anniversary . . . well, the other day

my friend Mike called to say a late "happy anniversary". i thought i had missed his and his wife's again. but, he was talking about our anniversary with USAir. we are now in our 23rd year. is that right? we started in October of 1987. of the two of us, he is the only one that has actually worked all those years. i have taken possibly a couple more than a few years off with leave-of-absences including the one i am on now. where is the rest of our class? we know where Steve is. Jimmy is probably doing something for "special forces" somewhere. Gary is still in Pittsburgh, maybe. and what about Jesse? Count Baba? i haven't seen or heard from him in about 10 years. back to today, Mike was in Syracuse about to go for a little walk in the rain. i was on my way to the gym on a beautiful sunny morning. Steve was probably taking care of his kids. and i am not really sure about the rest of our classmates.

just before going to the gym after a new Vinyl Cafe including a new Dave story.

no pigeons.

i couldn't resist a purple hyotan-ish shadow

10am tsuyukusa

while waiting for the bus home, i saw this guy. yes, that is a motor on his bicycle.

Game 6 cancelled. hopefully tomorrow night. why, why play night games in the cold on a weekend in New York in late october? $$$

and speaking of anniversaries, this morning while talking with Mike i looked up my blog entry from last october 24th. on this day a year ago, i walked to Manhattan Beach. i could have done the walk again today but i was a little tired from yesterday and Mike called and my neighbor Dave needed to talk about our new neighbor and then i wanted to go to the gym and be home to watch/listen to Game 6. . . excuses, excuses, excuses. tomorrow for sure i will walk to the beach before the football games. i also referenced the above song which i watched today as a part of my "workout videos" while on the stairmaster, bike and/or treadmill. i first heard this song on the BBC Scotland's Tom Morton Show. i enjoy three Killer videos during my workouts.

the first is Read My Mind (it is somewhere in my blog and was filmed in Japan), and then the above, Human and the third in the trilogy is Spaceman.

can you read my mind?

" . . . i don't mind, if you don't mind . . . "

a slow start to my first full day back at home. it is another warm one. my sempuku (fan) is on high. i can hear kids splashing and playing in the pool. i still need to unpack. and go thru mail and bills. and answer a few "welcome home" emails. and look thru some new and old photos. and maybe add one or two images to this blog. oh, and i have a Netflix video i received yesterday in the mail. i am not sure what it is but surprises are always nice too. i think it may be a new British mystery which reminds me i need to catch up on Aishiteru. my Life is so busy. and i think you know what is going to start on monday after the big Labor Day Weekend.

". . . i don't shine, if you don't shine . . . "

" . . . the stars are blazing like rebel diamonds . . . "

there is just something about this video that gets to me. the melody. the lyrics. it's in Japan. and it captures many of things that make me want to return to Japan; besides the beauty, and the people, and the wonder of not knowing what you might see next . . . it has Gachapin!

" . . . can you read my mind? . . . " (not Gachapin)

or my mind? (Yamato-chan not Gachapin)

are we human or are we dancer/denser?

?

"it's not having what you want

 it's wanting what you've got"

                                       -Sheryl Crow

morning secrets                                                 730a

today's walk:  home to Manhattan Beach

afternoon secrets                                              430p

The Killers and . . . Gachapin?

another fun day of doing this and that in my big small world.  throw in a little exercise and some organizing, music, a podcast and Monday Night Football, and then a call from Mike and that was my monday.  this morning on the Tom Morton Show, i heard a catchy song called "all these things that i've done" but the main lyric was "i've got soul, but i am not a soldier."  perhaps i am a year or two behind the times but i had never heard this song.  the name of the band singing this song is The Killers. i did a quick google and youtube search and found out more about The Killers and this song. that was this morning.  after a nice workout out at the gym in the early afternoon, i checked my "work" email when i got home and found out my friend Mike from Florida will be here tomorrow on an "overnite".  he called during the Steelers/Ravens game and we made tentative plans for tomorrow.  last time he was here i downloaded some Debbie Gibson into my iPod for him.  i told him i would find something interesting for him this time.  and then i remember Gachapin. i bought something for his son the last time i was in Japan with the character of Gachapin on it.  i think it would be called a "pencil carrier" and i thought he could use it on his first day at school.  so,  thought i should find a video on youtube featuring Gachapin.  and to my surprise i found another cool song with an even cooler video by The Killers with a special appearance by  . . . Gachapin.  check this out: Read My Mind

2 more looks back at the sky above Abbot Kinney Boulevard yesterday