Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Pancakes to Keep: The Joe Biden Story


So I'm not a big political person. I usually vote Democrat because they most closely align with my views, but I never feel like any politician is a close enough fit for me. And political speeches usually just annoy me.

But goddamn, I love Joe Biden. I think Chris's enthusiasm is infectious. I am not following this election too closely, becausut Biden is just so gosh darn cool. He's one of the few politicians I actually want to hear speak. Everything he says strikes home, and I actually agree with nearly all of it. I like his policies. As Chris said, his brain exploded, and he's still going! He's just an all-around great guy!

I will probably not be watching Obama tomorrow night (mostly due to scheduling conflicts), but I would have been ambivalent about watching him were I at home. But tonight, I looked at my watch, and switched the channel just in time, and caught Biden. And now I will bask in his glory.

Picture courtesy of the lovely Chris Neubert (yes, it is a bizarre inside joke)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Movin' on up

I'm moving my big suitcase into my new Pentagon City apartment tomorrow, which is exciting and kind of scary. I found it through Craigslist, and I'm living with two other 20-something women in the converted living room of a 2 bedroom apartment. I think most of the scary will be trying to get my huge-ass suitcase all the way across town on the Metro. But the room is big and my new roommates are really nice, so excitement outweighs the scary.

I'm pretty psyched. This is my first real apartment, and even though I'm not living in a real room with four walls and a door, I'm living on my own! Shopping for food, paying rent, working 9 to 6 weekdays, and budgeting! Maybe buying myself a bedframe or futon to go with the mattress I'm inheriting (or at least new sheets)!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Deja vu, 日本のスタイアル

I've been living in Washington, D.C. for a little over a week now, and I'm having a pretty good time. The one thing that keeps hitting me, though, is how much DC is like Tokyo. Maybe it's something true of large metropolitan areas, but there are some really striking similarities.

-The Metro. Dang, gotta love efficient mass transportation. Granted, the metro isn't as clean or as ubiquitous as the Tokyo JR train system (you can get almost ANYWHERE on the JR, and the subways cover the rest), but it's less crowded (the Red Line at rush hour doesn't even come close to the Den-en-Toshi sen at 8 pm) and there's twice as much seating. And SmarTrip is SUICA without the penguin on it. Which is kind of too bad, because I love the penguin.

-National capital. Oh government, you are everywhere. Government, and people in suits.

-Humidity. Oh god, today I think sweated more than I have since I left Japan. I'm really surprised not to see more people carrying around handkerchiefs and hand towels to periodically wipe themselves down. I'm having my mom send mine out as soon as possible.

-Cherry blossoms. Won't see this until spring, but I have a feeling more that a few people will be rockin' the hanami (blossom viewing parties).

-People speaking Japanese. Seriously, I walked onto the train the other day and the group next to me was talking about Tokyo. In Japanese. Excitement!

I miss some of the cooler things about Tokyo, like karaoke and the best convenience store food I've ever encountered (they will microwave your chicken nuggets for you, right in the store!). But so far, DC is beating out Tokyo for ease of living. Everyone (or nearly everyone) speaks English, and there is so much more greenery here. When I think of Tokyo, I think of lights and concrete and being squished into the train against dozens of other sweaty people.

DC is classy. It's relaxed, and fun. I like it a lot, despite the lack of nomihodai karaoke (all you can drink and all you can sing), steaming hot Circle-K yakisoba, and tuna mayo onigiri. If DC gets these things (and heck, it might already have them and I just don't know where to look), I will totally be set for life.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Gwen Cooper rocks my socks


So if you know me, you know I love the new series of Doctor Who. I love the Doctor, I love Rose, but most of all, I LOVE Captain Jack Harkness (center in photo). Seriously, how could you not love this handsome, charismatic, pansexual man of the 51st century? So when I found out that he got his own spin-off in the form of Torchwood, I was understandably excited.

The show itself is great. It's sort of "Doctor Who for grown-ups", with much darker plots and themes. But my favorite thing about it is the sexual fluidity and diversity. I have yet to see an American show that's as LGBT friendly as Torchwood (or Doctor Who, to a lesser extent). In the few episodes I have seen so far, main character Gwen makes out with another girl (granted, one possessed by an alien) and Toshiko pursues a relationship with another woman (ok, that one's an alien, too). And Jack, as Toshiko says in the second episode, "will shag anything as long as it's gorgeous."

It's just really refreshing to watch a show that addresses the whole gamut of human sexuality, especially the often neglected bisexual portion of the spectrum. And it's REALLY unusual to see it treated as something normal and not a huge deal. I really wish there was something more like this on American networks.

Plus, everyone is really hot, and they make out with each other often. What's not to love?

Back in business!

Hey all. I'm hoping to start updating this blog more often, so stay tuned for hopefully more content!