Yeah Arkansas!

Arkansas issues same-sex marriage licenses

Also, I went to Northern Ireland in April.

And I fell madly, hopelessly, forever in love.

Sooooo, I've been a little remiss with my dear ol' blog. No posts since May! But as usual I have excellent excuses.

End of May I got really sick. Really really sick. And I NEVER get sick. And if I do get sick, I get better in 24 hours. No joke. But this time, I got so sick that after two days my family and friends were like, WTF? No worries though, I've recovered from most of it, and I've been getting better and better the farther from May I get!

In June, Trevor and I went to Japan for the first two weeks. We had a great time seeing friends, ate lots of yummy food, I bought a shit-ton of records, and Trevor got a bunch of training in.












Yep, that pretty much sums it up!

Then in the last two weeks of June, Trevor and I moved from our beloved studio in our beloved Oakland Temescal to a sweet two bedroom place with room to BBQ and garden in Albany. And so July, besides being about celebrating my birthday and picking mad blackberries and BBQ-ing and gardening and biking and baking pie and generally enjoying summer, has been filled with getting settled in our new home.

But be forewarned: I'm back baby!

Just back from a weeknight camping trip to Wilbur Hot Springs. Ah bliss!

Weeknights are the way to do it -- Trevor and I had the whole hot springs to ourselves for the evening.















Love that stinky water:















So much inspiration for my imagined (but eventual) deck or patio...



















...and for my kitchen: I might actually kill for the huge communal kitchen, which we also had pretty much to ourselves.















The veranda was a great place to sit and read, especially with the cool tiles under our feet and the balmy breeze blowing in after a 100 degree day.















Sorry there are no pics of our campsite, but there are only two sites and by the time I trekked out to ours after soaking, I was ready for bed! Suffice to say, it was far enough away from the main house and far enough into the dense pine scrub to feel quite remote, and for $59 (with use of the springs from 3 pm to 5 pm the next day), it was a bargain.

I do wish I'd gotten a pic of the spotted feral pig on the trail to our campsite. Thank jeebus for my flashlight or I would have run right into her! Probably would not have been pretty on a tiny hillside trail. As prolific as they are, I had never seen one in person before. Even though they are so destructive to California farming and so aggressive, I was stoked to finally be able to see one.

A few more days of holiday left -- roll on weekend!

Back from a gorgeous, perfect weekend in my hometown. Packed a TON into a few days. Feeling really blessed right now to have such good friends and family, and to hail from such a beautiful place!

We started the weekend off with a drive out Italian Bar Road to take in the sights and spend some time with our good friend J.

Look at this gorgessity:















I-Bar is well known for its active and abandoned mining claims; on our hike we came across a few abandoned and waterlogged shafts:



















We were heartened to see that the PG&E ditches and the Stan were full and free-flowing. Our hike meandered along a tributary of the Stan and ended at one of many spectacular waterfalls:



















And then this being I-Bar and all, J ended up being a good samaritan and putting his tow strap to good use:



















That night we went to the casino with J and his mom to watch a comedy show (more tragic than comedic, but hey free Cokes) and then I won $20 in the nickel slots! Righteous.

On Friday, Trevor and I skied the best snow of our lives at Dodge Ridge:















17 degrees at 9 am! The wind was like ice, but the snow was all icing sugar.

Friday night I cooked dinner for my mom and my man. Afterward, we went to grab a beer with J at our favorite hometown haunt, and found there was, of all things, a rave going on:















Luckily we were able to cheese in just for a drink w/o the cover. Normally we go here to see hillbilly punk shows, and consequently know everyone in the bar; this time we knew not one soul. We just kept thinking: this is Tuompton -- where do these people come from?

Saturday saw us heading home into a traffic backup on 108 that extended for miles. After an hour of waiting where we moved a quarter of a mile, we called CHP and they told us there was a massive accident at LaGrange turnoff. At least a 2 hour wait. Never before have I been so grateful to be a local (and have an iPhone) -- we u-turned and went the back way through the Red Hills. I'd never really driven the backwoods of Chinese Camp before, but I knew we could get past LaGrange turnoff from there somehow. Not only did we discover a new place to hike, but a 20 minute detour popped us right back out onto the highway not but a 100 yards ahead of the accident, and on our way home.

Sunday we went to see Watchmen. I was very impressed. Perfectly cast, and well-edited from the comic. Alan Moore should be proud.

If only all weekends could be so magnificent. Makes Monday bearable!

At long last! Here is my Japan fashion, shopping/trends, and wackness report -- smallish, but fresh!

1) Vinyl Vinyl Vinyl

First and foremost, *surprise!* I did some serious damage at the record shops.

I picked up too many records to list, but some of my prizes include: Public Enemy's Fear of A Black Planet, Portishead's Dummy (with postcard insert to join their fan club), Beastie Boys' Check Your Head, Gang of Four's Entertainment, Sun Ra's The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Killing Joke's What's This For...!, a 4AD copy of The Birthday Party's Prayers on Fire, The Creatures' Boomerang, a plethora of Pogues records, and an Italian pressing of Nino Rota's soundtrack to Fellini's 8 1/2.

All in all, I bought about 50 records and only dropped a little over $200 -- meaning I bought plenty of those records for under 500 yen ($5)! And this was after sadly finding my regular downtown haunts picked over pretty thoroughly. But I discovered a place where I cleaned up, at a fraction of the cost of the Shibuya and Shinjuku shops. Sorry, I'm not telling where!

I do, however, want to pimp this really small but lovingly cared for record shop in Shimokitazawa, where I picked up my Tom Waits Swordfishtrombones and Sun Ra record:



















2) Fashion report

Japan, land of Lolitas, Fruits, and people dressed as anime characters, can get a little overwhelming. What are the real people wearing?

The three biggest things I noticed this time around:

-- Weaves. OMG, they were everywhere!

-- Tights. Specifically, day-glo, bright/deep jewel tone, or patterned tights with knee high (and often hooker-esqe) boots and those infernal and unwilling-to-die formal shorts. I am not into high-heeled boots, and I will NOT wear formal shorts, but I did snatch up plenty of bright tights on Takeshita-dori.

-- Russian-style furry hats. I think 90 percent of the female population under 40 in Japan owns something that could be placed in this category. And hey, I wanted mine! But while I loved the look on Japanese women, I just didn't feel like I could pull off the volume. So, I compromised:



















But no matter what the trend, the classics still endure...















3) Drink trends

Always killer food in Japan, and delicious Japanese Coca-Cola (I believe sweetened with stevia), but many drinks have lacked in days past. Not so this trip.

Coffee in the late 90s and early 00s commonly used to be served already sweetened and creamed; you had to order "American kohii" to get an unadorned cuppa. But since Starbucks crashed the scene a few years ago, coffee is gaining prominence, and getting better every time I visit.

This was an "American kohii" I ordered in an independent cafe in Asakusa. What I got was an Americano. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Beautiful!



















And another thing: in 2004, you couldn't get a good glass of whiskey to save your life. And while there were plenty of swank bars, the nice ones were prohibitively expensive and the cheap ones were...atmospherically challenged. But just a couple of weeks ago, in Osaka, I went to a daytime cafe/nighttime whiskey bar chain called Pronto, where I had a glass of 12 year-old McCallan for $6. They also had quite a few other high quality bourbons and scotches for around $6-8 a glass. Very reasonable.

My friends and I also happened upon a bar in Kichijoji called Funny Fly, where we were treated to more reasonably priced, medium to high-end whiskey in a tiny, dark, smoky, jazz-laden slip of a space.

We also got the fancy ice cube treatment I've been hearing so much about:















Apparently, there are swank places that actually hand-carve their ice cubes into the oversized faceted ball shape you see above, but here's a tip: I found trays that make these cool ice cubes all over the 100 yen shops. Must pick one up next time.

4) Social dynamics

Japan is changing. Slowly, painfully, for better or for worse -- but it is changing.

It shocked me that I saw a significant amount of obese Japanese. Not overweight, but obese. Chalk it up to all that great cheap whiskey and delcious ramen, as well as a country where fast food is becoming a mainstay and portions are getting bigger.

I was also shocked to see rampant hand-holding. This practice, that Trevor and I engage in like it's going out of style, made Japanese we know uncomfortable just a few years ago. But this time in Japan, I even saw a middle-aged salaryman and housewife couple holding hands! Awww, labu labu.

The dog-as-accessory seems to be gaining as a practice too. There were so many little dogs being paraded around Tokyo, with their little dog outfits. Little dog outfit shops were taking up space in every corner of the city.

One can, however, take this too far:



















This is a big dog. Little dogs are bred to suffer the indignities of wearing tiny hats, sweatshirts, and leg warmers; big, strapping, working dogs like this one should not be dressed up like clowns. Look into his eyes -- he wants me to save him.

Last but not least, no post about Japan and its awesomeness would be complete without a bit on the Japanese toilet. My love of the Japanese toilet is well-documented. But while I have extolled the virtues of the Japanese toilet for some time, I haven't shown what makes it so wonderful until now. Courtesy of the Narita International Airport, here is the Japanese toilet, in English!

So...Japan.















(Fujisan and sprawl from the Osaka to Tokyo shinkansen)

It was another successful trip, full of fantastic food, good friends (thanks Hiroko and Satoru!), orgies of vinyl shopping, and wacky done the Japan way.

You know, I realized as I was uploading my photos that I didn't take very many. I think this is definitely because I've documented much of "my" Japan in the past. But more so, I've been there quite a few times already, and it never seems to change. And I know this sounds a little doucheoisie of me, but I'm rarely shocked or awed anymore by the the lights and noise and wackiness and beauty that is Japan.

I am, however, totally enamored of the food. The food in Japan never disappoints, and as my language and reading skills get a little better each time, I end up at places that are better and better.

I know I've been getting all food blog on your asses lately, and if you don't care for that, apologies. But Japan is the mecca for deliciousness done in a million different ways. I thought I'd highlight my favorite food adventures, and then post a bit later about the other things that draw me back to Japan, again and again.

My highlights...

1) The best ramen I have ever had -- "modern-style" red-miso ramen with pork and garlic, at Hakata Ippudo in one of my favorite places to visit in Japan, Kichijoji.

Before:















After:















This place offered unlimited fresh ground sesame and pickled chili bean sprouts for your soup, as well as cloves of raw garlic that you could crush into your ramen. And yes, those are both garlic flecks and fat globules in that broth. And yes, it was AMAZING.

There's apparently one in New York. Hopefully the West Coast is on their radar!

2) Organic salad bar and steamed vegetables at Noukano Daidokoro, in the town Trevor and I lived in for a spell and still love to visit, Kunitachi.

The presentation was gorgeous:















It was also a gorgeous space, with low tables on tatami, and Western-style rough hewn tables on polished dark brown floors that overlooked the tree-lined main street. The hallways were constructed of shelve-filled walls housing growing plants that were served in the restaurant.

We also had full access to their free organic salad bar. If you know Japan, you know how difficult it can be to get the amount of greenery Westerners are used to. This salad bar was phenomenal, with perfect veggies you placed into a martini-style glass and dipped into housemade mushroom salt or olive oil. And I had something I had never had before, salt green -- a succulent with a distinctive salty taste:



















3) Batteriffic goodness in Osaka.

Took a side trip to Osaka this time around, via the Tokaido bullet train -- by far the most pleasant train travel I have ever experienced (except for the leg in the smoking car -- good god!) for ease, comfort, speed, and scenery.

Osaka is a nice place, with nicer folks than Tokyo, but in a lot of ways it seems that once you've seen Tokyo, you've pretty much seen every metropolitan area on Honshu.

Oh, but the food! Osaka is the official birthplace of two of my favorite Japanese fast foods that incorporate batter, okonomiyaki and takoyaki.















Oh lawd is the takoyaki in Osaka good. My mouth is still slightly burned from scarfing down molten octopus goodness.

4) Japanese bread and pastry shops.

Ah, the Japanese breadshop. Strangely, it is often what I miss most about Japan. This is probably because I usually stay away from white bread in the States, forgoing it for more healthful options. Not so in Nihon.

Japanese rolls and pastries are an art form -- light, fluffy, consistent in size and shape, golden brown and never burnt, the epitome of what white flour can become that shames anything I've ever seen in the States. Sugar is used sparingly, and many doughs are often sweetened with stevia -- cutting the calories of each lovely roll, bun, and danish. And at any given train station or grocery you will find at least one bread purveyor, smelling sweetly of butter and goodness, with more donuts, rolls, danishes, or meat/cheese-filled goodies than you can shake a stick at. Coupled with a glass of cream-like Japanese milk (a glass of which I had at Mister Donut last week that should definitely merit a mention on this list) it is heavenly.

I might just kill for a "milk soft" roll from Danish style Little Mermaid in Kashiwa right now.

One particular shop in Tokyo station had something I'd never seen before. This is part of what makes Japan great:















5) All of the delicate kohada (shad) and briny, creamy uni (sea urchin) that I could eat.















Love these two, and unfortunately one is seasonal in the States while the other can be nasty in the wrong Japanese joint. Mmmm, I was lucky to get my fill this time around of these two bits of yumminess.

6) And of course, things are never the same around Japan without mutant fruit.















Those grapes are like plums! What you can't see in this photo are the Asian pears the size of mini watermelons. Proper.

More Japan-ness to come in the next day or two!

Just checking in! Japan is marvelous. Will have a photographic journey to post in about 3 days.

P.S. It is really almost 1 a.m.

P.P.S High five -- am drinking Chu-Hi!

P.P.P.S. Yeeee!

I will soon (Thursday!) be on holiday in Japan (can't wait can't wait can't wait), away from work and bills and all of those things that can sometimes make life suck. But for all you folks who will still have your noses to the grindstone, here's some fun stuff to help counteract work boredom, just a bit...

Palin as President

You'll laugh, and then you'll cry. Happy hunting!

Also, I read today about Midori-san, the blogging houseplant.

BTW, sometimes I love dry, passive-aggessive British wit. "The world's highest profile blogging houseplant." LOL!

Apparently, you can interact with Midori-san in real time, by giving the plant a dose of fluorescent light. Go to this page, scroll down and click on the widget with the date and time ticker, enter your name, and then click "OK." You will be shown a real time video clip of Midori-san in the cafe, getting a dose of the light you granted. You will also get mention in Midori-san's blog.

I linked to the English translation of the blog, because it reads like a poetry reading I was imprisoned and tortured by attended years ago in San Francisco. Read it in your "poetry voice" -- hours of fun!

Just when you thought Japan couldn't get any more wackalicious, and just when I thought I had a full plate of things to do when I visit next:

Hibaritei: Japanese Salarymen Dress As Maids













This is the latest spin on the popular Japanese maid cafe where women dress in provocative and/or Lolita maid outfits and welcome customers as "masters" while serving tea and snacks.

Hibaritei features "maids" who are men. In Akihabara, it's common to see men dressed as maids or their favorite anime characters, but this trend has reached new heights with the launch of cross-dressing maid troupe Hibaritei. In a twist, the cross-dressing maids are all weekday salarymen who are straight, most having girlfriends. These men are not financially troubled in any way. Most work in IT companies and come to Akiba often because of work.

Despite having a rather unconventional all-male staff, Hibaritei does not fall short of the usual services one finds in a typical maid cafe. We can hear the usual "Welcome home, master!" greeting, omurice with ketchup writing, cheki service and even a customized gatchapon (capsule toys from vending machines) with original Hibaritei character badges drawn by their in-house illustrator. They also feature a lottery style gatchapon (300 yen) that allows you to win an original photo of the Hibaritei maids. No two are alike.

BTW, I've never seen anyone -- man or woman -- dressed like an anime character or a maid in Akihabara (Harajuku, sure), but maybe I'm not frequenting the right joints. I did see a man dressed as Sailor Moon at 3 am in Shinjuku's gay quarter, but I don't think he was plying tea and curry.

Oh Nihon, while you are still bizarrely homophobic and outrageously rigid in your gender roles, you still sometimes outdo my Bay neighbor, San Francisco, in wacky fabulosity. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it? I'm almost afraid to ask: What will you think of next?

One of the best things about two weeks of days off paid at the end of the year?

I can hit happy hour.

Nothing finer on this cold grey afternoon than booze, fries, and a book in a warm nook in the corner window at Ben and Nick's. Not a soul in there at 3 pm. Beer (even Stella -- hey, there was a free giveaway glass!) in the afternoon is just so nice.

Being off also means a school night trip to The Mallard this evening with my friend Chris when he bails from his bartending gig at 9 pm.

I love being on vacation!