wednesday. office day. i know i'm not the only one shocked by the recent cold weather (chicago)... my god, it was 45 degrees F last night... on May 27th. i went for a run yesterday and had to suit up in my winter gear because the wind was so fierce. i'm only sad that those in denial about the greenhouse effect (or those that just won't accept it) won't be alive when the weather really goes into the toilet. i didn't sleep again last night... maybe 1 hour this morning after i looked at the clock and saw it was 7am. it's the strangest thing.

so my g/f is working on this new site, Tokyo Videos, which is more about videos around Japan that she deems worthy. I emphasize that last part because you won't find too many music videos or J-pop performances here. it's a lot more about culture and things unique to Japan. not everything but most of it.

Looking across the lastest video posts for May I see: kabuki, sanja matsuri, aoi matsuri, yumomi dance, and rakugo among other things. There's plenty of "everyday" type stuff and probably around 300 videos at this point (and still going). if you've got an interest in Japan and all things Japanese (culture, history, language, etc.) definitely check out the site and browse around. if you see any "broken" videos, please post a comment or send an email.

memorial day 2008. being out today reminded me of a couple things I hate about the warmer weather we're finally experiencing... the first: seatbelt enforcement zones. this is a lovely way to slow the already slow traffic; what's worse are the idiots that don't bother to put their seatbelt on after seeing the signs then get flagged and ticketed only moments later. duh. It's always nice to know our tax dollars are going towards the installation of 4 or 5 cops on a slow street corner to enforce seatbelts.

The second: ice cream trucks. This, to me, is arguably the most annoying aspect of warm days. I cringe whenever I hear that same stupid (loud) tune echoing thru the neighborhood that switches between "The Entertainer" and some other equally repetitive jangling tune. Ugh. I remember the ice cream trucks when I was a kid... and even patronizing them when they came into our cul-de-sac. But I've never had a fondness for them. Yet, over the recent years, I've developed a hatred for them. I wish I had a device that would silence them anytime they came into the vicinity. Then maybe I wouldn't care so much.

Saw tCoN: Prince Caspian today... it was okay.

I watched a flick lastnight I got from Netflix called Frontier(s). It's connected to the Lions Gate/Horrorfest series... and I wish it was one of the flicks that I saw last fall (@Horrorfest 2). I don't remember if this one was listed or not but it's quite disturbing. The first 3/4 are intense and done well... the final sequence was bit rushed, IMO, maybe to get the movie under 2 hours. anyways, It's worth the watch if you haven't seen it; It's like Texas Chainsaw Massacre.. in France. Has that High Tension vibe to it.

Oh, I just checked; it wasn't part of Horrorfest but they are promoting it (it was in a handful of theaters on May 9). I'm glad I didn't see the trailer beforehand... it's all spoilers. So don't watch the trailer (assuming you haven't seen the flick; if you have, never mind).