To escape the fucking awful miserable stifling really over the top heat of Tokyo, we escaped to Nikko for the second time this summer. We stayed once more in the Shobugahama campground (as we did with DazKat), but in a tent on the side of the lake, and while it was as cloudy as last time on the first day, (and deliciously only 19 degrees)…………

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I have just done something I have never done before in my life.

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How many bags does it take to transport one piece of paper?

It was cute paper but still! Roll that shit up with a rubber band!

Here is the paper all wrapped up with my mum’s birthday present inside

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Ingmar Bergman is dead.

He did have a long, full life and leaves behind a body of work that captivated and influenced millions, which is as much as anyone can ask for from a life. But still, it is sad. There is no one left like him.

Thanks for the good times Ingmar.

I am not as young as I used to be.

We just got back from Fuji Rock, and it was great. I have spent today napping and soaking sore limbs. And we only did one day…..

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Remember me? Still alive and no busier than usual, though perhaps more slack.

I am prone to hyperbole, and absolutely shudder, gag, and turn scarlet and consider the hermit life at the bands I have proclaimed as the best band ever in the past, so i won’t do that right now. I will say, that last night we went and saw easily my favourite band in all of Tokyo play last night. And they were great. Not only are they magnetic performers with dynamite songs, but they are seriously cute. Check out their myspace here (especially that song flask) and a surprisingly good audio quality youtube clip right here.

The new Craft mag is out and you should totally go and check it out for a myriad of reasons including:

1. It is a special issue devoted the wizards of cute; Japan.

2. The talented Miss Dilemna and i have written an article that is contained in those lovely, shiny (but not too shiny) pages!

Ah spring. I will miss you most of all.

We are going home at the end of the year, so this will be the last time I have a Japanese spring, or possibly, any spring at all. Japan is famously unique for having four seasons, (four! really! but what do you ever call them all?), whereas New Zealand has just two, in my corner of the island anyway, Kind of Warm and Kind of Cold.

Read

Three Days For Emeralds - Mignon G Eberhart

Fine.

Nemesis - Agatha Christie

Um, awesome! It make me sad that one day i will have read all the Miss Marple Mysteries. I want to try and stretch them out, so they last a lifetime, but me and willpower have never been close. This was my favourite one so far. Even the mystery is a mystery!

Case Histories - Kate Atkinson.

At first I was wondering what I had gotten myself into, the first three chapters are all horrible terrifying things happening to loved ones, which is something I already spend too much time obsessing about. I loved Behind the Scenes at The Museum so very much, but could never really get into Emotionally Weird. Then I just kind of forgot about Kate. Beautifully written, female centered books used to be very much my cup of whiskey, but for a good long while now, I have been rather intent on broadening my reading horizons. Reading this book was a gentle little reminder of how much I have changed since my early twenties (thank fucking god) but that the women’s lit liking part is still alive and well. Recommended. Like, highly.

Ariel - Sylvia Plath

So beautiful.

I Am Not Ashamed - Barbara Payton

The journey of a woman who went from fought-over movie star to 5 dollar a bang whore. And bizarrely, who also spent time as the wife of a Mexican fisherman. Her optimism at the end is sad knowing that soon, at just 39, she would be found dead.

(thanks to College Call Girl)

Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys

If you have read Jane Eyre, you know the ending already. Pretty depressing. but excellent. It makes me ashamed of secretly being a little bit pleased at her death. I hate that uppity little bitch Jane now.

The Dying Heart - Elizabeth Bowen

Still going on this, nice so far. Might read some boys books next month.

Saw

The Unauthorised History of New Zealand

Who would have thought that Newsboy could end up outshining someone as unwilling to be outshined as Havoc. His trip to Libya via Intrepid Journeys, shows that not only is he easily New Zealands least irritating celebrity, but that he can produce telly that is funny, warm, responsible and genuine. I think TVNZ should just give him the whole station.

I Love New York

Is this really the end? Surely not.

This American Life

I would rather listen to the radio show, but Ira is cute right?

Rude Awakenings.

This could stop me going home.

Heard

Alexander Skip Spence

Ex Moby Grape. Not much new listening this month due to the death of the ipod, but this is one who caught my ear.

finished the elephant flesh top, and not so elephanty.

It’s a Rowan, Cannes from Beach Style. There is kinda nothing else in that book I wanted, but I really wanted this. May even make it in different colour. I like this a lot. despite the mid-knit it’s horrible and makes me look horrible too wobbles, it was an enjoyable and very fast knit.

please excuse my volcano wind-whipped face. matches the top though.

this is the first thing I made jess, and the only thing he hasn’t lost.

I had been having a fairly sucky, doubtful, what the fuck am I doing with my life kind of time and decided to chuck everything in and spend some quality time on the dole. I can’t remember just where I got the idea, but knew that Jess liked that strong, graphic Russian look, so I printed this Rodchenko picture off the internet and set to work.

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