{{{Tom}}} I'm sorry. Take as much time for yourself tomorrow as you can. Even if it just means putting your head down on your desk for five minutes, or taking a walk at lunchtime.

Well, if you thought the rapping christian pirate puppets were disturbing, this will chase all those bad images out of your brain... but at what cost????

Big In Japan (Right Now): The Tarako Cupie Girls

WARNING: The following clips have taken over my life here and I am now forced to share them with the rest of the world. Watch at your own risk.

The Tarako Cupie Girls (my name for them) are the newest spokespeople for a Japanese company which sells spaghetti noodles with cod roe (eggs). At least I think that’s what it’s for. But, really, what it’s for isn’t important. It’s the song and dance (and odd hats) that will grab you and not let you go.

Go ahead. Watch it again. If you dare.

These girls have become a national obession here. I mean like giant displays in Shibuya where the song blares out of speakers and they sell their hypnotic pop messages on CD. They’ve been featured on a number of TV shows, including one I watched yesterday morning where they performed the song/dance number live. YouTube has acknowledged my obession and provided me (and therefore you) with that exact performance.

No really, this isn't as bad as the rapping christian pirate puppets. Plus, far more catchy.

The wooden periodic table

Yes, it really is a table.

OK, the Tarako Cupie Girls are weird.

I didn't look at the pirates. Yet.

The Tarako girls hurt me so much I can't forward on the link.

Have eaten curry at an English restaurant which was great (mango chutney!) and had rhubard crumble covered in custard for afters. I am so fucking full, but I have a freshly baked and untouched loaf of banana bread right here.

Life suck in the first world sometimes.

I had kickass Korean bulgogi barbecue and oreo cheesecake. And now I'm sort of watching "You Can Count On Me".

{{Tom and the NYCistas}}

I had jambalaya with chorizo, NO DESSERT, but watched the 2nd ep of Eureka. Fun.

Have to go to bed soon. Darn the Sunday nights. DARN YOU!!!

I'm having rooibos (ROOIBOS!) tea and banana bread. I have no idea where the space is coming from.

I was just talking about bulgogi today. I need to try it.

I wish all sorts of calming thoughts to people with raw 9/11 memories.

For the bulgogi (since you asked), I bought $50 worth of flank steak (err, maybe 6 lbs?). Then I crushed 2 heads of garlic (about 20 cloves) and mixed them with 20 slices of fresh ginger, 12 oz of soy sauce, 4 oz of vegetable oil, and a mess of green onions. And then I let the flank steak soak in it for about 20 hours.

Possibly there was a bit too much soy sauce in it -- it was a tad salty. But really, very yum.

Hey consuela! guess who is in my living room. T came down to work on his Uke - i made them come into eat about about 8 - and there has been music talk ever since. with brief forays into 260 tons of grapes.