I was listening to Mink Car earlier, but I had to turn it off. I don't know what it is about that album, but I am... conflicted about it. Conflicted in a way I feel with no other They Might Be Giants album. I like many of the songs, yet somehow I hate the overall album., I don't get it, not at all. So now I'm listening to Potshot's Pots and Shots. The band's Japanese, yet the lyrics are in English; so, they are my favorite "Engrish" band. Also, no one has better insights into Engrish than my friend Olga, who spent a year teaching English on Shikoku.

Banzai Beard Bonanza: Day 67
Somedays I'm angry. Somedays I'm indifferent. Today I'm indifferent. I want my face back, but the beard isn't going to be gone for almost three weeks; so, I might as well make the best of it.

Geography Bee
It occurs to me now that many of you may not know what Shikoku is. My first reaction is, "Piss off, you ignorant wanker!" Now that that's out of the way, Shikoku is the smallest of the four "home islands" of Japan. They are Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido. Honshu is the largest island and features Tokyo, Mount Fuji, and most of the large cities. Kyushu, at the southern tip of Honshu, was the old gateway into Japan, and it's western edge lies only a hundred miles from Korea. Shikoku is a bit of a backwater, sort of the Nebraska of Japan. Hokkaido has only been populated for a little over a century; it is the northernmost island and home to the vicious snow monkeys. Now aren't you glad you learned something new today?

Hello, Kitty
Yesterday, Skeeter expressed happiness at posts concerning the sometimes odd behavior of Samuel Bubbles Sink Cat Wilson, also known as Sam, our cat. So, look forward to more kitticentric posts, since even after nine or so years of friendship, I more often than not do what I can to please Skeeter.

As if on cue, here's Sammy, just woken up from a nap and whining as if he's been ignored and neglected. You magnificent bastard!