Spring in My Step.

Today is a treat for me; it's the first day of Spring which means that it's a National Holiday called 春分の日 (shunbun no hi). Since I'm not working at either of my jobs and there's nothing open for me to go flog a resume at, I can chill all day and do some Spring Cleaning.

But before I go there, here are some Springy Comics courtesy of the Grand Comics Database:

Let's start off with Veronica showing off her new kimono.











Our favourite Alien Life Form enjoying a spring up the backside.











Walt Kelly is more famous for Pogo but I like these magic mushrooms.











Of course Spring is the time for birds & bees and others to make whoopee.











The funniest Lobo cover ever with an appropriately placed barcode.











I only really like the original Gold Key version of Turok, but there were no Spring break issues. (That link'll take you to a Preview of an Animated feature.)










Jo-Joy was a man who thought he was a loner.











This cartoon features Coil Man who can spring into action. The Impossibles are known as the
ｽｰﾊﾟｰｽﾘｰ (Super-Three) and that link'll take you to an awesome YouTube of their theme in Japanese.









Not technically spring-oriented, but each of those guys has spring-like stretchy powers.










Finally it is also Earth Day today.

The Sentinel.

Science Fiction has lost another of its greats. Arthur C. Clarke has undergone his Childhood's End and will soon Rendezvous With Rama. The man who put the Science back in Science Fiction, Clarke will most likely be best remembered for co-authoring 2001: A Space Odyssey and its many prequels and sequels. The above linked books are the only ones I remember well, but I know I read several more as a youth.

Speaking of science, Sir Arthur was the conceiver of the communications satellite decades before it became a reality and geosynchronous orbits, which keep satellites in a fixed position relative to the ground, are thus called Clarke orbits.

To learn what you can do to carry on his legacy, might I suggest you head to his foundation and see what you can do.

For a tribute, I recommend:

Momotaro vs Mickey!

Sorry I don't have time to write much lately, so another video will have to suffice. But this one is a doozy! Filmed in 1934 and taking place in the far future of 1936, this piece of propaganda pits the famous Momotaro against a malicious Mickey. Enjoy!



Thanks to BoingBoing for the link!

Something Bugs Me About This!

I'm taking a break from Job hunting on the Net and came across this hypochondriac's worst nightmare, BoingBoing a 16th Century Medical Book. This article from Pink Tentacle has a good annotated English version, but for the purists amongst you, go straight to the source and read it in Japanese. (Pictured here is 亀積　かめしゃく (Kameshaku, literally "Angered Turtle") who eats rice and wears an umbrella-like hat that blocks medicine. It can be destroyed by eating wild beans.

腰の虫　こしのむし (Koshi no mushi, literally "Back Bug") is my favourite drawing and I suspect I suffer from the affliction. It flies into a host's body and makes its way to the lower back area, where it causes diarrhea, sweating and chest pains. The herbs mokko and kanzo (licorice root) are an effective treatment.

Top 'o the Morning to Ya.

Another St. Pattie's Day has come and gone and I didn't get much of a chance to celebrate yesterday. (I did though raise a few glasses on Sunday, sort of a pre-emptive strike.) While out on Sunday, Ando & I witnessed a parade/protest of "No Nukes" Ninnies (I really don't believe they are ninnies, but go with the alliteration.)

Once again captured with my cell phone are a few seconds of a worthy cause:



Next Saturday is Sendai's St. Patrick's Day Parade, I may be working and unable to attend, but I should be able to poke my head in between lessons. (If you click the second link, be forewarned that it may not be entirely Safe for Work.)

Oh Laaaaaaaaaaady!

Happy Birthday to Jerry Lewis who turns 82 today!

Japanese connection? Here he is in The Geisha Boy. Follow the clips to watch more of this masterpiece:

Energy Equals Mass X the Speed of Sound Squared.

Do I sound Einsteinian there? Today is Π Day but because it's also Einstein's birthday, modern Physicists are promoting today as "Talk Like a Physicist Day" (in the vein of "Talk Like a Pirate Day.") My favourite physicist blogs on the Twisted Physics site and makes this particular science comprehensible even to me. I first read of the concept of "Talking like a Physicist" here and I think it's a great idea (but not so simple a task for we simple-minded folk.)

So while you're chowing down on your PIe today, remember:
Physicists do it Relatively more often! (Click on that link for some much better Physics-isms.)

Oh yeah, it's also White Day today, the follow-up to Valentine's Day. Since I didn't get any loot last month, I don't have to give any out today!

Rocketeer to the Rescue...

I first read about the untimely demise of artist extraordinaire, Dave Stevens this morning, but I wanted to go home and copy this metal sign before I mentioned anything. I wish I could find my Kubrick figure! My favourite Rocketeer memory would be travelling through the States on a camping trip with buddy Bob and hitting all the Burger Kings in order to collect all the toys. They weren't available at Canadian outlets and it was my only source for these goodies.





I was first introduced to his work with Alien Worlds & Starslayer, way back before The Rocketeer, but it was that movie that reintroduced me to Bettie Page and added to my Jennifer Connelly obsession. Back home in Canada, I have all sorts of Stevens paraphernalia from trading cards to comics plus those aforementioned BK toys.







Here's a Japanese connection for you. He did the storyboards for The Godzilla Power Hour. The show wasn't all that great (C'mon...Godzooky!) but the art was good!



Ah, Mr. Stevens, you will be sorely missed.

And Justice For All!

I love this story about Serena Kozakura. A not so young (38) swimwear model was acquitted of breaking and entering into her ex-boyfriend's apartment and trashing the place. Because of her ample bosom, it was deemed unlikely that she could have crawled through the small hole into his place and cause the damage. If I may steal a line from the article, "If the bra doesn't fit, you must acquit!"



In other news, I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND A JOB! 2 promising leads have fallen through, so I've begun to expand my search throughout Japan. I'm willing to relocate to get a job in a Elementary/Junior/Senior High School, but I'd rather not leave Sendai if I have to work in an 英会話学校 (Eikaiwa or Conversation School) or in a 学習塾 (juku or Cram School.)

Wish me luck and if anyone has any advice, contact me!

Streamer vs Setzer.

I don't really need to add anything to this, do I?

A Stag Film.

Yesterday, I taught at my new job for the first time. I truly hated the kids classes, but enjoyed the adult lessons. At lunch break, I went across the road to Kotodai-koen Park and witnessed the tail end of an odd dance.




It's called ししおどり (shishi o-dori) a dance performed by a bunch of guys dressed up like deer.

I managed to capture a few seconds with my camera, and here is my very first YouTube extravaganza, "The Stag Film":

In a Barbie World.

Happy Birthday to Barbie! Back in '59, Barbara Millicent "Barbie" Roberts was first created by businesswoman Ruth Handler, and the doll's design was stolen from (...oops) inspired by a German doll called Bild Lilli. My sister had several dolls over the years and, of course, having 3 older brothers meant that her dolls were tortured on a regular basis. Just like the original Japanese sweatshop seamstresses, my mother used to design and make clothing for Barbies & GI Joes which she would then sell at Church Bazaars. Good thing Mattel never found out or she'd have faced a lawsuit.

Speaking of dolls, I spent the afternoon at my pal Akari's parents' place who were showing off their annual Hina Matsuri display. We had a great potluck lunch and chatted about stuff, including Barbie (the inspiration for this post.)










This archer is my favourite.















In addition to her dozen dolls, she had a display of her niece's dolls whose collection is just starting to be built up.









They think that this very creepy doll is possessed because its hair continues to grow. I doubt the veracity of their claim.













They have a very cool collection of 小芥子 (Kokeshi) dolls too.





















I was given a few goodies as farewell presents, including these cards from Subarudo.


Sort of a cross between paper dolls and cosplay, they are surprisingly cute.





Finally, I'll leave you with another lawsuit inspired hit from Aqua...

Dropping the Baumshell.

Since I can't afford to buy the book (not to mention the fact that I've been unable to locate it), I popped into the library and, lo and behold, successfully grabbed a copy of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Unfortunately, it is not a reproduction of the anime, but a translation of the novel itself. Fortunately, there are a few pictures throughout and I now present them for you. This is, of course, the front cover.






Up next is the first page and I'm sorry, I'm not going to translate it for you. I have too much on my plate right now to take the time, but as I'd mentioned before, you can always go to Gutenberg.









This little lady must be the protagonist, Mary. (from Chapter 2)











A Cougar, a Chipmunk & a Mouse. (from Chapter 10)











I'm guessing a princess. (from Chapter 14)












The most depressed reindeer I've ever seen, an angrier reindeer (トナカイ or tonakai in Japanese), a flowery leopard, a chubby owl and a couple of sparrows. (from Chapter 15)









Santa as a boy? with a cat on his shoulder. (from Chapter 19)











Manto = Old man winter?. (from Chapter 20)











For purists, the copyright information of the book.











The back cover and also an interior picture from Chapter 8.










I managed to write out the Chapter headings. If I get around to it, I'll translate them.
1. バージーの森 ba-ji no mori
2. 森の子ども mori no kodomo
3. 養子縁組 youshi engumi
4. クロース kuro-su
5. 森の支配者 mori no shihaisha
6. クロース、人類をみつける kuro-su jinrui o mitsukeru
7. クロース、森をはなれる kuro-su mori o hanareru
8. 笑いの谷 warai no tani
9. クロース、はじめておもちゃをつくる kuro-su, hajimete omocha o tsukuru
10. リル、おもちゃに色を塗る riru, omocha niiru o nuru
11. メイリーこわがる meiri-, kowagaru
12. ベシーブライスサム、笑いの谷にやってくる betshi-buraisu samu
13. オグーワのいじわる o-guwa no ijireru
14. 善と悪戦争 zen to aku no daisensou
15. トナカイとのはじめての旅 tonakai to nohajimete no tabi
16. “サンタクローズ” santa kuro-su
17. クリスマスイブ kurisumasu ibu
18. エントツのそばにはじめて靴下が吊るされる entotsu no sobako hajimete kutsu-shitaga tsurukireru
19. 最初のクリスマス・ツリー saisho no kurisumas shiri
20. 不滅のマント fumetsu no manto
21. 世界が年をとったとき sekai ga toshi o totta toki
22. サンタクロースの代理人たち santa kurosu no dairikon-tachi

Keep An Eye Out!

I'm sure these cool little toys will be all the rage soon. 内蔵 (nai-zo)　are internal organs that you can スクィーズ　(suku-i-zu or squeeze) and they give them catchy names too!









Squeezy & Queasy keychains for those close to your heart (はぁと haa-to or 心臓 shinzo). If you can stomach (胃 i, pronounced E) it, that is. Liver (肝臓 kanZO) let die! I only have eyes (目 me, pronounced may) for you. Hi, nice set of lungs (肺 hai, pronounced HI). I'm pooped (I can't figure out this kanji, but I'm guessing poop-chute)! My brain (脳 no) hurts!

You really need a lot of guts to get these!

More KitKat Kraziness.

I'm really busy searching for a job (dumb buggers at my old school) so I haven't had much time to post lately. But everyone needs to take a break, so here are the latest taste sensations from KitKat. Here we have
ジャンドゥーヤ (janduya) which is supposedly Hazelnut. There is a resemblance.








Here we have a tea-flavoured one (薫る紅茶, kaoru kocha) that boasts the delicious smell of hot tea. Smells like KitKat to me.

Back to pounding the pavement!

Hello Dolly!

Today is 雛祭り (Hina Matsuri or the Doll Festival) and in honour of that, the Cartoon Network is showing back-to-back episodes of PowerPuff Girls and PowerPuff Girls Z. So far all of the episodes have featured Sedusa for some reason! If anyone embodies Girl's Day, it's her!

Yet in my humble opinion, no one better enCAPSulates the holiday than these living dolls, Pink Lady. ピンク・レディー were a Japanese female pop music duo of the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring 根本美鶴代 (Mitsuyo Nemoto or "Mie") and 増田恵子 (Keiko Masuda or "Kei"). (This picture is from their Greatest Hits album, the only one I own so far.)







There's a terrific site from uber-fan Jeff that is worth checking out. Now this Jeff is different from THIS Jeff who co-starred with the gals in a short-lived and universally panned Variety show called Pink Lady & Jeff back in 1980. True gluttons for punishment can even buy the series! (Mie is on the left, Kei on the right.)



I don't have a bottle cap for the above Boogie Wonderland from the Pink Lady show, but I do have caps for the following hits:


#1 ペッパー軽侮 Pepper Keibu '79. I got these caps a few years back when I lived in Soma. This was their first big hit. (Best bit: Telling me "I love you!"...Your magazine rifle...Is killing me...Ah, ah! No chance to win)










#2 S.O.S. '76. (Chorus: S.O.S.! S.O.S.!...Listen, listen, somebody is calling for help...Today again somebody...A lady is in a pinch!)











#3 カルメン Carmen '77. (Best verse: Yes, I am Carmen!...Ah-, look like sexy, but not much!...Women are the species to...Change suddenly!...Next time...I'm surely gonna make you shake)










#4 渚のシンドバッド Nagisa no Sindbad '77. Notice the white bottom to this cap? It includes a soundbite from the song. These came as special rarity editions, I only got two of them. (Funny line: "I'll sneak in your room at dawn"...Hey, boy! You're going too far!)









#5 ウォンテド Wanted '77. Another soundbite edition plus the regular one. (Lovely S&M lyrics: If I find the son of a bitch...
It won't be a joke next time...I'll hold you in my arms...and torture you with my kisses!)









#6 UFO '77. Top seller. (First verse: Simply by putting hands together...and staring at each other...We can love and talk...Sweeter than kisses...Harder than whispers...You shake my heart)










#7 サウスポー Southpaw '78. I love the direct pronunciation: "Sa-oo-su-poa" (Cool opening line: Super player with...uniform No.1 is at bat...Lightly raising a leg...like a flamingo)













#8 モンスター Monster '78. This one is pretty scary. (Last verse: Monster! Ah...you are too gentle...Monster! You've gotten hurt too much, haven't you?...Monster! Lovely my baby...Monster! Have a sweet dream...Monster has come...Monster has come!)









#9 透明人間 Tomei Ningen '78. This similarly spooky song is about the Invisible Man! (Shock....Shock....Ah....shock!
Shock!)







#10 カメレオンアーミー Chameleon Army '78. Click on any of the above links to hear the songs! (Last few lines: They're almost here! Chameleon!...Coming out, hiding, very changeable...covered with sequins, Chameleon Army!)



Let's end with the gals sailing through "In the Navy"!

While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

Dangitall, we lose another great. I'd seen Jeff Healey several times in Toronto, playing at his club, Healey's or C'est What and was always enthralled. I'm pretty sure I first saw him at The Birds Nest, located upstairs at Chicago's Diner on Queen Street. (This picture is of a waitress at Healey's named Opal.)

He also had the greatest jazz collection of anyone in TO and played them on his own CBC radio show, My Kind of Jazz every weekend. My favourite memory of JH was watching him perform and between tunes, someone snapped his picture. Though he couldn't see the flash, he heard the whir of the camera and bowed to the photographer acknowledging the snap. I then heard a few people whispering, "I thought he was blind!"

R.I.P. Jeff.



Next month sees the release of "Mess of Blues", his first "Rockin Blues" album in 8 years; I definitely need to check that one out.

In Like a Lion.

Yesterday was actually fairly mild, so I'd say March came in like a lamb and will go out as a lion. We shall see.








Unfortunately for me, March is going out without a job as my current school has decided to not renew my contract. Even more unfortunately, I wasn't told of this until last Monday, giving me next to no time to acquire a new job. Fortunately, I have lots of friends, one of whom is granting me an interview at his school tomorrow. Wish me luck!




This is a piece of Ukiyoe art from a calendar I picked up at the 100￥ shop. Pretty cool!