Kentucky- the land of Abraham Lincoln, Bluegrass music, Bourbon whiskey, the Kentucky Derby, some of the biggest losses in the Civil War, and all the family on my mother`s side. I`m British because my Dad is British and my mother ceded American citizenship when I was a kid- but I`ve always felt my soul was American: Kentucky American, and to a very small degree: Native American American. I`m talking about this because I just got back from a 10-day vacation with my family in Kentucky. I haven`t been back to visit my grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins in Kentucky for …
Snake Cat
Snake Cat lives in the city’s gutters and drain-pipes, crawling along on his side, hunting Snark and weevils, distending his jaw to swallow them whole. He is lithe and lissome like freshly steamed yew, he can contort into the shape of the letter ‘O’ or even the letter ‘A’. His tail is prehensile like a monkey’s and he uses it to slide down power-lines and into the homes of unsuspecting Wombles- whom he also eats. This was a rare day-time sighting of Snake Cat. Crawl, Snake Cat, crawl! Video after the break.
Big Bob the Kanjiman
Big Bob is a Kanjiman- probably the friendliest Kanjiman out there. He has long shoelaces which he loves to tie, a sleek black bodysuit which he occasionally dyes, and is awfully prone to losing his keys. Yes, he is a lovable fellow. And look at that smile! Click for more to meet Kanjiman Bob!
Fukutoshin Line Opens
On Saturday June 14th the latest and possibly last subway line through Tokyo, the Fukutoshin F-line, opened up, and I was one of the first people on it. The line runs from Saitama down through Ikebukuro and on to Shibuya, with extensions into other train lines at both ends. Trains run around every 5 minutes. I boarded early in the morning, but the whole of Zoshigaya was already a-buzz like I’d never seen before, I suppose chiefly due to F-line tourists checking out the stops along the way. I imagine this new station will inject new capital into the area, …
Negishi Racecourse Ruins Video
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Ashes to Ashes: season 1- 5/5
Ashes to Ashes is a sequel series to the fantastic Life on Mars, the show depicting a Manchester policeman sent back in time after being nearly killed in a hit and run accident. That show ended on a massive high after 2 seasons, and I thought there was no way they could replicate its quality or success. But, having just finished all of Ashes to Ashes season 1, I can say they’ve out-done themselves. There’s a brilliant arch-plot spanning the season, reminiscent of the way they did Season 1 of Dexter, if not better as I didn’t guess the mystery …
$50 from TQR!
The magazine that published Celibate Jayne the Hammerhand, TQR, have sent me my $50 stipend: Along with a note: Thank-you TQR! Now, how will I spend the money? Probably not on beer. It should be something significant. Any suggestions?
Climacool Adiprene gym shoes
My old gym shoes were pretty much rotten, so I decided to buy some new ones. I wandered the streets of Ikebukuro for some time trying to find a decent priced decent looking shoe. I was on the cusp of giving up when I saw the Climacool Adiprene: It only cost about 8,000 yen, and though that was higher than I wanted to pay, the cool white and silver of the shoe won me over. Plus it has great aeration abilities and is really light. For style as well as substance it’s the perfect gym shoe. Watch out though, these …
Axis and Allies
Yesterday I had Canadian Mike and Alex round and we finally got down to some serious Axis and Allies gaming. Mike had his parents bring the game over with them when they came for his wedding last month. We wanted to play last week but ended up just playing Halo and Rock Band at my place.
Emily’s Fajita Party
Yesterday I headed out to Emily’s Fajita Party in Kunitachi. It was raining, I got lost for about an hour on the way there, but Amy Mcdonald’s ‘Mr. Rock and Roll’ and a case of Asahi saw me through. People I met- – Emily- Emily! The hostess, teacher, artiste- her work currently on show at The Pink Cow. – Jeremy- Fairly drunk fella soon headed to Oz to become a pilot. – Greg and Alycia- Married programmers- good police. – Tim- Navy dude, big fella, just came from paint-balling. – Peter- Teacher, went fishing over Golden Week but no fish! …