January 27, 2006
love me some quizzies
I was reading stacyo's blog and was inspired to find out: What city do I belong in?
You Belong in London |
 A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well. |
*****
So, tomorrow is my Japanese dinner/slide show. The first real party I've had since J & I moved here. I've ordered a couple big party trays from Kyoto Sushi, and hope to find the time to whip up some "raw food" style sushi as well. Which consists of fillings like macadamia nut paste (instead of rice), thin slices of fresh veggies and a variety of pestos and tapenades, all wrapped up in nori or collard greens. One of the guests I've invited is a raw food aficionado, so I hope to impress her with my renditions of the recipes I got from my health-nut friends in Hawaii.
*****
Been reading a really engrossing series of graphic novels called Strangers in Paradise — enjoying them so much, i never want them to end. Good thing is, there are at least 4 or 5 more volumes to go. The writer/artist, Terry Moore, is equally skilled at both sides of the equation: the storyline *and* the art. I'm humbled by his talents.
*****
The fish are doing well. Their water has been a bit cloudy since the first week I got them, but I read into it and it sounds like we're probably overfeeding them. It's cute, cause J has gotten quite excited about helping me take care of them; the only downside of his enthusiasm was the double-feeding that sometimes occurred. But I think we're in sync now: I do the feeding, he does the light-turning-on/off if he remembers to do so sooner than I do.
Furthermore, just to give you some insight into how nutty I am about these fish, I went to the pet store and bought them two varieties of frozen food that goldfish are supposed to like: bloodworms (ew!) and brine shrimp. Plus some fresh cucumber, along with a cute clownfish-shaped "fresh veggie holder" clip that sticks to the side of the aquarium using a handy suction cup. Who'd've guessed that fish feeding had reached such dizzying heights of technology?
When I got home, I was eager to see whether they'd like the cucumber, so I cut off a thin slice to insert into the clownfish clip, and J suctioned it into the tank. No bites. So then he jumped at the chance to try an experiment he'd been noodling over ever since I told him that goldfish like to eat cucumbers a couple weeks ago. He cut off a little chunk and threaded it with string, and tied the other end (the non-cucumber-baited end) of the string with a toothpick. Unfortunately, the fish didn't go for that trick either.
However, I checked on them an hour or so later and I think maybe, just maybe, they were nibbling at the cucumbers… Maybe someday, they won't be too shy to eat in front of us anymore. O, what a happy day that would be! 😉
June 11, 2005
Howl’s Moving Castle
Last night at the Kabuki Theatre in SF's Japantown, J and I saw Howl's Moving Castle with our friends Mike and Trish (fellow huge fans of Hayao Miyazaki). For those unfamiliar with Miyazaki, he co-founded Japanese anime Studio Ghibli and directed Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Graveyard of the Fireflies, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc.
Apparently it was a preview showing as the film hasn't been officially released yet; if that is indeed true, then I am a bigger geek than I originally thought! (Though this is usually the case, I don't know why it surprises me any more…)
As expected, the film was spectacular visually; the hand-painted backgrounds just keep getting more and more impressive. It was full of strange and wonderful characters, plenty of humor, silly and surreal. However, it is not the near-masterpiece that Spirited Away was.
J read a review last night that blamed the movie's shortcomings on the fact that the story was adapted from a 2001 children's fantasy novel, rather than from Miyazaki's own imagination. Mike said he thought it felt a bit too "Hollywood" — a point I agree with more and more as I think about it.
But J and I both agreed to see it at least one more time in the theatre, and of course we'll buy it as soon as it comes out on DVD. For eye-candy junkies, it's certainly worth seeing multiple times. We're also going to buy the book, which fits right in with my reading habits lately (having just finished all the Lemony Snicket books.)
riseypland 