Slimy Little Creatures

I was browsing for Youtube videos featuring Japanese patisseries or "Wagashi" - one of my favorite things - and instead I stumbled upon one of Mr. R's (aka my better half) favorite things: Freshwater Eel or "Unagi".

In this video, which I believe is part of a lighthearted series about Japan called "Oh! Wanderful (sic)", the presenter Nathan attempts to catch and handle these slimy creatures and make a meal out of them. Did Mr. R or, indeed, anyone else besides Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly (think the scene with the ginormous eel...) have any idea that this process was so... errr... "hands on"?

By the way, the video is in Japanese - but I am sure we don't need to understand what is being said...

Follower of the Followills

Sometimes I will vehemently dislike a debuting band only to fall madly at its feet later on. Mind you I even dared not to like Pearl Jam - eternal Zeus in my Olympus of bands - when their first single Alive came out. But this was only a momentary lapse and I promptly recovered after crossing paths with Even Flow.

It took me a lot longer to warm up to the Kings of Leon and their southern moods...

I initially dismissed this "3 brothers + 1 cousin" act as over hyped and was not impressed with them opening for The Strokes in 2003 (they sounded cold and monocordic). But when that singular second album "Aha Shake Heartbreak" came out I was conquered. First by "The Bucket", an addictive-as-chocolate song about being a young rock star ("fresh off the plane in my fuzzy rush") and then by tracks as irresistible as their names, "Milk" and "Soft".

Now with even more singular - and arguably less accessible - 3rd album "Because of the Times" my adoration for the Followill family seems to stand the test of time. KoL's uniqueness lies not only in sounding fresh and retro at the same time, but in singer Caleb Followill's deliciously ugly voice, a perfect conductor for their whimsical-but-no-nonsense lyrics.

Here are examples of KoL's paradoxical voice and lyrics - both taken from reggae infused new track Ragoo:

"Either way you caught me whilst a lying
You caught me whilst a lying
You caught me with my pants down"

Well, they sure caught me.

May Day

Here's one I wrote to commemorate today:

Picture source: whttp://beinecke.library.yale.edu

City Dwellings

9 am on Monday morning,
Inner struggle and much yawning

As meetings lead to sheer frustration,
In thought I plan my next vacation

Sun, sea, nature, pure delight,
To save me from this laboring plight

Of contracts, shares, fees and Wall Street,
All of which just seem so bleak

When compared to ocean, canyon, forest and lake,
Oh quit bemoaning thy self-inflicted fate!