Origin Story

 Me: Which do you prefer as a blog title? Wabi-sabi, or--

TH: --No.

Me: It's a Japanese word. It refers to the concept of loving something imperfect and impermanent because of its flaws and transience. It's very beautiful. I hate the name of the concept itself, but I suppose coming to terms with that is very wabi-sabi in itself.

TH: What's the other option?

Me: Apomys sacobianus.

TH: What?

Me: The Pinatubo mountain rat. It's an often-overlooked and fairly unimportant species that nonetheless became remarkable for its ability to thrive in the face of the enormous upheaval that wiped out species more used to basking in public approbation.

TH: What was the upheaval?

Me: The eruption of Mount Pinatubo. I like this one. It's a little less earnest and "on the nose" than wabi-sabi, but still appealingly obscure.

TH: Yeah, but--

Me: --the other nice thing about it is that "apomys.blogspot.com" is still available. Thanks to all the people who started a blog in the 2000's, wrote one post, and then abandoned it, trying to find a unique, available URL is nigh-on impossible. Did you know that even wabi-sabi is taken? I'd have to go with wabisabiscribble, and who wants to type that? It's a little like [proceeds to describe the video below, which, re-watching it for the first time in seven years, isn't nearly as well-executed as I remember it].

 

TH: Hm. Yeah. Ha. Funny. Is "American in Bristol" not available?