Merry Christmas! It's now about four in the morning after a distinctly jolly Christmas Eve that involved almost nothing that usually accompanies said holiday, from the lack of family to the presence of the revolving-sushi Christmas dinner (which was, as always, delicious). Nonetheless, it still involved midnight Mass and opening presents, so at least it was similar in two of the three most important elements.
I went to go see this Monet/Renoir exhibit at a local museum today that is supposed to be unbelievably amazing, but was stopped by a cruel twist of fate that would have made me pay $13 to see it, rather than the $free I expected to pay. Being basically too cheap to live, I decided to blow it off and go to a park next door and stare at carp instead, which though it did not involve Monet or Renoir, did involve fat little missile-fish and my money remaining unrouted from its comfortable house in my wallet.
So I went to a concert today in which the son of these great people at church played the keyboard. The group was a thoroughly jamming largely instrumental group that managed to blend traditional Japanese instruments and tunes with the rock style, which led to such interesting sights as the frontman hacking away at a shamisen while arcing his back with rocker emotion and grimacing the trademark Rocker Face. Surprisingly, rock played in the Japanese cord system with a shamisen, taiko drums and a Japanese flute-thing is extremely enjoyable. The piano was pretty much Music from the Hearts of Space fare and would have been better left off entirely, but hey - can you really have too many synthesized ocean noises?]
Grandmother and cousin Michael come over tomorrow, which should be just great. There is a chance that there will be cheese in the suitcase that is merrily following Grammy on its thousand legs of delicious bounty, so I'm pretty well thrilled. What passes for cheese in these parts would make Edgar P. Cheese spin in his grave until light and fluffy.
- Gyaa! I'm give up
Naka-ku, Hiroshima
730-0803
JAPAN