I had the incredible honor of attending an installment of the Japanese Consulate General’s 2009 Spring Conferment of Decoration for one of the most amazing people i know: Fred Schodt.

Writer, translator, interpreter, intellectual, and all around cool guy, Fred was awarded this prestigious award (”Order of the Rising Sun”) by the Japanese government for awesomeness. He was instrumental in introducing manga and overall Japanese pop culture to the states. Of his many achievements, he and his posse, back in the day, had the balls to approach Tezuka about translating his works. And things blossomed from there.

We brought Fred on board for some work during the Tezuka exhibition two years ago, and it was one of the best things that happened to me/us. Getting to know him, and his fantastic wife Fia, goes down in record as one of my career highlights. (I basically aspire to be like this charming, lovely couple. Their bohemian-without-the-baggage live-and-let-live attitudes are the best)

The evening was superbly pleasant and chill, not weighed down with formalities. The tone was festive and moving. Jared Cook, Steven Okazaki, Takayuki Matsutani (pres of Tezuka Productions), Seiji Horibuchi (pres of VIZ), and many others were there. Watch this vid of Fred and some bandmates busting out a sweet song. The cheery guy in the middle is the president of Tezuka Productions! I just love when the guy busts out his fiddle (?!). And the Consul General is dancing too! Sigh. Happiness.

Fia, Fred, dorky me, and Ryan:

Consul General, Fred’s nephew, Fred’s “honorary son,” Fia, and Fred:

Hey kids, do you like museums? Did you know that the Asian Art Museum has a blog? Not like, just any ol' blog, but a pretty dang good one, with lots of fresh updates written by all kinds of passionate people that work there.

You might think I'm just shilling for this pseudo-new bundle of joy of ours, but in all sincerity, it's all quality AND quantity, and you do learn a lot of cool stuff. Do you know what it takes to actually assemble and display a real samurai armor? Or that there's a umbrella with a sword handle? That our Bhutanese monks went to a baseball game (and Disneyland)? That our own director dressed up as a samurai for a staff meeting? Or how about the fact that before even the former main library was built (it's the building the museum is in now), they burned tons of opium pipes on the site? Sometimes the posts are enlightening, and sometimes they're just silly.

Take this video, for example. We worked hard to bring you the best in hammy, silly entertainment, all in the name of good humor and samurai exhibition promotional buzz. Please watch it, and go here to watch the other two companion video clips. They're super short! If you watch the other two, leave a comment so I know you were there!

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I like Rama Hughes. At least, I like him from the work of his that I've seen (especially portraits). His instructional how-to-make-a-comic makes it seem so easy. Just reading it motivates me to give it a college try. Then again, most how-to-make-a-comic/zine/mini/etc things usually have that effect on me.

The other image is I guess a gag cartoon by one of his seventh grader students? I just think it's so charming and clever. Super cute.

I wish we as adults could all draw with the pure, sweet abandon and unfiltered creativity that only kids can possess.
For more of his students' darling works, check out his Flickr.

See the full gallery on posterous

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…and i ain’t got nothin’ to show for it, except:

one of the san hos, michelle, got married in a dreamy fairytale wedding and i’ve basically been shouting to the world that the bride should literally be a bridal gown model. are they a handsome couple or what?

another san ho, regina, got her MSW, and we’re pretty freakin’ proud. we’ve got a do-gooder case manager (and then some) amongst us, and she worked hard to get there! speaking of do-gooders, our east coast san ho jenelle passed her bar. DANG! kinda disgusting, and she’s already a visiting associate professor at a law clinic. double dang.

then there are the birthdays. i’m not sure if you know this, but june is the explosion of uterine expulsion anniversaries. everyone, everywhere, has birthdays in this month. for example, these lovely friends:

peg

susu

eric

ryry

bridge

there are tons more june birthdays.

and let’s not get started on things that have been keeping me over-occupied at work.

lastly, while i was referencing a random song, someone said something to the effect that having me around was like having an ipod shuffle. i found it very charming and sweet.

i’m pretty sure this is an extremely accurate rendering of me. derek did this awhile ago when i was in my occasional manic ranting and raving mode wherein i derail every other minute on tangents.

back in the day, my mom frequently took us to the library (berryessa, what what!?) and it was always a joyous occasion. i was practically a barnacle in the young adult section, but i often wandered the other aisles too. i guess there could be a map that charts my favorite spots correspondingly with my age…

there are vivid memories of excitedly hogging the spinner racks that housed the christopher pike collection (r.l. stine was his weaker, diluted counterpart). i think this was after graduating babysitter’s club and boxcar children but before i moved onto the stephen king canon. in the classics area, i distinctly remember thinking, “wow, what a cool title!” when stumbling upon of human bondage (i never even read it).

at any rate, we all have our beloved library memories. we all know libraries are super cool places. we all know they bring us back to simpler, satisfying states of being. so why is it that that i rarely take advantage of the main library, literally next door to my work? a visit yesterday reminded me how stupid i am for neglecting this neighborhood treasure. i was rewarded handsomely: some flicks that i’ve been dying to see, and random CDs i’m eager to dig into:

anyway, i’m looking forward to the newly re-opened inner richmond branch!

Hope Germick doesn't mind me sharing this since it is his birthday present, after all. What you see here is the result of: a really shitty inconsistently dry/leaky cheap brush pen, dollar store watercolors, Google image search, and a crazed fervor to pump out a mediocre portrait as a sad gift an hour before the birthday party. I'm not pleased with it, but at least my roommate could tell it was The Purple One, and Peg said she liked it which means a lot (who cares if the birthday boy likes it!). Also, the great thing about screwing up the proportions on Prince portraits is that it's okay, because he is naturally a bobblehead. So in this case, a large head and small body work just fine. PS – the hamminess is intentional. PPS – in the original picture I couldn't find his nipples. True story!

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every morning, it’s the same routine. i wince at the prospect of getting dressed for work. why? it’s not just that my wardrobe has grown obsolete and is woefully blah. despite my usual sloppy appearance, i’m actually a pretty superficial, style-conscious person who places almost too much value on sartorial aesthetic. but i guess you could say i’ve learned to let myself go because it’s pretty discouraging to try to look presentable most of the time.

the most painful part of facing my closet is the absolute shame, dread, and crippling depression that comes with *trying* to slip on clothes that don’t fit quite like they used to. whenever i put my slacks on, it’s a ritual of disgust. i brace myself for the moment of encroaching tightness that occurs when they get past my knees and climb up my thighs. the worst part: the waistband. for every pair of pants, regardless of the cut and cloth, i naturally arch my back in a futile attempt to stretch the tummy for tautness (which is a joke on this body), suck in, and tug hard on the opposite sides of the zipper/button to overlap them.

then i look in the mirror and deceive myself into thinking they’re not *that* tight, even though my ass is shrinkwrapped in a terrifyingly self-compromising way. i try to dismiss that stifling feeling of restriction and over-snugness around my bellybutton and thighs, hoping that as the day progresses the fabric will “relax” around my muffintop.

it makes me marvel at how once, these clothes actually used to fit me well.

nowadays, i spend most of my time shifting around uncomfortably, endeavoring to overcome my slovenliness with strained confidence, sometimes unable to sit up straight at my desk because i hate the way my rolls runneth over. all while being around women whose bodies i’d die to call my own (your genes = life’s worst crapshoot).

all my clothes feel like sausage casing. and i’m the sausage.

got back from atlanta and north carolina on monday. the trip flew right by. i can’t believe it’s been more than 10 days since i’ve put up a miserable post here. i can barely keep my eyes open right now.

if you're a friend o' mind you'll know i'm batty for bats. so i want to share perhaps one of my alltime favorite images ever. thanks every so much to hell hell for introducing this to me. imagine, a zombie me in bed, rheumy-eyed while i groggily check my phone (it's my routine now), and this being the first thing i get in my email. what a great way to wake me up!

big props to anyone who can track down any information regarding this photo. i've tried a variety of google search terms but with no luck. hellen found it on this site but there's no backstory or context whatsoever.

i wish i were the guy holding this adorable creature.

ps – this picture inspired a silly theme for a series of drawings i’d like to do if i ever get the time

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