Real Life Boogaloo

Become a college athlete, make tons of money (sorta)

2011-09-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

It was great seeing everyone this past weekend. I came across this article today and thought it might end up being the most controversial twist in the debate over whether to pay college athletes. I'd be curious to see what the annual salaries for athletes of other sports (soccer, swimming, lacrosse, etc.) since there isn't the same kind of tv contracts and ticket sales. Given the recent reports of how high poverty levels are, it might make college that much more appealing for the get rich quick ticket- basketball players might potentially make more money in college then they would in the initial years after getting out of school with a degree if they don't play in the pros. A bit weird.

Anyways, hope to see more posts this fall from everyone. I'll try keep it up on my end.

It is Done

2011-04-24T03:35:00.000-07:00

Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Okubo 1-1-43. I'm a 2 minute walk from the cavernous Toei-Oedo line, maybe 15 minutes to Shinjuku station, and about 10 to Shinokubo station. Maybe a 10 minute walk to one of the wildest areas in Tokyo, Kabukicho, and I also live within those same limits from 3 of my favorite venues.

Schools started, and man is it different. Not in a bad way, but in a "this is Tokyo and there is money in Tokyo, and where there are responsible people with money, there are really nice schools" kind of way. My Junior High School has a population of about 300 students, and my elementary is maybe over 400. The JHS was built in the late 80's and has sculptures and gardens and rooms that approximate what little kids think of when they think of NASA. The teachers all seem pretty alright, the students can actually speak the language, and the lunch lady is a super babe. The elementary school is older, but still nice with a pretty decent playground. That's right, I play with kids at recess now. Dodgeball seems to be their game of choice, but I may end up trying to get them into kickball or, even better, wall/buttball.

I'm also now getting into voice acting, and come the 29th I'll have submitted my first/test article as a music reporter to a culture magazine, for a Noise A-Go-Gos/Die You Bastard!/Terror Squad show at Shinokubo Earthdom. Whether or not I'll make the cut is yet to be determined, but I'm hopeful that they'll keep me on. Finally, I'm also working on getting a band together with my friend Ian. Basically we need a drummer, but even without we've been arranging some things and talking about the general direction we want to go in. Sounds like he found some french drummer this weekend, so I'm not really concerned that thisll take a while. I havent even put fliers up yet. Christ, I've only been here for a little over a week and all this shit is happening.

SO… Once you've stopped being scared of radiation, potential high-magnitude aftershocks, and possible impending second-wave tsunamis, save some money and come visit me in fucking Tokyo!

Life Update Episode VII: Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport!

2011-04-13T17:47:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I've ever made a post about my jarb, which is French for job. I don't know when I last made a post, either, but you don't either so I guess it will remain a mystery for many a fortnight to come. Fortnight is French for "a couple of minutes." What I'm trying to say is that I work in marketing.

Which sounds slimy right from the start. Feels sort of flimsy and slightly damp. But so ok, I work in IT marketing, which is so decidedly unsexy that it attracts a markedly petite percentage of douchebags, relative to your average corporate rate (of douchebag concentration). The truth is I really like the people I work with, and the things I do. M@4K5T1NG R00|z! For me, anyway.

I like to get up real early. At around 3:32ish every morning I get up jaggedly and face the bed to stare at Melanie's sleeping body for circa 60 minutes. Then I go back to bed. Then I try to get up forreal around 6:00 or 6:30. Normally I use this time to pet my extremely awake cat and stare blank-faced at NBA results from the previous night until its time to get beautiful, but I'm lately trying to get to the gym in the morning before work. Gym in the morning before work. Marvel at my domesticity, and also my totally juiced pecs.

Work technically starts at 9, but we're like just so modern, so most people saunter in between 9:30 and 10:00. Since this is New York, it's very easy to get delayed on the train because of all the movie stars, and the sex in the city. You see why people are late. Fugghetaboutit! Haha...we say that ALL THE TIME. All of us.

I manage an inside sales team, which consists of 3 people in New York (besides myself) and 6 people in Bogota. Its strange to manage people. If you know me, you know I rule all around me with an iron fist. And a feather foot. My kicks are not very effective. I rarely deploy them though, since my team is mad effective and extremely easy to work with. The cool thing about being at an agency, is that there's no room for obnoxious people at a small company. This also helps mitigate the douchebag concentration at my work. Crappy people wash out naturally.

My company, and my role inside it, has grown considerably since I joined two years ago. We've grown by over 100% for two years in a row, and I get to take regular trips to Bogota and join in secret Satantic rituals and all sorts of fun stuff. Then I come home to my babe girlfriend and awesome cat and get to drink beers and listen to The Weeknd. Life is DOPE.

I'm so pumped for the summer. On nice afternooons we take real long lunches, and it's extremely rad to eat outside and watch everyone mozy along with their day. Lunch options are seemingly endless in my work neighborhood, two years and I'm still finding new things. Last Friday I popped out for a few hours in the middle of the day to watch a few innings of the Sox game, and in the process ate a killer burger and consumed a few beers. They actually won. True story.

I hope you guys make some life posts as well. I really dig it when Matt updates us on his Pacific Rim goings-on, and I would love to hear what's going on in everyone else's neck of the world. But not the ribcage of your world. Please I do not want to hear about the ribcage of your world. Do not make me repeat myself.

Developments

2011-04-09T01:32:00.001-07:00

So, I've been transferred out of the disaster area that is still Miyako down to Tokyo. I've been assigned to 2 Junior High Schools in TakadanoBaba and Mejiro, both of which are on the main Yamanote train line. They are also both directly north of the bangin'est district of Tokyo, Shinjuku, where a number of my friends live and a lot of really great clubs and venues are, and is also where I am currently looking for an apartment.
Tokyo's expensive, you all know, but lemme relate what I'm looking at, and what I was paying in Miyako. My apartment in Miyako cost me 30k yen every month, which is the equivalent of about $330. Every month, if I paid that, I not only could live in my 3 room + bath apartment, but got a bike, a storage closet, and a free awesome meal every thursday out of it.
The apartments that are within my budget range that I am considering are hovering around 77k yen. That's probably around $900. However, on top of that, there's this very annoying real estate phenomenon in Japan referred to as Shikin and Reikin. Shikin is basically a deposit, and it amounts, in many cases, to double the monthly rent. Reikin is totally Japanese as it basically translates to present money, as in a present to the landlords for letting you live there. This also typically amounts to double rent. So there's rent, theres 1 double rent, and another double rent. this 5X rent needs to be paid before you are allowed to move in. Of course, it varies, and thankfully due to the crisis, many apartments are only asking for 1 months extra rent for Reikin and Shikin, amounting to only a requisite 3X rent in order to move in. So, to sum up, for me to move in to any one of the places I'm looking at (haven't decided yet), I need to drop about 231K Yen, or somewhere in the vicinity of $2600. BAM.
I am also looking for apartments in another area, Musashikoyama, southeast of Meguro, which itself is a southeastern stop on the Yamanote line, where the prices are about the same. Its much farther from my schools, which means I'll be paying more to take trains there instead of feasibly walking or biking if I choose Shinjuku, but friends of my friends in Miyako live here and when youre in with people like I'm in with my friends in Miyako, that basically means you've got an older brother type figure watching your back. Or, in my case, 2. And while if I lived in Shinjuku I'd still totally see these guys a lot, but if I lived this close to them it'd come to approximate the family-like situation I had going on up in Miyako a lot quicker than if I was in Shinjuku.

MOOOOOOONNNNNNNEEEEEEYYYYY

ICAN'TDIEEEEEEE

2011-03-26T00:49:00.000-07:00

Here's the full text from an interview I submitted to a Pittsburgh newspaper about, you know, surviving a 9.0 earthquake and a 4 or 5 meter tsunami that totally wrrrrrRRRECKED my apartment, as I'm sure you've seen.

My landlords, Hisashi and Kazuko Kando, and I retreated to a Buddhist
temple on a hill above my apartment at the wharfs opening.

From there, we watched the tsunami, pitch-black and towering, smash
into and over the walls that were built to protect us from just such
an occasion. After the worst of it, after maybe 45 minutes of being
continually impressed by the seemingly endless tidal destruction, I
went into the remains of my neighborhood to survey the extent of the
damage.

Cars were stacked on top of each other, alarms sounding shrilly;
buildings were precariously leaning on one another for support, or in
its absence falling down to become indistinguishable from
thedebris. Uglier than the physical state of my neighborhood,though,
was the sight of a manimmersed in the remaining filth, struggling as
hard to stay afloat as he was trying to find his mother who was
apparently in the house when the tsunami collapsed it. For a time all
we could do was watch from above, imploring him to get to higher
ground, as the steep path down to him was yet blocked. Despite our
pleas for him to get to a safer place, he was stuck where he was, and
only answered us with desperate calls to his mother

Finally, the tide receeded enough for 2 to make there way to a rooftop
near the struggling man and were able to extend a pole to him and drag
him to land. While this was being performed, Hisashi and I brought
blankets for the man lying soaked on the ground, shoeless and crying
in the snow flurries at dusk.

After wrapping him in a truly ridiculous amount of blankets, we
devised our strategy to get him up out of the flood zone to where we
were safe. Because we had descended via a very steep path made into a
makeshift staircase, we had no choice but to use the blankets as a
sling and try to carry him up as slowly and carefully as possible.
This worked, but it wasnt very pretty, but the guy got out ok so Im
notcomplaining. We brought him into a house with a gas heater, gave
him some hot tea, and wiped nour hands of that. In the face of all the
other problems that neefd addressed, this didnt feel like much more
than one small item checked of a very long list.

CONCERNING MY APT.

My apartmentwas located in an area of Miyako called Koganji, which was
at the end of the main drag stretching from the train station downtown
to the fisheries of the wharf that is Oodori Road. It was owned and
also lived in by the Kandos, a really great married couple in their
60s with whom I had dinner every Thursday. Thursday also happened to
bethe day AM. Football games were broadcast, what we tuned in for
anxiously everyweek, but thats neither here nor there.

Koganji was a nice area with parks, and I was literally a 30 second
walkfrom the shore... so yeah make no mistake that the tsunami hit me
hard. While not as bad as the neighboringvillage of Taro, which has
been completely levelled, Koganji itself is massively devestated.
Which is why I am so completely surprised that all Ive lost is my road
bike and luggage. Because I lived onthe second floor and also because
my building was completely surrounded by others that absorbed a lot of
the impact, I was able to break into my apartment a few days later
and recover valuables. Dumb? Sure, but at least Im a well-dressed
homeless person.

Well, not exactly homeless. A good friend of mine Seiji Shimoyama
isputting me and a few otherfriends up at his place. Everyday we wake
up and do what we can to help, and everynight ten or so of us sit down
to a meal, toast each other to a job maybe not well done but good
enough, and spend the night in each others company joking, comforting,
and supporting each other as if nothing has changed. Its not bad.

CONCERNING RADIATION
Miyako is in Iwate prefecture, 2 prefectures above Fukushima
prefecturewhere the power plant is, so this is not really something Im
thinking about.

WHY I WANT TO HELP
Why wouldnt I? I could relocate to Morioka, or I could go as far as
going back stateside, but the fact of the matter is I wont, not for
the time being. Ive lived here since November '09, and in that time
Ive developed many relations andattachments, and since the moment I
learned I had these options to leave, all I can think is, what kind of
person would I be if in fair weather Id readily participate in the
give and take of friendship, but in the midst of the storm just pack
up and leave? I also find myself thinking, dont Pittsburghers fiercely
protect their friends and family? Arent Americans supposed to help
those in great need? If i really think about it on a meta level,
everything Ive ever been taught by friends and family, all the culture
and values of my hometown that I grew upwith, and the calling that all
citizens of the nation I was born in... taking all of these things
into account, I dontthink I ever had much of a choice in the matter
but to stay and do my part tohelp this town recover; because, more
than anything, its what people, not just Pittsburghers or Americans,
but what people are supposed to do.

ON REBUILDING
Thats not really a topic of conversation at the moment. Sure, shop
owners are hinting atwhat theyll do down the road, but the cleanup
itself will take months if not more, and until thats complete we dont
really know what is going to happen.
COMM. DIFFICULTIES
At the moment, Im relying solely on cell phones to communicate with
others. And, since my phone company is the AT&T, I have to rely on
friends with phones on a different network, because I still dont have
service. You have no idea how long it took for me to write this on
this alphamumeric keypad.

Oh Yeah

2011-02-17T00:25:00.000-08:00

I also recently joined another music blog, the first one since Lucid's demise. I sort of doubt there's too much on there that many of you will like, but if you feel like exploring (predominantly) Doom, Black, or Death metal a bit,

http://doomblackblogspot.blogspot.com

is a good place to start looking.

Bloody Ears & Beer

2011-02-15T20:36:00.001-08:00

If you guys are at all interested in my attempts to live vicariously through the readership (currently standing at ~0) of my new blog by convincing them to go to concerts/venues of Japan I can't attend with nearly the frequency I would like to, then head on over toooooo...

www.bloodyearsnbeer.blogspot.com

MONSTER JAM!

2011-02-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

So in another demonstration of how much I love America I went to monster jam about a week and a half ago. It is pretty much as awesome as you expect with motor cross jumping, quad races, and of course monster trucks jumping cars and crushing a van. I also got to see graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaavvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee diggggggggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

coming soon to a theater near you

2011-02-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

Jonah Levy a poster for the worst romantic comedy you can imagine

i wonder...

2011-01-27T18:38:00.001-08:00

I'm Nervous

2011-01-17T05:48:00.000-08:00

I got called back to the final interview for being a teacher on the Peace Boat. Considering they only ever employ between 8 and 18 instructors per cruise, I figure I'm one of only so many. Anyway, the interview is this weekend in Tokyo, which I just came back from last week, and while its not particularly harrowing - a 10 minute demonstration lesson with 6 students, and a 15 minute interview with 3 or 4 interviewers - this is a super big deal for me. I almost hate getting call-backs cause then if I don't make it in its a million-times bigger of a let down.

Its been a while since I've been excited about any opportunity at all, much less one to circumnavigate the globe on a fucking cruise ship stopping at 30 some ports over the course of 3 months.

Hatebeak

2011-01-11T04:09:00.001-08:00

This is a shitty grind band with a parrot thats the vocalist.

"I'm gonna make birdseed outta your face, with my foot... ain't no doubt in my mind, partner."

http://www.myspace.com/beak666

just do it

2010-12-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/AmandahBerkowskiFan#p/u/14/dJg2tU_1Gb8

Go to Holland with Me

2010-11-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

You may have noted this is also posted on facebook. This year's Roadburn Festival (the mecca of underground music festivals) is being curated by the almighty Sunn. Tickets go on sale in 4 days. Last year they sold out in like 12 minutes. Provided I can a.) land a ticket and b.) find someone to go with, total costs for me (coming from Japan) are:

Tickets - 175 euros, or ~$240
Camp ground - 72.50 euros, or ~$100
My plane ticket - ~95000 yen, or ~$1,138

What a great way to catch up with The One Stuck In The Land Of The Sun!

Everything in the range of heavy psychedelia/krautrock/drone/black metal/experimental jazz/avant-garde/doom metal will be present and blowing your ears off. The whole thing lasts from April 14 to april 18 '11.

website: http://www.roadburn.com/

Go! Go! Go!

And If You Don't Like That...

2010-11-14T07:58:00.000-08:00

...here's Sir Richard Bishop, of the Sun City Girls, playing some uber-rad neo-classical acoustic guitar.

http://www.mediafire.com/?gg127g6j45l33vz

Kvlt

2010-11-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

Kvlt (adj.) - A purposeful misspelling of the word "cult" by fans of the metal sub-genre known as "black metal." Meant to evoke images of the occult, or divine, though outside of contemporary religious means. Note that only "true black metal" is subject to such a term....

So ya'll'er bitches... Andrew, maybe Peter (?), and (according to Andrew) a non-follower of this blog who goes by the code-name of "Ally" understand that this hyper-fast, ultra-abrasive, mega-lo-fi, totally misanthropic, incredibly philosophically-informed, and typically outstandingly anti-christianity genre of music is a super-viable candidate in the "music that makes me say, 'what the fuck?' when I listen to it" category. I'm willing to bet none of you will like this, but that's the exact reason why I'm posting this - it'll blow yr mind. So check out what picking single notes really, really quickly while accompanied by very fast, off-beat-based drums will do for you...

This is the one-man (typical) black metal band from Brazil called... SOVEREIGN

http://www.mediafire.com/?dgmrnwozizr

This is Important

2010-11-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

You guys, the Plenaliens or whatever are gonna eat us and the Pope is gonna be all like "SHIT YEAH" while partying down with the Nazi SS while some giant space EMP from the Draconians rapes the Earth's electronic systems all the way down to the core. AND ITS BECAUSE OF OBAMA. Thank god there are brave intergalactic informants such as this.

Ali Baba's Magical Website

2010-11-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

So I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I need 5000 of something, and I need it directly from China. In the old days this was a major headache, with all the long distance calls, negotiations and headaches. Luckily, I've discovered a website that caters to my need for large quantities of low quality consumer products. Like these awesome off brand Jordans:

A real steal at $5 a pair, and with a maximum supply capacity of a 1000 pairs a week I have the peace of mind of knowing I'll never run out.

Or these headphones:

Only $3 each, though with a minimum order of 3000 pairs, I'd need to know a lot of music lovers.

Luckily, I can contact the manufacturer directly to haggle with them via the magic of the internet. There's a whole country full of this stuff, and now, with Alibaba.com that stuff can be mine.

New York Pizza

2010-11-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

This video about DiFara pizza (but mostly about Demonico DeMarco, who essentially IS DiFara pizza) is a little too long, and may be a little too romantic for someone who has never tried the pizza there, but for those who follow with religious fervor (me), it hits the nail on the head. So if this shit goes right over yours, I'm sorry, but otherwise it may remind you of the respect people have in this world for true beauty.

Weird

2010-10-27T22:34:00.001-07:00

So my High School was/is pretty well respected, and most people who went/go there tend to go to college, lead normal-ish, middle-class lives. Then there's this story I saw in the local Pittsburgh paper today, mentioning one of my classmates (admittedly a very experimental drug user, though I always thought he was a really intelligent guy past the facade) who is now part of an FBI investigation because, after having been arrested on 8 charges of felony drug counts as well as aggravated assault, he had the living shit beat out of him by jail guards. Ended up with a broken nose, bruised eyes, perforated eardrums, ''...and possibly other head injuries.'' Fucked up picture included in the article.

Truthfully, I'm not exactly sure why I'm posting this... I guess its just kind of weird seeing someone who I kind of respected as, albeit incredibly fringe, intelligent in a wholly different kind of way reduced to this pathetic image of a mentally-broken serious drug abuser (8 felony counts of possession implies so much) who's been physically broken by none other than the Man. I can't help but wonder, 'where, if anywhere at all, do his freedoms lie?' He can't trust himself, and he can't trust the Man - both have reduced him to barely anything at all. What options does this guy have, who once struck me as a very outsider creative force? Shit, guy was one of the main influences on me deciding to start drawing...

Procrastination

2010-10-22T12:50:00.001-07:00

Read a great article in the New Yorker about the philosophical examination of procrastination. The article is reviewing a book of essays called 'the thief of time', but it offers a number of fantastic points, historic writings and theories. One of my favorites is the external tool of 'extended will' which is used to fight procrastination.
Ulysses had his men tie him to the mast of his ship because he knew he would not be able to resist the songs of the siren. Gambling addicts initiate contracts with casinos to ban them from the premises. Victor Hugo would write naked and have his valet hide his clothes so as to prevent him from going out. This next one blew my mind from a number of different perspectives: a PhD candidate at Chapel Hill wrote software that enables people to shut off their internet access for up to eight hours. It currently has an estimated 75,000 users. It's called "Freedom". sheeeeeeet.

There's another great concept by Thomas Schelling, a game theorist called "The divided self". that procrastination is not the fault of a single person but a collection of selves arguing, debating, and bargaining in a sort of parliamentary chamber. "Not only were motions tabled and opposed, certain proposals were aired in order to mask others"

A number of very interesting experiments are discussed as well. The economist George Lowenstein ran one in which people were asked to pick out a movie to watch immediately and a movie to watch at a later date. The immediate film was typically a light and fluffy affair--a romantic comedy or a blockbuster--and the later film was more serious and important. "The problem, of course, is that when the time comes to watch the serious movie, another frothy one will often seem more appealing. This is why Netflix queues are filled with movies that never get watched: our responsible selves put "hotel Rwanda" and "the seventh seal" in our queue, but when the time comes we end up in front of a rerun of "the hangover""

I will now stop procrastinating and call sandwich shops to discuss my upcoming "Sandwich Tour of Hells Kitchen", which will be featured on Groupon.com starting next Friday, along with "Hey Ho! Let's Go! Punk Rock on the Bowery", a pub crawl that compares the punks of the 1970s to the punks of the 1870's. Also available will be "Jewish Gangsters of the Lower East Side" and "Greenwich Village Literary Tour". Boom.

Peter Inspired Me

2010-10-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here I am again, with multiple posts in a row... But hey, Lucid got shut down by The Man and I'm in a super music-funk now that I don't have a music blog to call home so I'm throwing some shit your way, just like ol' boy Peter. Band's name is Natural Snow Buildings. They are from France. They are not Metal, nor Rock, nor whatever the hell else you might expect from me. Except wait, they're an experimental drone group... so I guess that does kind of sound like something I would recommend. Anyway, don't let that relatively vague precursor of a classification deter you - this band is pretty. Not in a glam, or David Bowie, or Blondie, or... well fuck you guys its not like that. These 2 dudes do some pretty impressive stuff, on a very lo-fi, drone-y level. "Slayer of the King of Hell" is the best rival I've ever heard to what AMT has to offer in the way of non-freak-out drone-y, Indian-inspired psychedelia. Its great. Its lo-fi as shit. Its experimental. Its groovy. Its a really long album. If anything, I implore you to download this, start it about 20 minutes before you hit the sack, and then revel in the beautiful, hazy, wavy, psychedelic radicalitude of this album as you drift into that wonderful selfless void.

At the very least, it won't hurt your ears.

Slayer of the King of Hell
http://www.mediafire.com/file/zyugyufzcz0/Slayer%20of%20the%20King%20of%20Hell.zip

DEEDLYDEEDLYDEEDLY EXCELLLLLLLENT!!!

2010-10-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

Fuck yes.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/09/23/alex-winter-confirms-new-bill-ted-sequel-in-development/

Vegetable Man

2010-10-19T09:02:00.001-07:00

So I've been working on advertisements for selling vegetables, and in the course of my research came across these two gems:

It's great to live in a world where things like this exist.

From me to you

2010-10-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Avey Tare - Under There [2010]

http://www26.zippyshare.com/v/83398348/file.html

<3

Vancouver part 2

2010-10-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

My last day in Vancouver was good but had a very unfortunate surprise ending. I got together with that tour guide, who gave me an awwwwesome tour. He had it all down pat--history, stories, statistics, good jokes, bad jokes, passion, pride...he even hooked with me with one of my favorite motifs: cynical history. Afterwards, we went out for beers, japadogs, and more touring. We ended up at a book reading (my suggestion) at the Museum of Vancouver. This radio host wrote a book called "Adventures in Solitude: What Not to Wear to a Nude Potluck and Other Stories from Desolation Bay". It's a memoir about a chunk of land that his father bought in the boonies of British Columbia and his return as an older man. There's some great stories of bushwacking, drunken fishing, and more or less being in the grip of nature. The reading included some music by a fav local band called "Said the Whale".

But that's when I got a text message from my father saying that my grandfather (his father) was in the hospital for congenital heart failure. One of his lungs collapsed and this was most likely the end. My grandfather would have turned 90 next month, has been in and out of the hospital countless times over the past 10 years+, and we've had scares so many times it's ridiculous (thirty years ago, my parents considered pushing their wedding forward because they were worried he wasn't going to make it). But this time it was pretty obvious. I booked the first flight back the next morning and the day after he passed on.

The funny thing was that he was on a breathing tube and because it was in his will that he didn't want to be on life support, my father and grandmother made the decision to get the family together at about noon, remove the tube, and spend the last few hours together. My grandfather was an obstinate, cantankerous man who always had to have the last word. So despite our decision, he went on his own Saturday morning. The next 36 hours were spent comforting my grandmother and taking care of the funeral necessities, which was exhausting and emotional to say the least. The funeral was this morning, and although my grandfather was an atheist, we said Kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer for mourning. My brothers, cousin, father and I all spoke beautifully and he was buried at the family plot in Paramus, NJ.

What was new to me here was the act of physically burying the casket. With four shovels, 7 strapping family members, and my dads men's group, we shoveled loads of dirt into his grave until it was full. The idea here being that no strangers taking care of the corpse. This basically comes from a conservative Jewish exclusion policy that no one outside the faith has the opportunity to "corrupt" the soul on it's way to heaven, but that's besides the point. What was significant about this was the rigorous send off that honored this man.

There are many things to say about my grandfather. One is that he fought hard for social justice throughout his life, forming and participating in community organizations and marching on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr. Another is that he dreamt of a racially harmonious world, even though much of family (including his now-estranged brother) refused to attend my aunts wedding when she married a black man. At the funeral, I spoke of his passionately creative mind, his love for painting, film, theater, writing and abstract concepts. One of his most prevalent qualities was his undying loyalty and love for his wife, whom he had been married to for 62 years.

Finally, we have his humor. For six years, he convinced my cousin that there was a little man in the ATM machine that gave out money. Once while coalescing after a visit the hospital, he claimed to have been given an infusion with the blood of Burt Lancaster. Even into the days of wheelchairs and walkers, he would break into a cha-cha while crossing the living room. Below is a video that I hope you enjoy...the story here is that my grandmother was in a bicycling PSA and although my grandfather was asked to play the "straight man", he refused, and here are the outtakes

Although we'd been preparing for this day for a long time, he will be greatly missed.

Vancouver

2010-10-07T10:03:00.001-07:00

So I been on vacation about a week and its been nice, refreshing, fun and interesting...at times. I can't say its been my best trip, but lack of preparation and planning is the only thing at fault.

I decided I wanted to go to Vancouver because
A) I love the pacific northwest: culture, climate, food; I've had great experiences in North California and Portland
B) My aunt lives in Seattle and my cousin goes to school in Bellingham, a beautiful area btwn there and Vancouver so it seemed like a good way to see em all
B) I imagined it's a damn cool Canadian city and a good counterpart to NYC w/urban arts culture, modernity and surrounding nature

This is also a major Couchsurfing trip, and CS culture is a very particular type of travel culture. Those of you who don't know, this is a GIANT community of travelers worldwide. They can typically be a little scatterbrained and certainly travel on the type of shoestring budget that I find can be very restricting and uncomfortable, but they are awesomely adventurous, friendly and extroverted people. My hosts, for example, are two fabulous gay guys who have hosted 80 people over the course of 8 weeks and are fun, kind, wacky guys who are soooo happy to be surrounded by travelers every day of the week.

One Australian guy, David, that I met was a great travel partner for a day or two. We hiked Lynn Peak, a 9 km hike of 1000m elevation. On a beautiful day (when I thought I was gonna get rain all week), it was EXACTLY what I wanted to do. And it was easy, cause he had a car. The next day we spent wandering around, drinkin beers, not exactly finding what we were looking for (generally having a cool time while doing it), but when we were at a serious loss for the next step, our interests began to divert.

I saw a really cool tour go by that my family has connections with, but he didn't wanna do it, so I gave the guide my card to hook up with him later and we went to an art gallery. Now David is a very outdoorsy sort of person and I knew he would not be into art, but I really wanted to go and there was practically nothing else in the area so we went. The stuff wasn't very good, but he goes off into a diatribe of how disgusting it was and it really just pumped negativity into the already uncomfortable situation and unfortunately, that was how we said goodbye. I sat around for a bit, waiting for the tour guide to call me and later found out that he got caught up grabbing beers with his tourists (some of whom were damn cute). I kicked myself for missing out on that and fighting with David instead, and stood on line for rush tix at a film festival for 20 minutes before realizing I couldn't get in.

So this was just one shitty thing that came about. I'm hookin up with the guide later today but otherwise Im really not sure what I'm doing here. I've wanted to bike around but I keep passing that up for other opportunities. My cousin is coming up this weekend to hang out with me/see his girlfriend and he's a fun, cool, outdoorsy guy so I really gotta make some plans with him (esp cause he's got a car) but it's gonna rain most of the weekend. I may end up spending a lot more time at the film festival (I saw one pretty intrstiing bawdy sex comedy from China about nonagenarians at a northern farming village), so that'll be cool but I'm lacking a travel partner and I knew that would get me down.

How come no one stopped and said "Hey Jonah, Canada can be pretty boring"? Again, I'm probably not looking in the right places, hooking up with the right people and making the right plans, but I guess I got a coupla more days to get that right.

On the upside, I had a blast biking around Seattle, hanging with my Aunt and I got a couple more days of that before I go home, so I'm looking forward to wrapping up the trip with positivity.

This Blog is Boring

2010-09-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

The hell guys... lucidmedia got shut down so now I spend my time staring at the forever unchanging face of Boogaloo...

Life's been steadily picking up over here. I climbed a mountain recently, Mt. Hayachine, and I swear to god it was like being on Gutz. Ladder-climbing, chain-swinging, cliff-face-scaling, all with the added bonus of certain death if you fell. I went with my school's mountain climbing club (that's tozanbu, for those of you who are curious). Camped out the night before, had the students cook us dinner, "party" with the other 2 teachers there after lights out... great experience over-all. Next month we're hitting Mt. Goyo and Mt. Iwate.
My band, Kraken Strike (believe it or not, I was not the one who picked that name), has our first concert next month. Its an alright deal, what I've got going, though we've still yet to integrate each of our specific tastes in music into one cohesive whole. Covering the Ramones' "Rock 'n' Roll Radio" and then doing at least 2 of my original songs and one of my bassist's. Obviously we're opening. By that time we might have more under out belts, but at the moment that's our (nameless) set list.
Oh, check this out: I'm taking lessons from a Noh theater director. There's a possibility I might perform in a play in Morioka sometime during November, though I seriously doubt that. Difficult shit, and learning it to a sufficient measure by that time is more or less unthinkable, though its a thought I like to entertain.
I sent in my application for the 73rd Peace Boat voyage last week, though (and per the usual), I'm not at all confident in my chances. For those of you who aren't familiar, Peace Boat is a circumnavigating humanity aid cruise ship docked in Yokohama just outside of Tokyo that makes apprx. 3 trips around the globe a year stopping at different ports for varying spans of time to assist with humanitarian aid projects, as well as to open the world's eyes to different cultures. Normally, it costs (if I'm not mistaken) around 14k to ride. However, if you've got 18 months or more of ALT/ESL work under your belt by the time of departure, you have the chance to be taken on board as an English teacher and have all dues and fees waived. So its awesome, and by the time that 73rd comes around I'll have what, 19 months or so working like this? Hard to believe. Anyway, its doubly good if I actually am lucky enough to be selected because I can opt to not resign with this position when my contract expires in March, have a month of to dick around, set sail in April, and get back right around the time a lot of the contracts come in for another, better company located in Osaka with whom I've already spoken with about employment. That'd be a hell of a year, to say the least.

Alright, I need to go duct-tape more bags together - its getting cold and Japan doesn't know the first thing about insulation.

I think Collin would appreciate this one.

2010-09-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

see more EpicFail

inxs - devil inside

2010-09-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

i watched this video on VH1 Classics the other day and was extremely entertained. this video features the following:

1. near constant use of a smoke machine
2. skateboarding
3. pool playing
4. catwalking
5. big permed hair (male & female)
6. surfboards
7. motorcycles
8. palpable tension between surfers and motorcyclists
9. ill-fitting blazers worn with mock turtlenecks
10. subtle 'devil' theme
11. keyboards
12. ominous lighting
13. asian girls
14. solitary appearance of what seems to be a bellhop
15. pole dancing
16. satin opera-length gloves paired with off the shoulder tops (a look i am willing to bet we will not see 'come around' again)
17. spandex-clad wrestler types ("beefcakes")
18. unfriendly sideways glares
19. more bowler hats than you can shake a stick at

hello

2010-08-30T19:03:00.001-07:00

I'm going to start posting blogs I use starting with this one:

http://www.tkshare.com/

The movies category is good for new releases and the music category is a mixed bag.

this is good.

2010-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

http://coolmaterial.com/roundup/if-historical-events-had-facebook-statuses/

science.

2010-08-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

http://astro.berkeley.edu/~gmarcy/thermal/tpteacher/jokes/icecream.html

Summer Vacation

2010-08-12T03:35:00.000-07:00

I ate raw whale and I ate raw cow liver.
I hitchhiked to Fuji Rock.
I got lost while hitchhiking to Fuji Rock with my friend, and ended up in a infintesimally small coastal village where we ate just-caught (by the owner) fish and Abalone, and then discovered a hidden Shinto Shrine on a small and very tall island.
I barely slept for 5 days while going to/attending Fuji Rock.
My friend and I bought a ticket only for the last day of Fuji Rock and we ended up getting free 3-day backstage passes from the Roxy Music guys. Because of this...
I got a bunch of free beer, didn't have to wait in bathroom lines, got to meet a bunch of bands, got to watch a bunch of bands from the sidelines of the stage, etc.
I slept beside a river.
I bathed in a river while people watched.
I slept on a tennis court and then in a tree house because the tennis court was too cold because all I had was a towel.
I kissed a girl I had been dancing with outside in a mudpit for a number of hours while the sun was rising over steep mountains and sun beams were exploding through a heavy fog, while there were gigantic plumes of flames shooting up behind us in front of the stage while the DJ was playing.
I met Thom Yorke.
I saw fucking John Fogerty play like every CCR song.
I turned 24 while the Scissor Sisters were playing.
I went on a sweet picnic date at the Jodogahama Nat'l Park.
I went on another date with another girl and then was like, whoa, I can't do this - you're wayyyyyy too nice.
I went to Tokyo, and met with a bunch of friends, ate ramen, drank beer, head-banged, and whatever else.
I saw my friend's new kid, Haru, kind of sort of stand up for the first time.
I got sick and stayed in my hotel for a day.
I found out I can apply for a position on Peace Boat for free after my contract expires.
I met with my Dad's friend's lawyer in Tokyo for some very inspirational words.
I found out my computer is busted with the same problems again, but Apple's fixing it, sending it, and giving me a bunch of new programs for free.
I got tired of travelling, and I'm in Morioka waiting for this tropical storm to end so that I can walk to training tomorrow, get that boring shit over with and head back home and get back to a simple life.

I had a pretty fucking awesome last 2.5 weeks. How've you guys been?

Laces out Dirty Dan

2010-08-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

Mkay... lets get a friendly league going. Hey wait, I've already set that shit up!

http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/register/tos?league_id=320134&password=accrossthesky

The following is a quote from an automated e-mail I received shortly after creating the league: "To allow other managers to join your league, send them the League ID# and Password. In your case, the ID# is 320134 and the Password is accrossthesky." I've also sent the invite via yahoo to some of you. Could someone please forward that to me, because I have no idea what I wrote in it.

2010-07-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

http://extragoodshit.phlap.net/?p=88524

bike's out!

2010-07-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

Finally I have gotten back on my bike...even if it is the hottest day of the summer, I must say there is nothing quite like smokin a doob and an early morning ride on seneca lake to work...I spent the past few days weeding the garden that I basically disowned after planting it. It was such a bitch...just wanted to know how everyone else's growing greens are doing. I have been eating beets for the past week...Victor planted far too many, but our onions came up and yellow squash, still waiting on the other squashes...i have no idea when to pick those, i'm guessing fall? But the carrots and potatoes are also coming along quite nicely, and i'm up to my ears in basil! yikes. My other herbs are also growing like weeds...phew.

So, I got a facebook message from Jonah and I think he might come up sometime in August, most likely during the week though, so anyone else who wants to come is definitely invited. The one thing if you are thinking about coming is that once August hits, I will be busy with harvest stuff so I can hang out nights and what not but I won't be able to take any time off from work.

Has anyone stayed in Letchworth State Park before??

PARADIGM SHIFT

2010-07-06T19:20:00.001-07:00

Why The Fuck Am I Posting So Much; or, The Fuck You Guys Doing?!?

2010-06-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so I had 3 gin rickys while watching the Brazil/Portugal game, and I'm drinking a chu-hi and eating peanuts while listening to the only good Mastodon album Leviathan... so here's yet another post. Its a short one, and blog-related: there's this real killer art/film blog called Opium Fields that I think you guys should check out. The art that the dude posts is usually pretty... meta. Most likely NSFW, but not in a pornographic way - if there's any nudity involved its either in the artful or Satanic manner, and nothing else. And he's got a serious penchant for out-there art flicks, Criterion included. Overall I think its a really great find in the blogosphere (my FUCK I hate that word) and if any of you guys are interested, I say check it out.

For ease of viewing's sake, here's the link: www.opium-fields.blogspot.com

I also might be starting an online store for Japanese clothing and Japanese Metal. I'll keep you posted.

My Least Favorite Bug

2010-06-22T06:02:00.001-07:00

So, I used to think it was cool that Japan apparently doesn't have any indigenous poisonous spiders... cause I fucking hate spiders. And, you know, when they aren't poisonous, they're still kind of gross, but ultimately I can just throw up a little bit upon seeing one and be on my way after that.

Now, I have a hypothesis on why there are no poisonous spiders in Japan... poisonous anything much at all, if I'm not mistaken: its because Izanagi (probably, the shitty bastard) decided to take all the poison that bugs generally have and terror that bugs generally instill and stick it allllll in the most ultimate, horrifying bug ever.. THE JAPANESE GIANT HORNET.

This shit is like the Dodge Viper of "GETITTHEFUCKAWAYFROMME!!!" buggy mother fuckers. Here are some highlights:

+ Its stinger is a quarter of an inch long, and noticeably drips venom.

+ One component of its venom is a pheromone that attracts more of the bug bastards.

+ They have no natural enemies/predators, because they can kill fucking anything.

+ It can fly up to 25 mph, and likes to chase you.

There's a lot more over at wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet

書き過ぎてまた御邪魔しますが～

2010-06-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

So one of my friends who I met when I worked at the Japanese camp is bumming around Japan for a few months. He recently suggested we hit up Fuji Rock Festival (being held in Niigata, I believe) on the 30th and 31st of July, and the 1st of August. Those keen devotees of Matt will notice the relative proximity to the Day of My Birth (August 2nd) and will probably think 'oh, neat.' But, I say, THERE IS MORE!

First, here are the lineup highlights:
Muse, Them Crooked Vultures, Massive Attack, Roxy fuckin' Music, John FUCKIN' Fogerty, Scissor Sisters, !!!, Belle & Sebastian, LCD Soundsystem, Third Eye FFUUCCKIN' Blind, Flogging Molly, Broken Social Scene, Lite, Air, and FUCK Magma FUCKKKKK.

Second, there is the suggested mini-adventure of hitching our way there (who knew Japan is purportedly the safest place to hitchhike in the world?!) We would also be camping, in tents, with bonfires and, assumedly, Ronald McDonald popping up here and there in the most creepy, and occasionaly most intimate, of ways.

The down side is that it costs approximately $400 to attend all 3 days, not counting food or anything but the price of admission. I'm pretty sure I'm OK with that... besides, Third Eye Blind?

http://www.smash-uk.com/frf10/

Comics

2010-06-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

For all y'all comic readers, thought I'd let you know there's a new poster over at Lucid who's posting some pretty decent series.

Also, anyone ever read Hellblazer? Its fucking awesome.

Oil Well Disaster

2010-06-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

So, this is pretty terrifying stuff. Sorry the sound is shitty.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

He's basically saying that
1) What BP has been trying to fix, and has thus far failed at, is a minor leak compared to the inevitable open hole on the ocean floor that is spewing much of the oil. The gash's existence hasn't been confirmed by BP, and it may not exist, but the volume of oil being found in the ocean, and the size of the blowout is inconsistent with the size of this leak at the drilling pipe.
2) If this hole exists, and evidence says it probably does, there are two ways to fix it. One is to let it run it's course, which could take 30 years and poison not only the Gulf of Mexico, but the Atlantic Ocean as well. The second is to use a nuclear device to crush the rock around the hole and close it.
3) The amount of oil in the Gulf of Mexico is a time bomb for hurricane season, when a big storm could cover the entire gulf coast in crude oil, basically causing complete destruction.

The first two statements could prove false, and let's all hope they do, but the third is as terrifying as poisoned oceans and deep sea nuclear explosions on top spewing oil reservoirs.

Isn't this basically the craziest shit you've ever heard in your life? Real Life Boogaloo indeed

Right Call?

2010-06-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

I am sure you all saw the almost perfect game pitched by the Detroit pitcher, Galarraaga, and the blown call by the first base umpire. I read an interesting post on another blog that despite the fact the ump made a bad call at first the runner was still safe. This is because a runner is not safe because he reaches the base before the ball gets to the bag, but because the first base umpire calls it this way. I think this is right. Anyone else agree?

Eye Opening Sandwich

2010-06-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Whuttup sluts,

I had the most eye-opening sandwich the other day. It was a ham and cheese with cornichons and grainy mustard, but fellows, the groundbreaking thing about this sandwich was that it was on PRETZEL BREAD. This bread was soft, but so substantially condensed...the crust was so paper-thin, but still had that slight stickiness...what this did was allow your teeth to find that traction, so when you bite down, you had a damn good half-second of doughy wonder before meeting the tasty contents of the sandwich. As for flavor, it had that bare amount of cooked-in smokiness and just a touch of dry saltiness...i can't stop thinking about it.
Its ironic because there was an article about proper pretzel bread in the Times last week. So I now either need to track down spots that offer such a delicacy or learn how to bake my own.

~Scooter

hey, crapheads!

2010-05-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

Stuff

2010-05-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

So I went to a wedding this weekend on a beach and it was cool and all and I took pictures and Ill probably post them later but right now... I simply want to suggest that you all head over to my music blog, lucidmedia, for not only a great new album by serial groovsters Harvey Milk, but (and more specifically) for what is just a really great drunk post by fellow contributor Piotr Rasputin. Worth reading.

Bike!

2010-05-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

Got a new bike for wicked cheap, comparatively at least. Anchor's one of Japan's leading road bike companies and they usually sell somewhere in or above the $2000 price point, but somehow I found a "used" one (barely) for 50K yen, or about $500. Anyway, video!

A Message from a Japanese Girl

2010-04-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

'It was able to sleep and was good. Because sleep is important!!!! Let's always play (Grateful Dead Bear). However, it has been forgotten to present the cucumber (OH NO face). I'm sorry (Panda Bear with a runny nose).'

Gardens

2010-04-26T09:47:00.001-07:00

Spring has come again and gardening season is starting up. I've just direct seeded some cilantro and chervil on the herb front. Vegetable wise I've got red radishes and snow peas in. I also put in some Buttercrunch lettuce and Red Russian Kale. We have a late frost date here in Troy so I'm going to wait a while for some of the sexier vegetables. Anybody else growing anything?

i am a weener.

2010-04-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/SenecaLakeWineTrail#p/a/u/0/XBoNDOtvVCY

Some Help?

2010-04-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to try and take on 'managing' a band, and by that I mean getting them signed. Note: this is not a job I'm getting money from, but rather a job I'm doing out of respect for a band who I think really needs to be heard. Anyway, I've got some connections in the 'biz' as it were, but nothing that particularly substantial. My question is, anyone have any ideas about how I might go about this faster than if I just plunge head-first without knowing too much and doing it DIY contacting labels, posting on blogs, and informing others of shows?

Oh, and Vince, you posted a message a while ago about how long I'll be here in Japan. At least until 2011, my brotha. And don't let that not-getting-into-a-journal thing get you down, keep at it.

Oxford Comma

2010-04-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

So I recently found out I did not got onto a law journal. I am kinda bummed out about it. I spent my entire spring break working to get on journal and went to these writing sessions to improve my chances in which they spent half an hour discussing the difference between a hyphen and an em dash. I can only assume I didn't get on because I never truly learned the difference, so Meg who is into Vampire Weekend suggested I watch this video.

On The Subject: Paperbacks

2010-04-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

I started collecting books in High School, but took a particular interest in old paperbacks in College. Specifically Mass Market paperbacks. For one thing, they're dirt cheap when you can find em. And the art on them tends to be much more daring and less strictly sales-oriented than what you'd find on hardcovers. Maybe cus most books become Mass Market PB's by being proven sellers /academic transgression/.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites from my collection:

I think Matt Ketchum might have this one too.

A little banged up but just look at all three of that handsome gentleman.

And the cream of the crop...

What I've been up to...sorta

2010-04-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

hope everyone's doing well and the weather is nice where ever you are. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I figure I'd give you a heads up on some of the work I've been doing. Check it out below.

Cleaning up the mess

Shit's HOT

2010-04-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

Goddamnit. This is awful.

This, on the other hand, is super awesome.

TV

2010-04-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or has the world entered an entirely new phase of serialized TV. Be it quality, distribution, attention and all of the above, it's unavoidable to me. I've discovered that my favored (and many times required) version of "winding down" after a long day or before going to bed involves watching at least one show on hulu, hbo on demand (which i JUST discovered i have...hallelulah) or catching up on downloaded episodes of entourage.
It's pretty amazing to me seeing as how I've never been a fan of TV. the virtual deletion of ads really does it for me. The crappy/sappy music, painstaking graphics and see-through message (e.g. It's so much better in the bahamas, everyone loves chef boyardee) used to (and still) drives me so nuts I can't sit through 'em.
So what's the deal? Are we gonna have to start paying for this hulu business or will commercials get longer and longer? I noticed they occassionally pop up on youtube now...weird.

If you haven't heard of or seen my latest fascination, "how to make it in america", you ought to give it a try. It helps if your as crazy about NYC as I am, but that's hard. When I realized my new episode has HBO, I caught a mid-season episode and got into it. I watched the first two episodes the next day and the day after that I got invited to a screening at the HBO building with a Q+A w/the actors and creator. I burned through the rest of the series and you can now consider my hooked.

lemme lay this shit out for you:
late 20-somethings are trying to make it in NYC. Fashionistas, hustlers, players, Ben and Cam try to keep honest schemes together in the garment trade and the night life scene while Cam's ex-con cousin, Rene (Luis Gusman) tries to run a legit business making Rasta Mansta (the Caribbean Red Bull) a successful product. First the Lower East Side, then the world.
I love this show for a number of reasons, but #1 would have to be the role that NYC plays. This show does such an incredible job of making the city a living, breathing, throbbing, damning, teasing beautiful bastard that it is. They do SO much shooting on location and each neighborhood and locale comes off as such an integral part of each episode.
#2 is the dynamic between the two main characters. Ben, the Jew, and Cam, the Dominican are a perfect yin-yang: grumpy and excitable, stable and wild, driven and spontaneous, they gave each other a leg-up when the other is tapped out and love each other to the core. Rene's stories are terrific as well, showing a powerful but reproachful man trying to lead an honest and benevolent life. His criminal instincts and desires to rise back to the top get in the way of his penitence, but his love for his community and the need to take the righteous path is very compelling. Plus the way he pronounces Rasta Mansta with that lisp is fucking hilarious.
#3 the show is fucking funny. The ups and downs, wise-cracking side characters (Eddie Kaye Thomas plays the super-Jewy hedge-fund manager), and constant chatter between Ben and Cam is very entertaining.
#4 it looks beautiful. Again, this show has a great eye for NYC. Architecture, streetscapes, the vibrancy of new yorkers and the eye-catching interplay of party scenes keep this show in my minds' eye. It's all in the opening credits, which play over a crazy-hot photo montage with a sick soul song.
What the show fails at however, is the side story of Ben's ex-girlfriend Rachel, who is boring, whiny and doesn't know what she wants. Her boyfriend Darren is rich, beautiful and soulless and it's so obvious that we're supposed to hate him that this story line gets old fast. The one thing that keeps it going is her sex-crazed stoner boss, Edie, who keeps the dumb girl in check.
I also don't like how all these hipster fashionistas can afford to party every night in lavishly decorated and gi-fucking-normous downtown lofts.
But hey, that's TV

Back To Tokyo

2010-04-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Just drove in to Tokyo late last night. I'll be here until at least the seventh, but I don't have anything to do until the 15th so I might extend my stay a bit to hunt for a job. Last night I stayed at my friend's host-family's house (that's their house/dog (named Benkei) below), and starting today until the 7th I'll be staying in the city I lived in briefly in Chiba-ken, Kashiwa.

So what am I doing today? Hanami, bitches. Fuckin' cherry blossom picnic party extravaganza. Its gonna be brutal. Followed by a night out with some friends at a spot we used to frequent in Kashiwa. This shit is SICK compared to my mundane life in Iwate... god damn I need to find a new job. Tomorrow has me seeing one of my new favorite Japanese bands, Gotsu Totsu Kotsu (self-described Samurai Death Metal - these guys chew up and spit out a fretboard like no-one's business) with another old friend in Shinjuku at a club called Antiknock. Despite it being Sunday night, I'm pretty sure that's going to be the defining out-all-night experience of this trip to Tokyo.

Also, let's talk about mutton chops.

name of wine predicament

2010-03-18T08:30:00.001-07:00

sooooo I am getting ready to bottle two of rieslings here. One is sweet and the other is a semi-sweet. I have to develop a label for each of them so that its clear to customers which one is sweeter and which isn't...what I can't decide is if I should put Sweet Riesling right on the front of the label or if that sounds tacky. My boss wants me to call it a "Dolce" Riesling...because we're an italian winery but I think it sounds awful. any suggestions???

ps. the weather is awesome here! hope you are all enjoying the sunshine...taj mahal is coming here in may...flaming lips will be here in april and further is touring here in the summer too i think june or july...and also, we have the grassroots festival in july which is going to be awesome....just throwing out some bones...maybe someone will bite

A Little Warmth in the Depths of Winter

2010-03-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

I saw a lady in a miniskirt today while I was trudging through a blizzard and about 30 cm of newly fallen snow on the way to school. God bless her... and FUCKthatblizzardIthoughtspringwashere.

2010-03-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

pictorial!

My baby, 2009 Sangiovese Rose and my sweet science lab...

my vines

my nitrous tanks and my boots

my barrels

my tanks and riesling getting taken out of one of the tanks

my pregnant donkey, Bella

Riesling being taken out today

stupid peacocks.

my goat, nanny.

DuQuan Sighting

2010-03-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

I was at the thrift store the other day near my house, and out of the corner of my eye I spied this tall skinny black guy that looked unbelievably like Dookie from the Wire. Being nosy, I went and browsed some coats in the general area he was browsing. As soon as I overheard him utter the words "That coat is fly" I knew that I had found the genuine article.

He was dressed better than the character he played on the show, but the coat he was commenting on was vintage Bubbles. I felt weird ogling him from a distance, and being kind of awkward I didn't feel like verifying that he was, in fact, Dookie. So, I left feeling 99% sure I had actually seen him. My brother confirms that he lives in our neck of the woods, and is in fact a really nice guy. All in all, another good find at the Hyattsville Value Village.

live from geneva

2010-03-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

earth to friendz?

I hear you have all been anti-blog as of late but now that i can post on this electronic mumbojumbo you should get back in the game!

sooooo lotsa new stuff happening in geneva, im a winemaker, we have a new hip hang out on linden street that james elkin is turning into a wine/ beer bar. There is a new garbage plate place called joe's hots and they are building a super walmart! bitches. Good news is that there is this new group i'm a part of called the 40 under 40... we're trying to revamp geneva to make it a hip and happening progressive place...i smell a new, smaller and cooler ithaca...its pretty neat though you know...change. We have a new art space in this old building called the cracker factory, feels like brooklyn...we had the film festival and a few performances there so far (by the way if you want to submit to the finger lakes film festival its in november so start rollin!)

also, i am taking care of a fat goat and a preggers donkey and 3 peacocks.

victor and i made 6 cases of riesling...its almost ready, therefore you should come up here and drink some with us and go skiing and or snowboarding?

Today i'm trying to filter out pinot gris to make it taste good.. its a pretty slow process so figured i would write to you people...

maybe "cats" had more of an effect than we'd all care to admit

2010-02-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

What was with this 80's trend of 'lecherous cats in pop music videos'?

The Easter Bunny

2010-02-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hahaha. ; )

Obama

2010-02-24T08:06:00.000-08:00

Not only is Obama single handly saving the country in some mysterious way that has yet to be revealed to us or take form, he is doing all of these wonderful things for your personally: http://barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com/

Couldn't help but notice

2010-02-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

Found this the other day, reminds me of you Peter

Insert Peter Kelly in Neil Patrick Harris' role in this little number

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_N43GedsfE

Snow Dayz

2010-02-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

I was snowed into my apartment for 7 days straight. Around day 5 my roommate and I decided to go outside...wearing troll masks.

Snow

2010-02-11T16:42:00.001-08:00

As you many may have heard DC got some snow. I haven't had class since last Thursday since I don't have classes on Fridays. This is odd because I never had a class cancled at HWS because of snow. Our teachers are doubling up our classes next week to try to make it up, so I have to pay for my week of fun with a week of hell.

The city is just not prepared for it. My street still hasn't been plowed since the storm started on Saturday. Everyboday has been walking on the streets since the sidewalks are covered. The grocery stores are decimated. There wasn't any milk, eggs, and little produce when I walked there on Wednesday. I am interested to see what it is like for Nick or Lauren. My roommate took the picture below when he went to the national mall today.

Coxe popping out at you

2010-02-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

A good idea? Gotta give it to HWS for thinkin ahead of the curve in creative thinking in the admissions department. The only reason I didn't throw out the first brochure they sent me was because it asked if i was a hedgehog or a fox

Check it

Japan has Surely One-Upped Everyone Else This Time

2010-02-07T01:34:00.000-08:00

Bondage go-kart racing. With helmets, flags, and what seem to be pit-stop engineers. A contributor from my other blog, Lucidmedia, was kind enough to point this out and to supply images and an MPG that honestly took me a few views to actually figure out what was going on.

How the hell does a country so small and with a long history of conservative-ish cultural norms produce so much beyond-wacky shit? Blows my mind.

My Brother Has a Sports Blog

2010-02-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

My brother has started a sports blog http://quickslantsreporting.blogspot.com/ which I unabashedly think is pretty good. Check it and tell your friends.

I Spent The Weekend in Morioka & My Internet is Back

2010-01-30T23:53:00.000-08:00

Like the title says, I was getting down in Morioka for Friday and Saturday. Morioka's the capitol of the prefecture I live in, Iwate. Its about 2 hours by train or bus from my town, so its not all that convenient to get there, nor is it a day-trip destination; you make a weekend of Morioka. Honestly, its not all that big, with a population of about 300k I think in the city proper. Iwate is funny like that - it is 100% a middle-of-nowhere kind of place, where even big cities are laughably small in comparison to the real thing.
Anyway, I met up with one of my coworkers and her boyfriend, who then had us all meet up with his friends/coworkers, and we all ended up at a club named Players Cafe (odd...) on Friday and Saturday. A few of their friends were guest DJs, so we all got in for less than the cover. Its funny stacking Morioka clubs up against Tokyo clubs: the latter tend to have a few stories, each devoted to a separate genre of music, with a cover fee of anywhere from 3.5k-6k, multiple DJs, lounges, and stupid expensive drinks (upwards of a base of about 1k). Morioka clubs have one room, really not that big, a cover of around 2k, free drink tickets, and like 3 DJs max. Its a totally different world.
In addition to the whole club scene, I got up there on Friday at about 7 so we didn't do too much else that night, but I got up at 9 Saturday morning, and:

Walked around the main drag, Oodoori, and got some seriously banging mushroom and spinach indian curry (with a bit of a kick too, which is a hell of a surprise in Japan);

Scoped out the tattoo parlors to see if theres any I might consider going to in a bit, and was pleasantly surprised with at least one, called Futurism, that does the whole traditional stick & poke thing;

Went to an art museum that was having a showing of a bunch of historical items from the latter half of the Tokugawa regime (so around 1730/50-1868) including some woodblock prints;

Got some okonomiyaki with Emily & Rylan;

Went to a rockabilly show... Holy hell were there some pompadours showing that night. Nice bar, with an owner stuck in his own fantasy of being a rockabilly legend, making all the patrons listen to his awful but admittedly well-intended attempts to cover various songs from the 50s. He's got his whole crew up front with their leather jackets RIDICULOUS hair snapping along, dancing, and cheering him on. Its kind of surreal, but I've gotta give the guy credit for, despite any objective short comings, constructing his own fantasy world and living the hell out of it. And of course, there were these 2 Japanese business men covering our tab.

Ended up back at Player's after that, and did my thing there. Grabbed a cab to the station this morning, where I had the best fucking fresh oysters 定食 (that's Tei-shoku, which is basically a set meal (for example, in this instance I got some fresh oysters on the half shell, a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, a salad, 12 oysters fried in pairs, and some pickled cabbage and cucumbers) for a late breakfast (is that weird?), and caught the bus back here, where, upon arriving, I discovered that the internet source I'd been stealing from is once again working. Good weekend.

So this is Morioka station, and all of these igloos and snowmen were apparently built by some elementary schools or something.

Me at the "Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree" (How the hell do I rotate the video?)

Making Okonomiyaki #1&2

The Zest of Life

2010-01-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

As you all know, it's been a weird couple of months for me. I came across this video I took over the summer, the weekend after MJ died. It shows the kind of weirdness that makes life awesome, and I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did/do.

My Internet is Down

2010-01-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

Which really sucks, because now I have to rely on my school's computers to get things done online (which includes getting my schedules, which makes me a bit wary). However, where I was once paying 0 Yen to get free wifi internet from some chump in my apartment complex, I now am very much against actually paying for the service. Presumably, this situation will be rectified in the near future.

That brings me to another point: since I blew about $1k while in Tokyo I've been living on the cheap from the beginning of this year up until now. What does that mean? Mostly, I've been living on a diet of sticky rice, green tea, and vegetable juice - that is legit no lie. I don't turn on lights. I take showers as quickly as possible, and at the lowest possible acceptable temperature (which, unfortunately, is about the hiottest the water in my PARTICULAR apartment gets). This leaves me with a lot of time, as I'm not sitting around chowing down on fresh seafood or whatever and watching Trailer Park Boys... or whatever..., because if I was then my computer would be on, my kotatsu (heated table & blanket) would be on, my lights would be on, etc.

So what have I been doing instead of being lazy while not kicking ass in the classroom? Almost nothing aside from exercising, reading (as of now 3 books: Camus - The Plague, Embracing Defeat (history of post-war Japan. I forget the author), and Crowley - Magick in Theory and Practice), practicing guitar, studying for the Business Japanese exam (that's Nikyuu of the Nihongo Nouryoku Shiken (2nd tier of the Japanese Brain Power Exam (what a literal translation))), and planning lessons. Unbeknownst to me, this all started right about the time the New Year came in, so I guess it seems that I've accidentally started pursuing a New Year's Resolution of being productive. Weird how that happened, but when yr belly is empty and taste buds 100% unused, you really start looking for things of interest.

Unfortunately, that Brown winning in Mass. deal is one of those things of interest. Man I'm happy I'm not living over there now - the Steelers don't even make the play offs, its unseasonably cold for some strange reason unrelated to 'global warming', and now this Brown dude is pooping all over things that might've, at one point, been pretty ok. The headlines around me? We don't have sports teams outside of high school, weather is pretty normal, and we've got a cute little baby seal, called Tarou-chan, that got lost in one of the rivers of my town... He's alright.

http://mytown.asahi.com/iwate/news.php?k_id=03000001001170002

SINGLE GUYS GET ON THIS

2010-01-20T11:12:00.001-08:00

‘Jersey Shore’s’ Snooki Snags Her Own Show
by Ann Murray-Yavar
Jan 19th, 2010 | 11:29 AM | Comments 15

Looks like a ‘Jersey Shore‘ star will soon be “snookin” for love on reality TV.

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is close to landing her own dating show.

“Definitely there is no set thing, but it has been talked about,” Snooki told UsMagazine.com about the possibility, adding “I got offers from VH1 and other reality networks.”

What type of man will she seek? “A guy I can be real with,” she explained. “I love to be a dork; I love a guy with a sense of humor!”

Perhaps much like her roommate, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, whom she revealed she hooked up with. “But it’s not a big deal,” she told Chelsea Handler last week. “It’s not awkward at all. If I wanna make out with him right now, I can. It’s not weird.”

This is what you were doing on new years

2010-01-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

sorry it took so long

Bacon Candy

2010-01-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

Facts About The Song "Black Betty"

2010-01-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

1. Performed by the band "Ram Jam"
2. Phrase "Black Betty" is said 13 times
3. Phrase "bam-A-lam" is said 24 times
4. 4/5 members of Ram Jam have a moustache
5. This song rules.

The British Office is Better than the US Verison

2010-01-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

What does this video mean to you

2010-01-04T19:12:00.001-08:00

I Rip It Hard

2009-12-31T03:46:00.000-08:00

Like porno flick bitches.

Sitting in my room in Higashi-Ikebukuro (Ikebukuro is a stop on the Yamanote line in Tokyo about 5 stops north of Shinjuku) about to start the future-New Years wackiness in Shibuya, first, bars, and then at least 2 different clubs. Shits gonna be rad over here in Tokyo, just as I'm sure its gonna be pretty heady over there with you guys. Have a good time, yinz, and think about how fucking weird it is that we're about to enter the 2nd decade of the 21st century. I want my lightsaber already.

Happy fuckin' new year!

New Internet Sadness

2009-12-29T07:25:00.001-08:00

Peter and I have started a message board.

moontownexpress.proboards.com

Join up if you like, if message boards are your thing.

All are welcome.

Tell yr friends.

Xmas in Japan, Vol. 1

2009-12-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

Its Christmas over there, now, right? Hope everyone's having a killllller time!

What I did over Xmas Eve and Xmas:

Ate basashi (aka raw horse meat); ate lots of grilled lamb; drank with the owners of a tiny little restaurant in a town called Iwaizumi situated between 2 mountains; got presents from people I don't know; went to Japan's 3rd largest limestone cave, ryusendo, and drank the famously pure water there (tasted like snow...); went to Unoso, a cliff overlooking the Pacific that is apparently very famous as a suicide spot; watched the sunset/moon rise while in a hot spring outside; cooked an awesome dinner.

Christmas Eve

Ryusendo

Unoso

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

Love,
Barney Claus

N-emo

2009-12-24T06:39:00.000-08:00

Uni-Korn

2009-12-23T11:52:00.001-08:00

Look at how awesome this is

2009-12-21T05:13:00.001-08:00

Vintage Train Tea Party

2009-12-16T13:33:00.001-08:00

My crazy family threw a tea party on the old 1930's subway that's running in New York this month.

Jazz, motherfuckers.

Jazz

My Super Special Review of Thai Kitchen's Lemongrass and Chili Flavor Rice Noodle Soup Bowl

2009-12-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

So
You say you like chili? And lemons in certain contexts, but not as a rule? And noodles in a vague, sort of passive way?
Boy! Do I have a product for you!
We all have the days: you work 10 hours at your marketing job in union square, you're tired but still the best looking guy in miles, and when you come home you look at five different take out menus and you're so indecisive its pathetic and you decide fine, I'll just take a look at what it's the cabinets of my apartment in Astoria, NY because I'm too bored and spineless to make even a laughably simple decision. This literally happens to all of us at least once a week.
That's where Thai Kitchen's Lemongrass Chili Flavored Rice Noodle Soup Bowl comes in! In your cabinet! You bought it some time ago for God knows what reason!
As the water boils, you gaze into the aesthetically suggestive exoticism of the package. It's cover belays a mystery of flavors: will the noodles taste like the dawn atop majestic Fuji? Or perhaps a rain-flecked jungle, deep in the heart of Thailand. (Disclaimer: all thoughts fabricated; you are busy thinking about The X-Men)
Finally the water has boiled! As with most meals, the noodles are prepared by peeling back the plastic cover, pouring in the "flavor" and "oil" packets, and adding boiling water. In 3-4 minutes your noodles are soft enough to sliver down your throat.
And sliver they will. As you take those first magical bites, words come to your mind. Food. Palatable. Mouth Tingle. Green Stuff. Sadness. Thai Kitchen's Lemongrass Chili Flavored Rice Noodle Soup Bowl is like a taste symphony. A very bad symphony, composed by an idiot. But just the same, it makes you feel bad for people who can only afford that crappy Maruchan bag ramen. It makes you feel bad for everyone, for having to live in a world where Thai Kitchen's Lemongrass Chili Flavored Rice Noodle Soup Bowl exists.
And now, you sit in your apartment in Astoria, NY, listening to the new Clipse album and thinking about ordering a small pizza. But deep inside, you know you won't bother. You've got a beer in the fridge and a few comics to read. Life is just fine.

NEW YEARS PARTY

2009-12-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

Watch Me Eat 450 Fuckin' Hardboiled Eggs

2009-12-07T01:12:00.000-08:00

My (Our) Dumb Life

2009-12-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

Enjoy:

National Security Blog

2009-11-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

I have been writing for another blog for about a month for American Univeristy Law School's National Security Brief. A brief is a publication that a law school puts out about legal issues. The one I am one is about National Security as you can guess.

We are currently doing blog work until we come out with our spring publication, which I most likely won't be writing for since I am just in my first year. My posts day is Sunady and my posts are labeled VD and my most recent two are about Nevada fusion centers and the train bombing in Russia.

http://nationalsecuritylawbrief.com/

howdya like video games?

2009-11-28T21:18:00.001-08:00

Figger I ought to write after James' un-fucking-believable analysis. And to prove him wrong, I'm gonna write about video games

My ex-roommate modded my nintendo wii so I have like 28 billion games to play. I'm making my way through them slowly, mostly in the early level and training phases. By the far the most arresting game is New Super Mario Brothers. It is a dastardly difficult 2D platformer, with dementedly hairy puzzles and a brilliant bend towards multiplayer. If anyone is as obsessed with the Nintendo formula as I am you will understand that making Mario multiplayer is a goddamn revolution. Dynamism pops, and both co-op and competitive gameplay is around every bend, with each moment throwing something wild at you.

It's an extremely interesting blend of throwbacks when you look at it. The board layout directly resembles SMB3, with the world progression so far identical (grass, desert, ice) and power-ups available from the board screen (ice flowers and penguin suits make sparkling debuts here). However, I feel as though there is a terrific re-introduction of SMB1 in the mostly horizontal layout and speed-through feel that one achieves. Nonetheless, Super Mario World definitely shows through with the puzzle elements, the Koopa kids, the inclusion of Yoshi and the general artistic look. I feel the latter is one setback of the game which I feel is lacking in power and innovation. When you could have one tenth of the whimsical magic Super Mario Galaxy had, you have repetitive platforms and boring backgrounds. I never forget that the Wii is an inferior system.

Which leads me to my next game: The Conduit. I almost bought this game before I realized I can get any game I want for free through this pirate system. The reviews threw it up as one of the best shooters for the Wii (no surprise, what's the fucking competition?), considering the Wiimote's aptitude in this field and the revolution in customization (tweaking can and may occur constantly). Once again, in character models, board repetition, and enemy AI, this game is a disappointment but there are some puzzle elements to be enjoyed. I'm only one level deep, though and I look forward to some interesting weapons.

I'm picking up Excite Bots: Trick Racing. Still very early on, I feel like this is a diamond in the rough. Fast and fun, with lots of style and replay value (many purchasable and unlockable elements) this game may catch more of my attention once I get a little more into it. Multiplayer has not yet been experienced, though (and may not be an option! Hard to believe, but hard to find: I doubt it's an unlockable...)

Wii Sports Resort is a fun diversion and a great crowd pleaser. Fencing definitely gets your claws out, but it can revert into thoughtless slashing with no formula to a proper fight. Flight is cute but slightly pointless, and the dog-fight option doesn't really hash out. Jet-ski is fun and challenging. I look forward to beating my high score from the first time I played it. Ping Pong is certainly masterable considering spin is an element, but there's only so much you can play, right? This goes for most of the modes here, especially the more repetitive ones like canoeing, wakeboarding and biking. A major winner in my eyes, is Frisbee (don't act so surprised). Frisbee Golf has an 18 hole course that I haven't dove into but it is responsive, challenging, and fucking sick when you (I) get a hole in one.

No More Heroes has style up the wazoooooo and a terrific script but it seems as though it is very limited on the action and exploration side of things.

House of the Dead: Overkill is a fun, easy shooter with a terrible terrible terrible script attempt at a pulpy B movie.

Lost Winds 2 is supposed to be amaaaaaazing but I haven't started it yet.

I look forward to booting up Trauma Center: New Blood with a co-surgeon at my side. Any takers?

Jobbob

2009-11-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing that really sucks about my job, its the whole even-if-yr-done-for-the-day-don't-even-think-about-leaving-before-4PM bit. Though it does give me ample opportunity to study.

So yeah I'm typing this in the Teacher's Room (Shokuinshitsu) at Kawai.

200 Post Breakdown.

2009-11-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

Ok friends. Lets get mathematical. I decided to dig into the blog as a scientific tool to define our collective friendship. As you will find there is nothing scientific about it. Anyways, enough intro--I'll let the numbers do the talking. Keep in mind these statistics arecomposed from a snapshot of the blog at 200 posts--things have changed since then.

Looking at the aggregate figures, it took us 264 days to reach 200 posts. That's a rate of .76 posts per day. If this were a daily publication with 12 staff members, that's pretty weak. While the honeymoon period (February/March) saw a good flow of over 1 post a day, production in September slowed to a trickle of 1 in every 4.29 days! Now for some really meaningless statistics. The average contribution to the blog is 16.67 posts at 8.3%. That means on average, each person contributes 8.3% of the material. (Please someone rip me down for using these numbers). More meaningful are these: 4 people contributed more than the mean, 1 person is extremely average in their numbers, and to put it like any good conservative would, the top 33% contributed to almost 75% of the blog!

As you can see, Matt K is leading the pack being responsible for more than 1/4 of the posts at 55 total. Way to go Matt K. Lets focus on Matt K, the ideal blogger.

Looking deeper, Matt K's production over the first 7 months of the blog when he was living in Pittsburgh was at close to 7 posts per month--about 30% of the new post activity. Since moving to Japan his personal post rate (PPR) has slowed to 2.67ppm about 23% of the new post activity in the last 3 months. While Matt's production has certainly slowed, it has not been far out of step of the rest of the contributing community. And who can blame him? He's living in Japan now! This probably means he's out doing other more interesting stuff. Perhaps more interesting is the fact that he's drawing 2/3 the comments he was when he was posting at more than twice the rate. This seems counter to the theory that the less you post, the more attention you will drawl. Very interesting...

Check this:At first glance it looks like Matt K. published the post that garnered the most attention in terms of comments received. However, looking closer we can see that two of those comments are 'Post deleted by author", both deleted by Matt K. Surely then Peter holds the superlative of having the most comments on a single post. WRONG. 1x 'Post Deleted by Author' - Andrew. Indeed, there were three posts, all by separate authors who hold the position of most interesting post based on comments received index. Andrew's interesting post found here was about his year with Americorps. Matt K.'s most interesting post is surprising as it was rather short. And Peter's was about books. All three posts fell fairly evenly throughout the life of the blog so no conclusions can be drawn from that. Also of note: Matt Nye's single post received no comments. Did anyone even read it? It came with a picture. It was awesome.

Digging deeper into this idea of comments implying interestingness, we can see who is more interesting than others:
As we can see, while Matt K. maintains a high rate of blog (ROB), his posts attract an average amount of comments. At the other end of the spectrum, Vince has 5 posts, all with comments and more than half receiving multiple comments. The award for talks least says most goes to Vince. The award for talks most says least is Matt Nye. At 88% with 25 total posts, James seems to be the most interesting person on the blog though after writing this sentence he will probably not get another comment ever. To prove this point, take a look at this Linear Regression Analysis:Correcting for outliers, the linear regression line shows a negative correlation between posts and percentage commented on. This means that the more you post, the less your posts will be commented on per post. Ignoring the R value in the graph (as it is being thrown off my the stellar performance of James' posts) there is a fairly strong correlation between these numbers. It can be said that if you post just once, you can expect an 83.18% chance of receiving a comment. For every additional post, you can expect that percentage to fall by 55 basis points. Now. Note the circled point. This is James' comment percentage, rising above the rest. Thank you.

Moving on, we can take a more artistic but less objective approach to the 200 post blog breakdown. 38% of Andrew's posts contained videos--a blog-high--and 3 of them contained more than one video. James has the most awesome posts. Jonah's posts have migrated from video game reviews into movie reviews, both of which are appreciated by the readership. Kirby has never posted. Not once. Yet he's listed as a contributor. Lauren needs to post more because I personally enjoy what she cooks up. Matt only posted once though I've given him credit for two posts. Woops! Matt K. is the strongest power user of the blog, though his activity has fallen since moving to Japan. Collin is not even a contributor yet I've included him here because I saw his name written somewhere once. Melanie talks about Peter a lot in her entries. Nick is below average in posts, but beating the average for comments. Perhaps saying less makes people listen more...Andrew. Peter rarely gets more than one person to comment on his posts. Kinda lame if you ask me. Vince's posts are incredibly potent, summoning 100% of our commenting power.

Finally,

wasitrollingbob: can you make the end result that matt nye is the most productive person on the blog?
wasitrollingbob: BEND THE DATA

In conclusion, Matt Nye receives the award for most productive member of the blog for the first 200 posts. Keep up the good work Matt, you are a role model(is he even going to read this?) and your work is a benchmark for the rest of us to aim for.

Thanks.

Can't beat Matt's posts

2009-11-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

Ok I know there is no way to top Matt's posts especailly since I no longer have a life besides reading law school cases. With that high beat lead in I thought this one case was funny. This women contracted with a dance studio to teach her to dance and paid them over the course of two years $31,000 (this case took place in 1968) and they told her she showed great potential. Typically, for a contract not to be valid through fraud it has to be about a fact. For instance, I sold Peter my car and told him it was fine but it didn't have wheels. The court made a special circumstance in this case because she was such a bad dancer that obivously the dance studio was lying to her. The exact quote was, "the lessons sold to her (were) in total disregard to true physical, rhythm, and mental ability of the plaintiff." So basically this lady not only go screwed out of a bunch of money but a court of law is saying she is a really horrible dancer.

And that is the most exciting thing that happened to me this week.

If You're Like Me...

2009-11-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

... then you've wanted to chug as much grape Dymatapp as you possibly can since you were 2. But, unfortunately, have never actually committed since its, well, medicine. That is... UNTIL NOW. Japan had the sagacity to take that whole medicine problem out of the sweet, delicious nectar that is the essence of Dymatapp, and put it in a little glass bottle. This product is called Lipovitan D, and because of it, life is good. And, as an added bonus, its a good deal stronger than Red Bull, so far as
"energy drinks" go.

FuN zOnE

2009-11-20T12:12:00.001-08:00

Matt thinks he's soooo cool because he's teaching in Japan and posting sweet pics, well I'm pretty much gonna show him what's up!!!1

things I'm currently doing at work:

- trying to get one of our clients to tell me "yes, go ahead and buy the $4,000 rug for the spa, I think it's FABULOUS."

- listening to Hot97.

- trawling the internet for a wooden bench that has no back, BUT has storage space for TOWELS UNDERNEATH!

iusgffy y1lwdhhwsdooy o9dy9ewydddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

o sry i just passed out on my keyboard from all the excitement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!