Crap Log

8track

2008-08-26T05:46:00.001-07:00

Asa Chang

2008-08-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Need something atmospheric but will deter people from entering your office at the same time? Try Asa Chang & Junray. Tends to scare the bejeebies out of the uninitiated.

And the winner is

2008-08-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

It's a tie!

Fat Skeletor and Fat Gatchaman win my votes for best costumes at San Diego Comic Con costumes

tokyo roundup

2008-07-28T01:06:00.000-07:00

Back home and totally messed up timezone wise so thought I might as well blog.

Tokyo was fabulous definitely a place to go if you get the opportunity. But probably better to go either in the spring or fall when the temperature is a little better. Didn't get to half the places I wanted to go but was prepared for that. Was disappointed in Lonely Planet's guide though. Because unless Tokyo has suddenly moved whole buildings half a kilometre, found a large number of the directions I needed completely wrong.

Some general observations

Tokyo's easy to get around but not easy to find addresses or street names off the beaten path.
Happy sounds that happen when doors open or trains arrive but I've got the happy music from Isetan stuck in my head now.
Stores and coffee shops in general open later than you'd expect for such a huge city. Flip side is that they're open later.
Don't worry about the language barrier even though there's not a lot of english outside the hotel. Easy to get things done and lots of things to point at to indicate what you want.
Yes the kids dress as weird as they're rumoured to but not all them. I sort of resisted taking pictures for the most part because really I was in their world and the reality is that there I'm the oddity and they're normal. Really got to admire a place that you can wear fun-fur on a daily basis though.
Muji and Tokyo Hands
Give yourself about 20 minutes to navigate Shinjuku station to find your train. It's a frickin maze that can spit you out at the opposite side of the station if you're not careful. 4 days of navigating it and it only marginally started to get easier at the end. This map makes it look so easy but it's most definitely not. Plus this is only the JR part, there's the Tokyo Metro lines and other minor lines not to mention all the halls that connect it.
Expected to see a large number of people with the face masks on but was surprised to see a large number of people with eye patches on. Possibly a large volume of lazer eye surgery was happening. or a new fashion trend to go with the goths.
Shibuya's fun for a short bit and has great stores. After a while it starts looking like Tokyo teens hangin and tourists taking pictures of them hangin. Happy to find the Bathing Ape Store there but still not going to pay $90 for a t-shirt.
Food is good everywhere. Except maybe that last dinner but that was more the surly old waitress that ruined it. The only surly service I experienced anywhere in the city.
Totally safe to wander at night at least in the areas I was.
Japanese know bathrooms

Probably will have more thoughts later. Have a feeling I'll be up for a while

Rodeo Boy III

2008-07-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Being out of synch timezone-wise in Japan isn't that bad. It gives you the opportunity to watch Japanese TV infomercials. How else would you find out about new weightloss and exercise equipement like the Rodeo Boy III. A tool that looks like it's been developed for the sex trade. Wonder what features were added or subtracted from Rodeo Boys I and II. Too bad Stampede is over.

Styling Cds

2008-07-23T03:17:00.000-07:00

Today's main adventure was hunting for music and clothes. And I was a little taken aback when I heard the Style Council blaring at the Shibuya HMV. More exiting than seeing JPop band Gift signing autographs in ShinjuKu HMV. Then finding the full catalog plus new deluxe versions in all record stores here. Do I need the Deluxe version of Our Favorite Shop? Already have it on vinyl and CD and the price a little to steep for me. But nice to see this exists again. I also being up this album because of the proximity to Styx. The band that made it impossible for me to say domo arigato to someone here without cringing. Thanks Dennis DeYoung. Thanks for butchering common courtesy in a foreign country.

Also important to notice that they seem to sort artists by first name. So Paul Weller is filed where else but next to Paul Simon. Still have yet to find where to find Asa Chang in any store.

Asakusa-Shibuya

2008-07-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

Been staying the first couple nights in Asakusa and haven'd gone too much further than Ginza. Asakusa is kind of busy in the afternoon but not really a bother. Kind of like most bustling cities as far as crowd control. SO thought I'd do some recon in the afternoon in Shibuya. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation that was catching up to me or the crankiness from being in a packed museum prior to getting on the train. But I have to say I wasn't quite prepared for the volume of Shibuya. Getting off a train, into the main crossing and literally have a sea of youth culture walking straight at you like a tsunami is something a little different. Not that I wasn't expecting it but yah it's different alright.

24 sushi

2008-07-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

If I said you could get sushi 24 hours a day in Calgary, 24 hours of food poisoning recovery might come to mind. 'Cos in Calgary it would probably be from the day old section of the Safeway Deli. But 24 hour sushi in Tokyo is better than even 4 hour sushi in Calgary. Holy crap it's good. Yah I think the sushi chef was making fun of me because I obviously don't speak Japanese and couldn't understand what he was saying. But he can mock me all he wants when he makes sushi like this.

Artist career analysis

2008-07-17T04:35:00.000-07:00

ArtNet's Career Analysing tool - taking the art out of art

"Based on the idea that the exhibition career predicts the market career Artfacts.Net has developed an artist career analysing tool."

There's something about this statement that seems so wrong. Almost like this tool should be accompanied by a "Find the Painting That Matches Your Couch Analysing Tool". FOR BEHOLD THE METRICS I PROVIDE TO JUDGE WHETHER THE ARTIST THAT CREATED THE PAINTING THAT MATCHES YOUR COUCH PROVIDES A SOUND FINACIAL INVESTMENT IN A BEAR MARKET.

2008-07-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

Two new additions to the vinyl collect courtesy of Mr. Grumpypants.
Oh yeah Cherry, my wainer organ is swinging.

Cock Flavour

2008-06-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

You had to know i'd post something like this.

see more pwn and owned pictures

A day in the decade

2008-06-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

Where are the Juul Haalmeyer Dancers when you need them? Oh they're over here. Man this rivals Sgt Pepper with the Bee Gees in sheer horridness. Also proving that Rolling Stone magazine was lame even in the 70s. Hang in till end because the Kissinger/Nixon bit is totally worth it.

Cat Parrtay

2008-06-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

Regardless of what any of our clients may say, finally getting Cat Party and Dog Party set as ringers on my new phone is the crowning achievement of yesterday. Telus doesn't make it easy to bypass their crappy ringers but was able to finangle a way around them with BitPim. BOOOSH!

Venture Bros Tees

2008-06-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Oooooo I do need a couple new tees

Monkey works at bar

2008-05-14T11:04:00.001-07:00

May have to go on a monkey rescue on the holiday or go for a drink

Bicycle Molestation

2008-05-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

Giving new meaning to Swedish massage, Swedish Man Convicted Of Bicycle Molestation

Iceman + Cheap Trick

2008-05-11T18:16:00.001-07:00

Iceman + Cheap Trick
Where my fascination with the Iceman started, and it had nothing to do with Kiss.

randy gut

2008-04-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of springtime in Calgary is the 20°C swings in temperatures which always makes the proper clothes selection for the day a tricky chore. Luckily when it heats up like it did today, the city is treated to some fine Randy-like shirtlessness by some of the finer physical specimens in town. Those first flashes of a pure white beer gut is like the return of the Canada Geese from the south or the first sign of gopher road kill of spring. Always eager to exhibit the profits of their winter exercise program of cheeseburger eating, often the best displays of the Randy-gut can be spotted while driving through some of the more upscale areas of Bowness, Ogden, the East Village, or Forest Lawn.

My Bloody Valentine

2008-04-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

My Bloody Valentine Finally Coming Back To The States
Is this for real? My Bloody Valentine are playing again? Can they please play somewhere closer to me?

PirateCow

2008-04-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Fresh as a newly dropped cowpatty, I've added a new site to the Craptastic media empire. Pirate Cow is up and broadcasting. In keeping with the Craptastic brand, quality is job number 4 or 5.

japanese knives

2008-04-21T12:47:00.001-07:00

Maybe I'll buy a couple of knives since my cheapo SuperSuckaStore knife just broke

6 words

2008-04-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

6 words
Liisa tagged me to contribute to the this "describe my life in six words meme". Took me a while to think of something that equalled 6 words. I mean there's lots of shorter descriptions i could throw out there like "consistently inconsistent","results may vary" or even "Douchbaggery-R-Us". But all are less than six words. So after much deliberation I settled on
"Richie Cunningham with a black heart"

Moleskine cities

2008-04-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Discovered that Moleskine has started to produce city notebooks with maps and info for major cities. Hopefully they'll have the Tokyo one out before i leave. Spidersenses tingling that it may be of use on the trip.

Abe Schmoigle

2008-03-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

Honest Abe
Giving America just what it wants. A viable candidate. Someone free from corruption. A visionary who speaks to the common man...So with a rushed Photoshopped poster, we are pleased to present Abe Schmoigle for president.

That's right. Abe Schmoigle. Pulling your pork America. Would you trust your pork in anyone else's hands?

Possible running mate of Great Mazinga yet to be confirmed.

The Replacements - Bastards of Young

2008-03-02T19:19:00.001-08:00