Current literature: Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto, Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Website: the mad aristocrat
Anime/ficblog: fic sushi
For the love of Bob, sign the guestbook!
Still in school, dammit:
UNC-Greensboro
Nara Women's University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Posted elsewhere:
Fanfiction.net, Photo.net
Partners in crime:
Diana, Haru, Jamie, joudama, Katie, Leah, Melanie, Michael, N, Writer
Reads:
Andre, Ari's recs, Bridget, Cat, Lex, Lisa, Natalie, Sabina, Sabrina, Thorne, Twig, Violaine, Witch King of Angmar
Hangs around:
The Japan Times, Bounce magazine, Ninjai.com, !SuperCat Online, Sekai Seifuku, Passion Fruit, Crimson Tears, The Japanese Flannel, Bleeding Hearts, windward, Sequential Tart, Diagon Alley, Shiroi Heya
Webcomics:
Jinks, ADVENTURERS!, Little Gamers, Nine Stitches, megatokyo, Bite Me!, Boy Meets Boy, Sinfest, Spades
Drools over:
Isamu Noguchi, Chanel, Gackt Camui, Sony Japan, Style.com, Heath Ledger, Aiwa, European Furniture Importers, anything covered in toile, matcha, fried okra, Hemmings Photography, yakisoba
Listens to:
Dreams Come True, Ryuichi Kawamura, Hikaru Utada, Natalie Imbruglia, Gackt, Sarah Brightman, GLAY, Enya, Paul Simon, Jimmy Buffett, Travis, Judy and Mary, L'Arc-en-Ciel, Hyde, Chihiro Onitsuka, Garbage, John Mellencamp, REM, Melissa Etheridge, K.D. Lang, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Sophie B. Hawkins, Nicholas Tse
Books & manga:
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, X, WISH, ElfQuest, Transformers, Ah! My Goddess!, You're Under Arrest!, Bakuretsu Hunter, Rurouni Kenshin, Slayers, Weiss: An Assassin and White Shaman, Gravitation, Gouhou Drug
Watches:
West Wing, As Time Goes By, Slayers, Rurouni Kenshin, Cardcaptor Sakura, Inu Yasha, Cowboy Bebop, any Gackt or Glay videos I can get my hands on, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ed, Edd, & Eddie, Just Shoot Me!, Samurai Jack
Spends paychecks at:
EXPRESS, YesAsia, Apple, J. Crew, L.L. Bean, Target, Amazon.com
Archives:
1/14/03-3/10/03(Manchester I)
12/17/02-1/10/03(Holiday)
11/2/02-12/14/02(Sekirei)
10/3/02-11/1/02(Halloween Elise)
7/31/02-10/3/02(Natalie)
6/12/02-7/27/02(Debauchery)
5/3/02-6/12/02(Fun with mochi)
3/24/02-4/28/02(X pretentiousness)
1/10/02-2/27/02(Home again)
12/1/01-1/3/02(Nara III)
10/9/01-11/27/01(Nara II)
9/3/01-9/29/01(Nara I)
You are Australia! You're cheerful attitude and
Well, I didn't get Japan, but you still made me do a double take with that natto story. I've only had it once, and my reaction was totally the same as yours. You're freaking me out, here! :P
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Holy shit, Lex can even make scribbling on a Post-It note look like something from John Singer Sargent's sketchpad. See me writhe in envy. Gah.
Anyway. London. :D I don't think I've ever walked that much in four consecutive days-- this even beats the week in Nara. Screw the Underground, I pounded the pavement all OVER the area between Belgravia and Covent Garden. Repeatedly. And I still managed to get more than my money's worth out of four day-passes in Zone 1. I ambled all up and down Oxford Road and Regent Street, spent two hours in House of Fraser alone, and then dashed through Piccadilly Circus all the way to the other end of Pall Mall in search of a place to eat my supper al fresco. oO; I saw The Phantom of the Opera from the Royal Circle (and the cast was FANTASTIC), which just made my year. I was all set to go see it a second time, too, but then I discovered the only thing which could have possibly preceded Phantom in the must-see list: Ian McKellen in Dance of Death at the Lyric. I went to see Arsenic and Old Lace at the Strand, in hopes of seeing Stephen Tompkinson, and while an understudy was in for him that night I still got to see Michael Richards give a spectacularly entertaining performance, and the rest of the cast was just as lovely. It's been so long since I attended a really good play, much less two, that I feel refreshed. I've really missed going to the theater regularly. And I saw Ian McKellen on stage! :D Yes, definitely the highlight. How I adore that man.
I tore through the National Portrait Gallery in an hour, and the Titian exhibit next door in even less. It was /packed/, which always irritates me in a museum, but the greater the merit or fame of the exhibit, the greater the irritation. Kind of like the one room in the National Gallery, you know, that has all the Van Gogh paintings of sunflowers. Personally, I find those paintings creepy and queasy, but I'd still like to contemplate them in something resembling peace. Hard to do when sweaty tourists with five-year-olds hanging on their trousers are pushing you left and right to get close enough to breathe on the canvas. And let's not go into the use of flash photography in the British Museum. Just... no. (Although I did flee to the rooms full of Assyrian carvings, which were blessedly empty but terribly fascinating, and take a few discreet photos. I hope they come out well.)
I gave the V&A a complete miss; the Art Deco exhibit was the only thing luring me there in the first place, and I've got plenty of other resources if I ever feel like drooling over that kind of thing. I also bypassed the Kazari exhibit at the British Museum; I didn't have time to look at any of the European artifacts as it was, since I became so completely absorbed in the Assyrian stuff. (And here's where I sound like a REAL history-snob and say it was because they didn't have anything I hadn't already seen, and better, in Kyoto and Nara. If they did, they must not have realized, because they sure didn't advertise it.) But oh, how I wish I'd had time to see the Chinese exhibits. And the Roman. (I saw the statuary, and that doesn't count in my book, not after all those semesters spent staring at slide after slide of Greco-Roman marble monstrosities. My brain has become desensitized to Classical sculpture.)
I ducked into Westminster Abbey (this would be why I had such limited time at the BM) to say hello to Chaucer for Mom, and spent a little over an hour just wandering and being happily creeped out by the austere shabbiness of the oldest sarcophogi, and the absolute chill that has seeped into every stone in the building. It must be ice-cold even in the middle of June. I would have stayed in the Henry VII Chapel indefinitely, had I not gotten suspicious looks from the clergy after about twenty minutes spent on tiptoe, peering through the carved railings to get a better view of the heraldic achievements nailed to the upper benches. I need a good book or two on heraldry in my possession, and /fast/. All the half-remembered terms and image vocabulary was driving me nuts in there.
Oh, and I had onigiri! I wanted to jump and shout for joy when I walked out of the Charing Cross station only to find a Wasabi sushi shop right across the street-- but as I was about to leave, since the sushi was far too expensive, I saw the last two onigiri on a tray at the bottom of the shelf. Salmon. Conbini-style. For one pound! Needless to say, I munched happily on that all the way to St. Martin's. God, it was heavenly. I ate lunch at the Cafe In the Crypt, as well, because their food is out of this world and the prices aren't bad either. (And Mom wanted me to. Heh.)
In Piccadilly Circus, or rather, just a few buildings down on Regent Street, I found the Japan Centre. It was torture. Shelf after shelf of all the latest music, with 20-pound price stickers on every CD and me on my last financial legs. But I did eat dinner there, which was cheap (iced green tea! Iced green tea!) and the exchange students sitting next to me informed me about Dance of Death, which I would never have found out about otherwise (I had decided it would be wise not to investigate too closely into theatrical productions, since I couldn't afford to spend too much on tickets... and yet I did it anyway, thanks to that verbal recommendation and the article I saw on Arsenic. I really do have some crazy luck.) If I hadn't sat down at that counter when I did, where I did, I would have gone right on to see Phantom thirty minutes later, totally unaware of the show playing one block away. But as it is, I got to see one of my very favourite actors from eight rows away, in a fantastic play with two other amazing cast members.
I'll have photos in a week or so, hopefully-- I took four rolls more after I got the last developed in Manchester. Those are the ones with all the people in them, too, so I really do need to hurry and get them done. I owe lots of letters now that I'm home. But I've got time, and plenty of it, since I'm going to be working all summer and spending as little as possible. Starting next Monday, in fact. It will be wonderful to have a paycheck again. For now, I need to plug in my Mac and see about a new look for this page, and a look, period, for my web portfolio. *cracks knuckles*
Steph sent me the craziest, most bizarre minidisc ever recorded last week. I think in retrospect it's a good thing I didn't have it before leaving the UK-- I would have terrified the passengers on the coach, laughing out loud suddenly and for no apparent reason with my headphones on. You want an idea? All right, there's everything on this sucker from bad Fushigi Yuugi image songs (yes, the Nakago Song, you know, the one that sounds like lounge music) and Dragonball drama tracks, to Mai Kuraki and Evanescence, to Duran Duran, to Sarah Brightman and Pink.
Yes, we are insane. We're so far gone we might as well have our own language. Hey, there's a thought, Sephie, what would we call it? XD
I'm done now. I'm going to go sit outside in the sun, because it's gorgeous and the sky is blue and endless and the trees are glowing green and white and yellow, and it smells so wonderful I can just taste it. God, I'm glad to be home in the spring.
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Am back in the States. Been here since five PM yesterday. Everyone talks funny. Air smells clean and lovely.
More later, when I'm not hogging Rene's computer.
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Oh my God, I'm in London. (Duh.) It didn't hit me until this morning, though, after I managed to get my lazy ass out of bed and down to the subway so I could get to St. Paul's in time for the 11.30 service. (And I was ON TIME! Go me.) I was so thrilled with the realization, though, that I've just spent the entire afternoon, minus lunch at a pub, walking from Belgravia to Covent Garden, where I am now. I spent three hours in the Tate Gallery too, but I might have to go back because they closed before I had a chance to see every single Sargent painting.
My hotel room is nice, but GOD it's small, and there's no bath, only a shower. But it's got decent water pressure, and I had no idea I'd missed that so much! The coach ride down was nice, even though we got stuck in backed-up traffic for an hour due to an accident. Sunny, but it's SO COLD HERE-- what gives? I mean, it must be ten degrees warmer up north! I actually went back to the hotel to get my trenchcoat before I ate lunch. But the sun's still out and Covent Garden is gorgeous: if it weren't for the cold air I would say it was summertime, the way everyone is milling around outside and having a ball. The pale buildings and the quality of the light here make it look like a summer evening, too.
Crap, time to run. Probably won't get to write more till I get home. Oh well... *yells happily* I'M IN LONDON!
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
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Totally forgot: I tossed a challenge up on the ficblog. Terribly open-ended. Do have a look. ;p
We went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner tonight. I broke down and ordered a hamburger, and to my surprise it was really damned good. (My eating experiences in HRC Atlanta and Myrtle Beach were both less-than-stellar, despite how cool the restaurants themselves were.) Dave, sorry, no photo of the Black Sabbath guitar, but I did spend the entire meal staring at a band member's pants framed on the wall opposite. XD
I really, really don't want to leave. Three months is way too short! I mean, it takes me a good eight weeks to really settle in to anyplace new, and so it feels like I've been here forever, and like I just got here. Most of all, though, I'm going to miss my course, and hanging out in the studio. Seriously, I've learned so much in such a short time, even accounting for my weird split schedule, that I feel like I've gotten double my money's worth, so to speak. I wish I could have come for a whole year.
*Hugs* I miss talking to you; I hope I can catch you on IM when I get home. :)
I find it rather amusing that the thing I'm most looking forward to right this moment is the giant bathtub that awaits me in my hotel room in Belgravia. I am going to dump my luggage, unpack a bit, and promptly sink blissfully into a scalding tub for a good hour. And then I'll get to watch TV. I will have a cable TV. You have no idea how wonderful this is to me, especially since I'm going to want to throw heavy objects at the news channels when I get home.
If I can just get through tomorrow morning.... God, I don't want to leave.
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How nice, you're the gentle kirin. Originally from
(Surprise, surprise.)
I just finished my contextual studies paper. OY. Quizzy celebration!
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Okay. I'm insanely busy this week, but it's been loads of fun. April Fool's Day has been nearly forgotten... I might have to wreak havoc over the phone rather than in person. XD And it really must be New Layout Day, or something. I'm practically the only non-LJer who didn't chuck a new look up this week, it seems. ;p Oh well. No changes here until after I get back from London.
It's official: I'm a mixed-drinks girl. Beer is fine, as long as it's good beer, but a pint is enough to fill me up, food or no food. Hard liquor is nasty as far as I'm concerned, and I'm getting pickier when it comes to bottled drinks. So yes, bring on the mudslides and daquiris and frozen margeritas. (Unless there's Bacardi Breezers or schnapps around. Mmmm.) And then there's the general preference towards wine with food to begin with-- but that's not a factor here, because the good wine is too expensive and the cheap wine tastes like, well, cheap wine. And we all know life's too short to drink cheap wine; I'd rather drink good beer instead.
We went to ScuBar after the animation screening, and it was a lot of fun. I've got to write my contextual studies paper tonight, and my Futures essay needs to be roughed out as well. I just got back from Waterstone's, where I went with the singular intent of purchasing an Edward Gorey book to help in writing my paper. I really ought to have known better-- I walked out with two Gorey books, a book on Art Deco fashion, and then as I was meandering around, waiting for the cashier to finish chatting with a customer, I chanced upon their sole copy of the Treasure Planet artbook. Not one of the cheezy kid's books; this is the concept book that shows all the backgrounds and character rough sketches, the whole shebang. I've wanted it ever since I knew it existed, but never thought I'd actually find it in a bookstore. The clerk told me it's been special-ordered like mad, however, so I'm guessing it's popular with the animation buffs in town.
The Art Deco book was a must mostly due to all the AF brainstorming and hashing-out I did last night-- yes, I should have been working, but I was in a really foul mood and I was dead tired, so I just put the t.A.T.u. CD on repeat and let my imagination run naked and screaming through the wilderness. XD The results were most promising. Of course, now I have this grand plan to redesign character outfits, etc. so that Midgar looks like some kind of super-decadent 1920s metropolis... but it will be good fun.
I'm going home with Jenny Friday night, and will be back in town well before my coach leaves the next afternoon... but this means I have to bail on my flatmates and their Friday night out. I feel kinda bad, but we /are/ all going out Thursday anyway, and I had already planned on going with Jenny, it's just that the date got changed. So. :) One more foray into the country, thank God.
Time to scram; I'm starving and there's chips with my name on 'em.
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I have a hotel in London at last! Sweet. And Carly and I went shopping today; I now have a new pair of Doc Martens and some bamboo linen spray. Between that and the sandalwood incense, my room smells fantastic. No time for more right now; we're about to leave for Czech Bar for £1 drinks.
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*Drools*
Yes, it's safe to say I'm starving now. I'd give vital organs for a plate of plain onigiri. Time for post-modernism lecture in a bit, though, so I'll have to settle for a sandwich from the deli. My stomach is demanding heaps of bacon in lieu of Japanese health food. xX;
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current music: 'Sekirei' live, Gackt
*grins like a maniac* Guess what I got to see last night. Or rather, who. C'mon. You'll never guess.
I went to the Lowry in Salford Quays to see Yamato, a Japanese taiko group. They've never performed in the US that I know of, and they were only here for one night. I would never have known, if I hadn't been idly skimming the paper in the studio that afternoon, and seen the ad. Olly and I zipped off in a cab and dashed in one minute before the show started.
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. That was the fastest two hours have ever flown, and no exaggeration. Those men and women are amazing! I've never seen anyone have so much fun doing /anything/, as ecstatic as they looked jumping around and playing their instruments. One woman played the shamisen like it was an electric guitar-- Tim, Dave, Elizabeth, you guys would have LOVED the whole thing. I so wish you could have seen them. But I did buy their live CD, so you can hear them. (Two of the guys were very cute, which only helped...) One of the drummers, the one who played the largest odaiko, had Sanosuke hair. That's the only way to describe it. He was /crazy/-- watching him perform was like a shot of caffeine in the arm. And Takeru Matsushita, the Man In Charge... um, wow. We were so wound up after that that in spite of running on only two hours of sleep, I was up for a good three hours afterwards. It was the most fun I've had in a theater in /ages/. To top it all off, the brochure had photos of the group in Asuka, where they live and train. Asuka-mura, to be precise. It's all too easy for me to picture them giving a performance in front of the Ishibutai at night. That was pretty much my undoing, it made me so homesick. I mean, it's only the most beautiful place on earth, and I want to live there so badly I can taste it.
Mel, I think I want taiko lessons even more than kendo. XD And I got your incense, plus some spicy Autumn incense for myself. I'll buy a holder for it at home; I'm quite sure Asheville has a better selection than the shops here.
addendum: AAAAH! I just found something wonderful! I can't link directly to it, but this is close, click on the REPORT link at the top, then on 'March' and read what's there. Scroll down, especially! The Red Bull entry made me crack up-- yes, that's Sano-boy holding a can in the photo. It's excerpts from their tour diary, which is very cool. Happy, happy ED. ^_^
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More Weiss over at the ficblog; I was lucky and inspiration hit me with a brick while I was still sitting in front of the computer. Omi again, surprise surprise.
Okay, hungry now. Off to eat soup and sandwiches, as I am VERY VERY POOR and this is the beginning of Operation Save Cash for London.
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Heh. I didn't even fix this one.
And whether Gackt's new single is crap or not, I'm still buying it, oh yes. I shall see for myself. Besides, there's a concert video or two out there with my name on it as well. :)
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AAAAAUUUGH.
I'm going to go curl up in a corner now. x_X;
Speaking of current reading material, N.P. is a very weird book. I'm not sure how much of it is due to the translation, but I'm pretty sure that's most of it-- it feels rather awkward and disjointed, not at all like Asleep or Goodbye Tsugumi which, oddities of translation accounted for, were very smoothly done. Asleep really freaked me out in a good way, though-- anyone who's ever gone through a couple of weeks where they feel themselves getting sucked into oblivion more and more, only to wake up feeling like they're still dreaming, this story will definitely hit home. It amazed me, just like Goodbye Tsugumi, because it felt like Yoshimoto was in my head. Sometimes she just takes things right out of my life, or my thoughts, and it's the greatest feeling to read something like that and know that it's not just me being crazy; other people have these moods and impressions too. The only book of hers I haven't read now is Amrita, and it's sitting on my shelf right next to the other five. I think it's safe to say I've got a new favorite author.
I've nearly finished re-reading all of LotR now; I kinda did it backwards and had to finish up with FotR, and I'm nearly to The Mirror of Galadriel. I'd forgotten that every time I set out to re-read the trilogy, I end up getting bored right around the Council of Elrond and skipping up to the last chapter, then on to The Two Towers. So really, it's been many years since I properly read the first book all the way through, and I'd completely forgotten much of the dialogue. (Gandalf being snarky, for instance; Legolas being a stuck-up Elf Prince, Pippin's wealth of annoying chatter, and Boromir being a Royal Ass. The more I read, the more I can't believe it wasn't obvious to me from the start that he was Cannon Fodder. I'm about ready to root for the Uruk-hai at this point.) I so cannot /wait/ for Return of the King in December, my favorite book of them all-- ever since I was ten, that's been the subject of many a long and involved daydream: what if they made a movie? And now they have. The best part of The Scouring of the Shire has always been Pippin lashing out at the men who jeer at Frodo-- I just want to applaud him whenever I read it. I really, really hope that made it into the screenplay.
I will never get tired of re-reading those books-- and the appendices are actually just as much fun. I was only interested in the timelines when I was younger, because it was like gold: a way of finding out What Happened After. But now I can appreciate the chapter on languages, and most especially the section on Translation in Appendix F. That is just about the damned coolest thing /ever/-- equivalents to Old English, Celtic, and on and on and on. Treating the books as if they themselves have been translated from another language entirely, and having to account for idiosyncracies of each dialect and so on... I really do need to get my mother started on all this.
Oh, and Steph? That email you sent me gave me a really funny idea. You might have a better handle on writing it though, so I'll expound upon it in email. Tom Riddle and correspondence-- I just had to type this in instantly so I wouldn't forget it.
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current music: Hikaru Utada, 'Final Distance'
...Haru, that was the cutest thing you've written, well, ever. *Grins* Yet another reason to be amused by lawn gnomes. You rock.
Last night was very odd. Not to mention amusing (to me, at any rate). Yet again the universe has vindicated my opinions on the opposite sex. *snickers* But I digress.
It's a really beautiful day outside-- trees are blossoming, daffodils are nodding in the spring breeze, and all that poetic crap. I'm stuck in the internet cafe because I'm still looking for a hotel, however. Wish me luck.
I cannot wait to be in London again. :) For some reason the thought of all the potential travels I've been missing out on while I'm stuck in the studio hasn't really bothered me. I'm not /sorry/ to be stuck in the studio, you see-- I'm still getting to do things I couldn't to at home, it's just that those things don't involve jaunting around western Europe with a backpack and a camera. And if anyone else tries to tell me 'you're only young once, you'll never have this chance again', well, where the hell do you get off telling me what I will and won't get to do after I graduate? The /nerve/. Last time I checked it wasn't mandatory that you become a paper-pushing stay-at-home robot as soon as you hit 30.
Sorry. No offense to the person who put that point to me; it's just that that kind of wheedling really gets to me. Especially when my money is starting to run low, and my passport has a tourist visa rather than a student visa on it. (Which is a whole 'nother rant, but I won't bore you all with that one. It just pisses me off, is all.) And I LIKE Manchester. I honestly haven't had this burning desire to flee the city since I got here. I love it, and there's plenty to keep me occupied and happy right here in town.
Then there's the fact that this semester has pretty much served to further settle in my mind the fact that Japan is where I need to be. At least for a little while. I came here wondering if I'd fall in love with England so much that I'd toss Japan out the window, so to speak, because I'm like that sometimes-- latching on to anything new and shiny-- but I know myself better than I think, now, because that hasn't happened. I still want to be in Japan, and the thought of living in England, even in Manchester, is just /not/ appealing. (The thought of studying here further is, though, but that's different.)
So. I wish I could stay longer (two weeks, my God, I really don't want to leave in two weeks) and I know I'll miss this all SO MUCH when I get home, but it's okay. I know what I want to do next. And I refuse to let my last semester of university be anything other than loads of fun. :)
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Okie dokie, the Weiss snippet is up and edited thoroughly. This one absolutely sucked when I wrote it out, even though the initial idea came to me all at once and I really liked it. I got kicked outta the library before I could finish typing it in last night-- not to mention that when I write things on paper first, they tend to get re-drafted as I type them into the word processor. One more reason typing is faster, go figure.
I'm very sleepy, and I think my flatmates are expecting me to go out with them tonight. It'll be cheap, and I'm tired of staying in, so that's fine... but I think I'll need a nap first. *jaw-cracking yawn* I wonder if anyone wants to go eat dinner at the pub....
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Stupid, aggravating... entry dating's still wonky. And I'm polishing off my (hopefully attainable) fall course schedule, in between yelling at the hotel prices I'm finding online. I think I'll be calling Heather for some guidance-- that or finding out if anyone's got good friends living in London. ^_^; Oy.
Sweet frothing Mokona, I've got a lot of work to do in two weeks. I'm really not ready to go home. Twelve weeks, when compared to sixteen (and minus the vacation as well), really doesn't quite cut it. Another month would make all the difference in the world-- it tends to take about three to four weeks for me to really settle in in a new place, and it feels like I've just recently really gotten the hang of everything (as in, feel totally confident about getting around without a map, going places on my own, grokking the truly odd post office up the road, etc). Hn.
Oh well. Time to slap up that Weiss-blurb before they kick us out of the library.
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Oi. Whoever was looking for Anne Perry slash: Good luck. XD
Dangit, now I want fluff. Okay, Bridget, you're really getting it now!
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current music: BBC news, flatmates
Well, I went and booked a ticket by coach from here to London for April 5th. £17, baby-- let's see the train fares beat THAT! It's only one hour longer, too, and the coaches are much nicer inside than the trains. I would never have found out about it, either, if I hadn't gone exploring down past Princess Street and UMIST-- I passed the station and noticed how nice it was inside, and that the fares were quite a bit lower than the trains. See, students here are very un-helpful when it comes to advice on saving money-- they do what others tell them and don't bother to look around much, as a rule. I've gotten most of my best advice from Jenny and my professors, and even they didn't tell me about the coach station. Hooray for my wandering feet!
Those same wandering feet just spent two hours in Waterstone's this evening: I found the store that has a whole giant /room/ devoted to Art. Fashion books, design, architecture... it was a lost cause, getting me out of there. I didn't buy anything because I'll have to see how much I can afford to spend, then go back and prioritize my selection. There was a really nice fashion illustration book, and two Japanese graphic design tomes, and one gorgeous, slightly large book on traditional Japanese design and its uses in modern settings-- it has a CD inside full of royalty-free templates and images. I nearly squeaked for joy as I flipped through it. (I have a feeling it will win out in the end.)
Before I forget, I ought to tell you that she tells me Gackt actually cosplayed as Heero Yui at least once. We're still looking for pictures. Apparently the man is a massive, massive fanboy. (You've seen the Cloud-hair from the Vanilla video, probably. Bingo.) If I ever get my hands on journalistic proof of this, I'll... I'll... well, I'm not sure what I'll do, but it will involve laughing very loudly for a long time.
*hugs* I wish I was better at whipping out fluff on demand, so I could give you some. I'll do my best to chuck something up on the blog tomorrow, na? ^_^ Good excuse for me to write some Weiss! (Actually, Weiss-fluff is probably the easiest out of all my fandoms to write. Score.) Okay then. I'm off, it's time for Sex and the City.
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Prelude to Color
I've just finished nicking a few choice Kenshin scans from this page-- I totally forgot about it, but it's a wonderful resource in a pinch. (Besides, the Kenshin scans are /great/.) I'm now absolutely DYING to get my hands on the last half of the RK manga... Watsuki is god. He really, really is. If I ever manage to draw people the way he does, I will have attained artistic nirvana. :D
I'm in the Macsuite messing about in Photoshop-- I kind of want to leave, because I'm pretty much done with what I needed to do, but I think I'm supposed to wait for Neil to come back. Garn. It's such a nice day outside, even though it's not as warm as yesterday. We sat in the park for over two hours yesterday, lunching and sort-of doing our work. Everyone on campus seemed to be crammed into that little square of green, I swear.
I've still got FotR on the brain-- it's been years since I properly re-read it, and I've finally caved and have been doing just that. I already re-skimmed the last two books the week before, but just yesterday FotR sank its teeth into my imagination and wouldn't let go for anything. I'm /so/ not complaining. ^_^
I now know the one thing above all others that I never, ever want to hear in the middle of trying to fall asleep: Bush's voice blaring from the tv in the next room. That, my friends, is the stuff of nightmares. I was so angry and worked-up that it actually took me another hour to finally nod off. The icing on the cake, of course, being the discussions in the studio this morning. Oy. I still find it mildly amusing that some people actually expect me to /defend/ our government's actions. As if. Hey morons-- you're making it REALLY embarrassing for us citizens who happen to be staying over here in Europe, you know? CUT IT OUT.
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'PPPS: ...If he forgets, I shall roast him' :D I love Gandalf.
current music: Garbage, 'Androgyny'
I love this song. I love, love, love this album and God help the people within ten miles of me if I ever get the speaker system of my dreams.
Oh, just so you know (if you haven't been gleefully informed already, that is!)-- I have it on very good authority that Gackt probably /meant/ to look like Rufus. Or at least some other kickass blond, white-wearing, gun-toting game or manga hottie. *grins* ...Dammit, I want that new album YESTERDAY.
I am now the proud owner of a shockingly red Man United team shirt-- and thanks to the age-group-defying fanbase, I was able to get one that actually fits me, instead of having to buy something big enough for me to swim through. Rock.
More later; library's closing and I have FoTR on the brain... which may or may not be a good thing.
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I have what looks to be a new favorite band: Runrig. We were listening to their Best Of album on the stereo as we watched the Man United game last night, and Jenny's stepdad burned me a copy. It's fantastic! (It was even more fantastic on that stereo. I can't wait to put it on ours at home.)
I finally got to leave town, yesterday. It was beyond lovely. Jenny and I took the bus after getting lunch from Marks & Spencer (and poking around Afflecks Palace-- N, you would never be able to tear yourself away from there), and we got off near Rochdale and walked to her dad's house, then down into the dell behind. Hopefully the photos won't suck-- I was using the last of the sepia film-- because it was an amazing place. Trees and grass and SKY at long last! Gorgeous. We walked for a good couple of hours before winding our way up the hill to her mother's house, where we flopped on the couch and drank hot chocolate until the feeling returned to our ears and faces. The views from the hilltop were breathtaking but /wow/, I'm out of shape. I need to hike more. Walking on flat streets is just no good.
We had pasta and vegetables for dinner, and then espresso for dessert while we watched the game. It was so lazy and warm and wonderful... just what I needed. Neither of us wanted to get up and leave the house this morning, you can be sure. We lingered over breakfast even though it meant running a bit late.
There's a typography workshop at two that I have to attend-- I won't have time or the wherewithal to actually use the machines for my projects, but I'm still interested to see how they all work. Coolness. Then I'll drop off my film and continue in my quest for crunchy peanut butter.
Boots has fantastic sushi. Even the ginger and wasabi are great. Marks & Spencer, sadly, does not have good sushi-- the pieces all fall apart when you pick them up with chopsticks, because the rice is too hard and they're not made well. (However, they make up for it by having huge containers of spinach and pine nut pasta, which I will happily eat until I explode.)
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God, it's nice to have a short page again. I'm so picky, I can't even archive without art at the top. Dork. ;p
But guess what? I've got photos! Uploaded, even! Sorry if you wanted large groups of smiling people, though, because it's all buildings around town. I only got that roll put on CD because it's expensive and I didn't want to spend hours scanning them all by myself (because this is the kind of stuff I use with image programs). Not hard to figure out what my priorities are, na? Anyway.
Town Hall, Albert Square Pretty, pretty (massive!) building. Looks even cooler at night, because it's lit from below.
Albert Square (main entrance of Town Hall) Amazingly devoid of people, for once. Sometimes they do photo shoots here-- it's really cool to watch, but if you get closer than ten yards they give you dirty looks.
View from other end of the Square Yup. Check out the cool statues. So, I like this place. Can you tell? ;)
Apartment building, close to campus There's a really interesting little area behind Oxford Road on the left, chiefly comprised of an old pub, the concert hall and this posh apartment building. It's surprisingly parklike-- and I love this building. It must have the most amazing views from the top stories; the setting sun catches it every afternoon.
Peveril of the Peak Apparently one of, if not the most famous pub in Manchester. It's certainly something to look at-- I'd like to check out the inside, too...
Midland Hotel and Exhibition Hall Further back off Oxford Road, directly behind the Midland Hotel, which is a very interesting building. The tiles that cover it reflect the sunlight, and close up it's full of crazy decorative details.
Sculpture outside Concert Hall and in front of said kickass apartment building. Done by a Japanese artist whose name I can't recall, but it reminds me of a giant sea-pebble, and I quite like it. Every time I walk by I want to climb on top of it and sit (but I don't think they'd like that).
View from the depot There's a huge remodeled train depot on the left here-- filled with trendy shops and flanked by cafes. Straight ahead are more shops and business blocks.
Furniture Row or so I call it, because I can't remember the name of the road. It's nothing but awesome restaurants and high-end furniture/interiors shops anyway-- which equals loads of window-shopping for me. If I were in any position to even THINK about buying furniture or accessories, I'd be in serious trouble.
Side street, Town Hall The overpasses go from Town Hall into the very large, very Gothic building next door. I ought to have tried this one on the sepia film instead, but oh well. That's what Photoshop is for.
I could go on and on about Albert Square, but this guy does a pretty decent job. Here, educate yourselves!
Oh, and Julian Opie is incredible. I hadn't even heard of him until I saw this installation in Exchange Square, on one wall of the Selfridges. His paintings rule-- most definitely my style.
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laid back manner make you a great person,
although you do tend to be a little lazy! You
love fun things like partying and sunbathing,
and have a great sense of humour ! :)
Which country should you come from?! With pics :)
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China, you made your way to Japan and brought
your nobility and purity with you. You are very
sentimental and care about other beings, you
are the familiar of the goddess Kannon, also
known as Kwan Yin or Tara. The goddess of
mercy. You represent everything just and pure.
You should be proud! Kirin is the oriental
species of unicorn.
What Japanese Creature are you?
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You're Autumn.
Which Season Are You?
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