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Adventures in Osaka, Conference in Kobe

Well, the three-day Kobe conference is over, and I’m back home…and I can’t honestly say that I’m all that unhappy. I had a great time (a few of the workshops were even awesome), but it’s time to get back to living my slow inaka lifestyle once again. I took pics. I ate too much food. I rode a rollercoaster. I saw a whole slew of hosts.

It was eventful.

This is mainly a photo post, so I’ll try to keep the writing to a minimum in order to not drag this on into infinity.

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The Kobe conference began on Monday, but some friends and I decided to make the most of the weekend, so we all met up in Osaka Station (the loathing I feel for this particular station is right up there with natto and Doris Day movies). Either way, we decided to ride this massive ferris wheel that is attached to a large mall.

There’s Kristen taking a pic out of our little see-through observation…bubble compartment thingy…on the ferris wheel.

This pic probably gives you a good idea of the height of the ferris wheel. Taken at the heightest point.

And here are the two giant fake whales suspended in the mall containing the ferris wheel. They’re freaking massive! Four stories of the mall are in view in this pic, if you’re having trouble telling the proportions.

We headed over to Osaka Castle (which we actually spotted waay up in the ferris wheel). I thought it would be a good idea to get a picture of both the castle and my bad hair day in the shot!

The inside of the castle is actually a museum (bummer), but they had nice displays up. One was of a minature scale battle. The first is a more detailed shot, and the other is the full shot of the battle.

It’s all pretty mild, without a single act of violence or casualties (that I could see)…which is pretty far-fetched… even for a fake battle. Still, though. How cool are those models!

Me posing for the camera once again, and once again in a very “Charity” pose. Sometimes I ask myself, “why can’t I have a normal pic ever?”

We found a hotel in the Namba area of Osaka, ’cause we (I) heard that it was where the night scene was at. That was kindof an understatement. It wasn’t just a night scene. It was, like, THE host club scene. If you don’t know what a host club is…well…read this wikipedia explanation (scroll just a bit down to get to the “host club” section). It makes for a lovely read. Especially where it mentions how the very location I was staying in is a well-known host club location.

And look what I found! An entire group of them in their natural habitat!

This would be as good a time as any to post a pic I had taken way back during my November Tokyo trip (not my most recent). Long rows of billboards showed what hosts each club had to offer. The bigger the picture, the more popular the host.

I don’t need to explain this picture. The building’s called “Sex Machine”, and that’s funny.

Big heads with small feet. What else can I say? What else, indeed…

That one guy’s name is “Boobie the Vibes”. “‘Sup, Boobie??”

And that was how Namba amused me. And no, I didn’t go to a host club.

The next day was spent in its entirety at Universal Studios Japan, the happiest place in Osaka! *insert gleeful music*

Being in Japan this long, going here made me feel for a short time like I was back in the US. It even seemed that if they had to choose between using English or Japanese, they’d stick to English. For instance, there was a plaque written only in English. I felt like I was one of the privaleged few who could read it.

The Sesame Street gang did a long song and dance number to many a rock classic. In this picture, they’re doing the classic Saturday Night Fever disco move. My friends and I couldn’t stop watching. It had a bizarro pull…kindof like the morbid fascination you get from a car wreck. I did enjoy it, though. When the show was finally over, we sang along to the music of the Sesame Street theme song “Sunny Days”. It dawned on me that we were probably the only people in the park (other than the multitude of non-asian performers there) who probably even knew the lyrics.

How did this picture of the picturesque East Coast end up here….oh wait! That’s the scenery for the JAWS ride! It kept weirding me out how realistic it looked (I lived in the maritimes for several years, and this scene is quite reminiscent).

The giant gate was just like in the movie. A word to those who ride the ride…when you see the t-rex, prepare for the drop!

The Spider-Man ride rocked my socks! It was all 3-D, and stuff was always being put in your face, and the ride was all craziness. For the entire ride, I was either screaming, or laughing, a by-product of adrenaline and fun. I’m definately not saying that it was funny, is all. My favorite ride. The crazy rollercoaster came in right behind the Spider-Man ride for me. My friends put the placement the other way, but…whatever!

These cupcakes will kill you! The frosting is really fudge, and the body is actually a brownie. This won’t kill your chocolate craving. It will murder it.

At 8:30pm, we caught an outdoor Peter Pan play. I really wanted to see it because I’m a stupid fan of the 2003 (live-action) movie.

After buying a ton of souvenirs, we left for Kobe. A very helpful train attendant managed to find a cheap capsule hotel that would take women (many don’t, so if you’re a woman looking for one, keep this in mind). A businessman in the station saw us looking at a map and not only came up to help us locate the direction we were needing to take, but also got us to a taxi. He had asked us where we were from. We all said, “Fukuoka”. Then I mentioned that we were all from America, and he seemed to brighten up a bit. Apparently Fukuoka was not the answer he expected.

Well, we got to our capsule hotel, and honestly, I had never stayed in one before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I shouldn’t have worried, though, because it was so nice! In the pic, I am dressed fashionably in the provided pajamas, with my entire self spanning the entirety of the little door. My friend’s capsule is the other one pictured. It is the size of a futon, and has a TV, radio, and other controls at the end where your head rests. the door was actually a sliding curtain that was strongly reminiscent of a projection screen you’d find in school.

And then the Kobe Re-Contracting Conference began! The hotel was very nice, and the rooms were so stylish, too! I took pictures of them, but didn’t really think they were anything you guys would want to look at. If I’m wrong in my assumption, I’m sorry.

I must admit, that’s an impressive sign put up by the hotel!

While walking around with my Nagasaki friend (‘sup Kyle!) looking for food, we came upon this bush/tree that had flowers that, honestly, looked like pipe cleaners. This was just one of the many times I’ve run across both flora and fauna that I’ve never seen before…and that fascinates me to no end!

Here’s the night view of Kobe from my room. It’s grainy, which is a real shame. I swear this camera was taking far better pictures half a year ago, but I can’t tell if it’s the camera that’s at fault, or me.

I can basically sum up the conference this way. It was, in general, very good. It gave me back my motivation to practice Japanese (which is a huge accomplishment, by the way). It has also been the best conference I’ve attended so far for the JET Program. I think that deserves a round of applause! The only thing that really bothered me (besides the rude lady who told me that my room wasn’t ready and that I’d just have to deal, then called me “sir”-did I mention that her first language was not English-, in which I promptly replied with a “I’m called a ma’am“) was how dressed-down so many of the ALTs were. This is an official, work-related conference, but many were being very unprofessional in the way they both acted and dressed. The last day of the conference was only a half day, and many people took this as an excuse to wear casual clothes. I even saw someone wearing shorts! Freaking geez!

While waiting for my shinkansen to arrive, I met up with one of the Fukuoka committee members that runs the monthly meetings for the prefecture. He told me that he hoped I would consider joining the committee for the 07-08 year (I’m already what could be considered an unofficial junior member of the committee, along with another 1st year. Though we have no official role…we’re a voice for the 1st years). He said something to the effect that I had a confident speaking voice that makes people believe that I know what I’m talking about.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to accept the position (whether it ends up being a horrible decision or not, but that’s for the future).

And for my last pic, this is the lovely omiyage I picked up for my friend, back in Yoshii-machi, who had been feeding my turtle while I was away playing. It’s a giant box of takoyaki flavored Pretz. Osaka, by the way, is famous for its takoyaki. I just couldn’t resist buying this since my favorite food here is, indeed, takoyaki.

Well, that about wraps things up about my adventures. I’m tired. I’m going to bed. I may end up spending the entire weekend recovering from the crazy by staying at home and moving as little as possible. Sounds like a good plan already. Maybe I’ll rent the Peter Pan movie again.
Goodnight folks!

This Goal Will Only Hurt My Feelings

I’ve set a weight goal. By August 2nd, I want to be 72 kg, or 160 pounds. If you’ve kept up with my graph (which I’m sure you have, right?), you’ll know that that’s about ten pounds a month. I can do that…if I eat a lot of water soup, with water sandwiches (maybe washed down with a tall glass of water).

I blame Japan for this. Just trying on a shirt here (when they fit) makes me feel like a porn star. As for jeans, I believe the largest size they carry in your average store is a 10 or 12. I was a size 10 when I weighed 145 pounds…when I was 14 years old!

So anyways, I’ve got an idea for how how cut the calories while still eating. We’ll see in a week if there’s any progress. Oh wait, no. Let’s see in two weeks if there’s any progress. I’ve got a three-day conference in Kobe next week, and am going to play in Osaka and Kobe this weekend, so I can’t expect very high goals when I’m away from my set meals. Maybe the playing will burn enough calories to make up for the tako-yaki and beef I’ll be eating in these cities with such famous food.

Anyways, I’ve stated my goals. Now I need to live up to them. Somehow.

沖縄　*Okinawa*

No, I’m not going yet, but I did just find out this morning that my friend, accepted into the JET Program, is being placed in Okinawa.

And so this post is to be very informative and have lots of informative information in it.

Ok, here we go!

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Ah, Okinawa!  A big island with some small islands, to the south (or lower right, if a map of Japan has any say in it).

The giant wall is to keep the sharks from attacking Japan.  The hammerheads have been trying to eat those kappa for ages!  And with no kappa, sumo wrestling will all but fall apart (there’s a very old association between the sumo and kappa factions).  We’ll have none of that, I say!

Let’s see…as wikitravel tells me, you could be placed in Naha, the capital of Okinawa, or perhaps the lovely Daito Islands, described as, “specks in the sea hundreds of kilometers to the east”.  Specks in the sea?  I’m already jealous!  How about Kuro, my favorite, which is said to be a ”tiny island mildly famous for having (way) more cows than people”.  Even still, though.  I’m booking my next flight (or ferry…don’t know how you reach the place) for Yoniguni, an island “at the westernmost point of Japan, with mysterious ruins and hammerhead sharks”.  I just love the sharks!  -_-  Mysterious ruins rock my socks, though.

There’s lots of sand on the beaches, so I hear.  The waters are clear.  Blue.  Clear and blue.  The sky, too.  There are clouds sometimes.

They have fish in Okinawa.  There is a big aquarium that I only recognise because a tea company was doing advertising for it, and I now have a tiny little plastic whale shark, tropical fish, and a sea turtle in their own tiny little aquarium displays.  I love toys with my drinks!

They eay bizarro food in Okinawa.  They like to eat goya there.  It is called “bitter melon” in English.  I call it nasty.  Tastes like sucking on an old penny.  Nasty nasty and bitter nasty.  My friend likes it, though.  Go him.  Eat that goya!

They play the sanshin there.  It is a cousin of the shamisen.  I love the shamisen, so therefore, I must love the sanshin.  Every picture I’ve ever seen of it has it covered in snake skin.  That’s because snakes have lovely voices, and everyone knows that the sanshin basically channels the voices of the snakes’ souls.  By the way, a snake’s voice sounds like this, “dan dandandandan dan dan bon bon bon”.  Well, that’s what a shamisen sounds like, at least.  The sanshin speaks in an Okinawan dialect, so it’s a bit different.

Japanese people like to vacation there, especially where I live, about as close as you can get to it from Japan. People always say, 「いいな！」when talking about it. That means that it’s an enjoyable idea for them.  I will be going in the next few months, I hypothesize.  The timing is favorable.  The winds of change are upon us.  Or me.  Whatever.

Don’t Make The Scales Angry

My friend was visiting me and I was bragging about how I had gone back down to 79 kilos (weighed that morning).  I was all, “see? see?”.  I hopped on the scales, and the needle pointed to 81.  I was all, “no!  It’s wrong!!”  I jumped on the scales in anger (to set it straight, of course), and it once again started determining my weight.

And the needle stopped at…83 kilos.

What the…?!?

It laughed.  I cried.

But I guess I learned a valuable lesson that day.

Don’t doubt the scales, and don’t ever make them angry.

And once again I direct your attention to the above 「ダイエット中」 *on a diet* tab.  I haven’t re-updated the pound weight, but the kilo weight is up-to-date.

One Year Strong!

Oh!  I totally let the one year anniversary of my blog pass without saying anything (I blame my epic last post for that).Well, anyways, I’ve been blogging for a year since the 12th of May!  That makes me more…credible in the field of…something, doesn’t it?

And apparently this also happens to be my 100th post.

Go me!

Now go back to trying to read said post below.  I will send out happy thoughts to all those who do.  I swear there are pictures in the latter half!

“Which Do You Like, _____ or _____?”

This post was started on Friday, and I’m not going to bother changing the tenses of this post, even though it took until Monday to complete it (the photo and editing part *huge post and all* sometimes takes forever…and the whole social life getting in the way didn’t help, either). Either way, it has been noted.

I went to one of my elementary schools today, and it was the first time since the new school term started up. There was at least one new teacher, and a new principal. My first class was with a new teacher. We first met each other for the first time in the classroom, so we did our necessary introductions (this was not a part of the lesson) in the usual Japanese. Probably weirded out the students (they’re weirded out so easily), and even I was a bit surprised at how naturally the whole Japanese conversing went down. Either way, classes with him should be fun. He seems like a cool dude and liked trying to speak English with me. Through his misunderstanding of my English (I asked him if he was born in Fukuoka), I found out how old he was (he thought I was asking him when he was born in Fukuoka…like I would ever ask that). Not that I’m going to tell you. Strictly confidential. Well, either way, he thought my pronunciation was very good, so I must be hiding the real amount of Japanese that I know. Yeah, I am. Because I’m ridiculously shy when it comes to speaking in languages that are not of my mother tongue. He made me tea after class.

I was walking through the hallway, walking to one of my classes, when a first-grader spotted me and came to a halt in the stairwell he was walking down, totally flabbergasted. None of the new first-graders at this school have ever seen me before, by the way. After getting over his apparent shock, he yelled out, 『あ〜っ！外国人だ！』, which means, “Ah!! A foreigner!!”. I smiled at this and made a mental note to find these kids who’ve never seen me before during lunch break (I had no classes with them for this visit). I went to class. After class, I walked back to the teacher’s room, and along the way ,passed the class with the first-graders. A few kids saw me and were all, OMG, and I heard, as I went down the hall, 『あ〜っ！先の外国人！！』, or “Ah!! The foreigner from before!!”. Same kid. It’s still cute when they’re little. The Principal and Vice Principal wanted to know what I was laughing about when I got to the teacher’s room. I told them, and they laughed too.

I taught the sixth graders this sentence: “Which do you like better, _____ or _____?” The teacher was using sports as the topic to fill in the blanks. Or rather, three different sports (I was a bit surprised at only three, because previously, when they were all fifth-graders, he had me teach them all about 5 million different sports names). These sports were “soccer”, “basketball”, and “volleyball”. All popular sports in school. All practically identical to the English word, and yet so very hard to pronounce properly back into English with a Japanese accent. Once it was properly drilled into their heads, they got into pairs and practiced. One kid didn’t have a partner, so the teacher told him that I could be his partner. He feigned a painful death (boys…), but I just laughed at his misfortune and we began.

I asked him, “Which do you like, volleyball or basketball?” He said, “I like basketball”.

He asked me, “Which do you like, volleyball or soccer?” I said, “I like soccer”.

Ok, so I get bored easily, and only three sports wasn’t going to cut it. I decided to deviate.

I asked him, “Which do you like, hockey or swimming?” He said, “I like swimming”.

He asked me, “Which do you like, soccer or basketball?” I said, “I like basketball”.

I asked him, “Which do you like , dogs, or cats?” He said, “I like dog” (keep in mind that pluralizing is difficult to catch onto here…Japanese has no “s” equivalent). I gave him a thumbs-up and a “yay!” for this. Can you tell I’m a dog person?

He paused before asking the next question. I could tell he decided to deviate, too.

“Which do you like , cat or bird?” “I like birds”.

My Turn.

“Which do you like, sharks *サメ, I said in Japanese to help him out* or octopus *made the shape with my hands, and didn’t bother with pluralizing this one*?”

“I like shark”.

Taken from my comp’s dictionary about pluralizing “octopus”:

The standard English plural of octopus is octopuses. However, the word octopus comes from Greek, and the Greek plural form is octopodes ( |äkˈtäpəˌdēz|). Modern usage of octopodes is so infrequent that many people mistakenly create the erroneous plural form octopi, formed according to rules for Latin plurals.

He said, “Which to you like, cat or fish?” I said, “I like cats”.

I guess he was making sure I really didn’t like cats.

I said, “Which do you like, books, or TV?” I thought perhaps I could guilt him into saying that he liked books. “I like TV”. Nope. No guilting there.

He said, “Which do you like, bear or giraffe?” I had to think about this for a minute. “I like giraffes”.

It seemed that the questions were needing to be good now.

I said, “Which do you like, natto or goya?” He said, “I like natto”.

He thought really hard about his next question.

“Which do you like, moth or spider?” Can’t get me there. “I like spiders”. I kept them as pets.

I said, “Which do you like, America or England?” He said, “I like England”. I feigned as if his words cut deep.

He took far too long thinking of the next question. I knew he was trying to think of something ultimate.

He broke his silence. “Which do you like, boy or girl?” What the? I had no clue how to answer that. I did a classic “almost-fall-from-chair” thing that Japanese kids have perfected for when they hear something unbelievable. I made an exasperated noise, because I couldn’t choose one or the other without having a lot of explaining to do…to a twelve-year-old. I finally said, “I like both! They are all my friends!” I think he beat me.

It was fun, though.

I was in the hallway during the small playtime the kids have between second- and third-period. I looked into the second-grade classroom. All the kids looked at me, and there was like, this glint in their eyes. Last time I was at this school, they were first-graders, and they had played a lovely impromptu game with me during lunch that had somehow deteriorated into chasing me, and then beating me, with brooms. I’m still a bit emotionally scarred from the incident. Either way, they came and started beating me up again (no brooms though, thank goodness). I started walking down the hallway to go back to the teachers’ room. One kid started following me. Every time I’d look back, she’d freeze. Other kids started doing this. I kept saying, “go back to class!”, like it did any good. They kept following me. I got all the way to the teachers’ room, and said, “alright! see you later!”, big smile and wave! I walked into the room, and the kids were all, “shitsureishimasu!”, which meant that they were coming into the room, too. So, about seven little 6- and 7-year-olds follow me in, like a tiny little gang that I can’t shake. The teacher for the next class is all, “oh, let’s talk about the lesson plan!”, and I sit down with him at a table. The little kids surround the table, leaning on it, climbing on it, and just start watching us, as we go through the lesson plan. That last bit they did far too quietly and intently for what their age should allow. It was a bit unnerving, but luckily the teacher was only humored, if anything, by the situation.

For my last class of the day (today I only had to teach the first four classes!! Wee!! Left after lunch break!!!), I told the kids what the names were for the vegetables (and a few fruits) they had drawn from a previous day. Afterwards, we all played “Fruit Basket”, a game I adore more and more each time I play. I was a lotus root for the game. I chose one that only one kid had drawn (other “only one”s were peas, watermelon, mint plant, and red pepper). Perhaps they were supposed to draw their favorite food plant…thingy. I dunno. I didn’t ask questions.

I ate school lunch *kyuushoku* with the fourth-graders, the last class I taught that day (lunch is eaten at your desk in grade school). I was totally stoked, because I knew it was curry rice. I luurrve curry rice!

It had been a good class, so I went ahead and brought my camera (it’s always in my purse) to class. If you show a camera to elementary school kids, you must be prepared for the constant posing, and the obligation to take their pictures once they’re in said poses. Here’s one, taken with the camera held high for a different angle than usual. Love the kid’s expression in the lower right.

Manju was served as a desert, and this one kid was having trouble eating it (you HAVE to eat all of your food in elementary schools here), so a couple of kids and I were cheering him on. He put half of the wobbly gelatinous square of manju in his mouth (I was a bit worried by his decision to kill it all at once) and proceeded to start chewing…with a very sick look on his face…and his hand covering his mouth. He just kept on chewing, chewing. I was all, “swallow it!”, but he never did. I left to do something else. A kid runs up to me (I was the only teacher in the room at that point) and was all pointing. The poor kid never swallowed it, and instead kindof gagged and spit it all up on his desk. He was crying. I was all, “for the love of god, is there a towel??”, kindof flailing my arms a bit, trying not to panic because I was suddenly the one most in charge at the time. A kid brought a wad of tissues. I gave it to the kid, he wiped his hands and mouth off while I comforted him (yes, I know how to do that), then led him out of the classroom to the sinks so he could wash up. When we came back, I immediately had him go rinse out his milk bottle so I could clean up the mess without him having to see it and start crying again. Poor kid. It really was gutsy for him to try to eat all of that manju, though. I give him props for that.

During lunch break, several of the kids wanted me to play with them outside. One boy (he’s actually the younger brother *spitting image* of a boy in my middle school who, on occasion, attends my English conversation classes run by the city) walked with me to the genkan *entranceway* where my shoes were. I put them on, and he was all, “My dad has the same shoes!”. Lovely. Once again I am reminded of my big man-feet and the big man-feet shoes I must deal with (so I lie. I like the shoes, but still…I have little choice).

The boys wanted me to play dodgeball with them. Dodgeball here is not the same dodgeball that I remember as a child (line up on a wall and have some maniac throw a ball at you repeatedly until you’re hit…most likely in the face. Ah the memories!). I am scared of their dodgeball here, though…especially when the sun’s in my eyes, which is oddly every time I play. So I wandered away when they weren’t looking.

Here is one of the kids, knowing he is king of the smack-down…dodgeball style!

This one first-year student spotted me. He was stereotypically adorable with both of this front teeth missing, and in his cafeteria garb.

I “talked” to him for a bit. Then he got crazy and did crazy things like running around and trying to smack the top of my head (I was crouched…and only then was his height). Some other kids, probably…fifth-graders?…started doing a weird freezing thing. They would run off giggling and screaming every time I made as if to chase them.

I took a picture before they could properly make their getaway.

I eventually had about seven first-graders surrounding me, being amazed at my “not-Japanese-ness”. One kid started asking me questions like he was a reporter, then would put the fake microphone up to my face for me to answer. Good thing I can understand Japanese. Good thing the answers I gave in English could also be understood with enough gesturing. Apparently they’re too young to fully grasp that if I really didn’t know Japanese, I wouldn’t be able to understand them when they talked. Works to my benefit, so I’m not complaining.

One of the kids asked me, “Do you have any kids?”. I was all, “nooo”. She asked me, “how old are you?”. I said, “26″. She said, “My mom’s 25“. Air kindof…left my body for a moment. I tried recovering. “My mom’s 51″, I said. An eleven-year-old boy said, 『やばい！』, which means, “oh my god!”. It hurts that they make me feel so old. It hurts my soul.

It was cleaning time, and they were playing some goofy 70′s inspired tune to…I don’t know…inspire them to clean or something. Some girls were walking down the hallway, and I was in the hallway, and the music was so inspirational, I did some dumb dance for them. They laughed. I looked over into the teacher’s room, just realizing what I had done. The vice principal had watched the entire thing. I said, “gahhh!” and tried to dive for cover to hide, but right at that time, the girls had caught up and latched onto my t-shirt, giggling, and kept me from running away.

Right before I left, I took a bunch of pictures of the kids I ate lunch with. They were posing up a storm…until a teacher came down the hall and was all, “it’s souji *cleaning* time! get to work!”. I was all, oops!, and said, “yeah, souji!” to the kids too, shooing them off like I, too, was not a part of the mischief. The teacher grinned at me. He knew it was my fault.

Driving away from the school, I remembered, “crap! I didn’t pay for my lunch!”. I drove back and payed the 210円 to one of the teachers. The vice principal asked, as I was about to leave for the second time, if I rode my bike. I said that I drove, and that I love to drive. “And to dance!”, he added, smiling. やばい, indeed!

Yarr! Labyrinth Be Mine!

I was at You-Me Town in Kurume, perusing Kinokuniya’s (major bookstore) DVD series selection, hoping to find Bablyon5 there. Before this, I had only ever found the series in Fukuoka City, but was hoping that I could be so lucky as to find them at a much closer location. I had also been searching, in what I considered to be a vain attempt, for Labyrinth, the latest movie from my youth I decided I was in love with again. I searched around for Labyrinth, but to no avail…not surprisingly. Of all movies to bring over to Japan, I figured that one was low on the list.

Well, in the series section, I was having no luck finding Babylon5 either. Bummer. I skimmed over the movies there, and pulled at one randomly that didn’t immediately register with me.

And there, in my hands, was Labyrinth.

The Labyrinth! And not only that, but the collector’s edition with the making-of footage and so much more!

I couldn’t help but think, as I watched the making-of footage, that it was all voiced by Kermit the Frog. Jim Henson was the main person taking you through the vid, so…of course it sounded like Kermit the Frog (he did his voice, in case you didn’t know). And now I know that Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) wrote the screenplay. George Lucas had a hand in it, too, but I don’t care. He was too cool to be in the making-of video, so whatever. The tiny little bit of bloopers at the end of the vid were icing on the cake.

Even when I was young, I knew that it was bizarre that I could possibly like David Bowie in wardrobe like that. I mean, seriously? Those tights? I just have no comment for them. I just…can’t…comment. Even still, I was a fan. Talk about totally rocked-out glamorous. He was a perfect Goblin King, down to his contact’ed mismatched eyes, and all-too-real scary teeth.

Jennifer Connely plays a 15-year-old girl in this film. And she was only 14 at the time. I try not to think of these things when watching the movie. It kindof…kills the atmosphere for me. If David Bowie’s in his 60′s now, and this movie was made in ’86, then that would have made him… As I said…it kills the whole strained romantic atmosphere when I do the math.

Still, though. I thought Jennifer was a perfect Sarah (now, Sarah, on the other hand, could have been a bit older!).  I’ve been a fan forever.  I remember being super stoked when she was in A Brilliant Mind (random memory).  I was all, “Oh my gawd!!  I love her!!!”  Glad to see she was able to survive being a childhood actor.  She always plays intelligent roles, and I appreciate that.

E-Mails and Renewals

I can’t believe that I’ve just now decided to figure out how to set up an e-mail account for this site!

One e-mail made. 2,499 more to make. The heck am I gonna do with all of those? Either way, the new address is *charity atto teasmartgarden dotto com*. Please try it out everyone, so I know that it works! I hope I even remember to check it…
As for renewals, I’ve finally renewed my site account and domain (this is an addon) …two days before it expired! Hopefully I won’t run into any trouble. Hopefully my credit card still has my US address on file. I guess we’ll all know in two days. I’d better back this up, just in case.

The first posting anniversary is fast approaching (May 12th), and that’s awesome. Still surprised that I’ve kept up blogging this long. Heck, April beat out August for the most posts in a month…as well as having the most commented post ever (the count’s up to 29, I believe). Go April! Okok, so I was poor and had nothing else to do but blog. But then, if my life was too exciting, I’d never have a chance to tell you guys about it!
Alright. Back to school with me.