I will now artlessly relate the events of the weekend, so I can get on to (notionally) more interesting things.
This weekend was supposed to be relatively relaxing, in contrast to the whirlwhind that was last weekend and the days leading up to it. And I suppose that it was, although it started off rather earlier than I expected it to when I got a 9 AM call from that inimitable Iberian inferno, Gabe.
(more…)I acknowledge that my favorite Japanese television show (indeed, the only one I watch with regularity) is a sham. It must be thus. I know the director is behind the scenes, telling who to pursue whom, encouraging drama. I know hours and hours of boring footage are pared down to a riveting 20 minutes, and I know that in that reductive process, “reality” becomes something entirely different, as unreal as a television sound stage.
I know all this, and I still keep coming back to Ainori.
(more…)If I’d known Herbie Hancock was such an Apple nerd, I would’ve been able to say something to the man when I saw him at Narita airport.
This long, meandering interview is a joy for any music fan and any Mac nut to read—as I am both, it was like a double dose of awesome.
In other jazz news, I found Stanton Moore’s solo album on the iTunes Music Store and snagged it straightaway. I have only listened to the first couple of tracks so far, but it sounds good.
Despite only four rehearsals, our set at the Toyooka Christmas illumination fundraiser concert went well. I was not at any point seriously worried about our showing—Gregory is an extremely talented pianist and vocalist, Grayson is rock-reliable on the congas, and I knew my parts well enough to fake it.
Our setlist and some commentary follows.
(more…)St. Clair, Inc. (a company I know nothing about) has an unintentionally amusing tool on their web page: the safety sign builder.
I used it to create this poster, which I will be printing and using in my home to remind me who’s really in charge.
(From Blab-o-Rama, a remarkably rude SOB, and I mean that in the nicest way.)
I don’t know why it happens; I suspect it may be seasonal; perhaps when the temperature drops, I get the urge to hibernate in front of the TV, game controller in one hand, popcorn bowl in the other—but for whatever reason, I can only hold out for so long before I’m lured by the promise of 50 or more hours of chewy, delicious mind candy. I refer, of course, to the modern console role-playing game.
What I should do is play through Kingdom Hearts, which I already own and which, by all reports, is very good. What I probably will do, of course, (in a few weeks’ time, if the urge remains) is purchase Final Fantasy X International, and give it a go. I want to beat this game. I want to play through it slowly, languorously , taking time to collect all the box tops and exchange them for all the apocalyptically powerful soul-rending magic spells that lie hidden in the game (collect them all!) and then I want to crush my enemies like roly-polies in a toddler’s sandbox.
Perhaps the urge will die out before I have time to spend money on it, which would be for the best. In the meantime I’m going to enjoy the visions of boss battle victories that dance through my head nightly.
I suppose that people are going to want to see the ring, so here’s a picture.
Down with diamond hegemony! Overthrow the DeBeers pigdogs and their monopolistic price-fixing! Support artificial gemstones! etc.
I’ve been trying to think of a clever, funny, or articulate way to say this, but I guess there’s nothing for it but to just come clean.
The night before last, I proposed to Herself, the redoubtable Miss J, and she accepted. We are engaged, with a wedding date set for Way The Hell In The Future.
It is safe to say that we are fairly happy. It’s been good to have her back in the Taj for a couple of days.
Looking to continue my streak of rediscovering the good stuff, I sat down with “Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou” last night. Folks, let me tell you: This is a masterpiece. Yes, it is a multimedia1 goddamned pièce de résistance. As an illustration of Erikson’s “intimacy vs. isolation” conflict it is unparalleled.2
That’s three superlatives in one paragraph. I could cut back if I wanted to. I can quit anytime. It’s under control.
So you got yourself a boyfriend? Great, now what? KareKano dives fearlessly into this question, tearing through the small stuff (when is it okay to kiss?) and the big stuff (who was I then, and who am I now?), never cheating or copping out once.
As a kind of bonus, the way it nails the feel of a Japanese high school is dead-on—I don’t give myself too much credit to claim a certain amount of authority on the subject.
The Right Stuf has done a wonderful region 1 DVD of this show, “His and Her Circumstances,” lovingly subtitled and bedecked with extras from the Japanese DVD release, also subtitled. It’s not often this kind of care goes into what is (undeservedly!) a niche release. The gods only hate us most of the time, but they keep us coming back for more with sweet gifts like this…
1Not a buzzword. I mean precisely this: That it uses more than one medium to convey its message.
2Not trying to sound like a pretentious academic here, but the comparison just occurred to me. It probably bears further examination.
It almost feels like cheating, it’s so good. Dig, sweet reader, the following pieces of software. They make me feel loved:
cd‘d to whatever directory you’re browsing is a brilliant addition. It’s also a just generally a beautiful app.I realize this is all just hideously self-congratulatory, but I just wanted to share the love a little bit.