Another Reason I Love Japan

These videos are pure gold. I guess they are intended to teach Japanese girls English. I don't know who picked the scenarios for the videos...





Working on a new show. Should be good.

Here a min, Theremin

The guys in this band are playing a theremin, something you've probably heard a lot but haven't figured out what kind of instrument makes those ghostly noises. I usually hear it when I'm listening to old broadcasts of scary radio shows. The spector emerges from the cemetery, belting out musical sounds thanks to the theremin.

This is actually the oldest electronic musical instrument ever, having been invented in 1919. The inventor Leon Theremin wowed Stalin with it and the leader quickly learned how to play it himself. Basically there are two antennae that stick out on both ends. The player moves his or her hands through the air, changing the frequency and volume. It was wildly popular after it was introduced, but few people ever learned how to play it.

I love the theremin because it is such a bizarre instrument. You don't even have to touch it. And, the fact that it's been in so many science fiction movies has endeared it to my heart. Let's see now if I can afford to get one...I really want this mini theremin from Japan. It's less than the rest and it's even illustlated, haha. I wonder if I can find a cheap one on craigslist...

I really ought to stop buying frivolous things, especially since my extra money has run low. Until I save up for a real one I guess I'll have to settle for my acapella (sp?) theramin rendition of Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

Japanese Woman Comes Out of Closet

I loved this article. It's a story about a homeless Japanese woman who lived in a man's closet for a year without the guy knowing. He eventually figured it out when food began to disappear. This article emphasizes how much space exists in a person's home that they don't see very often. Before my mom sold our house she and I were the only people living there, alongside the three vacant bedrooms. Months went by before I went into some of the bedrooms in the basement. Someone could have easily lived there. 

How much space is too much space? I am usually struck by the immensity of some houses (the Biltmore estate, for example), but at the end of the day I think all that unused space is a waste. You couldn't possibly need so many bedrooms, gardens and ballrooms.  

And how creepy is it to think that someone could be living in your closet without your knowledge? I wonder how easy it is to get into a house undetected. A person could be stalking you in your own home right now! Check your closets! Look under your rugs! I almost want to try it myself. Not for the creep factor, for scientific reasons.