NamaRocku is live

The website isn't really done yet buy you can watch it here. It should show up in iTunes in the next couple days. Feedback is appreciated!!

www.namarocku.com

Well, maybe not that blue but I got my notification and I did not pass the test. They don't send you scores just a thumbs up, thumbs down. I think there is a way of seeing how close, or how far I was from it in the future which I'll do. But, so it goes, que sera sera (or however that is spelled). I'll plan on taking it again next week.

In the mean time I working on finishing up all this podcast stuff which is taking me a bit longer than I initially planned. I can get around the editing software pretty well now but it's still a tedious process. The good news is that I now have a bit of a format in mind and some bits and pieces I can recycle, the next one should be a helluvalot easier. I'm working on getting the website up and going but had a bit of a snag because I used my J phone number when I was paying and that screwed up the domain purchase, silly little wabbit, I should have known better. Anyway, when I'm not working during my temporary 6 day workweek for the next month, I'll be working on getting this going full force as well as trying to set up the next one. I have a couple bands in mind which I need to contact and see if they have any live performances coming up.

But, for any of you have checked out what I have published so far please be honest, be brutally honest, and send me some feedback so I can make this better. Looking forward to hearing from you all. And if you're not sure where to go, click here.

^c.

finally fixed

No, my computer is still not working but a few months ago with the help the help of a student friend here in Tokyo I got my bike working just about the way I wanted. I had originally wanted to build a fixed gear before I left Austin but with my looming departure and two bikes that at the time I didn't have a home for, I put the idea on hold. Fast forward two and a half years later and there you have it. Both bikes, the Haro 24 BMX and the old hand-me-down 20 year old Peugeot, are outside my door here in Tokyo. The latter is now a fixed gear conversion.

I've been riding it around here in Tokyo for a while now but this past Sunday was definitely a highlight. There had been a couple of Alleycat (bike messenger oriented city races, half scavenger hunt, half race) but I usually had to work. Well, me and the group of people I met there, three foreigners and two Japanese, didn't even finish half the race but had a great time meeting people and riding nonetheless. The even was called Mixpressions and consisted of a skidding, trackstand and backwards circle competitions in addition to the race itself. I'm still learning to trackstand, can't go backwards except by accident and can't really skid at all but it was a blast to watch. Furthermore the even ended in a Barbecue and more than anything gave me the opportunity to meet some people in the bike community here.

It's holiday season (for other teachers) which means I'm picking up extra shifts for a few weeks and right not need to split to get to work. I've been bad about pictures as of late but I've been busy with a bike business idea and beginning the NamaRocku podcast but I will get some new pictures up very soon. In the mean time one of the hosts of the event, Booooooo , posted up much nicer pictures that I'll have here which are worth a look.

Lastly, about the podcast, it's almost ready. I have to finish the translation, audio levels, subtitling, credits,get permission for the credits song, etc. but I hope to have it submitted to iTunes in the next week or so. Also, there should be a new website coming to host it so it downloads faster. In the mean time there is a preview up here and any feedback is much appreciated.

Things that make me happy recently

Things that make me happy recently:

PSAPP
Kazumasa Hashimoto
Super Duluxe
The Ninja
This American Life

what is keeping me occupied at the moment

So thanks Sam for the email and the nudge nudge, I need to start doing this regularly and I'm actually a bit excited about a couple things so in reality I have a bit more to blabber about these days.

First the bad news, recently I've fallen off the wagon about smoking and I also took a plunge a couple weeks ago on my bike when my front tire got caught in some train tracks but these events are unrelated. My shoulder should be back up to speed in a few more days. As far as the smoking, well, let me just say I'm a bit more pleasant person to be around these days and I'm willing to bet that Keiko would agree. Anyway, she fought the good fight as I cheated here and there because the stress was getting to me. She didn't want me to start again, we both knew it was a slippery slope but the failure is entirely mine. The time will come, in the mean time, on with life.

So anyone who has talked to me that much recently (this includes very few to nil largely because of my own errors) may have heard about a couple ideas. One involves this bicycle obsession and a possible business model that I've yet to get off my lazy butt and really begin to research. The other is a very recent idea and I don't think I've told anyone stateside about it. Anyway, it's already on the move.

Keiko got me a new iPod as a belated birthday gift after mine went kaplui on the flight back from the states (I have no idea). I now have a still-shiny black 30 GB iPod to tote around and back up all my stuff. Because it has video I've also started to become very interested in podcasting and video podcasts. One thing led to another recently and I knew a friend here with a video cam so I thought why not run the idea by him and give it a shot. It's not a ground breaking idea but so far I don't see anyone else who's jumped on this particular podcast idea. So, I mentioned it over lunch on Friday by the end of the day we had potentially scheduled a second episode and the following night we were off to begin filming the first.

So it's real simple. I go see bands, get some video of them playing live. Do a short interview and pass on the contact info. Eventually there will be a website that gives additional info, possibly a free MP3 or so and anything else of interest about the band, or I might just help the band set up a myspace page and let them run with it. Simple, right?

This is my first foray into anything video and I'm already realizing just how much is involved. Don't get me wrong, I expected a lot of it but it's just going to take me a while until I get the tools under control. In the past couple days I've spliced together a few clips as sort of a preview here for anyone who wants to check it out. It has no titles, talking, info or me. It's just some clips with some music as of right now. I'm hoping to get the whole 6-8 minutes finished in the next couple weeks but I have to film the show intro and the interview which is not easy to schedule in the city of two week advance appointments for pizza delivery.

In the mean time here is the link and please, anyone with any feed back or suggestions please send them on.

this is only a test