I'm really diggin The Decemberists. Their music lives in my head most of the time now. I dunno why some music takes residence up there, I guess it just fits me right now. A little sad, a little bitter. Witty and playful at the same time, though. And just a little cheesy. Like me. Wonderful lyrics though. Check these out: "And I say your uncle was a crooked French Canadian, and he was gut-shot running gin. And how his guts were suspended in his fingers and how he held them, how he held them in." or these: " I am nothing of a builder, yet here I dreamt I was an architect. And I built this ballustrade to keep you home. To keep you safe from the outside world. " All this backed by steel pedal guitar and mellow vibes.

Today was so nice to sit hung over on the train and to feel the heat rise through the seat and watch the lights move across the back of my eyes, all the while softly lulled by the slow rocking of our passage along the tracks. The sweet sad music filling my head and me singing at the top of my lungs in my head. And all the crush and rush and the hard edges of humanity stripped away by the music. To leave behind the presence of so many around me, each given purpose and direction by the music it seemed. Every one moving in tandem. And I among them observing and moving along. It felt so nice.

Maybe its partly the light. It's been so great lately. I feel like show curtains are constantly going up all around me, and mundane stuff I've seen a million times looks different and special somehow. I took some random shots of downtown Umeda and Takatsuki. Can you see what I'm talking about?

Hm. Ok. Day to day: bought some records today. The Shins and the 5678s. yay! So much good music around now! My head a splodes everytime I go to the record shop! Repeatedly it a splodes! Can't seem to find much good indie Japanese stuff though... any suggestions? Didn't dig the zazen boys too much. Some good punk stuff like Softball. Most stuff sounds really derivative though. To me. Sorry, but... anyway. Yesterday, went to a student art show. Talked to the teacher about bringing work to the states. Such good work! And all from one school! My head a splodes again! Went rock climbing. Man that was fun. I forgot how much fun that is. Went to izakaya with some friends and then to some bars around town here... ended up typing drunkenly at 4 in the morning. Forgot my bag in a locker in Umeda. With my passport in it. And ipod. And digicam... tensai. Friday. Nabe party at Naomi's. Wandering aimlessly around America Mura. And here on Friday I forgot my bag with same articles in it at Naomi's. Twice in two days I forgot my bag. Watashi wa honto ni tensai desuyo.

Hey, fellow blogsperson Atsuko is feeling sick, sad and altogether bad. If you've a few spare seconds, you could leave her a comment and tell her to cheer up...