Lotusblog

This is a hard one to write a caption for

It was an action-packed week (again).

That is, if you count the worst two days of the year as action-packed.

Last Sunday night I was up until quite late (and quite sober, I might add) working- mainly email/scheduling stuff. I had to get up early on Monday morning because of the trip that we (graf) were going on. We all had to be at graf by 08:45, where we’d get on the bus and head off to Fukui, and then Kanazawa.

Problem was I woke up (quite naturally) and when I looked at my clock nearly had a heart attack. It was 08:51,

Several panicky telephone calls later, I was somehow up, packed and sprinting for a taxi. I ended up being 45 minutes late. That was “Bad Event Number 1” (or BEN1).

I profusely apologised to my fellow 33 passengers, bus driver and bus companion and we were on our way. We were barely on the expressway when the beers were opened. The day was looking good after all.

BEN2 came shortly thereafter. At a modern art museum several hours later I realised that when I walked I was tilting to the right. I checked my boots (the waterproof GoreTex Zamberlans that I had chosen to wear that day because it was really raining hard) and realised that the sole was disintegrating. There I was in a modern art museum and the only deconstructivism was at the bottom of my feet. I mean really. I was leaving dark brown rubber dust (and occasional chunks of foam) wherever I walked. This was getting embarrassing. The right sole peeled off. I devised a method of looping my shoelaces up, over and under my shoes to try to keep them together. It seemed to be working.
It must have been because I hadn’t worn the shoes for almost a year; apparently (as everyone seemed to know as they delighted in telling me) you have to “wear your shoes often otherwise this is what happens”.

BEN3 happened at the same museum when it was discovered that nobody had brought the cables needed for the video projector to show my film. But I was so worn down, I could have handled anything by this stage.

We made it to our ryokan, rested and then were off for dinner. Much merriment ensued. Copious quantities of fine sake was drunk. Much seafood was eaten. Our hosts then took us to a wine bar (we were in Kanazawa by this point) where inexplicably, we ordered many bottles of Belgian beer and Spanish wine. What started out as 34 people (plus guests) was gradually getting whittled down. Eventually, around 01:00 on Tuesday morning, there were 7 of us left. Naturally we decided to go to karaoke. I needn’t explain what happened next.

Sometime around 04:00 we arrived back at our ryokan and now there two. People that is. Again, quite inexplicably, we decided that we couldn’t possibly call it another night until we had another beer. Thanks to the 24 hour beer vending machine of which we promptly availed ourselves, we were in luck, sitting in the dark, sipping our lagers and trying not to wake anyone.

We went to bed.

And then BEN4.
I woke up. I felt bad. I rushed to the toilet. I filled my sinuses with bile. It was the terrible.

BEN5 of course is directly connected to this; the hangover. I have always gotten off lightly in the hangover department. I may feel a little tired or washed out after drinking too much, but that’s usually about the extent of it. On Tuesday 16 November this changed.

Despite visiting the “21st Century Museum” in Kanazawa, which I would like to add was the most stimulating modern art museum I have ever been to, I had a hangover so bad that just remembering it makes me… oh gosh, stop, I have to…

Anyway, first cab of the ranks is this excellent article titled “Nation’s Poor Win Election for Nation’s Rich”. You won’t know whether to laugh or cry.

…is one of those musicians I found slightly annoying when I was first introduced to him (well, to his music, I mean) a couple of years ago. But now, how nice it is. Such sensitivity. He must be a great guy. Did I change?

It’s Friday evening, November 12. Just after 18:00. I am sitting on my balcony enjoying the end of my fine Japanese whisky, a very long cigar, the spooky green lights on the ferris wheel and the Cafe Bleu album by The Style Council. This album has a couple of eighties moments, but the rest of it is so perfectly timeless it brings tears to my eyes. Perfect pop is a phrase I seldom bandy around, but indulge me as I use it now. This album is as close to perfect pop as anyone has ever gotten.

So what else is new (or old, as is the case with my cigar, whisky and this album)?

It was a pretty action-packed week and it absolutely flew by. Work- and this week that was only graf- went well but we are at a turning point I think as far as my future with them goes. I am probably going to be in Europe again at the end of this month (and the beginning of the next) if I get the go ahead for the project I am working on. On Monday we are all (the 27 members of graf) off to Ishikwawa and Fukui Prefectures for a couple of days of madness. I am looking forward to it. I think the best bit is that we are chartering a bus with a “companion” and karaoke. Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face.

The other stuff that happened this week was that my girlfriend finally got up the courage to dump me- but hilariously chose to do it via email. And from her work email account at that!
I thought she had a little more class than to do that, but, heck, you can’t be right about people all the time.

The other stunning news was that Mr Bush become President of the world again. And then Mr Arafat died.

This week may not so much mark a turning point in my own life, but rather, for the whole world. I guess we’ll have to see what happens now. I am optimistic about my my own future- but sadly I can’t say the same for world affairs.

This page has been silent recently, and for that I apologise. It’s 07:37, Saturday morning, and I am just finishing my morning coffee before I head into the shower and off to work. It’s a beautiful, sunny Osaka morning.
I am just remembering how much I used to love Yello’s “Otto di Catania”. It’s the perfect Saturday morning song.

I promise to write more soon.

What happened to pop music?

Last time I remember, it was inanely catchy fluffy lyrics, lip-synced by attractive and young idols, tightly choreographed dance “moves” all geared up to make money for the man.

Well, somebody must have forgotten to tell me that the rules have changed.

Now we have this.

I was just reading an interview with the much ballyhooed next governor of Texas. This comment, in particular, had me in stitches:

Just because I’ve been a bachelor all my life does not mean that the rumors that I’m gay are true. I’ve got affidavits from 2,500 sheep. By the way, I’m all for gay marriage. I think I was the first one to say that they should be just as miserable as everybody else.

The interview with Friedman is one of the more refreshing articles I have read in recent weeks. I raise my whisky to you, Mr. Friedman, and wish you the best.

It’s 16:25. Wednesday.

Thanks to typhoon “Tokage” my evening meetings have been cancelled and I find myself at home, wearing a bathrobe, an exfoliating skin-mask on my face and drinking Japanese whisky neat.
Actually, those last two items are not quite true- that’s what I am about to do.

Apart from taking care of urgent aesthetic matters, I also have a lot of administrative work stuff to attend to, so I am sure that the rare opportunity to stay home and not leave the house until tomorrow morning means that I should be able to get a lot done.

Now that's a typhoon

(image source: NOAA )

I was just poking around the Vice Records site watching a few videos while I was having a break (thanks Mike). And I have to say, I am pretty taken with an outfit called “The Streets”. Whoever would have thought that white British girls would be able to rap? I certainly didn’t, but the girl in the video you can see here does a bloody good job. Do yourself a favour and check it out. It’s a pity it’s only available in the super-crappy Real or Windows Media formats, but I guess it’s better than not seeing it at all.

But the video I was particularly taken with (and the reason for me visiting the site in the first place) was the Chromeo “Needy Girl” video . Very catchy song and great video too.

Now where did I put my darn rollerskates…

For no good reason I made a semacode. Now you can hold your Java-enabled semacode-literate mobile phone or PDA up to the screen, point the lens at this:

Get a bit closer

… and you will be magically whisked away to my website. First person to try it gets a free lunch.