It finally stopped raining yesterday, so Philippe and I took a stroll round Gion Matsuri . Here’s some more pictures for ya:
Anyway, we stumbled upon this local community gig where they were all piping tootley-tootley music or banging things, or prancing about and waving sticks around, so I took a wee video of it and here it is:
And then after that Philippe blagged us into the community party, and we had free beers and shochu… (Well almost free because I had to endure Philippe blathering on about the importance of “connections” for about an hour…) And then I took a video of pretty much the same routine but from the inside, looking out. And here it is:
Gion Matsuri has started, but it’s been bucketing down all day so I haven’t been yet. Actually, it was bucketing down yesterday and the day before that. In all likelihood it will be bucketing down tomorrow too. Still, good for the rice, eh. Well, here’s some Buddhist wisdom from Houzouji to carry us through the dreary wetness.
I just watched this FrantiV video. Interesting. Michael Franti goes to San Quentin prison and does a show there and then he talks about the reasons why he went there and what kind of a situation those people are in… It’s not so much a Johnny Cash style: I-shot-a-man-in-Reno-ooh-look-at-me-I’m-a-tough-guy-too type thing. It’s all about redemption and shining light in dark places. He’s a pretty deep, wise sort of fellow, with a true reason to be and do, is Michael Franti (and thus one of my all-time musical heroes). There’s also an unintentionally funny bit with a weepy crew-member but just ignore that. It’s a pity they couldn’t film inside the gaol, but ne’ermind.
There’s 2000 guys that are gonna be available to see this. I don’t know how many will come down - they all have the potential to be out, on the street again… …If we have one person who hears the message and it changes his life, then the whole thing’s worth it.
Steve Emerick (San Quentin Arts and Corrections Coordinator)
Marking is finally over, thank God. I felt like my brains were seeping out my ears by the end of it. However, in the midst of this strange torture, came some amusing sentences to lighten the strain (albeit momentarily). These are from my third year writing exam. The students had to make sentences using the words or expressions given. First off, this usage of “For one thing” struck me as both polite yet to the point:
I’m afraid I can’t help you. For one thing, I don’t like you.
Next up, this usage of “in the meantime” conjures up all kinds of images:
She was singing the song, in the meantime he was teating.
Did the singing inspire the teating, or vice-versa? And finally; “like” as in “She looks like her mother” or “You sound just like your ole pa when you blow your nose that way”. Here’s the student’s effort:
Please crap your hands like me.
And that’s more or less it then. I just have four classes on Tuesday and Wednesday next week (going to show them Wallace and Gromit) and then I’m free till September. Well, I have a new salaryman class starting up and one private student from tomorrow, but… you know, pretty free. This video’s for Helen, who reminded me today, that Australian music isn’t entirely irrelevant. And for Kumar, who forgot my birthday, but that’s ok because, you know, Kumar forgets his own birthday. And I know he’ll like this.(Update: I just changed this to a link because despite embedding a no-autoplay video, it’s still autoplay. And that’s just plain annoying. Just click on the link below for all your rock-n-rollin needs.)
I just watched Spinal Tap’s Live Earth performance on MSN. Awesome.
Great party last night. All the best parties end up with people being carried out to waiting taxis in a semi-comatose state I reckon. I’ll post some more pics and videos tomorrow. Here’s a sneak preview:
Two annoying things happened to me this week. First off on Wednesday, gliding merrily down Higashioji Dori on my way to work, I was forced to break suddenly to avoid an oncoming idiot who wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. This caused me to fly forwards and my delicate sensibilities to be crushed against my handlebars. My delicate sensibilities are still smarting. Oncoming idiot however, wearing i-pod, remained blissfully unaware of my muffled howls of distress and wandered on his happy way, probably causing several more accidents en route. Am I imagining things or do an incredibly large number of people in Kyoto ride, walk and drive in an incredibly careless way?
Then today, at the clinic, the new member of staff more or less demands that I prepare materials for the two Saturdays when I will be away in the summer. I have never been asked to do this before in the two years I’ve worked there, and think it’s more than a little bit cheeky as I’m not getting paid to do it and it’s not like I take many Saturdays off throughout the year. But what really got me was the way she asked me, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for me to do and I couldn’t possibly refuse. So I refused. Hahahahaha.
There was also one weird thing this week. I woke up two days ago and thought “HolyMaryMotherofGodandallthesaintspreserveusI’mthirtyseven!” Really, not quite sure how that happened, but I’m officially into my late-thirties (eek). Anyway, my birthday and STT’s five year anniversary coinciding, I’ll be heading down there this evening for a celebratory dj event type party. Hope people turn up. Well, to be honest I’m hoping lots of amazingly attractive single young women turn up but despite the number of lucky number 7s in the date (and in my age) I’m not banking on it. Hey-ho. I’ll let you know how it goes…
There are two new reviews up on Deep Kyoto tonight. One of ふれかんて a cafe that specializes in (sweeeet-oh-so-sweeeet) parfaits and one of The Weller’s Club a bar that specializes in beer in pints and black-lighting (both of which have the pleasing effect of making people look far more attractive than they actually are). Enjoy.
Oh, and thanks to my three sisters for remembering my birthday and sending cards despite my complete failure to do the same for them. My sisters are treasures they really are.
Another fresh post up on Deep Kyoto today, this time of Café Oishii.
Here are some sentences written by students in my 3rd year writing class that amused me today. They have to use particular words and phrases in meaningful sentences that they think up themselves. The first two were using “such as”:
I like man with good shape body, such as Michael.
So ~ high scores to her. And then:
Two in this class are Virgin, such as Miss M_____ and myself.
Only two, eh? (There was a name written there but I decided to keep it anonymous). And then finally this one using “In illustration of” is a little sci-fi:
In illustration of my deep love for him, I will destroy the world.
It finally stopped raining yesterday, so Philippe and I took a stroll round Gion Matsuri . Here’s some more pictures for ya:
Anyway, we stumbled upon this local community gig where they were all piping tootley-tootley music or banging things, or prancing about and waving sticks around, so I took a wee video of it and here it is:
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