Miki's Fat City

Do you know who he is? Yes, he is also known as Angelo Moore, a singer of Fishbone. Actually I didn't know he played saxophone before I did an interview with him this evening. The only album I've listened to of Fishbone's is "Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe" (released in 1993) and I saw them play live in Tokyo in mid 1990's although I don't remember when and which venue it was. I loved the album and listened to it repeatedly at the time but I totally forgot it! There are many albums that I don't even remember listening to them, I guess. I'd better dig my CD collection to look for "Give a Monkey..." album later. He is a very interesting man and so is his interview. As he didn't sleep at all last night jamming with some musicians, he took a nap right after he arrived at the venue this afternoon. We saw him at the entrance but couldn't find him. When we asked a person there, v...

I wonder why I always want to buy clothes around the time of Full Moon knowing I always get a couple of outfits I will never wear... The Moon becomes full in 3 days and right now I'm struggling with the urge. Damn! I remember hearing this somewhere ages ago that when it's Full Moon you hear sound a bit differently. Hearing nerve connects to a different part of brain from the place it usually connects to when hearing. I guess that's what they said at the time. So my question is... is the inner voice included in the 'sound' that sounds differently? Oh well, I have enough clothes to wear that I don't have to buy more at the moment. Let some days go by... :)

While I was taking a long and relaxing bath listening to music on iPod last night, I suddenly realized that I tend to picture how the drummer plays in my head. I don't play drums nor any instruments since junior high because I came to think one day, maybe at the end of 6th grade, I'm not talented at all and I had enough of it. My art teacher at elementary school Mr Kimura let me (almost forced me to) try various instruments my school had at the time except piano. I don't know what he thought about me but what I tried was recorders (soprano & alto), organ, accordion, marimba, vibraphone, bell lyra, snare drum, drum major... that all happened in 4 years, from 3rd to 6th grade! Every time he needed to form a band with students, I was the first one to get called in and the only one to try a new instrument. I think I played them okay... But I always wondered why I had to practice a new thing all the time and was envious of those students who stayed with the sa...

At last, I finished translating all the texts and the interviews yesterday afternoon. I had to go to my office at the publisher I work for in the evening but I felt so good and upbeat on my way to get there. This total freedom from darn deadlines is something I always celebrate. I know I wouldn't work hard without deadline and perhaps it's something I have to have for my work. I don't know any other way of working anyway. I've been working that way for years. My relationship with deadline is love/hate one, I guess. Speaking of love and hate, finally, I repeat, finally I've got a crush on a guy!! The first time in some years, probably the first real one since my divorce. I totally forgot this feeling of liking someone so much. Of course, I cannot say who he is. It's a secret, you know. But he is GORGEOUS! I told my truly close friends about him and showed them a picture of his and they say... he looks totally different from whom I was in love with in the past...

Oh my gosh, it is a long working day today... nothing but listening, typing and staring at my computer screen for hours. My concentration is wearing away but I need to get things done for my lovely coworkers. My work eventually secures my income but it's always primarily for those whom I work with. Isn't it nice to be recognized as a person they can count on at the last minute? That's what I love about my work. I know some would say, "Hey, this is what nobody else but I can do. Admit it!" But it's all wrong. There are many people that can do what I do much better. The thing is, however, it feels way better to think you are doing something for someone. Arrogance to yourself as well as to people around you leads you nowhere. I'm totally grateful for what I have in my life now. Sorry, I got to tell this to myself to encourage me ;) Coffee break is over now.

I think you are on the right but... cannot see you clearly! I kinda like Rihanna's new album " Rated R" and understand why she asked you to play guitar for the tour but... is it going to be better?

I had an interesting conversation about long-distance love with my best friend Takako the other day. We coincidentally and accidentally have experienced a relationship with a man living in a different country about 10 years ago. Her partner was in London and mine in Oakland, CA. Either of our relationships didn't work out at the end but we were like comrades supporting each other to survive the tough time for almost 6 years. At the time, what we had was telephone, email and chat on the internet. But dial-up access was still main that chatting on the internet wasn't really an option. Telephone or email for most of time. 10 years later, we now have Skype to chat with someone living apart for free seeing their faces. Technology certainly helps lovers living apart now. We wish we had it back then, really... Takako asked me if I would do it again. I answered, " Oh yes, if I got myself involved with someone living in a different country." She said she wouldn't e...

Sanae came over and we had a great time! Before the food is ready, it looks like.... And here we go... Left to right, top to bottom: Hero's olives (it's the best kind!), edamame, home-made pickled celery Japanese style, radish and pork, honey-mustard chicken, ratatouille (by Sanae) and baguette bread. Sanae's ratatouille is delicious! We ended up eating 2/3 of baguette with it. Radish and pork, I refilled twice and we ate them all. Honey-mustard chicken, 2 pieces of breast meat went into our stomach. I was going to make pumpkin salad but I'm glad I didn't because it was enough for us. I had so much fun chatting with her and had almost 2 bottles of red wine! She doesn't drink recently because of migraine medicine she's taking. By the time she left my place, I was plastered and upbeat. Hey Sanae, I hope I didn't say anything stupid but... did I? Oh well, I always become darn stupid when I get drunk anyway ;) The strange thing is I'...

I finally bought a new digital voice recorder. I used a tiny mic for iPod for a few times and it didn't work as good as I thought when it comes to recording a phoner. The mic for iPod costs like ¥8,500 and the DV recorder ¥10,000... shoooot, I should have gotten the recorder from the beginning. But a young editorial staffer in my office is happy to use it now so it wasn't a waste after all. I also bought an earphone mic at the same time. I've used it once years ago and didn't like it very much at the time. I felt something stuck between my ear and the receiver and it felt uncomfortable. So I ended up using a telephone recording adapter for years but the thing is it limits the type of telephone you can use it with. I find this earphone mic is pretty handy although it takes me a little while to get used to it. The Jacob Jensen phone on the right is... I mean, was almost a garnish sitting next to my main telephone/fax machine. It was connected but not used at all ...

The half of what we did when Larry Graham was in Tokyo is featured in the latest issue of monthly Bass Magazine, folks! Of course, it's the cover story. You will definitely looooove his most recent exclusive interview and the photos! The photographer Yoko is a friend of mine and is always great. My fellow colleague Daisuke did a great job, too. Hey Daisuke, I'm really proud of you! :) It's always nice and comfortable to work with my favorite people and the result is always super!!

my face is round like full moon... ugly :-( I found an interview video of the Bombastic Meatbats on a Japanese website and was watching it tonight. When I was grinning at what Chad Smith says (it's pretty funny, you'd better see it), I heard my friend's name come out suddenly. The bassist they originally booked was Phil Chen but he didn't show up. What? Phil was supposed to play with the Meatbats? No kidding! I must say it's fortunate for all the Meatbats music lovers that he didn't show up that day. Because there wouldn't have been Kevin Chown on Bass. Furthermore, their music wouldn't have been the same as what we now love. I mean, Phil Chen is a great bass player. He is actually one of the first bass players that made me realize I love the sound of the bass so much. The very first album I got was Rod Stewart's "Foot Loose & Fancy Free" on which Phil plays the bass. I was 13 or 14. It's a great album and I still liste...

しばらく英語が続いたので今回は日本語。 一昨日の夜から昨日の夜まで仲良しさんとたくさんお喋りして、楽しい時間を過ごしました。 気が付けば知り合ってからもう18年！ いやー、知り合った当初はそんなに長続きするとは全く思っていなかった（苦笑）。 20代後半と30代初めだった私と彼女も既に40代後半の見事なおばちゃん達。 久し振りにしみじみ思い出話をしちゃいましたわ。 若かりし頃の私たちは遊び仲間で、パーティ行ったり、クラブ活動したりと、とにかくかなりの頻度で夜遊びしてました。 どこへ行ってもナンパされないことがなかったため、暗黙のルールが「男と消える時はお互いに教える」。 面白い事に二人同時に消えることはあっても、片方がその場に取り残されることは一度もなかったんです。 とは言っても、朝まで二人で遊んで始発で帰宅ってのが圧倒的に多かったけど。 20代後半以降の私の恋愛遍歴を直に見ている彼女はいつも「あなたはタダの面食いじゃなくてチョー面食いなの」と言います（爆笑）。 彼女はべっぴんさんなのに殿方の内側を重視するタイプで、私は不細工なのに（不細工だからこそ？）外見でコロッといっちゃうタイプ。 きっと真逆な恋愛嗜好だからこそ、友情が長続きしているんでしょう。 そんな私たち、10年ほど前に何故か同時期に遠距離恋愛がスタートし、彼女は婚約者として渡英し、私はアメリカから夫を輸入する事になったんです。 ところが二人とも同時期にパートナーとのシリアスなトラブル勃発。 気違い3秒前の日々をメールと電話で励まし合い、一番大変な時期を乗り切ったのです。 おかげで今では互いに最高の恋愛相談相手であり、生涯の親友と思っているわけです。 互いの人生がガッツリとシンクロした濃厚な6年間に壊れる直前で互いのストッパー的役割を果たした経験があるおかげで、今ではどんなおバカな事を言おうが、やろうが、笑って受け入れられます。 ホント、前世でラブラブ夫婦だったんじゃなかろうか？と思っちゃうくらい（笑）。 人との出会いというのは本当に面白いものです。 どんなに仲良しでも時間の経過と共に互いの考え方が違ってきて疎遠になる人もいれば、一時期音信不通になっても連絡が取れたら昔と変わらない状態にアッという間に戻る人もいれば、彼女のように人生がシンクロするなんて奇妙な経験を共有する人もいます。 でも、これも全て「時間」...

Mick's bass and David's voice are a match made in heaven, I guess... When will love walk in my life again???

Oh, it's not the bear. It's... you know what it is otherwise. Well, my close friends affectionately call my house "Pooh House." Simply because they want to go to the loo in the morning when they enjoy my dish full of veggies the evening before. Yes, what I cook seems to detox them for some reason. The main dish yesterday evening was Salmon & Radish. Usually they cook with yellowtail but I did it with salmon because it's easier and healthier. Japanese style cucumber pickles, potato salad with Best Mayonnaise and sour cream dressing, and edamame (green soybeans) are on the side. I didn't cook much because my friend came over around 10pm after work and it turned a late night dinner. After we finish eating them, here comes the time for girls talk :) She had beer and I white wine. We went to bed around 3am! Girls never stop chatting once it starts, right? She checks in my Pooh House once or twice a month to detox her spiritual side as well as her body....

Rain sometimes hits my soft spot. But it was kinda nice to find Nuno's CRAVE video on YouTube because it reminds me of how he looked when I first met him at work 10-12 years ago. I still remember him entering the room with a shy smile, greeting me with sudden kisses on my cheeks on the first day while I was sitting on the corner cabinet just like a little kid sitting on the sink cabinet. A bit of a surprise for me but I tentatively understood it when he told me he was born in Portugal. I sometimes hug people I work with on the first day but kissing on cheeks at the first meeting is rare. Well, a good memory though. It's interesting how a little thing can make you feel better when you are feeling down. A nice email from one of my best friends last night cleared the cloud in my head and it coincided with the time the rain stopped. Isn't it strange? I don't know if it was because of the gloomy mood I was in but I finally tried to find my friends on Facebook yesterd...

This is exactly what I feel this morning... ... on a dark rainy day... so quiet only hearing the sound of the rain makes me want some love...

All of a sudden, I keep listening to 3DG's "Life Starts Now" album repeatedly since last Sunday. I don't listen to anybody else but 3DG at the moment... what is going on in my mind? There must be something happening deep inside of me that makes me crave it but I don't know what it is. Oddly enough, their music was always there when something important for me actually happened. So there should be a reason or two this time. Well, I will gradually realize it later, hopefully. The more I listen to it, the better I like it. Some say it's poppy but Adam's awesome vocals, good melodies, interesting lyrics and Brad's heavy bass are what I love most about this band. I just put the headphones on, play it loud and indulge in the world they create with their music. That's what I love to do right now. When they came to Tokyo for their very first gig, I was assigned to Brad's interview for Bass Magazine. As the staff writer in charge of it knows I lo...

It was fun to work with the Bombastic Meatbats featuring Matt Sorum yesterday at Gakki Fair in Yokohama. Rittor Music holds a non-professional players' competition called Saikyo (=the most powerful) Player's Contest every other year coinciding with Gakki Fair. The Meatbats was the guest band this year and truly blew everyone's mind including mine. Unfortunately Chad Smith couldn't play with them for the show but Matt Sorum played such tight and heavy rock groove that made all of us say "Wow!" Even one of my colleagues said that Matt's first kick sound hit right in his stomach! I agree with you, Kano-kun! In fact, I didn't know much about them before I worked with them but now they are one of my favorite bands. I'm always drawn to the rhythm section and fell in love with the bassist Kevin Chown. His bass has almost everything I love about the bass. Such a great player! He's placed next to Mick Karn in the list of my favorite bass players - s...

ブレッド・プディングです。 残りものの食パンの救済メニューなのですが、今日はバナナとレーズンの他にアーモンド・ダイスを上に振りかけてみました。 久し振りに作ったのですが、と〜っても美味しいです！ 温かいうちに食べるとプディングがプルプルしていて、アーモンドがサクサクで、何とも言えない幸せな食感。 がー、美味しいデザートは食べ過ぎる恐れあり（苦笑）。 適度なところでやめないとな……。 今回は完食する恐れあり…なくらい美味しいので。