Not You Too

Thanks to Ted, I've found out some bad news. It appears that we won't be going to see U2 in a few days. This is a major bummer for my social plans, but it looks like a worse one for the member of U2 who has an ill immediate family member. Hope that they can get unill soon.

Now I've found something else to do outside for the spring season.
Bought a pair of inline skates and protective gear in the hope that I can keep up over the non-skiing season some of the skills / balance I learnt. So far no broken bones from fooling around on the road outside my place, but as stopping eludes me, it's only a matter of time.

Guns, Germs and Steel is such an interesting little tome it has even beaten out King Kong for train time.

Crash

We've come back from watching Crash, which was supposedly the Best Picture of the Year with the Best Original Screenplay, as far as the Oscars were concerned.

I guess my "supposedly" gives the game away that I was under-whelmed. It is certainly well-acted with some funny lines, but for the most part this film is 2 hours of issues ladled on thick by characters that suck down way, way, way too many espressos. I don’t remember seeing a film where so many people seem to be so angry about so much. Right from the get go complete strangers are insulting each other with racial slurs. Obviously not a film made by the LA tourist bureau.

And what has this message movie taught us by the end. Racism is bad, bad people sometimes do good things, and good people sometimes do bad things. Illuminating stuff. I didn’t care if more than half of them lived or died.

If this is modern America, then I’m glad I live in Japan.

The End

A fine day was had on Saturday at Saku Parada Ski Resort. The snow was artificial but the slopes were real, and the weather was nice. All in all a very pleasant end to the season. However I came home much more tired than I thought I'd be. I guess age is catching up. Or rushing past as the case may be.

Now I have to find something else to do outside for the spring season.

Lost Weekend

Miss Alixkid’s write-up of her Austrian ski adventure reminded me that I hadn’t posted about our recent one. For this time we did have an adventure of sorts.

Mari and I went to Nagano and stayed at the Risonare, Kobuchizawa. It was a building that looked like a modern art museum; all bendy concrete walls and weird lighting inside that made you feel as if you were being brainwashed. The food was fabulous, the myriads of hot spas were relaxing, and the artificial beach with wave machine that was in the basement was something every home should have. As recreating the world in Japan is popular at resort hotels, it came attached to its own mock piazza that was a snow-covered ghost town at this time of year. Weird.

On the second day we went to Fujimi Panorama ski field. I really liked this ski field; the slope was just right for my level and the snow, although a little slushy, was certainly fine for skiing. We skied away the morning to our heart’s content, and then because we were starting to get a little wet and hungry decided to have one more run before breaking for lunch.

Big mistake. With the end of the lift in sight there was a power blackout. We were left dangling in what had become freezing cold rain/snow for 50 minutes. After a while a resort employee came along to explain the problem, then a doctor to see if we were all ok, then finally a rescue team with ropes and a sling. However by the time they’d arrived we were both well and truly frozen through. At one point I took off my gloves and wrung out the water. It left me wondering if it was better to leave them off.

After we’d been hauled off the lift one at a time like racks of frozen meat, we skied down to the darkened resort. Although there were no heaters, they still had some food left over on the gas hotplates, so we could eat some warm curry and rice. After about 20mins there was an announcement that the field would close, and that everyone’s money would be returned.

So on the bright side we got half a day's free skiing to compensate us for the loss of our fingers to frostbite.

Stranger in a Strangetown

So last weekend we went to Mari's folks' place in Shuzenji. However I really spent the weekend in Strangetown.

"Where's Strangetown?" you ask.

It's where my Sim (Terrence) woke up. He's trying to get out, but before he can he has to buy a whole lot of shiny white goods, cure himself of vampirism, whack zombies with a shovel and do the Kine Cow Dance. It makes more sense if you play the game.

But do not, I repeat, do no start playing The Sims 2. You'll never venture into real life again.

On the good side, the release of From Russia with Love on the PSP has been delayed, so I won't have to disappear into the computerized world of Bond for a while. On the bad side, I could go out right now and buy King Kong for some ape-fu frenzy. Play as man. Play as Kong. There is no choice. kong. Kong. KONG!

Oh sorry, went a bit woozy there.

In other Bond related news I've had my GoldenEye FF posted. It's a pretty petty look at GE, so really just for fans. And while I was reading a Bond website I found a guy called ACE who had written a very FF like piece about The Living Daylights. I contacted him and asked him if he'd like to post it. He turned out to be the editor for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which is a Bond fanmag. He was such a nice chap that he sent me a copy gratis all the way from the UK. Wot a bit 'o luck.

This Saturday will see us going to what will in all likelihood be our last ski trip for this season. Boo Hoo.

But now I'm thinking about my summer holidays. Are there any takers for a ski trip to NZ?

In the Clutches of my Pale Master

So why aren't I posting much? Or finishing the FFs I've promised? Or doing lesson plans?

If you answered "skiing", you're partially right, but a long way from the truth. Yes, I've been skiing, twice in fact over the last few weekends. But the real time-sucking-thorn-in-my-side is my new PSP (white).

How can so much joy be found in such a small package? I bought 3 games with it, Star Wars Battlefront II, Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories, and The Sims 2. I haven't yet got to The Sims because I can't stop vaporising ewoks (why would you want to?), or running down the gang members who foolishly roam Liberty City.

Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope!

I ate Living Fish

I think the title says it all. I went to an end of year party* tonight at a sushi restaurant. The first dish was small white fish swimming in something. They are now digesting in my stomach, probably drunk on the beer and gin and tonic that quickly followed them down.

New experiences are one of the joys of living abroad.

I'll soon post about the other stuff that has happened.

* it's the end of the school year