#progress made

Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.com Hey guys! So, as you know, I’ve been really committed to writing on my blog lately. And honestly, I’m hoping with perseverance that it continues to grow and flourish. It’s not easy putting in the time and effort to keep a website running, but I truly believe that if you stick with something long enough, good things can happen. My hope is that my content…

one tiny kiss on the cheek for man, one giant kiss on the cheek for mankind. within the confines of tanaka’s relationship with kiyoko, nothing seems small; everything seems big — especially since they’ve been ? a little messy in learning the other’s language. but now at least, they find themselves

sitting side by side in their aging car. at red lights, tanaka non-discretely eyeballs kiyoko as he sits right by her. like a constant & unarticulated hum, he does feel: 

she’s beautiful, she’s beautiful, she is his wife even as they

run errands. with her simply being, she manages

to calm everything a little within their surroundings. tanaka’s personality is loud, impulsive, impassioned by default. & something about kiyoko has ( over time ) introduced the option of the casual calm that comes with

the hours of sleepy calm before bed, the hours of focus throughout the day that come with work / cooking / whatever, the inbetweens with television binges of shows that tanaka has forgotten starting weeks ago.

it is tanaka’s nature to look for & lean towards bold faced moments — but marrying kiyoko ? is full of moments like the smooth stroke of a well-inked pen.

this he feels in his gut, but —- he is driving, he is a little preoccupied with ordinary life & familiarity. she’s a little preoccupied with ordinary life & familiarity. honestly ? he mostly spends the car trip rambling on goats could be great pets if they didn’t eat everything & shit on everything. he rambles & narrates a fake story for the guy with a dramatic mustache who crosses the street ahead of them at the red light &

finally, later ? when they’re finally parked ?

before getting out of the car, kiyoko rewards him for something or another with the press of her lips against his cheek &

when she pulls back, tanaka slaps a hand over his cheek to rub the kiss in ( even though that’s not how kisses work ). he follows her out of the car, follows her into the shop selling plants & maybe seeds & flowers & whatever else. tanaka & kiyoko have a few plants; they’re not dead or dying, so it’s all very impressive if you ask tanaka.

they’re looking for something seasonal. & maybe some radish seeds ? tanaka thumbs over the velvet of a flower petal as they examine products. he hums &

bold-faced moments mean non-sequiturs.

‘ we should get a dog, maybe. ‘

it makes sense to tanaka somehow — to jump from goats to flowers to pets. he grins wide & full & points towards a plant that he thinks he likes for kiyoko’s opinion.

THESSALONIKI, Greece | Macedonia, Greece say progress made on school books talks

THESSALONIKI, Greece— Senior officials from Greece and neighbor Macedonia say progress has been made in talks to revise school books in the two countries as part of an effort to end hostility between the two countries.

The two Balkan countries are seeking to end decades of tension with an agreement that would see Greece’s neighbor change its name to North Macedonia and both sides takes a series…