Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Berserk - A Dark Fantasy Manga that Breaks the Mold

I've said before, perhaps, that I am not generally a fan of Manga. The whole idea that Manga represents some special expression of Japanese culture and is embraced as such by the people of Japan is silly. They're comic books. Some people like reading them, and a few of them have reached cultural icon status, but in general they're ridiculous man-boy fantasies full of pneumatic women and boys with hidden secrit ultimate powah. The rare exceptions, then, deserve some attention.

I think Berserk is one of those.

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

6 years and a bit.

April 28,2006 I got a call from my barber/friend asking if I'd like to go to dinner with him and his niece, Tomomi; I said sure, why not? We talked, had dinner, and thought nothing of it...

The next day his wife called me and asked if I'd like to go to Tomomi's office and talk. I said sure, why not? I went, we talked, and both of us thought the aunt was acting a little...odd. I thought it was even odder when, after leaving the office, aunty drove me out into the mountains to meet Tomomi's mom.

But things started to click when uncle and aunt planned a barbecue and we were sent shopping together the next week. And after Tomi and I went on our first trip together, that June, I figured it out-this is the person I was supposed to be with forever. I proposed then, and on April 28, 2007 we made it official.

6 years is son short, but so full and rich and important. 6 years took me from penniless and single to comfortably middle class, married and a father.

All thanks to a very perceptive barber.

Thanks, Hiroki-san.

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Blog Necromancy!

Ever notice how the combination of procrastination and age can lead to things just...slipping through the cracks?
Let's see if we can't reverse this nasty ugly trend. Abracadabra...It lives again!
Now, a new challenge. Something new, every single day. Can I do it? Let's see! Click Here to read the rest.