• Site News

    MT Update

    I updated MovableType to version 3.32 just now and it seems to be working a lot faster than the 3.31b version we were using before. Anyway, now I have Widgets and StyleCatcher to play with, so you things might change around a bit; don’t be scared off. I might let my feminine side take control of this blog’s design for a couple days, but things will probably return to normal after the estrogen levels decrease.

  • Chillin'

    Rot Canal

    The worst thing about getting a root canal, so far, is the pungent stench of rot that permeates my mouth when the epoxy plug is pulled out of my tooth every week for cleaning, and then replaced again. My dentist’s insistence on holding conversations in pseudo-English while my mouth is filled with drills and shit comes a close second, but that momentary putridity is always a kick in the pants. It is disturbing on a basic level to be reminded that cells are constantly dying within one’s body… Today was the last check and antisepsis before getting my crown – that’s in two days. I’m assuming it’s a painless procedure,…

  • Photos

    A walk to the estuary

    This is the Sumoto River. It joins the sea just under the bridge. It is rich in mullet, and not much else, although they used to farm unagi in this area, before the big typhoon. I’ve always liked this bridge, ever since I first saw it – when I came here for the job interview six years ago. Ironically, the cops like setting speedtraps right around the spot I took this picture and it’s the only place in the world I’ve gotten a non-parking related ticket. A loading door on the top floor of the new city gymnasium, near Jusco (aka ” Mecca of Awaji”).

  • Videos

    Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for 6 years

    “January 11, 2000 – July 31, 2006. 2356 Days. A work in progress.” I recommend watching this video alone in a quiet room, with the lights out, as you count down the days to seeing your beloved wife again after four months apart, and even though the pain from the root canal last week is not quite yet faded, you are chewing on fresh sushi. Then, the music is truly sublime.

  • Society & Culture

    Sad but True

    Probably the only famous Australian you can immediately conjure to mind has died. Sad, and sad. UPDATE: So did the sales genius behind Ginsu knives. UPDATE 2: For the next twenty years, the stingray will be inexorably linked, in the mind of pretty much everyone, to Steve Irwin’s death. But that’s the coolest thing about Steve: The stingray will be remembered for his death, but not villainized, because everybody knows he never would have blamed the animal. His gift was being able to convey his genuine goodwill to animals without seeming fake or preachy. It is being reported that the police are in possession of the actual footage of the…

  • Japanese Society/Culture

    WHERE’S THE BEEF?

    HERE. Just in time for my last-minute feeding on all things quintessentially nihon. Here’s to the next million, and the next, and the next… I’ve been waiting, patiently, for three years – it’s not just the don itself that I desire, it’s the ability to stroll into the little shop with the orange sign and cramped seating 24/7 and know that my little mound (read: ? and only ?) of heavenly stewed beef topped with a raw egg is instantly and inexpensively available for me, and only me, me, me. Okay, that last part is flexible, I’ll share with you, because you’re speeeecial. Let’s gyu. UPDATE: On the other side…

  • Society & Culture

    Little Tokyo News

    Check it out: The face of Little Tokyo is changing $820,000 for a 3-bed 2BR @ 1,226 square feet! That’s a stone’s throw from skid row, people! Then again, there is the coming of a new high-speed wireless network, the annual celebration of Nisei Week, and the (pending approval of a liquor license) upscale titty bar, the Penthouse Club, to look forward to. (Joke: How many lapdancers can a city councilman fit on his lap? Answer: Shut up and suck this dick, bitch!)