Cousin Dave cut together a wee little video clip of me cutting. Loverly. All it needs now is a Bassa-nova soundtrack and Angelina Jolie nekkid.
incredible
Hiroko and I went to see The Incredibles at the incredible roppongi hills theatre. About an hour before showtime on a 3-day weekend, so we got stuck in the middle of the second row. Luckily the seats recline and are fully padded, so there wasn't much neck crampage, but I kept spilling my caramel popcorn all over myself. Oh yeah, the movie is, in a word, incredible. If you haven't seen it yet you are either a moron, or my dad.*
We did some shopping in Roppongi Hills, having finally found the cool knife block that Hiroko wanted, and then bought a travel book on Bhutan before heading home. TV show about sushi motivated us to do so for dinner, and I felt like such a pawn of the marketing industry. But damn I do love sushi.
* My dad is famous for only going to the theatre to see horrible movies. My childhood traumas include being taken to see After Hours and The Tempest. Well okay he did also take me to see Raise the Titanic and Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, too, so it wasn't all bad. But still, I was ten years old when I was forced to sit through The Tempest. If that's not child abuse, I dunno what is.
But then again I distinctly remember the first time I ever saw him sit down to watch something in English (aka not a French art flick in black & white, and watching women's figure skating doesn't count either) on tv: It was when we lived in LA, and I was in junior high school, so let's call it 1987. He double-checked the cable schedule before sitting down to watch...Starwars. He waited ten years for it to come on cable before he watched it. Ten. Years.
We did some shopping in Roppongi Hills, having finally found the cool knife block that Hiroko wanted, and then bought a travel book on Bhutan before heading home. TV show about sushi motivated us to do so for dinner, and I felt like such a pawn of the marketing industry. But damn I do love sushi.
* My dad is famous for only going to the theatre to see horrible movies. My childhood traumas include being taken to see After Hours and The Tempest. Well okay he did also take me to see Raise the Titanic and Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, too, so it wasn't all bad. But still, I was ten years old when I was forced to sit through The Tempest. If that's not child abuse, I dunno what is.
But then again I distinctly remember the first time I ever saw him sit down to watch something in English (aka not a French art flick in black & white, and watching women's figure skating doesn't count either) on tv: It was when we lived in LA, and I was in junior high school, so let's call it 1987. He double-checked the cable schedule before sitting down to watch...Starwars. He waited ten years for it to come on cable before he watched it. Ten. Years.
china mieville's the scar
I forgive Kevin for getting me started on The Series That Gets Worse and Will Never End, because he also introduced me to My Man China!
The sort of sequal, but not really, to Perdido Street Station, The Scar is more of the same China brilliance. Wonderful world full of interesting humanoid lifeforms, the best blend of "science" and "magic", classically human politics, and a cool story, interesting characters, and vivid location.
The sort of sequal, but not really, to Perdido Street Station, The Scar is more of the same China brilliance. Wonderful world full of interesting humanoid lifeforms, the best blend of "science" and "magic", classically human politics, and a cool story, interesting characters, and vivid location.
100 year old color photos
Check them out. These are not black & white photos colored later. Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) took these photos in the first decade of the 20th century. He took 3 photos in red, green, blue individually and combined them. Amazing what color does; it looks so real, but you're so used to seeing old photos in black & white, it makes you think they must be fake. So often I've seen old photos and thought "what color was her hat? That building? His belt?" And now we know!
strange dream
Woke up this morning and Hiroko asked me "You dream last night? You were flopping all over the place and I hardly slept." She was not happy, still trying to get over her cold.
And as a matter of fact, I did have a wonderfully wacky dream.
Big lasergun tag fight. I needed a weapon. Was in our house in LA. Go into my brother's bedroom and ask him for a gun. He pulls open the low drawers underneath his closet and takes out a big case. From the case he removes all sorts of weapons; swords and knives, rifles and pistols. He tells me to take what I need. I go through the goods and select a smallish firearm with green lasertag assembly. The cop on the beach just outside the window (never mind the fact that the bedroom is on the 2nd floor) is trying to look into the window, suspicious of what's going on inside the room. He is on the enemy team. I hastily grab my weapon, throw everything else back in the case, and shove the case back into the drawer, closing it under the closet. The alarm signals the start of the game...and it's my alarm clock waking me up.
Rudimentary dream analysis: the swords imagery must come from the fact that I went to pratice for this first time in a year, and also saw lots of cool swords on new year's. The green lasers are from all the silly news stories about terrorists using lasers to try and crash planes by blinding pilots. And that's about as much psychoanalysis as I am cabable of.
And as a matter of fact, I did have a wonderfully wacky dream.
Big lasergun tag fight. I needed a weapon. Was in our house in LA. Go into my brother's bedroom and ask him for a gun. He pulls open the low drawers underneath his closet and takes out a big case. From the case he removes all sorts of weapons; swords and knives, rifles and pistols. He tells me to take what I need. I go through the goods and select a smallish firearm with green lasertag assembly. The cop on the beach just outside the window (never mind the fact that the bedroom is on the 2nd floor) is trying to look into the window, suspicious of what's going on inside the room. He is on the enemy team. I hastily grab my weapon, throw everything else back in the case, and shove the case back into the drawer, closing it under the closet. The alarm signals the start of the game...and it's my alarm clock waking me up.
Rudimentary dream analysis: the swords imagery must come from the fact that I went to pratice for this first time in a year, and also saw lots of cool swords on new year's. The green lasers are from all the silly news stories about terrorists using lasers to try and crash planes by blinding pilots. And that's about as much psychoanalysis as I am cabable of.
first practice
First class of 2005. I came early because Nakayama-san wanted to practice kumitaci. I haven't done them in a while, but after an hour I got back into the groove. Was interesting to try and explain to someone else the things I've already struggled through and sort of figured out. Always a great learning experience to teach.
At 7 class started, and we did the really basic basics, like how to sit in seiza and how to stand up. Thing I've been focusing on lately is centerlines. Try to keep my pitch and yaw level when moving. Much much harder than you think. Try this: stand in front of a mirror, relaxed, feet together. Now take a step with your left foot. Watch how far to the left your head and whole body move. You transfer all your weight to your right foot, pick up your left leg, lean your body over to the left, and swing your foot out. Centerline is a mess. Do that while drawing your sword and your right arm gets cut off.
It's a wonderful ego-boost to teach a class full of beginners who are no where near my level...they must feel how I feel when I go to class and get totally flummoxed by Kuroda-sensei or one of his older students.
At 7 class started, and we did the really basic basics, like how to sit in seiza and how to stand up. Thing I've been focusing on lately is centerlines. Try to keep my pitch and yaw level when moving. Much much harder than you think. Try this: stand in front of a mirror, relaxed, feet together. Now take a step with your left foot. Watch how far to the left your head and whole body move. You transfer all your weight to your right foot, pick up your left leg, lean your body over to the left, and swing your foot out. Centerline is a mess. Do that while drawing your sword and your right arm gets cut off.
It's a wonderful ego-boost to teach a class full of beginners who are no where near my level...they must feel how I feel when I go to class and get totally flummoxed by Kuroda-sensei or one of his older students.
kashima jingu
Drove over to Kashima to go to the big shrine for hatsu-mode (first prayer of the year). It was packed, of course. Walked into the back, to the OLD shrine, to pay our respects, and then checked out the sword and armor display before getting some noodles and finally getting on the bus back to Tokyo station.
Here are some photos of the swords and stuff on display.
happy new year!
The Kuroda house is, like always, drafty and cold but toasty warm in the main room, legs stuffed under the kotatsu (which is broken and always stuck on high), food piled high. Bad New Year's TV, lots of tea, unending munchies...
Interestingly, this time it was Hiroko who got sick, her throat sore and nose stuffed. I was ok the first day, but finally the dry, cold, and boonies-ness caught up with me and my nose was stuffed and head was heavy.
much cheese on her sandwich
We went down to Hamamatsucho Station to take the highway bus, but as we're waiting in line, the bus drivers are talking about what detours to take around roads closed due to snow. So we slink out of line and get on the train.
snake eater
I got Hiroko Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. And I have been playing it all day. I dream about crawling through the jungle, sniping enemy guards with my tranquilizer gun.
fighting fitness party
Hiroko's Fighting Fitness Karate Dojo had it's year-end party at...a sports bar connected to a tanning salon. They served really good Chinese food, too. Explain that one to me.
x-mas bbq
In the tradition of our ancestors, we had a Japanese/Jewish X-Mas BBQ. Conan and the Smallwoods came first, with Conan immediately commandeering The Comfy Chair, quietly transfixed by his new Etch-a-Sketch and the cold medicine keeping his sniffles under control.
Amy and the Rudicks then showed up, with Amy happy to bound around the loft. The BBQ was fired up and the traditional pork loins were set upon the grill whilst we warmed up with slices of fine domestic beef. Kairi and Ericka came soon after, giving Amy a playmate and completing a fine collection of children's toy cellphones.
Others gathered and the food piled up. We made an extra beef run, complete with Alaskan King Crab legs, revived the BBQ for its Second Coming, and put away even more food. Complete and utter gastric destruction; no one went home empty-handed and the fridge is still packed with left-overs.
Amy and the Rudicks then showed up, with Amy happy to bound around the loft. The BBQ was fired up and the traditional pork loins were set upon the grill whilst we warmed up with slices of fine domestic beef. Kairi and Ericka came soon after, giving Amy a playmate and completing a fine collection of children's toy cellphones.
Others gathered and the food piled up. We made an extra beef run, complete with Alaskan King Crab legs, revived the BBQ for its Second Coming, and put away even more food. Complete and utter gastric destruction; no one went home empty-handed and the fridge is still packed with left-overs.
emperor's birthday
Happy 72nd birthday to Emperor Heisei!
Took advantage of the day off to accomplish three things:
Took advantage of the day off to accomplish three things:
- Went up to Saitama to practice at Shinbukan. More Kenjutsu. Everyone else was practicing iai and Kuroda-sensei asked me if I had my sword with me. I didn't bring it, assuming I wouldn't be doing iai for months. So all I had was my wooden sword. He figured good enough and started showing the first iai form. All the iai forms are from iaigoshi: fold your left leg under you, such that your left heel is in your butt, then put your right heel in front of your left knee, keeping your right knee off the ground. So yeah, you're sitting on your left foot. And yeah, it hurts. But wait, it gets better. From this position, rise up into a low stance, right foot forward, left knee off the ground. But don't stand up, you have to basically float up; ukimi. Literally "to float." Needless to say, the top of my left foot is nicely sore and swollen.
- Came back from practice and put the Cuisinart to use: made about 3 kilograms of Mama's Famous Fake Chicken Liver Pate (carmelized onions, string beans, walnuts.) Cuisinart, as you know, is French for "Kitchen Power Tool" and it is the single greatest invention since the Intelligent Meat Fork.
- At my request, Hiroko cooked her stunningly good fried chicken in sweet/sour marinade. Add in a spinach salad, miso soup, and fresh rice and we had us a meal.
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