You say that every day.

I could hear “feeling good” more often.

Late afternoon. Lunch at Barclay's in Rockridge today at noon with the usual crew. I kept it to diet Coke and a chicken sandwich with potato salad (a not very good potato salad I decided after the first bite) thinking, as the day progressed, this buzzing tired head business is similar in some respects to the effect you get by drinking beer and maybe it can be enjoyed in a similar manner. Then I snapped out of it. Indeed. The day otherwise? A crispness to the air, the sun shining: a bus and then a BART ride to Rockridge for lunch; a BART ride back to Oakland and then a walk home; the day coming together nicely, I thought, as the afternoon drew to a close. Maybe a short nap before listening to the News Hour on television.

Saturday night “Japanese Soaps”. It occurred to me Saturday night as I was watching my English sub-titled “Japanese soaps”, wincing as I sipped sake through the first two programs (believe me, the sake at that point was on my side) that they would probably work if they were animated cartoons or graphic novels. I suspect they may have first seen light in Japan as Manga (comics) and these two shows (I call them “soaps”, but I guess they're better termed dramas and comedies) I watched Saturday night were Manga stories that were later brought to television.

I've in the past watched one particular similarly structured program (without English subtitles) called Nodame Cantabile that I know was originally published in Manga form and I think works well in live action produced, I assume, for television. Its music by itself is worth the ticket even if I have no idea (without English subtitles) what's going on. The first two of the three shows I watched Saturday night were embarrassing really, embarrassing in the sense that I mention watching them here in public. Perhaps research is in order. By someone else, of course.

Is that the reason for all this? You're embarrassed anyone might think you might recommend them?

Probably, but there's something else here that's causing me to watch programs from these different cultures. Japan, China and Korea are generally considered at the moment to be doing interesting movies and programming, many like the ones I've been watching on Saturday nights. I just watch and don't try to rationalize my reasons why. Same with photography. If you ask yourself too many questions you'll never pick up a camera, never take a photograph. Just ride the wave, the wave will take you where you're supposed to go.

You've written yourself into a corner, but at least now I know why your eyes have turned brown.