About

Me: Let's not talk about me, okay? I'm really rather dull. ^_^;

My other interests: I've been pretty busy with work and the site, so I haven't
been doing a whole lot else, intellectually, but I'm also interested in animal
intelligence and the evolutionary aspects of human nature. Is it true, as
Dornkirk (from Escaflowne) says, that Man is bound to a destiny of war?
Well, probably, I'm sorry to say. Is there free will? I don't know, but I
firmly believe that I am predetermined to believe in it, whether it exists or
not. Does that help? And, no, I refuse to get into a theological discussion
with you, so don't even try. ^_^;

The last good books I've read:

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

I resisted reading Discworld novels for years, but this one finally made me
a convert. Sort of a cross between Douglas Adams and Steven Brust's The
Phoenix Guards, this book follows the adventures of the Ankh-Morpork city
watchmen as they try to solve a series of murders. Pratchett's writing style
is amazing -- he'll set you up pages in advance, then drop a punchline on
you out of nowhere that will leave you unable to satisfactorily explain to
anyone why exactly you're laughing so hard. This is expertly done silliness
with a great cast of characters and a good plot. Plus, Carrot prods buttock!

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson understands nerds so well it's scary. Reading this book is
like watching Otaku no Video. Awesomely twisted writing about WWII,
code breaking, treasure hunting, Silicon Valley etiquette and the proper way
to eat Capt'n Crunch cereal. Absolutely not PC, and the female characters
are two-dimensional, but Waterhouse's "horniness function" is priceless.

My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki

A funny book with a message. Jane Takagi-Little is a half-Japanese
documentarian who is hired to produce "My American Wife!", a weekly
television show underwritten by American beef exporters and aimed at
getting Japanese housewives to buy American red meat products. The
interactions between Jane, her Japanese crew, and the weird American
families-of-the-week are by turns comical and horrifying. Out of this funky
mix of vegetarian lesbians, beef fudge, faith-healing and hormone
supplements comes the story of two women: Jane, whose research uncovers
the less savory aspects of the meat industry, and Akiko, a bulemic Japanese
housewife whose life is changed forever by "My American Wife!"

The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

I have a feeling that deep down, this man has serious problems with
women, but never mind -- it doesn't show much in this book. This is a
fantasy retelling of the legend of El Cid and is Kay's best novel, IMO. Two
men from opposing cultures become friends and then end up facing each
other on the battlefield. You *know* this isn't going to have a happy
ending, but it's so well done you can't help but go along for the ride. If
Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan were anime characters, they'd
be played by Lord Quishward and Narsus from Arslan Senki. O_O

Bring hankies. *Lots* of hankies.

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard

Not actually a book, but a play by the man responsible for Shakespeare in
Love (which I wasn't so crazy about, BTW) and Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern Are Dead. Love, sex, geometry, chaos theory and an old
mystery combine in really interesting and often hilarious ways.

"Love, the attraction Newton left out" -- it reminded me of Escaflowne.

The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley

A challenging, but fun and worthwhile read, even if you don't have a bio
background. Tell me you're not intrigued by a chapter entitled "The Case of
the Immaculate Turkeys!" Find out why J.B.S. Haldane said: "I would
gladly lay down my life for two brothers or eight cousins" and why the
"battle of the sexes" may actually be the "battle of the sex chromosomes."

The Moral Animal: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology by
Robert Wright: A good follow-up read to The Red Queen, this book
centers on humans, most specifically, Charles Darwin himself. And no, it's
not mindless psychobabble. Can get to be kind of a downer, though, mostly
because a lot of it rings true.

The last good manga I've read:

Tenshi to Daiyamondo by Nasu Yukie (Hana to Yume)

I've devoted a page to this already, so I'll just say: get it! It's good!

Kyaadocaputaa Sakura by CLAMP

I'm not a big fan of CLAMP, but this series is just so darn cute you can't
help but squeal with delight in an ultrasonically high voice when you read
it. The art is beautiful, the characters are fun and the plot is easy to
understand even without much knowledge of Japanese.

Pokka Poka by Fukami Jun (You Comics)

A heartwarming and sometimes sentimental look at the everyday life of
"The Happiest Family in Japan." Mom, Dad and little Asuka deal with
unhappy in-laws, lost teddy bears and the like. Very innocent and cute.
The naked bath dance is funny. Absolutely no bishounen or furigana to be
seen, but worth checking out if you can read a little bit of kanji.

The last good CDs I've listened to:

No Mermaid (Sinead Lohan)

I'm not sure how to classify her music: alternate Irish rock? Anyway, I
associate this CD with Greenwood, specifically Shinobu and Noriko, for
some reason. A good album to be depressed to.

Drive (Glay)

Glay's two-disc best hits CD collection. Japanese rock n' roll at its finest.
Y'know, you might listen to this music even if it *weren't* in Japanese,
which is something you certainly can't say about songs by Judy and Mary.
Somebody kill that evil English version of "Sobakasu"! Please! -_-;;

Atarashii Ai no Uta/Brand New Love Song (Suzuki Shoko)

Suzuki Shoko is the woman responsible for "Ryoute Ippai", the lovely
closing theme song to Arislan Senki. This album sounds nothing like that,
but it's still good. Suzuki-san has a nice, warm voice and writes interesting
songs. You'll think you're listening to the Pretenders in Japanese.

The last good Anime I've watched:

Princess Nine (ADV)

Wow, good old "T&A Vision" has really changed my opinion of it.

This anime has girls with clothes *on* for a change, and it's a winner.
Hayakawa Ryo is a 15 year-old girl with a great pitching arm that she
inherited from her dad. She and eight other girls get recruited by the
Chairwoman of Kisaragi High School to become Japan's first all-female
baseball team. Their goal: to compete with the boys' teams on an equal
basis and win the National Baseball Tournament at Koshien Stadium. The
plot is pretty predictable, and the character designs take some getting used
to, but the interactions between the characters are so fantastic that all other
considerations are meaningless. This is a great ensemble comedy/drama
that fans of Greenwood and Patlabor should love. Go watch it!

The last good Hong Kong flick I've seen:

Running Out of Time

Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan star in this cops and robbers movie that won
Andy Lau a Best Actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Andy Lau
plays a man with two weeks to live who decides to take on both the police
and the mafia in a 72-hour game that involves a huge diamond and $20
million in cash. Lau Ching Wan plays the only policeman who's smart
enough to stop him. The adversarial friendship that develops between the
two men should warm the cockles of any Mitsuru/Shinobu fangirl's heart.

The last good doramas I've seen:

Yes, I've finally gotten to the point on my Japanese learning curve where I
can watch an unsubbed dorama and actually figure out what the Hell is
going on, even if I can only understand about 20% of the dialog. Yay! ^_^;

Long Vacation: One of the Top Ten All-Time Trendy Doramas! Kimura
Takuya (of SMAP fame) plays Sena-kun, a shy and sensitive concert
pianist. Yamaguchi Tomoko plays Minami, a has-been model who moves
in with him after her fiance (his ex-roommate) runs off with another
woman. Kimura-san doesn't make my heart go dokidoki, but he plays the
role of Sena very well, and his relationship with Minami is guaranteed to
give you warm fuzzies. His comic timing is also excellent. This dorama is
a definite challenge in terms of listening comprehension as Sena mumbles
and Minami talks extremely quickly, but it's well worth the effort.
Favorite scene: Minami's ex sends Sena a picture of his new bride and
Sena *eats* the picture before Minami can wrest it from his grasp. ^_^;
Favorite line: "You can't grill natto!" (Natto wa yakenai deshou!?)

Wedding Story: Tokiwa Takako is at her perky best in this comedy about
an Osaka girl and a Tokyo boy who just want to get married. Half the fun is
listening to all the Kansai accents as the working class, nori-producing
Osaka folk take on their high society Tokyo in-laws. This drama also stars
Takenouchi Yutaka (?) who plays "Animal Shinji" in Long Vacation.