nonsense, vanity, suspicion

l8s

2009-07-01T19:34:58Z

Buttsime Buttspo, today through whenever I remember where I left my car! dotiscute and catiechu and catsonmars will be there, the latter on the mic. And me. I will sometimes be there. You should be there too! We should all be there. If you know what I mean.

Will I be dressing up as Fagsuke Fagamura? The answer is only if I want to be viciously ridiculed by my peers for secretly enjoying Japanese-type video games. Nevertheless it is appropriate attire for crying silently in the ladies' room which is a talent I am cultivating.

Anyway we will all be in the Karaoke Lounge! Being incredibly professional. You can follow us on the Twitter using the "screen" name @axopenmic. Do you like my tight layout?

- N

nat go back to russia

2009-06-30T10:46:04Z

I got rid of the previous post, though I am keeping it for my records. Most of the stuff I very badly wanted to talk out has been talked out. Thanks to everybody for commenting. I don't take Avatar seriously, but the issues it's dug up of late are incredibly serious, and deserve a lot of thought. It's good, and strange, to see fandom harnessed in such a serious way, and it's good to witness people being passionate. I still don't know whether the discourse surrounding what is sure to be an awful awful awful movie is the best way to deal with the issues at hand, but as I have already said, it's a start.

Now let's all watch Wendy Wu, Homecoming Warrior, a masterpiece which someone at Disney actually had to greenlight somehow fffff, and think of the children as a united front guys

gankutsuou junk

2009-06-28T21:41:13Z

catiechu, Catieeeee, I am obv not working on this though I should be, you know what I said about me and writing being not super fond of e/o, but eventually I will get around to maneuvering handys in resplendent clubs, be sure. Just gotta clear the devil summoners out of my system first

*

When the race is over Albert kisses him. With one hand on Franz's shoulder to alternately ease and compound their mutual tottering, he claps the other over his friend's ear and tips them both just so to plant a smooch on Franz's cheek. The gleam of the charioteers and the deceptive headiness of the Lambrusco conspire to make Albert clumsier: for all the good coordination does him, he might as well be throwing a punch. This particular gesture, a cool spot evaporating from a corner of the mouth, is intended for one of the floraias, the garnet-lipped girl who speaks a little French and professes to know the horses. It is perhaps fortunate, then, that she and her conspirators have melted into the roaring crowd, having imparted their farewells with Lunar daisies already wilting on Albert's lapel, in Franz's hands. Were he not too jet-lagged to care, or too drunk to manage it, Franz would check his pockets.

Albert is grinning. "Take a good look, spoilsport," he shouts a little too loudly, amicably, waving a winning ticket under Franz's nose. "I told you, didn't I? I told you." Albert so rarely wins, but then he doesn't really have to. He lifts his glass, lifts both his arms and tips his face skyward as the night hails confetti into the wine, onto his hair. Franz hasn't the heart to rib him now, not while Albert is having the time of his life, at best a quarter-hour away from losing an inflight meal over the balustrade. Franz wonders what came before the wine and the girls and the dew-colored chariots, the thud of lips sloppily parted. He forgets to wonder. Somewhere between tossing the bouquet of bright blooms into the crowd below and lifting his own arms to match his friend's posture, he accepts that this is his night too, his and Albert's together, theirs to behave like a pair of fools as they laugh and whoop at their respective windfalls.

+fav album atm

2009-06-27T20:17:44Z

Doing for my summer what Margo Guryan did for my winter.

OBI BEST - Within These Forest Walls

What are you listening to, gentlemen not on 8tracks :3
(On 8t I am chevalier though that is not readily apparent through journal link)

ruh roh

2009-06-27T07:51:44Z

More fan fiction! Always more. What is happening. DSRK, sort of NaruRai, circa SA. I think.

*

Granted, their work on the last case had been well-compensated, but this wouldn't be right.

"You're not expected to pay me, sir."

"Consider it a bonus." Narumi proffered the envelope further. "You did all the legwork, and anyway kids your age ought to carry some pocket-dough. Go on, take it, be frivolous. You do know what I mean, right?"

Raidou knew what frivolous meant. He made no move to take the money.

Narumi considered him carefully. He said, "Look at it this way, Raidou. It'll help your cover, having a regular hobby or two. It's my job to make sure your being here runs smooth, and that goes for the both of us. You know, when I was in school, I had the juiciest collection of pictures featuring..." He looked around at Gouto, lounging in the waning sun under the sill, and settled on, "You get the idea."

Which sounded like an assignment, but with Raidou's new employer it was usually difficult to tell for certain.

"Yes, sir," said Raidou, accepting as graciously as he could.

*

He saved the better part of it in a box of odds and ends, neatly stored beneath his bed. All through his algebra he snuck glances, thinking that Gouto was right, that the neighborhood demons were getting unruly with a fresh Summoner around, and that it would be wise to put in a request for stronger steel. But that was not entirely per orders, so Raidou kept a smaller portion with him. Pocket-dough.

Around seven o'clock Narumi knocked to ask whether he was hungry, to find Raidou fastening his cape.

Gouto sashayed through the door and brushed against Raidou's ankles impatiently. "Up on your grind yet, toots? It's getting dark."

"No," Raidou told his boss. "Thank you. I'm going out. That lead we discussed, I'd like to follow up on it."

Narumi's expression furrowed a little, then brightened again in a blink. "Always on the job, eh? All right, don't stay out too late, if you can help it. Early start tomorrow."

*

Raidou made it to Konnou-ya just before closing and pestered the owner into selling him a box of lead charged with ice, cheap. He ended up putting half of it into an Orthrus who staged an ambush in one of the alleys, but backed down quickly enough upon realizing what it was up against.

"SUMMONER IS STRONG," it rasped, as Gouto inclined his head.

A palpable accomplishment, to receive such commendation.

*

Narumi was at his desk, pen in hand, under the crackle of something pleasant on the record-player.

"Welcome back," he said, stubbing out a cigarette. Raidou sincerely hoped he was attending to the bills. "What's the good word?"

The circumstances of the investigation were all lined up by the time Narumi interjected, incongruously, "Hang on. I've been turning it over, and I concede that paying you was a bit of a crust. I don't mind, you know, if you have objections. Hell, you can just go ahead and take it out in trade."

Raidou couldn't help it, his eyes went flicking up and back to the left again, all of their own, along with the brim of his hat.

"Room and board aside," Narumi continued evenly, getting up and stretching, "how about I cover meals on the town, seeing as neither of us is much of a chef? No beef with that, I hope?"

Raidou felt tricked. But he also sensed he had to respond, so he said, just as incongruously, "I collect business cards. From demons."

Narumi said, "Ah, er." He righted himself, and crossed the office. The sound under the needle petered out in waves, holding a complex chord. A hand came down and squeezed Raidou's shoulder in a gesture that was oddly bolstering. "Well! There's a start."

my favorite card is watery :B

2009-06-26T19:53:16Z

CARD CAPTOR SAKURA CAKE :9 :9 :9

We made it! Well Wendy made it and I was on her team. I had an extremely important job which was choosing the cards :3

obligatory

2009-06-26T04:20:08Z

MICHAEL JACKSON - Smooth Criminal (Telemitry Remix)
KT TUNSTALL - I Want You Back
JACKSON 5 vs. JUSTICE - I Want You to D.A.N.C.E.

july music mix!

2009-06-24T22:25:51Z

Light funky pop and um. Some doo-wop. I was feeling relaxed. I'll post something really GQ and bass-heavy for August! Promise. Got the memo about Mother Mother pretty late guys, but aren't they so cute?

Public views on the Twelves remix of "Alive" are split, fff. L-lol Kim in retrospect I think you may be right about the mismatch on the tracks. Wrt Twelves I am always of the DO MORE camp, but not actually a fan of Metric's new album :C It is not bad, but subpar when compared to precedent. Too sweet, and the rock progressions are sort of 1998. Wow I'm such a whiner

GENERATIONALS ♔ When They Fight They Fight
FRIENDLY FIRES ♔ In the Hospital
MOTHER MOTHER ♔ Polynesia
DISCOVERY ♔ I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
METRIC ♔ Help I'm Alive (Twelves Remix)
BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB ♔ Always Like This
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART ♔ The Tenure Itch
ARMY NAVY ♔ My Thin Sides

Up for pre-listening at 8tracks.

we are watching victorian romance emma

2009-06-23T03:23:35Z

ETA: DRINKING GAME
DRINK EVERY TIME SOMEONE STARES SOULFULLY OUT A WINDOW
TWICE IF THERE'S A FULL MOON
THRICE IF THEY'RE FUCKING CRYING

what is this

2009-06-22T00:07:56Z

Wow I made a DSRK fanfiction! I am probably like. Making more. My feelings, they are large.

*

"A faerie's doing?" Narumi peeled toast off his trousers. The stain left behind was unfortunate, wet yellow on white. "This sounds familiar."

Raidou sounded impressed. "She must have come here of her own will."

"Well now, if the fair folk have a mind to tear down the building..." The city's luck of late might have kiltered back to normal, but the law of buttered bread was still in place, sure as sugar. Narumi stepped behind the screen, mournfully untucking his shirttails. "I fear you might have to concede the request, Raidou. Scant work of late, anyway."

They had gotten in the habit of office hours spent watching the sun trace down the walls, Raidou catching up on a hefty pile of homework and Narumi on the headlines, with only Tae to break up their afternoons with cakes and coffee, and nosing. "You skipped a button there," she'd observe with a bright smile, or "No wonder you fellows are short of cases, opening so late." Good old Tae, ever with the eye of a reporter.

"If you have to miss school again," added Narumi, "I'll write you a note." He supposed by now they were running low on dead grandmothers, but the art of persuasive literature was a secret point of personal pride.

"No. My place is here."

The tone of that made Narumi lean out for a peek. For a moment he kept his face still, then one corner of his mouth jerked up. He said, "I see. Oh, get me my brown slacks. Mahogany wardrobe, on the left." The other corner jerked to match. "And wash your face, it's got soot on it."

A difficult color, white. They met behind the desk, Narumi rushing for a wet rag and Raidou with the requested garments in hand, ducking under in concern.

Gouto had wedged himself into the farthest corner, ears pressed flat, his tail giving limp little twitches. Raidou was frowning.

"He won't answer."

"You figure the blast did him in?" Narumi bent down, but Raidou put out a warding arm.

"You're spooking him. Gouto? Gouto."

"Try cupping your hands over his ears." One of the ears rose and rotated in Narumi's direction as Gouto cast forth a look of profound loathing.

Raidou breathed out. "He wants us to leave him--" he began, just as the door sounded a click. The landlady wasted no time giving the up-and down to her tenant in all sorts of undress, and to his young assistant, holding what would appear to be trousers. Her eyes narrowed.

Narumi was already donning a professional smile. He felt Raidou turn to him, but the situation was thoroughly under control. "Mrs. Tachiyama. What a nice surprise. Hold up just a moment." He retreated to dress. Along the way, he also thought of, "How-how's your husband?"

"Never mind him. Did you feel it? The strangest thing. A light, and some sort of rumble. First the bugs, now this. It's all because of the youth, mark my words. Not enough faith. Too slovenly to work decent jobs. You know, those monsters crushed my daughter-in-law's second cousin's motor-car? Horrible. But serves him right, if you ask me, for flashing his money like some sort of capitalist. My poor heart, what times we live in! Just now I thought the whole building was about to come down around our ears. What in the world do you think that was?"

The Apollyon business was over and done with, but some days it was hard to be sure. Settling on half his ensemble, Narumi heard Raidou twig on "Earthquakes," and warily emerged to corroborate, "Yes, very frequent lately. Now look, about the rent..."

"Yes, about that," said the landlady uncomfortably. She descended the stairs and glanced about her before whispering, "I heard you take... strange cases?"

*

"Didn't even ask after my marriage prospects," said Narumi, back in form. "This must be serious."

Raidou and Gouto pulled another of their wordless exchanges. Damned expressive, for a cat. But what Raidou said was, "Zashikiwarashi. I knew there was one in the building, but to go this far..."

"You know the drill. In the meanwhile I'm out to rustle up some soda water, before the stains set." Might have been solid to offer cab fare, but times were tight.

"The Obariyon mentioned something about missing jewels."

No complaints, with Raidou. Narumi paused on his way to the kitchen. "To think, you might have packed off to Tsukigata and left me without leads. What would I do without you?"

Raidou's face right then might have said, Get evicted, or Meet an ignominous end at the hands of the military, or, perhaps, Spend your golden years in terrible peace. There was still soot on it.

Narumi observed as much, and licked his thumb, and ran it casually along one sideburn. "There," he said, examining his handiwork. "Good as new."

i feel the need to share

2009-06-21T19:45:22Z

Actual conversations yesterday.

#1; @ Cafe 987, Nooo I have an instant-hot filter and it's clogged or something :C
Cashier dude: You have been here for breakfast a lot lately!
Me: Yes, the ... thing? ... that makes hot water at my house is broken.
Cashier dude: snorts You mean the stove?

#2; Han's credit is like tragedy bad
Me: Balthier trying to imitate Han Solo is like Marie Antoinette playing peasant dress-up.
catiechu: Yeah since on his days off Han Solo sits around in his underwear, eating spaghetti-os out of the can.
Me: His smuggler hideout is just someone's basement where he has to share the rent with like three other dudes.
catiechu: Whereas Balthier is all, My pirate costume needs more gold filigree
Me: I have closed escrow on a floating island.

reeeeeeeeeeeeeeed

2009-06-20T19:34:54Z

Today I found this! This! It is the best thing. It is a Russian children's book about different kinds of love, and the birds+bees. The description says it is a sexual education encyclopedia for ages 5 to 8, though it doesn't matter whether that is for real. (I think it's for real ffff) I translated my favorite parts of it for your pleasure gentlemen! Is it just me or does the text and art feel charmingly absurd a la Wes and Eric Anderson respectively

following my russia photographs

2009-06-19T21:49:00Z

One of the most common expressions I was v happy to receive on my Moscow photograph posts was surprise at how verdant and welcoming the city looks in Summer. And it does, and it is, because things are definitely changing for the better -- or worse, my grandmother would argue, being a product of all that propaganda and limiting experience -- at a rapid pace! But I was recently reminded of Alexey Titarenko's City of Shadows series (ca. 92-94) and I think that, along with russiamagazine, it's required viewing for anyone interested in traveling to Moscow in the near future.

Plus given my old timey occult-ish mood recently it is just really freaking cool.

ETA speaking of photos, esp 09 photos, I love this one from St P, so charming

but i lied and told narumi it was "tacos"

2009-06-18T21:18:13Z

I finished the game and the entire last dungeon was spheres and the wallpaper in there was circles and giant spheres were popping out everywhere and the last 3 bosses were like. Spheres. Anyway I got the Neutral/Chaos ending. It was wild.

NOBODY SAY SPHERES I WILL PUNCH YOU IN THE STOMACH

so I'm pretty sure this is closest to canon Gouto

um

YES THESE REPORTS ARE DISTURBING
i have totally left my house recently

i am actually pretty confused about what went on in the bath house

idk my beef Mara

MARA THIS IS NOT APPROPRIATE

dunno raido
your world sounds kind of gay

right i forgot to mention last game
teeps in the infinite abyss have the most incredible argot

hmm getting out of hand now

ALEFAS;LF;ASDFKDA YES
MY ANSWER IS YES
THE OPTION FOR YES COME ON WHERE IS IT

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

M-MY BEAUTIFUL DREAM

Atlus how did you

I think I cried at some point

The ending was boners. Raidou with soot on his face m-moeeeeeeeeeee I was too lazy to cap fmv but there's a video of it on youtube great game or greatest game. I love Gouto in that segment too. Dejected Gouto with ears pressed flat is my new favorite thing

Umm trying to line up my geeky geeky comments. So appropriate that Narumi turns out to be the only one without a spooky Apollyon shadow, because even in the depths of his soul he hasn't any grudges against Raidou ♥ I mean even Tae has a sort of grudge against Raidou on principle! But the only thing Narumi secretly regrets is that Raidou can't be a regular kid and do regular-kid stuff, that's so waf I can't even. Obv game saves Narumi for last too because he is closest to Raidou out of everybody! Their love, it is probably true. By the way I really liked Tae's segment. She is right! With all these men and their dramas Tae never gets enough screen time.

The penultimate bosses went down so easily. Wow I love fighting the Riders over and over and over guys! Convinced their difficulty drops off inside Abaddon, as I remember still struggling while playing w/Pale Rider for Lucifer's entertainment. Shinado's final form was a super decent battle though. One thing I love about DSRK is that the final bosses are always the most fun because they focus on technical prowess instead of cheap shots. Then again the luck roulette never quite got around to killing all my demons so maybe I was just lucky;;;;;

Have yet to finish all 100 cases. FUCK FUCKING PERSIAN VASES I SOLD THEM FOR A SWORD. I hate that this game makes you cagey about selling artifacts even when you need money really badly, because the rarest items are always in demand >:E And so long as we are talking gripes, of which I have maybe two in total, Raidou's gun was pretty useless. Last time you could get all these different varieties of ammo to help you along. This time any dude above 40 nulls bullets. Rar I miss heavy rounds ;A;

Also I am worried. This game was just one big delivery of everything I and everyone else ever wanted from this franchise, so there might not be a point in making any further sequels. Never mind that the PS2 is purportedly a dinosaur (I disagree but maybe that's just because I don't have $500 and endless hours lying around orz). Not that I am not satisfied on all levels but I will always want more 70s b movie gay detective goodtimes ahhhh.

god Natalia did you just write a fucking essay go outside

in other terrible music news!!

2009-06-18T05:16:43Z

S-such a decent mash up. THE BASS

BACKSTREET BOYS vs. THE WHITE STRIPES - A Seven Nation Army's Going On
Lmaooo I forgot there was like. That rap verse.

some iphone photos

2009-06-18T03:59:26Z

YUZU FRUIT FLAVOR
i would pay like a dollar just to taste it ahhh
but not six dollars man alive
F-flan flavor is more leave or take for me. greystrata mentioned bizarre Japanese-exclusive varieties before (isn't there a Lavender variety as well ffff) and I thought I would pick some up for her but evidently flavored Kit Kats are a status symbol. Harrrsh

I still think airplanes are an affront to nature (their wings look so flimsy facing all that airstream power) but the North Pole seen from 30,000 feet is an incredible thing. I always wonder whether anyone lives down there in all that white wilderness! Sleepy snow-covered mountains give way to frigid North-Canadian terrain dotted with hundreds of lakes. You can tell the summer thaw by the distribution of turquoise and grey-blue of the water. It is unlikely that I will ever in my life get to visit the poles at ground level, so glimpses like this seem especially nice.

*

I have sort of been working on a DSRK fan mix! Aah. It will be filled with like. Big band funk and improvisation piano bar jazz ;A; terrible. The beauty of Shoji Meguro productions here is that they are not really about mimicking music from the 30s, but rather the way that music would sound in a shitty 70s monster movie about the 30s. This strikes me as so brilliant somehow mmmmf idek

Basically let's appreciate Crown Heights Affair again.

ETA AND THIS amirite no what

shut up nat

2009-06-16T07:35:20Z

I am just. I am failing to rein in my DSRK2 posts. Tonight canis_m wrote a NaruRai story about making whoopee and that's all I want to talk about. And about the way K and Amei and Wrat produce fanworks that totally jive with my personal tastes. I have looked around j-fen for supplementary art but I am not sure j-fen really grasps the subtleties of B-movie noir.

MEME:
1. If you like, re-post this meme with your current computer wallpaper.
2. Explain in five sentences why you're using that wallpaper!
3. Don't change your wallpaper before doing this! The point is to see what you had on!

A master piece selected from Kitsunenoir's wallpaper project.
because I love synth and colored pencils
BUT SOON

Tomorrow catiechu and I are going to buy things for starting an herb garden which will hopefully tear me away from spending every spare moment at my PS2 like a disgusting slob

A TERRIBLE POST

2009-06-14T23:08:16Z

Was Narumi this much of a dream boat in the last game? I don't remember. Here he is top of Raidou's emergency contact list. They are best friends.

On chapter seven now ;A; banged through super fast somehow! Barong and Vritra are my crips. If not for the case files, this game would have felt too short. SA was a shorter game ostensibly, but it was meaner, whereas Abaddon felt a little easy, and that can't be just because I got lost in the Tento catacombs for days. Wrt Geirin it was like beating up a sick old man. I felt like. I felt pretty bad about that. Geirin you are a dream boat also, I like the way you cock your gun.

Actually the most horrifically challenging part so far was the shadow and light puzzle in chapter 6, tears. Weird because I don't remember picking little girl weak sauce mode at the setout!

Question gentlemen when does Raidou go to school and do homework. His attendance record must be a sad thing. Or does school issue an automatic snow day when evil chainsaw locusts mess up the neighborhood. Yes that is probably it

earthquakes! men!
how have i never tried this at home

:D''''''''''''
brb ravaging j-fen

titania is a racist

what the fuck Narumi
jesus

LIKE IN MY FANTASIES

why is every hot springs interlude such gold guys

finally a tae-pimping mini game!!
where you pimp tae
Atlus how did you know

Now all that's left is the final dungeon and some cases I guess. Fffff I am so lazy. Oh and I wiped the floor with every Rider and I made a White Rider fiend which is pretty cool. We kick it sometimes.

INSTALLMENT THREE

2009-06-14T00:48:40Z

All that's left is Novodevichy, which is oddly one of my favorite places. My aunt says, Why in the world would you visit a cemetery! It's so creepy! But really it's peaceful, like something out of a dark fairy tale.

In order to be buried here you have to have a lot of money, or be a Soviet hero, or immediate family to a Soviet hero, or Yeltsin. Yeltsin's tomb is kind of ugly, actually. Some old ladies came up to me and asked what I thought of it, and I politely declined to answer, and they were like, Hah! We agree. It is ugly. It looks exactly like what he did to our country.

Old ladies can be pretty brutal.

Okay so it's pretty creepy here.

There are a lot of old graves here from 1900-1930. Some are well maintained still. If you are a relative of someone buried here, it is advised that you come and tend their grave once in a while. Graves left untended will eventually be seized and someone new will be buried in the spot!

This girl for instance. Probs no one in her family remains to come pull all these weeds. Her last name is the same as mine so technically I could do it, but I don't live in Moscow sobbb

One of the Tchaikovskys, but not the gay one.

The crosses atop Orthodox domes usually have a crescent under them, representing Christianity's triumph over Islam.

In there is the monastery proper. Last time I was here, going in was free. Now they charge admission. Maybe I lucked out on a weekend back then? Wah, no money. Also flattering: guardsmen pointed out it was 1pm and asked me why I wasn't in school.

look at that stache

Found Ptushko's tomb. What an incredible head-marker! I love seeing things in pictures that are halfway across the world and then going there to be right next to them.

Lenin's bro

CLASSY YELTSIN TOMB, totally huge though you can't tell. Those vases are nearly as tall as I am.

INSTALLMENT TWO

2009-06-13T23:33:24Z

OVERHEARD AT SHEREMETIEVO AIRPORT:
four people in a row set off detectors
Metal inspector attendant 1: How's it going over there?
Metal inspector attendant 2, jovially: Guns, guns, guns. I wish people would stop bringing them on planes.

The riverbank next to the new apartment is pretty hopping. Lots of people go down there to drink and swim and have barbecues. If Moscow has open container laws I don't think anyone enforces them.

I jogged here every morning! I am a very dedicated jogger.

The whole area is very Dejeuner sur l'Herbe.
Yes, exactly.

Moscow apartment buildings, at least those built on the old plans, are made to surround a courtyard, usually with a playground. Pretty typical, and so nice! Neighborhoods like Tushino seem like a terrific place to be a kid, because they are largely safe and access tons of public transport options. On the trolley I saw a bunch of boys, ten or twelve, coming home from soccer practice, no shirts due to the heat, clandestinely passing around a beer, posturing.

Another abandoned factory, this time near my metro stop.

The stop itself has a street market where you can buy groceries and overpriced fruit. Plenty or poor from the country are also here, hocking things from their gardens and odd ends like screws and dress shoes. My mom likes to buy flowers from the old ladies, esp if they are selling lilies of the valley.

This is the park playground I frequented as a kid!

Sokol is a neighborhood initially built to house the officer heroes if WW2. The apartments here are very well made, and the buildings very grand on a 40s era scale. The attic apartments are especially neat; I think they might have once been used for storage, but are now converted due to a high demand for living space.

With all the brand new apartment complexes, this neighborhood has fallen into disrepair.

Lilacs were all but done blooming all over the city, and I was pretty depressed until I discovered a whole clutch of them in the park by the Sokol apartment. I picked a bunch of sprigs to take home.

Our old courtyard.

Look at this fucking palace. It is unavoidable.

Literally pulling apart grandmother's old flat made me terribly sad. I think we did everything with the knowledge that the building will eventually be demolished, and until then, whoever rents this place would not be able to afford repairs.

I cannot describe how much I cherish every inch of this place. It is as familiar and well-loved as my childhood books. Everything changes.

My grandfather did some art pieces in wood panels. They are incredible. This one features falcons, since sokol means "falcon" in Russian.

One for my mother when she was a little girl, based on a story about a ship with red sails.

"Wounded officer, 1840". You can tell he is an officer because of the saber on the left and his neat face+hair, says grandma.

Spoils of the old flat: a Fred Perry polo, mint in box, 80s vintage. I plan to wear the shit out of it.

Spoils of the old flat: jazz-era style shoes from the 80s! Very Kaneko! They are so comfortable and look super smart with skirts and slacks both

We left Jesus chilling in the apartment so he can make sure it stays holy until we get back.

YEPPPPPPP

Ahhh I typed a lot! One installment left I think.

INSTALLMENT ONE: TOURIST EDITION

2009-06-13T22:10:35Z

As promised, photos of Moscow and environs, though I did not do anything super exciting over there except swim in the city river which dudes assured me was clean on the Northern side orz

I got super excited using public transport, especially the tramvaj system which has been extended and restored. Everyone either ducked the turnstyle or did twosies. I saw this one guy get on, a hand out to the ticket reader and the other out as if to turn the style, and then he was down and under it and back up again in half a blink. Masterful. I paid every time. AND I picked up after my friend's dog when it shat in the park, even though my touching poop through a plastic bag was apparently the most hilarious fucking thing ever. IN AMERICA WE DO THINGS RIGHT

Moscow in summer is terrifically green. This sort of color does not even exist in California, and I miss it terribly. The air is cool in the shade, so you can walk long distances without sweating, and warm in the sun, which is gentle enough that one does not need sunscreen to tan under it.

These are the suburbs at Tushino, viewed from the sixteenth floor, looking out toward Sokol, another suburb. Though calling them suburbs is probably incorrect as they are still part of the central city! Moscow is very large. The tall Stalinist-like structure in the distance is the newest Sokol apartment complex called the Palace (of the Soviets? obv) that towers over my grandma's old home.

My parents were in town for a couple of days, helping us haul most of my grandmother's things from her old apartment in Sokol to her new one in Tushino. I briefly considered renting a car for this, but seeing as no driver in Moscow ever minds the lanes painted on the roads, I was too chicken to try driving there. You constantly see these beautiful BMW and Mercedes vehicles parked streetside with huge dents in them, because accidents are a given.

Until the new ring is built (top, light blue), the Moscow metro has only one central connecting ring (brown) which does not go out to Sokol and Tushino, so we had to use private van-cabs that kept getting caught in Sokol's prodigious traffic jams, ugh! But I think the Moscow metro map is one of the prettiest in the world.

Mom does not like Moscow, so the best recreation I could think of that would suit her was the riverboat that goes from the Kievskaya river station past Gorky Park, the Red Square and vars. landmarks. It was a super sunny day and everyone along the banks was sunbathing and even swimming! But personally I would never swim in the Moscow River near the city center because I do not want aids

This is Moscow University, or rather just the dorms, because the actual campus is huge. I think monolithic Stalinist architecture looks ridiculous, but impressively outsized. Everything looms and towers and imposes! But any self-respecting University student knows that living in the dorms means you cannot live at home and are therefore not a city native, inviting thinly veiled derision which all outsiders rightly deserve.

The building with the green roof used to be the mansion of my family on my mother's side, before the revolution! Which is so amazing. Now it is a library. The shirtless dudes are probably street workers cleaning the sidewalks by the bank or something. Most of the Moscow I know is ridiculously free of trash.

A statue of Peter the Great which is about nine hundred feet tall, idk, everything is so big here, probably because planners have a lot of room to work with!

The cathedral of Christ the Savior, newly rebuilt.
The old version burnt down in the twenties.

The Red October chocolate candy factory, very historic or w/e. According to the yellow sign on the left the whole thing is apparently for rent. Or maybe only the attached apartments are for rent. Moscow buildings have a socialist sort of knack for integrated infrastructure, with living spaces attached to factories attached to metro stations. I want to go inside so bad nnnngh I bet it is amazing and haunted by like Soviet ghosts

The Hotel Ukraine, obv from the 30s ---> 50s, when every fancy building had to resemble a terrifying Sauron-like lair.

Red Square, the city hall, blah blah blah, that is real gold.

Took a photo of self w/Zombie Lenin. Sometimes there are tours to go inside I think? But you have to make reservations and pay a lot of money, so fuck that noise. On a separate note don't even get me started re: how homely I look in comparison to native Russian girls. I am fat and my legs are stubby. Not that I care so much because I do not dig oversensitive Russian dudes. Sorry grandmama! Well at least they wear nice shoes I guess

I took some photos of the city center too. There's the Bolshoi Theater! It is under renovation.

FFFFFF COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO: THE MUSICAL
no one would fucking go with me sobbbbbbbbbbb I hate

I went to the big big big Moscow flea market where Georgians and Armenians and Uzbeks and Ukranians sell pretty much anything you can imagine. P-probably human organs idk. This is the way to the market, but I did not take any photos at the market because I thought the sellers might not like it. I got a knockoff Gucci purse for $50, real leather, stamped and signed and everything, I made to leave 2 times hahaha. Also everyone was selling sunglasses for 100 rubles, which is about $3, MY GREATEST VICE!!! I bought 12 pairs. I am a disgusting person.

Anyway these are my favorite *___*

SPEAKING OF FATTYS. Russian food is amazing. Producers add fewer preservatives, real sugar, and more cream to their milk products, so everything tastes like you are getting your money's worth. Obv it goes bad more quickly as well. Despite the presence of a few chain markets, most grocery stores are still namelessly and universally indicated by "GROCERY" signs. Or I guess you can be a rich douche and shop at the Whole Foods in town or whatever.

SWEETENED CREAM CHEESE WITH RAISINS you can put it into blintzes

My grandfather's coffee cups, which were my favorite as a kid. I am happy to find that two of the four still survive.

The reflective ceiling in the living room!

View out my bedroom window, onto the reservoir ♥

A Soviet-era set of classics by world authors. Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Dumas. There are about 50 volumes in all, most of them illustrated. I think they are amazing.

From the sixteenth floor, you can really see the thunderstorms rolling in over Moscow. I love the way thunderstorms smell! But my grandmother is terrified of them. She believes in ball lightning. I think I might too! Everyone seems to know someone who has seen ball lightning firsthand, haha

It is White Nights time in Moscow right now, so the night looks like this until about four in the morning, when the sun goes down for two hours. Everyone is out and about and being noisy, because it's summer!

PLACE HOLDER

2009-06-11T04:53:18Z

How Abaddon Ou helped me past my crippling jet lag: 40 hours! I forgot to buy food and shampoo and left my laundry in the wash for 3 days! My super nice silk blouses got fucked up! I didn't care! I subsisted on pumpernickel bread.

canis_m I see in the time I was gone you have p-played a large portion of same and MADE MY BEAUTIFUL DREAMS COME TRUE

In San Diego now. Finally! My houuuuuuse and my bed. Where I can smoke cigarettes. Came home to find that by some fluke I got into the postgrad summer program of my choice! Wild. It's the web-management side of a radio show! Not sure how this happened as my proposal was half the required length and I left it by the janitor's entrance at 3am. You're a legend, janitor! Will maybe have a shot at Columbia next year. Moscow has made me crave New York -- a lively and mean place to live where people yell at you on the subway, but hopefully not in Russian.

Work is going ok. For one especially cool project I settled for stock options. What are stock options. In summary I'm pretty sure no one's going to turn off my electricity the way they turned off my internet!

BTW if internet goes back on tomorrow I am making a photopost and a gamepost, though probs not in that order

BACK IN A COUNTRY WHERE SOME SHIT IS ILLEGAL

2009-06-07T03:29:54Z

It's good to be back.

NO TALENT! NO RHYTHM! NO GUTS!

2009-05-29T03:49:51Z

HIATUS, gentlemen! I am off to Moscow bright and early tomorrow. So excited for the lilacs and the streetside cheburekhi and my grandma's new apartment with big windows overlooking the reservoir. I will bring back weird souvenirs and plenty of photos.

In the interim, a June music mix for you all, half of it contributed by astro hip music connection solipsized. Plus!! An Aaron Parks piece from his new alt-jazz album that I have been enjoying. I would be happy to share the entire thing if anyone digs this type of music. I think Abaddon Ou has got me in a real piano bar mood lately!

AARON PARKS - Roadside Distraction
+

MAS Y MAS ❤ Hi
MOTHER MOTHER ❤ Train
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART ❤ Young Adult Friction
BLITZEN TRAPPER ❤ Summertwin
GO!GO!7188 ❤ Jet Ninjin
BRICOLAGE ❤ Footsteps
FOREIGN BORN ❤ Into Your Dream
CHEAP TIME ❤ People Talk
SAID THE WHALE ❤ Howe Sounds

.ZIP @ MU

SINCERE GUITAR SOLOS

2009-05-28T21:07:42Z

Let's play a game called -
❝name that series❞
- where you listen to some songs and name that series.

Hard mode: all song selections below are from anime shows released before 1999. That makes them 10+ years old now! Some of you were probably born in 1991! That's the year Tokyo Babylon came out! Wild. At Fanime I had to explain Tokyo Babylon to a high-school girl who got the OVA as a consolation prize. She came up to me very politely and showed me the DVD cover and asked, Is this porn?

Click the red links to hear the MP3 files.
I tried embedding them but LJ was a dick.

♬ . 01 : Mamotte Shugogetten OP mbp12
♬ . 02 : R.O.D. OVA OP pororoca
♬ . 03 : The best song from Evangelion; never featured mbp12
♬ . 04 : GW First OP of course pororoca
♬ . 05 : Ranma 1/2 Season One OP foxleaps
♬ . 06 : Martian Successor Nadesico OP doven
♬ . 07 : Devil Hunter Yohko OP dotiscute
♬ . 08 : You're Under Arrest TV OP hamustaa
♬ . 09 : Bakuretsu Hunters OP pororoca
♬ . 10 : Sakura Taisen OP foxleaps
♬ . 11 : Card Captor Sakura First ED spacetart & banjocatbanjo
♬ . 12 : Irresponsible Captain Tylor OP mbp12
♬ . 13 : Saint Seiya Second ED derogatory
♬ . 14 : Escaflowne OP foxleaps
♬ . 15 : Sailormoon SuperS ED xen0glossy
♬ . 16 : Mahou Tsukai Tai OP nativegirl
♬ . 17 : Bubblegum Crisus Tokyo 2040 OP xen0glossy
♬ . 18 : Kimagure Orange Road First OP kyburg
♬ . 19 : Tokyo Babylon OVA Insert foxleaps
♬ . 20 : Macross Plus OP aidosaur
♬ . 21 : Saber Marionette J OP dotiscute
♬ . 22 : Battle Athletes ED terrorcandy
♬ . 23 : Slayers NEXT OP banjocatbanjo
♬ . 24 : Lesbians OP manasseh
♬ . 25 : El Hazard: The Alternative World OP xen0glossy
♬ . 26 : Magic Knight Rayearth Season One OP mbp12
♬ . 27 : Slam Dunk OP derogatory
♬ . 28 : Fushigi Yuugi OP dotiscute

ETA manasseh you can not request songs and then proceed to call them
more than once

ETA stop saying Kenshin I never watched Kenshin and I have no idea what the best openings are even

*

Plussssss ~
❝ who the hell do you think i am?! ❞
super easy mode:
basically