An incredibly cool tie from Emy and Dolph. X marks the spot where they live.
Hint, as the holiday season approaches: I can always use more cool ties!
manhattan tie
An incredibly cool tie from Emy and Dolph. X marks the spot where they live.
Hint, as the holiday season approaches: I can always use more cool ties!
half-life 2
Had a big seminar for everyone in Mugairyu. First one in a while, and about 75 people showed up so that was cool. As expected, plenty of idiotic he-said-she-said politics and conspiracy theories. Man, just shut up and train already!
After that I went up to Yutenji to have dinner with Smallwood. We went back to his place to make sure his new sound card was working. By playing Half-life 2. Let me use my fine command of the English language to explain how good this game is: holy fucking shit.
And that's about all you need to know. The machine gun and rocket launcher are cool, but not nearly as much fun as using the gravity gun to:
After that I went up to Yutenji to have dinner with Smallwood. We went back to his place to make sure his new sound card was working. By playing Half-life 2. Let me use my fine command of the English language to explain how good this game is: holy fucking shit.
And that's about all you need to know. The machine gun and rocket launcher are cool, but not nearly as much fun as using the gravity gun to:
- whiz circular saw blades through multiple targets
- knock furniture into shards
- splatter paint cans
- smack around dead bodies hanging from bungie cords
- throw milk crates
This game makes we want to buy a PC just to be able to play it!
yamamoto
This is Yamamoto-san. She's one of Hiroko's Fighting Fitness instructors. 15% body fat. Chiseled muscles. And totally, completely goofy.
inoue sensei's birthday
Inoue-sensei, who runs Hiroko's Fighting Fitness Kyokushin Karate Gym. We went to a local Korean restaurant for his 36th birthday and packed far too many people into a tiny space. Everyone was generally muscle-bound (including a pro boxer who was huge) and really nice. The women in particular are generally insane.
shinbukan
I went with Keith up to Saitama to Kuroda Tetsuzan Sensei's Shinbukan practice. This guy is a legend; he is probably the single most talented koryu martial artist alive today. First of all, he has alien bug muscles. He can basically move any muscle in his body independently of any other muscle. So for example he can twist his upper arm clockwise and at the same time twist his forearm counter-clockwise. He flows like mercury and has incredible balance. You grab onto him and he doesn't move...only he's wrapped his leg around yours and swept you to the floor before you know what's going on. Freaky fun. We spent most of the time doing various body movement exercises, trying to move without moving, push without pushing. Basically impossible stuff, until Kuroda-sensei does it and shows that it can be done.
viking
Went to Namikawa Heibei in the morning with the gang, and bought tons of stuff.
In the afternoon we went to Honbu (with a quick haircut detour) for training, and then after training we naturally went to the all-u-can-eat-&-drink place.
Nothing like a viking buffet to get the blood flowing!
curry @ kenbokke
Sent the kids down to Machida to train so Hiroko and I went to get some curry at Kenbokke. Damn fine eats.
senpokan
Tony and Bill arrived, and Neeley came back up from the seminar he was at, so it's a full house at Hotel Kuroda!
jenn & sushi
National holiday, so Hiroko and I cleaned. Cleaned the vacuum cleaner, took the covers of the bed and couch and went to the laundromat to wash them. Did lots of laundry.
In the evening we met up with Jenn at the Keio Plaza and wandered around Shinjuku looking for a certain sushi place. Couldn't find it, so went into the place with the biggest frozen fish head outside.
fake dead crow
If New York pigeons are flying rats, then Tokyo crows are flying coyotes. They are big, smart, and nasty. They'll tear through trashbags, abscond with small pets and children, and smoke and gamble all night, shrieking up quite a racket.
The one thing they don't like is other crows, dead. So Hiroko, a veritable wellspring of random knowledge, commanded me to find a fake dead crow. And lo! For twenty bucks I got a life-sized, plastic fake dead crow.
He's hanging stoicly on the balcony, and I swear since he's been put up I haven't even seen one crow in the near vicinity, though I can hear them far off in the distance.
Now I wonder if I could find a fake dead New Religion peddling old woman to hang on the front porch?
red rubbers
Went shopping Shibuya with Hiroko. I wanted to fix my broken watch band, and she wanted black leather boots. Turns out my watch band is no longer made and they have to check with the factory. Meanwhile I spotted the most stylin' Marc Jacobs red rubber, high heel, non-slip boots and Hiroko simply had to buy them. Ah, to consume. Small is the economic role we play, but proudly do we play it.
Also hit Muji for various supplies like a big cushion on which to sit, an incense holder, small useful plastic case, and bath salts that smell like a hot spring resort's fine soaking.
Back home it was an evening of massive cooking. Hiroko made meat pies and curry and I slaved away caramelizing onions for an hour to make a double batch of my mama's famous fake chicken liver pate. Calling it that doesn't do it justice though. Blend carmelized onions, string beans, walnuts, and hard-boiled eggs into a paste and eat with your favorite crackers. It is stunningly good and damn addictive. And probably healthier than anything else I can inhale.
okonomiyaki
Went over to Higashi Koenji to have Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki with Stevie and Eriko and Hye-won and Yon-sama and Eriko's family.
After dinner we walked over to Stevie's place and talked about the crazy times we had in Seoul. I brought the photos I took when we were there 10 years ago and totally embarassed Hye-won.
hye-won
Hye-won and her husband, the famous Korean Idol Yon-sama!
Ren and Hye-won
The Wonder Twins
Went to Yurakucho after practice to meet Stevie and his cousin Hye-won from Korea and her husband and everyone else.
Haven't seen Hye-won in like 10 years, since I went to Seoul with Ivan and Stevie and Hye-won showed us all around. I have a totally traumatized image of Korea now, because all I did was hang out with Hye-won and her friends, drink, and eat, and drink.
Hye-won's now 8 months pregnant, so she's not drinking for now, but she's making up for it by eating!
night of the polish heavy weights
So Lee goes to Madison Square Garden to see Night of the Heavy Weights.
His buddy Jud's write up was so good, I am blogging it here. Without permission, I might add.
His buddy Jud's write up was so good, I am blogging it here. Without permission, I might add.
Last Saturday, Lee and I attended the "Night of the Heavyweights" boxing match at Madison Square Garden. The featured match was a fight between a guy named Ruiz and the pride of Poland, Andrew Golota. The crowd was filled with thousands of Polish folk - faces painted, draped in red & white flags, yelling angrily in Polish (at least it sounded angry) and all absolutely bombed.
Lee, very proud of his Polish heritage, was like a kid in a candy store. As the night progressed, Lee proceeded to order trays of champagne for all of his Polish brothers sitting in the nosebleed seats in section 413. They were a bit confused at first and were not sure if they should thank Lee or kick his ass, but after explaining that he was a fellow Pole, they gave him a hug and chugged champagne together. (If you have not been to a boxing match before - they serve champagne like it is some kind of classy event, even though the crowd is roughly the same crew that hangs out in OTBs, with more fights in the seats than in the ring).
As the night progressed, Lee collected more and more Polish paraphernalia - every time Lee went to get a drink or go to the bathroom, he would return with a new Polish t-shirt, hat or flag given to him by a new friend. (The most interesting item he came back with was a doctor working for the polish mob, who gave Lee a business card and let us know that we could call him if we ever needed medical attention but required something more "discreet" than a hospital. I am not kidding - this actually happened).
At about 11, I turned around and found Lee leading a group of about 100 men and women in a Polish fight song. At midnight, Lee was at the front of a group of Polish people threatening to beat down some poor Ruiz fan. As I walked out of the Garden, my last image of the event was watching Lee crowd-surfing on top of a sea of people dressed in red and white.
I am sorry the rest of you were not able to witness Lee in all his glory - it was truly awesome.
sleep deprivation
Been trying an experiment for the past couple of days: since I generally don't get enough sleep as is (late conference calls, late practice, too lazy to get off couch, get in shower, get in bed, etc.) lately I've been swapped 20-30 minutes of sleep with 20-30 minutes of post-shower, pre-sleep zazen meditation. Well ok I call it that, but it's basically me sitting and staring at at an incense stick as it burns it way to gray ash. Fairly sure I have not reached a transcendental plane just yet, but I do know that as soon as I go to bed, I am dropping off to sleep in what I think is a shorter amount of time than if I just sit and stare at the tv, shower, and crawl into bed.
Of course, to do a properly controlled experiment I'll have to spend one week eating donuts right before bed, another week playing with action figures before I go to bed, another week reading comic books before going bed, etc. and see if any of them cause me to drop off to sleep more quickly than normal, too.
Such is the life I live, dedicated to the pursuit of scientifically backed truth.
Of course, to do a properly controlled experiment I'll have to spend one week eating donuts right before bed, another week playing with action figures before I go to bed, another week reading comic books before going bed, etc. and see if any of them cause me to drop off to sleep more quickly than normal, too.
Such is the life I live, dedicated to the pursuit of scientifically backed truth.
Hiroko and I saw Kakushiken Oni-no-tsume at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Cinema.
By the same director as Tasogare Seibei, and a very similar story: average Joe samurai, the woman he's always loved by can't admit it, the clash between old-world samurai and Western modernization, a challenge to friendship, a final duel, a secret technique. Not as good a movie as Seibei, but also better in some different ways. Not very much fighting; this is not a samurai flick. Someone told me it's a story told much more from a woman's point of view, and I sort of get that now that I've seen it. Anyway if you liked Seibei and Ame-agaru, you'll like this one. Assuming you ever get the chance to see it.
By the same director as Tasogare Seibei, and a very similar story: average Joe samurai, the woman he's always loved by can't admit it, the clash between old-world samurai and Western modernization, a challenge to friendship, a final duel, a secret technique. Not as good a movie as Seibei, but also better in some different ways. Not very much fighting; this is not a samurai flick. Someone told me it's a story told much more from a woman's point of view, and I sort of get that now that I've seen it. Anyway if you liked Seibei and Ame-agaru, you'll like this one. Assuming you ever get the chance to see it.
cutting practice
Had a mellow cutting practice. Honma-chan and Kobayashi-chan were cutting for the first time, and all things considered they did very well. Kobayashi-chan had one perfect cut that just passed through the target like butter, making that great sound kind of like a zipper being opened really quickly. Niina-gosoke came in from the other room going "That sounded good!"
Everyone else cut ok, too. Presley was pummelled from aikido the day before, so he was all sore but doing ok. Sakaguchi-san cut pretty well, too, and he brought a couple of killer wakizashi that he's selling for super cheap. His sword shop "Mugaido" will be open in Takadanobaba soon. He's going to cater to practitioners, so unlike most uptight arty sword shops, he'll sell to iai practitioners who want to get a feel for the sword before they buy it, etc. Can't wait for his shop to open. He said he's got a cutter from a modern smith in Chiba that is an absolute light saber that he can get for a ridiculous price. I told him my custom-forged cutter will be coming next month and he just smiled and said "When your sword comes, we'll compare, and then we'll see which one you want to keep."
After practice I went back to Shibuya with Presley and bought him a hotdog, talking smack as we walked down the hill from Aoyama. Nice weather so the crowds were out in full fall fashion, so we swivel-headed at Hachiko Crossing while he waited for his 7:30. Conclusion: Japanese chicks are in general too damn skinny, and if you look up the word 'grace' in a Japanese dictionary, there is most definitely no mention of 'walking in high heels' for most of the knee-knocking female population.
Everyone else cut ok, too. Presley was pummelled from aikido the day before, so he was all sore but doing ok. Sakaguchi-san cut pretty well, too, and he brought a couple of killer wakizashi that he's selling for super cheap. His sword shop "Mugaido" will be open in Takadanobaba soon. He's going to cater to practitioners, so unlike most uptight arty sword shops, he'll sell to iai practitioners who want to get a feel for the sword before they buy it, etc. Can't wait for his shop to open. He said he's got a cutter from a modern smith in Chiba that is an absolute light saber that he can get for a ridiculous price. I told him my custom-forged cutter will be coming next month and he just smiled and said "When your sword comes, we'll compare, and then we'll see which one you want to keep."
After practice I went back to Shibuya with Presley and bought him a hotdog, talking smack as we walked down the hill from Aoyama. Nice weather so the crowds were out in full fall fashion, so we swivel-headed at Hachiko Crossing while he waited for his 7:30. Conclusion: Japanese chicks are in general too damn skinny, and if you look up the word 'grace' in a Japanese dictionary, there is most definitely no mention of 'walking in high heels' for most of the knee-knocking female population.
roland reads
Went to the Pink Cow for the book release party of Kuhaku. Roland and others read some outtakes. Fun book, especially since, after a decade 'in country', every moment spoken to in the book was a 'been there, done that.'
ted's jingasa
The old man said "This is the jingasa the general wore when he was hunting wild boar in the forest."
It must be true because no one can make up a story that cool-sounding.
It's covered in chicken feathers, and in surprisingly good shape considering how old it must be.
will wants cake
Will came over for dinner a couple nites ago and brought cake. Hiroko ate the cake for breakfast for days. Bad Will, no biscuit.
nyc marathon
Dolph finished the marathon in five hours nine minutes.
See for yourself: Race results, runner #38042.
FYI, five hours nine minutes is the amount of time it takes me to watch Blade Runner 2.64 times.
See for yourself: Race results, runner #38042.
FYI, five hours nine minutes is the amount of time it takes me to watch Blade Runner 2.64 times.
ted & andy
Got up reasonable early and got down to Harajuku to check out the flea market at the temple. Andy was already there and professed his deep disappointment at the selection of stuff. Still, we wandered around and managed to grab some cool stuff; cufflinks, nice kimono, jingasa (helmet/hat) covered in feathers...
Got gyoza for lunch and then walked back to Nishi Azabu for some cake and iced tea before heading home. Ted went off to meet a client for dinner and Will come over to be fed. Surprised Hiroko because she didn't realize he's in town. Ate too much chocolate cake before calling it a night.
gifts from ted
Alpaca fleece hat, gloves, and muffler. Also, Avon Skin-so-soft (the best bug repellent in the world!)
Ted came by Honbu Dojo and we went to the all-you-can-eat meat fest with Niina-gosoke before cabbing back to the Kuroda residence. Meat is good.
dolph tracker
Once again Uncle Dolph is running the NYC marathon. This man is a machine, I swear. Running this many marathons simply cannot be healthy, but he seems to enjoy it, so more power to him!
You can track him via his runner id: 38042.
I will be cheering him on from the comfort of my bed, stomach full of carbo-loaded pasta in his honor.
You can track him via his runner id: 38042.
I will be cheering him on from the comfort of my bed, stomach full of carbo-loaded pasta in his honor.
go bears!
My alma matter Cal is ranked #2 university in the world! Not bad for a bunch of hippies with minimal state funding.
Also most definitely note that Stanford, even with its buckets and buckets of money, comes in a measely 7th.
Also most definitely note that Stanford, even with its buckets and buckets of money, comes in a measely 7th.
namikawa heibei
After work, I went over to Namikawa Heibei to see little Yui-chan and hang out with Ted and Guido. We all went out to dinner at a local restaurant and talked swords and polishing and smack.
maid cafe
Met Smallwood at Akihabara and immediately headed to the Maid Cafe to get some morning coffee served by cutish girls dressed up like anime characters. It being Halloween the costumes were predominantly black. The guy at the next table was classic: mid-30s, glasses, badly dressed, flipping lovingly through a 3-ring binder of anime character trading cards.
We then went on a video card fact-finding mission, grabbing lunch before getting Ivan a new video card and heading back to his house to have dinner and install the card to verify Doom 3's smooth polygon blood-flying.
We then went on a video card fact-finding mission, grabbing lunch before getting Ivan a new video card and heading back to his house to have dinner and install the card to verify Doom 3's smooth polygon blood-flying.
conan the tiger
Conan and bunch of other folks came over for a BBQ. It was raining all day and the coldest day yet this year, but that didn't stop and unending march of meat. Ivan supplied the cow, which was followed by pig, and mushrooms, and ribs...Miyuki brought sake and proceeded to drink it all herself. At some point we remembered the corn on the cob and the potatoes in the oven, and then Masa and her friend came by once everyone had gone home and with Presley finished off most of it, taking the rest home.
just practice
Had a singularly unpleasant day at work. Hong Kong is going off into the Twilight Zone and I'm on damage control from their rogue bumblings. The company I helped write a short yet glowing research report on a couple of weeks ago is plunging like a skydiver without a parachute because the Tokyo Stock Exchange is staffed by monkeys who only know how to follow manuals, and populated with investors who aren't much better. A vendor in tears because she doesn't have the mental fortitude to work in Wall Street and expects perfect requirements in black & white. Lawyers with a million reasons to deny and disapprove, but all of them have different reasons, so pleasing one upsets another. And its earnings week so the market is all over the place, the team is pulling all-nighters, the schedules are packed, and the clients are antsy.
It was not a second too soon that I scampered out of work at about 7 and headed down to honbu dojo. No one was around so I let myself in and practiced for over an hour before Gosoke came followed shortly by Miyasawa, cramming in as much practice as he can before his 4dan exam next month.
Trained until about 9:30, with Gosoke giving pointers on noto and other fineries, before heading to the station to get some Chinese food. I have had an unsatiable craving for sweet & sour pork for weeks, and the more I eat it, the more I want to eat it.
Chatted with Gosoke about what it means to practice; to practice for yourself or for someone else (against someone else.) Without putting too fine a point on it, I don't care how "good" you are, if the only reason you're swinging that sword is to be better than someone else, to beat someone else, to prove something to someone else, you'll never get "good." You may become proficient at cutting and swinging, but if that's all you're interested in, try a machete. It's not some deeply spiritual concept of "the path" of martial arts or anything. It's really quite simple: it's about having heart.
Or, to put it more bluntly, are you being an asshole? Someone once told me "Brown, black, white, pink, small, large...assholes come in all shapes, sizes and colors. But an asshole is still an asshole."
It was not a second too soon that I scampered out of work at about 7 and headed down to honbu dojo. No one was around so I let myself in and practiced for over an hour before Gosoke came followed shortly by Miyasawa, cramming in as much practice as he can before his 4dan exam next month.
Trained until about 9:30, with Gosoke giving pointers on noto and other fineries, before heading to the station to get some Chinese food. I have had an unsatiable craving for sweet & sour pork for weeks, and the more I eat it, the more I want to eat it.
Chatted with Gosoke about what it means to practice; to practice for yourself or for someone else (against someone else.) Without putting too fine a point on it, I don't care how "good" you are, if the only reason you're swinging that sword is to be better than someone else, to beat someone else, to prove something to someone else, you'll never get "good." You may become proficient at cutting and swinging, but if that's all you're interested in, try a machete. It's not some deeply spiritual concept of "the path" of martial arts or anything. It's really quite simple: it's about having heart.
Or, to put it more bluntly, are you being an asshole? Someone once told me "Brown, black, white, pink, small, large...assholes come in all shapes, sizes and colors. But an asshole is still an asshole."
one cut
Trained for about 3 hours. Stayed focused on two kata: shin and enyo. Actually was just working on the one cut they have in common: gyakukesa, rising diagonal from the draw.
The more I practice the more I notice everything I'm doing wrong. Too much arm, hips are late, feet are open, balance to the left too much, not straight, telegraphing with the elbows, chin tucked too much, grip is off, left wrist is bent, kissaki too high...it's a never-ending pursuit.
However I am also now buried in Omori Sogen's "Zazen Nyumon", in the hopes that I'll get motivated enough to start zazen (seated zen or meditation.) Of course it's like a totally 'zen' thing to do, and knowing my absolute mistrust and borderline intolerance for religion, it seems like an odd choice, but it will most likely be helpful for my iai, and my high blood pressure, and my winning personality in general. There a couple of temples in my neighborhood that offer 'basic intro' courses; 20-30 minutes with instructions for beginners and a little spiel from the head monk. Then again it's all about meditation. Omori talks about 2 types of people in his book: those who talk about zen but don't sit, and those who sit but don't do zen. Both are NG, but at least with second type, you're sitting, so all you have to do is focus on getting the zen part. I am, so far, the first type; all chatter and no sitting. The journey starts with the first step...but first there's some cool websites to look at, and some funny tv to watch...
The more I practice the more I notice everything I'm doing wrong. Too much arm, hips are late, feet are open, balance to the left too much, not straight, telegraphing with the elbows, chin tucked too much, grip is off, left wrist is bent, kissaki too high...it's a never-ending pursuit.
However I am also now buried in Omori Sogen's "Zazen Nyumon", in the hopes that I'll get motivated enough to start zazen (seated zen or meditation.) Of course it's like a totally 'zen' thing to do, and knowing my absolute mistrust and borderline intolerance for religion, it seems like an odd choice, but it will most likely be helpful for my iai, and my high blood pressure, and my winning personality in general. There a couple of temples in my neighborhood that offer 'basic intro' courses; 20-30 minutes with instructions for beginners and a little spiel from the head monk. Then again it's all about meditation. Omori talks about 2 types of people in his book: those who talk about zen but don't sit, and those who sit but don't do zen. Both are NG, but at least with second type, you're sitting, so all you have to do is focus on getting the zen part. I am, so far, the first type; all chatter and no sitting. The journey starts with the first step...but first there's some cool websites to look at, and some funny tv to watch...
swingin' to the earthquake
Big quake hit Niigata this past weekend, and we're still feeling aftershocks. Biggie just hit, and my building is still swaying. 20th floor, so we're moving tens of centimeters as the building creaks and goes with the flow.
anti-terrorist solution
From stupidsecurity.com:
Federal Aviation Agency
800 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DCDear Sirs:
I have the solution for the prevention of hijackings, and at the same time getting our airline industry back on its feet.
Since men of the Muslim religion are not allowed to look at naked women we should replace all of our female flight attendants with strippers. Muslims would be afraid to get on the planes for fear of seeing a naked woman, and of course, every businessman in this country would start flying again in hope of seeing a naked woman. Hijackings would end and the airline industry would have record sales.
Why didn't Bush think of this? Why do I still have to do everything myself?
Sincerely,
Bill Clinton
kensuke & momo
Went up to Kensuke's house to play with him and momo. Had a massive allergy attack from all the greenery, but it was fun. Kensuke is now big enough to stumble about and cause trouble, and momo's front teeth have come in finally, making her look more and more like her mom every day. Hiroko saw her old gang of elementary school buddies and we ate far too much, as usual.
tomo & mieko married!
Congrats to Tomo and Mieko for tying the knot. I like to say it was a shotgun wedding, because she's a month pregnant, but alas it was all part of the plan.
I also take some small responsibility because I encouraged her to join IT not Corp Comms back in the day, and I like to think that had something to do with her meeting Tomo in IT. Then again it could be totally unrelated, but whatever.
Saw Spike and his very pregnant wifey, bumming because she's gotta go easy on the booze. Also saw Moka, who's announced he's leaving Morgan to go give a hand at the front office. Good for him!
The old ECT team from the days of yore at Morgan Stanley is slowly dissolving; life is change. And change is good.
Here's the photos.
I also take some small responsibility because I encouraged her to join IT not Corp Comms back in the day, and I like to think that had something to do with her meeting Tomo in IT. Then again it could be totally unrelated, but whatever.
Saw Spike and his very pregnant wifey, bumming because she's gotta go easy on the booze. Also saw Moka, who's announced he's leaving Morgan to go give a hand at the front office. Good for him!
The old ECT team from the days of yore at Morgan Stanley is slowly dissolving; life is change. And change is good.
Here's the photos.
eat well, dream well
I'm fairly certain that I've been having vivid dreams the past few days, but as soon as I wake up, all I have is the vague recollection that I was just dreaming...but I can't remember what about. I hate that.
Hiroko says, "Every time I wake up, all the comforter is wrapped around you, and I'm cold, and you're dead asleep." So it's some kind of karmic payback for stealing the covers?
Maybe it's because I've been eating better these past few days. The fear of high blood pressure has put a motivation on me, and I've been attempting to cook dinner for the past couple days. Here are some things I have discovered:
* You can put lots of different spices in the sauce and the chicken will still taste bland.
* Too much garlic is too much.
* Don't put any food into your mouth until you've thoroughly chewed and swallowed everything. And taken a sip of tea.
* Talk alot during dinner; it's more interesting, it makes the meal last, and you feel fuller without having eaten as much.
* Eating 200 grams of pasta in 20 minutes is just as filling as eating 500 grams of pasta in five minutes. And it's less painful afterwards.
* Hiroko still eats really, really slowly. But it's arguably a better way to eat than too much, too fast.
* Japanese food has lots of salt in it. Hiroko says it's because the water in Japan doesn't have any minerals in it like in the states, so all minerals, including salt, have to be added to the food. I think it's just because Japanese people generally like salt.
* Japanese food labelling requirements pale in comparison to the states.
Hiroko says, "Every time I wake up, all the comforter is wrapped around you, and I'm cold, and you're dead asleep." So it's some kind of karmic payback for stealing the covers?
Maybe it's because I've been eating better these past few days. The fear of high blood pressure has put a motivation on me, and I've been attempting to cook dinner for the past couple days. Here are some things I have discovered:
* You can put lots of different spices in the sauce and the chicken will still taste bland.
* Too much garlic is too much.
* Don't put any food into your mouth until you've thoroughly chewed and swallowed everything. And taken a sip of tea.
* Talk alot during dinner; it's more interesting, it makes the meal last, and you feel fuller without having eaten as much.
* Eating 200 grams of pasta in 20 minutes is just as filling as eating 500 grams of pasta in five minutes. And it's less painful afterwards.
* Hiroko still eats really, really slowly. But it's arguably a better way to eat than too much, too fast.
* Japanese food has lots of salt in it. Hiroko says it's because the water in Japan doesn't have any minerals in it like in the states, so all minerals, including salt, have to be added to the food. I think it's just because Japanese people generally like salt.
* Japanese food labelling requirements pale in comparison to the states.
typhoon #23
Just a couple of weeks after #22 slammed across Japan and we got hit by #23. Strongest typhoon yet, and with the ground still wet from the last typhoon, much of Japan, especially in the southwest, was a mess of landslides and overflowing rivers. HR told folks to leave work early, so last night I left at five. Coming out of the train station I was met with horizontal rain. My umbrella was totally useless; the wind was blowing so strongly the I felt like I was laying down under a shower. I basically gave up and trudged home through overflowing gutters. Good thing I had my boots on, though. At least my feet were dry.
Golly, I'm sure glad that there's no such thing as global warming, otherwise I'd suspect all these typhoons had some kind of meaning.
This morning it was a bit gray but the typhoon's gone off into the Pacific, and most of my neighborhood is still standing, so it wasn't a total loss.
Golly, I'm sure glad that there's no such thing as global warming, otherwise I'd suspect all these typhoons had some kind of meaning.
This morning it was a bit gray but the typhoon's gone off into the Pacific, and most of my neighborhood is still standing, so it wasn't a total loss.
good bad attitude
Paul Graham touches on the American-ness of the hacker ethic. He is spot on, and of course no reasonable government official, and especially not anyone in this fear-mongering White House, would even get it.
(un)health check
Not really much point in getting a health check if the doctor doesn't actually tell me anything helpful from the results, eh?
Turns out that I cannot escape genetics. The high bloodpressure from my mom's side rears its ugly head. I need to lose weight and cut salt as I am a classic case of prehypertension.
I've never been a big salt fan and now I have an excuse to demand lower salt. Hard to do though in Japan; a spot of soy sauce and it's all over!
Then again cardiac arrest is not an option, so no more second bowl of rice, no more post-dinner icecream, more fruits and veggies.
Turns out that I cannot escape genetics. The high bloodpressure from my mom's side rears its ugly head. I need to lose weight and cut salt as I am a classic case of prehypertension.
I've never been a big salt fan and now I have an excuse to demand lower salt. Hard to do though in Japan; a spot of soy sauce and it's all over!
Then again cardiac arrest is not an option, so no more second bowl of rice, no more post-dinner icecream, more fruits and veggies.
doughnuts!
It's not Krispy Kreme, but Doughnut Plant, NYC makes a damn fine cinnamon roll that puts Starbucks to shame. Hiroko and I found it yesterday walking back from Meguro after having lunch in Shinagawa and loaded up for breakfast. Don't think we can freeze them so we'll have eat them all in the next couple of days!
speakers
Hiroko's birthday present has finally come together. Got a 5.1 set of speakers from Axiom Audio, a Yamaha receiver, and bunch of speaker cable from Ivan. After playing with Conan for a while and checking out his house in Yutenji, I made a couple of trips to Bic Camera to get various necessary cableage and finally get the system wired up. Still need another D video cable to connect the TV output to the receiver, but in general it works.
Now if I can just figure out how to get all the remote controls consolidated...
Now if I can just figure out how to get all the remote controls consolidated...
konishi-sensei
Konishi-sensei came up last night and practiced at Honbu Dojo. Very interesting. The theory behind many of the kata are just different enough to make the kata quite different. And of course they don't 'cut', so most of the movements are practically unusable. Interesting, but not my thing and not the 'cutting iai' Mugairyu that we do and are used to.
music
Everything you ever wanted to know about electronic music. Mad snaps to Ishkur for not only mapping the genre and providing samples, but for summing up, in a simple, sarcastic paragraph, the essence of the music.
the political post
This will be my one, and hopefully only, political post. Just watched the 3rd and final debate. As an overseas citizen I have a simple agenda:
I have not lived in the US for a decade, and yet I pay taxes. ALOT of taxes. The US is one of a handful of nations that fully taxes its citizens overseas.
The president, in my humble opinion, should be neither a lawyer nor a statesman. He should be an accountant, or at the very least have an MBA. Because running the US is simply about economics, but the economics are not simple. You have some money (taxes) that you have to spend on stuff (roads, schools, killing brown people in the desert.)
Here's what you do:
A) Collect fewer taxes
B) Spend the the money you do have wisely. Intelligently. Efficiently.
The only other thing I really care about is you and your God telling me that the way I live my life is wrong.
To this I give Kerry credit. When asked about his faith, he basically said: "My faith guides me in what I do and why, but not how I legislate, because I cannot force my faith on others who may have a different faith."
Bush, on the other hand, said "God told me to spread freedom and democracy and to kill all the fetus-killing, liberal, terrorist, non-Christians."
Unforunately, as my esteemed father taught me a long time ago:
"The average American is average. And that's pretty fucking stupid."
So my prediction is: Bush wins. I stay in Japan indefintely, where the government is at least as screwed up, but as Douglas Adams summed up best, mostly harmless.
I have not lived in the US for a decade, and yet I pay taxes. ALOT of taxes. The US is one of a handful of nations that fully taxes its citizens overseas.
The president, in my humble opinion, should be neither a lawyer nor a statesman. He should be an accountant, or at the very least have an MBA. Because running the US is simply about economics, but the economics are not simple. You have some money (taxes) that you have to spend on stuff (roads, schools, killing brown people in the desert.)
Here's what you do:
A) Collect fewer taxes
B) Spend the the money you do have wisely. Intelligently. Efficiently.
The only other thing I really care about is you and your God telling me that the way I live my life is wrong.
To this I give Kerry credit. When asked about his faith, he basically said: "My faith guides me in what I do and why, but not how I legislate, because I cannot force my faith on others who may have a different faith."
Bush, on the other hand, said "God told me to spread freedom and democracy and to kill all the fetus-killing, liberal, terrorist, non-Christians."
Unforunately, as my esteemed father taught me a long time ago:
"The average American is average. And that's pretty fucking stupid."
So my prediction is: Bush wins. I stay in Japan indefintely, where the government is at least as screwed up, but as Douglas Adams summed up best, mostly harmless.
iPod + Sazae-san
Snarfed this from Chimi. For those who know the long-running Japanese cartoon Sazae-san, check out the iPod commercial.
health check results
Got my yearly health check results back:
Height: 169.3 cm (5'6")
Weight: 78.0 k (171.9 lbs)
BMI: 27.2
OK, I admit I've got a nice gut going on and can stand to lose some weight; my BMI is too high and my suggested BMI is 22.
But my suggest weight is 62.4 k (137.5 lbs.) So I'm supposed to lose 15.6 k (34.4 lbs)?! I guess if I cut off a leg or something...
Height: 169.3 cm (5'6")
Weight: 78.0 k (171.9 lbs)
BMI: 27.2
OK, I admit I've got a nice gut going on and can stand to lose some weight; my BMI is too high and my suggested BMI is 22.
But my suggest weight is 62.4 k (137.5 lbs.) So I'm supposed to lose 15.6 k (34.4 lbs)?! I guess if I cut off a leg or something...
mukayu
Just back from two nights and three days in Beniya Mukayu, the coolest hot springs hotel in Ishikawa Prefecture. Check it out.
Weren't sure if we'd even make it, because the typhoon on Saturday was bearing down hard. We headed to the airport expecting our flight to get cancelled at any minute. The other two flights after hours, and basically everything else after 5 pm, was cancalled, but we made it.
Very cool hotel; stylish modern design but traditional rooms. Stunning food. Wandered around the town during the day, checked out the local pottery (kutaniyaki) and historical sites, and made my own traditional paper postcards at the Arts & Crafts Experience Extravaganza that is Yunokuninomori.
Weren't sure if we'd even make it, because the typhoon on Saturday was bearing down hard. We headed to the airport expecting our flight to get cancelled at any minute. The other two flights after hours, and basically everything else after 5 pm, was cancalled, but we made it.
Very cool hotel; stylish modern design but traditional rooms. Stunning food. Wandered around the town during the day, checked out the local pottery (kutaniyaki) and historical sites, and made my own traditional paper postcards at the Arts & Crafts Experience Extravaganza that is Yunokuninomori.
tessen & jutte
Been teaching for the past few weeks every Wednesday, as a couple of beginners are consistently showing up for tessen and jutte practice. I don't really know the curriculum very well, but Niina-gosoke is always on hand to clarify and demonstrate, and then leaves me to it. Fun stuff, especially the distance and timing. Now if I could just remember all the kata...
freaky dream
Analyze this one, Hammer:
Hiroko and I are at the student union of UC Berkeley. We are being attacked by Alec Baldwin, who is a magic-wiedling wizard. Hiroko gets captured by black-suited warlocks. I grab a couple of flashlights and attack, knocking various bad guys down the outside staircase.
Hiroko and I are at the student union of UC Berkeley. We are being attacked by Alec Baldwin, who is a magic-wiedling wizard. Hiroko gets captured by black-suited warlocks. I grab a couple of flashlights and attack, knocking various bad guys down the outside staircase.
ben miller @ pink cow
Went to the Pink Cow for a Mobile Monday thingie. It was alright, as far as these things go. Met one interesting dude, and spent most of the time on the couch with Ben talking smack. Nina from HP Bazaar was cute, especially with that Nordic accent.
conan
Conan brought his dad Ivan and mom Mutsumi over for a BBQ. Went to UC Berkeley with Ivan, and he was in Kyushu with Stevie back in the day. So Amy brought Narumi and I and Don met Todd in Akihabara, checked out some toys, and then cruised home.
The men attempted and failed to light the BBQ. We went out for bbq fire starter and came back with Zippo lighter fuild and a case of beer. By then of course Hiroko already had a bunch of coals on the kitchen stove ready to go, so we threw them into the grill and that was that.
Ribs went first, then chicken, pork, steaks, salmon, shrimp...not to mention salad and potatoes and a huge apple pie with icecream for dessert.
Stevie and Eriko showed up just in time to eat, and we sat around bloated and in pain as Amy and Conan bounced around the floor.
stop the cycle of madness
So now Daboo is blogging and my blogging about his blogging of flickring about my blogging about flickring about blogging flickring blogging flickring blogging flickring when flickring blogging does flickring blogging it flickring blogging end flickring blogging flickring.
use debate to go fishin'
The upcoming presidential debates are anything but.
I remember debating in school. It was a structured exchange of ideas between participants in an attempt to woo one's opponent and the audience to accept your point of view. It was give-and-take, pointed, at times heated, and fun.
These presidential debates will be totally pointless for two reasons:
1) Absolutely nothing new will be spoken.
2) The candidates will not actually debate each other. They'll just respond in series to some softball questions.
Ah, American politics gets worse by the minute. SO glad I live in Japan, where politics is also lame but, thankfully, largely impotent and therefore irrelevant (in that it is rarely responsible for the deaths of thousands, for example.)
I remember debating in school. It was a structured exchange of ideas between participants in an attempt to woo one's opponent and the audience to accept your point of view. It was give-and-take, pointed, at times heated, and fun.
These presidential debates will be totally pointless for two reasons:
1) Absolutely nothing new will be spoken.
2) The candidates will not actually debate each other. They'll just respond in series to some softball questions.
Ah, American politics gets worse by the minute. SO glad I live in Japan, where politics is also lame but, thankfully, largely impotent and therefore irrelevant (in that it is rarely responsible for the deaths of thousands, for example.)
tessen & jutte
Some of the new guys have been coming to late Wednesday practice for a couple weeks, so I've been running them through the basics of tessen (metal fan) and jutte (sword catcher). Fun stuff, but really hard to get out of the way when someone's trying to kill you with a sword and all you have is a short piece of steel or two.
daboo flickr
freaky mobile sculptures
They're alive! Do NOT miss the videos. These are some wild, wind-powered art.
flickr? i don't even know her!
Been playing with flickr for a couple of days. Very neat, only because I can now effortlessly take photos with my camera and have them show up on GYM. Enjoy.
suzuki dental
Headed over to Hanzomon so that Dr. Suzuki could do some quickie tooth repair. Seems the receding gumline of a couple of my upper left teeth were leaving some sensitive toothness exposed. A quick coating of some magical protective goo and all is right with the world. The real test: I'll try drinking an icy-cool beverage and see if those teeth still give me The Twinge.
machida
Went down to Machida to drop off Tony's swords and they told me that Hataya-sensei and everyone was down at Tenmangu Shrine demoing. So I walked down to the shrine and got some festival munchies and waited for the afternoon session to start. Saw sensei and several other folks from Toyama-ryu, and then watched the cutting demos before heading back home.
Here are some videos.
Here are some videos.
health check
Yearly health check first thing in the morning. So I cruise over to the Ark Hills Clinic at 9:30am. Nice place. Chest X-Ray, pee in a cup, height/weight/eyesight...everything's going fine. And then it's time to take blood. Usually, they make me lie down when they take my blood. But this year would be different. New clinic, new nurses. No problem. So I sit down, put out my right arm, blood pressure check, close my eyes, and in goes the needle. Barely even felt it. No problem, I thought. The I open my eyes, and the nurse says "Hold here." And I sit there. "Hold here." she says again. And I sit there. And I think "I will not pass out. I will not pass out. I will not pass out." And then I start sliding to my left, and the ninja-nurse behind me catches my head just before I slam into the wall, and the other one grabs my shoulders and they straighten me out. "You ok?" They ask. I sort of sit there, and my hands and feet are numb and my head is feeling really, really, really light, and everything looks very, very, very far away. And I'm cold. Nurse grabs my wrist and goes "Woah, low blood pressure!" And they ask me again "You ok?" and I just say "Uh...no." and put my head down and wait for the spinning to stop.
After a couple of minutes, I try to stand up. Bad idea. I sit back down and give it a few more minutes until the blood starts flowing into all my limbs and my head doesn't feel so loopy.
After a couple of minutes, I try to stand up. Bad idea. I sit back down and give it a few more minutes until the blood starts flowing into all my limbs and my head doesn't feel so loopy.
jenn in akihabara
Jenn's in town doing hotel things, and she needed electronics, so we met in Akihabara. First stop: Sofmap. Had to sell my ancient Zip drive and CDRW. Cost I paid for hardware originally: $1000. Amount I got in points for used hardware: $20.
We checked out the cool MP3 players in Yamagiwa, saw the big Sony Vaio display with the new portable media players; cool but impractical like most of Sony' recent stuff. Ended up getting Jenn a bargain on a new Canon Wordtank before heading off to Roppongi Hills to bask in the glory of Mori's architecture. Then we headed to Lucky and met Hiroko for some much needed dinner before coming back home and checking out cool onsen magazines and giving Jenn a bunch of good travel tour ideas.
kevin & z' house
America is a great country when even Kevin and Zareen can buy a 4100 square foot house with jacuzzi and pool, his/her toilets in the master bedroom, and a rec room soon to home theater.
aftermath
It wasn't pretty. Hiroko and I got to the hotel to find a broken and miserable Tony crashed out in Neeley's room. He was wrecked. But he was doing better than some other folks, who got even more destroyed. Seems Roppongi was good to everyone last night. They danced at Castillo's, they drank at 911, they chatted up the Nigerian bosses and Russian prostitutes. They got back to the hotel about 4am.
First order of business was getting Colin's head shaved. Walked down to the 10 minutes/10 bucks QB haircut shop and it was all over soon. The young trainee was taking her time, carefully cutting lock after long, black lock, but the manager just told her "You're gonna just buzz it all off. Get to it!" Hair rained down and piled on the floor. Colin looked nervous, and slightly bummed, but to be totally honest, he looked good with a shaved head. At least, if he looked like a total moron, we'd let him know.
Got him in a cab to the airport, then went back to the hotel to rouse Tony. Fed him some super-powered healthy drinks (caffeine, aspirin, nicotinomide) and got him outta bed and in a cab to the airport bus. Neeley and Joanna and Keith (who walked the Dark Path last night and was paying for it with a hacking cough) went off to Kuroda-sensei's practice, so we bid them farewall and we trundled Tony into a cab.
After we got Tony on his way, Hiroko and I went to Ginza to buy the cool shoemaker's stool from Matsuya Department Store, but as karma would have it, they sold out of the little one! Should have bought it while we had the chance. We grabbed some lunch and then bussed home to watch silly television and prepare for work tomorrow.
First order of business was getting Colin's head shaved. Walked down to the 10 minutes/10 bucks QB haircut shop and it was all over soon. The young trainee was taking her time, carefully cutting lock after long, black lock, but the manager just told her "You're gonna just buzz it all off. Get to it!" Hair rained down and piled on the floor. Colin looked nervous, and slightly bummed, but to be totally honest, he looked good with a shaved head. At least, if he looked like a total moron, we'd let him know.
Got him in a cab to the airport, then went back to the hotel to rouse Tony. Fed him some super-powered healthy drinks (caffeine, aspirin, nicotinomide) and got him outta bed and in a cab to the airport bus. Neeley and Joanna and Keith (who walked the Dark Path last night and was paying for it with a hacking cough) went off to Kuroda-sensei's practice, so we bid them farewall and we trundled Tony into a cab.
After we got Tony on his way, Hiroko and I went to Ginza to buy the cool shoemaker's stool from Matsuya Department Store, but as karma would have it, they sold out of the little one! Should have bought it while we had the chance. We grabbed some lunch and then bussed home to watch silly television and prepare for work tomorrow.
taikai
Got everyone at the hotel, hit the 7-11 for lunch supplies, and trecked out to Meguro. Met Ishida-san on the train and we made it to the gym by 8:45am. Everyone changed, we got the place set up, and we were ready to go by 9:40am. Opening ceremonies, speeches and then we're off!
Started with 2dan division and Tony made it to 3rd place, despite his saya cracking, sending a piece of wood hurtling through space. Derek and Joanna and Colin all proceeded well, too, and I even managed to survive to face Tomonaga-san from Yamaguchi (last year's winner who beat Tanaka-sensei) for the finals.
Had lunch and Hiroko pulled out a huge bag of build-your-own fajitas parts, and then after lunch the Kanazawa-sensei demo'd karate, jo, tanjo, and sword.
In the afternoon we had the final rounds. John beat Colin (head shavin' time!), Tomonaga beat me, and everyone had fun.
After the closing ceremonies we headed back to the hotel before returning to Bloom Hall in Shibuya for the post-party. I was so fried I fell asleep during the party, but everyone was drinking and having a good time.
Hiroko finally took me home and the rest of the gang went to do Roppongi damage.
Started with 2dan division and Tony made it to 3rd place, despite his saya cracking, sending a piece of wood hurtling through space. Derek and Joanna and Colin all proceeded well, too, and I even managed to survive to face Tomonaga-san from Yamaguchi (last year's winner who beat Tanaka-sensei) for the finals.
Had lunch and Hiroko pulled out a huge bag of build-your-own fajitas parts, and then after lunch the Kanazawa-sensei demo'd karate, jo, tanjo, and sword.
In the afternoon we had the final rounds. John beat Colin (head shavin' time!), Tomonaga beat me, and everyone had fun.
After the closing ceremonies we headed back to the hotel before returning to Bloom Hall in Shibuya for the post-party. I was so fried I fell asleep during the party, but everyone was drinking and having a good time.
Hiroko finally took me home and the rest of the gang went to do Roppongi damage.
machida
Rallied the troops early in the AM and managed to get the group down to Machida by about 11. Checked out Hataya's shop;Neeley bought a great koto period spear head and Filthy got a great deal on a maezashi (long dagger.) Hataya-sensei took everyone to rotator sushi, and then we checked out the shrine where they practice before heading back to Namikawa Heibei. Bought a bunch of supplies and then got back to honbu dojo about 4pm. Ran a quick promotion exam and some folks did some last minute practice before heading home to get ready for dinner. Became a total stress case as we were late for dinner and everyone, specifically Konishi-sensei, was waiting for us. But the dinner was awesome and everyone had a good time.
narita airport
Was eating cheap rotator sushi in Shibuya when Colin called. He dead-headed on an early flight from San Francisco and was already in Narita. I told him I'd be there shortly and got up to the airport by about 4pm. Neeley came out next, and then Tony (no problem getting his swords through -- Hataya-sensei has much pull!) and then everyone else.
We humped down to the train station and grabbed the Narita Express to Tokyo Station, then commandered several cabs up to Sumisho hotel. Got everyone checked in with only minor issues, then hit the restaurant across the street for much needed dinner.
Headed home with Neeley and Tony in tow, in time to make a 9pm conference call. The joys of work!
We humped down to the train station and grabbed the Narita Express to Tokyo Station, then commandered several cabs up to Sumisho hotel. Got everyone checked in with only minor issues, then hit the restaurant across the street for much needed dinner.
Headed home with Neeley and Tony in tow, in time to make a 9pm conference call. The joys of work!
will & sachiko
Last saturday night when will & sachiko came over for dinner, will took some really silly photos.
needling pain!
My right should has always been bad. Well, not always, just ever since I dislocated in it college and didn't do anything to fix it.
Went to a shoulder specialist about 7 years ago who, after looking at x-rays of my should said "You are a very, very stupid man. Why didn't you go to the doctor when you did this? If you stress your shoulder seriously again, you will probably have to have surgery just to use your arm normally."
So, taking his advice like the genius I am, I continued to practice aikido and iaido.
Tonight at practice, whilst swinging the kilogram of razor-sharp steel that is my sword, I felt the most intense needle of pain bore through my shoulder. This was my body's way of telling me I shouldn't use arm strength to cut; very bad technique.
So I have a new motivation to pursue proper cutting technique; less important than the speed and fluidity of the movement is the desire to avoid putting too much strength into my shoulder which results in a red-hot nail of pain being driven from my shoulder into my very soul.
Went to a shoulder specialist about 7 years ago who, after looking at x-rays of my should said "You are a very, very stupid man. Why didn't you go to the doctor when you did this? If you stress your shoulder seriously again, you will probably have to have surgery just to use your arm normally."
So, taking his advice like the genius I am, I continued to practice aikido and iaido.
Tonight at practice, whilst swinging the kilogram of razor-sharp steel that is my sword, I felt the most intense needle of pain bore through my shoulder. This was my body's way of telling me I shouldn't use arm strength to cut; very bad technique.
So I have a new motivation to pursue proper cutting technique; less important than the speed and fluidity of the movement is the desire to avoid putting too much strength into my shoulder which results in a red-hot nail of pain being driven from my shoulder into my very soul.
ginza sunday
Somehow managed to wake up early enough to go to practice at Honbu. Spent most of the time working with Miyasawa-kun, showing him how to move his left and right hips independently, and extend the sword out without using any arm strength. After a couple of hours he started to get the hang of it, so I hope he keeps drilling.
Met Hiroko at home, had some turkey sandwiches for lunch, and then hit Ginza. Main street was blocked to traffic and it was nicely shaded from the tall buildings. Low humidity as well so it was a pleasant afternoon. We went to Camui to get the clip on her favorite black sandals fixed, then checked out the cool toys at Matsuya. We decided to buy a shoemaker's stool for the entrance hall but it was ¥18,000 so we figured we'd look on the web and find it for less. Surprise! Cheapest price on the web is ¥22,000 -- who would have thought a department store in Ginza would be the cheapest?
Met Hiroko at home, had some turkey sandwiches for lunch, and then hit Ginza. Main street was blocked to traffic and it was nicely shaded from the tall buildings. Low humidity as well so it was a pleasant afternoon. We went to Camui to get the clip on her favorite black sandals fixed, then checked out the cool toys at Matsuya. We decided to buy a shoemaker's stool for the entrance hall but it was ¥18,000 so we figured we'd look on the web and find it for less. Surprise! Cheapest price on the web is ¥22,000 -- who would have thought a department store in Ginza would be the cheapest?
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