Olympus Pen Mini E-PM2

I acquired a micro four-thirds camera while in Japan this past spring. One of the main justifications included being cheaper in Japan even with the then-atrocious exchange rate. Another is that it's much more compact than the Canon Rebel DSLR. A relatively minor but still important one is that it's cute, and so is the girl who advertises for it. 

Requisite shoe/foot "selfie" with fallen sakura petals. I had never seen Japan during the cherry blossom season, and my timing was perfect. I arrived as they started to bloom and left as they fell. So I got to enjoy quite the spectacle. Also, these Liberty x Nike Sky High Dunks are the greatest things ever. There's a hidden wedge, so you get a little boost in height and leg length, if they are exposed. It might be good, if this sort of thing can ever be good, to "practice" for wearing higher heels at all. I think Nike knows that these are too popular not to make any more, so I'm waiting for the right print to appear to grab another pair.  

I planted radishes in late April. This past weekend, about a third of them were ready to be consumed with slices of buttered baguette and a sprinkle of salt.  According to Ina Garten, this is how French schoolboys snack. 

While basketball and hockey linger, baseball begins and its headlines are routinely ignored for Miami Heat news. Here, we went to a Tampa Bay vs. White Sox game in late April. Of course, it was freezing. We went a month later, just this past weekend. Of course, it was freezing. At least we got to see fireworks both times. This Olympus has a lot of settings, including a "fireworks" one, so I got this semi-decent shot. Semi because the fireworks look fancy, but the rest of the stadium makes you feel like you might be a little tipsy. There are other "art" settings, or modes, you can use to take pictures. I don't know the details, but I think it's like using a filter (yes, like Instagram filters, what other filters would I be talking about) without saving a raw, unfiltered form of the image. It's kind of unnecessary but fun to have on hand. 

On chilly days, I wrap her up in her tiger blanket. I'm not sure she cares. I think she at least appreciates the pillows, particularly the blue one with the now-old school Doraemon print. As usual, Mitsu is a happy camper!

My most recent obsession right now is the historical drama series "Yae no Sakura." So, I'm also interested in the collapse of the Tokugawa regime. It makes me think about Japanese identity in a way than I've ever considered before...but I think about it like, ALL THE TIME. I have had to read the chapter on the fall of the Tokugawa bakufu in a book I used in a modern Japanese history class back at Grinnell with Professor Hshieh. I'm even re-reading some sections because so much drama went down in Tokyo and Kyoto during this time, and it's hard to keep track of all the details. It's funny, I used to care more about World War II, but I realize now how terribly ignorant I was of Japan's modernity and how it came to be. And all I had to do was get sucked into at least ONE historical drama. Best believe I'll be studying up on Kuroda Kanbei for the 2014 series. It'll star my favorite Johnny's actor, Okada Junichi. I knew his time would come! Or does being in an NHK series mean you're done? Anyway, there are homework materials to gather in the next six months!

And in two weeks, we will be taking a trip to Japan where I serve as the main guide and translator for Mordecai's family. But all I can hear in my mind is olde [sic] style Japanese language used in higher courts among lords, nobles, and their advisors, and in either a western or northeastern dialect, on top of it all. None of these forms of Japanese are useful for me in present-day Japan! Anyhoo, I live, the blog lives; expect some more posts on Japan or Japanese things, the only thing I will spend extra time to blog about!  

Japanese people

Every trip to Japan calls for a trip to Kamakura. Currently in Japan, there seems to be a big boom in miniature poodles of this brown color, I think because they look like teddy bears. My mom wants one (I'm not sure to what degree she's being ironic-funny because Oji is so huge [friendly, but huge]) so she coos at them when she sees them. This woman seemed kind of social, like she wanted people to notice her teddy bear dog, so my mom asked if it was okay to take a picture (so this is not a "stolen image.") I wanted it to be a shot of the two of them but the woman held herself back a bit. I loved the woman's look--compared to other people, she had the aura of a "celeb." When we took the picture, she said to dog, "Aren't you lucky, they wanted your picture!" Somehow this strikes me as classic Kamakura. People are naturally cool about everything, including their wealth and dogs and the city's rich and long history. Just a giant Buddha statue and tons of old shrines and temples people love to visit, no big deal.

Halfway through our trip, my mom and I remembered we needed to visit the family grave. We spoke with the temple's aging priest, wandered around my mom's childhood neighborhood, and stopped by this lovely little coffee shop, "Coffee Yama," right around the corner from the Koganecho train station. They love their cigarettes--a sign at the entrance almost boasts that there are no non-smoking seats. (Non-smoking areas are increasingly more common these days; GyuKaku was all non-smoking!) They sell them at the register, too, including some Che Guevara variety. When we walked in, we were greeted by Kraftwerk's "Pocket Calculator." The interior is very Showa--1970's-80's, dark, kind of comfortably cramped. I thought it provided the perfect scene for strange characters to meet in a Murakami Haruki novel. Most customers were by themselves, but these ladies were chatting away. They had apparently ordered Coke floats and were delighted by their arrival. 

This lady, even in her train-nap, is not pleased. This was on the Keihin Kyuko (KeiKyu) line, which is *so cheap*! How could this woman still be mad? She even has an end seat and no one next to her! Just an obnoxious weirdo across from her, taking pictures of her and posting them on the Internet.

While waiting for Naomi at Sakuragicho, I noticed a kid on a payphone. That means he doesn't have a cell phone. I loved the expression on his face while he waited for someone to pick up on the other line. He seems serious and earnest. Also, the Japanese always carry extra bags in addition to their main one (like purses, or in this case, a "randoseru," or the bulky, square backpack elementary school kids carry). I imagine in this kid's case, at least one of the bags is for "juku," or cram school. But that doesn't fit in the giant box-bookbag thing he's shouldering? The other thing is that people always carry "omiyage" or gifts to their destinations, especially if they are seeing or visiting someone. I can see that giving gifts as often as the Japanese do might require extra bags. But what's in the TEPRA bag? 

More stolen images to come.

Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.

I won't subject my parents to the Interwebs, though there are probably traces of them here and there anyway. I like these photos, which I'll post instead. These are the characters I see and deal with everyday, myself included.

Day Fifteen

Day 15: Something you don't leave the house without.

I don't leave home without my keys, phone, wallet, lip stuff, my super chic eczema meds, and thoughts of Mitsu. Is she winking? Or partially falling asleep?

Oblivious

Speaking of the Meat Stew, we bathed her for the first time this weekend. Generally, she is a pretty clean dog. She doesn't smell doggy and she licks herself clean frequently, I guess not unlike a cat, which I've read is a common trait among Shibas. But I wanted her to get used to bathing, or at least treat it as not a big deal as you are apparently supposed to do with everything. On Saturday morning, we took her to Soggy Paws, where they provide everything except labor. She didn't seem to mind the water or the shampooing--I imagine she secretly enjoyed the massaging, but she didn't want to let it be known. But after we rinsed and towel-dried, we blow-dried her fur, which scared two poop nuggets out of her! Poor thing. I think we'll be DIYing washes in the backyard during the summer so she can air dry, and if she must be bathed in the winter, peanut butter may help, but we may get special presents regardless if we attempt to blow dry.

Help?

Help! I feel funny.

Day Eight

Day 8 – A song to match your mood.

I don't know that either of these songs 'match my mood' but they have been in my head for the past week. Dan gave me Adele's '21' album, and I've been listening to it in the car nonstop. I keep forgetting to bring it in and copy it onto my iTunes so that I can pass the good shit on to Emily. I like to listen to the songs and arrange the lyrics to Mitsu's circumstances or personality. "Rumor has it...rumor has it...rumor has it Mitsu has some tummy troubles~" "There's a fire, burning in my dog!" And so on. 

Bonus factoid: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" was actually written for the only real "little monster" who belongs to no one but herself--Mitsu. I imagine she sings the song with amended lyrics when, say, the vet says to me and Mordecai that we're raising her well. "It doesn't matter who my real parents are...or who my human parents are...I'm putting my paws up...Ms. Vet, I was born this way! I was born this way, I was born this way...My name is Mitsu Scheckter, I was born this way!"

Roast puppy de cassis

Today Wendy DeCarlo came to our house for some puppy consultation. We have books and cable TV, which all let us know that we aren't horrible dog-parents or that Mitsu is a she-devil. But all of that provides only general information--even the Shiba Inu book--so we wanted a trainer to meet her and assess our particular situation. I don't want to be one of those parents who brag about their dogs and children, but I think she did pretty good today. It helps that she came to us crate-trained by the breeders, and that she naturally has an outgoing and confident personality. The more I think about it, the more it seems like Poo Monster Dud exhibited more skittish behavior--"I see you but I don't really feel like acknowledging you"--whereas Mitsu was much more willingly interactive with us when we hung out with the two pups in the breeder's living room.

This evening, Mordecai and I made roast chicken. It wasn't difficult! It helped that the Food Network posted Ina Garten's roast chicken episode on YouTube. This was our first time, so our chicken-carving skills are pretty non-existent, and the bed of vegetables was more like jail-cell-bed than Ritz-Carlton bed so most of them overcooked. I wish there was a way to practice cutting chicken without actually using meat. (...Is there?) Dessert came from a recipe in Maida Heatter's book, which was the super easy grapefruit and crème de cassis with a little bit of honey (above). I don't know what it is about it--it's like raspberry and grape combined?--but cassis is one of my all time favorite flavors ever. It makes me feel nostalgic, but I don't know for what. Like I grew up with it. Or maybe I was a little black currant in my past life.

Best of 2010

I don't know if I have any resolutions for this year except to continue ones from last year--wake up early (now mandatory with the puppy, but then naps-with-puppy become a problem); maintain healthy hair, nails, skin. And then there's some usual stuff, but it's probably more "grow the eff up" than resolutions, like be productive, clean the house, cook more often, spend wisely, and so on. One thing I do know is that I didn't go berserk for baseball in 2010, so I'd like to return to 2009-style passion for 2011 baseball. Anyway, like I did last year, here are my reflections on 2010.

Personal Best of 2010

Book: Axel Honneth, "Struggle for Recognition" & Thomas Harris, "Silence of the Lambs"

Album: Kylie Minogue, "Aphrodite"

Place visited: Yokohama, Japan & Vandalia, Ohio

Meal cooked: Pork-ginger-miso dish from Orange Page, the Japanese equivalent of "Real Simple"

Movie: Nodame Cantabile: The Final Score, parts 1 & 2

Article read: Stanley Cavell, "Knowing and Acknowledging" & "Avoidance of Love"

Information learned: Various things about owning a home and a dog, including how common it is to improperly care for both of these things

Quote discovered: I don't really have a favorite quote from this year. Basically, I find inspiration in any philosopher (i.e., Stanley Cavell) who criticizes parts of mainstream analytic philosophy (i.e. an overemphasis on rationality and science at the expense of the self) that I find strange (i.e., the quote from last year will do).

Item Bought: Honda Fit, house, Mitsu

Honorable Mentions: Reduced access to Facebook by about 99% from previous years; reduced spending on clothes and shoes significantly (only to spend them on Japan, the house, and Mitsu); increased interest in some classical music; MET LORD MIGGY

Shiba World

2011 Mameshiba Calendar 

Mitsu is bed-less because she destroys them, and towel-less because she pees on them. So she is left with the hardwood floor or our laps. Here, she is nestled between my calves, on her back, teeth exposed. Also photographed are my fleece socks, which I've realized, after living in the Midwest for 26 years, are absolutely necessary in the winter. Do they come in non-hippie, non-40 year old mom prints? (I'm sure they do, but I don't actually care. Warmth is my priority!)

Today, we went to the vet so she could get some more puppy vaccination shots and to check on her heart murmur. The vet reports that she no longer hears the murmur! Unfortunately though, Mitsu was not treated to Gerber baby food like she was during her first visit. She got rid of her murmur, allowed the vet tech and vet to probe and prick her, and all she got were some cookies! Life is so hard for a sweet faced puppy. So I gave her the beloved chicken and chicken gravy baby food when we got back. After playing with her millions of toys, and after I did my nails and after Mordecai played Metal Gear Solid 4, she got sleepy and sweet, like nectar, like her name.

MITSU!

She's here! Our Hanukkah Puppy!

The six hour ride home went rather smoothly. But I'm so exhausted, mostly from worrying, anxiety, and driving in crappy weather, rather than actually taking care of her. I had read that new environments can cause a lot of stress in puppies, that their first car rides can make them sick, that potty training is difficult or tedious, that you have to assert your authority right away, that the first couple of nights involve a lot of what should be ignored crying and whining, and so on. For now, she's adjusting well, and responding to both Mordecai and me. It's only Day One, so I'm thankful that there have been no serious issues. But damn, it's a really long Day One, I could pass out any second.

An Expensive Callgirl

Purchased a sweet knife from W&S as a wedding gift. Jack was with us again for a few days. He's like, "Where's Joe, my new BFF!"

Leopard print seems to be everywhere this fall. I was going through the latest issue of ViVi, a Japanese women's fashion magazine, and on about every 10 pages, there would be a model in leopard print something, or there would be a bunch of leopard print coats laid out for comparison. I'm not really sure why I got into it myself, or if I got into it because it's so ubiquitous now, but anyway, I'm a big fan.

Do you ever have those moments when shopping where you come across something so wonderful that you gasp out loud? That happened with this coat. I was looking for a different faux fur coat at H&M, a longer and solid colored one, but instead came across this short jacket. I like that it's snow leopard, like my new operating system (many thanks to DJ Price). When I tried it on, Mordecai started laughing and said I looked like an expensive callgirl. I said, "I'll take it."

I'm also proud of my outfits that vary in color. I happen to have pink and blue oxford shirts from Target and matching knee high socks for each shirt. The weather has cooled off a lot, but it's hard to gauge how cold I'm going to be outside. I imagine that 55 degrees is insanely cold, but then I get out there looking like an expensive callgirl and it turns out I'm fine.

Colors

School has started again, piano will start again, the end of baseball season is approaching, and football season is on its way. I heard from Sean who heard from his brother that the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a bad winter for the Great Lakes area. Even without that prediction, I'd still be scared of the winter, and I'm preparing for the worst anyway. My plan is to avoid winter blues by paying attention to football, baking, cleaning (!), and keeping color around me. As a result, I've been thinking about changing the background of this blog to white, or some other pastel-y color. Stay tuned. I'm also thinking about highlighting my hair some more. Stay tuned.

For Labor Day weekend, we dog-sat this superdawg named Jackson. He's easy to take care of because he never barks, doesn't eat or beg for people food, doesn't destroy things, and is well-behaved. Well, he does stick his head in your crotch and kind of nuzzles around. Some people find that offensive, and others like myself find it endearing.

I've also gone through three football drafts this past weekend. I have no idea who anyone is, and I've once again upset Joe by taking his preferred players without knowledge of who they are, what position they play, or what team they play for. All I knew was that Andre Johnson was my first auto-pick in Matt's Fleaflicker league, and that some guy named Cole or Coles was bald, and I thought it'd be nice to have a bald man on my team. Where ignorance is bliss for some, it is apparently hell for others.

Sonia Kashuk for Target eyeshadow brush, Shu Uemura lip/eye brush, MAC 187 I-guess-anything-for-face brush

Also, I'm becoming obsessed with makeup. I don't know much, and there are few resources for true-blue monolids and Anpanman faces. Not that I'm complaining about these features. Makeup is so much fun! I never thought this day would come, but here it is. Makeup and football.

Weather Changes

I feel like being both productive and unproductive at once. So I paint my nails and blog?

It's been unusually warm the past few days in Chicago. Last weekend, after my piano lesson and hunting down Hegel's "Introduction to the Philosophy of History" at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore (who else has 25 copies lying around on the shelves?), Mordecai and I visited the unfrozen lake. There were lots of people out and about, particularly with babies and dogs. I wondered if the dogs were confused by their owners suddenly wanting to go on extra walks. Do they notice big weather changes and care like we do?

This past Tuesday it was 60+ degrees (15+ Celcius) and jackets were unnecessary. I forgot my cell phone in my parents' car on Monday night, so we went to pick it up and let Oji out.

One of these days I am going to have to photograph his snaggle-tooth face. His lips (?) get caught on his fangs and he looks...special, let's just say.

Oji

Meet Oji. He is the new addition to my parents' household, a 4-or-5 year old Akita rescued from Michigan via MARS. He's still new to everything, but is very gentle and trusting. His name translates to "prince" in Japanese, and is also close enough to the Japanese pronunciation of "Ozzie," his previous name. "Oji" also sounds to me like "O.G.," but he is hardly an original gangster--for instance, he is attached to my dad, can't sleep alone, and doesn't seem to understand the concept of playing with toys (sad!). But who knows, maybe he will start regulating Logan Square soon enough.

When Yuki passed away last March, I was really cynical about pet-ownership. I was even thinking of things to say to my future child about how owning a pet is ultimately bad. But time has made things slightly more bearable. I think Oji is incredibly needy and possibly overly trusty of people, so he's a good fit for my parents, who tend to be overly give-y. This is to say that among other borderline-crazy things that will happen, he will be fed organic chicken while they eat non-organic chicken.

Internet and Hot Dogs

Marron & Sakura

I'm experiencing a sudden burst of internet availability FROM MY OWN LAPTOP at my uncle's. What a fine feeling, to return to my own bookmarks, to use Adium, to download profusely from Jpopsuki to save money so I don't waste lots of money on CDs at HMV, to randomly Google random things on Google.COM and not .co.jp. The list is both endless and frivolous.