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back home at last
Arrived home yesterday morning from Dulles after the longest day ever (left Tokyo Narita airport at 11:10 AM and got to Dulles at 9:15 AM the same day - before I left - due to crossing the international date line) Slept much of yesterday, then got up, did laundry, went to grocery store & nabbed Chinese takeout, came back & dyed hair & showered, slept a bit more & now ready to head into DC to take a megabus up to NYC to catch AFI at Roseland tonight (then take 1:30 AM megabus home to DC & homefully sleep on the way). I know I am totally mad to do the AFI show on top of everything but I hate to miss them, have today off work already & at least I can sleep through Saturday and Sunday!

What a long crazy trip its been!

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: AFI - Veronica Sawyer Smokes

Otaku paradise!

Day 1 in Tokyo - we caught a ride with our tour group up to the Asakusa Kannon Temple Complex and since they were going to only stay there for 20 minutes we set off on our own & spent quite a while exploring the whole area & the Nakamise shopping arcade, then we caught a subway to Akihabara and spent many hours shopping in anime geek paradise for toys - there are amazing buildings many floors high of just toy shops - found the Volks doll store & model showroom & many many more. Much yen was spent.

Photos from the sublime to the ridiculious -

Sensoji (Asakusa Kannon Temple) in Tokyo and Nakamise shopping arcade

Akihabara

Paula is off today to meet a doll master who is one of the National Treasures of Japan. Me I am off to Harajuku and Shinjuku and more shopping!!!!

( more pix below )

Current Mood: sore

If its Tuesday it must be Tokyo

I can't believe I am actually here, the city I have always wanted to visit, in the poshest hotel I have ever stayed in. We arrived last night bullet train after visiting Mt Fuji & only had time to walk a bit around Shinagawa station before collapsing into bed but today we are off for 6 hours of sightseeing and then SHOPPING!!!!!

2 more nights here & then I have to go home - cry! I know I will immediately start planning return to this beautiful country.

Meanwhile some photos (check out the AMAZING Phoenix Hall in Uji City and the Golden Pavillion in Kyoto - in the last few days I have seen some of the most beautiful things in my LIFE!)

Uji City & Shikoku Island

Kyoto and the Golden Pavillion

Hakone and Mt Fuji

( a few quick pix )

Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Classix Nouveaux - Tokyo

In Kyoto now....

Got up yesterday at sunrise to photo the sun rising over the horizon in Beppu and made it in time to see the kitties served their breakfast :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622620551295/

Rode the bullet train up yesterday here to Kyoto, attended a nice reception thrown by some of Akiko's friends who gave us a huge banquet that included a chef grilling kobe beef. Tasted wonderful!

About to head to Shinkoku island.

my favorite photo so far this trip

I looked out the window of the traditional style Ryokan Inn we were staying at in Beppu, Japan and saw this colony of feral cats being cared for by a woman so I went out with my camera - she rode up on her bicycle with a big sack of kibble and canned food and fed and watered them all as they wound around her feet and played with her bike. It truly made my day.

The Cats of Beppu

( der are moar kittehs below cut )

greetings from Fukuoka!

Sorry no update earlier - had no internet access in Karatsu and trying to catch up & upload pix so I don't get too backlogged, will come back later when I have a chance & expand with descriptions, for the meanwhile you can read Paula's entries -

day 3 in Karatsu- http://kisarazumama.livejournal.com/53051.html

day 4 in Hakata - http://kisarazumama.livejournal.com/53421.html

my photos!!!

Our swank hotel in Nagasaki

Karatsu Kunchi festival and parade and Karatsu Castle

early morning scenery in Karatsu

Hakata doll factory and shoppe in Fukuoka

Now to check out and head to Beppu to visit the boiling hot springs of Hell! Probably no net access tonite either as we'll be in a traditional Ryuokan.

Current Mood: busy

onwards to Nagasaki

Ack...uploaded pix last night & then was so tired I passed out, did not have time to blog - Paula woke up in the middle of the night & wrote tons so for the full report please check out her LJ entry -

http://kisarazumama.livejournal.com/52936.html

We left Sasebo at 9 AM and drove up to Nagasaki while Aki gave us a great history lesson on the importance of Nagasaki in Japanese history and how for hundreds of years it was the only post open to traders from the west. We arrived and parked, then hiked way up a hill to the the Church of the 26 Martyrs, and then further up behind said hill to Glover Garden and the original mansion and grounds of Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish entrepreneur who contributed to the modernization of Japan. The grounds were beautiful with unbelievable views of Nagasaki from that height and many gardens and fish ponds with the biggest koi I've ever seen, begging for food (you could buy a bag for 100 yen & get many pix of open fish mouths!)

From there we headed to Chinatown and the bus dropped us off for an hour for lunch, we picked a restaurant where we could figure out what they served (yay for a few words of English on the menu) and had some of the best Chinese food I've ever had (figures being many thousands of miles closer to China)

From there we headed to the Nagasaki Peace Park near the epicenter of where the 2nd atom bomb was dropped in WWII, on the way Aki pointed out the famous "one legged Tori" - the remaining half of a stone story gate that had stood in front of a shinto shrive, the rest blown to oblivion that fateful day. We also drove by the tiny (2 tatami mat size) house built by Dr Nagai, a radiation victim who treated others immortalized in his memoirs and moved based on it, "The Bells of Nagasaki".

The Nagasaki Peace park is a huge flat stretch of land where the old prison had been, just a few foundation stones remain and many sculptures have been donated by various countries of the world to symbolize peace. The center piece is an enormous Peace Statue created by sculptor Seibou Kitamura. The statue's right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons while the extended left hand symbolizes eternal peace. The mild face symbolizes divine grace and the gently closed eyes offer a prayer for the repose of the bomb victims' souls. The folded right leg and extended left leg signify both meditation and the initiative to stand up and rescue the people of the world. Installed in front of the statue is a black marble vault containing the names of the atomic bomb victims and survivors who died in subsequent years.

It was a short ride from there to the Atom Bomb museum which was very sobering - it really hits home to see the condition of small personal effects hit by the blast and chilling photos of the victims and their aftermath. I signed a petition for President Obama to come visit, surely any leader who has seen this would do all he could to see that it could never happen again. I left rather shaken. The design of the museum itself it brilliant as you descend into darkness, walk through hell and slowly ascend back towards the light. No tour guides are allowed as you are to read the descriptions (in Japanese and English) and experience it yourself.

From there it was back to the hotel, this time a huge luxury hotel - it maybe called the Best Western Premier Nagasaki but I've certainly never seen a 5 star Best Western before! The room is HUGE by Japanese standards and even big by US ones! And it had the deepest bathtub I've ever experience - aaaaaah!

Paula and I then braved navigating the local tram ourselves & only got slightly lost and quickly re-oriented and found a 400 year old famous cake bakery she wanted to see as it figured in "Samurai Champloo". Cake obtained we checked outthe huge shopping arcade & finally staggered home to the hotel.

LOTS of pix on flickr!!!

Nagasaki & Glover Park
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622716476380/

Nagasaki Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622716604358/

( some pix posted directly behind cut )

Current Mood: bouncy

first full day in Japan - Sasebo!

Awakened early & went up to the 12th floor for a nice buffet breakfast using the coupons given to us at check-in. This tour is very nicely arranged so that when we get to the hotels there is a table with envelopes for everybody ready with their room keys and breakfast coupons! Very nice and filling meal, its nice to know breakfast is provided every day in case we spend all our $$ buying stuff and have none left for food LOL!

At 9 AM we all met in the lobby with our tour guide Aki (Sato Akira) and got on the bus (the porters having brought our suitcases down after we left them in the hallway at 8 AM and loaded them on the bus for us). Then we drove about an hour and a half to the city of Sasebo while Aki gave us a talk on Japanese history and some background on the area. Sasebo has a large US Navy base & their most famous food is the "Sasebo Burger", the town's mascot appears to be a little burger guy you see everywhere!

We first stopped at the Kashimae Pier for a cruise on "The Pearl Queen" which took us on an hours cruise around he many islands called Kujukushima (for "99 islands" although there are many more) in Sasebo's Saikai National Park. The many of the islands are quite small and are carved out of the rock very impressively with some very cool formations. The views are very beautiful but staring at the islands I almost felt like I was visiting the set of LOST. We spotted many little buoys marking where they are cultivating pearls in oyster traps as well as pens holding fish. While waiting after the cruise to rendezvous with the tour group we met our first Japanese Neko, a beautiful little calico obviously very pregnant who did not run but did not want petting either & gave Paula a little slap. She did consent to pose for photos & happily took handouts from people & seems to have a pretty good racket as she had a very sleek well cared for coat :) Took a ton of photos of course that I am uploading now to flickr =)

After the cruise we headed into Sasebo proper in time to see the Kunchi festival procession in honor of the shinto gods where miniature shrines are carried through the streets and down through the huge shopping arcade that runs for many blocks - Aki said that the tradition allows the gods to get out and see the city - I like that mental image of them getting out a bit for some entertainment. There was music and dancing and drumming, I especially enjoyed the little kids participating who were totally hamming it up. We walked around the shopping arcade and being totally American tourists, Paula had Starbucks and I tried out a tasty "Teriyaki McBurger" at Mickey D's!

The bus picked us up and took us to our hotel, the Sasebo Washington Hotel, very similar to the previous one with tiny but very nicely appointed rooms. We crashed out a bit & then wandered back to the arcade for some shopping, found a large bookstore with tons of manga - YAY!!! Paula found the latest issue of Sayuiki Reload, I found the first new issue of my absolute fav manga Deimos No Hanoyome that has come out since about 1995!!!!! (It was serialized in one of the comic magazines a while back & I'd found a few of the issues but now has been collected into a new volume) Found a store that seemed to be the Japanese version of Hot Topic, a bit disappointed at the focus on Disney characters (I'm in Japan and want Japanese ones!!) but pleased to report that Stitch is very popular over here! After the shops started closing we wandered back to the hotel, stopping at the JR Rail station for a Sasebo Burger at a tiny take out place called Log Kit that we figured was good by the throng of locals waiting and we were right! The three girls working the tiny counter were so sweet & all bowed and thanked us as we picked up our order, looking so cute in their little cowboy hats! Everybody here is so friendly and polite, especially shop keepers and hotel/restaurant staff, it doesn't seem fake, they all seem very sincerely happy to see you and help you out, it is just a huge difference compared to home, when I get back & run into my first surly salesgirl or burger slinger I know I'll wish I was back in Japan....

LOTS of pix on flickr!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622584322045/

( some pix posted directly behind cut )

Current Mood: busy

I love engrish!
Woke up early (internal clock is as messed up as can be) and am entertaining myself ready the hotel services directory which is (somewhat) translated.

They describe the Italian restaurant downstairs as:

RISTOURANTE MOLTO BUONO
There are a taste which remains in memory, and Italy which I want to feel. Welcome to the space which meets with delicacy!

Current Mood: amused

Konbanwa!

The Super Shuttle picked us up at about quarter to eight this morning & took us towards Dulles only to break down on the Dulles airport road. I blame the black cat that dashed across our path as we left the apartment complex. Super Shuttle sent another to fetch us & we still got to the airport in plenty of time & caught our flight to Narita. 14 hours - ack! I watched Zodiac, The Abyss, When Harry Met Sally and Angels & Demons and the adorable and immaculately coiffed ANA stewardesses brought tons of tasty food and beverages.

Landed at Narita, grabbed bags, sailed through customs & caught connecting flight to Fukuoka where we were met by tour guide and bus who took us to the Miyako hotel in Hakata. The room is tiny but very nicely appointed - the toilet even has a heated seat & you can choose it to spray your butt if you want! There is a soap, shampoo and conditioner rinse dispenser in the shower! The hotel is very nice, got a laugh that the bar in the lobby is called the Bronze - wonder if Buffy and the Scoobies hang out there?

Only downside - totally missing Halloween this year, left early the AM of the 30th and got here the night of the 31str due to crossing the international date line - major bummer! Wish I could have been in two places at once to catch the final 2 OCtoberflame shows & hoping one of my friends will post a set list!

DEAD TIRED. Must sleep now, up early to head to Sasebo and some cruise of a buncha islands.

Edit: Added some pix to Flickr -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622584636627/

( some pix posted directly behind cut )

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: AFI - Sacrifice

last weekend in LA.......

Been such a busy week I haven't had a chance to sit down & post about last weekend which I should do now before I head on out for yet another adventure tomorrow!

Flew out to LA a week ago with my friend Jennifer to catch the two Tiger Army OCtoberflame shows at the Wiltern Theater in LA. Flew Virgin America from Dulles and after arriving at LAX picked up our rental car & drove into Hollywood. Stayed at the Best Western Hollywood Hills which is really nice (well above average for the Best Westerns I've seen) & decorated in tons of movie & music memorabilia. We had Humphrey Bogart in the room and Elvis and Barbara Streisand hanging in the bathroom. Downstairs they have a great coffee shop, the 101 which is very old & retro, reminds me of the one in "Pulp Fiction" - it's kinda a hipster hangout but the food is great.

Not wanting to waste out time in LA, we woke up early Friday and since the stores weren't open we drove around checking out cool houses including the famous Frank Lloyd Wright Ennis house and his son Lloyd Wright's Sowden house and tooled around Los Feliz a bit until Wacko's opened & spent quite a while (and $) shopping there & checking out the shows in the La Luz De Jesus Gallery in the back. Cool stuff, If I'd had more $$ I totally would have wanted to buy the great painting of Tura Satana with a pink glittery background!

Then it was time to go pick up

miseryxchord, can't believe it's been almost a year since I saw her! Tag team photographers reunited! We headed to Westwood for lunch at Native Foods & then back to the hotel & eventually down to the Wiltern. So great to see so many of my friends again including

slyabney, janice, Jeff, Ashley & Laura.

The Creepshow from Canada opened & then CombiChrist came on & put on an amazing show with Wes Borland playing with them in crazy body paint.

Tiger Army was up last, so great to see them, I've been in withdrawal with only one show so far in 2009 (back in April in Las Vegas) and they played a great set that included "Remember Forever" played live for the first time ever! For the first encore Nick 13 came back out not with TA but with his solo band lineup for his upcoming country music project which includes Alain Whyte (formerly of Morrissey's band) on guitar & Geoff Kresge on upright bass - I am ashamed that I do not recall the names of the steel guitarist and drummer. They played a new song "When Will You Carry My Body Down" and then a honky-tony version of "Cupid's Victim", then went off & Tiger Army came back out for an encore including closing with "Annabelle Lee".

Awesome!!!!

After the show a large group of us hung out in Dennys & finally stumbled back to the hotel.

Up early again the next day for breakfast at the 101 & went down to the Merry Karnowsky gallery as I wanted to see if they had any show posters for sale from the Camille Rose Garcia show last month. They did so I was able to get one and also one from her show last year in Berlin to add to my collection. The gal working there was super nice and said "gee, since you're fans of her work would you like to see the pieces we have in the back" and of course I said yes & she took us to the other side of the building where they still had up a huge mural she'd done for the show & a big painting "The Hydra of Babylon". I really appreciated that as it really helped make up for missing the show! And speaking of shows, they had some great stuff on display there in a show curated by Kent Williams including pieces by Barron Storey, John Muth, Dean Karr (including a huge framed print of one of his Marilyn Manson Antichrist Superstar photos), Chris Anthony (one of my absolute favorite photographers who's stuff blows my mind) and Kevin Llewellyn who does great paintings that remind me a lot of Michael Hussar - I think he studied under him?

Back to the hotel & then the Wiltern, met up with our friends again also joined tonight by Alex, rachel, Mary, April & David - yay!! Saturday the opening bands were Miss Derringer who were a lot of fun and The Peacocks, then Tiger Army. And again we got another sample of Nick 13's solo work and another new song "Gambler's Life" and the honky tonk "Cupid's Victim". Special treats that night included Nick performing Hechizio De Amor with Alain Whyte on guitar and for an encore they closed with Under Saturn's Shadow.

lots of pix on Flickr!!

cool shit in LA & my friends

The Creepshow

CombiChrist

Tiger Army - Friday 10-23-09

Nick 13 solo - Friday 10-23-09

Miss Derringer

The Peacocks

Tiger Army - Saturday 10-24-09

Nick 13 solo - Saturday 10-24-09

Am dead tired now, must crash & get up early - I can't believe I will be off to Japan!!!!!

( pix below cut!! )

Current Mood: contemplative

AFI in Richmond @ the National (Oct 19 2009)

Had an awesome time yesterday - drove down to Richmond with my friend

scarydavedc, stopping to buy some yen from a currency exchange in Potomac Mills and then on to Sticky Rice for a late lunch (that rare joint where one can dunk their bucket of tater tots in soy sauce with chopsticks) after which we headed over to the National to catch AFI.

Met up with LunaBat and were able to go in early my flashing our Despair Faction cards & getting gold wristbands from Smith. Once in we found some great spots on the rail right in front of Hunter. The crowd was so much calmer than they had been at the Starland Ballroom (hardly any crowdsurfers - hooray!!!) and not so packed so I was able to really enjoy the show without suffering any pain, yipee!

The Gallows opened again - I think their singer Frank was a bit frustrated at the laid back crowd & tried his hardest to whip them into a frenzy without a whole lotta luck. Quote of the night "Are you ready to get fucked by AFI? Who doesnt want to be fucked by AFI? Think of us as the KY jelly to get you lubed up!" He got a small pit going of a couple guys running around the floor. Totally different then NJ but they are still awesome live. During the show Frank handed the mike to their drummer Lee as he had to "get something off his chest" and he called his girlfriend Tiffany on stage & asked her to marry him - it was really sweet :)

AFI were great - similar show to the Starland but with a few changes - for the AOD era song this time they did "Days of the Phoenix" which is a particular fav of mine.

setlist:

Torch Song
Girl's Not Grey
The Leaving Song Pt II
Too Shy To Scream
Days Of The Phoenix
Kill Caustic
End Transmission
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
Okay, I Feel Better Now
Dancing Through Sunday
The Leaving Song
On the Arrow
Death of Seasons
Medicate
Love Like Winter

Encore:
The Interview
Miss Murder
Silver and Cold

Great to see

xo_purity_ox there meet her friend Brigett, they ended up right behind us and we hung out a bit afterwards but had to start back as it was a long drive and I had to get up at 5:30 AM this morning for work - bummer!!! Finding a WaWa on the way back for a cheesesteak & tasteykakes break helped!!!

Did the best I could to get some pix with my little point & shoot, kinda dark as no flash allowed but they had some cool colored lighting that the flash would have washed away.

Next AFI stop, Roseland in NYC on Friday the 13th of November (the day after I get back from Japan - I MUST be mad!) and then the Gallows are playing here in DC that Saturday at DC9 which will be completely insane to see them in a small club

A set of my pix on flickr -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622628549172

( some pix posted directly behind cut )

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Music: AFI - Fall Children

OMG instant dream Camera!
Nikon has just announced the D3S with a top ISO of 102,400 (that is not a typo!) I guess you could then take photos by starlight....maybe even bats in caves!

http://gizmodo.com/5381043/nikon-d3s-dslr-has-night-vision-with-102400-iso-yes-you-read-that-right

Now if I just had an extra $5200 - sigh!

Current Mood: envious

A Fitting tribute to my favorite American writer

On Sunday

kisarazumama and I got up early & hit the road for Baltimore qhere we met up with

strangemuses, the occasion being the grand funeral to be held at Westminster Burying Grounds in honor of the late great Edgar Allan Poe.

When poor Eddie died back in 1849 at the age of 40, he was destitute and his original funeral was attended by a mere 6 people.

This time he got the recognition he deserved and the City of Baltimore went all out to celebrate in grand, if slightly macabre style as befitting their famous deceased resident.

The funeral started with a parade originating at the Poe house on Amity street where his "body" (a recreation by special effects artists) had lain for viewing and an all night vigil. The parade was lead by the Loch Raven pipers and then by a magnificent vintage funeral hearse drawn by a dark bay and a black horse, with a parade of mourners in vintage attire following. They unloaded the casket in front of Westminster Hall and filed inside and the public with reserved tickets for this sold out event (two seatings at 12:30 PM and 4:00 PM to accommodate the crowds!) followed.

The service was officiated by the actor John Astin, most famous for his role as Gomez Addams in the TV series the Addams Family, with an introduction also by Poe House curator and main organizer Jeff Jerome who certainly did an amazing job arranging the activities for the whole year (2009 celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of Poe in 1809).

Then the eulogies started, about 18 in all starting with actors in historic attire playing the roles of people who knew Poe in life (including his attending physician at his deathbed, his friend George Lippard, former fiance Sarah Helen Whitman, his wife's nurse, famous contemporary writer Walt Whitman and early critic, biographer/detractor and plunderer of reputation, Reverend Rufus Griswold).

Next were a succession of famous creators influenced by Poe including Charles Baudelaire, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Howard Phillips Lovecraft (who started his eulogy with a few lines from his carefully wrapped tome of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, the Necronomicon) and director Alfred Hitchcock (who started out with his trademark "Good Eve-en-ning" even tho it was only afternoon, just because it was expected of him), and then finally some actual real live people still carrying on the influence of Poe, writer and editor Ellen Datlow and ghoulish children's illustrator Gris Grimley.

Maybe it was 160 years late, but at least this artistic dark genius has gotten the tribute he deserved. I'm so glad I could attend!

Still need to head back to Baltimore soon to check out the special exhibit at the Museum of Fine Art "Edgar Allan Poe: A Baltimore Icon" including works by Gauguin, Manet, Matisse, and others, and while we are at it, pop in to the Annabel Lee Tavern for some lunch!

Many photos on my flickr -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622441597899/

( some pix posted directly behind cut - WARNING image intensive!! )

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Tiger Army - Annabel Lee

AFI at the Starland Ballroom (Oct 10 2009)

On Saturday

kisarazumama and I drove up to NJ to catch AFI at the Starland ballroom, the first show I'll have seen on the Crash Love tour (and the first time I've seen them since I caught them at the Troubadour in October 2007).

We got there early & checked in to the Best Western nearby & then headed over to the venue, picking up some chinese takeout at the corner restaurant on the way in. Being in the fan club has its privileges so we got in the early line for belonging to the Despair Faction and were able to grab great spots on the rail to the left of the stage. (Much as I would have loved to be closer, I was afraid to since I'd heard that at earlier shows on this tour the audiences got very violent during the opening band, British punkers The Gallows so we stayed to the side which turned out to be a wise move since I heard of at least one gal in the center getting hospitalized with a broken collarbone during their set)

The Gallows certainly did stir the crowd up but they were very lively and entertaining with a wonderful working class ethic, telling the crowd to thank the security and tip the bartenders well! Their singer Frank jumped atop the crowd & proceeded to crowd surf from the bar on one side to the other clear across the other side.

AFI followed to an insanely excited crowd who sang along to every word (a bit too loud, I would rather have heard the band than the very loud girl behind me but at least she had a good time). The new songs are great live and they included a mix of older stuff as well which judging by other setlists I've seen posted they are rotating from night to night, another reason to catch some more shows :) It was a great show!!!

they played -

Torch Song
Girls Not Grey
Leaving Song II
Veronica Sawyer Smokes
Forever & a Day
Kill Caustic
End Transmission
Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (with special guest Lou Koller from Sick Of it All!)
Beautiful Thieves
Dancing til Sunday
Leaving Song I
On the Arrow
Death of Seasons
Medicate
Love Like Winter

Encore:
Just Like Heaven (Cure cover)
Miss Murder
Silver and Cold

link to a review by somebody else) with their video clips here:
http://thevoidremains.blogspot.com/2009/10/star-treatment-starland-ballroom-co-afi.html

A set of my pix on flickr -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622577048576

( some pix posted directly behind cut )

Current Mood: nostalgic
Current Music: AFI - It Was Mine

road trip!
Bags packed, about to hit the road and head up to NJ to catch AFI at the Starland Ballroom tonight, then we'll leave early tomorrow morning to get to Baltimore by noon to attend Edgar Allan Poe's funeral :)

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: AFI - Beautiful Thieves

my BIG trip for the year!
So my BIG trip for the year is finally all paid for (yahoo!!!!) and will definitely happen -

kisarazumama and I are heading to JAPAN!!!!! For two weeks!!!! We will leave on October 30th which is the only bummer since due to crossing the international date line we will actually miss most of Halloween (we'll arrive there the night of the 31st) which also means missing the two Anaheim Tiger Army OCtoberflame shows but at least I can make it to the ones at the Wiltern the week before.

Still, I am soooo excited to finally make it to Japan as this is a lifelong dream for me, I know I will take zillions of photos, I have stocked up on big memory cards & some extra batteries & bought a special backpack to hold the right lenses & laptop and am still trying to decide what all to pack. I have invested in two essential guidebooks:

Tokyo Underground is a guide to all the toy stores in Tokyo and has useful info like maps, subway stops to get off at and hours when they are open - YAY!

Crazy Wacky Theme Restaurants in Tokyo - did you know they have a Vampire restaurant? A Ghost bar? Let alone Maid Cafes, Drag Maid Cafes, Butler cafes, places you can rent a cat to pet by the hour etc etc.

And I have just ordered the Lonely Planet guide Japan and Cruising the Anime City: An Otaku Guide to Neo Tokyo from Amazon.

I need an empty suitcase as well.

I am just depressed that the Studio Ghibli museum will be closed while I am over there which just means I will need to go back!

I've found links to all the places & hotels we'll be hitting (below cut)

( itinerary & links behind cut )

Danzig in NJ the day after Xmas!
Just posted to:
http://www.danzig-verotik.com/danzig/danzig_news.html

DANZIG EAST COAST LIVE DATE ANNOUNCED

DANZIG have added their only other Live Date for 2009
December 26 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ

Tickets for this Show go On Sale Sept.25

Just like in 2006! (I think not-so-jokingly that this is Glenn's way of going to visit mom for the holidays and making it tax deductable!)

I'll definitely go have myself a dirty black xmas and welcome any fellow roadtrippers!

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Music: AFI - Darling, I Want to Destroy You

just what sparkly vampires deserve
This video remix is sheer brilliance - ladies and gentlemen, I present Buffy vs. Edward Cullen!

coming to the 9:30 in December
Just found out that Rob Zombie is coming back to the 9:30 on Saturday December 5th and opening is none other than Nekromantix!!! That should be some great exposure for those guys, looking forward to it!

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Music: AFI - Fainting Spells

and another for the collection!

I have promised myself that every year when I got to the cats how I can get another cat rock from artist Julie Braucksick - you can check out her website here:
http://www.jbroxic.com/

She hand paints rocks into the most amazing portraits of cats, generally done after ones she has rescued as she uses the money she makes from her art to fund her shelter. She does an amazing job of capturing their individual personalities and integrating the shape of the rock into the composition. The detail is amazing, even when you turn them over & can see how carefully she has painted the bottoms of the feet!

I always look forward to seeing what she has and it is difficult to pick out just one - this year I got "Felix" a little meatloafing brown tabby with his little front paws crossed and a bright and happy expression, he was done after a kitten she raised that was the son of a poor cat named Gloria that she found with one eye severely damaged & needing to be removed. She showed me a photo of Gloria when she found her & a recent one on her camera of how she looks now that she is much healthier. It feels good to be able to buy beautiful art to go for a good cause!!

Show here is my Felix rock, below are some more pix & ones of her other pieces (click on the "cat rocks" tag to see what I have gotten in prior years!)

( more pix below )

Current Mood: artistic
Current Music: Muse - Hysteria

kitties!

On Saturday I went down with

kisarazumama to Chantilly to the National Capitol Cat Show at the Dulles Expo center and had fun taking photos of many beautiful cats and their adoring owners. It makes me happy to see how these folks truly love their kitties, and that the many rescues there who had booths with adoptable felines are trying to place them where they will be as loved.

Lots of pix on my flickr -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622355870436/

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Current Mood: peaceful
Current Music: Muse - Uprising

AFI know how to sell their stufF!

They've just offered one of the coolest limited edition packages I've ever seen - they are taking pre-orders for their vinyl edition of "Crash Love" that comes with a set of 12 limited edition lithographs by Camille Rose Garcia, one inspired by each song. Daaaamn! Just pre-ordered mine, really looking forward to seeing that!!!!

http://bandmerch.seenon.com/detail.php?p=109162&v=afi

Makes me wish I was in LA this weekend - CRG is having a new show at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery and the opening is tonight, got an invite (nice to be on their mailing list!!!)

Ah well, I will go to the cat show down in Chantilly, VA today & enjoy that!

UPDATE: the show at the Merry Karnowsky includes many of the originals used for the lithos in the AFI set, they have a preview of the show up now:

http://www.mkgallery.com/page_exhibitions_la_preview.html

Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Nine Inch Nails - In This Twilight

Love Live - the Cult @ the 9:30 Club 9/9/09

Couldn't resist seeing The Cult again when I heard they'd be back at the 9:30 club, especially when I found out they'd be playing the entire "Love" album this tour! Paula and I went down straight after work & got in line with a few other long-time fans who were a very friendly bunch too, especially Tom who had flown up from Pompano Beach, FL to celebrate his birthday with an amazing double-header as he'd also caught Motorhead, Reverend Horton Heat & Nashville Pussy at the 9:30 the night before! Had to tell Tom that I agreed it was a great idea as I'd road-tripped with my friends to see the Cult for my birthday last year!

As we were 3rd & 4th in line we got excellent spots on the barricade right in front of Ian! The show started late, the first band "Living Things" were OK but nothing special, took a few pix I put up here (you can tell I am bored when I start futzing with special effects like rear curtain sync.... The 9:30 doesn't allow pro cameras without a pass but at least I was able to get some decent pix with my little point & shoot.

Sigh.... Ian Astbury has always been influenced by Jim Morrison so it was sad to see that this time rather than looking like the awesome long haired vision in tight leather pants of yore he was more like the somewhat bloated Jim badly needing a shave. Sigh...if he feels a need to grow something I would gladly buy him a chia-pet, the boy needs a little fixing up :) (Liz here freely admits she has always had a bad crush on Ian - it was seeing pix of his glorious long straight hair on the Electric album that inspired my waist length jet black hair I still sport!)

So maybe the show wasn't quite so glorious as in the old days, still Billy Duffy looked great & played even better and John Tempesta from White Zombie is fantasic on drums - maybe a bit nostalgic but I still had a great time, I know I'll go see them again next time, sheesh hard to believe the first time I saw them was 20 years ago when they opened for Metallica (and for the record I went to see the Cult & first heard Metallica by staying after they played!)

Set list:
first, the entire "Love" album (my personal fav!)

Nirvana
Big Neon Glitter
Love
Brother Wolf sister Moon
Rain
The Phoenix
Hollow Man
Revolution
Sanctuary
Black Angel

then they went offstage, took a short break & came back for some of their (mostly-older) hits -

Electric Ocean
Wildflower
Sun King
Rise
Dirty Little Rockstar
Fire Woman
Love Removal Machine

(very mild dissappointment in that they didn't play "Spiritwalker" as we'd gotten to hear that from outside in line while they soundchecked)

Set of photos on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622334265652/

( more pix below )

Current Mood: reminscing
Current Music: The Cult - Edie

Must have!

Spotted this little orange fella named "Pumpkin" at Balducci's and need to go back and pick one up as he is way-too-adorable! He's the Godiva special Halloween bear, a super soft fellow made by Gund with bat wings and he even comes with chocolate!!!!!

Current Music: NIN - The Perfect Drug

Fainting Spells
there's a new AFI song posted up for a free downwload here -

http://www.veronicasawyer.com/download.html

Need nap now....up WAY too late last night seeing the Cult @ the 9:30 club play the whole Love" album (my fav) plus other good stuff. In Astbury threw me part of a broken tambourine - YAY! Many pix to follow when I am more lucid and can find my SD card reader which I know I had the other day.

A dreaded sunny day, So I meet you at the cemetery gates

What better way to spend a sunny afternoon than taking photos in a graveyard.... in this case a rather historic one, Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington DC which has some beautiful angel sculptures and this amazing bronze by celebrated sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens built as a memorial to Henry and Marian Adams. Saint-Gaudens called it "The Mystery of the Hereafter and The Peace of God that Passeth Understanding" but it has become better known as just "Grief".

A few pix below, more on my flickr -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622163525859/

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Current Mood: contemplative

Cemetery Angel....

My other reason for visiting Rock Creek was that I got another of the cool ball jointed dolls by Soom of Korea and as he looks so ethereal that I wanted to find a suitable place to photograph him. So here are some shots I got of my doll posing by one of the mausoleums...

Full set on flickr -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622289436136/

( more pix below )

Current Mood: artistic

Pix - NIN @ the Palladium

I got home and finally got a chance to sort thru some of the pix I took last night and posted a batch to my flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sistinas138/sets/72157622234052826/

I still gotta find the card with the photos of the two openers, Queen Kwong and Mew, I have some awesome Mew pix before I got jostled out of my spot - sigh!

( a few more pix below )

Current Mood: sleepy