The incredible story of -mike!

First Day of School

2009-09-02T05:19:00.001-07:00

The first day of school was kind of easy. I had heard that in the Japanese school system, formalized greetings and respectful proceedings are important. Well - the formalized start of the second semester managed to fill an entire half-day of school on my first day.

I had to catch a 6:41 bus to catch a 7:01 train to make sure that I was able to walk 30 min. to school and get there by 7:45. Everything worked out as planned, but for the rivers of sweat pouring down my face and into my new suit. In the span of 12 hours, I had biked through torrential rain and un-seasonable cold, and was now arriving at school before 8:00 in life threatening heat and humidity. I changed shoes at the door - leaving my polished dress shoes in the lower story of a cubby and changing into my $20 white nikes completing my Japanese teacher ensemble. The kids had home room and I attempted to look busy for an hour or so. Then we had our opening ceremony to usher in the new semester! The vice principal (by far the tallest man in the building at 6.1 plus 2 inches of slicked back hair), took his time getting the kids into perfect lines and whipping them into verbal submission. When he was satisfied with their level of discomfort (and maybe mine), he turned things over to the principal. Red cheeked and rosy, the principal reminded kids that they should continue to be everywhere 5 min. before they were required to be there. Awards were presented to clubs and specific students on last semesters performance. I was given a chance to embarrass myself in Japanese. I was so nervous given the formality of the event, that I thought I might faint. I did manage to eek out a self-introduction, but I wasn't fun at all - I had planed on making a splash, but the formality of the event threw me. The school nurse stole the show with details on the swine flu and how to guard against it.

After the opening ceremony, there was a fire drill. Then everyone in the building spent 15 minutes cleaning the whole school. This happens every day, but because of the fire drill, it was actually really dirty! Kids usually change shoes when they enter the building - this time, because they were required to evac. without changing shoes, the halls were filthy!

As we were in the practice of being everywhere 5 min. early, and having reached the end of the day, the kids returned to homeroom about min. 25 min. before they were scheduled to have done so. I'm sure nothing too school-like got done in this last 45 min. before kids were cut loose. Finally, with the half-day of school complete, the teachers were able to have a meeting and share stories of their summer vacations (about 2 weeks - less for some teachers). I got to introduce myself again and passed around some pictures. It turns out that the art teacher had gone to France and spend 4 whole days in the Luv! The head English teacher had drank her way around Germany (hell yeah!). We all passed out snacks from the places we had visited.

I got dropped off at a bike shop and bought my second crappy bicycle. This one will be on the top floor of the bicycle parking garage near the train station so I can ride it to school and cut my commute down 15 min. to about an hour.

Day 1 - no problemo.

Day 2 was more normal and a bit more fun. I got to teach 3 periods and got to spray a fire hose at a special after-school fire safety training presented by the Iruma-Shi fire department. Junior high school students just look and act like kids after all, thank God. I think I'll be ok.

I know this isn't a widely used blog - but I need a place for longer updates. Pictures and daily micro news will be on Facebook! If your on and you're not my friend, please friend me at mike.solo(at)gmail.com~! If you're not on facebook and don't want to be, bug someone who is on to show off my page sometime~ Awesome.

Bumper Sticker Subtext

2008-05-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

This is what your bumper-sticker is NOT stating in the form of a snappy, memorable quip.

[Think Globally, Act Typically]

[.. and therefore I’m morally and ethically superior to all of (you)]

[God Bless America (and to hell with those other jokers)]

[Passive Aggressive Driver]

[Though purchasing this sticker was the extent of my action on this issue]

[Keep Santa Cruz (Wealthy/White)]

[They were passing out these stickers in front of Trader Joes]

[My other car is (that electric wheelchair at the grocery store)]

[Vote out of subconscious fear of dark-skinned minorities ‘08]

[Everyone should do what I think. And I think a lot. Really.]

[And We Complain More..]

[Metallica! (What up, Class of ’89?!)]

[My kid’s an honor student (and put this sticker on my car without asking)]

[Driver actually believes that (you) will change]

[Desperate attempt to be indie-cool]

[Vote to piss off my parents in ’08.. (Unless I’m hung-over)]

[Small Penis!]

I'm sorry.

2008-01-29T23:46:00.000-08:00

This blog has been ignored for so long that I'm sure no one even bothers checking anymore. And you know, i deserve that. I've been a lousy blogger. Nearly-a/Over-a year has passed since i freed up the few minutes it takes to pass on even a good word to those of you who take would be kind enough to take the time to read it. It's a selfish and miserable thing that I've done. I have nothing in the way of excuses other than the bewilderment of a mind still heavy from trekking through a mire of joblessness and self doubt.

I've been not-laboring under the assumption that, "if [i don't] have something nice to say, then [I] shouldn't say anything at all". It's a sign of good upbringing, and my get-along-a'tude has never been better for it. Still, it doesn't pay to never bother saying anything at all. so fuck that noise, I'm going to recklessly reclaim this space and spit the truth for the emptiness to bear. {-The audience is now DeF-}

I can't promise that I won't do the same thing all over again, but the fact that I've cleared the room is more than enough reason for me to just sing to myself and fill the void.

Jump High

2007-06-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

Naturally, I agreed to help Hiroki with the music for his movie. I didn't know exactly what helping make movie music might entail, but I'm always happy to lend a hand. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I got the call. "Hey, man. Do you think you can come by the studio for a few hours tomorrow afternoon?" What was it that I agreed to do again? "Oh yeah, sure. Wait. Where?"

I met Hiroki and a few friends on a sunny Saturday afternoon on the rolling hills of UC Santa Cruz. His friend, Bret, was an electronic music composition major and had access to a very nice, and very expensive looking, studio. "But only for two hours, kids." Hiroki didn't waste time, I shook hands with a confused looking girl holding a violin while Hiroki flipped open his laptop. He leaned back in his chair with a very director-like demeanor, "Ok, in this scene the main character is going to meet the girl who shapes the storyline from here on." I realized that I knew the actor who is playing the main character. Neat. "And right.. here.. she starts to dance".

Hiroki explained what kind of music he was interested in for this and other scenes using pretty vague, sweeping descriptions and was content to leave the details up to me and the violinist. "Yeah, something like that - but a little bit more uplifting." or "I like that melody, can you play something along with that." and "Yeah! That's perfect!" I wasn't sure if I was actually helping or not, but Hiroki seemed pretty optimistic. Bret had us record samples so that he could play our instruments back with the midi keyboard. "For post-production." Right..

I recorded some ambient, distant sounding pieces with no particular rhythm or meter and some plucking parts on a few chord progressions I'd been kicking around. The violinist didn't say much, but she could wail. When we were in between one thing and another, I starting twiddling around with a little do-dad that I've been meaning to turn into something. "Hey, can I get a loop of that? Do you think we can use it?" "Sure thing." Before I knew it that little song was falling around me like rain and a sweetly sad violin melody was playing over it matching the final scene and fading out to black and the ending credits. "Ok, time's up. That should do, guys. Thanks a lot."

I went to the film school's premier in the media arts theater, not really knowing what to expect. I walked in half-way through a futuristic sci-fi thriller about androids gone bad. I found a seat and laughed along with a pretty full house as the next group poked fun at a stereotypical action flick. I saw a movie or two with almost zero dialogue and an anti-war themed movie. One director had made a cute educational film about clouds. Finally, Hiroki's movie came on.

"Jump High."

I was very impressed. So much had changed from the rough work-in-progress I had caught a glimpse of in the studio. The music really knocked my socks off. The "post-production" Bret had referred to might have been called "studio magic". The genius had managed to take those 30 seconds of music and fully orchestrate them. There were piano parts in some places and percussion parts in others. The music matched up with the visuals and the tone of each scene so well that it was clearly written specifically with each scene in mind. I might have been a bit biased, but I thought Hiroki's was the very best movie at the premier.

"Jump High" will be submitted to various film festivals and will probably kick-start Hiroki's super-star career as a film maker. ..

And here it is~ http://fdmsoftserve.ucsc.edu/videoarchive/showvideo.php?film=438 love that music by "magic pants!"

2007-02-05T21:48:00.001-08:00

Santa Cruz, CA. Home (yes, that's right, I live in California~). Living room - a very short commute from my "cozy nook" (cupboard under the stairs). wireless beer.

so, yeah! i took a cheap place in santa cruz with some groovy house mates, including one little dachshund! i've got the space under the stairs partitioned off with a curtain and that's fine by me - beats hostels any day of the week. santa cruz is alright too - i can pop into the city, but i've got none of the high-rent or car-broken into situations that go with living there. i've got some exploring to do - there's some good hiking round these parts i hear!

and sorry for the massive long-time-no-blog. i've been busy-as, running all up and down the state getting shit all set up~ BUT i've got nothing but good news! got some great gigs set up and some fantastic supporting talent! i can't frigging wait for march 17 when The Psycrons land at the San Francisco International Airport and we embark on 7 days of non-stop rock touring~! so many good friends are coming out and my parents too! everyone's been so supportive. it's great.. thank you. thank you. thank you.

for all my efforts, it doesn't look like i'm going to land any sponsors this time around. so - what i've got going is a highly organized way of spending all my time and money on an odd extroverted hobby of sorts. i'm still hopeful that my well-documented success will pay off in some serious attention next time around~ i'm not out yet!

2006-12-29T18:10:00.000-08:00

Chelsea, MI. home home home. post cake, (haza!) magnificent 7 on the tv.
here it is!

this is my dad's birthday cake~ it was awesome!! sharon ran into some difficulties and she said that it didn't turn out exactly how she pictured it. still, you'll agree it's pretty slick. she told me a few tricks of the trade. now, this is a professional secret, but you might try cola as a replacement for water next time you whip up a cake. it's also recommended that you slam the bowl of batter down on the counter for the length of one oprah interview just for luck. or was it bubbles?

here's my dad's new wallet:

2006-12-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

Chelsea, MI. home for the holidays~

holiday cake!! ha! i'll finally get to eat some that sister cake~

2006-12-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

Palo Alto, CA. Chiann's floor, officially logged onto Stanford's very very secure terror-free wireless network.

i spent few days in San Luis Obispo taking care of business in a flash! i met with the poly cultural committee at Cal Poly and enlisted their official support (sweet) and then met up with my friend, shea from the ritz in boulder. she was running late for her radio show at KCPR - Cal Poly college radio. she ran in and kick started the "missfits' bandwagon"! it was a punk-packed rock-ass solid hour of 1 min. songs and a lot of fast-action queing in the control room. after the show i went out with shea and her boyfriend, ray. we had some pizza and beer and then drove off to their practice space to jam. it was awesome - their "own private idaho" - a trailer stuffed with drums, amps, and a few beater guitars~ we really rocked that thing, just pounding out whatever and switching instruments every few minutes. it was good to feel my ears ringing.

i stayed at the cute little hostel in SLO but soon found what everyone else seems to know about SLO. there's nothing to do..

I've been up here in Palo Alto with Chiann for a few days. it's fun! her boyfriend, thanh, is a teacher at a charter school and we went to his holiday party. we each had to bring a $10 gift for some sort of gift exchange so we drove into the city and got the coolest little doo-dads at giant robot~ when we arrived at the principal's complex in San Jose we walked in through an open garage and knocked on the door. we heard music, so we went in and this golden retriever came barreling down the stairs at us and we heard a woman yell, "just a second", then she came around the corner fresh out of the shower and just wearing a towel. "whoa!!" - we were apparently in the wrong house.. haha! it was like a cartoon! we eventually joined the correct party and sat around introducing ourselves. the gift exchange was called a "white elephant" gift exchange and some of the gifts were supposed to be stupid and deceiving - so i got a bag of flour and some deodorant. does that mean i won?

last night we drove out and picked up brian bell and drove into the city to see a show! two of the bands were from japan and on a short tour of the states. they were amazing! the audience hadn't heard of them and didn't know what to expect. most had come to see the headlining bay-area groups, but everyone was made instant life-long fans of shift and ni-hao. it was really re-affirming for me to see so many people turn into believers right before my eyes. the groups sold shit-tons of merchandise. we got to talk to them as well and they were really cool and easy going.

tomorrow i'm driving back down to LA and on tuesday i fly back to michigan for the holidays! i'm looking forward to seeing my family and just relaxing some. i've got to buckle down and get some proposals out over the break. i'm burnt out on the road work. looking forward to the change.

2006-12-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

wait - there's more...
see!! hahaha! sushi cake by sharon solo~

It's a 2 layer yellow cake. The "rolls" are rice krispie treats flattened and rolled up with marshmallow and red and green fruit roll-ups, then rolled in red sprinkles for "fish eggs". The other sushi is red and green fruit roll ups and marshmallow. The leaf is made of homemade green fondant, the ginger is peach fondant. The wasabi is frosting, and the fortune cookie is real!

i'll remind everyone to get their orders in for all of their holiday custom cakes! flyingsolo1121@yahoo.com

still in LA, car's still in the shop..

i'm seeing some great music! i'm meeting some cool bands who are definitely interested in participating in the spring. i've seen some good venues. i've finally got a few student organizations on the line. but what can i tell you of my concrete progress? not much.

i'm getting there though - here's my best foot forward: hear streaming audio, watch live performances, and read all about it on myspace!!

here are the bands i'm promoting for their debut tour in the US of A~

www.myspace.com/thepsycrons

www.myspace.com/goldenloafers

everyone check it out and tell me what you think!

more cakes and web updates?! mike!! get to the good stuff~

ok, ok - here's a little something for kicks:

i drove about 5 fully residential blocks down condon before i got to the 11110 block and i thought, "no fucking way is this address right." i was looking for a place called "the Hole" to see ninja academy play a free show on a saturday night. just to be sure, i parked and got out car to take a closer look. the house where the Hole should have been was little and not much unlike the others. the house on the left had a creative front lawn complete with raging bull bush sculptures. the house on the right had 1, 2, 3 direct tv dishes pointing out into space. planes flew low overhead. this couldn't be the place. i couldn't hear any music, but i noticed there was some dark hanging plastic between the house and.. what looked like a.. in fact was.. a porto-john. hello? i pulled the plastic away and wandered into the backyard where a couple high-school aged kids were standing around with beers and nodding to house-trance.

"am i at the right place? i'm looking for the hole."

"oh, you've come to the right place man - you're standing in it."

the hole is a backyard in fucking lennox - not far from the airport. they have a stage, a sound system, a bar, and red lanterns hanging from big tree. ninja academy showed up and i got to know them better. very cool guys. we hung out and talked shop. then the first band, some recent high-school dropouts called don't throw rocks at us, played new-wave, minimalist schlock with a disco beat. fun stuff. then ninja academy rocked my socks off!!

tamie trots out in her kimono complete with converse shoes. she bangs a gong. "konichiwa, bitches. i'd like to introduce the ninja academy, indo ninja and outdo ninja."

they come out in full ninja garb - masked, shrouded under cover of night - the NA symbol embroidered on their backs. it's just two of them. into plays bass, outdo plays drums - but they rock and wind and swirl - melodic, mystic then aggressive and heavy. there's really nothing doing.. you'll just have to see them for yourself. their martial artist, donkey punch, kneels at the foot of the stage, disciplined and motionless - then reaches into a guitar case and pulls out his nunchucks! wa-PA! he knocked us out with a masterful display of deadly skill and grace. he took a big open area in front of the stage, performing with open hands, staff, pike, and even blindfolded. some routines featured an apathetic fan dance from the lip-ringed tamie. unbelievable - the audience was completely entranced (and stoned).

an incredible performance by ninja academy - www.myspace.com/ninjaacademy

2006-11-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

wait - wait.. you've got to see this:

this is the rock&roll, sweet-ass cake sharon made for deborah on her birthday! holy crap!! she said that it's chocolate and that the stings are made out of asian noodles. it sucks that i missed it, but i'm really excited about it anyway. yeah - ok - now that you've seen it..

Los Angeles, CA. Granny's house, granny's computer - granny's birthday.

OMG! monday was my first day of METAL SKOOL!! actually, i went to hollywood with bill and we saw an 80's cover band called, metal skool. but it was AWESOME!! holy crap - they really achieved mighty metal-hood wearing leopard print spandex and long flowing wigs. they did bon jovi, van halen, whitesnake. their act and on-stage banter was decade-appropriate too. they even did high fives. i'm just happy that the test of time has proven that metal is comedy.. awesome.

other than that, it's been business as usual.

things are good! i think i'm getting things done. i alerted you to the massive, super-smoking-hot updates to myspace. (if you haven't surf over their now and see the psycrons video! NOW!!) that was something i worked on to stay abreast of my talking the talk. i sent out emailes to all of the japan-related student organizations requesting a meeting to try and spin my show to them. i've only heard back from one, but it's the big player, the UCLA japanese student association. i'll meet with them monday and hopefully get them amped about my bands! when i called the college radio people, i ended up talking to the chick in the on-air room. she wasn't useful, so i just requested something japanese. then she said it was a classic rock show so i requested the who~ so i net radioed her (can you believe that's how you spell "radioed"? i frigging can't.) and she intro-ed it out to me. nice..

i've been scouring the web for local asian-rock musicians~ i posted a creig's list ad and a few misguided model/actress showbiz types emailed me. their amusing resumes include things like, Stunts / Some Martial Arts / Stage Combat, 5'3" @ 108 lbs. 34D(Natural), and Official Hooters' Intl Swimsuit Calendar Model for Sept 2005. they always include head and full body shots.. yikes.

anyway, i meeting with another guy friday from 7 samurai records. he represents a few japanese bands that are operating in the states. one in particular would be rock-ass perfect for this show. he's optimistic, we'll see how it goes.

2006-11-20T00:20:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles, CA. granny's computer, working my web-nose to the web-grindstone~

just to shoot you all a quick update - i'm enjoying my time here, keeping it real. i went to the japan expo today and networked my way into a few handshakes with prospective media and corporate sponsors~

i'm writing to direct you all to my myspace page so you can see some truly sweet updates!!
http://www.myspace.com/solo_records

new pics and eye-popping streaming video of the psycrons setting the stage on FIRE!! read band bios fresh off the translation presses~ and you can even keep track of my networking progress! thanks~

that's what i'm sit'n here doing.. anyway, i would love to hear from you and get your reactions!

2006-11-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles, CA. Granny's house post jeopardy.

phew! what a crazy few days. you know what? i was in vegas~ i just wanted to break up the drive to LA and it seemed right. i car-pooled out with some european girlz and we split a room for about $14/a person. we hit the town, but it was just the same old vegas.. i've been here in LA for almost a week now and i've been going non-stop!

on my second day in LA i got into a little fender bender changing lanes to get on the 405. the sad truth is that it was all my fault and everybody knows it. i was looking over my shoulder to change lanes and by the time i turned my head back to face forward, the guy in front of me was in a brake-like-the-world's-ending situation! ug.. i just barley clipped him, but it was enough to do $4,686 worth of damage to my little car. but don't panic, it will be covered by my insurance (minus the $500 in deductible). thanks, granny for helping me take care of some business and letting me borrow her car once or twice. anyway, it's been an insurance headache, but i'm now renting/driving a little pontiac vibe and getting around alright.

i'm diving head first into the asian indie-rock scene and loving it! i'm attending shows and art exhibitions, handing out business cards, and shaking hands. most people i talk to are enthusiastic about my plans to introduce independent japanese music to LA, and many have a few pointers they don't mind sharing. my aunt gail is also helping me chase down a few contacts that could be key. it's too early to tell, but i'm feeling good and i've got at least 13 more working days in LA before my car is even fixed..

i got to see bill from the optionals, stephanie fresh out of film school, and tomorrow i'm picking up tomoe from japan at the airport. good times - i think i'm liking LA.

vegas~

The Solar Cooker

2006-11-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

me, all-the-way-from-santa-fe, and the second i walked in the door i lifted my eyes to see eric's solar reflector still taking up space awkwardly in the middle of his living room. you should have seen it - huge, cardboard, ugly - aluminum cans peeling up from their places as if to say, "this will never work". i loved it. the ingenuity. the hard work. the passion was there - i could see that. it was his hammer. one man, acting alone, swinging away at all the troubles of his world like john henry at his mountain. his was an honorable task and a very real challenge. eric's solar reflector had turned out to be a bit of a failure, but it was an important step toward my very own change in paradigm.

it was eric's first cooker, an oven type (pictured), that had been a moderate success. sure, it hadn't been quite capable of boiling water, eric's benchmark for solar cooker success, but it had heated up to 170 degrees. and hey - that's hot enough to pasturize water, making it safe for drinking. this was literally a cardboard box lined with aluminum foil and already here was this serious practical application - especially in those parts of the thrid world where there isn't enough safe drinking water. it was a good start, and there was so much room for improvement.

i wanted to make a reflector. i thought eric was on to something there, but flattening out beer cans just wasn't going to provide the smooth curved surface he needed to focus the sun's rays to a single point. i wanted to start with some manufactured surface and work from there. i was thinking of a satellite dish. it works along the same principle, but it's engineered to spec., saving us the trouble of building something substandard and from scratch. on a sunday we jumped in the car and headed for the junk yard.

ok - so, we didn't find my satellite dish, but we did find a big-ass light ballast. would it work? we took it home, cleaned it, and argued endlessly about what might give us the best results. just for kicks, i hung a pot from strings at noon the next day and the thing shot up to 170 degrees. we set upon improving it. largely driven by my impatience, we hunted down the old swiss army stove - a sweet find - and painted it black. the next day we put the cooker outside at 10:00 pointed it south, and by 10:45 water was at 206 degrees and holding - at a rolling boil under the power of the sun - and this was in october. it was a real trick getting the thing out of there - i mean it was hot hot HOT! we had built a very working solar cooker of hybrid design - combining a reflecting dish with an enclosed, insulating oven space - and effectively constructed out of junk.

wait, what?

water holding at a rolling boil? i had no idea it was even possible, yet plausible - hell, it was practically too easy! and with all my extensive (read: expensive) education in science and engineering there was nothing in my intuition that suggested that the sun could boil water on a cool fall afternoon on eric's front lawn. it blew my mind - defied all my scientific common sense. i guess they just don't teach this stuff in school. sure, i've seen semi-conducting solar panels converting energy from the sun into an electrical potential, even powering a car. and yes, i've seen the sun's rays focusing to a point and cooking the hell out of an unsuspecting ant. but solar energy has always felt so delicate and ethereal. i never felt any substance or a strength there. but seeing the sun pound out a dynamic 206 degrees felt like real power. for the first time it felt so simple and accessible - it felt like discovery. i felt like Isaac fucking newton.

but why? i hadn't done anything new. there are existing technologies capable of harnessing the sun's energy. and eric and i weren't the first to build a solar cooker in this same way. but there was something about my experience that felt so new to me. i felt like i was cheating - or stealing. i never knew that there was so much free flowing energy under the mid-day sun. a rolling boil on the front lawn - there was still snow on the ground - amazing. i imagine that same pot of water, or hearty stew, heating up on the stove top or in the microwave. i think about just how much "conventional" energy it takes to heat that same pot up to a boil and hold it there. it seems like a lot. and where does it come from? my mind traces the cord back to the wall, up a line, down the street. to where exactly, i'm not sure. but i see it, the place where some huge machine is pumping, churning, burning - making my meal out of an energy source i don't see and can't comprehend. and from what? you guessed it - fossil fuels.

there's just such a disconnect. my experience is that my energy comes from a hole in the wall. i don't gather the wood, turn the wheel, or light the fire. i don't even need to think about it. energy is so available, something we use so often and so easily, that we can't conceive of producing it or going out and harvesting it on our own. but cooking on your front lawn with the clean, free energy of the sun was a really enlightening experience for me. it's so simple and it's right there! it's there all the time - every day, all over the world. it's falling down all around us - and going largely unused by the modern man.

you don't need to wait for your government or your power company to come around. you don't need to take a class or hold certification. you don't need semiconductors. it's right there and you have everything you need to make use of it in a practical and meaningful way. who knew?

i want to introduce all of you to eric kampe's blog. he's a most excellent and life-long friend of mine who (with a little pressure) has started a blog that will be changing the world in small manageable doses. please add him to your favorites and post regularly in the comments section. we want to hear from you!

http://erickampe.blogspot.com/

2006-11-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Flagstaff AZ. Grand Canyon International Youth Hostel, front porch. wireless stealing, fine feeling.

i sat around the hostel the other night and made some friends~ in the morning i collected a group of 3 others and we all piled in my car to go see the G.C! man - i gotta' say photos just don't do it justice. floored. we hiked down into it for a 5 mile round-trip and saw the sites~ we hiked out just as the sun started to slip and the temperature started to drop.

carolina from engliand and lydia from slovakia bought me dinner for my sweet driving services and sam from england fronted the beer money. the girls and i went to sedona the next day and did some more scrambling up rocks to capture the view. we decided that the only real way to see arizona is to climb all over it. here are a few of the prize-winning photos.

cathedral rocks, sedona. the canyon~

2006-11-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

Flagstaff AZ. Grand Canyon International Youth Hostel - front porch. stolen wireless, smoking Swedes.

well - i'm mostly over my cold. it set in as i left boulder - too much sleepless, extended goodbye celebrations, maybe. i was ache-y and unhappy about it. i stayed at a motel in durango, CO for a night and waged war on my cold with V8, orange juice, hot soup, and sleep. the next morning i dropped in on the mesa verde national monument (pictured). stunning! you might recognize these photos from your 5th grade history book, but they don't do the place justice. it was so cool to see the ruins up close and with my own eyes.. amazing. there's still debate over what the purpose of these structures was. it was long-abandon before being re-discovered by white people. i'll let the pictures speak.

after checking out mesa verde, i drove to canyon de chelly. i got in after dark and started pricing out the motels - i was only finding prices in the 60-70's. ugh. i considered the free rustic camping sites outside the park.

i called my mom and told her that i was on tv and i was using my lifeline. "how cold will it get in arizona tonight?" she and my dad struggled with the net - even called to try and make a reservation with an aarp discount. no luck. i ended up at the thunderbird lodge for 58.55 - the most expensive room (and the nicest) yet, and by far. i lounged in luxury and watched cartoons (as you do). this morning i redeemed my free continental breakfast and drove around the canyon stopping at all the lookouts and taking pictures~ amazing place. it reminds me of the dinosaurs - can't say why. i got to hike down and get a closer look. it really knocked me out. it's all so ancient in arizona! now in flagstaff, looking for food soon and tomorrow i'll do the big one - the GRAND CANYON!!

canyon de chelly

mesa verde

2006-11-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

i almost didn't want to go out! i was totally halloween-ed out, but i decided to amp it up and go straight over the top! i got into my elvis best and called eric and meredith out to the shop to pick some stuff out. my manager, being the sweet lady she is, let me borrow everything for the night~

we didn't stay out too late - just hit a few bars and checked out some cool costumes. eric flew out on business this morning and i'm packing my bags.

boulder was a great time. i learned a lot and i was really productive. so many thanks to eric and meredith for hosting me and helping me have the time of my life! now it's back on the road, taking up the purest of all pursuits - traveling west.

2006-10-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

sexy nun,disco spidey, nascar driver w/ mullet~

best costume ideas this week:
mia wallace - pulp fiction
rick james
slash / axle rose
the ambiguously gay duo

2006-10-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

burnt toast cafe. sunny front windows, stray wireless. smoking hot waitresses, three.

man. this morning is full of doubt and coffee. i've got bags under my eyes.. the mark of an eventful weekend. there was a girl. i left my wallet at eric's house, but i've got good credit here. it's all good. it's 10, right? the time changed, but the time on my phone didn't. i hope it's 10. if it's 11 i should be getting ready for work. it's 10. it's going to be rough today, the thought of getting all decked out for another day of the wall-to-wall costume explosion that has been the ritz exhausts me. ugh - just today and tomorrow and i'm done. i'll leave boulder with a few bucks in my pocket and a good recommendation at my back. smooth sailing.

i guess i should go into more detail on the girl. i went out with coworkers saturday night after a champagne toast at the ritz. i was dressed in the sexy nun costume with blond braids and wing-tip glasses - the coworker-elected favorite of my costume creations. i jumped in disco-ninja mike's 75 firebird and we rolled to 'the motet does madonna' show. sweet band, sweet music, amazing vocalist - i was dancing and bouncing about. i met gogo-boots LJ on the dance floor and we hit it off. what might have been a typical hook-up turned out to be very cool and very worthwhile. she's a stand-up babe and loads of fun to hang out with. maybe just a bump in the road romance, but a sweetheart and someone i will keep in touch with. anyway, i made a friend.

solar oven 205 degrees and holding - water is at a rolling boil! what an outstanding success, and with a total build cost of $25~ i'm stoked! i'll link you to some pics soon!

unplugging.

2006-10-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Boulder, CO. eric's living room - floor sitting, internet stealing.

i'm working a very full week and i expect we'll be slammed! we've been doing a brisk trade - in fact, some of the racks are actually starting to thin..

sunday i was dressed up as robin, the boy wonder, and a few of us got to go out on the pearl street mall and pass out businesscards! i followed my coworkers out the front door and directly into the bar next door where we they proceeded to order drinks at 11:23 am. i was shocked at their disregard for the time-honored rules of work, but they assured me that it was standard operating procedure at the ritz. "well - when in rome.." we walked around, made a scene, and then stopped for a nip before heading back into work. it made for an entertaining day, but i came crashing down and felt like i needed a nap at 6 something when i noticed the boss and a few others slipping out the back to grab a quick pick-me-up at the bar next door. haha~

this weekend eric and i got back into our solar cooker experiment. we raided boulder's re-use center (read: junkyard) and returned with a huge light ballast - like the kind you might find hanging from the ceiling of a warehouse. this is his third attempt, and it's kind of a hybrid - both a reflecting cooker and an oven-like enclosed space. yesterday i was working inside and i noticed that the sun was coming down pretty good outside. it was late, at 2:45 but i was able to heat water up to 165 degrees in just 20 min! that's not boiling, but it's hot enough to pasteurize water for safe drinking~ really very good for a trial run~ so, last night we bought a swiss army high-altitude cooker and painted it black for our next attempt. it should be more efficient than the crappy pot i had dangling in there from strings.

here i am, hard at work:

2006-10-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

Boulder, CO. eric's living room. stolen wireless connection (mudoji7). beer by new belgium.

you know - working at the costume shop is getting better and better~ after that first rough day, i've grown into it a little more and i'm really starting to enjoy it. the day-to-day manager is far more together and with-it than the owner, and she's friendly and fun and when she's around the authority of the mean girls just disappears.

yesterday i wore a hot-ass skin-tight elvis costume with bedazzled jewels and a sequined eagle on the back! i had on silver platform shoes and the rod stewart wig from the "if you think i'm sexy" era. the overall effect was very ziggy stardust - it was far out and people loved it! one guy walked in the store and saw me and said, "that! i want that!" it's weird, but i think the costume helped me gain the favor of the manager - she say's i'm "on it" and she gives me jobs to do that she says she needs done right and once-and-for-all, like organizing the nylons. (until yesterday, i didn't know a damn thing about nylons, but now i'm an expert~ we've got tights in all colors - we've got some with dollar signs, striped patterns, hippy patterns. we've got fish-nets, fence-nets, and body stockings in all colors, we've got garter style hose, thigh highs, back seems of lace, ribbons, and rhinestones. we've even got fish nets with holes already torn in them!)

today i was captain jack sparrow of the pirates of the Caribbean! we got a few wigs in yesterday, so i wanted to use one before we sold out. i don't know what i'm going to do tomorrow.. better get there early.

best costume ideas so far:
4 frat guys as The Fanta Girls - red, yellow, orange, and purple~
Marie Antoi-Marionette
Marla Singer from "fight club"
Condoleezza Rice

best question:
"do you have something a little slutty-er?" (sure- let me direct you to the slut section. were you thinking naughty girl scout or sex-pot cop? we also have a fine selection of nurses)

2006-10-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

Boulder, CO. - snowing like it means it. Burnt Toast Cafe. homey, front room atmosphere. great breakfasts, bottomless coffee, stolen wireless.

oh, man! days of solid hiking and rock climbing~ so much fun! we were out on the wall in the sun, rain, cold, and dark! it was cool - alina and eric's brother chris are both pretty good. chris would lead climb a wall and clip into the bolts as he went. when he got to the top, he'd run the rope through the bolts at the top of the route and come back down. then we would take turns climbing up one after another with someone belaying from the bottom. they know their stuff, so we were safe and i learned a lot. it's hard work, man - we were drinking beer through straws because our arms were so tired~

yesterday i worked my first day at the costume shop! i got suited up, and spent some time on the floor. it was rough - i couldn't find anything.. it's such a huge place and their organization is bunk! later, i got to stock up some stuff and spent the day learning the lay of the land. eric and alina popped in to check on me and look around. they couldn't get over it! "what a fun job!" - well, it would be if not for the stone-cold bitches that work there. hardened over a decade of service, these women have come to hate everyone and everything.. especially new people or temporary employees. they spent the day pushing me around and being generally unpleasant. "hey - want a job to do? can you run across the street and pick up food for me?" - i rose above it, and i was as pleasant as i could be, but already i'm happy that this is just a temporary thing.

here i am in my costume posing with a rack of prosthetics - i'll keep these coming~

2006-10-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

goofing on the monkey traverse

the crew roped up in the rain

2006-10-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Boulder, CO. Buchanan's Coffee Pub. lousy bagel&cream cheese $270, free wireless. obnoxious patrons broadcasting their stupidity at top volume.

back in boulder! they canceled my flight and failed to tell me about it - fortunately airtran made good on it and moved me to another carrier, a direct flight in fact, so i made it in with no problems. i took a bus from the airport in denver to eric's front porch - pretty fucking convenient, yo.

i was glad that i was able to go back for my grandma's service. it was good to see everyone all together. it was hard, but it was all very positive.

i'm meeting with my boss from the halloween shop again tonight - it's possible that this is the second of two training meetings, but far more likely, she's just forgotten that i've already been through training and it's the same thing.. i'll find out tonight - but i'm anxious to get started!! i walked back into that hostel today and pestered them further for a room in exchange for my service. it seems that my chances aren't very good - but if i keep this up, they may relent. i hope so.

alina's coming to visit us this weekend! she'll be here for a few days on her fall break and she wants to go rock climbing! i don't know much about it, but it'll be outdoors and it'll be fun~

the flatirons!

2006-10-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

chelsea, mi. home. upstairs with coffee on an old desk-top made by me.

a spent a few days in boulder. the time flew by without a dull moment - getting caught up with eric and meredith will be a big project and there are days and days more to go. we covered the essential gossip and i got a few long hikes worth of perma-culture specifics (permanent or sustainable agriculture). eric is involved in serveral grass-roots organizations aimed at supporting and promoting localization of food sources and responsible farming practices. very interesting stuff - and he practices what he preaches! he's got a garden on a community plot, he volunteers on local farms that rely on man-power, and he's got worms that eat his garbage! it's all new to me and i'm learning a lot.

AND i got a job!! i spent my first full day in boulder running all over town applying for jobs at every place that would take my resume. i was juggling the moral dilemma of only taking a job for a few weeks before moving on, until i saw that the costume shop in town had a help wanted sign in the window. haza! they will only want me through halloween to help out with their busy season and then i can leave! i was a little too enthusiastic when i went in there and i think i annoyed some of the staff, but the boss lady responded well and i got me a job~ i had training and got introduced to a fraction of the store. it's a big place - and they have EVERYTHING! it's awesome, man.. i'm excited, and for the first time in 6 months i'll have some income.

i flew back to michigan last night and very soon we're going to jump in the car and take off to pentwater. it's going to be a rough few days for my family, but coming home i see that my mom and dad are really doing ok. it sucks, but i guess this sort of thing actually gets easier with practice. thank you all for your kind words and for keeping us in your thoughts.

2006-10-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Santa Fe, NM. SF international hostel - converted from an old adobe motel. dorms $15, food in the kitchen, wireless $2/day - lousy reputation, but not all that bad, really.

by the way, that "official map" of route 66 was a complete piece of shit! it was like one of those cartoonie maps you see in theme parks - cute, but effectively useless. i drove off into the bleak nothingness of texas and put myself an hour off course before realizing that i'm an idiot. i eventually made it back to reality - and i use the term loosely - and then took the interstate all the way to albuquerque. i still got a chance to revel in the absurdity of the route 66 kitsch~ i pulled over to peruse through some of the bigger, more obscene gift shops - even bought me a hat!

i rolled in and got myself set up at the route 66 youth hostel in albuquerque. the lady behind the desk gave me a very thorough tour at top speed - the whole thing only took about 5 minutes and included all the light switches.. impressive. it was the first hostel i've ever stayed at that had mandatory chores - i emptied out the recycling bins into the appropriate containers outside. i hung around the hostel with some of the random people that stay at these places. then i changed into blue jeans and put on my wing-tip shoes - set on wearing my hat out on the town. i walked around, had a micro-brew.. not much to report.

the next day i got up and made eggs and toast for breakfast (provided by the hostel - score). then i jumped in my car and drove out to hike around in the wilderness area outside of town. i did about 10 miles on the la luz trail up to a scenic view point - couldn't do the full 14 to the ridge because i was running out of water and my feet were protesting. it was big, dry, beautiful new mexico. i didn't see any bears or rattle snakes, but i did see a road runner and some fatty-fat lizards~

last night i stayed in santa fe. i walked in and dropped my stuff and this russian guy, maxum, grabbed me to drive up the mountains and watch the sunset - if i was only staying one night i simply had to go! it was a little overcast and we were a little late - but it was cool. we met some girls with dogs up there and went out to meet their friends for beers and mexican food. good fun. i was wrecked from that hike and crashed early. this morning it was more chores (washed the sinks, counter, and mirror) and more provided breakfast!

today i drive on to boulder, colorado to see eric and meredith! this will be my last bit of driving for a little while. the plan is to stay there for a few weeks and get some work'n in if i can..

last weekend, my grandma shannon passed away. i will be flying back to michigan on friday to be with my family and attend her service monday in hart, MI. she was loved and will be missed.

the hat.

2006-10-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

the la luz trail

2006-10-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

Amarillo (pronounced, amarilla - with the 'L' sound by the locals), TX. KOA Kampground - tent sites $22, map of route 66 $5, free wireless.

i did get to see some sweet music in austin! the first night i went out with these 2 ausie blokes to see jose gonzalez, an independent classical guitarist with a huge underground following! he was cool - it was such a chill show.. groovy. the second night i went out with a cool dude from dalas to see magnolia electric co. - solid alt-country, progressive and interesting song writing and instrumentation with its roots in old country music.

i finally got out and played music on the street! there were some other street performers and fortune tellers and the like down on 6th street, so i asked them and they said that it was ok to set up and play. didn't get too much love - only a few bucks, really. i guess with busking legal, people have just grown to ignore performers.. eh.

i drove a far-ass way yesterday - all the way to amarillo~ i got in after dark and stopped at the BIG TEXAS steak house under the sound of a giant cowboy. everything was bigger inside and there was even a shooting gallery! if you can eat a 72oz steak - it's free, but i've heard the attempt is regrettable and failure is to be out $50.

so i've met up with route 66 and i bought my official map! i'm driving west today on into new mexico!

2006-09-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Austin, HI hostel on town lake. very quiet, all day wireless $1

the big easy. a few nights of music, booze, and chasing european girls. i'll spare you the details except to say that we did manage to get past all the glitter of bourbon street and into the dirty and gritty of the real new orleans scene. good times~

on our second day there we drove out to a bayou preservation area and took a boardwalk hike out and spotted some gators! we also got a chance to drive around and see some flood and hurricane damage. we got a few personal accounts as well - very heavy stuff. it seems that the whole city is still living in trailers on front lawns. i dropped john at the airport yesterday and drove straight through to houston. not much to report there except that i spotter gas prices as low as $1.99/gallon - of course, i had already foolishly filled up on $2.17. today i knocked out the drive to austin. there's some groovy shops and restaurants in town here and tonight i'll get a look at the music scene.

2006-09-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

the mighty modeled mississippi

2006-09-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

2006-09-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

the king's own velvet elvis

2006-09-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

New Orleans, India House Hostel lobby, $1 high life in the vending machine, free wireless.

john's airplane was delayed due to tornado potential around chicago midway on friday. i looped the airport in the dark and cool of a rising storm with my windows down and my music pumpin'. when he did get in we drove downtown through overlapping catching-up conversations back to the Coco Cafe. we ate, drank, and carved out a plan for the evening. i decided that we had 2 probable options:

1. pay higher prices for a motel in downtown nashville / go out and party like it's 1999
2. keep the party in our pants (at least mine anyway) / drive out a little bit and pay more reasonable rates out of town.

then there was the wild card option:

WC: just roll with the vibe and see what happens~ maybe we'll crash on a stranger's couch, maybe we'll spend the wee hours of the morning light attempting to recover in a denny's with no sleep.

we decided to post-pone this decision until we were 3-fingers deep in some honky-tonk down by the river. long story short, we met some hotties out on a birthday party and the wild card option was looking possible until one of the girls started puking on the street.. lame. we ended up in some super 8 out by the highway, had a rough morning at waffle house and hit the road to memphis~

i've been driving in rain, rain, rain - it was coming down in torrents as we approached the gates of graceland. man, what fantastic fun that was - elvis was one wild, eccentric guy! the highlights were his wardrobe, his trophy house, and his jungle room~ what a nut. but he did have a knack for decorating, i'll give him that. we visited his grave - i was hoping to see some crazy women break down in tears, but no such luck.. and you know, the gift shop was so tasteless, it was worth the price of admission itself!

after making our peace with the king we headed out to the subs to visit kami! i hadn't seen her in nearly three years i think - john in at least that long. we rocked up, got caught up, and met kami's bf, david. the 4 of us went downtown for some world-class ribs and then hit beale ave. for big-ass beer and blues on blues on bad-ass blues! i loved it~ great music and some pretty good people watching. day 2 in memphis, we took a long walk down the scale model of the mississippi river on mud island and visited the national civil rights museum at the death place of Dr. Martin Luther King.

all the hits in just over 24 hours - we left memphis and bolted down to new orleans. we got in after midnight, so we just kicked it on the porch of the hostel and talked with the random travelers on the porch. it's a nice place~ lot's of personality. there are pictures on the wall here of the flooding and aftermath of katrina. the water came right up the steps, but not in the door. we're not too far from the french quarter - today we walked all over and got acquainted. tonight we really go out - we're looking for gumbo, jazz, and strong drinks!

PUT SOME SOUTH IN YOUR MOUTH!!

2006-09-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Nashville Tennessee, Coco Cafe. outdoor seating among the hipster and dreadlocked elite, happy hour ($1 ice coffee, $2 pbr), free wireless, blur - boys and girls on the stereo.

i ate a plum-chicken burrito in asheville! it was stella'~ later that night i got some micro-brew and watched a bluegrass jam session at 'jack of the woods'. it still all sounds the damn same to me, but i think i'm beginning to see the appeal. white people still gross me out..

another day of driving brought me into nashville. i gained an hour and had some time to kill before picking up hazen at the airport, so i thought, "what the hell, i'll check out the grand ole' opry." i know, i know.. dumb idea.. all i can say is that i wasn't properly caffeinated and was suffering symptoms. part of me was curious as to what exactly the grand old opry even IS - is it "opera" pronounced all country~? no. it's not - in fact, an opry is a shopping mall, it's a theater, it's a crappy gift shop, and it's country - a living tribute to obesity and inbreeding. country sucks.

but here i am, surrounded by counter-culture and fully recovered from the experience!

2006-09-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

Asheville North Carolina, Bon Paul and Sharkey's Hostel - beds $20/night (or ya' can pitch a tent in the back yard fer 10), kitchen table, free wireless internet~

a long and lovely day of driving from the mansion in Gettysburg to the hostel in Galax, Virginia. it was hard to find the driveway..

Blue Ridge Hwy South Bound, 1-1/8 mi past Fancy Gap, on your right.

luckily, someone had blazed the gate with a reflective marker as they do along the AT. there was a long finding driveway, and eventually a sign. when i got up to the hostel, i was greeted by a dog and a cat on the front porch but no one answered the door. i walked around back and found a guy sitting there reading a book, an english guy on holiday. the view from the back of the hostel was incredible - endless rolling hills and valleys. i took a little walk around and checked out the place - pretty soon an old guy in a floppy green hat came out of the house and pointed at my car and then to me. i nodded as you do. "well if your from michigan, how come you drive this little japanese car?"

he showed me upstairs and wrote my name down in his book. he told me that Galax (pronounced like "Gaelic" in the irish manner, not like "Galaxy" minus the y) was the home of some very famous folk musicians. guitarists, claw-hammer banjo players - that's the old style, and fiddlers. why, just last week they had a children's completion in town and the winners from each group won a hand-made instrument made right there in Galax. everyone in Galax is into wood in one way or another and they just took to making instruments and playing them in the old tyme' style - that is as a band united, never as individuals.

i got some bbq take-away, good, if not identifiable, and a 6 pack of schlitz for $2.50. the old guy popped in to play a cd for me of a local group and then to hear me play a few. then i split the schlitz with the brit and we traded stories. his was a good one. it involved a small surveying business and a failed engagement to a native fijian woman. i was allergic to the moldy-ass bed covers and had very realistic dreams of doing wheelies on my scooter..

this morning i hit the road and took the Blue Ridge Parkway all the way to Asheville~ it was a beautiful ride and i stopped at heaps of turn-offs for photos of scenic views! now it's into town for some food and then time to pitch my tent in the back yard before dark.

2006-09-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

my sexy car on the blue ridge parkway

2006-09-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

view from hostel in Galax

2006-09-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

Gettysburg, PA - the Jagged Edge cafe, free wireless, damn fine organic Sumatra coffee in a MUG. 'ritha on the radio~ whoop!

miles on miles - i'm driving them! i rolled out of michigan monday morning-ish and drove through 5 hours of driving rain (get it?) to niagra falls, canada. i checked into the hostel there and walked into town to see the falls. the weather was quite shit, but those falls rocked on. that evening i hung around with an austrian guy and braved more rain to get a look at the falls all lit up at night. the lights, mega though they were, proved to be somewhat ineffective through the rain and fog, but it looked cool washing out that rain and fog with colored light.

in the morning i bust out of there and put in a good 8 hours, scenic drive to gettysburg. no trouble at the border this time.

him: bringing anything back from canada with you?
me: just this tasty 12" subway sandwich.
him: what's on it?
me: oven-roasted turkey, swiss, honey mustard.
him: veggies?
me: a little bit of everything, really..
him: sounds good - have a nice day~

the roads were nice and scenic, like i said. that was nice. the weather held out ok. i rocked up on this hostel north of town in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park. it was an old converted colonial mansion that was a major stop on the underground railroad. i got to see the hidden rooms under the house where slaves could seek refuge. beautiful old place. there were only 3 other people staying there, so we stuck together. and get this, the hostel is a comfort stop along the Appellation Trail~ too cool! the girl was a through hiker and she had walked there all the way from MAINE!! 2.5 months in at nearly 20 miles a day.. with only 3 months to go before she hits Georgia. my kind of woman.. the other 2 guys were hiking together and only doing the AT in sections and idiot hikers carrying all the wrong gear. i asked loads of questions, the AT is, after all, on my list of to-do's. i peeked at the through-hiker's registry and read about the coolest people who have kicked ass where few others have kicked ass before. i got some sleep but it turns out i'm allergic to colonial mansions that have been converted into hostels.

this morning i talked for a while to the little old lady who works as the care-taker there and made a rough plan for today. i walked around the little town part of gettysburg and then found me some wireless - score! feeling good~ miles a more'a today. peace!

2006-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

hostel?

2006-09-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

is it raining again or is this all falls spray?

the business end

2006-08-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

here's the big digs, muchachas!

i had some grey moments upon returning to the states, that's the truth, but with new resolve i've decided to pursue a project after my heart - japan independent: a US tour of japanese bands. it's an opportunity for me to repay (in so many ways) all the good turns done to me by my friends and hosts in japan.

i've incorporated, for when that might be appropriate, under the name solo records check the link for my-space. bliss.

soon i'll be moble - driving across the country to visit friends and organize the j-invasion. i'm looking forward to the open road and a chance to see some familiar faces. i'm going to make this happen and it's going to be great! i'll be calling on the talents and support of everyone - see you soon.

a day in the life

2006-08-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

hello fabulous people!!

i know it's been a while - sorry. see, i'm living at home and i tend to think that nothing much happens around here worth writing about. in other words, it's nothing new to me. but for those of you reading from the other side of the planet, here's a day-in-the-life of mike!

10:01AM - my alarm goes off, but i just roll over and shut it off

10:43AM - i wake up a second time, look at my clock, and remember my weird dream..

10:51AM - i'm up. i just roll out of bed and go down stairs to make a cup of coffee and pour milk on a bowl of cereal. i usually read the newspaper while i eat breakfast and start to wake up. most days my parents are long gone, out doing productive things, so it's just me and roxie.

11:12AM - i check my email somehow a half an hour or so disappears in front of the computer.

11:37AM - finally awake, and newly motivated, i rush upstairs to take a shower and join the world of the living~

12:03PM - i come down and find my mom home again from her morning exploits! she'll make herself some lunch and we'll talk for a while while i get down to business. (more on that later). i'll work for a few hours before lunch calls me back.

2:41PM - i miss japanese food dearly, but coming back to the states has re-introduced me to a variety of old-school lunch favorites~ i make a mean turkey sandwich with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and avocado with spicy brown mustard on health-nut bread. i usually have a piece of fruit with that - gotta' keep it fresh. after lunch i wash whatever dishes are in the sink.

3:01PM - back into action! i jump back into it, but start getting restless and eventually give in to reading, playing guitar, or seeing what's on tv. my mom is busy around the house, and roxie usually thinks of things that she wants to do (go outside, bark at me, drool on me).

6:36PM - my dad will roll home and we'll 3 have dinner. my mom is awesome and makes all the hits. here are some just from last week! lasagna, chicken chili, broiled salmon, enchiladas, beef brisket, balsamic chicken and peppers - it's great eating at home, man . about once a week one or both of my sisters comes over and has dinner with us~ that's always fun. after dinner i wash up and mom and i walk the dog!

7:30PM~ some evening i go out. i was taking my mom's watercolor class and that just ended, but it was fun. i meet a japanese conversation partner once a week just to keep it up. i've still got a few college friends kicking around ann arbor and i can usually find something to do when i'm bored. some nights i just sit out on the street playing guitar - sometimes with friends, sometimes just me. i always meet someone and it's always something to do. other nights i stay in and just hang out with my family. my dad is always raging about one thing or another in the paper or on tv - endless entertainment, i assure you. we rent movies or watch the next installment in one of their tv series. i feel like i'm getting caught up with all the american media i missed out on being away. anyway, it's good to hang out with the fam.

11:31PM~ my parents turn in, and if i'm home i spend the later hours of the night on the net or watching cartoons. japan makes it's last stand in the hours after midnight with dragonball Z re-runs and naruto - good shit.

2:00AM~ i'll hit the sack sometime after 2 and do it all again.

that's home on the range, baby. 2 more weeks and i'm on the road again.

A CHILE LOOMS

2006-07-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

a mosaic hello to all of you!

hey, did you know that if you take the letters from 'Micheal Solo' and mix them up, you can make names of totally different people?! has anyone ever met Mollie Chaos or Chloe Somali? next time you see them you can tell them that they have the same letters as me.

LOCALISM HOE! why, just last week i was driving my alcohol semi when Lame Coolish and the Coma Hollies came on the radio. then i pulled out my moola chisel - for which to get you a moolah slice.

HALE LOCOISM! the possibilities are limited!

you can make groovie anagrams of your name here: http://wordsmith.org/anagram/

That da Vinci Book

2006-07-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

after finally purchasing an edible version of The da Vinci Code (hardback, of course), i thought i had them all. but it seems that recently there is an inexhaustible supply of new da Vinci related media. i can't seem to keep up! i've read all the supplemental guides to the da Vinci Code, all the decoders, un-coders, and re-coders. i've read all the rebuttals, arguments, and epitaphs. i've even studied the master himself - his life, his work - copies of his notebooks, drawings, even a guide on how to think like him.. Dan Brown, that is. i've read everything he's ever writen (and everything by Dale Brown just to be safe). it seems that this is just as essential to life in my work-a-day world as is starbucks and the O.C.

i've taken to writing backwards just to fit in. i habitually throw my soap out of my 4th floor apartment after showering. i eat an apple a day. grail lore fills my nights, my house, my mind. i sit up, reading and re-reading the code searching for answers. e-versions, audio versions, first editions, home games - still it alludes me, WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!

"you mean you don't get it?"

NO! quite frankly i don't! what the hell is all this da Vinci fuss about?! is there some deep underlying message? what happens when you solve the code? does the fabric of the very universe unravel before your eyes revealing some kind of bright shining truth?! i may never know.

2006-07-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

beautiful fiji - overlooking the blue lagoon

home - in michigan, my computer (survived shipping). roxy's sleeping.

man, fiji was AWESOME! i didn't know what to expect, so i was expecting hawaii - tourists, shopping, beaches, cocktails in coconuts, etc. but the tour deborah booked was out to the yasawa islands, nearly untouched by tourists until about 10 years ago. the little island backpacker places we stayed at were run by locals and everyone was extremely friendly and easygoing. we had great weather for the most part and the food was amazing. i saw some pristine beaches and the best snorkeling of my lifetime! the "resorts" were out of the way in pretty undeveloped areas, most without any phones and only generator power. we lived much like the locals, even shared their facilities - pretty rustic by hawaii standards. some of the american girls we met complained themselves to exhaustion about the cold showers and having 'nothing to do'.

our trip included snorkeling, hermit crab races, and swimming in some cool caves. with the help of a guide we got to dive under rocks to surface in a dark underground cave with some incredible high ceilings. it was wild! we stayed on one island that was used in the filming of 'the blue lagoon' and 'swiss family robinson'. so when we got to LA we rented these and watched them with granny and my cousin becky. both of the movies were seriously dated and amusing to watch - both had some great scenery. that was fun, seeing granny in LA and eating some much needed mexican food. now i'm home-home, at my parents place in michigan. i'm making plans to get together with all my college buddies next weekend and get up to the lake~

2006-07-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

we stayed on this tiny island on our first night out in the yasawa islands. you could stand in the middle and see water on all sides! nice place - great food, amazing snorkling!! world-class. we stayed up late drinking cava with the staff and learning the bula dance.

2006-07-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

look at those rocks! don't forget that there used to be cannibals in fiji - imagine smoke rising from these skull-like rock formations~

2006-06-26T01:39:00.000-07:00

mike in sydney!

2006-06-26T01:38:00.000-07:00

simply one of the greatest places in the world to have a coffee or a beer and watch the sun come down over the bridge - wow.

2006-06-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

sydney, wicked travel~ free internet with all tours booked!! (or if you just slip in as if you belong there)

big city. biggest. one could almost walk down the street and imagine themselves in any other. still, the harbor and opera house are increadible! nothing like sitting next to that massive structure and taking in those sights to really make you feel like you're in australia. the whole harbor area is swarming with tourists and the shit for sale that goes hand in hand with a crowd of tourists. i snapped a photo for a couple from oklahoma.

spending my evenings sitting around in front of the hostel talking to people and making a few bucks with my guitar. it's a little cold here, but nothing i would call winter - maybe late september. i keep meeting people with michigan t-shirts on, none of them from michigan, or the states for that matter. what's going on around here?

pics on way

2006-06-23T00:26:00.000-07:00

newcastle, nomad backpackers internet. basement.

it's difficult to leave byron bay. in fact, most of the permanent residents were at one time just passing through and have been stuck so long that they don't remember where they came from or where they were going to. part of the reason for that is the relatively high content of marijuana in byron's average cigarette, cookie, or bloodstream. just outside of byron is a place called nibin - its population somewhere around 800 - growers, dealers, and stoners all. there are a few daily bus trips out to quiet nibin where you can patron a variety of marijuana themed bars, cafes, and giftshops as well as a marijuana 'museum'. among them, "jim's alternative tour" has become something of legend!

in the morning, jim circles town picking up groups of happy travelers from their hostels in his big, huge bus. the music is loud and jim intro's the songs as they come on. he tells stories and points out places of interest on the way to nibin. upon arrival, a busload of backpackers files out onto nibin's one street and is greeted by throngs of the drug dealing populous. an hour and a half later, everyone is loaded (that's a pun) back onto the bus and the fabric of the universe starts to unravel.

~yeah, yeah, oh yeah - what condition my condition was in~

the bus winds up, up, and up into the wild rainforests of new south whales then roller coasters down a one-lane road in the dark and flying rain to terrifying music. then all is safe and good and ~every little thing.. is gona' be alright. jim makes a daily stop at his hippy friend's 80 acres of hand replanted rainforest and the group samples fruits and nuts grown on the premises. the bus ride home is relaxed and everyone is returned to their hostels where they can eat doritos or just pass out. simply a bryon must-see~

jim's alternative tour, nibin

2006-06-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

most easternly point in australia, byron bay

2006-06-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

byron bay, global gossip internet cafe - i'm a card-carrying member.

i'm staying at "the arts factory" - a hippy-dippy hostel with an equally hippy-dippy clientele. it's cool and there's a painted old double-decker bus you can sleep in - still it's a little contrived - hipsters rolling joints and rolling their eyes at each other. whatever - the beach is gorgeous! AND - i rented a board and tried surfing for the first time~ i spent all day on the fence about it. the weather was kind of crappy and the water was cold and grey, then there was the $25 for the gear rental. i knew if hazen had been there, there would have been no stopping us from getting in there and tearing it up, but me on my lonesome? i found 2 kids from the hostel who wanted to go and we three got wet-suited and spent 2 hours stuggling in the waves. it was hard to catch one - i was in the wrong place for most of my time out there. finally, toward the end i figured out where i needed to be and caught a few - even got up on one and rode it in. not too impressive, i assure you - it was really hard work, but it was fun! i'll just have to live on the ocean one of these days and get into it.

i walked to the lighthouse today and looked out for migrating whales. i didn't see any, but the view was spectacular and i did see some some dolfins. coffe to go on a rainy sunday.

2006-06-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

surfers paradice, nomad's backpackers internet cafe. $2.50 for 30 min. rip-off.

after fraser it was some major sleep recovery in hervey bay and again on the bus to brisy. i stayed there 2 nights, walked around - beautiful city - class a. not loads happening, maybe, but the planning and developement were first rate. the cliffs along the river can be used by the local inhabitance as a climbing and repelling gym. the river itself is used for cheap public transportation~ groovie. OH! and i got my flight sorted out - i will be back in the us early july via a week in fiji and a stop in LA!

swinging brisbane!

2006-06-15T00:09:00.000-07:00

4x4 adventure~

my 2-night, 3-day, 4-wheel drive adventure on fraser island was amazing!! the groups met in the hostel on the morning of and were assigned teams. i was in team B of 2 - a 4x4 of 10, mostly americans and irish, one german girl. 2 ran off to shop for all our food supplies, and i took everyone's booze orders for the bottle shop~ it was boxes of wine all around. we watched instructional vidoes on how to drive a 4x4 on the beaches and roads on fraser, how to share the road (beach) with landing aircraft, how many ocean creatures can kill you, and how to be "dingo safe".

our odd grouping bonded in record-setting rain that night with both teams cramed into 2 tents (set up under the kitchen pavillion at base camp) and in the cars. by the time the clouds cleared we were on the ferry back to the mainland. but what an incredible place! beautiful lakes, white sand, boxed wine! we did have a few dingo sightings, but didn't feel threatened. good times. good people. that was worth doing for sure!

2006-06-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

ship wreck on fraser island

2006-06-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

airlie beach, global gossip email&internet. calls home $.05 a min. internet $3/hour with membership - but $8 to burn a cd?! shameful.

2 nights on magnetic island! nice~ i took a few short hikes and saw some beautiful bays and even a wild koala! the place i stayed falls into the category of "backpacker resort" - this means that it's got everything a traveling youth could ever want or need - and is thusly designed to take as much money from you as possible. it was however, a nice place to stay, and in a beautiful location. the island was nice. that was a greyhound ago - now i'm on the way to frasier island to join a self-drive 4w-drive, 3-day tour of the island! it's been talked up by most of the north-bound travelers i've met here. there seems to be a list of must-sees that pretty much everyone is doing. anyway, check it out!

x-base backpackers resort, magnetic island

2006-06-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

endless rainforest~

2006-06-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

magnetic island!

2006-06-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

cairns, internet cafe. $1/15 min. freezing in the air-con.

crap-ass tourist town - i'm outa' here. i've had all the cairns i can stand! i was up north in the rainforest and on the beaches of cape tribulation~ it was pretty remote, but they did still manage to clear a space for a few backpacker "resorts". i got to see some crocs from the river boat on the way up and there was some wildlife living around the hostel. i took a guided walk and learned all about the many species of plant and animal that can kill a man within seconds. i did make it back to cairns without deadly incident, but i'm not sure that's a good thing. it's a total tourist sham! did you know that cairns doesn't even have a beach?!!?!

i'm rolling south on a greyhound today, but now i've got to go and buy a ticket. peace.

2006-05-29T01:54:00.000-07:00

perth, britannia on william youth hostel 'compuda' - one of several, $3 AUD / hour. raining - still, not bad weather all things relative (to michigan).

i played a little guitar in this trendy outdoor mall yesterday. i saw other "musicians" doing their trade there in the afternoon, but the only thing they really succeeded in doing was habitualizing the pedestrians to ignoring street performers. no luck. anyway, persuaded by the sudden onset of boredom and bad weather, i've decided to jump a last-min. flight to cairns! i should be on the great barrier reef by the end of the week!!

tonight is my big chance to hit the town with deborah and her friends, we'll probably check out the infamous brass monkey bar just down the street from here~

lazy-ass kangaroos

2006-05-29T01:53:00.000-07:00

lamas love my mom~

2006-05-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

deborah's petting a koala!

2006-05-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

st. cat's - deborah's school is BEAUTIFUL and so close to king's park and some natural bush (wilderness, that is). i'm in a hostel, here i go!

2006-05-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

bus sign! check it out- the sub~

2006-05-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

perth, australia. deborah's obnoxious, pushy little powerbook.

dude~ that was a solid week of living it up in southwest aus! It was cool to hang out with mom and deborah and we did all the kinds of things a family does on vacation (and that I usually don't do when I'm traveling alone on-a-count-a the cost). we stayed a few nights in margaret river at a super cute bed and breakfast called the noble grape. we did wine tastings and ate great food. we visited animal parks and looked out for whales from the southern cape - didn't see any, unfortunately. one cool thing we did was go on the "bush tucker" river tour. our guide was the most aussie bloke you can imagine - blond surfer, barefoot, tan, and floppy hatted. he canoed us to a shmorcusboard of 'edible' and 'medicinal' plants that can be found in the bush. for lunch he provided a feast of pestos and chutneys that he prepared using ingredients he plucked from the wild! it was great - we made kangaroo and emu sandwiches with them - what a trip~ i didn't try the 'witchity grub'

we were so busy with all the fun that we all conked out early most nights. but we had a good time seeing the sights and there was lots of singing in the rental car and chilling on the beaches. it's unbelievable that so much of that coast line is undeveloped! it was amazing.. just thinking about that same coastline if it were somewhere in america makes me cringe. it would be condos or high-rise hotels as far as the eye can see. let's hope they don't screw it up, huh?

i'm blaming the powerbook on my lack of picture posting. maybe tomorrow.

2006-05-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

perth, australia. deborah's dorm room, deborah's cute little powerbook.

oi - only 3 flights and 18 hours from phuket to perth~ deborah and her friends greeted me at the airport!

my last days in thailand were spent going backwards through my travels via return-ticket. i did get a chance to try a few more new foods and spent the last of my bhat on some mekong whiskey to share with my guys (the next time we're all together, dudes - let that day be soon). so much more to see - so much more to explore. i can't really put my finger on what i like so much about thailand. there's entertainment and natural beauty in limitless abundance, but there's something endearing about the place - an otherworldly charm that sucks people in so completely that they never leave! lucky i got out when i did, but i want to go back someday.

i've seen a little bit of perth - not much yet, but it seems like a chill city with some sweet beaches~ today we went to this animal park that had fallen into total disrepair. there were giant dinosaur statues scattered around the park and the animals had FREE REIGN!! it was kind of sureal, actually. we saw lamas, kangaroos, peacocks and variations on those themes. then we got to pet little koalas! i'll upload some pics.

2006-05-18T23:30:00.001-07:00

ko phi phi, internet spot, waiting for ferry back to phuket.

well - bad weather continues, it's just that time of year. i woke up early because they were chainsawing the trees that had fallen, smashing some of the tin roofed neighboring guest houses. i was hung over but i decided to go ahead and join the isrealies for a snorkeling and secluded beach boat tour~ i'm glad i did! i saw some wild stuff and got to try snorkeling for the first time - LOVED IT! wild fish, jellies, and all the crazy aquarium plant/animals that are freaking crazy! we had some rough water and the isrealies (in the military, i'll remind you) chickened out and demanded to be picked up by a water taxi. later, i climbed around on bamboo beach i found a clam shell the size of a football! it was totally unreal! sadly it had to stay on the island and my camera was on the boat.. so it won't be featured..

not it's back to phuket with an early 3 flights to perth! a week is not NEARLY enough for thailand - there's a lot to see and do - i'll just have to come back someday. off to AUS!

viewpoint on ko phi phi

2006-05-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

fire

2006-05-18T03:38:00.000-07:00

ko phi phi, harmony guest house internet 2 bhat / min.

man - the weather has been wild! fronts of wind and rain come in like the world's freaking ending and as quick as they come, they go. the sidewalks are flooded and people get drenched, but it couldn't bother me less. people on the beach drinking buckets of booze (literaly) and dancing like man people in the rain! it's been fun, but it bothers me how predictable i am as a tourist.. i like all the shit they're selling me; parties, iced coffees, bob marley on the beach, fire shows. and it's got nothing to do with the thai culture.

there was massive tsunami damage on the island last year - but most tourists seem to be pretty fucking insensitive to such things. here's a short conversation i overheard as a was walking along a cobbled road to the beach. buildings no longer line the street, only a mess of rubble and debris.

idiot girl: ".. and he was like, 'if i snore just elbow me in the ribs and i'll stop', so i did and he DID stop but he stopped BREATHING too and then he started coughing and he'd wake up and then go to sleep and just start snoring again!"
moronic girl: "i know~ and i pretty much couldn't sleep at all. i think it was the red bull."
idiot girl: "i know! i was so wasted~"
moronic girl: "well - i hate to add to the mess, but.." THROWS AN EVIAN BOTTLE INTO A PEICE OF BROKEN HOME
idiot girl: "well - it looks like this is where they throw all their garbage anyway."
moronic girl: "yeah - what a total dump." WONDEROUS BEACH LOOMS AHEAD
idiot girl: "and boring - nothing to freaking do here."
moronic girl: "yeah - three days was definately enough for ko p.p." PASSES THE TSUNAMI MEMORIAL GARDEN WITHOUT A GLANCE

ass clowns. all of them. no one should have the priviledge of such ignorance and total arrogance. it's painful.

2006-05-18T03:36:00.000-07:00

nighttime

2006-05-18T03:06:00.000-07:00

chick'nz

2006-05-15T22:38:00.001-07:00

phuket, hotel internet cafe 2 baht / min.

a flight to phuket - why not, it was cheaper than some of the other islands. on the plane i met these isreali girls who adopted me as a travel partener. it's amazing how completely they can cover a room with all varieties of lacy girly things~ lucky me. the clubs here are really out of control! so many tourists have turned thailand into a wretched disneyland of sorts; the ladyboys are a something to see.

today it's off to the nearby island of ko phi phi - it's going to be a little more relaxed and after a few wild nights i'm ready for that. i'm in full vacation mode, man - wish you were here~

some wild sights in bangkok!

2006-05-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

McThai

2006-05-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

bangkok, hotel roof-top internet cafe. 10 bhat / 20 min.

wow - i'm that guy. i showed up at narita airport with passport and ticket, bright and early for a 9:00 flight to thailand. small problem, i was a day early.. who makes mistakes like that anyway?! if i had been a day late they could have rescheduled, but in my case it made for an uneventful 24 hours of time to kill in a little place near the airport.

anyway, i did it all again the next day and now i'm in swinging bangkok! holy crap! i was greated at the gate by a host of con artists who have been following me around ever since. everyone wants my money. it's a major problem and i don't like it much at all. it's become impossible to meet and make friends with thai people because of the tourism that comes into bangkok. things are cheap, though! i ate and drank with other backpackers from the same cheap hotel and last night hired a tuk-tuk and driver (three wheeled transport) for some joy riding~

tomorrow i'm flying on a little puddle jumper to phuket - any island whould have done but the flight was cheap. it'll be good! right now i'm the whitest person in thailand - practically glowing - and i've seriously got to get some sun so the guys on the street leave me alone and go for some other fresh face. anybody back home need 3 suits for one low price?

2006-05-10T01:22:00.001-07:00

the emerald city, SAPPORO!

okayama city - my old place - my computer. home? raining outside with mild conviction.

it's over!! my journey to the great north island is complete! wahoo!!
it was all business in hakodate, just a stepping stone really. i did see a pretty intense fish market though - HUGE crabs wriggling on scales and people slurping down bowls of fish eggs on rice. none for me, thanks.

i reached sapporo in the most perfect warm weather just as the flowers were beginning to open for the assembled masses! i did the last of my blue-sheet performances and brought in a couple bucks in the early afternoon. then i met up with lorraine, my friend from akita - it was golden week, so it was just good timing that she was on holiday in sapporo with a friend. we went to the sapporo brewery and beer museum because we had to, didn't we? after that we had something not unlike mexican food - pretty good actually - and i ran off to catch a ferry back to the main island. would you believe that i was on that ferry for 22 hours and nothing worth mentioning even happened - what a tragedy that wild romances don't find me in airports and on passenger ferries like the should..

it was a few busses and one more night in a capsule - when i got back to okayama the world was lush and green! i hadn't seen full-on leaves yet and it really knocked me out - i was riding the bloom, the edge of spring, and okayama was hot - bordering on summer already. i walked along the river to my old place in a t-shirt, if only i could call the place home, i would say that i'm happy to be back. but sadly, i'll be on my way. tomorrow: tokyo, and friday begins a week in thailand~

tour in review:

6 weeks on the road, 31 cities, more than 40 free rides. i brought in about 79,000 yen busking and selling cds (about $690), covering 40% of my expenses. throw in some party crashing for food and drinks and that only put me back about a thousand dollars for 6 weeks of traveling in japan - not too shabby. besides that, i've got a few new friends, a few good stories to tell and i think i saw some truth out there. for the record, i'm glad that i did it, but i'll think twice about doing it again. i'm looking forward to relaxing (and eating) in thailand and even more so for the upcoming tour of australia!

2006-05-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

wild sakura and the end of the world!

2006-05-10T01:21:00.000-07:00

mark and chainsaw!

2006-05-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

aomori city, same fancy shopping center free internet corner, hungover.

i rolled into the park on a fine day in aomori! there were all the usual attrations, food stands and the like. but what's this huge crowd gathered around?

i met mark in mid show - in fact at the part where a little girl from the audience throws him his third fire club. he was running his show in japanese and he wasn't half bad. he made fun of the unhappy looking old men and got a few laughs. he then proceded to juggle a chainsaw and finished by eating his fire. he pulled out a huge bag and standing on his big filthy suitcase had it filled with money. youch - i wouldn't be working aomori with a pro like that around.

"that wasn't even worth doing!" he said - what a lousy hat! it was his 5th and last show for the day - he had only made a lousy 800 dollers.. "what shit - i used to really clean up in the good old days". i hung around and talked to the guy for a while (he reminded me so much of eric, even looked quite like him). he stopped me to make occational advances on passing highshool girls. he'd been working street fairs, trains, pitches all over the world for the last 16 years. man, over dinner i got all kinds of advice and expert knowledge on how to turn my act into a real money maker. he had lots of wild stories, as you can imagine.

besides mark, there was a team of old men in yukata rolling a giant karaoke machine around on a cart. they were loud and anoying as all fuck, didn't think twice about setting up right next to mark in mid show or me busking on the street. there was lots of angry fist shaking from me, but it did no good at all. mark got ran off his pitch by a mean old lady with a sweet potato cart. i made some money when i felt like it and then met some cool people and joined there party. off the clock, i even invited over the cowboy-hatted karaoke guitarist, labamba/stand by me/country road, etc. he and i had been in silent competitiion in 4 cities and it felt good to help him do his thing.

when i got back to my capsul last night those pan-pipe fuckers were just getting in and changing out of their super ethnic panchos! haha! i hate them so much and thankfully hadn't seen them since iwakuni. but i was friendly and gave them the lowdown on the pitch. i'm leaving today anyway - i'm off to catch a ferry to HOKAIDO!!! i'm almost done, baby!! 2 more cities to go and i'll be at the end of my road!!

2006-05-02T23:07:00.000-07:00

aomori city - fancy new shopping plaza, 4th floor, "inta-netto.ko-na" - free.

one more rainy night in akita was all she wrote. didn't see the friends again, but that's the nature of this business. i caught 4 rides and a train to get to hirosaki in aomori prefecture - the top of the main island, at last! i took a bus from the train station to get to the hostel and got some attention from some junior high school girls (the root of all evil) - nothing good ever comes from that. when i got off the bus i walked a block to the hostel and got slapped in the face by this big-ass mountain just sitting there in all it's snow-covered glory!! holy crap!! maybe it's being from flat-land michigan, but mountains never fail to knock my socks off, especially when the fuckers sneak up on you like that.

the hostel moma was nice enough and sent me on my way to the park. i rolled in to see the biggest, wildest ohanami spot yet! the castle itself wasn't all that impressive, but the garden paths and rivers cutting through the grounds were a dream in breaking bloom. there were a million people there, taking pictures, braving the chill.

hirosaki also boasts the biggest, loudest midway i've seen yet. you could really call it that too - there are always food stands and the odd goldfish-catchery/moon-walkery - but in hirosaki there was a dune buggy ride, a haunted house and an assortment of rigged games with stuffed prizes. for once the competition drove prices down ever so slightly and i took advantage - ate me a 5 banger of cheese balls on a stick and a roasted chicken leg, hell yeah. the damn place was so big and wild that it had attracted a few other random traveling musicians including one old guy from detriot who claimed that he "came from alabama with [his] banjo on his knea." (nothing but LIES!) and another that i had seen in akita.

i played for a little while before getting dragged into an office and made to sign up for permission to play. it cost me 204 yen (why?!?!) for my permission card and i was given a map of the areas i would be designated to. namely those places with no people or cherry trees. screw that.

i left and talked to a travel agent who finally solved my flight to aus. via thailand problem buy throwing my money at it until it went away. it was the day that i walked a 2 mile round trip to save myself a buck and a half on bus fiar just to spend a small fortune on a jet-powered stop-over in a third-world country. let me tell you more about my life as a (hipocrite) homeless hitchhiker.

my per$pective got all screwed up and i spent an unheard of $10 on a dinner set menue and it was good and 10 bucks felt like nothing. by the time i got back to the hostel i was feeling so guilty about the dinner that i ran back into the park and rounded up a night's work in tips and beers. *$igh - all was right with the world.

this morning i got out to the main road and was picked up within a minute! the man in the passenger seat was getting dropped off at the train station by a freind, but was also going to aomori and insisted on paying for my ticket! we talked on the train he was a nice guy, going to a wedding (his brother's wife's sister's). i gave him a cd. when we got to aomori he slapped me on the back and stuck a hundred dollers in my chest pocket before jumping in a cab. and i used to understand money.

whatever - another capsul tonight - i sleep in a drawer.

2006-04-30T00:59:00.001-07:00

akita city, contact lenses store in train station - has internet? 400yen/hour. raining.

i left sendai for the 3rd and final time on a highway bus to morioka. i had waited and waited, but the still wasn't a single blossom in iwate park. i wasn't the only ohanami enthusiest there, though. there were serveral big company parties going on as (badly) planned. it was cold. i couldn't even busk up a buck before abandoning the whole scean for that of the smoky, familiar interior of Mr. Donut. i sat there listening to music and waiting for the salary men in the park to get smashed. when the time was ripe (it doesn't take that long), i headed back in. as i approached i could hear a guitar playing! excellent! instant friends to be made!

the guitar was in the hats of a cowboy hat wearing couple singing with a battery powered amp and passing a menue of their repertoire. i watched them work. mediocre at best, but with a few of the drunk employees being pressured into singing karaoke they were quite a hit! the woman asked for compensation (this dosen't even sound that rude in japanese) and passed a hat - man, they made a small killing - more than i would make all night. i introduced myself. they felt bad for stealing all the business, they being loud and only a few parties going on that night. i told them i was on break - i would watch. i sat down with the loose ties and red faces, drinking their beer and watching the couple work. another score.

by this time all the people were clearing out of the cold. i got invited to join the buyskers for dinner in the car - the party left-overs they had just rounded up. of course, i jumped on it. i sat in the passenger seat next to the man and his wife sat on the bed in the back. they spoke pretty good english, "we've raised 4 kids with this guitar." they were christians - even did a lot of missionary work. i got the whole wild story, really glad i met them.

i rocked back up to my capsule hotel around 1:00 am that night. i was ready to turn in, but the 5 guys in the entrance way were so clearly in a band that had just played a show that i couldn't turn down their invite. i got to talk to some really cool guys making new music and getting somewhere with it - some of the groups had toured with a few bands i know and love, both american and japanese. really nice guys too.

the next day was a long 4 rides to akita - took all day. but i had finally found some cherries! i rocked up there and made freinds in no time. i met a cool irish chick, lorraine, and her japanese friends who play music together. we jamed, it was good - that girl can sing. later their friend rocked up and whisked us all off to a night in smoky, dimly-lit art galleries and speak-easies. we all crashed on lorraine's floor that night.

i ran to a market in the morning and we whipped up a hell-of-a breakfast! the weather was unreal perfect! we all rolled back to the park and just crashed out under those white puffs and chilled. that was yesterday- i'm still not recovered.

beautiful mountains

2006-04-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

hang-over ohanami with pals i met in Akita

2006-04-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

sendai city, again, again.. yahoo japan promotional free trail internet. drinking orange juice.

i've hit a wall. yesterday i was in the cold thinking about a hundred places i'd rather be than chasing the biting edge of winter up into the barren north of japan. i've been in a new city almost every night for 3 weeks now and i've finally caught up with the front line. now i'm waiting for the flowers ahead of me to bloom before i can move. and already the leaves are turning green in sendai.

on my second night here i met julia, from america. she's a stand-up babe and she's putting me up while i wait for the cherry blossoms to bloom in morioka and akita. i'm playing house wife and trying to make up for all her generosity. another night here should put me on my way. it's been good to take a break and get some things straight. today i'll try and bang out my flight to aus~

2006-04-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

sendai city, media cafe, paying for it, but actually able to upload pics and burn more cds.

more rain.. the only thing i can do in the rain is sit on the bus. hence, i've traveled all the way to sendai in 2 days. the cities along the way were uneventful, but on a 4 hour bus from niigata to sendai, crossing from one ocean to another and all the rain, wind, and mountain ranges in between..

i got on and took my place about half way back - a window seat on the right side. we stopped once or twice on the way out of town and the bus was pretty much full, business men and older couples. the last time we stopped a girl got on and sat one row up on the opposite isle. she stuffed her bag overhead and then noticed me. we had a single long second of eye contact - more than what i would consider a passing glance. it became clear that we were monitoring one another the way friends whould had they been sperated on a crowded bus. not speaking, but occationally taking note of the other's progress. i listened to music and read more of the book a new friend in toyama passed on to me. i took out the chocolate i brought for the ride. the girl, took out her chocolate - the same one in fact. she took out her phone and emailed a friend. i took out my phone - the same one in fact - and emailed a friend. we were communicating. my headphones were urging me on. i started planning what i might say when the bus stopped at a rest area.

we both got off the bus, but i didn't get a chance to speak to her. the man next to me sat down before she could get on and seperated us with a newspaper. she got on and gave me an exhaused look. i took out my ticket booklet and wrote a short message:

hi! you are cool! let's write email on the bus. my name is mike! (then my phone number)

i wrote it in two languages, so she wouldn't be scared of using english. but there was still the man and his newspaper. i held my note. read it over, checked my japanese on my phone. i folded it. i was so nervous, it wasn't even normal. i don't usually get nervous - well, no more than usual anyway. i thought about how to get it to her. i was suddenly concerned with what other people on the bus might think if they saw me hand it to her. or, worse, how awkward it whould be if she chose to ignore me. two more hours of total bus-load embarrassment.

she was practicing looking sleepy and uninterested, but out of curiosity checked her own ticket book at pulled out the little orange paper i was now rolling around in my hands. she was in. i had to make a move. should i disturb the man to go to the bathroom? i could hand it to her in the getting-up commotion. i got an idea. i took out the little japanese doll on my cell phone strap - a gift from a recent driver - and punched a hole in my note. i looped the doll's chain throught the hole and passed it over while the man was flipping pages. she was totally ready for it and the doll landed in her open palm.

we spent the ride getting aquainted. it was entertaining, but she was in sendai to take an exam (law school), so she left me at the train station - too busy to chase chances around the city at night. i called a friend i had met 2 weeks ago, traveling in kyushu on his spring break, now back at school in sendai. we went out and did the ohanami party thing and had a good time of it. weathers good - i'm right on track!

2006-04-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

wow.

2006-04-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

little kabuki kids - this art form is far more entertaining (tolerable) when little kids do it!

2006-04-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

MIKE on the sakura trail

2006-04-19T23:44:00.000-07:00

toyama city, again. library computer, locked down tighter than a coed res-hall.

again, i can't post pics today because this computer's been bolted, bound, and resricted to only it's most basic function.. sorry.

anyway, i left toyama a few days ago for kanazawa and it's famous garden, kenrokuen! that garden looked good all over after a long day of hitch hiking out of an ugly and industrial city. i was at peace there for 25 min. then they closed and kicked me out. i walked around aimless until i realized the last bus to my hostel had gone even before the garden closed. it didn't look that far on the map - but the map did fail to show the elevation.. there i was climbing a big ass hill after dark with little to guide me. thank god the hostel had a hot bath and a beer vending machine. uhg. i got out of there the next morning and set my horizons north to the noto peninsula and it's northern most attraction, wajima. i took a bus.

in wajima i found the ohanami spot and checked out the town. it was a really little town in the middle of no where - attrative, and with a healthy tourist draw, but little and nowhere. i walked all over! i got some radical ocean views but by the end of the day i was contemplating the term "ankle support" for the first time in my life. i wonder if that's a sign of getting old or if i should have just worn my hiking boots instead of my nike's. i stopped to take a bath at a public onsen off the main drag. i payed an old lady 370 yen to share bright green boiling bath water with a wrinkled old man (and she really should have paid me for all the peeking she did). i felt good and clean, though and with the sun gone climbed the hill to the long row of lit up cherry trees.

i've got a routine now - i hang around and play to myself until i get invited to a party and then i take the leftovers i'm gifted to offer a party of my choosing - that is who ever looks fun or has good food. i sell a few cds as i go - it's my job and it's even more fun than teaching english!

everyone said rain before morning, but i was the last one on that hill at 1:00 am. i had the place to myself and rather than paying 5000 yen for a smoky efficiency at a business hotel, i decided to just camp! this worked out fine, save the disapproving look from the 6:30 dog walker. i got some wind and rain, but i was under a pavilion and stayed pretty dry. i'm pretty well recovered for not getting much sleep, but don't think i'll get too many more chances to do that again. i'm headed north! it's going to get cold from here.

2006-04-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

toyama city, new-australian-friend-from-last-night's computer, sitting on the floor

well - the rain continued. from kyoto to osaka to nara, some of the best of japan, really, and on into gifu.. i did visit some friends and did see some amazing temples, etc. but the whole souther half of the country cancelled their ohanami plans to rain and the wind and rain scattered petals on the streets and left piles of them in the gutters.

by the time i got to takayama, somewhere in the japan alps, the rain had quit - but i had gained so much elevation that i could see SNOW on the hills all around and the sakura were off by another week. i left that place after some fridged site-seeing and rolled up to toyama. my timing was perfect and the weather was holding. i finally got to do my ohanami thing and really made a night of it! sold some cds and met some cool people who let me crash at their place!

on a mac now, so i can't get the ap i need to upload you these pictures - but soon!

2006-04-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

osaka sity, kujo - hx/iz's place, on the toshi - sitting on the floor, dinner on the make.

catching up with some groovy friends in osaka, hardy and isabel. we may be the only 3 in the city still interested in sakura. i seem to be running a little behind the front and most people have had their parties and are now over the whole ordeal. the weather's also been right shit. anyway, we've found some indoor entertainment - namely, eating and karaoke!

2006-04-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

some great photos - lousy weather in kansai..

2006-04-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

Kyoto is out of control

2006-04-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

okayama, taku's apartment - my laptop, drinking real coffee!

hiroshima was going off!! there were groups on groups crowded under every blooming tree in the peace park. there were lots of tourists from western and other asian countries. i played for a while and eventually got scooped up into a circle of friends playing music in a variety of bands around hiroshima. we played lots of beatles and weezer covers that everybody knew. they were friendly, but as a down-side i found myself drinking from about 11 in the morning until late that night.

around 5 i rolled to meet up with the hiroshima mod-rock friends. most of them knew i was in town, but had no idea i was just passing through with the sakura on my way across the country! i showed off my map, now with an impressive black line winding up through kyushu and already stretching east~

we ate, we sang - it was a good time. i ran through everyone's names in my head a hundred times, trying to make up for the fact that i had forgotten nearly all of them since i saw them all in december. as the night progressed my checklist eventually turned into a list of girls who i thought might take me home with them. i didn't have a place to stay, and would take any couch, futon, or floor i could get, really - but if i could tilt the scales to the sexy..

i was surprised, actually - with almost no warning whatsoever a girl who i had already discounted from my list of likelihood came over and attached herself to my side. in fact, she was still at my side on the bus to okayama the next morning. she knew some of the mod group kids partying sunday night in okayama, so decided to stick with me. i couldn't complain, really. turns out the party was more than mods - after my constant invites to shows and finally my going away party, all of my groups of friends were so intermingled, that nearly everyone i knew was at this bbq! all the englsh teachers, all the mods, the street artists and musicians - it was incredible~ i surprised them all with a spot over, and what amazing timing! i got to see everyone and fill them in on all my adventures thus far!

today it's raining and i'll spend a day recovering and taking care of some essentials (laundry, email) while i've got the resources and a place to stay. tomorrow it's off to visit friends in kansai~

2006-04-09T22:17:00.001-07:00

bands circle, hiroshima

2006-04-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

miyajima~

2006-04-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

sakura!

2006-04-07T04:30:00.000-07:00

miyajima guchi - youth hostel computer, 100 yen / 30 min, old ass mac. drinking beer made from soy beans 184 yen / 500 ml @ 7eleven. bandaid on righthand index finger tip.

the rain did quit! and kokura castle looked good all over!! holy cow! i had a full day of playing and brought in a few bucks. after nightfall i was ushered over to a company drinking party and watched the smashed city hall employees cut loose for once. they cleared out early and i was gifted a carton of sake~

i took my sake over to a fun looking group and party crashed! i got fed and made some friends. i sang and entertained and sold a cd. when that group cleared out i was left with half a carton of sake and a left over 6 pack. this pattern continued to 2 more parties and i found myself crashing into every cubical in that internet cafe with a backpack full of booze and 6000 yen in my pocket! i "slept" there - first in my chair, then on my inflatable sleeping pad right on the cubical floor. there was so much crashing. the place was all blacklit and the muzac played musicbox versions of pop-rock balads. my neighbor evendently LIVED in his cube and snored like a encaged creature from the deep.

i finally got up and out of there around 10 and blinked in the light of day with no agenda for a few hours. i finally got my act together and took a train out of town - under the ocean and to the main island of hanshu - to what i hoped whould be a good place to hitch hike east. that was a long day, it took 4 rides to get to iwakuni (a mother/daughter, 2 university students, a mom of three, 2, 4, and 6, all in the back seat, and a web designer) and it was after dark when i finally arrived. i walked and found the hostel in the old samurai quarter. i walked over ancient bridges and down dark, ancient streets - it was really incredible. i checked in - they had lots of room - and did my laundry, took a shower. i walked to the ohanami spot and played for a little while. everyone ignored me, don't know why. one christian woman from the us military base talked to me for a while and gave me some cash.

at about 10 the whole wide world shut down. i've never seen such darkness in japan - the whole historical quarter was surrounded by mountains and when the lights when out there was nothing - i was impressed. i crashed, needed the sleep. the next morning i hiked out of town to the highway heading north. i caught a rided easy enough and enjoyed talking to the driver, a painter off to do some sales work, his trunk full of dentist's office art, and got to miyajima guchi in no time. i spent all afternoon on the island and filled the card in my camera~ pictures on the way!! feeling good - tomorrow i party with japanese mod friends in hiroshima!

2006-04-04T20:40:00.002-07:00

my bus driver!

2006-04-04T20:40:00.001-07:00

enka lesson!

2006-04-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

cherry blossoms in hita

2006-04-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

kitakyushu, kokura city. internet cafe in a pachinko parlor - 100 yen/hour + free drink (grapefruit juice in my case) - attractive all night rate: 1560 from 10-8 - considering staying.

oh man, i had fun in beppu! i ran into this canadian guy who was cycling across an island or two and we rolled to the beppu gardens. he played a little guitar too so we set up and started playing. an older lady gave us beer and then we ran into some dudes from wisconson who were studying abroad. i sold another cd, but they lived out in the country and had to catch a bus back. the park was pretty dead at 9:30, but there was one wild party going on under a big tree a ways off - we could hear it. when we got there we could see that the group had brought a generator with them so they could party late - their trees were all lit up and beautiful! we walked by close, but not not too close, and slow, but not too slow, and sure enough they caught us. they waved us over and shouted, we politely refused their hospitality and then they dragged us down to the tarp and forced endless food and beer on us! it was a good score, they loved the guitar and i sold the last cd i had with me that night. when they packed up to leave they gave us 6 surviving beers and we made friends with a family resting at the onsen attached to the hostel.

that morning, slightly hungover and the staff slightly anoyed with me, i rolled out of beppu. i had some trouble catching a ride, but eventually got one to yufin. i had lunch, got orientated and took a ride out to an interchange. at the interchance i crossed out to a wide berth of north west bound road and a bus pulled over instantly. what? maybe he doesn't know how this works. "no, no, i'm hitch hiking!!", "ok," he said, "where to?" haza! he was returning to nagasaki after dropping a brazilian tour group in beppu - i had an entire tour bus to myself!

the driver dropped me in hita and pointed me to the park. i camped out and watched the noon-time ohanami croud do their thing - all groups of moms with little kids and wheel chair country clubs. i played for a while and an old lady gave me 1000 yen. then this middle aged guy in fisherman cloths came over with a friend and asked me loads of questions. he played the guitar and showed me some country and japanese enka (like country, maybe, but japanese). soon his friend had materialized two more guitars out of thin air and we all played together. later he showed me to a cheap place to stay, a b&b run by a friend of his and that night the whole group sat around and i got an enka lesson. very groovie experience, really!

the next morning i hiked out to the highway and caught a korean couple on their way to the fukuoka airport. i got a ride into the rainy, aweful, big city and found myself with no agenda. i would meet a friend from okayama, now living in fukuoka at 7, but i had lots of time to kill and in the endless rain, there was no chance of ohanami.. i played at the station for a little while but the cops kept me moving along. there's no place for a poor boy in the city when it's raining. i ended up camping out in a mcdonalds.

i met ide-kun at the station and we walked to the voodo lounge. a bunch of his friends play artsy-noise music and progressive fusion jazz, ambient, etc. the show was cool, really. the last group had a chick singer who unfortunatly studied at the yoko ono school of vocal training, but she rocked - no doubt about that.

in the morning i took a bus out to kitakyushu and will let you know how it goes. so far so good.. hope this rain quits soon!