TGIF

Ahh, Friday.

Glad the weekend's here. It will be nice to not have to drive to Stockton this weekend. Instead, we're driving to San Francisco tomorrow for the Giants' FanFest, followed by lunch and a trip to Japantown for a book signing. (And no, going to FanFest on Valentine's Day weekend was Rhonda's idea, not mine.)

Sunday we have no plans yet which is fine by me. The place is (still) a mess and I have tons of stuff I have to watch or read.

Speaking of reading, I breezed through Peter Carey's Wrong About Japan, courtesy the Campbell Library. I have to say I liked it more than the reviewers at Amazon.com, who weren't too thrilled, but it's a little light, both in size (it took all of three nights to read) and substance.

About Carey's trip to Tokyo with his otaku son, the book focuses on Carey's misconceptions about the Japanese, contrasted with son's easy integration with the culture. I think I enjoyed the book because we just honeymooned in Tokyo, and along with first-hand knowledge of some of the places the Careys visited, we went for many of the same reasons as Carey's son Charley. Most of the people our age thought it was cool, and most "adults" kind of scratched their heads, especially since we didn't go for what Carey calls "Real" Japan - kabuki, temples, geishas, etcetera etcetera.

I'd say give it a shot, it's definitely amusing if you are a fan of anime or have visited Tokyo. Plus, it's short and reads fast...then you can tell people you read a book.

Next up from the library is the audiobook of Philip Roth's The Plot Against America. I'm almost through the first disc, and while it's a little difficult to get into (not sure if it's Roth's verbose style or because I'm not wild about Ron Silver's rendition), it's definitely interesting. One thing about this book, it's going to be highly controversial and will piss off a lot of red-staters. Sure made my commute seem much shorter this week.

Did I mention L'arc~En~Ciel's Smile kicks ass? If you watch Fullmetal Alchemist you've heard the theme song, "Ready Steady Go," which is on this album. I picked up their Real CD used in Tokyo, and it's better than this one, but it's still nice to see some J-rock get a domestic release. I'd say they are just a cut below The Pillows if you like actual rock music (i.e., not J-pop). It's worth giving a listen even if you don't speak a lick of Japanese (not like I do) or have an interest in anime, it's just good rock music.

Now, let's see if the Kings can put away Dallas and end that losing streak...