A new 7-11 opened recently in Kawaba, Gunma Prefecture and perhaps due to local town ordinances or something, this 7-11 has wood paneling and the sign is brown. It’s the only one in Japan, apparently. My wife Mayu said it’s just like the turquoise-colored McDonalds in Sedona, AZ—the only one in the world. Sedona has particular guidelines for signage, and the garish yellow and red of a McDonalds sign was changed to turquoise to comply with Sedona’s ordinances. Maybe this is why this 7-11 is made like this. This is very unique and pretty.
This early ’90s brawler game has its charm. Arabian Fight‘s gameplay is not as polished as it could have been. Hit detection is disappointing and can be frustrating, but what’s unique about this Arabia-themed brawler is that at times you’ll see the enemies in the foreground and they leap into the playing field. When your selected character casts a power move/magic spell, he/she leaps into the foreground.
I recorded gameplay from RetroPie using Simple Screen Recorder (a Linux program) and created this animated gif through Shotcut (another Linux program).
Rama is the token female character. She has pretty boobs. I wish her hair was black, but she’s still cool.
So I guess we’re pretty much at the point of WW3. Isn’t that fun. Apparently Israel’s “Iron Dome” has more holes in it and is more like a “iron colander” as one person put it. Mossad HQ was apparently obliterated, so I guess all the Epstein and P. Diddy blackmail dirt was destroyed along with it? I suppose now there are a lot of politicians and Hollywood types who are wondering if they no longer need to do whatever Israel tells them to do.
I’m rather nostalgic for the days when there wasn’t constant war, everything was cheaper, pets weren’t getting eaten, and I could enjoy MEAN TWEETS that were directed at specific individuals who were corrupt, degenerate, inept, or vicious… or a mix of all four—while the other side denigrates entire demographics of average citizens and celebrates the deaths of people in Georgia due to a bad hurricane.
I made this meme using FontMeme.com and running a CRT filter over the image.
A meme I made to share with fellow frogs and centipedes. Although the stupid-ass ABC debate “moderators” supposedly “fact-checked” this and claimed that it was untrue, there are not only arrest records but actual videos that these people have taken of themselves eating people’s pets. It’s pretty disturbing and barbaric.
Speaking as an immigrant myself, if people immigrate legally into a country and choose to abide by the rules as well as adapt to the culture, then that is fine. For those who refuse to conform and inflict their disgusting traditions onto the host culture, then they should have stayed where they came from.
My philosophy is that you are either weird or you’re boring.
Many years ago when I still lived in Fuji, I taught private English lessons at a dog cafe of all places. The woman who coordinated the lessons made dog outfits. When I told her “You’re either weird or boring,” She said “I’m not weird!” I replied, “Look, you make superhero outfits for pet dogs. That’s weird.” I’ve never understood why people would go out of their way to humiliate their pets by making them wear dumb clothing and such, but that was a side business for her.
I tend to gravitate towards eccentric people. Even those I disagree with, I can appreciate their unique point of view. People who do their own thing. People who look at things differently. It’s refreshing. That way I know they are not NPCs.
I took a photo of my nerd cave late at night, two years ago. I have a better camera this time. I also have added more stuff since then, like my light-up Starship Enterprise atop my monitor. This is a better view of the iron bead pixel art on the wall.
A closer look at my Pac-Man light. It’s actually LEDs, made to look like a neon sign.
My Pac-Man lamps, with a Dragon Quest Slime in between, atop my Megadrive game collection.
My blue paper lantern now lights up the far corner of the nerd cave.
My Aliens and Empire Strikes Back posters, and to the left side are my Record of Lodoss War action figures.
My video gaming pillow collection: Megadrive, Saturn, and Dreamcast cushions, pillows and tissue covers, as well as Pac-Man pillows. Ulan likes to plop on these pillows and chill out. I’ve shown the Sega stuff from Shimamura previously on this blog.
Tonight we went to Keyaki Walk Mall in Maebashi and at Loft there was a big selection of Dragon Quest goods. Neat stuff.
Plenty of Slime plush dolls and other items.
Sofubi figures.
“Paper theater.” I wonder what these are?
This slime cushion looks comfortable.
CUTE.
So much neat crap, like pens and rulers.
The pen was tempting, but I bought the sticker sheet and roll of tape instead. My daughter Ulan isn’t has big into Dragon Quest as she used to be a few years ago. From when she was in elementary school, she especially played the Slime Adventures games on the GBA, DS, and 3DS so much. She also played the heck out of DQ9 on the DS and read the manga over and over again when she was younger. Now she doesn’t get as excited over Dragon Quest stuff like she used to. Oh how kids change…
Last Saturday, we were visiting the Takasaki Station area and while shopping in the Opa Mall, I suggested we visit the cat cafe there on the 4th floor. For 700 yen per person, you can spend 30 minutes inside, and incremental minutes after then are paid extra if you wish to stay longer. You must buy one drink, so I ordered a chai latte. It was so delicious! I haven’t had chai tea in a very long time.
YUM.
As we sat down, the meow-meows were keenly interested in us, most likely looking for treats that we bought for 200 yen at the counter. Some were very excited about the chai latte, and one was like, “Dude, CREAM. Kick ass!” He lunged his paw into my drink and began licking it off. One kitty with a blue scarf just parked himself on my leg and I let him lap up a lot of the cream.
The kitties there were beautiful and very well-groomed, but they weren’t very affectionate. It seems like they were selected for their appearance rather than their personality. I think it’s mostly because they see people come and go constantly all day, so they don’t really bond to people. You can pet them, but most seemed a bit indifferent and selfish. Their attitude was like, “Oh, you no longer have any treats? Well, bye then.”
There is a black cat I often see in a side street I often take to get to my car after work. I think she must be old as I can feel her bones under her skin. I call her “Mya-Meow.” I call out to her and she replies, and she comes up to me. We can keep up a dialogue that way as she is rather vocal. She’s usually under a car in a driveway. She is always happy to see me, and she lets me pick her up and cradle her like a baby. When I leave, she follows me for a while, calling out to me, begging me to come back and spend more time with her. Her fur is usually dirty and she isn’t well-groomed, but she loves me and never wants me to go.
The Hirose River runs through central Maebashi, and the Ryokuchi Park here is a tranquil oasis in the urban landscape. Last year, Mayu and I discovered this park in summertime. On Monday morning, we had time to kill after dropping our daughter off for her sports club activity. It had rained that morning, so this July morning was pleasant and cool.
The trees grow tall here along the river. Apartment buildings (or condos?) line either side. It is envious to think of how peaceful it must be to live here, to always hear the rushing of water in the river.
Summer ornaments decorate the trees, made by students.
A poem called “Kokoro” (“Heart”) is carved into the bricks of the pedestrian path. I didn’t stop to read it all.
Here is where there is a strong waterfall.
Here is a water wheel, but no water was flowing through it. There are also statues lining the path.
