Super Fuzz

This post goes out to my good friend, Philip, who I've been friends with since 7th grade. Here's a clip of one of our favorite bad 80s movies - "Super Fuzz"; it's so bad, it's great! It came out in 1980, starring Italian actor Terrence Hill (that's his Americanized name) and Ernest Borgnine. Terrence Hill was in a bunch of spaghetti Westerns in the 60s and 70s, including a great one called "My Name Is Nobody". "Super Fuzz" was actually directed by an Italian director, which is probably why even though this movie was filmed in the U.S., something about it doesn't seem quite American. It seems like some kind of wacky European comedy. I even wonder if Terrence Hill's voice was dubbed over or he tries extremely hard to cover up the Italian accent, but he has a really strange, unplaceable accent in this movie. I remember watching this countless times on HBO back in the day. Enjoy Philipa!

Life Is Good

Hey all. Nothing new to post recently - just been busy with my new job, which is great by the way, and Reserves last weekend. Looking forward to a four day weekend coming up this weekend, then another Reserves weekend following, then two consecutive weekends out of town - Miami then Washington D.C. September's going to be fun! Now I just need to motivate myself to start running again. I've been reading a book on running technique and even subscribed to "Runner's World" - now I just need to get my lazy butt out there and do it! It takes so much effort to get into a very regular routine, but it only takes one week and a little bit of apathy to completely fall out of it. More to come soon...

Movie Seasoning

I have to confess a guilty pleasure, which for some of you may bring my masculinity into question. I've watched the movie "Before Sunrise", directed by Richard Linklater, multiple times and I finally watched "Before Sunset" from Netflix last night. I had to do so after Akemi went to bed because she doesn't like movies that are all dialogue, as is "Sunset", and have no real climax or resolution or "denouement". Also, Americans tend to talk too much (I know Julie Delpy is French, but it's still an American-made movie). But somehow I enjoyed the first movie because the dialogue is so rich and Ethan Hawke is a pretty decent actor. The second movie is not great, but somehow it also covers a lot of great topics in the dialogue that you may not get in pretty much any other movie. I was not totally happy with the ending, though I can't think of a good alternate way to end it. It does, however, end with a great Nina Simone song. Nina Simone is like seasoning for movies - if you want to spice up an otherwise bland movie, throw in an obscure Nina Simone song and there you go -- instant art house masterpiece! Here's a few other movies that have strategically used Nina songs: "Point Of No Return" (American remake of "La Femme Nikita"), "Stealing Beauty", and "The Dancer Upstairs". All movies I somehow liked, but which are definitely cult classics - using the word "classics" loosely. Here's the song from "Sunset". Enjoy!

Old Friends, New Beginnings

The internet is a wonderful thing. It really is. I have been able to get in touch with so many old friends lately, some whom I haven't seen in 17 or 18 years. It's amazing. One of my best friends from high school, Matt, contacted me through Facebook. The last time we spoke was in 1990. Our lives have made interesting twists and loops since then. In honor of my friend, Matt, I posted a beautifully edited video of John Lennon's song "Starting Over". He's a huge John Lennon fan (as am I - even had a chance to visit Strawberry Fields in Central Park, NYC as well as the John Lennon Museum in Saitama, Japan). Cheers, Matt!



Sorry, I'm getting all teary eyed!

Muy Caliente!

I don't have anything interesting or funny to write about today so I'm just pasting this story about this Olympic javelin thrower I got from Yahoo! news. Didn't mean to offend any female viewers of my blog, but, yes, she is a cutie.

Paraguayan heartthrob breaks our collective hearts
By Chris Chase

Leryn Franco is just your run-of-the-mill javelin thrower/pageant queen/model with her own calendar. But during the Beijing Olympics the 26-year old Paraguayan became so much more to the American people; she became our javelin thrower/pageant queen/model with her own calendar. So, my fellow Americans, it is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you that our favorite Paraguayan athlete (sorry Jose Luis Chilavert) was eliminated from the Olympics this morning after failing to qualify for the javelin finals. Take all the time you need.
Ms. Franco became the object of our attention after she was noticed by NBC cameras during the Parade of Nations at the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Fourth-Place Medal's fledgling Investigative Unit discovered her identity eight magical days ago and since then our schoolboy crush blossomed into unrequited love.
Leryn -- can we call you Leryn? -- didn't return our collective calls, but we didn't mind. We knew she was busy preparing for her event: the javelin throw. She competed this morning, finishing second-to-last in the qualifying round with a throw that was 12 meters short of her personal best. It was a disappointment, to be sure, but not altogether surprising. After all, Leryn's goal was never to medal; it was to win the hearts of men and women worldwide. And in that event, Leryn Franco won gold.

Codeword: Iceland

Just conducting a little experiment here. I'll explain later (maybe).

The password is: Iceland

Are You Ready For Some Football!!

Eh?

Those who know me must think I'm on drugs. This is no great confession - I don't know diddly about football. Gasp! I've never been a bonafide fan, and I'll get more into that in a minute. Last night, Akemi and I were invited by my new boss to attend a Jaguars pre-season game against the Miami Dolphins. He's a season ticket holder. I wanted Akemi to witness a real American professional football game and all the sensory accoutrements that go along with it -- the food, the noise, the smells, the sounds, the people. Oh, especially the people! Where else do you get to see as many people standup in reverence for the playing of Lynyrd Skynyrd as you do for the playing of the national anthem? One large man wearing a Dan Marino jersey actually stood for the entire duration of the game yelling gibberish. Nonetheless, we had great seats, ate an awesome Polish sausage dog and a bag of hot boiled peanuts, and enjoyed the company of our gracious hosts.

So back to football fandom. When I was growing up, if there was an athletic event being viewed on tv, it was either boxing, tennis, or soccer. My dad couldn't stand football, especially when it delayed his beloved news or 60 Minutes. He was like Kathy Bates in "Waterboy" - "Who wants to watch foosball and all them gorillas jumping on each other?". Thus, football never affected me the way it does other people. I've never lived or died the way others do on how their team performs. In fact, it always puzzled on what kind of criteria people went by in choosing "their" team. Is it where they live? Is it where they've lived in the past? Is it the team mascot? Is it the team colors? Is it the players? Is it the coach? Is it because they played some form of organized football themselves? I've seen many obsessed Gators and Bulldogs fans who certainly did not attend those schools - some of them looked like they could barely count to ten, much less fill out a college application. Sure, I grew up playing football with neighborhood friends, but it was never more than throw, catch, run, tackle (anybody remember "smear the queer with the ball"?). I never learned the rules, positions, plays, etc., and I never made any effort too. I couldn't tell you the difference between a full back, a half back, or a running back - isn't there a hunch back, a baby back, and a flap jack in there somewhere too? I kind of caught a lot of flack for my apathy from my friends in dental school when everyone was mesmerized by Steve Spurrier's reign of victory with the Gators - it just appalled people that I didn't give a flip. Well you's just un-Amercan, boy!!

But now that I'm all grows up, I'm really trying to make an effort to understand and appreciate football. I'll get there, just give me time. If I work real hard, watch all the games, and study all the stats, maybe one day you'll see me on the jumbotron at a Jag's game, shirtless with a teal and gold afro, just dancing my little heart out to "Sweet Home Alabama". When you dream, dream big!






He hasn't blinked in half an hour! Is he is still breathing?

European Street

Friday night we went out to European Street Cafe at Jax Beach. They have an outdoor patio as well countless import bottle and draft beers. Their selection of British, Belgian, and German beers is quite impressive; plus, they have 2-for-1 happy hour from 2-7pm. So after toiling over yard work for a few hours we met up with Diane and Rob for some drinks and shenanigans. No explanations needed - the photos say it all. And wouldn't you know it -- someone always ends up showing their butt by the end of the night!

Toe Stand

Rob has been taking photos of clients at the studio demonstrating each of the 26 poses of Bikram yoga, which he will display on the walls of the reception area. For mine, I did toe stand (Sanskrit name: Padangustasana). I didn't have the best form for this demonstration, but it was good enough for government work.

Your Redneck Past

I stole this video clip from the Albino Bowler; hope he doesn't mind. It's a phenomenal rendition of "Your Redneck Past" by Ben Folds Five. I'm getting in touch with my redneck past - not a difficult feat in Jacksonville, Florida, despite the fact that I was raised by German immigrants in a fairly open-minded household. My father, though, really tapped into his inner-redneck - hence, the gun collection, the genuine ostrich skin cowboy boots, and the Ford F150. It really is true, though; every country and every culture has its own redneck demographic. I even found them in Japan - e.g. the oji-san truck drivers with their tricked-out semis, and the "yan-kis" (or "young kids") with their tacky clothes and mullets (along with 5 illegitimate children all crammed into a booth at the "all-plates-are-¥100" sushi restaurants). Next time you travel abroad, keep your eyes peeled. You're bound to see someone else with their own redneck past.

BeerFoam-san

So I'm digging through some old photos tonight and I come across a packet of postcards that were complimentary when we took the Kirin Beer Village tour in Yokohama back in January 2007. I had completely forgotten about these; don't hassle me about that - we stumbled out of that place in such a drunken stupor, I was lucky to make it home with my house key, enough fare for the train, and both shoes on my feet. Anyway, they feature a character soooo cute, I think I'm going to have to scratch my eyeballs out. His name is Ecojiro, and my best guess is that he's supposed to be the "foamy, hoppy goodness from a perfectly pulled pint of refreshing Kirin lager" (thanks for the royalty on that one, Kirin!). The reason I think that's what he's supposed to be is because of the last image below. Look at how wistfully he's gazing at that smiling bottle of Kirin beer. Don't you want to go to your home, little beer-foam guy? Your bags are packed. You've got your tickets in hand. What's wrong with you? Are you too good for your home?





Only in Japan can something from a beer advertisement be so freakin' cute. Ecojiro-san truly is a friend of nature (and drunken tomfoolery). If you have any thoughts on what else he may be, please share!

Oceans To Oceans, Coast To Coast

That's a line from an old Lightning Seeds song, by the way (anybody remember them?). Last Thursday through Monday, Akemi and I flew up to Virginia Beach and visited old friends. Not too much has changed compared to three years ago. Traffic is still horrendous and the highways are falling apart, but people are still basically friendly. We stayed with Jason and Yuko and their precious daughter, Kasumi. My buddy Paul and his lovely wife Efrat also drove down from D.C. to see us. A good time was had by all. We even took in three hot yoga classes (not Bikram, mind you; "Bikram" is a copyrighted style) at a spectacular studio called Hot House Yoga. There's just no escaping from yoga - especially when my wife is a yoga instructor. It's all good though. I've progressed from the flexibility of a street light to the flexibility of an old 2 x 4.

Another Thought Of The Day

"Gizzly Adams did have a beard"

- Lee Trevino, from "Happy Gilmore"



Oh my...now THAT was good television! Who's with me on petitioning to bring this show back, maybe in the form of a cheesy Hollywood full length motion picture (a la "Dukes of Hazzard")? Jack Black could play Grizzly Adams; Bill Murray could play Mad Jack the Mountain Man. You heard it here first folks! If this comes to fruition, I'm suing for royalties!

Calling All Insomniacs

Why can't I sleep?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Alan Berliner, documentary filmmaker extraordinaire, explores this question in his film entitled "Wide Awake", which I just watched yesterday from Netflix. In my opinion, he can't sleep because he's wound up extremely tightly with constant worry and he's absolutely obsessive-compulsive. This becomes obvious when he presents his "library" of photos, artifacts, vintage film and audio clips, and newspaper clippings. I'm not denouncing what he does - I found it completely fascinating. And also he's an extremely likeable guy with a huge heart; you can tell that in all the scenes of him discussing his insomnia with his mom, wife, and sister. I highly recommend this documentary, particularly if you have ever found that you're more highly productive during the wee hours of the night than during the day (which I have on many occasions, especially when I was back in residency). The really interesting thing is that Alan is not a coffee drinker; in fact, he does not regularly ingest any caffeine-containing foods. In the scene in which he does experiment with coffee, he transforms into a completely different person. People really underestimate the power of caffeine. It really is a pretty potent drug. I've experienced almost a sense of euphoria after drinking a really strong cup of coffee, especially when it's been a fews days since I've had a cup. Music, especially, sounds better. Maybe that's why many musicians have been addicted to harder stimulants - for inspiration. Anyway, check out this flick - watch at it at about 2:30 in the morning for maximum effect.

Wilco And Associates

We're back safe and sound from Virginia Beach. More on that trip later, but first I wanted to tell you about the Wilco show at the Florida Theater on last Wednesday, 06 Aug. First off, I love that venue. It's an 80 year old historic theater, and there really isn't a bad seat in the house. Not that I'm a sound engineer or anything, but I think the acoustics are great. Wilco put on an awesome show. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought they sounded fantastic live. They are profoundly talented musicians and Jeff Tweedy's voice was in top form. If you closed your eyes, the songs may have well been coming from a recording. My only gripe is that they did not play more than 2 or 3 songs from "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot", their most popular and, in my opinion, best album. But I can understand that some musicians must get tired of fans expecting the most popular crap over and over, wherever they go. Also, it was completely unnecessary that everyone stood up half way through the show. I'm old - who says I actually have to stand up at rock concerts anymore? I bet Jeff Tweedy doesn't stand up for rock shows (he's old too). Akemi enjoyed the show also, but really dug the opening act, Bon Iver, who definitely had a Sigur Ros thing going on. Hey fools - check out my pics below, stay in school, drink your milk, don't do drugs.

Surfer...Please

We're getting ready to go to Virginia Beach tomorrow to catch up with some old friends. Also, my all-time favorite surf shop is there - Freedom Surf. It's definitely an experience to go there as it's not like any other surf shop. The mood and design of it all is totally retro-60s mellow psychedelia and the people there are really nice, not pushy or snotty like Aqua East, the Wal-Mart of surf shops here in Jax Beach. I was checking FS's website and came across the trailer to this new Matthew McConaughey movie and was appalled (as were the folks at FS). MM's (I'm not going to type that long-ass name more than once) smug, dorkey smile gets more and more annoying the more I see it on tv and magazines. I definitely think he's worn-out his pop culture welcome. But not only that, he totally perpetuates some really old, cliched stereotypes about surfers/surfing here that nobody has found entertaining since Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times. That ass-clown may surf in real life, but he's done everyone else who does an egregious disservice by making this movie. If Hollywood wanted to make a big budget surf movie, they should have gotten Eddie Vedder, someone else that surfs and is eternally cooler. That's my five cents...check out the trailer for yourself.



Tonight is the Wilco show. More posts to come on that and our trip after we return next Monday. Enjoy the steamy, blistering weekend!

Another Thought Of The Day

A quote applicable to my upcoming job change...

Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.

- James Thurber

Baby You're A Rich Man Too

Here's a nice song/video for the summertime. This is originally from the "Anthology" documentary about The Beatles, but it's nice footage nonetheless. Close your eyes and let this tune take you back to simpler times.

Nine Years And Counting

Yesterday, Akemi and I celebrated 9 years of marital bliss! July 31 is our wedding anniversary. It's so crazy to think that it's already been 9 years since we put the wedding together and had my family fly all the way to Japan for it. Those were insanely-fun times, and we're still crazy in love. I can remember everything like it was just yesterday. We had sort of a quiet celebration yesterday. We had a nice dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant called "Zaitoon". It was overpriced, but good (see: big plate, little food). We sat out on the patio vice indoors because it's always nicer sitting outside at sunset in Florida in the summertime. Most indoor places are cooled down like meat lockers (like my office). I'm really looking forward to this weekend and next week when I take some time off. Cheers!