Entries this day: Yokohama_with_Ami nin_with_Preston

Yokohama with Ami

4:30pm JST Saturday 19 May 2007 (day 13569)

8:08am JST Sunday 20 May 2007 (day 13570)

Lovely day in Yokohama with Ami. We started at a shop that sells kimono fabric for making little cloth things. I bought several swatches for janette, with which she can ostensibly make a quilt.

Headed over to Osanbashi by way of Cosmoworld, but first a stop for lunch at a convenience store next to the Toho (?) Cinema. We ate outside while chatting and watching people and the video marquee featuring all the latest shows. We were facing a store called Humpty Dumpty, which sold tons of plastic household goods. When it was time to go, we needed a trash can, and I pointed to those for sale inside the store. I like when Ami laughs at my jokes.

Also noticed some Crocs, a type of soft sandal that has become popular lately. I want some black ones, but they didn't have any in my size. Black Crocs are very popular this year. (( this is an inside joke with myself and other peeps who use Side By Side.

I'm looking for a jacket.
Here's a nice jacket.
But that's a purple jacket.
That's okay.  Purple jackets are very popular this year.

))

_Blood Diamond_ was being advertised on the marquee as we left. I told Ami I had downloaded it but was unable to watch all of it. Further explained that it was really fucked up because it's real, (so I should be able to watch it??)

Instead of doing anything to directly support children being "trained" as soldiers (the part I couldn't watch), we walked along the promenade with a sidewalk for fish in the middle (except it's got no fish) that I claimed I would be able to jump if I were wearing skates (and if there weren't any people around who might complain). Walked past shops, water fountains (currently featuring matching bamboo "funnel-sieves", and the awesome spiral chrome structure which I would happily climb if not for all the people.

Down the steps and across the street to Cosmoworld, where we rode a spinning loopy thing, watched some people riding Banana Coaster, went through the -30 C ice house, and got our picture painted. Although Francois is in Singapore with Shimpei, he's featured in the pic thanks to a photo on Ami's camera.

to be continued...

10:33am JST Monday 21 May 2007 (day 13571)

There's one more movie from that day; I'll post it soon ¤«¤Ê¡£

After Cosmoworld, we had lunch at the Hawaiian burger place in ¤¢¤«¤ì¤ó¤° (sp), the brick warehouses turned shopping "mall"

Headed over to ¤ª¤ª¤µ¤ó¤Ð¤· from where PB's ship sets sail for its trips around the world. Very ¤Ê¤Ä¤«¤·¤¤ to be there.

Nice barefootedness in the beautiful sun. I could have stayed there for hours talking with Ami. Hours and hours. Until it got cold, but still. Fantasyland worth of niceness.

But, I had to go to a previously arranged engagement (starring Trent Reznor).

We headed out well ahead of time; I appreciate Ami's consideration of my time constraints.

Together as far as Yohohama station. Hug, kiss, see you!

nin with Preston

10:46pm JST Saturday 19 May 2007 (day 13569)

10:47am JST Monday 21 May 2007 (day 13571)

I had taken the entire day off work to make sure I had no problems seeing the show. Preston didn't take the whole day off, and we didn't specify the show start time when we first started talking about it, so for a while I was all thinking I would get there early, and realize ¤·¤ç¤¬¤Ê¤¤ Preston isn't there, and there's nothing I can do, etc etc, so I realized I should relax and get there around 5:30, *after* the doors open, but before the show started.

Well, the train I chose gave me a chance to meditate for an extra ten grueling minutes as we stopped *super* close to Osaki station, but not *at* Osaki station. No one got particularly upset, but a couple of phone calls were made from the train.

Preston arrived at the venue one sandwich ahead of me, so it wasn't too bad. Still ahead of showtime, but pretty darn close.

After buying a SIN-era T-shirt for 2000 yen, a better price than I figured I'd be had to pay to get a shirt (and plus, in T-shirt years, it's nearly antique!), a bit of confusion on where to go for tickets vs paraphernalia,

9:18am JST Tuesday 22 May 2007 (day 13572)

but we made a couple educated guesses and quickly ended up in the right place, which included bypassing the line because I'm in The Spiral (fan club).

Preston compared it to first class service, which I thought was an exaggeration, but accepted the compliment anyway.

Got our tickets, tossed our bags into two lockers, headed in to the show.

It was some loud crunchy band I had thankfully never heard of, but I was pleased they had a violin on stage.

Endless endless waiting behind a sea of people, not knowing how much it would(n't) clear out when this band ended. Preston headed up first (though I thought he had said he was going to the restroom (he thought I had said "the stairs are over there" (I had said, "the restroom is actually over there; I'll wait for you") and "I'll be right behind you") so I waited a while for him to get back), but finally when the band ended, I headed up as well. Funny (?) thing is I went over the railing (much to the consternation of those using the railing as a harbour) because I semi-panicked when I saw the mosh area was definitively *not* clearing out, but smushing in, and I didn't want to miss my chance to get smushed.

Wormed my way up toward front and center as the roadies were moving stuff around and stuff. It took longer to get going than I would have expected, and some people were like, "get fuckin' going!" but I couldn't bear to toss that kind of energy at them.

I could bear to shove my way through the crowd as the rush started. Pretty neat experience to go from not touching to abject squishingly jammed together.

12:02pm JST Tuesday 22 May 2007 (day 13572)

I was like on the front edge of the pit, which was swaying gently yet firmly. A couple of times I nearly fell, but I was able to maintain verticality by hanging on to people more toward the stage. A couple of times the girl in front of me really almost fell, but I lifted her back up again. After the second time, she talked briefly with her guy, and they split for safer waters.

I liked seeing Trent up close and beardy. He's basically got short hair on top and short beard and moustache on the rest.

I wish I could give a list of the songs they played, esp in order, but I simply can't remember them all, nor can I actually name them all. But most, I could.

I couldn't sing as many of the lyrics as others in the crowd, but I could sing more lyrics than some. They played songs from the whole gamut of albums, though noticeably missing was "Closer" though they did "Reptile" "March of the Pigs" and "All the Piggies, all lined up" Tragically missing was "Wretched" esp after he played the slow song that comes before it on the album. Man, "Wretched" is definitely one of my favorite favorite songs.

"Capital G" "Survivalism" "This is the Beginning" and at least one more from _Year Zero_ were met with fewer sung lyrics, at which point I realized it would have been prudent to learn *those* songs just before going to the show.

One cat with whom I had been jockeying for position bailed with his girl about 3/4ths of the way through the show, which was great for me; it gave me a clear shot nearly to the front bar, and got me out of the edge of the pit, which had been wearing me down with pushing against the flesh waves. At that point I was only 3 people from the very front.

6:55pm JST Saturday 26 May 2007 (day 13576)

A few times water bottles were passed to the audience, like twenty bottles total during the entire show. I made sure I got a swig each time one came near me, and made sure the girl in front of me got a chance for a swig. She accepted 2 of 3 times. Trent would take a swig of water between some songs and then toss the bottle into the crowd. His guitarist did the same a couple times, and one time he kicked a bottle into the crowd, but it basically spun and splashed the shit out of the security guard from behind, who kinda just tensed for a second, then relaxed and shrugged it off with a smile when he realized what it must have been.

At one point, as I was sorta-vaguely thinking of bailing the pit, I put my arm in the air and... holy cow felt such cool refreshing air!! With my hands at my sides / pushing for balance, they were cooking in the hot mush of people. But in the air.. wow. I felt quite refreshed for that little radiator effect.