プレゼント

Yesterday, I got some presents!!!! Three, to be exact. I love presents! Though I don't know if we can really call these presents - just things that were given to me.

And yesterday I really needed them, because Rachael and I were feeling sad.

First, we went to the Fukuro museum in Tokyo Hands at 名古屋駅, because Rachael has been telling me about the cool bags there, and I wanted to see them.

And then we were walking over to 栄　(Sakae) when this somewhat crazy person approaches us all repeating all over and over again "アメリカは一番悪い”　- America ha ichiban warui, which means "America is the worst." For some reason, me being me, I thought that maybe this person would have something interesting to say, so I turned and was all like "Don't you think North Korea is worse." And he was all "No, North Korea's good. America is the worst." And then he just kept repeating it over and over again.

Still for some reason having faith that maybe this person could have an INTERESTING conversation about why America is the worst, I was all "Why?" And his response was "Obama. Obama is the worst. America is the worst. America is stupid. Stupid. Stupid. You're all stupid. America is the worst." At that point, I left it alone.
But it made me really sad. It made Rachael really angry, and she wanted to punch the guy. It just made me sad.

Anyhow, point being - I thus needed something to cheer me up.

On Saturday, I went with Rachael and Steven to see free outdoor concerts in 栄.

It was super fun, and Rachael and I talked a lot to the singer of alfabeto, who told us that he was going to bring us some small figurines the next day, Sunday.
And when we went back on Sunday, he actually DID bring us little figurines. I got a small blue fish, and Rachael got a cutey face little goldfish.

me, alfabeto singer, Rachael, our new fishy faces

Between lives, we went over to the jewelry shop that we for some reason frequent (even though I've never bought anything - thank you, Rachael, for buying lots of jewelry). We were talking to one of the workers there, Kazuki, and he for some reason gave me this little picture of himself as a devil. Super cute! He likes Pay Money to My Pain. I like Pay Money to My Pain. Happiness.
For now, it's hanging out in 岡崎　(Okazaki) with me for a while, but when I leave, I'll give it to Rachael so it can hang out in 岐阜 (Gifu) with her.

Then we headed back to Sound Street or Sky Air or whatever it's called to see a band called The Reviews Scorer, that we had seen once a couple months ago. They were awesome then, and they were awesome again.

After their show (during which they were all wearing t-shirts with American flags on them, and this made me feel somewhat better about things), I asked the singer if they had a CD or something, and he said yes, and to hang on. And then he came back with their two CDs and just gave them to us. He was all "サービス、サービス、内緒" and then making the "shhh," sign, like we shouldn't tell anyone.
I still have NO IDEA why he decided to give us the CDs, but I'm listening to one now, and it is amazing.

The next time they are playing is the same day as Freedom Nagoya, so I am sad that I won't get to see them. Apparently they auditioned for Freedom Nagoya and failed (which makes me super sad, as they are amazing. I totally don't get why. Though apparently they made the money sign when I said that I don't get why). I wish I could see them again AND go to Freedom Nagoya.

So then a little bit later we went over and asked them to sign the CDs that they had given us, and they were SO nice!

Me with Hiro (who is not a hero), the bassist, and Yasuhiro (who is a ninja), the drummer.

Rachael has the picture of us with the whole band. We must have talked to them for at least 20 minutes. Shockingly, they were actually the ones who suggested we take pictures.

So yes, those were my three presents yesterday! And this was supposed to be a super short blog post about that, but it has now turned into a manuscript. Sorry I'm so wordy.

And now to write more about Kristen and Shawn's visit.
以上です。

Kristen and Shawn Visit: Part 1: Hanging in Okazaki and Nagoya

KRISTEN AND SHAWN ARRIVE

Because flying from America to Japan is super long and exhausting, we decided to hang out in Okazaki and just chill on their first day here. Which meant waking up leisurely, going to see Yamasa and some of the places I used to work, and then heading to the enormous Book Off over Seiyu so we could look at used things. Shawn was into this. After a delicious curry cauliflower lunch made chez me, we headed up to Okazaki Castle and walked around there being all touristy for a bit.

I ended up with ONE whole picture of our castle day, and this is it. If you look closely, you can see Kristen on the other side. Sadness that this is my only one. Perhaps Kristen and Shawn will send me their pictures later.

Then Krist and Shawn came to work with me in Daimon so that Shawn could meet my boss, Taka, because he drives race cars, and Shawn loves racing. Taka was kind enough to drive him around in his car and to offer to drive him around later.

After work, we headed to KARAOKE!!!! Since Kristen's all a karaoke lover, we had to go at least once while they were here.

Cesar, Carine, and Idit also came to hang out with us, and Kristen and Shawn managed to get into the Japanese songs we sang even though they didn't understand them. They, of course, both did some amazing rock ballads!

After karaoke, they got to go racing on a mountain in Gamagori while I went home to finish packing things up for my move and to hang out with Carine.

Next day, NAGOYA. I of course had to bring them to Toganji temple, because I LOVE it there, even if no one else here seems to have ever heard of it.



How could you not love this adorable little Buddha face with his elephants surrounded by such greenery?

Then we met up with Rachael for lunch at Nagoya's vegan restaurant, the Pupu Kitchen. It was my first time there, and I'm sad I waited so long. We ate vegan donburi, and it was totally beyond delish! Definitely recommended if you ever find your way to Nagoya. Just make sure you check the opening times.

After a brief tour of Sakae and Osu Kannon, we headed back to Okazaki for dinner with my new host stay family. Kristen actually tried to eat sushi, which was totally shocking to me. She didn't actually like it, but she TRIED it! She also tried pumpkin tempura and loved it. We were all very proud of her!

The next morning, we woke up super early and headed to Kyoto. More to come soooooon! :-)

Crazy NonStop-pedness

So it feels like things have been really for serious crazy non-stop since I last wrote.

This is something like I was.

I couldn't talk for a very very long time, which had my energy level feeling somewhat less than it should be. So in what minimal free time I had (between going to school, analyzing my survey for my final presentation, studying for my final tests, working every day, practicing the guitar, and packing to move out of my apartment, this was basically none), I did a lot of forcing myself to rest and not talk. Very difficult for me.


I also hit up a little shamisen concert that my friend put on.

I learned that the body part of the shamisen tends to be made from either dog skin or cat skin, as other animals don't make quite the same sound. But because dogs are considered somewhat sacred in most parts of the world, they have to import the leather from China.
His was made from dog, because he said that cat is often too small, and also you can see the nipples. Which, though he didn't say it, is weird.

Look how lady-like I look while trying to play myself!
I of course immediately thought that I needed to learn to play the shamisen myself, and Hikaru was kind enough to oblige in showing me a little bit.
However, when I asked about using synthetic fibers in the place of the dog/cat skin, he said it was impossible and the sound would just be wrong. If this is true, my shamisen learning dreams were very short-lived.

Thursday was my LAST DAY OF YAMASA! It was sort of sad, but not quite as sad as when I left the last time. This time I had to give a speech, though, and mine went something like this: "お腹もすいたし、涙もろいし、その上スピーチも苦手です。ですので、みんな、ありがとう" Which means something like "I'm hungry, I cry a lot, and I'm bad at speeches. So, everyone, thanks!"
I'm basically really awful at talking in front of people, and I certainly didn't want to make everyone wait through my inevitable tears, so that was that.

Then I went to lunch with my classmates and teachers, then I went and had a lesson with Koushi, and Michie made me delicious vegan curry rice for dinner.
THEN KRISTEN AND SHAWN ARRIVED!!

We had an AWESOME time, and now they have left me. Be prepared over the next few days for a bombardment of blogging about their visit.

以上です。

Laryngitis = no fun at all!

I miss talking.

I was in the middle of a conversation on Saturday night when suddenly my voice just stopped coming out. Seriously. One word was totally fine and the next was all "squeak squeak scratch scratch, huh!"

Saturday night. Then on Sunday I decided to keep talking all day anyway, but it was just weird sounds coming out of my mouth, and it was painful. Then Monday was even WORSE. I had to go teach after school, and it took such effort to get words out of my mouth that I almost threw up.

Then Tuesday I woke up and called Kristen to tell her Happy Birthday (have you voted for her yet? You have one day left, and it's super easy, so DO IT NOW: VOTE FOR THE AWESOMENESS OF KRISTEN BAKER!!!!), and we could only talk for about 5 minutes because it was so painful. And then when I got to school and tried to speak, nothing came out. I literally couldn't speak a word for the entire day.

I even had to go to work and was all gestures and dancing and CD, because the words just weren't coming out of my mouth.

Today, THURSDAY, it is FINALLY starting to get a little bit better, but frankly, I still sound like I'm crying instead of speaking. And it hurts. And every time I say more than a sentence or two at a time, I start coughing like a psycho maniac.

I am sure this is very interesting to you all. It's just that I'm just so over it - I love to talk! I want to talk! Dear voice, PLEASE come back to me!

In other news, I bought my tickets to go see Ayabie, and I am more than excited beyond belief! I thus leave you with a song I've been totally digging lately:

It's only a short clip, but I am SO into the way 夢人(Yumehito, the singer) sort-of throws his voice around. The singer of Knock Out Monkey does the same thing, and I more than love it!

飲み会 and Black Fail

Apparently, I've gone blog updating crazy.　　I mean, for serious - every day since June 4, minus yesterday.

Rachael came to Okazaki to spend the weekend with me, and on Saturday night, we met up with my old students from the office English class I used to teach for a 飲み会　(nomikai - drinking party). Madness ensued.

Apparently, I make Naoki crazy, because, according to the new guy in their class, he was totally normal until I got there, and then he went completely insane. I really missed him, though, and Ryouko and the whole class really, so it was great to see them again.

Then Megumi got drunk and told us all about how she is learning karate. I made the mistake of jokingly telling her that she should practice on Naoki, and:



She was definitely way more into it than the picture shows, by my picture taking skills are definitely not to be noted.

Anyone who knows my knows how much I absolutely LOVE making 変顔　(hengao - funny faces - Kristen and I and Martin and I have huge collections of them). Apparently, Naoki is also a fan of the hengao, so we must have spent a good half hour or more just making stupid faces.




Naoki and I were definitely the best at 変顔

It was seriously awesome to get to see them all again and see that they're doing well - WHY does their class have to be on Saturday? I got to speak Japanese the whole night, too, which was awesome (well, except at the end, when I lost my voice and then couldn't talk anymore).

After, Glen (also known as Takeru), who is the new teacher of their class, came over to my place after, and we had a pseudo dance party je sais meme pas quoi at my place, with just the three of us.



Glen somewhat fell in love with the posters I have on my wall of 三浦翔平　(Miura Shouhei)　and 山本裕典　(Yamamoto Yuusuke) - I mean, naturally, who wouldn't?



Good times were had, and we danced and acted like weirdos until about 3 AM. I was naturally reminded of that song by the Unlovables "Dance party for two, me and you," except that we were three (on a side note, I miss the Unlovables - won't they put out a new album soon?)


Because no post would be complete without a music video of some sort attached.

Then today Rachael and I went and hung out at Aeon for a while, and we were talking about how I'm old and my hair is all grey, and she was all "Maybe you should die it," and I was all, "Yeah, maybe I could do black." So we bought some black hair dye and tried to dye my hair back, but unfortunately it was a mega fail (I really didn't know you could ever fail with black), and my hair pretty much didn't change colors at all. :-( (and by pretty much I mean it is still exactly the same color as it was before I started)

And I realize the complete pointlessness of this post but,. . .I believe in pointlessness. Yes.

and on that note, お休みなさい。

Sakae Spring 2012, サカスプ2012 DAY 2

Note: Those that get this by e-mail, go to the actual page if you want to see the youtube links.

So, after a late night out Saturday　(I actually didn't finally go to sleep until around 3 in the morning), I woke up and Rachael and I headed to the onsen (good job, Saya, on picking a hotel with a 露天風呂- rotenburo, even if I am now even more broke than the already broke I was) (Saya and Mari had to get ready for their dates; they skipped out on day 2) for a relaxing soak to get us ready for a day of concert hopping.

Then we met up with Steven and Nate and headed over to Magic Theater　for

MILKBAR

I've been hearing about MILKBAR for ages (I guess their friends with some other bands I like) and listening to them on youtube. They're kinda slow, kinda folksy, kinda rock, and, in a perhaps weird way, they remind me somewhat of the Radwimps.
Nate thought they were kind of boring, but I thought they were an absolutely perfect start to a day of concert hopping. The singer was incredibly passionate about what he was singing, to the point that, with his last song, crying out "君に涙、僕に涙”　I actually almost started crying myself. I definitely wanted to go home and listen to the song a thousand times over again.
They've also got a stand-up bass, which adds a a sort-of unexpected and extremely pleasant level to their sound. Totally into them!

ROOKIEZ is PUNK'D



So then we headed downstairs to Ozon (how convenient that Ozon and Magic Theater are in the same building) for a band that I love and had previously seen several times.
They did a song for an anime that both Rachael and Steven love (Dararara or something - I've never heard of it), so they got super into it. Naturally. They have a sort-of rock/hip-hop/pop sound that really appeals to me, and they even have a couple songs (i.e. Eggmate of the Year) that are super pop-punky. <3
I also saw them at Sakae Spring 2011, and it was sort-of amazing to realize how big they've gotten. The crowd was at least 3 times larger than it was last year when I saw them at R.A.D. Probably even more than three times larger. Apparently, they also did a song for Bleach - apparently, you do an anime song, you get big.
Anyhow, as expected, they totally totally ROCKED!



Flip played after ROOKIEZ is PUNK'D at Ozon, and I kind of wanted to stick around and see them. But Steven and Rachael were hungry, so we went down to get them pizza, and when I sat down, my feet said thank you, so we just chilled for a bit.

The ROOTLESS



And I'm glad we did chill for a bit, because in the end we headed over to Tight Rope a bit early to see Real Reach, and as such, we got to see the last few songs of The ROOTLESS, a band I'd never heard of before, who was AMAZING.
Pure rock, at least the songs we saw. And with a huge crowd - there were seriously so many people in Tight Rope that I'm surprised they let us in. (I've just discovered that they have a song in One Piece, which would explain the crowd)
While they are totally not visual kei, I found that they kind of had a bit of a visual kei sound (though I'm sure they would NOT like to hear that), and I was thus totally into it.

REAL REACH



I love Real Reach. Like seriously love them. Totally American 90's style punk rock, done to Japanese perfection. They're one of the first Japanese bands I ever got into (along with Special Thanks, Stompin' Bird, Shachi, and Saboten), and I have literally been trying to find a way to get to see them ever since getting to Japan.
As they seem to be 名古屋(Nagoya)based, this really shouldn't have been hard, and yet. . .somehow literally every time they've played, I've not been able to go.
So after two years of trying, Sakae Spring 2012 was my first time, and it was even more awesome than I possibly could have expected. I actually even accidentally moshed and had a great time doing it (I don't think I've enjoyed moshing since I was, like, 21ish).
And when they were doing their towel song (every Japanese band seems to have a neck towel song), one of the dudes threw his neck towel in my direction, and it landed on my head, but I was so busy jumping around like a crazy person that I didn't notice until the person beside me stole it off my head.
THEY WERE SO AWESOME! Definitely the highlight of my day!

THE CLUTCH

The discovery of the day - The Clutch! (Guillaume says we should change their name to Les punks de la foret) Since on Saturday, all of the awesome bands seemed to be playing at X-Hall, after Real Reach we headed over there and managed to see a good bit of the Clutch's set.
And they totally rocked. For serious. There is something about Japanese rockers doing what I think of as epitaph-style punk that's just really perfect. They totally brought back memories of listening to Hi-Standard in high school, of road trips to Lake Charles on the weekend to see whatever band the L.A.D.S had planned (I realize that probably means next to nothing to everyone but me, but just - brought back some mega awesome memories).
It seems rare for me to hear new music like that nowadays that I actually WANT to keep listening to (am I getting old?), but I totally wanted to keep listening to them. More and more and more.

suzumoku



After so much awesome rock, it was time for a bit of a rest, so we headed over to Blue Note for suzumoko, a slower, more folksy singer that I totally love. It was nice to sit down for a bit. We met up with Nate and Joanna there, and they both thought he was boring. Rachael thought he lacked stage presence. Not me.
Sure, he didn't really move a lot around the stage, and he didn't really have much to say, he just stood there singing and singing and singing. And somehow that just felt really intense and powerful to me (I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I associate opening your mouth really big when you sing with passion - as both suzumoko and milkbar singer opened their mouths enormously wide).
Anyhow, it was beautiful.

Knock Out Monkey



Then back to X-Hall for Knock Out Monkey, the last band of the day. I have an album of theirs that I love, so I was totally looking forward to seeing them live, and. . .let's just say that they rocked so hard that they actually managed to beat out Real Reach for best band of the day.
Lots of skanking, moshing, and head-banging. I can't decide if I can call them punk or just rock or what. I guess it doesn't matter - what matters is that they are awesome. Pure awesome. And pure awesome times were had.

All in all, a totally awesome two days, and I'm sort-of sad when I think that this is probably my last Sakae Spring. (I just have to keep reminding myself that next year I will be going to Insubordination Fest).
Two bands of the day I'm sad I missed: BIGMAMA and Howl Actions. I'd actually never heard of BIGMAMA before, but the singer of Glory Jackpot System recommended them, so I listened when I got home, and I totally LOVE. THey were at Quattro, though, and I really didn't think it would be possible to get in.
I could be wrong, but I think Howl Actions is from 岡崎　(Okazaki). Anyhow, they're really good, but they were playing at the same time as Real Reach, so that was out before it was in.

And this is extraordinarily long (I can't help it - I love music!), and I doubt anyone will read it all the way through. Except maybe me in the me future.

Sakae Spring 2012、 サカスプ2012 DAY 1

So, last year, I went to Sakae Spring 2011 in 栄(Sakae) in 名古屋 (Nagoya), and it was so awesome and I discovered so many amazing bands that I of course had to return again this year.

I was originally planning to only go on Sunday, but in the end I was somehow talked into going both days (I assure you, it wasn't hard) and eventually found myself in possession of a 2-day pass. Frankly, I'm glad I decided to go for both!! :-) We'll start with day 1 and later move on to day 2.

DAY 1

After work in 三好 (Miyoshi), I headed straight over to 名古屋(Nagoya), where I met up with Rachael, Mari, and Saya to get boba on our way over to the first concert of the day.

alfabeto

Since I posted their video a few days ago, a picture.



I'd seen them several times before, and each time I liked them even more and more. I think this time was definitely their best, though. I don't know if it's because they sound better inside (previously, I'd only seen 野外ライブ-outdoor show) or if it's just because they're actually getting better or because I'm starting to know the songs, but, well, they were awesome.
The bassist is amazingly psycho crazy when he plays (really, just n'importe quoi), to the point in which it almost makes me wish I were learning to play the bass and not the guitar.
In any case, they all look like they're having so much fun, and it totally makes me want to have fun with them!
Just my opinion, but I think they totally have potential to go far.

SILLYTHING

Try as I might, I can't find a video.
They played at X-Hall right after alfabeto, and we stayed to watch them because I liked the look of them. I'm glad we did, because these guys were seriously awesome. Punk rock like I think it's supposed to be, with a sound I wouldn't even begin to know how to describe. They seemed like the could care less about the crowd, which somehow fit with the image I immediately formed of them.

They also seemed crazy. I felt like I wanted to be friends with the bassist with his bleached blonde hair and short shorts (what is it with me wanting to be friends with bassists?), and I was almost afraid of the keyboardist. He was wearing a pink sweater under overalls, and the way he played kind of reminded me of:
well, you know how sometimes in horror movies, people get lost in small towns full of crazy inbred people that want to either breed with them or eat them? He reminded me of one of the people you would run into in one of those villages who would then later chase you around with an axe.
It somehow made his keyboard playing more passionate.

And the singer. Definitely gay. Quite probably insane. For the last song, they had these red and blue strobe lights flashing all over them, and he had this look in his eyes like maybe he'd just escaped from a mental institute. I seriously felt frightened for a moment. He also seemed to be chewing gum the whole time.
In any case, whatever they were trying to do, they totally pulled it off, and if they ever get around to putting something out, I'll definitely be getting a copy.

Glory Jackpot System


The first time I saw them was at Sakae Spring 2011, and after that show, they seemed to have all these groupy girls around them squealing, and at the time, while I liked them, I didn't get it. The second time I saw them, once again the same thing, and while I didn't get the attraction to the band MEMBERS, I got the music.
They have this sort-of hip-hop, electro-pop rock maybe somehow mixed in with a little bit of punk sound that. . .how to describe it. It's like when you eat a new food for the first time, and it tastes like nothing you've ever tasted before but it's like this pleasant explosion of wonderful happiness on your tongue, even though you don't really understand it. That's what their music is like for the ears. Which is probably why I didn't get it the first time, because I couldn't fully wrap my mind around it.
Anyhow, they totally rocked, and the crowd was totally totally into it.
And I might have fallen just a little bit in love with the singer, Karo (I finally get the squealy girls), who jumped down into the middle of the audience and did the doofiest yet awesomest dance ever. Rock!

going out

After that, we tried to go see 黒猫チェルシー (Kuroneko chelsea), because Saya likes them, but unfortunately the line to get into the club was super long, and by the time we finally left, it was too late to have time to go see any other bands. So Saturday was, unfortunately, a 3 band day (there was a lot of walking around between bands, because everyone walks slower than I do and I had a ton of stuff I had to deposit at the hotel we were staying at, since we were planning to go out). Still, awesome times were had.

After, we met up with Miho and Will and some of Saya's friends and headed out to Club ID - I didn't take any pictures, and thus I give you: Saya's collage.



This is already super long, so. . .Sakae Spring Day 2 to come soon (maybe even today)!!!!

I'm sorry about the sun, how could I know that you would burn

I just realized that I totally forgot to write yesterday about the annular solar eclipse. Apparently, it was the first time you've been able to see it in Japan in hundreds of years.

The Sunday before, I went several places looking for solar eclipse glasses, but because I'd waited until the last minute, there of course were none. I decided to wake up early Monday morning to go check it out anyway.

Unfortunately, it was super cloudy in Okazaki in the morning, so when I got there, there was nothing to see anyway.


When I got there, I met up with some friends, and luckily one of them had bought a ton of solar eclipse glasses from amazon, a pair of which he was kind enough to let me borrow.


Us hanging out in our solar eclipse glasses. At that point, we actually couldn't see a single thing. The only thing you can see through those glasses is the sun, so wearing them was a little bit, in a way, like being blind. Anyhow, I was glad to have them, because when it did clear up, it meant I didn't have to look at everything through the pond.


To be honest, the brightness of the sun was so bright that it actually hurt my eyes a bit looking at it in the pond. When it finally did clear up enough for us to see it, it was actually towards the end, so we didn't get to see the "annular" part. Still, it was pretty cool. A picture taken through the glasses of the moon taking a bite out of the sun:


And I leave you with the song from the title of this post:

Bad Religion - yeah, totally one of the greatest punk rock bands. And The Gray Race - totally one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time. (Yes, I do realize that this song is from Stranger Than Fiction)

Rock!

Iroiro iroiro iroiro

ご無沙汰してます!

こんばんは。 And now the Japanese will stop, as no one that reads this can speak Japanese.

I love how every time I write I write about how I'm planning to start writing more often. I really really AM planning to start writing more often. . .but as well all know, plans don't always go. . .as planned.

First of all, before heading over to Tokyo, I went to Kasugai to meet up with my friend Yuuki, and we tried to go to a pottery museum (well, really it was the donburi kaikan), but it was unfortunately closed. Luckily, there was an awesome view!

And there were fun things outside.



And there was this really cool froggy thing that we tried to take a picture in front of, but unfortunately I just got us and not the frog.



Then Tokyo was AWESOME! It was so great to see Martin again and just get to hang out. The first morning we woke up and went to a Hawaiian festival.

There was this huge beautifully pink store at the metro stop where we arrived, and I got to ride on my very first unicorn.



It was awesome.

Then we watched muscular men with creepy smiles dancing around in grass skirts.



This also was sort-of awesome.

Then Martin and I went to go eat food at Hanada Rosso, and, though it was a little bit expensive, the veggie burgers were, as always DELICIOUS!!!!

Obviously, us being us, it wouldn't be an Audrey/Martin weekend together without a little bit of karaoke.



The next day Martin had to have lunch with some friends, so I headed on over to the Shibuya area for a delicious lunch at Pure Cafe. On my way, I saw this super cool flower thing.



And after lunch, since I was there, I of course had to go check out Shibuya 109.



It was Golden Week, so it was literally so packed that I could barely breathe. There was even a mega sale going on in one of my favorite stores, JSG, was even having a sale, and I didn't go. I just took a quick look around before being so overwhelmed by people that I just had to leave. On the way back to meet Martin, Kame-chan and Eita were next to each other in the subway. I was very happy. (Yes, I realize, I am a 12 your old girl in my head, but I'm sure I'm not the only one that this would make happy).



Oh, I also got to eat at Little Heaven while I was there, just one of the two best pizza places in the world (the other, was, oddly enough, in Budapest). Pure happiness. Other than that Martin and I just did a lot of being Martin and Audrey - talking, catching up, hanging out. It was so good to see him again. MARTIN, COME BACK TO OKAZAKI!!!! Back in Aichi, I got to hang out with Steven for the first time since being back.



We went to get his ears pierced. It was cool to get to hang out again. Other than that, I've just been hanging out with Rachael alot. Apparently that band Alfabeto plays at Sound Street ALL THE TIME (I asked the bassist, he said they play most Saturdays), because Rachael and I have managed to see them what seems like a bagazillion times now. The first time, as you'll recall, I liked the music, but I like it more and more every time I hear them. I don't know if it's because they're getting tighter as a group or because I'm getting more used to their songs, but I've been really into them.

Check em out:


I think I might have a friend crush on the bassist (you know, when you think someone seems cool and you feel like you want to be friends with them but you realize it will probably never happen). His name's Toshi, and he likes Hey Smith, and he's super funny and crazy and nice, and I feel like he could introduce me to lots of cool bands.

This past weekend, I went to Sakae Spring 2012, but it's past midnight, so that will be for next time (which will hopefully be SOON).

But, since I'm writing, two things: First, my sister was nominated for the AWESOME award at this Tread on Trafficking thing that she is doing. It's a super amazing cause working to help stop sex trafficking of girls, so click on the link and vote for her (it's super easy to do and will take two seconds of your time) and learn a little bit more about treading on trafficking. DO IT NOW! (and obviously you'll be voting for Kristen Baker, because she's the awesomest of the awesome)

Secondly, my friend Asha has been trying to gain money for a project she's working on using Kickstarter. So click this link and check out The Places We've Been, and if you think it's awesome, which you surely will, donate! Minimum pledge is $5 - you definitely won't regret it!

Oh, and one more thing. I am somewhat obsessed with this song:



I have listened to it about 20,000 times today. It is awesome. I can't get enough.

And until next time, which will hopefully be very soon.
お休みなさい

B-b-b-BACK in Japan!

So I realize that I haven't actually made a proper post in a very long time. Today in school, I was thinking (in Japanese - be so proud of me) about why that might be, and I decided it must be because somewhere, subconsciously, I feel overwhelmed by all that has happened since last time I posted, and I for some reason feel like I can't post again unless it is to post about everything that's happened since November.

Well, I have decided to get over that, and thus today I will start with now, and if later I feel like going in and feeling in the blanks (I took some pretty fun trips around Japan with some pretty fun pictures), it will happen. If not, not.

So anyhow, as most of you know, I have arrived back in Japan!! And the very first thing I did upon my arrival was - SLEEP! I know, I know, that's not very fun.

The next day, though, I went to meet up with my friend Rachael in Nagoya, and we drank soy bubble tea from Osu Kannon and then ended up at Sakae Sound Street, where we saw this really good band, Alfabeto. I attempted to speak to the bassist, and I realized that my Japanese had, for the most part, entirely disappeared. For example, I tried to tell him that they looked very energetic on the stage, and somehow what came out was "Everyone looked really looking forward to." Yeah. (Luckily, it's pretty much returned now, so all good.) :-)

We also some some lolitas with a little boy, who couldn't have been more than 5 years old, dressed up in host clothes. It was HILARIOUS! (For those of you not in the know, a host is basically a male escort, and they are SUPER popular in Japan.) Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, so Rachael took pictures, which I don't have yet. If I get them, I'll be sure to upload them later.

We also saw this motorcycle dude with a poodle on his lap.

My first Friday back, I of course had to go to karaoke. I sang lots of Japanese songs, and it felt so good to be back at karaoke. :-) It's definitely one of the things I'm going to miss most about Japan. Afterward, we met up with my old classmate Cesar, who is no a proper working man in Japan. We got dinner, and it was fabulous to catch up!

The weekend after we went to the grand-opening of H&M in Nagoya. How there wasn't one before, I have no idea. In any case, we waited in a super long line to get in, and then I didn't even buy anything. Nonetheless, good times were had. :-) And Rachael bought stuff.

Then this Sunday was the Kodomo Matsuri (children's festival) by Okazaki-jou (Okazaki Castle). After a delicious banana pancake breakfast with my friend Idit, we hopped on our bikes and headed over there. There were tons of really cool looking activities that I wanted to try, but unfortunately, they were all for kids. :-(

Luckily, though, I was able to try to pound some mochi. I was pretty awful at it, but it was fun nonetheless.

Then we got to make bamboo stilts and try those out.

I was pretty awful at that as well - I think I managed to take about 4 or 5 steps total, and I have to say - I was extremely proud of myself for just that. Even though quite a few of the kids seemed to be managing quite well. I'm convived that the further away from the ground you grow the more difficult it becomes.

Anyhow, that's what I've been up to. Oh, and my first day back, it was a gloomy day, but I was thrilled to discover they were still in bloom! The next day, the rain came and chased them all away. And least I got to see them, though, if only briefly. :-)

This week in Japan is Golden Week, which is a super big celebration in Japan. As such, I've got Thursday and Friday off, and I'm headed to Tokyo to see Martin! Yes! (On a side note, Golden Week is always, naturally, abbreviated as GW, but for some reason every time I see that, I think George Washington, and I have to think a bit before I realize what it means)

Arrival in France

As most people who are a part of my internet life have probably noticed, I've basically disappeared from the internet over the past two months. I was super busy doing the life thing getting things ready for my imminent move from Japan in December, and then in January I was working. And there's just something about sitting in front of a computer from 8 AM to 5 PM for work that takes away all inspiration to do anything personal on a computer.

Now, though, I have arrived in Paris, and it's looking like I'm going to have far more free time on my hands than I could ever possibly want. So I figured it was as good a time as ever to try to return to the life of brizmus on the internet.

I got here on Friday, and I'm already sick. Frankly, I'm not surprised, as the most common odors I have smelled since being here are cigarettes (frankly, I believe it should be illegal to smoke them both outside and inside, and I think you should think so, too) and the carbon monoxide from cars. And I'm convinced that the only thing green I have seen since being here is the trash bags on the street outside (and really, there's not much trash in them, since Parisians seem to think the ground is a much more appropriate place to throw things) - certainly no plants. As such, I've literally done next to nothing since arriving. Other than just, sit around.

This is the closet in which I've been sitting around:

This is the view from the closet in which I've been sitting around:

The apartment I was supposed to be staying in isn't ready yet (one of the things I've discovered when it comes to Parisians is that you HAVE to have patience or you will go crazy and be miserable all of the time. When it comes to getting things done, you should know that you have to add at least a month to the deadline workers give themselves, often more), so this is where I'm staying in the meantime. Theoretically, the apartment will be ready to move into by this Saturday, but we'll see. . .

I've also discovered the awesomeness of Vegan Folie's, the new vegan cupcake place in Paris, so I've been eating lots of this deliciousness:

Anyhow, since I'm going to have some much free time on my hands here, I've been thinking about some things that I could do. I'm going to try to continue working on a couple novels I started writing a while ago that I never finished (and that I will most likely never allow anyone to read), I'm going to try to keep studying Japanese, and I'm going to keep continuing to try to learn to play the guitar.

I've also decided that I might try to start a "Cigarette Butts are Trash" campaign, though I don't really know how much I could accomplish in 2 months.

We all know that cigarette butts are toxic waste , even if they're not yet labled that way (or at least we should know this, but it would appear that many people choose not to believe because they love smoking too much or because it makes their lives just a little bit more difficult. Or because they're just idiots, you choose.), but it would appear that this news hasn't made it to Europe yet. Regardless of whether or not they are toxic waste, though, they are very obviously TRASH, and I can't understand when it became appropriate to throw trash non-chalantly wherever you choose (I am in Paris, though, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised).

I'm an optimist, though (or at least I try to be, but you know, sometimes we all fail), so I like to think that, with a little knowledge and understanding, maybe Parisians could at least take a step in the right direction to get rid of their disgusting habit of littering the streets with cigarette butts and turning what could be beautiful into a trashcan.

And that's that.

Next time, which will definitely be very soon, we'll go back in time a couple months to some trips I took in Japan (a country where they seem to understand that cigarette butts are, indeed, NOT biodegradable), etc. . .

In the meantime,. . .

I know I know I know, I haven't updated in FAR TOO LONG! And it's not because I haven't been doing things to update about - it's because I've been doing so many things that I haven't had the time to update.
I promise, though - a real update is on it's way, and hopefully SOON!
In the meantime, to tide you over, a purikura picture of me with my friends Miho and Rachael.

Enjoy, and I'll be back soon!