All my working hours are going into the speech. It seems that every time I turn off the computer (to not have to listen to the hum of the fan) I get a new idea. I fire the computer back up and insert another minute into the talk. I hope the audience has comfortable chairs!
There is so much I have to say and yet there are things that I cannot say in a public speech. I am looking forward to quiet one-on-one talks to resolve some of these issues that fly around in my mind.
One of the copies of Taking Tanka Home that I sent out last week has arrived in Japan. I got an email stating just that and nothing more. No comment, no impression. Nothing for me to hang on to as I wonder how it will be received. I try to tell myself that each person will think of the book the way they think they are thought of which has little or nothing to do with me or this book. Still, a kind word would be helpful as I stave off a lung infection and downward drag of antibiotics.