Ho

Who got a three-day weekend from Monday to Wednesday which means he only has two days of work this week and actually only one more because he already finished one day today??
I'm not even going to answer that.

This weekend was basically awesome. And also exceedingly awesome. And also awesome in some kind of middle way too.

On Monday, I met up with our good friend Andrew at Osaka station, where we engaged in long-distance walking which included a huge loop (hah, I typed luge at first) which wound us back at the station, a winding road to the Osaka branch of the national museum (I think it's called), and then essentially from the station through the canals of Nanba to the outskirts where we encountered our sought out destination: BEARS.

But before I go into that, delicious okonomiyaki
















is what we had for dinner. This one is mine...mochi and cheese oh yes oh my it was really really good. I don't think I've ever experienced the kind of anticipation for food as the kind I did when I was watching these two babies cook in front of us.
















Mmm, and that's before they were even finished, egged, sauced, katsu bushi (bonito fish flakes?)-ed, and ready to eat. But anyway, that wasn't all we did. Before that we happened to catch a few amazing exhibits at the museum after eating some yums curry.





























Modigliani, Chiharu Shiota, and a couple of other awesome Japanese photographers who photographed peoples' scars, dilapidated buildings, and themselves in unsettling positions such as covered in a blood-like substance looking at the camera and submerged almost entirely in something like mud with her head sticking out yet still covered in it. Actually, all the art that day was unsettling in some ways, but all beautiful. One of my favorites was three humongous dresses connected at the arms with the appearance of being spewed upon by some kind of liquid and standing as if to block us from entering some place. Or as if they were about to crush us. In any case, all the art was amazing and I'm really glad we wound up there.
















The museum has a cool design.

Next, Nanba journey including best okonomiyaki ever and BEARS!

Oh wait, how could I forget!?















He doesn't know (I think). But he was part of a mobile experimental theatre performance that just happened to going on on a bridge I happened upon.
















It had something to do with the body and how it rots but is there (yappari, "go figure"), what the heart is and if it is like air (according to the man in yellow, it is not), and how the man in blue does not want to go over there because there is snow! From the start it really reminded me of Waiting for Godot. They gave us survey cards at the end and I said it was good they were doing this, that they were helping humans to not become boring and emotionless, and thank you. We knew it would have to be a good day when we started it off that way.

And a good day it was! And then it was night! And we had finally found our way to BEARS! And the show had ended a half an hour ago! No! Failed! But no! The people outside! Are hanging out! And, oh, did the show end already? Oh, it was really good, huh? Oh yeah, yesterday was supposed to be really good too. And, oh you all are band members too? Wow, that's cool. Yeah, we're from the U.S. Oh cool, one of the guys who played tonight. Cool. Oh the lead singer of one of the biggest underground freak-out bands in Kansai, cool. Oh, we're having a conversation now and it's really fun. You want to show us the venue before they close up for the night? Okay, cool! Yeah, this place is really cool. Oh you're looking for a place to buy an instrument in Osaka? Yeah, I play guitar and really want to make music. Let's do it then, you can get your guitar at Rock Inn, then let's make some music! Okay cool!

Back at the business hotel afterwards, I enjoyed a good, good night's sleep in a bed. I was so tired that I couldn't go for staying the night in a manga cafe or even a capsule hotel maybe. I felt the tire that needed a bed with a personal room, and indeed that is what I got. The next day brought a delicious breakfast at Vie d' France and a comfortable, nice bus trip home.

Today brought many new vegetables! I finally went on a shopping spree through all the good-lookin' goods at the nearest farmer's market and found this:

First member of the gang, Japanese bell pepper (I forgot what they're called)...
















yeah...tough lookin'.

After that was the ever pugnacious kabocha (pumpkin-squash).
















Next we have the leader of the gang, Gratuitous Goya, known to have quite the bitter personality, but warms up when you get to know him.




















The second in command, carrots.
















Look at that rebellious satsuma imo (sweet potatoe) leaning against the curb like that!
















Finally, we caught these troublemakers, and a few of their troublesome friends, including onion-head, cut up eggplant, and partial carrot. Tricky ol' satsuma imo managed to escape, but I have a feeling we will catch him again soon enough.
















All the gang in jail.

But, in a strange twist of fate!, they were found to be non-guilty! soon after which they escaped! into my stomach in a delicious curry mix with two nashi (Japanese pear) quarters!































Let me just say that the weather was beautiful today.
















Also, let me just say it is a little frustrating when you are trying to give your self-introduction to a class of 8th graders and almost everyone is having their own conversations in groups and you have to raise your voice just to be heard by the few people who are listening but oh you start to focus your attention towards them but suddenly they too are now in their own conversations and two different people are now the interested ones and the English teacher
does
not
do
anything.
I will have to get used to this and figure out a good approach.

I will also just say, without any permission, that Beirut is awesome and I love their second album and their weird electronic one too more and more. Really really good. In other news, Beach House is in my mind and does not appear to want to leave but that's okay I kind of like having them in there. Especially after watching the music videos for almost every song on their new album, Devotion. My good friend and bandmate also just finished making an album he's been working on for a while and it's awesome. Just one of the amazing things about it is he made it with a huge focus on production, and using what recording program you might ask? Audacity. Yes, the free program that crashes without warning if you record too many tracks and that almost automatically messes up the rhythm every time you make a recording. Despite this, he made an awesomely ambient, rhythmic, pulsing, emotion-filled (or rather it just is emotions) album that really makes you feel great. I have been happily listening to it for the past week or so. I also started listening to Yo La Tengo's "A Smattering of Outtakes and Rarities: 1985-2003" more intently. Awesome stuff. Slowly making my way through their huge reportiore, although I don't have their newest album yet (and their newer stuff is so cool, I saw it live)!!

Hm. Things are alright. Things are okay.