Hate, hate, hate!

As if being incessantly hunted And devoured wasn't enough, squid in the J are now being persecuted for common daily behaviors. They can't get cell phone contracts from any of the major providers, their mp3 downloads are restricted, and the sign on vending machines clearly reads "no Cephalopods allowed." Honestly, it's absolute madness! Surely they'd steer clear if it weren't for the relatively high wages.

stimulants

in them early college days, i tended not to study so much. mostly i would socialize, reconcile my existence, and watch movies. the latter was absolutely most prevalent sophomore year. there was this place called movie gallery right down by sheetzes that had something like "two-for-tuesday". you could rent as many VHS' as you wanted for half a dollar a piece and keep them until the following tuesday, so long as they weren't new releases. me and my cronies would seldom miss the opportunity to pick through random drugs in the couches of 1110 broadway, pull out the loose coin, and bring home armfuls of cinematic gold. had it not been for the gallery's extensive back catalog and heaps of homies with way too much time on their hands, i never would have watched "the way of the gun", "the unseen", or even "phantoms".

the education i received that year, not necessarily gained from the overpriced textbooks, was invaluable. since then, my movie indulgence has steadily declined, and methinks part of me brain is beginning to shut down. used to be i could see some obscure extra in a re-run of airwolf, and not only tell you their full name, but probably their most recent silver screen appearance. these days, not so much.

i'm not regretful in the least; i've found plenty of other ways to enrich my mind. i'm just kind of....wishing i watched more movies. good ones anyway. i really feel that they can open up new avenues of creativity from time to time. i'm sitting here thinking that for old time's sake, i might just put the homepage upgrade on hold, stay up way past bedtime, and find a bootleg copy of my all-time fave on ye ole infernets.

"111 Archer Avenue", by Mark Mothersbaugh

"These Days", by Nico

"String Quartet in F Major (Second Movement)", by Ysaÿe Quartet

"Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard", by Paul Simon

"Sonata For Cello And Piano In F Minor", by Mutato Muzika Orchestra

"Wigwam", by Bob Dylan

"Look At That Old Grizzly Bear", by Mark Mothersbaugh

"Look At Me", by John Lennon

"Lullabye", by Emitt Rhodes

"Mothersbaugh's Canon", by Mark Mothersbaugh

"Police & Thieves", by The Clash

"Scrapping & Yelling", by Mark Mothersbaugh

"Judy Is A Punk", by The Ramones

"Pagoda's Theme", by Mark Mothersbaugh

"Needle In The Hay", by Eliott Smith

"Fly", by Nick Drake

"I Always Wanted To Be A Tenenbaum", by Mark Mothersbaugh

"Christmas Time Is Here", by Vince Guaraldi Trio

"Stephanie Says", by The Velvet Underground

"Rachel Evans Tenenbaum (1965-200)", by Mark Mothersbaugh

"Sparkplug Minuet", by Mark Mothersbaugh

"Fairest Of The Seasons", by Nico

"Hey Jude", by Mutato Muzika Orchestra

i remember santini on the left, the mechanic who flew the american flag chopper. on the viewer's right is stringfellow hawk? actor's name is jan-michael vincent, that i remember. another thing i'm sure of is that the other two in this photo were completely worthless, because they neither provided comic relief nor blew the shit out of everything in sight with a high-tech stealth helicopter. the half-shades are pretty sweet though.

richie rich

here i am, a native of one of the richest countries in the world, currently residing in another of the richest countries in the world. it's been well over a year since i could claim full-time employment, yet i feel incredibly comfortable. moreover, i figure i'll most likely remain comfortable until i'm dead. this thought occurred to me the other day at this fancy gym, whilst using the fancy water fountain. my foot was quicker on the draw than my hand expected, resulting in a bit of water flowing uselessly down the drain rather than into my fancy stainless steel bottle and eventually into my fancy over-nourished belly. immediately realizing that the wasted liquid could be used to aid less fortunate individuals, my conscience took a dive. there was a part of me (we'll call it the fancy part) though, that kind of just thought "fuck it".

"Dollaz + Sense", by DJ Quik - The Best of DJ Quik - Da Finale

"Mr. Lucky", by Vince Guaraldi - The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi

shhhh......

japan. the J. land of the rising sun. also notable for it's sake, sumo wrestlers, delicious raw animals, and strongly recommended public silence.

it's generally unacceptable to use your outside voice here while sober (unless you're safely confined inside of a building, and you're in the company of good friends). this rule seems incredibly out of place, as the noise pollution is unlike anything i've ever heard. upon entering a place of business, be it restaurant, clothing shop, or vegetable stand, every available employee shouts their welcomes across the room. upon leaving, they shout again. it's customer service with a smile, but pretty F'ing loud. you should be careful, however, not to raise your voice in these situations, for it could make your fellow customers uncomfortable.

when you're boarding the train, it's a whole new auditory adventure. on the platform, there are chimes and whistles to alert you to train arrivals. there are announcements (that i can only partially understand) concerning destinations and times of departure. there are freight trains careening by at 120 dB. again though, be careful not to speak too loudly or draw any unnecessary attention to yourself.

on the train itself, remember to turn your phone to manner mode. you should also remember to turn your ipod down to prevent any unwanted noise from escaping your ear canal. you'll probably have to turn it back up every 15 seconds though, so you can hear your music over the PA, loudly spreading the conductor's instructions to turn your phone to manner mode.

fortunately, today the train was quiet as ever, with only the loud, frequent, grainy warnings to hush your electronics. it afforded me plenty of time to watch my main man engaging in, while not the strangest activity i've ever seen, easily the strangest i've seen on a japanese train. at every stop, he would de-board the train to shed a random object, then hop back on. once back on the train, he would fidget, put his winter hat on, and then abruptly take it off in preparation for the next station's deposit. first was a folded piece of paper, roughly 8.5 x 11", placed on a table in a resting area (standing is japan's least favorite past-time). i first assumed it was a suicide note, and he would surely leap in front of a locomotive somewhere down the line. my thinking change when, en route to the next stop, he put on his hat, took a dirty plastic spoon from his bag, then took his hat off. only half leaving the train at the next station, he carefully dropped the spoon through the 2" gap between car and platform. "genius," i thought. he donned the cap, found a rubber band on the floor, put it mischievously in his mouth, and took the cap off. he was ready to leave his new treasure at the next stop.

i'm guessing he was autistic, and the experience left me wondering what the hell it is that he knows and i don't. it's amazing how stimulating a single unique individual can be in a land of silent, staring masses.

anyway, here go english:

there's this penguin bar downtown. it's pretty cool, but you often feel pretty sad for these penguins that live in a basement.

so i had these two girls contact me through couch surfing and ask to stay for about 2 days. turned out to be 8 days over two visits. quite possibly the craziest girls that i know, and two of my new best friends. took this on the ferry to awaji island, where much fun was had by all.

luckily they've since returned to their home country, 'cause at my age, i just can't keep up.

Lacking substance

I'm having a bit o' difficulty finding inspiration these days, and feel I must truly apologize to anyone who still checks this wasted space found somewhere on google's servers. I've been attempting to blog about something sweet for a few days now, but the words just won't come. Suppose I'll try a bit harder... Stay tuned. Or don't. I can't promise anything.

question

how do you not dance to this?

"Rockstarrz", by DJ Blaqstarr - Supastarr EP