Date: 2009-12-01 14:29 Subject: And self-created drama on the subject of Life on Mars (UK version)! Security: Public Location: Classroom at Moka Kindergarten Mood: devious Tags: life on mars, 時空刑事 1973

So, I live in Japan. This creates interesting complications in my fandom life. Namely, sometimes I don't even hear about things until a year after they've aired. And I didn't start hearing Life on Mars mentioned until this year. Probably because of the U.S. version, but I digress. The nice part is that the U.K. version made an appearance in Tsutaya Rental shops! And because on my connection, downloading is still a pain and I have other things to get, I waited for it to go to cheap rental. And finally it did! Yay!

I went to the Interpark Tsutaya near my house and rented the first two volumes and found I liked Life on Mars very much. So I rented the second two and still liked it. Then I went in to rent the next two. Life on Mars was GONE. I thought it might have been moved to a different shelf, but could not find it. So I went to the counter. The following conversation took place largely in Japanese.

"Hi, I can't find the DVDs for Life on Mars. Can you help me?"
The guy looked in their computer database. "Ah, the CDs are over there in the music section."
I nodded calmly and said, "I'm looking for the DVDs. It's a television program."
He took this well, looked again and asked me to write down the title. I did. And then he said, "We don't carry that."
"I just rented it here last week," I pointed out sharply.
This made him a bit nervous. You know how unpredictable we foreigners are. But another employee came over to help look. Whatever she read on the computer (likely the Japanese title) sent her out to the shelves where I'd been. The DVDs continued to be not there. But she finally found them in the office. Life on Mars had been leased by Tsutaya, and the lease was almost up. They were getting ready to send the series back to the distributor. Fortunately, they still had volumes 5-8 and allowed me to rent those.

I really like the series. But they were getting sent back. Hmm. So on Friday the 27th I went back to return 5-8 and rent 1-4 again while I could. I looked up one of the managers who talks to me frequently and he said, "Ah. We already returned those." I blinked and pointed at the line on the DVD case which said the lease is up 12/31. But 1-4 were already gone.
I decided I liked the series enough to buy the DVDs. Preferably Japanese editions because, you know, subtitles for my Japanese friends who need those. But it turns out they're not available in Japan. Well that was quite a fact to have to swallow. I asked, "What are the distributors going to do with these DVDs, then?" He didn't know. Then he asked me to wait and phoned around to some of the other local branches. Happy day, the Moka Tsutaya still had theirs! I asked him to write me a note explaining that I wanted to rent volumes 1-8 so I would not have to go through all these explanations again. He did, which was very kind of him, and I trotted straight off to the Moka branch.

I'm decently acquainted with the layout of that store, so went to the likely shelves and, sure enough, they were still there. But THEIR lease end date says 11/30. Hmm. No sense wasting time. I grabbed all eight and headed for the counter, where the young woman started scanning them in and then said, "Oh but you can't rent all eight of them."
I whined in English, "But I have a note!" and held it out. Like most Japanese, especially when they don't know you, she did not have the courage to try to deal with ye old unpredictable foreigner (especially one with a note from the manager of another branch) and explain the probable simple fact that these DVDs were supposed to be sent back on Monday. She gave in and rented them to me.

So, I've um, made sure I have my own copies of the series, and am pretty relieved about that so I can watch them at my leisure and share them with my Japanese friends who'll be able to read the mostly accurate subtitles. I've also downloaded the U.S. version, which has much mock-worthiness in the first episode. It might've sat better if I hadn't only recently seen the original. I will struggle through it, and hopefully enjoy it.

Also have seen Ashes to Ashes season 1 and 2. Can't wait for 3! Life on Mars' Japanese title is Jikuu Keiji 1973. 時空刑事

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Date: 2009-11-18 19:33 Subject: brief on Disney's 2009 Christmas Carol Security: Public

Human characters are, as usual, poorly rendered by CG. Why is it always so?

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Date: 2009-11-18 17:00 Subject: Look! An update of sorts! Security: Public

So, I've learned what the multi-key on my cellphone does! No more randomly shutting off manner-mode.

Shin-influenza has struck the Kanuma Kindergarten where I work on Wednesday and Thursday. At a rough guess, 1/3rd of the students I usually teach came down with it. I wonder whether I'll manage to get vaccinated in time or not? It swept the household of one Saturday student, a lady in her late fifties. She told me that Tamiflu really knocked down her fever.

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Date: 2009-10-19 22:50 Subject: A dirty ditty I learned in my youth Security: Public Location: Living room Mood: confused Music: BGM in Primeval

Very odd that I remember so much of this one. Clearly deviated from another song, haha, I cannot find it though I've tried.

"Tralala boom dee ay
I met a boy today
He gave me fifty cents
to go behind the fence

He pulled my pants down"

(I suspect lyrics between here and the next)

"My mother was surprised
to see my tummy rise.
My father jumped for joy
because it was a boy."

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Date: 2009-10-14 06:35 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public Location: Living room Mood: pessimistic Tags: movie

So, I rented this movie... and had to deal with commercials.

The first starts with a quote: "The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes." -- Benjamin Disraeli {Prime Minister of England]. Well, there seem to be a few people who can act and there are a few faces I know in it. But in the story, scientists create monsters and a war goes on. Don't know much more, except it looks like a shoestring budget movie. I suppose I could research... The Japanese title seems to be "Biocreature Rising" while the 'real' title is "The Absence of Light"

The next commercial is more professionally done and involves the charming Emma Caulfield in a movie whose Japanese title is "The Dark Water: Beginning of Panic". Then the official title says Deadly Inheritance. But to track it down the title ends up being "In Her Mother's Footsteps".

Then there's a movie with a Fraser in it. This one bores me already. Oh. He's not a Fraser. His name is Jeremy London. "Kiss and the Scandal". Ah. The net says the real titles is "Kiss me Again."

It's like a steady run of B movies. Next is a camping horror. Man with an ax, bouncing boobies, screaming. And then people start attacking each other insanely. They're being possessed by some alien force. Though why.... "SF panic" the Japanese fellows says. Has actual kanji for the title.　地球に襲来する日 The real title seems to be "The Orb".

The movie I rented is titled 186. Or its real title: "EVER SINCE THE WORLD ENDED" yes, all uppercase. So, I shall see that.

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Date: 2009-10-11 10:05 Subject: Writer's Block: The one that got away Security: Public Tags: one that got away, soulmate, the one, writer's block

Er... no. I mean, not as such. I have noticed that a number of fools want a soulmate so badly that they end up with some loser who needs a parent-figure. They are unable to distinguish a need for a really good head-shrinker from "S/he needs me we're perfect for each other!"

I've decided there's no such thing as "the one who got away." There is, instead, such a thing as "I need a head-shrinker because I have not resolved my past stupidity. Plus, you know, mid-life crisis!"

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Date: 2009-09-22 12:13 Subject: A purpose in life: To present people with unexpected questions Security: Public

So... a while back I went swimming at a river with a friend and her offspring. The place we went is in Nikko and really out there as in hah-hah MY CURRENT housing is not in the boonies, it pretends to be! But now there's Joyful Honda and the FKD Interpark Mall nearby.
So, we went swimming at a spot below an inn that's been closed ever since the owner died. My friend and her family had stayed at that inn before. We chatted bemusedly about "Wouldn't it be nice to live out here and maybe run the inn?"
I can already hear the screaming.
Yesterday, a former student and I drove all the way there and I wandered around taking photos, including one of the carved and polished wooden um... phallic symbol.
Then we drove up the road until we found a neighborhood KOBAN (where the neighborhood policeman lives) and asked the startled fellow if he could tell us how to contact the owner because I wanted to live there. Boggling, he asked if I meant permanently. I explained that I really needed more information before that question could be answered.
So, he called the owner's number while we waited outside and was told to g'head and give us the contact information. The owner is a Mr. Watanabe.
But Mr. Watanabe himself was not at home and his wife suggested we try later. And we did.
He had questions such as how many people? One?! She'll be lonely. And how much would I be willing to pay for rent.
I wondered if it's livable, is there a bath and how garbage disposal is dealt with.
He offered to meet Wednesday morning in Kanuma near one of the train stations because his company is over there. I've suggested Thursday afternoon, because I'll be in Kanuma, anyway. I'm hoping to pay no more'n 5man en. And, of course, I wonder about utilities. There's a beat-up washing machine outside....

Mind, this is currently only a matter of interest to me. No way will I move there unless I feel it is financially all right.

Muah-hah.

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Date: 2009-09-05 11:15 Subject: Quake! Little one Security: Public

So, at about 10:59 AM Saturday there was a 4.4 quake in Tochigi. It rattled the room in which I was teaching. I trotted downstairs to ask the magnitude and my friend and her husband said "That was just a passing truck." I bet them a thousand yen. As you can see, I won. My students were cute about it.

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Date: 2009-08-22 08:15 Subject: Murphy's Law strikes viciously Security: Public

I just won't explain. It's too frustrating for words.

Aside from that, a rock chipped my windshield and now a fine crack is making its way across. I had some sharp stomach pains last week and feel a bit unsettled, now. These things are probably not related. After all, I couldn't sleep last night. And I TRIED!! I stayed in bed and did not read or get up to use the Internet.

So, I am standing in line waiting for the doctor's office to open so I can get some sleeping pills. I've an online friend who always howls about valium, but she doesn't seem to actually consume.

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Date: 2009-08-18 16:55 Subject: And so True Blood Season 2 Security: Public

I didn't expect to like True Blood. Whoopie, another vampire show with lone good vampires trying to save humans from evil! Hmph.

Well, some friends got me to watch the first season. Oh, there are many things to roll my eyes at. Still, the acting pleased me. I even went and read the books.

This left me annoyed with the Maryanne character as portrayed on the show. For one, she and Sam played happily together in the books. But HBO just wanted an excuse to show orgies.

I'm good with Lafayette staying alive and well... But Tara was the owner of a clothing store in the books. And her mother was dead, but that's all right that the mother part is different.

And then came Godric. In the show, he's Eric's maker. He'd seen the man's fighting spirit and appreciated him. Eric was dying, and Godric offered him a new life.

Godric in the book had the same physical description. But he had nothing to do with Eric. He'd taken to calling himself Godfrey. And he had a history of raping and murdering children.

Since it came up in the books that, though Eric's preference is to lay with women, his maker had prefered men and Eric'd been obliged to comply, fans declared that Godric must be gay! Well, he could be. Sure. But that point is presently moot. In the show, there is no indication of a sexual relationship. Father, brother, son. It's also not of great interest to me. Other people's reactions are.

But it was sad to lose him. Paralleling the book, Godric had decided to end his existence. The show Godric meant it to soothe and defuse the hate for vampires. But he hadn't thought things through. That the vampires in his nest and his own Eric would try to rescue him. He had to allow the rescue to stop the others from slaughtering the humans.

And then came the suicide bomber. Boom and so many injured and a few dead. The results allowed Godric to put his affairs in order and assign his successor. Only Eric and Sookie seemed to know that he was going to go through with it. Bill tried to avoid knowing. So she was witness to the final interaction between maker and child. To Eric's wail of loss and Godric's implacable resolution. Eric had to obey Godric, who sent him off. But Sookie stayed to stand witness.

And their final conversation was also poignant. Ah, Godric, we hardly knew thee.

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Date: 2009-08-15 21:25 Subject: Our application for permanent residency status in Japan has been APPROVED! Security: Public Location: living room Mood: ecstatic Tags: japan customs

Whoopie! Whee! YAHOO!

SQUEEE!

It's just I can't think of anything more fitting to say!

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Date: 2009-08-13 21:34 Subject: My turn at the DBAD Security: Public Location: Living Room Mood: chipper Tags: dbad

DBAD

http://fragbert.livejournal.com/442522.html

As with my friend who I got this from, I also already do what's on this, pretty regularly.

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Date: 2009-08-12 14:05 Subject: It's Obon Security: Public

Week of the Dead.

About 14 months ago, one of my adult students died in a car accident. His wife was about eight months pregnant. I lost touch with her after that, and she moved back to her hometown with her daughter.

She is here for Obon, though. I contacted her last week and arranged to meet today. I set the incense burning and rang the bell to greet her husband's spirit and blinked back tears. He was a nice fellow and his wife is nice, too. She's holding up under her duty to greet all those who come by to honor her husband's spirit. This Obon, as the one a year after his death, is important. So, many people will come to pay their respects.

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Date: 2009-08-07 14:39 Subject: Writer's Block: I May Be Crazy Security: Public Tags: writer's block

A laughing elfin face.

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Date: 2009-08-03 06:18 Subject: Sunday, a barbecue Security: Public

Yesterday I attended a barbecue thrown by an American family living in Utsunomiya. So much tasty food! The parents are embalmers, though the wife doesn't work as one these days. They have three children, two are grown. Their son is quite tall and has a deep voice. Their older daughter is also quite tall. I can't remember her name.... The youngest daughter is not so tall, but leggy. She owns a dwarf hamster and a turtle. All three seem very happy and bright to boot!

I'd never met embalmers before, and certainly didn't expect to meet foreign ones working here. Another American friend of theirs who was there is also an embalmer, but he lives in Yokohama. We talked about TV shows. That was nifty!

We also did a few rounds of "20 Questions: Who am I?" Suggested by Michelle (lady of the house), someone gets a famous name taped to their back and asks until they figure out who. Michelle chose Indiana Jones for me. I couldn't get it! Though I did ask if it was Batman or Superman before I ran out of questions. I'd've done James Bond soon....

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Date: 2009-08-01 09:34 Subject: So, I recently cut out someone I only know over the Internet. Security: Public Location: Living Room Mood: restless

So, this person I've know over the internet for ages had four cats. Two males, two females. If I remember correctly, one was the mother. I advised him to get them neutered, especially because of how male cats get. Well, he didn't. Frustrated with their adult male hormone-driven behavior, he called in Animal Control, who caught the terrified male cats and took them away. "They didn't love me like the girl cats do," my friend said.

Then he moved to a new house with his girl cats. And the mother cat went into heat again, yowling all night keeping him from sleeping and certainly irritating his new roommates. Since he didn't want a repeat of the scene with the boys, he put her in a carry case, took her away from the house and released her. After all, if she couldn't behave herself... well two cats are too many for him. And posting about it, he listed me as a person he thought might be angry about it.

I am. So I took him off my buddy lists and ignored his attempts to contact me in chat. Then I thought about how awful I feel when I can't contact someone. So, I PM'd him explaining that I wasn't going to talk to him any more because he'd dumped his cat and I felt that was cold-hearted and cruel.

So he replied in public on my journal and I am not changing a word:
so your just gonna walk away from me.....aka stab me in the back? And why, I ask? Is it because a certain girl from new york has been telling you about me? Or is it because my views are too offensive for you?

Ether way, I'm doing just fine so I don't need to assoicate myself with the likes of you ether.

Thanks for wasting my time, 'friend'. Oh and tell your friend megan should she ever give a shit about the people she talked to online again I said "hi".

Notice how, nowhere in here does he once mention the cat or what he did to it? After all, I don't know who the girl from New York is. And the girl Megan, when I read the name, I could not at first remember who he was talking about. Well, then I remembered. That Megan is a person I only knew through him and do not talk with at all. Last time I talked with her was when she was er... playing with his emotions. Maybe she did that again. Ah, well.

There. He gets his very own livejournal entry from me, which he probably will never, ever see.

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Date: 2009-07-25 03:46 Subject: So I changed my hair style, hahah Security: Public Location: My living room Mood: amused Tags: haircut

So, as I've muttered every summer about it being too muggy here, this summer I took steps with the help of a friend!



One American friend is uncomfortable with my choosing this style. It's a pity it has such a bad name. It's actually quite comfortable and has made bathing much faster. I don't know if I'll ever go this short again, but I've never done it before. The little kids all seem to get a kick out of it. I did warn them. I've been saying for a few weeks that I was going to get my hair cut really, really short. This is, of course, more than they imagined. They all want to touch my head. I'm told my head at least has a very pleasant shape, so yay there!

From behind, it looks just like the four and five year old boys' heads. From the front, of course, you can see my wrinkles. Hahah.

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Date: 2009-07-22 22:16 Subject: The boy from Drifting Classroom Security: Public

I'm watching MW. A fellow playing sidekick detective in this movie looks suspiciously like the boy who played Sho in the movie, all those years ago.

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Date: 2009-07-19 14:34 Subject: オルトロスの犬 or Dog of Orthros Security: Public Location: Living Room Mood: amused Tags: tv

Hmm. New drama on Friday the 24th starring Takizawa! The ever popular young man seems to be the villain of this piece.

TBS has a vaguely informative page on it: http://www.tbs.co.jp/orthros-dog/

Heheh, it's being touted as an "American-style" mystery. Which seems to mean to them that there is no absolute ending. "Like 24, Lost and Prison Break!" it says.

At any rate, it looks worth checking into for me.

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Date: 2009-07-18 11:39 Subject: And so I rented assorted videos Security: Public Location: Living Room Mood: chipper Tags: movies

There is nothing unusual about this, even in this day and age.

There is a series of OVAs titled 今日からマ王！R (Kyo kara Maoh) basically, there is a charming young prince who has to learn to wield his magic. Naturally, he's a nitwit but a sweet one. He has a muttering sword that, it seems, scans for babes for him. Anyway, don't know the show that well, but I do appreciate the art.

I also rented the most recent Gamera movie, the Pokemon DarkCry movie, あらしのよるに (night of the storm) a tale about a sheep and a wolf who get stuck for the night together and become friends. And Soylent Green. I figured I had better see it before a remake comes out.

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