They took lotsa photos with Papa's sweet camera, so I expect to see some good stuff soon.
bye bye japan
Papa and banAna came back from a few days in Kyoto and we had a final dinner at our place. They got us a wicked cool kairagi dish -- looks like tree bark and is perfect for a big grilled fish.
They took lotsa photos with Papa's sweet camera, so I expect to see some good stuff soon.
They took lotsa photos with Papa's sweet camera, so I expect to see some good stuff soon.
late night kumitachi
Feels like I hadn't been to the dojo in weeks because...I hadn't. Big turnout, lots of beginners, so spent most of the time on the basic basics, and thinking in three dimensions, trying to keep balanced front-to-back, left-and-right, and up-down. After class, ran through the kumitachi with Salty a number of times. We're practically the same height which is good. He's better than I am at a couple of the kata and I'm better at the others, so we train well together. He's smooth and trying not to muscle through his cuts, and his maai (distance and timing) is excellent sometimes, but he also sometimes doesn't commit, or gets too anxious. I guess anxious isn't really the word; one of the problems with knowing the kata is you know what you're partner is going to do, so you move understanding how he will move. But that's different than moving with him or in reaction to him. If I change up the speed or angle or timing a little bit, he gets totally thrown off, which is excellent practice for him so I like to keep him on his toes.
He trains alot and somehow manages to remember all the different variations of the kata, so it's good to go through them all and play around. Still not feeling particularly threatened, but I think if we keep practicing a few more times he'll loosen up and really start swinging for the fences. First time he clips me in the head will be good (for him at least) as that will show him were the timing and connections are. We played a bit with the habiki, but one of them is so beaten up it's about to snap in half, so we stopped and went back to wood.
After we trained, we went with Karachan to get some late-nite food and smacktalk until the wee hours. Sleepy at work today, but it was good to get out and do some training for a while.
He trains alot and somehow manages to remember all the different variations of the kata, so it's good to go through them all and play around. Still not feeling particularly threatened, but I think if we keep practicing a few more times he'll loosen up and really start swinging for the fences. First time he clips me in the head will be good (for him at least) as that will show him were the timing and connections are. We played a bit with the habiki, but one of them is so beaten up it's about to snap in half, so we stopped and went back to wood.
After we trained, we went with Karachan to get some late-nite food and smacktalk until the wee hours. Sleepy at work today, but it was good to get out and do some training for a while.
wake up!
The Tonchanbeast has a new game. At 8pm, when P puts her to bed in the crib, she goes to sleep fairly easily. Then, several hours later she gets all grumpy and wakes up and will only fall asleep again if P puts her in the bed.
Then about 3:30 in the morning Tonchan is awake. And bored. And wants to play. So she reaches out with her meaty little palms and starts smacking me in the face. And she reaches out with her meaty little feet and starts kicking me in the neck. If I roll over, the assault continues on the back of my head. If I open my eyes facing her she stops, smiles her evil little princess/angel smile, and gurgles something like "Daddy! You're awake! Play with me!"
I love my little Tonchasaurus. But I also need to be reasonably functional at work. So I give my little smiling bundle of love a kiss, grabbed my pillow and alarm clock, and went into the other room to sleep.
Sorry P, I am sure the ninjaTon launched a full throwing-stars attack that kept you up, but at least you can nap when Tonchan naps -- I have to stay awake (mostly) at work!
Then about 3:30 in the morning Tonchan is awake. And bored. And wants to play. So she reaches out with her meaty little palms and starts smacking me in the face. And she reaches out with her meaty little feet and starts kicking me in the neck. If I roll over, the assault continues on the back of my head. If I open my eyes facing her she stops, smiles her evil little princess/angel smile, and gurgles something like "Daddy! You're awake! Play with me!"
I love my little Tonchasaurus. But I also need to be reasonably functional at work. So I give my little smiling bundle of love a kiss, grabbed my pillow and alarm clock, and went into the other room to sleep.
Sorry P, I am sure the ninjaTon launched a full throwing-stars attack that kept you up, but at least you can nap when Tonchan naps -- I have to stay awake (mostly) at work!
sun day
Another beautiful day, so we headed to Shibuya and walked up through Harajuku. Checked out the crazy kids in front of Meiji Shrine, then walked down to get some gyoza for lunch. Did some shopping at Oriental Bazaar and picked up a nice indoor kimono (thick soft cotton, more like a robe) whilst papa got some knicks and knacks. Tonchan was gettin' hungry so we went to CrayonHouse for dessert and took a wee break on the patio. Hiroko had the tomato fantasy, and then we walked back to Shibuya, loaded up on supplies for dinner, and headed home.
eating saturday
Took a walk up through Azabu Jyuban, then up to Roppongi Hills, had random bits and bobs for lunch, then gelato,then came home for a short break. Later Chieponpon came over and we cooked and ate some more.
papa takes good photos
Tonchan-5-26-07
Originally uploaded by renfield.
happy Tonchan * (awesome camera + pro photographer) = great photo
happy birthday k
The K is twelve. OMFG that means in another year he'll be a teenager. Then he'll start driving, and working at the mall, and picking up chicks, and going off to college, and backpacking across India, and getting a job in Raleigh, and marrying an ambulance driver, and have 3 girls, and buying a boat, and coaching little league...
late night again
shibuya sunday
More beautiful weather so we took a walkabout in Shibuya. First stop at the department store so P could stock up on make-up girl stuff. So of course I pulled Tonchan out of the stroller and was surrounded by cute make-up counter ladies who all kept poking Tonchan and remarking on the quality of her skin (guess that's their thing!)
Then we wandered up to Omotesando and looked at Kimono stuff and finally got lunch at Crayon House. All you can eat healthy buffet; the chicken curry was excellent.
After stuffing ourselves silly we went to National Azabu to stock up on supplies for the impending visit of Grandpa, then cruised home for some quality afternoon sittin' around.
Then we wandered up to Omotesando and looked at Kimono stuff and finally got lunch at Crayon House. All you can eat healthy buffet; the chicken curry was excellent.
After stuffing ourselves silly we went to National Azabu to stock up on supplies for the impending visit of Grandpa, then cruised home for some quality afternoon sittin' around.
veggie indian
veggie indian
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Met Grand Poobah of Enlightenment and Genuine Sentient Brad and his posse of minions doing his bidding (well OK his wife Yuka and his psuedo-minion Bret) at Nataraj in Ogikubo for some killer veggie Indian food.
kanda matsuri!
P1000755.JPG
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Twas time for the yearly festival. Down in Nihonbashi in the area around Honbu Dojo, the festival is THE event of the year. There are several mikoshi that get carried around the various neighborhoods for three days straight. Our local route goes right past Honbu. This year we had over 20 people from the dojo helping to carry the mikoshi, and even Tonchan got into the mood, though I think the crowds kind of freaked her out a bit.
sleepy x2
Thursday evening was big night out. Friday turned out to as well. Didn't leave work until well after 8, and got to Honbu just as the monthly Friday meeting was ending. Had a quick chat with some of the guys, and then Gosoke wanted dinner so we headed down to the local grubbery and I didn't end up getting into bed until 1am again. Slept well into the morning today though, so methinks I'm all caught up on sleep.
Tonchan, however, doesn't seem to recognize me as she hasn't really seen me in a couple days, so she's just giving me the glassy eyeball stare.
Tonchan, however, doesn't seem to recognize me as she hasn't really seen me in a couple days, so she's just giving me the glassy eyeball stare.
habeas corpus 2
As has been pointed out in the comments, America is not the only country without habeas corpus. My current country of residence, Japan, is a fine example of this, as written in this NYTimes article (free registration required) about how it's common practice for the police to imprison suspects for weeks on end and torture them until they give confessions, even when they are innocent.
However, I resubmit my point: it is not the current lack of habeas corpus in the US that I bemoan. It is the fact that habeas corpus has been effectively repealed through a combination of a deceitful, power-hungry government, a failure of the inherent checks and balances, and a sheep-like populace too busy reading bibles and watching American Idol to care.
Japan, on the other hand, never had a history of habeas corpus, so it was not taken away in a tragic bait-and-switch of political fear mongering and power grabbing.
I came to Japan 14 years ago knowing full well that I could be put in jail indefinitely for no reason. Hell, I was finger-printed like a criminal that day I arrived, and I am required by law to carry my Alien Resident Registration Card at all times. Failure to do so and produce such ID to the relevant authorities is cause enough for imprisonment and deportation. But I knew this coming here. I had no expectations of anything better.
Yet compare the current state of citizens' rights in the US now to 1994. You can be arrested for recording your precious American Idol so that you can watch it later at your convenience. You are breaking the law if you critique a news story in the context of journalism. You can be deemed an "enemy combatant" and held in a secret prison indefinitely, with no rights.
The consistent erosion of US citizens' rights through the Patriot Act, the DMCA, a co-opted Supreme Court, the "War on Terror" (whatever the hell that means) and an impotent Congress is a said situation indeed. And I have little hope that the next generation of politicians can or will do anything about it.
However, I resubmit my point: it is not the current lack of habeas corpus in the US that I bemoan. It is the fact that habeas corpus has been effectively repealed through a combination of a deceitful, power-hungry government, a failure of the inherent checks and balances, and a sheep-like populace too busy reading bibles and watching American Idol to care.
Japan, on the other hand, never had a history of habeas corpus, so it was not taken away in a tragic bait-and-switch of political fear mongering and power grabbing.
I came to Japan 14 years ago knowing full well that I could be put in jail indefinitely for no reason. Hell, I was finger-printed like a criminal that day I arrived, and I am required by law to carry my Alien Resident Registration Card at all times. Failure to do so and produce such ID to the relevant authorities is cause enough for imprisonment and deportation. But I knew this coming here. I had no expectations of anything better.
Yet compare the current state of citizens' rights in the US now to 1994. You can be arrested for recording your precious American Idol so that you can watch it later at your convenience. You are breaking the law if you critique a news story in the context of journalism. You can be deemed an "enemy combatant" and held in a secret prison indefinitely, with no rights.
The consistent erosion of US citizens' rights through the Patriot Act, the DMCA, a co-opted Supreme Court, the "War on Terror" (whatever the hell that means) and an impotent Congress is a said situation indeed. And I have little hope that the next generation of politicians can or will do anything about it.
big night out
Celebrating an excellent outcome to a potential mess at work, so we got a couple of private rooms at the swanky Citabria. I left before the second bar and got home at 1:30...
habeas corpus
Say all you want about the "war on terrorism" (sorry, at which point did Congress actually declare war? And against whom? But I digress), the fundamental issue is that habeas corpus in the USA no longer exists. It it now totally and completely LEGAL for the US government to arrest you, declare you a military combatant, put you in a military prison, not charge you with any crimes, and deny you access to: legal counsel, the evidence against you, a judge or jury. Oh yes and you can be held indefinitely. That means forever.
So, this is the great bastion of freedom and democracy?
So, this is the great bastion of freedom and democracy?
gorilla biscuits
Random walk down memory lane: I spent many a weekend evening checking out punk and hardcore shows at The Anthrax in Norwalk, CT. I am pretty sure I'm in the audience at this GB show, probably in the back as in '88 I was a mere sophomore and not stupid enough to risk death near the front in the pit.
When my daughter grows up and listens to whatever crap music she'll be into 15 years from now, I'll show her this and tell her to get over it, because her dad was straight up old school no foolin' sk8trBoi straight-edge hardcore back in the day.
When my daughter grows up and listens to whatever crap music she'll be into 15 years from now, I'll show her this and tell her to get over it, because her dad was straight up old school no foolin' sk8trBoi straight-edge hardcore back in the day.
too...much...meat...
too...much...meat...
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Kairi and Daisuke brought their parents over for some good old fashioned meat eating. Of course on the last day of a beautiful and sunny Golden Week, it rains. But fear not! We still fired up the BBQ and cooked far too much dead flesh. Sadly, the toilet's vent exhaust was right above the BBQ grill out on the deck, so the toilet is now infused with the pleasant odor of cooked meat.
Daisuke napped and then decided that a fun game is to press all the buttons on the stereo and DVD player. Kairi ran around, played various card games with ever-changing rules (ensuring that she was always just winning), fell over the couch a few times, and drew with my colored pencils. Mom and Dad and P took turns eating, holding Tonchan, and watching me run around with the other kids.
books and bread
After the TV arrived, we loaded the Tonchabeast into her chariot and bussed down to Ebisu. Sold some books and picked up my copy of Japanamerica at Good Day Books, then walked down to Arietta for some quality healthy bread and walked home. We detoured through Hiroo and grabbed a baked sweet potato, then stopped by National Azabu for some much needed supplies (salsa, corn chips) before heading home to enjoy the new TV.
akiba
Did the day in Akiba with Mr. Kobayashi and The Todd. Mission was to get a new television. Figured I'd go for a nice plasma, but given that 37" was more than enough, settled on a lovely Toshiba LCD that does 1080. We had all-you-can-eat shabu shabu upstairs and did some other wandering in the lovely weather.
The Todd headed home to play the GTA3 I gave him (it had an irrelevantly small crack on it so I couldn't sell the disc) and apparently ended up playing all night.
I headed back to Conan's house of video games to check out more Riot Act and other silliness before heading home for dinner.
The Todd headed home to play the GTA3 I gave him (it had an irrelevantly small crack on it so I couldn't sell the disc) and apparently ended up playing all night.
I headed back to Conan's house of video games to check out more Riot Act and other silliness before heading home for dinner.
midtown
Today, along with everyone else in Tokyo on Golden Week holiday, we checked out Midtown.
Not being built by Mori, it was everything that Roppongi Hills isn't; the layout is simple, office buildings and residence surrounding a central multi-floor mall of shops and restaurants, with a nice park in the back. The courtyard, approaches, and halls are all wide and straight, and even as crowded as it was, getting around was quite simple. Obviously the architects did not intend to purposely confuse the wanderer, forcing them to navigate a labyrinth like Roppongi Hills.
We checked out sweet array of Nissan Skylines, from the first to the latest:
wandered around the garden, and looked at the sweet "real furniture" at the expansive Muji. I am grooving on the shelving unit; it has living room potential...
Since it was too crowded to eat, we walked to (the totally dead and empty) Roppongi Hills and got some munchies, sitting in the shade by the pond, then walked home.
When we got home, we realized we left the digital camera in Midtown!
I took a taxi back to Midtown and asked at the information counter in the main building, right by where we were sitting. The woman I asked knew immediately what I was talking about as she was the one who received the camera when some good semaritan brought it in. Soon I had my camera back in had -- only in Japan can one leave a digital camera sitting outside on a bench and come back to pick it up 5 hours later!
gyoza time
Yuika and Kento and their parents came by for some mad gyoza eating. As always, we made way too many and ate way too much. At some point, Kento decided to attack Tonchan, wrestling style, but her ninja skills were formidable and she beat him back. Yuika suffered some collateral damage via the occasional boot to the head, but in general they all got along.
As Yuika executes a leg hold, Kento begins his attack...
...with a flying kick!
Kento goes for the pin while she's down...
...but Tonchan counters with a left...
...and a one-two combo whilst kneeing Yuika who goes for the double-team!
With Yuika KO'd, BattleTonchan finishes Kento with a left hook to the jaw!
Ultimately, the fight is declared a draw, and all settle down for some milk and a nap.
As Yuika executes a leg hold, Kento begins his attack...
...with a flying kick!
Kento goes for the pin while she's down...
...but Tonchan counters with a left...
...and a one-two combo whilst kneeing Yuika who goes for the double-team!
With Yuika KO'd, BattleTonchan finishes Kento with a left hook to the jaw!
Ultimately, the fight is declared a draw, and all settle down for some milk and a nap.
omotesando debut!
P wanted to get her haircut, since she hadn't cut it in over a year. It was a bright and beautiful morning so we loaded the Tonchabeast into her Mighty Chariot and bussed down to Shibuya, then walked up to Omotesando. Whilst P got her locks trimmed and styled, Ton and I checked out all the cool and happenin' trendiness that is Aoyama.
Afterwards we walked up to Crayon House for lunch at the organic cafe and the skies opened up with a squal o' fury. Rain dumped by the bucket so we checked out the books and stuff and then had some dessert. By then it had cleared up so we walked up through Omotesando and, being close to dinner time, stopped by Kua'aina for some Hawaiian burgers.
Afterwards we walked up to Crayon House for lunch at the organic cafe and the skies opened up with a squal o' fury. Rain dumped by the bucket so we checked out the books and stuff and then had some dessert. By then it had cleared up so we walked up through Omotesando and, being close to dinner time, stopped by Kua'aina for some Hawaiian burgers.
friday night
How come everything happens Friday, post-lunch, before a three-day weekend? Mad scramble to recruit and hire, fight fires, amend errors, avoid crises. Craziness. Love it!
Finally got out of the office about 9pm and hit Lucky's with Mr. ILS, where we enjoyed quality fried chicken, stir-fried garlic greens, and organic apple juice from the Nagano farm.
I have also now gotten in the habit of waking up a 6am every day, no matter what. Part of it is what my insomniac buddy told me. He said one strategy is to always wake up at the same time every day, and do not go to bed until you simply cannot stay awake. This will somehow force you to naturally get tired in time to sleep enough and wake up at the same time every day. I don't have insomnia (in fact, if I do zazen before bed, I am asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow) however I certainly do get enough sleep by sleeping early and rising early. Besides which Tonchan is already asleep by the time I get home, so I really only have time to hang out with her in the morning before I go to work.
Finally got out of the office about 9pm and hit Lucky's with Mr. ILS, where we enjoyed quality fried chicken, stir-fried garlic greens, and organic apple juice from the Nagano farm.
I have also now gotten in the habit of waking up a 6am every day, no matter what. Part of it is what my insomniac buddy told me. He said one strategy is to always wake up at the same time every day, and do not go to bed until you simply cannot stay awake. This will somehow force you to naturally get tired in time to sleep enough and wake up at the same time every day. I don't have insomnia (in fact, if I do zazen before bed, I am asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow) however I certainly do get enough sleep by sleeping early and rising early. Besides which Tonchan is already asleep by the time I get home, so I really only have time to hang out with her in the morning before I go to work.
oops
This morning Tonchan woke up a bit hungry and crying. I promptly woke up, rolled over...and fell out of the bed. Our bed used to be in the corner, so I had two walls to keep me in place, and I just loved seeing how far into the corner I could jam myself by constantly turning over and over, knowing the wall would keep me in the bed. Now our bed is in the middle of the room, with only the head of the bed against the wall. Luckily we have carpeted floors, so I did minimal damage. Hell of a way to wake up though. Hiroko was up, in the middle of the bedroom, with a crying baby to one side and me on the floor to the other. Sorry!
tonchan various
I am bored with your silliness
Uncanny #1
Uncanny #2
Genetic predisposition to chew one's own fingers
Brooklyn in da house yo
Feed me! NOW!!
Uncanny #1
Uncanny #2
Genetic predisposition to chew one's own fingers
Brooklyn in da house yo
Feed me! NOW!!
snack break
BREAK@BABY ROOM
Originally uploaded by piroko_kuroda.
Went with P and Tonchan to Shibuya for some shopping. We got various household necessities at Muji and Loft, had lunch at the tea and ricebowl place in Loft, and took a little diaper change break at the baby station in Seibu where I snacked on fresh, raw Tonchameat. Tonchan was in a fine mood, so we walked back to the bus stop...and then she started getting hungry and grumpy so we went up to the baby room in Tokyu above the station and she ate whilst I shopped for dinner groceries. Baby room in Tokyu was way, way too hot; I guess they didn't want the babies getting cold or something, but all the moms where practically passing out from the heat.
livin' the values
Today after the regular zazen sitting, we did the jukai ceremony for a student visiting from Sweden. Jukai is the ceremony of receiving the Buddhist Precepts and marks the formal beginning of one's start as a Buddhist layman.
The precepts were originally the rules for the community of Buddha's original followers. Whenever you have a group of people living together, there will always be issues, disputes, and problems. Rules help keep the society running smoothly.
At one time there were hundreds of rules, but they have basically been pared down to the main 16.
First are the Three Devotions:
During the ceremony you do a bunch of prostrations and repeat a bunch of stuff three times, and then finally you receive your rakusu and your Buddhist name and a copy of the Buddhist lineage from Buddha down through all his disciples, with your name written in last.
Nishijima-sensei made an appearance and he really is a pleasant little guy. Whole thing took about 40 minutes, but add an hour to that to fold up all the robes and put away the alter table and other apparatus.
Buddhism is the ultimate self-help methodology; it's all up to you. There are others to guide and help you, but ultimately you sit on your cushion every day and it's you and your thoughts and your life. It's your responsibility to deal with your own issues and live as you choose. Some people choose to hide from reality through alcohol or drugs or television. Some people make everything someone else's fault; mean boss, uncaring parents, uncaring society. Certainly there are people in the world who aren't helping you, and there's nothing you can do about them. You can, however, do something about how you live your own life.
Someone asked me "how can you be so positive all the time?" which I thought was a silly observation, since I don't think I'm a happy, bubbly optimist. I am a realist though; I know what I can and cannot do. I get upset when things don't go my way or when someone isn't helping, and then I do what I can about it; I get my job done, I cover for the other person, I try to make it right. Not because I'm the hero or want all the praise or because I'm always the smartest but because that's the right thing to do.
And if it's say something at work, I do my job and when I'm done I go home and play with my daughter or go into the dojo or sit in zazen or look at stupid crap on the internet.
It's my life, I can think it's miserable and everyone's out to get me, or I can make the best of it and deal with it and have as much fun as I can.
Zazen is just a way of forcing you to sit quietly, you and your thoughts, to realize that all the crap inside your head is just yours; no one stuck a syringe full of bad thoughts and jammed it into your brain. You put those thoughts into your head, you're the only one who can deal with them and take them out.
The precepts were originally the rules for the community of Buddha's original followers. Whenever you have a group of people living together, there will always be issues, disputes, and problems. Rules help keep the society running smoothly.
At one time there were hundreds of rules, but they have basically been pared down to the main 16.
First are the Three Devotions:
- Devotion to Buddha; the founder of Buddhism
- Devotion to Dharma; the Universe itself
- Devotion to Sangha; our companions in life
- Observance of rules; follow the rules of society
- Observance of morality; act appropriately in all situations -- act right
- Salvation of all living beings; we are all elements of the Universe
- Don't destroy life
- Don't steal
- Don't desire too much
- Don't lie
- Don't live by selling liquor
- Don't discuss failures of Buddhist priests and laymen
- Don't praise yourself or berate others
- Don't begrudge the sharing of Buddhist teachings and other things, but give them freely
- Don't become angry
- Don't abuse the three supreme values; Buddha Dharma, and Sangha.
During the ceremony you do a bunch of prostrations and repeat a bunch of stuff three times, and then finally you receive your rakusu and your Buddhist name and a copy of the Buddhist lineage from Buddha down through all his disciples, with your name written in last.
Nishijima-sensei made an appearance and he really is a pleasant little guy. Whole thing took about 40 minutes, but add an hour to that to fold up all the robes and put away the alter table and other apparatus.
Buddhism is the ultimate self-help methodology; it's all up to you. There are others to guide and help you, but ultimately you sit on your cushion every day and it's you and your thoughts and your life. It's your responsibility to deal with your own issues and live as you choose. Some people choose to hide from reality through alcohol or drugs or television. Some people make everything someone else's fault; mean boss, uncaring parents, uncaring society. Certainly there are people in the world who aren't helping you, and there's nothing you can do about them. You can, however, do something about how you live your own life.
Someone asked me "how can you be so positive all the time?" which I thought was a silly observation, since I don't think I'm a happy, bubbly optimist. I am a realist though; I know what I can and cannot do. I get upset when things don't go my way or when someone isn't helping, and then I do what I can about it; I get my job done, I cover for the other person, I try to make it right. Not because I'm the hero or want all the praise or because I'm always the smartest but because that's the right thing to do.
And if it's say something at work, I do my job and when I'm done I go home and play with my daughter or go into the dojo or sit in zazen or look at stupid crap on the internet.
It's my life, I can think it's miserable and everyone's out to get me, or I can make the best of it and deal with it and have as much fun as I can.
Zazen is just a way of forcing you to sit quietly, you and your thoughts, to realize that all the crap inside your head is just yours; no one stuck a syringe full of bad thoughts and jammed it into your brain. You put those thoughts into your head, you're the only one who can deal with them and take them out.
mostly almost done!
OK most of the boxes are gone, the phone and security system are hooked up, and the wireless network is in full effect.
P reorganized the kitchen and I did the bathroom drawers. She's now working on the closet as my clothes have been relegated to the other room until she separates winter stuff from summer and gets rid of the will-never-wear bits.
I've the The Smallwood on the job to help me replace the TV with a nice plasma; something in the 37-42 inch range will be fine, and no tuner necessary as I got a cable box, so just a dumb monitor will work.
Last night I discovered what some of The Mystery Switches do. Some, like in the bathroom and kitchen, turn on the floor-level heater to keep one's toes toasty in winter. Others apparently control the night lights, but all of the night lights save the one by the entrance don't seem to work. Perhaps the bulb is burnt, but I can't see how to open it without ripping the whole unit off of the wall, so I emailed the maintenance corp and they're going to send someone out.
Been cold and rainy these past couple of days, so I've cranked on the central heater in every room -- I mean, I'm paying for it anyway right! So bourgeois of me!
P reorganized the kitchen and I did the bathroom drawers. She's now working on the closet as my clothes have been relegated to the other room until she separates winter stuff from summer and gets rid of the will-never-wear bits.
I've the The Smallwood on the job to help me replace the TV with a nice plasma; something in the 37-42 inch range will be fine, and no tuner necessary as I got a cable box, so just a dumb monitor will work.
Last night I discovered what some of The Mystery Switches do. Some, like in the bathroom and kitchen, turn on the floor-level heater to keep one's toes toasty in winter. Others apparently control the night lights, but all of the night lights save the one by the entrance don't seem to work. Perhaps the bulb is burnt, but I can't see how to open it without ripping the whole unit off of the wall, so I emailed the maintenance corp and they're going to send someone out.
Been cold and rainy these past couple of days, so I've cranked on the central heater in every room -- I mean, I'm paying for it anyway right! So bourgeois of me!
subprime, yup
As a follow up to my diatribe previously, I see that Bloomberg columnist Michael Lewis agrees with me.
moved (mostly)
Only three boxes of stuff left to unpack. In sum:
We have too many clothes and magazines, and not enough shelves and closet space.
Plenty of space in the kitchen and everywhere else.
Living room is currently full of empty boxes, and everything is hooked up except for the phone line and security system.
Highlight of the move was the cable guy. He ended up hanging out for over an hour and we set up the whole audio-visual system. Sadly my old TV is so big I have to sit it on the floor as I don't have any furniture burly enough to support its weight. Reckon that means it's time to buy a new (lightweight!) flat-panel TV.
We have too many clothes and magazines, and not enough shelves and closet space.
Plenty of space in the kitchen and everywhere else.
Living room is currently full of empty boxes, and everything is hooked up except for the phone line and security system.
Highlight of the move was the cable guy. He ended up hanging out for over an hour and we set up the whole audio-visual system. Sadly my old TV is so big I have to sit it on the floor as I don't have any furniture burly enough to support its weight. Reckon that means it's time to buy a new (lightweight!) flat-panel TV.
deep thoughts
P1000639.JPG
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Tonchan deep in thought...what next to eat? Left or right breast? When best to poop? To nap, or to chew on the pillow?
Tackling the difficult issues of our time.
entirely not right
I have neither pity nor tolerance for whiny investors. I have even less patience for this sensationalist "news". Note the opening line; obviously it's the big banks' fault. Never mind the fact that Buck invested his entire life savings in a risky bond "yielding 10 times the going rate on Treasury bills". Think about that for a minute. This man bought an "uninsured money market note" that paid ten times more than a boring yet safe government bond. Uninsured. Ten times. RISKY. Did he not bother to actually read the terms of the bond? He even admits that he should not have put all of his eggs in one basket. First rule of investing: diversify.
So let me understand this: a guy has $300,000 from the sale of his old house, but still has to pay the mortgage on his new place, his wife was planning to retire (serious reduction in income), knows the importance of diversification, gets greedy when he sees the possibility of making ten times the going rate...and then it's not his fault when he loses his money?
Or how about Mr. Russel:
Or Mr. English who invested "decades of savings" who "saw it as an alternative to the interest rate I could get from a bank." Money in the bank is saving, dumping your savings into risky bonds and then whining about it is just stupid. He wanted to use the money to pay for his three kids' college, so why not invest in a low-risk, long-term 529 college fund? He wanted to use the money to buy a new car, so why not use them money as a down payment for a car lease or loan? He wanted to use the money for a second honeymoon, so why not gamble it in Vegas?
At least Mr. Funk is honest. He lost $70,000 and says he "became too confident and too greedy as the high-yielding notes continued to pay." And yet somehow, "the Wall Street firms were greedy too, yet didn't pay a price for it."
Didn't pay a price for it?
Over 20 bankruptcies across the industry, and who do you think has invested the most in them?
Mortgage Lenders Network goes bankrupt, Merrill Lynch has $36.6 million in financing claimed.
ResMae goes bankrupt, may have to buy back $166 million in bad loans sold to Merrill Lynch.
New Century insolvent, owes $1.5 billion each to Morgan Stanley and UBS.
But forget the money that Wall Street loses. Think about the money it invests. It is the big Wall Street houses stepping in to fund, refinance, or outright purchase these failing businesses. Someone steps in, takes the risk, and tries to rebuild these businesses, keep the people working, keep the mortgages flowing.
Wall Street is not the enemy, and it is no one's responsibility to protect stupid, greedy investors from themselves.
So let me understand this: a guy has $300,000 from the sale of his old house, but still has to pay the mortgage on his new place, his wife was planning to retire (serious reduction in income), knows the importance of diversification, gets greedy when he sees the possibility of making ten times the going rate...and then it's not his fault when he loses his money?
Or how about Mr. Russel:
He knows the 13 percent interest rates should have been a warning. ``If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is,'' he said.And yet knowing that, he still invested and lost $170,000. And whose fault is that?
Or Mr. English who invested "decades of savings" who "saw it as an alternative to the interest rate I could get from a bank." Money in the bank is saving, dumping your savings into risky bonds and then whining about it is just stupid. He wanted to use the money to pay for his three kids' college, so why not invest in a low-risk, long-term 529 college fund? He wanted to use the money to buy a new car, so why not use them money as a down payment for a car lease or loan? He wanted to use the money for a second honeymoon, so why not gamble it in Vegas?
At least Mr. Funk is honest. He lost $70,000 and says he "became too confident and too greedy as the high-yielding notes continued to pay." And yet somehow, "the Wall Street firms were greedy too, yet didn't pay a price for it."
Didn't pay a price for it?
Over 20 bankruptcies across the industry, and who do you think has invested the most in them?
Mortgage Lenders Network goes bankrupt, Merrill Lynch has $36.6 million in financing claimed.
ResMae goes bankrupt, may have to buy back $166 million in bad loans sold to Merrill Lynch.
New Century insolvent, owes $1.5 billion each to Morgan Stanley and UBS.
But forget the money that Wall Street loses. Think about the money it invests. It is the big Wall Street houses stepping in to fund, refinance, or outright purchase these failing businesses. Someone steps in, takes the risk, and tries to rebuild these businesses, keep the people working, keep the mortgages flowing.
Wall Street is not the enemy, and it is no one's responsibility to protect stupid, greedy investors from themselves.
all in the knees
10 people in practice last night, so not much space on the floor. I wasn't in much of a mood to move around, so we practiced really basic stuff; standing, sitting, standing up again. Trying to figure out how standing straight up from sitting and stepping forward from sitting are basically the same movement, the only thing that changes is how much closer you do or don't get to the guy in front of you trying to kill you. Also working on trimming the fat; cutting out unnecessary movement to be left with nothing but the basics. It pays to be lazy!
After class I had to go back to the office for a call with NY, didn't get home until 11:30. The hard life of a salaryman.
After class I had to go back to the office for a call with NY, didn't get home until 11:30. The hard life of a salaryman.
ubuntu
Last time I tried installing Linux on my laptop, it was a nightmare. Wireless card wouldn't work, screen resolution was off, sleep mode and power control were crap. That was then, this is now. I downloaded, burned onto CD, and installed Ubuntu 6.06 on my Dell Latitude D400.
I would love to brag about how I had to recompile the kernel and hack all kindsa cool deep, technical settings to optimize the OS, but alas it was delightfully simple. I booted from the CD, clicked on Tokyo, and installed. Wireless PCMCIA card was recognized, software installed, everything worked. And the machine is FAST. Boots and runs way snappier than Windows ever did.
Struggled a bit to upgrade Firefox to a 2.x version, but after some googling I found a simple install script that ran all the package install and registration stuff. And now it works.
A couple more years of innovation like this, and I could even get my mom to use Linux.
I would love to brag about how I had to recompile the kernel and hack all kindsa cool deep, technical settings to optimize the OS, but alas it was delightfully simple. I booted from the CD, clicked on Tokyo, and installed. Wireless PCMCIA card was recognized, software installed, everything worked. And the machine is FAST. Boots and runs way snappier than Windows ever did.
Struggled a bit to upgrade Firefox to a 2.x version, but after some googling I found a simple install script that ran all the package install and registration stuff. And now it works.
A couple more years of innovation like this, and I could even get my mom to use Linux.
noah's ark #301
Got the keys to the new Kuroda Household, aka apartment 301 in Noah's Ark. This place is by all definitions the La Bomba. Utility with side load combo washer/dryer. Mucho closet space. Central air and heating. Massive BBQ balcony. South wall of windows. Living room big enough for futsal. Killer Japanese room.
Amusing to note that the master bedroom alone is larger than the first apartment P and I used to live in.
We move in April 15!
Amusing to note that the master bedroom alone is larger than the first apartment P and I used to live in.
We move in April 15!
@ davids deli
@ davids deli
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Took Emy and Dolf to lunch and then we took a long walkabout. First went to Shibuya to check out the fabric store, and then stopped by Bic Camera to see the various toys. After that we walked up to Harajuku and checked out the cool kids getting their photos taken, then walked up to Omotesando and through Aoyama. We took a taxi through Aoyama Cemetery and saw the cherry blossoms, then had bevvies at Starbucks Tsutaya and walked home through Moto Azabu.
Took a little break at home, then headed up to Azabu Jyuban for Korean BBQ at Sankoen.
police movie party
sting party
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Jer hooked me up with invites to the movie release party for Everyone Stares and I got there just in time to catch the last 5 seconds of Stuart's drum session. But I was really there to see Jer's folks Ilene and Derek, who were taking the movie on a global release tour. Hadn't seen then in about 5 years, since I was in West Hollywood last time. Great catching up with them! Too bad Jer couldn't join us. Ilene was particularly jealous that my mom has a grand daughter but, despite the fact that she's got three sons she has no grand kinds yet. However a many-branching family tree leaves lots of optionality, and they are yet young...No pressure, guys.
Afterwards grabbed some food with The Edo and reminisced about the good old Chiba days. Been in Japan for going on 13 years now...damn. Remember back in the day?
Had a good practice this evening. First, I managed to show up almost on time -- we started about 7:30 and trained for a good 1.5 hours. There a shiny fresh beginner on the floor (her second class) so I had her go through the basic basics whilst the rest of the class did their typical thing. At some point the theme became (I never manage to figure out what we're practicing until we start and get well into it) moving from one's center. There are lots of fancy ways to describe this, and several really, really talented martial artists who have perfected it (Kuroda Tetsuzan, etc.) but I like to keep things simple. The basic ideas are: stay balance at all times, reduce all unnecessary movement, remain flexible. All three are linked, and really one can't be done without the other two.
Staying balanced means just that; don't wobble like you're going to fall over. Keep your upper body over your lower body (or keep your lower body under your upper body.) Be aware of your left and right, your front and back, and whichever direction you move, make sure all your parts are cooperating, otherwise you end up swaying, tilting, dragging.
Reducing all unnecessary movement leads to the surprising yet ultimately intuitive conclusion that many things you do with your body to get it acting are really pointless. Straightening the ankle, forcing the foot to push off the ground and drive the leg/hip/body forward is a really silly way to start taking a step. Why use such a small muscle in the ankle to move the whole body? Instead, just keep the leg relaxed, pick it up using the large muscles in the butt and thigh, and get it moving from the hip. After that, the whole body will follow. The corollary is: use big muscles for big movements, small muscles for small movements. To take a step forwards, use the butt, thigh, and hips. To swing the sword, use the back and hips. To adjust the angle of the kissaki a millimeter, use the fingers and wrist. Also, you need to use the whole body together as one. In order to bring the sword overhead, if you're already stepping forward, you are in a sense stepping under your sword already, so there's no need to use the arm the bring the sword over your head, too. Use the wrist and arm to get the sword moving back, in conjunction with the body moving forwards.
Finally, flexibility is key to acting and reacting. The human body is really, really bad at staying still. Anything other than positions of natural rest are hard to keep; opposing muscles fight each other to tighten and stretch in opposite directions. Instead of trying to be rock embedded in the floor, be molten lava, dune of sand, flowing river, tempestuous wind. Even standing water in a calm lake is fluid; try grabbing a handful of it. Much harder than grabbing ice cubes. Being flexible starts with the knees; keep them bent and more importantly, bending. In order to keep the hips stable (giving you a good platform from which to move), the lower body needs to be like coiled springs or shock absorbers. No matter how the body moves, the knees must bend or straighten in order to keep the body balanced and moving efficiently.
Also, tension in muscles causes fatigue, and makes it harder to move in different directions; a tightly bent arm is tough to bend more, and really isn't a very good starting point for straightening out either. Tension in muscles usually means tension in demeanor, too. Staying flexible of body and mind means not expecting anything, and therefore means you are able to react to anything, to move in any direction.
Keeping the mind calm keeps the body supple; keeping the body relaxed quites the mind.
Staying balanced means just that; don't wobble like you're going to fall over. Keep your upper body over your lower body (or keep your lower body under your upper body.) Be aware of your left and right, your front and back, and whichever direction you move, make sure all your parts are cooperating, otherwise you end up swaying, tilting, dragging.
Reducing all unnecessary movement leads to the surprising yet ultimately intuitive conclusion that many things you do with your body to get it acting are really pointless. Straightening the ankle, forcing the foot to push off the ground and drive the leg/hip/body forward is a really silly way to start taking a step. Why use such a small muscle in the ankle to move the whole body? Instead, just keep the leg relaxed, pick it up using the large muscles in the butt and thigh, and get it moving from the hip. After that, the whole body will follow. The corollary is: use big muscles for big movements, small muscles for small movements. To take a step forwards, use the butt, thigh, and hips. To swing the sword, use the back and hips. To adjust the angle of the kissaki a millimeter, use the fingers and wrist. Also, you need to use the whole body together as one. In order to bring the sword overhead, if you're already stepping forward, you are in a sense stepping under your sword already, so there's no need to use the arm the bring the sword over your head, too. Use the wrist and arm to get the sword moving back, in conjunction with the body moving forwards.
Finally, flexibility is key to acting and reacting. The human body is really, really bad at staying still. Anything other than positions of natural rest are hard to keep; opposing muscles fight each other to tighten and stretch in opposite directions. Instead of trying to be rock embedded in the floor, be molten lava, dune of sand, flowing river, tempestuous wind. Even standing water in a calm lake is fluid; try grabbing a handful of it. Much harder than grabbing ice cubes. Being flexible starts with the knees; keep them bent and more importantly, bending. In order to keep the hips stable (giving you a good platform from which to move), the lower body needs to be like coiled springs or shock absorbers. No matter how the body moves, the knees must bend or straighten in order to keep the body balanced and moving efficiently.
Also, tension in muscles causes fatigue, and makes it harder to move in different directions; a tightly bent arm is tough to bend more, and really isn't a very good starting point for straightening out either. Tension in muscles usually means tension in demeanor, too. Staying flexible of body and mind means not expecting anything, and therefore means you are able to react to anything, to move in any direction.
Keeping the mind calm keeps the body supple; keeping the body relaxed quites the mind.
mom!
Came home about 8:30 last night, and P had just taken the Tonchabeast out of the bath, so I dried her off and clothed her up. She was in a fine mood, all clean and warm. Then P went back into the bath for herself, and I held Tonchan to sooth her to sleep.
She was having none of that; as soon as P left the room, blood-curdling screams and tear fountains. After 10 minutes, I finally just put her down in the crib and watched her from the hall. She calmed down considerably, but was still kind of sniffling. When P came back and picked her up, she immediately calmed down and was happy.
There are now two kinds of people in the world: mom and NOT mom. Ah, the love of a child. Until she's old enough to figure out that I'm the one who pays the bills, we are gonna have some respect issues.
She was having none of that; as soon as P left the room, blood-curdling screams and tear fountains. After 10 minutes, I finally just put her down in the crib and watched her from the hall. She calmed down considerably, but was still kind of sniffling. When P came back and picked her up, she immediately calmed down and was happy.
There are now two kinds of people in the world: mom and NOT mom. Ah, the love of a child. Until she's old enough to figure out that I'm the one who pays the bills, we are gonna have some respect issues.
loud
loud
Originally uploaded by renfield.
On the right is my house. On the left is the "noise blocking" plastic squares enclosing the old office building/factory that at this moment is being torn down via the aggressive use of serious heavy construction equipment.
Note that the distance between the two is about 50 centimeters. Also imagine the total lack of effectiveness of a piece of plastic to block the bone-rumbling sound made by machinery designed to pulverize concrete.
So yes, we will be moving in a matter of weeks, and none too soon!
astronaut jesus
astronaut jesus
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Jen had a posse in town, so we did the Akihabara thing. Somewhere around the 4th floor of Yellow Submarine we found the ultimate action figure: Astronaut Jesus.
Also don't miss the cool TVs.
dojo debut
First Day of Spring (Infernal Equinox I think it's called) is a national holiday in Japan. Beautiful sunny weather so we strapped in the Tonchabeast and headed over to Honbu Dojo where they were having a wee eating and drinking festivity. By the time we got these everyone was done stuffing themselves, and Tonchan promptly fell asleep on the Shihanseki (teacher's seat at the front of the dojo.)
Salty took some photos.
When we got home I was really, really jonesin' for some pizza, so we ordered from Salvatore's. P and I put away 3 larges. Granted, they're all Japanese-sized, cheeseless, and thin crust. But still, damn that woman can eat!
Salty took some photos.
When we got home I was really, really jonesin' for some pizza, so we ordered from Salvatore's. P and I put away 3 larges. Granted, they're all Japanese-sized, cheeseless, and thin crust. But still, damn that woman can eat!
ikea tonchan
ikea tonchan
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Standard early morning wakeup, quick breakfast, then onto the train to head down to Ikea in Shinyokohama. Not 30 minutes on the train, and then onto the waiting shuttle bus. Just after opening, so Ikea wasn't too crowded and Tonchan was in a fine mood. Wandered the furniture jungle and checked out the sleeper sofas, shelving units, and other bits and bobs before feeding Tonchan and then inhaling several hotdogs. Back on the shuttle bus and up to Shibuya.
We walked over to Harajuku and up the street to check out antiques at Oriental Bazaar, and walked straight into the Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Actually most folks were on the street checking out the parade, so the store and sidewalks were empty. A couple of nice pieces but nothing really calling, and Tonchan needed a diaper change so we walked up to Crayonhouse, then down to Nishi Azabu Crossing and got a cab home.
Tonchan was totally zonked and didn't even wake up for her bath; just slept!
farewell, ben
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Ben Miller.
Seems he died at the end of February after suffering two brain aneurysms.
Good friend, great man, internet legacy.
Seems he died at the end of February after suffering two brain aneurysms.
Good friend, great man, internet legacy.
tonchan walkabout
After zazen in the afternoon, I came home dropped The Tonchabeast into her Mighty Chariot and off we went on our standard walkabout. Went up the hill past the crashed rocketship and down to the Starbookstore, then up past the slide park and back home.
When we got back, I shot these two masterpieces that I have titled:
"Sneeze"
and
"FEED ME NOW!"
When we got back, I shot these two masterpieces that I have titled:
"Sneeze"
and
"FEED ME NOW!"
sausage in crust pizza
sausage in crust pizza
Originally uploaded by renfield.
13 years in Japan and I continue to be amazed: sausage-in-crust pizza, half crab/shrimp/mayo/corn/onions/broccoli, and half BBQ pork/mushrooms/mayo/corn/onions.
Wow.
okuizome
P1000577.JPG
Originally uploaded by renfield.
100 days old, so we did the traditional pretend-to-eat ceremony. And then we really did eat!
Later in the day the weather cleared up a bit so Ton and I took a walk around the neighborhood; wandered up through Roppongi Hills and back down through Azabujyuban. Started to rain just as we passed Cravings, so we popped in for some tea until the rain stopped before heading home.
big day 99
Tomorrow Tonchan turns 100 days old, so we will have the traditional okuizome, literally the "first eating". Obviously she won't be eating anything other than breast milk, but we will pretend to feed her as we dig into our special bento prepared by Hashimoto-san from Toyoda.
So today we left the house about 3 and headed over to Mitsukoshi where we did some shopping before picking up our bento.
Then we headed back to the Fighting Gym as today was the last practice. The gym will reopen next month in an as yet undecided location. The Power Puff Girls Posse were all there, and everyone made squealing noises and poked Tonchan a bunch.
And now back at home, Tonchan is having dinner after a long day out and about.
So today we left the house about 3 and headed over to Mitsukoshi where we did some shopping before picking up our bento.
Then we headed back to the Fighting Gym as today was the last practice. The gym will reopen next month in an as yet undecided location. The Power Puff Girls Posse were all there, and everyone made squealing noises and poked Tonchan a bunch.
And now back at home, Tonchan is having dinner after a long day out and about.
tonchan exciting
For those who are curious as to what 3-month old babies do, here you go.
She's either asleep, feeding, pooping, or wiggling about and making noise:
She's either asleep, feeding, pooping, or wiggling about and making noise:
us citizen tonchan
us citizen tonchan
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Someone got herself a birth certificate and a passport. Though she'll probably want to get rid of them when she has to start paying US taxes. Doh!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)