too much to tell . . .

Golden Week is almost offically over. i arrived with no problems into KIX on the 2nd but before we (all the passengers) could get off the plane we were examined on the airplane to check for swine flu. more on that later. i went to both days of the Takatsuki Jazz Street on the 3rd and 4th. there are too many wonderful musical highlights. more on that later too with photos and video. on May 5th, Kodomo no Hi (Children`s Day), i went back to Takatsuki and walked from the station to see the hundreds of koinobori (carp kites) flying over the Akutagawa (river). more later with photos. from there i went to Ibaraki-shi (city) to the Ibaraki Ongakusai (music festival). more later with photos and video. i might even add the photo of me with Onishi Yukari.
and that brings me to today where i walked to Visola Market Place (shopping mall here in Minoo). there was supposed to be a cheerleader event and brass band but it turned out to be a Yosakoi event which started with a steel drum band. once again more later with photos. i forgot to bring my "card reader" so i could take the photos off my camera`s digital camera so i could put them into Noriko`s laptop. and speaking of Noriko, she and her Family are well. we had a very delicious dinner tonite. oh, i spent two nights in a small hotel close to Takatsuki so i would not have to return late at night to Minoo. and . . . more about that hotel and the little adventure finding it at 1030pm.

i bought a card reader at Carrefour.

Koinobori over Akutagawa in Takatsuki

diagnosis: acute infectious bronchitis

yes, that is what i was told by my friendly, informative and Mike Ditka-looking nurse practitioner...yes, my nurse was a guy...don't be stereotyping my nurse thinking my nurse was a female that looked like the former football player/coach for the Chicago Bears.  i am now on day 3 of my antibiotics and assorted other medicines for my cough, fever, running nose (smelly feet).  i do feel much better, thanks for asking but... i will not be leaving for Japan tomorrow which means... no Takatsuki Jazz Festival.  no Fried Pride on saturday afternoon in the main concert hall next to the temple next to the big park on the grounds of a former castle. no SpitFunkunder the Hankyu Takatsuki train station.  no SharpHerd Big Band. no shamisen jazz by Keisho Ohno.

if, if, if i feel 100 percent better, i may try to leave on friday to catch the last day of the festival.  more than likely i will stay home or close to home and rest.  Justo Almario is playing at LACMA on friday night.  and there should be some kind of Cinco de Mayo event this weekend even though it is only the Tres and Cuatro de Mayo.  Noriko has two much-sought-after tickets to see her beloved Kobukuro (see March 14th posting) on the 14th so i would like to accompany her to that sure-to-be excellent/brilliant/memorable concert at Osaka-jo Hall which is next to Osaka-jo (castle).

officially i do not have to work until the 17th of May but that may change to the 19th.  

so where i have been since my last post...Philadelphia, back to LA, Philadelphia (slept in airport crew room), Las vegas, Philadelphia (once again slept in crew room) and back home to LA on monday the 28th.  i walked to the clinic on monday after a long night and flight home...my cough actually caused a passenger to move to another seat.  and since being told that my cough that if you remember starting way back on the 9th of April (check April 11th post) was not just a simple cough, i have been trying to stay inside.  today i ventured out to walk a few errands...dry cleaning, market, post office and haircut.  now i will be content to watch the Celtics and Hawks at The Garden in game 5 on tv.  and update my blog.  i will find some photos to add later.  i still have hundreds and hundreds of photos that i would like to share from Japan.  and i have some new nice ones from the Chester, PA area and from Las Vegas.

time to say goodbye to April, my cough and...

(if you make it all the way thru the video clip, try to listen to the comments of a guy standing near but not too near to me... kind of funny).