weekend geekness

Today I attended the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco's Japantown. They had a big parade and lots of people were dressed like animé characters, it was really cool.

I liked this pink Bandai transformer style robot. There were a few robots, many geishas, samurais, people with animal hats, a few Pokémons, Sailor Moons and animé girls.

 

In the mall I also purchased a Bandai Zetton and Bat Seijin figure from the newest Ultra film. I also picked up 3 bootleg DVD's, last year's Ultraman movie, The X From Outer Space and one called Samurai Zombie that sounds promising. They were on sale 3 for $25. The dude selling them was a cool, cute tattooed punk, and he also had duplicate movie posters of cool cult flicks like Horror Of Party Beach, Lucio Fulci's Zombie, Nightmare On Elm Street, Godzilla films, etc. If you're into Japanese geek stuff, the Cherry Blossom Festival is like a wet dream. ;-)

April Fool

It's April Fool's Day! Believe no one and trust nothing! Hahaha!

Rainbowman & other stuff...

Today I stopped at my local collectibles store, Time Tunnel, to see what they had to offer. I've blogged about this store before, it has a LOT of vintage toys and collectible figures. Old Star Wars figures and memorabilia, vintage fisher price little people, old transformers, Universal monster stuff, Star Trek, Lost In Space, etc.

Today I found an old figure of a japanese superhero named Mirrorman. This superhero had 7 different forms. This yellow form is known as Moonman (Dash 1) and has the ability to deflate and fit into small spaces. The other forms all have different powers. The other monster is a bandai Chandora, from the Ultraman Powered show.

Both toys are old and a bit beat up, but they were pretty cheap so I took 'em. I hadn't gotten any geeky collectible stuff in a while so it was nice to find 2 things that I liked. Another thing about that store that's cool is that there always tend to be geek type dudes in there browsing. I got a soft spot for geek types and based on experience have had some awesome sex with several Trekkies.

 

Earlier in the week I met up with a friend for lunch in SF and he took me to Clarion Alley in the Mission District, a long alleyway where there is street art on both sides of the walls. There was some really awesome artwork, my favorite being a group of police officers surrounding a dinosaur, with the lights casting a a large shadow. Cool stuff.

Cute Toys

I recently picked up some cute toys at my local Japanese store Kinokuniya. One was a little green Android figure. Since I got me an Android phone I figured this toy would be a good addition to my collection. It's basically a cute little green robot.

The others are Tokidoki Unicorns. They come in unmarked boxes so you never know which one you'll get. There were 2 in particular that I wanted, a black one with red eyes named Fumo and a light blue one with a mowhawk named Pogo. I ended up with Pogo but haven't gotten Fumo yet. I also got some other ones that are way cute. Their names are:

Top from left to right: Stellina and Bellina. Bottom row from left to right: Dolce, Pogo, Ritmo and Mooka. Tokidoki makes cute toys and figures, as well as clothes and make-up. The little skull & crossbones heart design on Pogo's butt is the same design I have tattooed on my right arm.

Ultraman Crabby

Today I stopped at my local collectibles shop and picked up an Ultraman Mebius figure. I didn't care too much for that show but the figure is sweet and comes with several accessories.

Now that we're in the holiday season I find myself slightly crabbier than usual. I think Xmas is lame but I'm trying not to be such a negative bitch. People say " 'tis the season to be jolly" but all I see are people getting overly stressed about things and rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off. Shopping centers are a nightmare to be at, and everyone seems to be more on edge. There's nothing jolly about that. But I will try to control myself and reply to Merry Christmas greetings with "same to you" instead of the "FUCK OFF!" that i'd like to reply with. ;-)

Mail Goodies

Yesterday I had 2 things waiting for me in the mail. One was an Ultra-Act Ultraman Leo figure that I got off ebay a few weeks ago. The other was a free cd that I got by calling in to the radio station that was giving away free copies. The band is called Cause And Effect and their music was being played on a local college radio station that I listen to frequently. I seemed to enjoy their music, a synth-pop/electronic mix that recalled the classic music of Depeche Mode as well as current favorites De/Vision, Apoptygma Berzerk and Holy Ghost to name a few. The DJ said to call the station to get a copy of their latest EP, so I did and yesterday it arrived in the mail. It consists of 4 good electro songs. So now I got a geeky electro soundtrack to go along with my Ultraman figure.

The weekend is upon us and I currently have no plans, although something usually pops up in the form of a
text/e-mail getting an invite to do something. Maybe i'll make a batch of that good, strong Sangria I made last
weekend, where just one glass got me good and toasted. Sangria by itself has a tendency to get me drunk, but I added peach schnapps, triple sec and cranberry juice that gives it an extra punch. Maybe i'll see about getting a ticket to Treasure Island Music fest as I got an invite to join some friends. Cut Copy and Empire Of The Sun are headlining the day they're going, sounds fun. Perhaps i'll try painting something as I have a few ideas forming in my head. Shopping is out of the question; I have enough shoes, t-shirts, shorts, underwear and tank tops to last me well into the next 3 summers. No I don't need another pair of Converse, I don't need another pair of Vans... I don't need another pair of Adidas....

Fresh Ink

This last Friday I got my 6th tattoo, a skull and crossbones/heart design. I got the design from the Italian company called Tokidoki, that makes Japanese style toys, clothes and make-up. I've been buying their stuff for quite a while now, and have always been drawn to their crossbones and heart design.

When I saw a skull version of this design (with 2 facing silouhette skulls in the heart) I immediately fell in love with it and knew that it was a tattoo that I wanted. So this week I made an appointment at the tattoo shop I frequent, and the next day I went in and got it inked.

I like this design for a variety of reason, it's representative of several things in my life. That got me to thinking about what I would tell people when they ask, because you know that there's always people who have to ask why you got that tattoo, what it means, etc. I admit that this is something that's always kind of annoyed me. People always ask me about my forearm tattoo (a star-arrow design that's the symbol of the Science Patrol for the Ultraman show). Usually i'll tell them and they'll react with a blank "oh", because most people don't know who Ultraman is anyway. I just feel that it's an intrusive, slightly dumb question. I don't go around asking people why they wear the clothes they wear, why they wear the shoes they wear, why they wear their hair like that, why they're wearing that color make-up, why they're driving that car, why they're married to that douchebag.... Maybe it's a silly pet peeve or hang-up of mine, but I always find myself a bit put off when people ask me. Perhaps if I felt that they were sincerely trying to get to know something about me, but I find that most of the time it's just to satisfy they're morbid curiousity. I've considered making up a long, intricate, explicit story just to make fools of them. Or I could just say "it's kind of personal" and leave it at that. I think in the end it all ties in to the fact that I tend to have strong boundaries and don't feel the need to share every intimate detail of my life with a perfect stranger. So before I go rambling on and on i'll just end this blog by saying I really love my new tattoo.

A day in the life of a geek bear

This morning started with me getting a bunch of texts from this dude I know. I'll call him Legila (**whenever I disguise someone's name I substitute it for the name of a Japanese monster that has the same first initial**). Legila is the type of dude who tends to whine a lot about being single, how there's no quality guys out there, how come he can't find a decent guy, etc, etc. He claims that all guys want is sex and that it's hard for him to find anyone who is interested in dating. And yet, within a few back and forth texts he's suddenly sending me pictures of his dick. I resisted the urge to educate him on how acting slutty too soon will not land him those quality guys that he seeks. When we Capricorns give advice we sometimes come off as bitchy, and besides, Legila is no spring chicken, so if he doesn't know what to do to get the type of guy he seeks then it's probably pointless to tell him. Then I recall Morrissey from The Smiths-era singing "you shut your mouth, how can you say I go about things the wrong way? I am human and I need to be loved.... just like everybody else does..." On the other hand, Morrissey grew up to be a bitter old queen, so clearly his way was the wrong way, but I digress.....

 

After the oversexed text messages from Mr. I Need Love, I shaved, took a shower, then left the house because today was a gorgeous day and I wasn't about to waste it indoors. I got some coffee then stopped at my favorite japanese bookstore down the street from where I live. Kinokuniya is a cool store because they got books, arts and crafts, cd's and dvd's, clothing (I bought a really cool hoodie there), all sorts of writing pens, cute knick knacks and toys. This visit I was in luck because they had a bunch of Ultraman and Ultraseven mini figures for sale. I love getting those figures, they're cute as hell. The only thing is they come in unmarked boxes so you never know what you're going to get and you might end up with repeats in an attempt to get the entire collection, but that's part of the fun. I got some cool friends who like toys anyway so I usually give my extras to them. Here's 2 group shots of the ones I picked up today:

 

Pic 1: (from left to right: Shapuray Seijin, Telesdon, Banila, Ultraman Zoffy, Dorako, Jiras, Gyeron, Pandon & Red King)

 

 

Pic 2: (from left to right: Seabozu, Dino-Tank, King Joe, Keronia, Gyango, Dada, Baltan II, Ultraseven & Woo)

 

 

 Of course there are 2 figures that I really want and didn't get so i'll be going back soon to get more. Oh the insanity of collecting! After that I met up with a friend and we had lunch and some drinks and a nice chat about serial killers, tattoos, healthcare reform, how the 80's music we grew up with is now considered oldies, artwork, how nothing is playing at the movie theatres that we're interested in watching, and made plans for next weekend. The weather is going to be warm this week and i'm hoping it stays warm next weekend as well.

New Ultraman Toy

My toy fever comes in sporadic waves. Sometimes i'll go months without buying anything, then I might buy a few at a time. It's been months since i'd purchased anything so I decided to head out to my local collectibles stores just to have a look.

 

 

The store, Time Tunnel Collectibles, is a pretty cool shop. It has all sorts of nostalgic goodies from way back. If you're into collecting vintage toys and collectibles chances are you'll find something to your liking here. They tend to carry Godzilla and Ultraman stuff, so that's my main reason for going there. Sometimes they don't have much, but I was in luck because they had these new Ultra Act series Bandai Ultraman figures. They're highly poseable, bending at every joint, and have interchangeable parts too. I picked up Ultraseven, who's always been one of my favorite Ultramen.

 

 

With the interchangeable parts it allows you to not only pose him, but show off his powers. One arm comes with the traditional spacium beam that all Ultramen posses. Here he is blasting the monster Velokron (yes, I can identify practically all the Ultraman monsters, told you I was a geek).

 

 

You can put on a hand that is throwing his eye slugger, probably his most powerful weapon. That spike that goes down the back of his head can be taken off and he shoots it at enemy monsters, slicing and dicing them to pieces. He's decapitated and dismembered quite a few monsters with this one.

 

 

Another cool weapon of his is called the Emerium Beam. He puts his fingers together over the green light on his forehead and it shoots out a green beam. I have his arms a bit too low in this pic but you get the idea.

 

 

I'm pretty happy with this dude. The inter-poseable feature is quite cool, and the fact that this was manufactured by Bandai is even cooler. They make a lot of Godzilla and Ultraman toys and have been since the early 80's. However, their standard Ultraman figures usually tend to be standing stiffly, only allowing you to move the arms. With these new Ultra-Act series figures you can even move the ends of the toes up and down. Now that's what I call articulation! Such highly detailed figures usually don't do much for me, but these ones really get it right. I can even have him ride Godzilla (no pun intended, haha!)

 

 

So yes i'm an Ultraman fan and have been since I first watched Ultraman episodes on tv in syndication in the early 80's. I even got him tattooed on my chest!

 

 

I'm hoping they release more Ultra figures in this series. I'd love to get my hands on an Ultraman Ace, Ultraman Leo and Ultraman Max. Ok, that's enough geekiness for now.  ;-)

Tattoos and Reading

When I was a teenager I used to read a lot. I remember walking to the library and picking out books excitedly on a weekly or semi-weekly basis. My first reading love was horror: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul, etc. From there I started reading the cheesy stuff of Sidney Sheldon and Lawrence Sanders. It was also in that public library that I got my first real dose of gayness. No, I did not blow anyone in the bathroom! I discovered some gay novels and magazines, which at that young age was like an exciting taboo. I remember reading John Fox's novel The Boys On The Rocks and completely relating to the title character, a teenage boy who begins exploring his sexuality. I also remember reading John Rechy's Numbers, which chronicled one young man's sex odyssey as he goes around having sex with random strangers. At the time I thought it was bizarre and didn't quite understand someone randomly having casual sex with strangers, boy how young and naive was I. At 39 I now look back and understand what he was writing about.

But sometime in my mid-twenties I kind of lost touch with reading. I would attempt to pick up a book here and there but would find that I wouldn't have the concentration or focus to really finnish it, even though I may have found it interesting. Now that I think of it it's probably because I set about actually living and experiencing things instead of reading about them. As a kid you read and hear about things and as an adult you do them I suppose. Still, the desire to go back to the world of reading remained with me, if vaguely buried deep in my subconscious.

Then not too long ago I was in a bookstore with a gal pal and she showed me a book she read about a girl who becomes a vampire. She said it was funny and sarcastic. I picked up a few other books by this same author and found one that had an interesting premise: a guy in San Francisco is appointed the role of Death. The novel is A Dirty Job and the author is Christopher Moore. I bought it and started reading pages here and there, finding it interesting. Then for a few weeks I stopped reading it. Which brings me to now.

Just a few days ago I had an appointment to get a tattoo. Stay with me, this is related to reading.... So I thought about what to do while I get my tattoo, since none of my friends were going with me like they had during past tattoos. Talk to the tattoo artist, look at the decor of the tattoo shop, check my e-mails from my phone, read a magazine.... then I thought, why not bring my book and read while i'm getting inked? So I brought it along and while I lay there, shirtless on the table while the artist sliced some ink into my chest I found myself picking up where I left off and enjoying myself. Midway through a customer came in and started talking to my tattoo artist. She must have been a regular because he told her he needed to show her a piece he was working on for her. While he took a break from my tat the woman noticed the book I was reading and enthusiastically said how much she loved it. We chatted for a while about it, and it was nice to bond with a complete stranger while laying on a table shirtless with ink being sliced into my body, haha! She even talked about how she was inspired to get a tattoo based on the cover art of the book. So all in all I found it pretty amusing how getting a tattoo has indirectly jump-started my enjoyment of reading again. Don't know how long it will last but for now i'm going with it. Hell, if i'm going to consider myself a geek bear then reading would fit in well with that category, no?