Tsurezure Monochrome

Mood:


By Fujifabric. It's the opening song to Tsuritama. This just seems so laid back, and fun. In fact, the English title of it is Lazing Around, Monochrome. (Tsurezure actually means tedium.) The lyrics really fit the series. Fun, yet has a dark tone. The anime has an interesting dance to it. Fujifabric is a rock band that formed in 2000. Their name's an homage to the textile company which a former member's father owned. They have an interesting sound. Might look into them some more.

The weather's finally warming up!I actually went for a walk today. Hope to get back into doing it everyday. Now that I have comfortable jeans, it's easier.


Got a Japan guidebook that looks pretty good so far. Also, got a bilingual atlas book of Japan. So, I can see both the Japanese and English names of places. Kind of nice.I think these will be useful in the future as well. The guidebook has its own map, but it has different info, oddly. 


Went back to Furano on my 'trip', to see what the guidebook said about it. And to continue with what it had, for interesting spots in Hokkaido. Also went to the cheese factory in Furano (saw some interesting youtube vids, Google Earth had interesting info on it, and I went to their website), Farm Tomita (famous for their lavender fields), an Ainu village (interesting looking shops and stuff there), saw some Marimo in Lake Akan, and I'm now in Utoro. They say Utoro is probably the most remote place in the book. Yay!There should be some interesting things there. 


I also wanted to try a new toothpaste, because the one I was using wasn't doing much. (It was also running out, but didn't help with my sensitive teeth.) So, I tried a Crest 'Pro-Health' one. It has weird crystals that make it gritty. (The grit goes away after rinsing a bit. So not bad.) I think I felt clean afterwards, though.


Also, I had a no alcohol listerine as a mouthwash. Thought it was ok for a while. But, I got this weird white globular slime coming off my teeth about an hour after using it.Then, noticed I had some slight burns to the roof of my mouth. So I decided to do away with that one, and try another. (I've been using listerine for years, so this was weird.) I'm trying out another no alcohol version, which is also a Crest product. It makes weird purple chunks right away, but after spitting it out, it's gone. Not sure if I like it yet.I think it's better than the listerine was, though.


Found a lot more songs on Sunday.Some from the first Bleach soundtrack, some I'm rediscovering, and a couple of Jpop songs. Even though I took just about 2 days away from playing my clarinet, I felt rusty today.I have to stay on top of it! Played a couple of klezmer tunes, and some Mozart pieces. 

Watched 26 Years Diary last night. It was a pretty good movie. It was a joint Japanese and Korean project. Based on a true story, too. Although, they also made it more 'dramatic' than it was in real life. But, it wouldn't be a movie if they didn't do that. It's about Lee Su Hyon's life and death. It shows his life from when he was a 26 year old Korean student in Japan. Including school life, and a developing romance with a Japanese student. He died in 2001, along with a Japanese photographer (Shiro Sekine), who were both trying to save a drunken man who had fallen onto the tracks at the Shin-Okubo Station in Tokyo. I looked up his story, and both Japan and Korea regard him as a hero. His father said he always worried about others more than himself. He seemed like a real mensch to me. 

Started watching Sword Art Online on Saturday. I was surprised at how good it was. The art was amazing, and so far the characters are interesting.In 2022, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), called Sword Art Online (SAO) is released. With the Nerve Gear, a VR helmet that stimulates the user's 5 senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. An unexpected event occurs, when the creator prevents the 10,000 players from logging out. If they wish to be free and log out of the game, they have to make it to the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, should their in-game characters die in the game, so will their bodies in the real world. Kirito's a skilled player who tested the beta version of the game, and he's determined to make it to the top, and be free.

Started watching Ghost Mama Sousasen (Ghost Mama Investigation) today. Has a couple of actors I really like, so that's already a big plus for me. Seeing her die, and her family react, was a bit close to home for me.But, it seemed more 'real' than a lot of dramas try to do. It does have a touch of goofiness, but there's definitely a serious side. First grader Tonbo, is the type that's easily scared. One day, he decides to try on his deceased mother's glasses, and he ends up seeing her. She died 3 months ago. His mom, Choko Uehara, was a police officer. Even after her death, she likes to investigate things. She now solves cases with her son, Tonba, as a partner. She died in a house that was targeted by a serial arsonist. She was trying to save a kid. She succeeded, but died in the process. After death, she investigated, and in the end was able to catch the serial arsonist. So, that's nice they got that taken care of right away, and she knows who killed her. I hate when it takes like the whole series for that kind of thing to be solved.

Posted another chapter to a couple of dA groups and mangafox. They weren't new, but those groups hadn't read them yet. I'll probably start writing chapter 17 soon. (Either tomorrow or Wednesday.) Kanji for today is: 声. Or, こえ (koe),  こわ (kowa), しょう (shou), せい (sei). It means voice. 

Worked a little on the meme. It's harder to draw a chibi-ized character than I thought. I plan to have Ravel as a chibi in a cow costume. I think being mistaken for a cow might humiliate him. He's usually mistaken for a devil, but this seems worse to me. Plus, I'm trying to make it look ridiculous. Not sure if I'm succeeding.

Typed some more of that You Maga article up, went over a Japanese lesson, and read an article about an orchestra having a farewell concert in honor of a music critic who recently died. He was 98 years old.