Tripping over my Music

As you can tell, I’m sure, I didn’t bother to continue the Navigator’s log after Day 1, mostly because I was too TIRED to do something like that every night. Plus, I was never sure when I was going to have computer use. You can check Tominda’s blog for a funny rendition of our trip. (www.whiskeypetals.blogspot.com/)

I thought the trip was pretty cool except for a few small things, like Tom’s car not wanting to work. Other than that, the drive was easy, the weather was good, and at the end I got to see my family. I enjoyed walking around Seattle and looking at stuff, and I got a pretty good tan while I was there. (For me, anyway. Tominda is sure I’m an albino.) I thought it would be wetter, but Seattle was having a dry spell while I was in the area. That was fine with me, since it had rained about non-stop in WV for two weeks. When I flew back in to WV, it was raining. So, I spent the 4th of July in a movie theater with my mom, watching The Proposal, with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Great movie, by the way. Go see it or rent it when it comes out. I laughed a lot.

Well, since I failed to properly chronicle my travels (mostly uneventful, but fun), I would like to take the time to write about the music I have playing on this blog. I recently switched out the other playlist of fun and fantastic songs for this playlist full of fun and fantastic songs. And thus, my ramble starts.

I love the Japanese language. I find it so different and fascinating from my own; I really want to learn it. What I do not love is the sort of stereotypes that seem to come with it. “Oh, you like Japanese culture and language? You must be one of those super nerds. Do you watch cartoons? Geek, haha.” Yes, do say this to me sometime. I’ll punch you straight in the baby-maker, male or female. There are some very strange people associated with what America views as the “Japanese culture”. I will not deny this. I have seen them in action. I have hurt on the insides. However, I am not that person.

I do enjoy some of the cartoons that were made in Japan (“anime”), and I also like the comic books that come over from there (“manga”). I like the pictures, I like the art, I like the stories. My love of the anime started when I was in middle school and Cartoon Network played the animes “Ronin Warriors” and “Gundam Wing”. Other than that, I can’t say I’ve watched much anime. Here and there, if I find a good one.

Gundam Wing and Ronin Warriors, respectively.

I found manga when I worked at Sears. I know, weird. But, on my breaks, I would go over to the bookstore and sit and read the manga. I finally found Hana-Kimi, which is a really fun read and the art is good, so I wound up getting hooked on that and buying it. It’s the only one I have bought, and I still read it over sometimes, when the mood strikes me.

So, my love of that particular manga led me to the Internet, where I found that they had created a live-action drama of the book in Japan. How fun! I watched it, I loved it. I searched out some of the actors from that drama in other Japanese dramas. I found another drama called “Hana Yori Dango”. Also fun. Searched out some of the actors in it. You see the pattern here. However, one of the actors also happened to be in a group called “Arashi”. I went to YouTube. I FELL IN LOVE.

Arashi’s music is my favorite. I love how up-beat it is, I love the sound, I love their voices. It doesn’t really matter to me that I don’t understand the words. I have the same problem is some rap songs. It’s not so much about the words, really, but the music and the way everything sounds. It’s fun. I like fun and happy songs. It suits me. When I was younger, I enjoyed similar groups, such as NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. I’ve just moved on to a different language.
Fact: I LOVE POP MUSIC. So sue me. All you music snobs out there who are reading this (as if) and hurling, can kiss it. I don’t care that you think that pop music is the degradation of musical society. It makes me happy. I like the beat, I like how you can sing to it even if you suck, and I like the simplicity. Sure, many things are synthesized and such, but I still enjoy the work that went into the song. Besides, I like other genres as well, such as classical and rock and R&B. And I love Japanese pop.

Arashi. Favorites of mine.

I’m pretty tired of getting weird looks. I’m pretty tired of being embarrassed because I like a pop group from another country. What’s wrong with that? I don’t understand why people like Alanis Morrisette, or flock to that Ne-Yo dude. (I probably eff-ed up his name, sorry.) Do I give you weird looks and give you crap for liking a woman who sounds a bit like a yodeling cat? Do I giggle at you because you like songs by some man who only sings about sex and getting it on in a limo? (I just did, if you’re wondering.) Just because I like something that is not main stream (and has really weird stereotypes attached to it), I catch flak.

Another fact: I LIKE JAPANESE POP. So far, I like three groups. They are all boy-bands. I think they’re pretty. I like their music. I’m probably not going to stop. Quit calling me weird. I’m not. I’m no different from the kid that stretches his ears out with those plastic things. I’m no different from the “emo” kids who wear really tight pants. It’s what they like. This is something I like. In the words of my esteemed former roommate, “DON’T JUDGE ME!”

Cheers all.

NEWS. They have some songs on my playlist there.

The group KAT-TUN. Different sounds, etc.

P.S. - I love pictures. I like putting them on blogs. Still learning, so please ignore the mess.