Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Swinger
I was going to trash this pic (for obvious reasons), but something about its (quite accidental) composition kept drawing my eye to it.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Not Relevant to Anything in Particular...
It seems like it's been a while since I've sat at the PC on a Friday evening, relaxed, with a beer in one hand and time on the other. Nothing of earth-shattering importance to say, I'm afraid. No idiots to flay tonight. It's still early, though...
I mentioned a while back that my little girl had "graduated" from her kindergarten. Today she started school. This is a good thing, of course, but it demands a somewhat radical change to my daily routine. Now, instead of waking up at 7am, I have to get up at 6am. This may not sound like such a "radical" change to anyone who sleeps like a halfway normal person does. But when one normally goes to bed at 1 or 2am, well... some adjustments need to be made...
-----
I had an interesting experience recently. I spent a few weeks practicing/rehearsing with some Japanese guys for a one-off show at a local bar. I'm still in my regular band, The Dead Flowers, of course, but a few weeks ago I got a call from an old friend who wanted to do a sort of reunion gig with an old band of his, and they needed a drummer. To be honest, if I'd realized how much time and work this was going to be, I would've declined. We ended up spending about 25 hours over several weeks to get five songs down. Five of their original songs that they already knew. One of them was a bastard arrangement-wise, but I've never been in a band before that spent an average of five hours rehearsal per tune. My experience has generally been: listen to the tape, take 30-60 minutes of rehearsal time (spent mostly on the into and ending) working on it, and then basically see what happens on stage. If it doesn't work after a couple of "live" ones, trash it.
Anyway, these were good guys and good players, and we did all this practicing and rehearsing, including renting rehearsal space on the day of the gig, and going through most of the set during the sound check in the afternoon. This basically proved to be my undoing. By the time we went on stage I was a bit burned out and tired. I played OK, but not half as well as I could/should have. My Japanese friends had a different problem. They were nervous as hell! One of them was almost having a panic attack (when somebody who's about to go on stage tells you he doesn't think he can move his fingers or lift his arms, heh, been there and done that before!). Personally, I've made an ass out of myself so many times that making a mistake on the drums while people are watching/listening barely gets a twitch on the embarrassment-o-meter. We didn't play as well as we'd rehearsed, but the gig went OK.
-----
From the Food-You'll-Never-Forget Department: I've eaten a lot of (to me) weird things since coming to Japan. And I've eaten them all with a smile on my face and a "thank you." It's not always easy, let me tell you. After the gig I just talked about, I went with the band to a small restaurant operated by a guy who played in the other band that night. [Just as a side note: in almost 11 years in Japan I've only been to maybe 3 or 4 bad restaurants--only one had kinda crappy food, the others had bad service. These places are rarities.] It's pretty common in smaller restaurants here in Kyushu to be given a small appetizer before you even order your meal. I usually don't like these dishes, and usually I don't eat them. This time, though, I knew the host, and he was watching. I asked my friend (the guitar player) who was sitting beside me what this particular dish was. "It's pork," he said, "and an especially delicious cut." I tried it and found it a bit tough (like cartilage, or something). "This is pork?" I asked. "It seems a bit tough. Which part of the pig is it?" "It's the vagina," he informed me. He wasn't joking, and good manners demanded that I clean the (very small, really) bowl. I didn't bat an eye.
I mentioned a while back that my little girl had "graduated" from her kindergarten. Today she started school. This is a good thing, of course, but it demands a somewhat radical change to my daily routine. Now, instead of waking up at 7am, I have to get up at 6am. This may not sound like such a "radical" change to anyone who sleeps like a halfway normal person does. But when one normally goes to bed at 1 or 2am, well... some adjustments need to be made...
-----
I had an interesting experience recently. I spent a few weeks practicing/rehearsing with some Japanese guys for a one-off show at a local bar. I'm still in my regular band, The Dead Flowers, of course, but a few weeks ago I got a call from an old friend who wanted to do a sort of reunion gig with an old band of his, and they needed a drummer. To be honest, if I'd realized how much time and work this was going to be, I would've declined. We ended up spending about 25 hours over several weeks to get five songs down. Five of their original songs that they already knew. One of them was a bastard arrangement-wise, but I've never been in a band before that spent an average of five hours rehearsal per tune. My experience has generally been: listen to the tape, take 30-60 minutes of rehearsal time (spent mostly on the into and ending) working on it, and then basically see what happens on stage. If it doesn't work after a couple of "live" ones, trash it.
Anyway, these were good guys and good players, and we did all this practicing and rehearsing, including renting rehearsal space on the day of the gig, and going through most of the set during the sound check in the afternoon. This basically proved to be my undoing. By the time we went on stage I was a bit burned out and tired. I played OK, but not half as well as I could/should have. My Japanese friends had a different problem. They were nervous as hell! One of them was almost having a panic attack (when somebody who's about to go on stage tells you he doesn't think he can move his fingers or lift his arms, heh, been there and done that before!). Personally, I've made an ass out of myself so many times that making a mistake on the drums while people are watching/listening barely gets a twitch on the embarrassment-o-meter. We didn't play as well as we'd rehearsed, but the gig went OK.
-----
From the Food-You'll-Never-Forget Department: I've eaten a lot of (to me) weird things since coming to Japan. And I've eaten them all with a smile on my face and a "thank you." It's not always easy, let me tell you. After the gig I just talked about, I went with the band to a small restaurant operated by a guy who played in the other band that night. [Just as a side note: in almost 11 years in Japan I've only been to maybe 3 or 4 bad restaurants--only one had kinda crappy food, the others had bad service. These places are rarities.] It's pretty common in smaller restaurants here in Kyushu to be given a small appetizer before you even order your meal. I usually don't like these dishes, and usually I don't eat them. This time, though, I knew the host, and he was watching. I asked my friend (the guitar player) who was sitting beside me what this particular dish was. "It's pork," he said, "and an especially delicious cut." I tried it and found it a bit tough (like cartilage, or something). "This is pork?" I asked. "It seems a bit tough. Which part of the pig is it?" "It's the vagina," he informed me. He wasn't joking, and good manners demanded that I clean the (very small, really) bowl. I didn't bat an eye.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Monday, April 06, 2009
Simple
I don't seem to have much to say these days. In the meantime, I'll keep posting photos. Unless I run out...
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Saturday, April 04, 2009
News from The Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Sometimes it seems like I've somehow forgotten how to write. I feel tired, or uninspired, or... I don't know, I just don't feel like writing anything. During these trying times I find it helpful to read something interesting, something inspiring.The Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has never let me down. Moments after reading one of their articles, sure enough, I find myself clacking away at the keyboard. The Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has, for me, muse-like, almost magical powers; a zen quality that helps me clear away the cobwebs of my mind and inspires me to spread their good words to the world. I bow down in humble awe to the masters at The Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Behold, the dire warnings directed at those who would thwart the will of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [from April 2]:
It is the Japanese reactionaries, the sworn enemy of the Korean people, who are perpetrating the most evil doings over the DPRK's projected satellite launch for peaceful purposes.It kinda makes me wish I had a "sworn enemy," or that I were the sworn enemy of someone. Really, who doesn't dream of being able to talk that way with a straight face?
Kongo and Choukai, guided-missile destroyers of the Japanese aggressor forces and the destroyer Great King Sejong of the south Korean puppet navy have already been deployed in the East Sea of Korea.The "south Korean puppet navy"! My imagination is ablaze!
The KPA General Staff solemnly declares as follows to cope with the prevailing situation:You know, there are those who condemn the language used in the pronouncements of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but wouldn't it be fun to be rid of the niceties of civilized behavior and just say what's really on your mind?
1. If Japan recklessly "intercepts" the DPRK's satellite for peaceful purposes, the KPA will mercilessly deal deadly blows not only at the already deployed intercepting means but at major targets.
2. The U.S. should immediately withdraw its already deployed armed forces if it does not wish to be hurt by the above-said strike as DPRK clarified its stand on its projected satellite launch for peaceful purposes.Sometimes word choice is everything. The Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's use of the word "hurt" in this context brought tears of admiration to my eyes.
3. The south Korean puppet bellicose forces should refrain from disturbing the said launch, the pride of the nation, while currying favor with their U.S. and Japanese masters.As an English teacher, it's rare that I read such jaw-droppingly complex prose as this, let alone actually write something like it. But dammit, the The Korean Central News Agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea sure inspires me to keep trying!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)