ahh' -- as in, 'Lovely'. Then I tell them,

“Now, a bit of magic as I make two birds from one balloon.”

Since the completed bird's beaks are touching, I'll look, pause, and say,

“Oh, they're kissing!” before I attach the birds to the heart.

I usually, have the guy present the heart to the girl-- modeling it with passion as I described in the 'How It Works-- The Act' post, earlier in this series.

I always end with an introduction to a love that will never leave them and give them something to read.

You can find my favorite, Somebody Loves You, here.

Along with a wonderful variety of other inspiring reading.

[Go to the first post in this series]

Ta-da! A new baby!

Izumi Nora

Born to Aiko and Andi Foder at 12:30 AM, October 20th in Hungary.

Izumi weighed 8 pounds and is 22 inches long.

P.S. Don't tell anyone... I'm sleeping with a grandmother tonight.

Fukuoka 2005 Earthquake Story In Photos

As I promised in an earlier post, these are newly posted photos from our time in Fukuoka, Japan.

You can see the entire story in photos and text here

'Fukuoka hasn't had an earthquake in 100 years-- nor a major one for centuries!'

they'd told me -- surprising for this earthquake-prone country-- however, this changed March 5^th, 2005, when our home in western Fukuoka shimmied and shook for nearly a minute. A major earthquake had struck just off the coast.

We survived with minimal damage, checked our neighbors and called our friends. One, alone with two small kids in a badly shook up top floor apartment, was panicking with the frequent aftershocks (BTW, they continued for weeks), so a few of us went to help.

On the way met a friend gripping newspapers with graphic photos showing nearly every home on her island destroyed. She told us, 'They had to leave without even their shoes.' and asked us to help.

At the shelter with a team of 'Family International' volunteers, they nearly turned us away, saying they'd provided everything, until the island's kindergarten teacher excitedly asked if we could do something for the kids...

You can also read more details on the quake at wikipedia

New Site Features Fukuoka Scenes

I've just set up a new photo site on Picasa called 'tipserve' with over 100 photos from Fukuoka, Japan. There are 12 albums now, mostly scenery. I will add photos of our activities and people from our three years there soon, but for now, enjoy...

The reason I've chosen to make another site is that, for now, the Picasa online albums won't allow me to 'nest' the folders-- folders inside of folders-- so it's difficult to organize. For now, I'll continue post current photos on the 'bruce.japan' site and post my photos from Fukuoka on the 'tipserve' site.

Airport Open House

Mountainous Nagano's only airport had a open house today.
There had been a drawing for for rides, but we weren't selected. Nevertheless, we went to explore and, in spite of non-stop rain, we enjoyed it.


Enjoy the photos and Andrew's (10) account with the photos here: Airport Open House

Two New Photo Folders: 'Grapes' and 'Rice'

It's harvest time in our valley in the Japanese Alps. When the sun is shining on the grapevines below, the smell of ripening grapes comes even up to my third floor bedroom.

And when riding our bikes though the local fields, it's overpowering-- with the golden fields of ripening rice set against the green mountains having the same effect on our eyes.

I've captured these images all summer with my cell phone camera, fixed 'em up a bit, and posted them on Picasa where you can view them-- two albums, Grapes and Rice. I've added details about our area and how, while cycling, we've watched the cycling of the seasons. Enjoy!

Blogging 101: Chapter One-- Learning... Where It's 'Not'

I was asked by several people how I made this blog, so we travel back to when the saga began...

I started when I wanted a website to communicate with my family and friends and for our mission project. I'd made a simple website years ago and learned a bit of computer code to do it, but I'd forgotten most of it. So I prepared for what looked like a long arduous journey by amassing a slew of links in my browser on website creation, and a huge folder on my computer of articles, DIY books, and software. I read. I browsed the Web. I downloaded. I asked experts.

A mentor told me that using programs like Microsoft FrontPage would make a 'bloated, useless' site, so I started learning HTML and CSS (if you don't know, don't ask...) and how to use creation and editing and FTP programs (again, please don't ask). I installed software and started to learn to build a site 'from the ground up'-- and created several versions of my envisioned website.

It was all very good and I still want to do all that some day (don't ask when), but after some time (don't ask how long) I decided to just put something up-- anything. That's when I decided to look into those weird sounding 'blog' things.

I'd become a bit tired of slogging through HTMP, CSS and FTP terminology, so learning yet more made me hesitate, but I was surprised at how simple it was.

Next post: I finally try those 'blog' things

Blogging 101: Chapter Two-- Those Weird 'Blog' Thingies

Breakthrough-- After struggling for a long time to learn all the ins and outs of building, securing, uploading and maintaining my own site, I decided to look into blogging. I read a couple reviews and jumped in. I was surprised to have, not just one, but one blog on Blogger and one on Wordpress-- in less than an hour.

And they looked good. I realized-- duh!- blogs are just websites dedicated to automatically doing what I wanted to do-- to write on line.

I was doubtful. How could anything so easy be good?

I dove into Blogger.com first-- mainly because I'd recently begun using Gmail and liked it-- as well as Google's Picasa for editing and posting my photos on line. They are all part of Google, so I didn't even have to register-- just sign in.

I checked the list of templates, found one that I liked, previewed it and pressed 'save'-- simple, automatic. Next, I found that posting (writing an entry) was as easy as writing an email-- including adding photos and links-- it looked good. Finally I explored the tabbed 'dashboard' control center, and found it easy to understand. And for whatever I couldn't understand, I was able to locate plenty of help pages- including step-by-step tutorials.

Besides changing the template, fonts or colors, 'elements' can be added to customize the page. For example, I added a way for folks to get my updates by email (The small text link that I have on the left of my blog) and a link to allow folks to get my newest updates via a 'feed' to their, in my case, Yahoo home page or news reader (icon at left).

At last I had a fully functioning site and shared it with friends-- who promptly asked me to tell them how...

Next blog: Some Tips to get started

Blogging 101: Chapter Three-- Ready, Set, Blog

Before you go to the site you have chosen-- for example, Blogger, which I described in the previous post, I suggest that you decide on your blog's name and a short line or 'blurb', describing your blog's purpose. Perhaps you should decide and even write something for your profile-- should you want to have one-- about yourself, your family or your group.

You should also decide how much personal information you want to post, remembering that what you write could be used to find out more personal information. See blogs and privacy.
Also, when you set it up the site, you can determine who can view it, or even password protect it.

You might want to think what digital photos you may use-- as part of your profile or your first posts-- and put them in a 'for my blog' folder. You can even add links to your online photo albums to any photo or story you post . (Like this)

Now, jump in and your blog should be ready to start filling with your news and links in minutes.

To keep people coming to your online journal-- which is the idea, right?-- post as often as possible, and keep the posts small-- bite sized-- and don't forget to spell-check-- that's built in also.

[note: BTW- Please point out any errors on my blog in 'comments' ; )Thanks!]

Now I want to go back to the Wordpress Blog that I started. I have another project that I think would fit better on Wordpress, as they offer website-like pages in addition to the standard blogging format. I'll tell you how it goes and give you a link when it's ready! Happy blogging!

Pressure, Boredom, Fear Prompt ‘Refusers’

“Educators are wary about acknowledging this growing phenomenon”... “When school refusers turn 15, principals normally award them graduation certificates regardless of whether they complete their studies. And once children have fallen off the traditional education path, they are left to navigate new territory in the job world”... “That's if they can work at all. Education professor Katsuyuki Hiroki said many refusers become reclusive as adults and can't leave their bedrooms. Hiroki said 1 million adults suffer from this affliction...”

Excerpts from an article By Jessi Hempel writing from Japan for the San Jose Mercury News

Japanese “Refusers” a Major Issue- by Bruce

A couple of months ago, unexpectedly, an office worker asked me to lunch at her cafeteria. I hardly knew this person, yet soon she was pouring out her heart about her personal life and difficulties.

She first, confidently, told of her many accomplishments at work and of her plans for the future. She then explained that some areas of her personal life had become dysfunctional-- and some of her dissatisfactions and disappointments.

Finally, her greatest frustration-- Her teenage son had become alienated at school and had refused to return. An apparently bright boy, he'd become frustrated, sullen-- hardly leaving his room and, when he did, arguing with his mother.

'What should I do? He's a good boy, smart, but he refuses to try to go back to school.'

After acknowledging how difficult it can be to communicate with teenagers, I sympathized with her son who, like many thousands of other Japanese students, have dropped out due to the school and social pressures.

I asked about her son's interests and abilities, then suggested she give him love, acceptance and encouragement to excel-- perhaps in some area in which he feels capable-- offering a way to gain confidence in himself and for his future. I encouraged her to relax more, to not try so hard-- to make him feel accepted.

Later, I visited again to take an article on love, forgiveness, bitterness, life's trials and others. These were what she was most excited about on my most recent visit.

'Those helped me so much', she said happily, 'And my son-- I encouraged him and he's responded so much. He apologized for how he's been talking to me and things are going so much better now. May we go to your home to meet your family?'

Since this encouraging development, I feel motivated to support efforts to develop and present material-- drama and songs, for example--that will address common school problems-- like bullying-- and to develop positive attitudes like acceptance and concern for the weak and those in need-- needed counter balances in a world often focused on personal success and measured by personal power and possessions.

That's Naomi with our 'in-house' drummer and expectant daddy, Tomo-- his wife, Mandy, is due to have their first next month