neon epiphany

It just continues.

Another fivesome, #51 - #55. I’m finally treading water at work, so maybe we’ll get some more words one of these days. I made someone cry with my old writing the other day, which I’m thinking was in a good way. I wish I could still do that. I think I’m going to try.

So many KitKats on the backlog. So! Without further ado:

Found a bag of these at Uwajimaya in Bellevue a couple weeks ago. I guess Takagi is on a strawberry kick, because this was hot on the heels of the Strawberry Tarte KitKats from Vancouver — so soon, in fact, that I still had some of them to compare.

The flavors are very similar. They both have the same basic strawberry base, but while the Tartes were rounded and fruity, the Cakes were sweeter, with a distinctly strong hint of buttercream. Frosting, cake, makes sense, right? Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of buttercream, so I’d choose the Tartes any day, but I’ve been told by cake enthusiasts that these were “awesome.” So make of that what you will!

I’m totally hoping for red velvet KitKats someday. I wonder if they’ve even heard of red velvet in Japan? Maybe I’ll start a campaign.

More Japanese KitKats.

I don’t think I drank my blogging juice last week. Honestly, wasn’t feeling it. I was taking pictures, though! So here are #46 - #50, with commentary.

First, a couple of technological mysteries. Vanlal thought I was doing terrible things to a Dalek, and Loli and Hope were far less delicate. I just… Well, no comment.

Since we’re going to be doing thematic clumps, two days of parking garage typography. I love parking garage typography, guys, seriously. I could probably just do 365 of these, if I only had enough parking garages to invade.

But seriously, back to teh noms:

Developers!

A day in Microblogging:

Ever since I’ve started thinking of the new Battlestar Galactica as a remake of Macross things have been … different.

I’m not sure it’s even possible for The Voice to jump the shark, but “Special guest judge The Lorax” has to count for something.

Suffering from an intense headache, chills, muscle aches and nausea right now. May be regretting having had expired yogurt for breakfast.

Last night was pretty terrible. Haven’t eaten in 24 hours and still not hungry.

I’m sorry, but how fucked up is it that my first thought the morning after food poisoning was disappointment that I hadn’t lost any weight?

Finally, from West Seattle Blog, an update on Tareq Saade, the diver who was killed near Alki on Sunday.

As promised a few weeks ago, a size comparison of all kinds of KitKat bars:

It took a bit of doing gathering all these different sizes together, and I couldn’t actually get ahold of a Japanese Big Kat bar so I’m not sure I can call this 100% representative. I also wasn’t able to get any of the other type of “minis,” which are basically shaped like little balls. I’ve only ever had one bag of those, which were banana flavored, and I sent most of them to Loli, because she is both awesome and likes, um, balls.

Ahem.

The other problem was that I had to open them all for the picture and that meant they had to be eaten. My life sucks, right? (Right.)

As you can see, the mini mini bars are basically two petits put together, which I kind of suspected would be the case. I’m pretty sure also that the standard Japanese bars are more or less the same size as standard American bars. The standards almost seem too big to me now, after so many minis. And the Big Kat is just comically large, like a Starbucks Trente or everything in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Anyways, I hope this was educational. Mostly, though, I just wanted to use Futura for something.

More Japanese KitKats.

Not a shower curtain.

A firefighter descends his ladder after a failed search and rescue operation, east of Alki Beach.

• Diver missing off West Seattle presumed dead - Northwest Cable News
• Searchers unable to find diver missing off Seacrest, now in ‘recovery’ mode - West Seattle Blog

Very surreal to have inadvertently stepped into a news story — especially such a sad one — in the middle of an otherwise crisp, beautiful day. We were there to celebrate a birthday.

Another only-photo-I-took-today day, a chance shot I snapped on the escalator down from seeing The Secret World of Arrietty. Deciding to take a picture on an escalator is a fun exercise in unpredictability — by the time I had my camera out and ready the shot was nothing like the one I’d started acting on.

Yes, I realize I could have just gone up and down again. Yes.

Arrietty was really good, I thought. It’s a placid, nostalgic film in the vein of Totoro and Whisper of the Heart, in which the conflict, such as it is, is on a decidedly personal scale (though of no less import to the characters involved). This is an ordinary world touched with magic, rather than in the other kind of Ghibli movie, in which epic adventure epic something somethings, sometimes with airships. I don’t have a problem with that kind of grandiosity, but it seems harder, somehow, to do it this way.

Miyazaki scripted this movie and didn’t direct, but like Whisper, you can very much feel his hand in it. I don’t want to take anything away from Yonebayashi, the director, because I don’t know which parts came from whom, but there’s a definite Miyazaki-ness about the movie that you don’t really get in, say, Ghibli’s Takahata films. This is a movie suffused with scenes of nature. It’s filled with ghosts of family history and past heartbreak. It’s set entirely in a place untouched by time in the middle of encroaching urban sprawl. In fact, if it weren’t for the bookend scenes of cars and travel, you might not even be able to place it in any specific where or when at all, which I love. As it is, I loved the weirdness of a film clearly set in Japan having mostly western-named characters, and not caring about that at all.

Also a Miyazaki hallmark: A great female protagonist. Though for once, she has awesome hair. I wonder if that was Yonebayashi’s influence?

(Yes, I’m ashamed for fixating on that. But seriously, her hair is awesome, although maybe second to the heroine in Disney/Pixar’s Brave trailer, which played beforehand.)

The score by Cecile Corbel was really nice. It actually was reminiscent of Joe Hisaishi’s early, charming scores for Totoro and Kiki, but with a little touch of Celtic flair. Lots of harp, which I liked. The sung music was stranger, especially at the end of the movie: “I am fourteen years old / I am pretty” — really? And the song about “Summer love with my best friend” that closed the credits was hilariously inappropriate, but I guess I understand why after discovering it was sung by Bridgit Mendler, who voiced Arrietty. She did a really superb job with the voice acting, and as someone who usually hates dubs, I figure that gives her license for at least one terrible song.

Speaking of voice acting, the biggest problem I had was continually hearing Carol Burnett’s voice coming out of the wrong face.

So! All in all, I really liked it. I’m not going to say it’s a contender for best Ghibli movie ever, but it’s worthy of the imprint. The most useful thing I can probably say is that I already want to see it again. But in Japanese this time.

Finally, a disclaimer: I admit I haven’t read The Borrowers, yet, but I hadn’t read Howl’s Moving Castle when I saw that movie either. I will get to it now, I promise.

I totally blew out the background in this photo, which makes me really unhappy. But it’s the only shot I took today, and something has to go up.

I’m feeling a little better today, even though I totally threw out my back IN THE MOST RIDICULOUS WAY POSSIBLE* last night and it hurts to sit down or stand up. Tomorrow I’m hoping to see The Secret World of Arrietty, because movie theatre seats are obviously going to be the most comfortable thing I can do for myself in this state. Afterwards, I’m thinking the rack.

Also. Mass. Effect. 3. Demo.

*which may or may not prominently feature PANTS.

Dom has a writeup of the Rilakkuma KitKats up at Skillet Doux! (My own is still here)

I uploaded two more in addition today, but I’m too tired to put them here.

I’m this close to burning out, I think. It’s a scary feeling.

Holy photobomb, Batman!

Today I went on my first honest-to-goodness photowalk in what seems like forever, with two friends from work. It was so much fun! We caught some unexpected sunshine at Marymoor Park, where the Cavalia tents are set up and people were enjoying the rays on the sports fields.

I’m going to keep the commentary to a minimum, but feel free to ask below about anything if you want.

Can’t wait for the next one, whatever it is!

… I just can’t get enough of these “1” signs.

Yes, I am a cliché. No, I didn’t have any other ideas. Sorry.

I do hope you’re taking care, whomever you’re with, or without. That’s all that matters. If you need a heartbomb, let me know.

It’s just a building label in a nondescript office park, but I drive by it every day and each time I swoon a little bit over the proportions and the lines of the “C,” the striking color, and… Okay, I gave myself away a little bit there. Deep breath.

At least Jill understands.

One tenth of the way there! Honestly can’t believe I’ve managed it every day so far.

These are from a brief photo stroll in the Central District today. I really need to do these when I have more time. Maybe when the weather’s nicer.