Quick Thought...

I need a new avatar image. Yoshi's great, but he's been there forever and I need a change... KF

Bonsai Banzai!

Last week I got a package in the mail marked Perishable: Open Immediately. Well, I'm confused, as I don't recall ordering any fruit, and it's a sizeable box. I crack it open and find a little guy...
   

under a little tree...
   

and a little further out...
   

The
card included is from my father, hoping I enjoy the gift. I'm
definitely liking it! I just need some more furniture now so I have a
decent place to put it. Besides on top of the heater / AC unit.

Oh
don't look at me like that. The heat's not gonna be back on until
October, and the thermostat's set to "off" since the weather's keeping
my room at 70 even now. And bonsai are hardy. I think.

In the meantime, it's looking quite all right... KF

Matsuri Washington

I'm beat. Spent today around Washington's annual Cherry Blossom Festival,
or at least the Sakura Matsuri part of it. Sort of rained on the
parade, though, all day, and it was a mite chilly. But, I got to see an
old friend I hadn't seen in at least 3 years and got some taiyaki. So,
zero complaints here.

Even better, though, we went to the Smithsonian Freer & Sackler Galleries, where some great Asian art was being displayed. Of particular interest were three things:

Hokusai: Hokusai is likely the most famous Japanese artist of the 19th century, if not the most famous Japanese artist period. You've seen at least some of his work; his most well-known is the "Great Wave", the woodblock print you'll frequently see of the giant tidal wave (though, personally, I think he has better). The Freer gallery has an extensive, extensive collection, opening with this one: Thunder God / Raijin, 1848 Though, one question... In the exhibit, there was one amazing piece, a 12-panel wall, with each face depicting a scene evoking the mood of a particular month--in order, of course, so you could walk from one end to the other and see the progression of the year. Anyway, the first panel is a well-known depiction of three puppies in the snow about to get caught in a crude trap (below):

Aren't they cute? Anyway, I was just trying to recall if this 12-panel wall altogether had a particular title. This one is usually referred to as "Puppies in Snow" or something, and unfortunately the reference to the entire work as a whole is often omitted... which practically ruins the significance of this slice-of-life piece. But hey, I'm not one to complain; I'm just wanting to know, does anyone know if there is a name given to the entire 12-panel set, and maybe if there are photos of the other 11 scenes elsewhere?

Kenny Endo: Kenny Endo, a brilliant taiko performer, along with 4 other great artists on koto, shakuhachi, vibraphone, and euphonium, was performing at the Meyer Auditorium there. One very energetic and moving solo piece he had was inspired by Hokusai's Thunder God / Raijin above. This is the only photo I could find that really captured his spirit, not from that concert itself, unfortunately, but from Raymond Yuen off of the Kenny Endo site.

Nuhad Es-Said Collection: Last, something that not most folks might enjoy... Nuhad Es-Said was a collector of a large amount of medieval and later Islamic metalwork. Much of this is really elaborate, with a lot of fascinating engravings and inlays in the pieces. I won't go on too much about them; this photo to the right is of a court incense burner made in the 14th century. My personal favorite is of a ewer with multiple faces along the outside, each panel representing one of the zodiac positions of the stars.

That's enough for the time being... Next update will be brief but good. KF

Krazy Mishap

I believe... that if you ever buy a tube of Krazy Glue, it will find a way of getting on your fingers. I'd wear gloves, but then somehow I'd end up gluing my fingers to the gloves and that'd just be worse.

I got superglue last week to help put together a Nerf blowgun (I'll update on that next week). So while I'm at it, I figure, hey, why not fix up some stuff that's been broken for a while? I glue back together a fridge magnet and the back end of my electronic Japanese dictionary. Then I figure to glue back together the stylus for the dictionary that's been held together by tape for a year now.

I start squeezing the tube slowly. Something must be backed up. So I squeeze just a little harder, and Krazy Glue starts flowing out of it, all onto the stylus, and all onto my fingers.

Dammit!

So I run to the sink, wash off as much as I can, and dry off my fingers. After pulling the paper towel that's stuck to my fingers off, I wash my hands again and shake them dry.

At this point, my options are limited to the two universal cures: duct tape and Google. Duct tape is sticky, and sticky doesn't counteract sticky, so I use the latter. Typing with my knuckles (not so easy), I Google "Super Glue Stuck to Fingers" and instantly come up with a solution of warm soap water and 20 minutes of soaking. That, plus leaving the rest to dry overnight, managed to do the trick.

Had to toss that stylus, though. That much was ruined. KF

Apart of the Crowd

Oftentimes, on my commute, I feel a bit like this:
   

But no matter what, I'm not buying one of them. Just not a fan.
Because it's too popular? No.
Because you don't use MP3s? Not even close.
Because it's expensive? No, but getting there...
Because there's something better? Pretty much, yes

Let's compare real quick...

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying iPods are bad.
Just, for me, they're useless. I'm not gonna do anything with 20GB of
space, not even with 4GB of space, that I couldn't do with 750MB of
space that I can very easily switch up. And, I have a strong aversion
to merchandise that forces you to either use its software or hunt down
a work-around to bypass it. So, no, the added storage and organization
of the iPod just isn't worth an extra $163 to me.

And there's the added benefit of being the only one on the train who still has black headphones. KF

Google Planets

They finally have Google Mars! Yeah, I know they debuted it several days ago, but I've been waiting for something like this for a long time. I mean, Google Moon
was cool enough, but Mars was the inevitable next step, and so much
more interesting at that. I spent like 1-2 hours just soaring around
looking at the natural landmarks as soon as I saw it was up...

There's the Valles Marineris, making the Grand Canyon look like a backyard ditch:

|

And of course the "Face" on Mars. But I much prefer the "Happy Face Crater".

|

Though I settled on where NASA's Spirit rover landed.

Yeah,
I know, I'm kind of a nerd. The next best thing after this would be
images from Titan and Europa. Venus would be good, but the cloud cover
would dominate any image of the planet. All that's stopping a Google
Titan and Google Europa is, you know, the satellite images of either
place. KF

Addressed to DC

That is all. Real update sometime tomorrow. KF

Document-fu: Kiz vs the DMV

The mission: Obtain Virginia driver's license, re-title car in the state, register car in the state, and L needs to take the Virginia road test.
The time: 8:00AM - Noon

The fight was long and hard, but we came out mostly victorious. So now, let me present to you, the Virginia Registration and Title Bout!

	Cold: (protects DMV) K: The line's stretched outside L: And it's freezing! K: No matter, we can't give up		Cold: (bites) K: Gah! I can't feel my ears anymore L: I can't feel my toes K: We'll be inside soon
	K: ...we're finally up to the front

	K: I need to title and register my vehicle DMV: You need a form for that K: Oh really?		K: Form 17A! DMV: You need proof of citizenship!
	K: Passport! DMV: (recoils)		DMV: Your previous title! K: Tennessee Title!
	DMV: Why no sales tax! K: Lineal transfer! DMV: What?		K: TN STATE LAWS! DMV: ...
	DMV: Additional form of ID! K: Driver's License!		DMV: You need a VA driver's license! K: Argh!
	DMV: You were supposed to get it in August! K: I didn't know!

	DMV: Why don't you have a VA license!? K: I didn't know! DMV: You're supposed to know!		K: Wait... Can't I just get one now? DMV: ...
	DMV: Where's your proof of address?		K: My Lease Agreement! DMV: Not good enough!
	K: (remembers L's advice) K: PAYSTUB WITH ADDRESS! DMV: It has to be the most recent one!		K: February 15-28th! DMV: Argh!!!
	DMV: ... ... ...		Mario: Here are your forms. Take a number.

And, I eventually walked out with: A) a Virginia Driver's License, B) a new title, C) local registration, and D) new plates. But, there were some casualties... DMV says that they're booked for the road test, so we'd have to come another day for that, and L was unable to get her license.

But, I owe her one, 'cause she was the one who told me to bring my latest paystub. And without that, my document-fu would've fallen victim to bureacracy-fu. So I'll try to take a half-day coming up to return.

And when we do return, the art of document-fu shall see us completely victorious. KF

Old School

This is a brief update, elaborating on something earlier.

This is my goomba:

His name is Lenny.
Lenny the Goomba.

He's not just any goomba.
He's a paragoomba.
He can fly!

Only a well-timed jump can stop him.
But even then, he just loses his wings and is still a threat.

Well, maybe a fireball could do him in.

But I'm not that cruel. KF

Con without a Curse

This has been a great weekend. Katsucon 12
was being held in DC, so many of us went from Friday through Sunday.
This is an anime convention we go to each year, and generally it tends
to be pretty good for a mid-to-large-sized con; and this year, it was
particularly well-run.

Lemme recap it day-by-day. This might turn out to be a bit long...

Friday: Pwn'd

I
took Friday off, so I could have the whole day to chill before going.
After juma'a prayers I drove up to the convention. Then, after finding
every parking space full, I drove back home and metro'd it up. I don't
have much time to check out stuff there, but I do manage to hit up
Artist's Alley.

First off, Artist's Alley has become my favorite
part of any convention. It's where amateur and mid-level artists show
off and sell their merchandise, and also where well-known webcomic
artists will set up shop. Most folks ('cept the webcomics) do fanart,
though I have a preference now for original stuff.

Best part of that, though, was that me and one of my friends, AI, got in on a game of Mariokart DS versus Scott, the artist for VG Cats,
and a couple of the surrounding booths. Best part: I won! When we
closed out, I had the best record there. Of course, Scott and the other
two running booths had to set down their games on several occasions to
sell and sign merchandise, effectively losing those rounds. But still!

Oh, and today begun the splurging on restaurants this weekend (whereas I ordinarily eat out only for cheap lunches). We went to Open City Coffeehouse
there in Woodley Park; I gotta say, I found it incredibly good. Very
nice food, and extremely good coffee and tea. I'll likely want to
return anytime I happen to be in that area now.

Saturday: Cops vs Ninjas vs SARS

Better
still is that we got some lunchtime entertainment. While we visited the
Chipotle nearby and sat at the window seats, we saw a whole cadre of
Naruto cosplayers on the street in front of us, looking as if they were
filming some music video or something. You had characters strutting
down the street, with the others taking positions around lightposts and
fences, jumping down to join the group. So we start singing Bee Gees
"Stayin' Alive" to the beat of their struts. One of us (not I)
contemplates calling the police, since technically you do need a permit to film on public property.

And you gotta admit: the image of cops beating up ninjas is damn hilarious.
Officer: Where's your ninja powers now, huh?
Naruto: Sexy Jutsu!
Officer: What the hell was that? Get that stick out of my face!

I inquire at their booth,
in fact, if they have the soundtrack for that available--they don't,
unfortunately, due in no small part to how rare it is (they have it at
their office, just not with them for sale). At the very least, I got my
photo taken with Salia and picked up a signed poster. Though, if it
weren't for AI's convincing, I would've just given into my nervousness
and not even approached the booth to ask. Once I did, I started
speaking in Japanese to both Salia and the fellow managing the booth,
asking them about the album and all that.

That afternoon, many of us are drawn in to see a live-action film being shown, brilliantly titled: SARS Wars. The premise? "The
fourth generation of the virus SARS is found in Africa! It's more
dangerous and causes the patients to transform into bloodthirsty
zombies. A Thai research facility creates an antivirus, but still faces
infestation--only Khun, along with a young girl on the run, can hope to
hack his way through an army of zombies with his trusty sword!"

There is no part of that I did not like.

Now,
we were expecting a ridiculous, over-the-top zombie movie. What we got
instead was a ridiculous, over-the-top zombie movie that knew it was over-the-top. And, it was great... it was more comedy than zombie film (think the parody Shawn of the Dead).
I mean, really, if the producers didn't intend on making this movie
silly from the get-go, then they would've decided to somewhere in
between the giant zombie snake eating kittens, or the bullet-time
roundhouse-kicking a zombie fetus out of the way.

No, I can not make that kind of stuff up...

That evening, we head out to Kramers
in Dupont Circle for a late dinner. More like small dinner, large
dessert, and more coffee for me... First time in ages I couldn't finish
a dessert.

Sunday: Finishing Touches

Well,
Sunday is ordinarily a quite dreary day at a convention. Folks getting
last-minute shopping, viewing, or whatnot in before having to head back
home. I did just about the same. We stopped in at Open City yet again
before returning home.

Summary: YA RLY

 ___ 
{ô,ò}
|)__)
-"-"-
O RLY?

 ___ 
{ò.ó}
|)_(|
-"-"-
YA RLY

So, without naming names, thanks to AI, AC, J, L, E, C, & D, and the entire Katsucon staff for a very enjoyable weekend. KF