KAndre

If you mean by traditional toilets those with lots of buttons and seat warmers that I'm determined to acquire in Houston - why yes. If you're talking about some squatty thing, I can hold it for years, chickie!

The next time someone is in Japan...make sure you go to Tsunahachi for some tempura...I had some of the freshest, lightest sea eel cooked right in front of me...and the tiger prawn sushimi was so fresh it was still kicking - my son was horrified. But whatever you do, do NOT try Tully's Taste of Japan New Year Matcha Latte - it tastes like overly sweet green tea and fish paste with whipped cream...ptui! As for Shinjuku station, if you start from inside it is probably easy to find the right entrance - but from the outside, not really...and those other stations on the outside have "Shinjuku" in BIG letters and then stuff like "san chrome" in LITTLE letters that you can't read until you get under the sign....but the shopping is frickin' INCREDIBLE...for little tiny people.

Ahem...is there some reason someone didn't mention that Shinjuku is the world's LARGEST commuter station? And that there are 3 other stations named Shinjuru surrounding the main one? And I kept going into cellular phone stores thinking they were Tower? And they really have white glove service in the big dept stores which is totally distracting? And after two hours of searching for the damn place I'm just gonna try the big one in Shibuya.

Scarlett, you have yet to email me the STUFF you want... but, I'm only a couple of blocks away from Shinjuku Gyoen which is on my list to see...

I am in Tokyo proper now (the Shinjuku area). The people are very, very nice. My child orders two servings of everything. And just because something is named something in English doesn't mean that the person selling it speaks any. And the toilets are WONDERFUL!

Aaaah - an interesting trip so far. Traveling with the eHP has spoiled my ass so bad... Well, I don't know if I've mentioned it, but my son is 21 (almost 22) and in the Navy - based in Yokasuka which is why I'm in Japan for Xmas. One of the things he wanted to show me was how grown up he is, so he wanted to make the plans and pay for everything this trip. I was a titch apprehensive, as this is my baby and I still sort of see him as my little not-seeing-obvious consequences sweetie. But in the spirit of showing him I believe he's all grown up, I let him make the reservations, with only one suggestion - that we book this tourist special to Kyoto (because it had the round trip tickets on the bullet train and accommodation for less than the regular round trip fare). He picked the hotels and sent me confirmation of everything except the Kyoto thing - which he said he had taken care of, and he would meet me at the airport. Cool. I actually get to the airport a couple of hours early, hang around the lounge, get to the gate before boarding starts, have a lovely seat in first class but can't go to sleep. Still not a biggie. Hop off the plane in Narita, make it through Customs, and Paul is nowhere to be seen. I mean nowhere - and T mobile doesn't work in Japan. So I approach the bank of odd looking public phones and the variety of calling card machine with fairly inexplicable instructions sort of in English. I finally get one to work, hook up with Paul (who was upset with himself because he planned to be there early but did something wrong with the trains). We hop on a bus that takes us to the train station closest to our hotel and of course the I fall asleep. I wake up at the stop, Paul turns the map right side up and we walk to the hotel - which is very, very nice and only a couple of blocks away. I did think to myself that I thought Tokyo would be much more crowded and neon covered. We drop off our stuff and find a restaurant by looking at the fake food outside. Pointing at items on the menu worked very well. We headed back to the room and I tried to find our location on any of my Tokyo maps and couldn't. It turns out that Hachioji is miles and miles and MILES away from the city center. Actually, technically, we're not actually in Tokyo at all. OK. Which Paul hadn't realized when he booked the room. Ah well.

Merry Christmas from Tokyo!

Heh. Heh heh. Heh heh heh! Round shiny balls! I got a variety of lumps of coal (which I total forgot but will go back to fetch). merrieeee and kf know LOTS of musical acts I've never heard of. Solo can eat an incredible amount of honey-baked ham. Scarlett has a really dirty mind, while I apparently am as pure as the driven snow. I like crackers! kf, but you went into the dark bathroom first, giggling apprehensively as the door shut behind you... The eHP likes adolescent sleepovers.

KAndre thinks REALLY hard... OK, if Clay is willing to feel me up during the singing of Hallelujah, I'm sure I could manage to like that performance...c'mon, Clay! Take one for the team!

But I never said her Oscar behaviour wasn't (or was) - especially since I didn't see the Oscar thing. But it's the entertainment business - almost by definition self-serving - and that was a public event. The whole "let me reach out to you (or not) in your time of grief" should be private - and not up for public consumption if it's sincere - which is why out of all of this the most self-serving person seems to be the MySpace friend. You can be kind without being a friend - and you don't have to be kind to everyone. It's like couchie's thing with the children's choir and Clay - there are people probably to this day who heard one side of the story and are now convinced he's the biggest bastard that walked the face of the earth (oooh! He starved children! And didn't pay them!) ETA: keepingfaith should have warned you - I'm an argumentative bitch! But charming! I swear, I can be charming!

It's the Oscars? Showtime? The same reason Adrian Brody frenched Halle Berry on stage - and I don't think they were friends either! For me, something like an offer of support in such a time of need should be private because the public flaunting seems to be more about the person making the gesture. Just me. Taxis are wonderful thing during the holiday party season!

The same way it doesn't make sense to me - She says, "those of us who love her" and then goes on to say, "I don't know her very well," . If you don't know her, you don't love her. That's the bottom line for me. it's the "I just keep reminding her that I'm here, whatever that might mean to her. " And the first thing that would want to come out of my mouth is "You don't know me...leave me alone." But then again, it annoys me that King even asked her - it reminds me of every time some insensitive reporter sticks a microphone in a victim's face and asks "How does that make you feel?" But again the idea of being discussed on Larry King is horrific to me.

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree - what happened to JHud was a catastrophic tragedy - it was - but the family who was killed when an Air Force jet crashed into their home was no less a tragedy, the Caffey murders this in Texas - were no less catastrophic but they weren't celebrities. But co starring in the movies doesn't make people necessarily friends...or really even acquaintances. It is a intense experience but that also intensifies the good as well as the bad. And harsh though it may be, it sounds like JHud was a bit star struck and wanted to be friends - but that doesn't mean Beyonce had to be. And it was very nice of all those people to go over and above for JHud - but for those who didn't I simply don't think it makes them bad or insensitive people. There are lots of people that I have spent a chunk of time with - I have their home phone number - and wouldn't dream of imposing myself on them in their time of grief. Tosses off a quick text in response to a tragedy like that just seems so..I don't know. I do know I wouldn't do it. It just reminds me of my uncle's funeral when all these former coworkers of my uncle kept coming up to my aunt and saying the same meaningless things over and over and over again until my cousin had to take her out back. And on the praying thing? Notwithstanding your first reaction (which did seem a touch cynical), she did what most religious people do (which Beyonce is as well), not offer to pray, but just did. Sometimes whether you want to be prayed for or not. Maybe it's the way I was brought up, but you don't ask to pray for people (though people can ask for prayers). Somehow, I don't think Beyonce's career is really all that threatened by JHud - Beyonce is as aware as anyone that there is plenty of room in entertainment and has been one of the highest profile entertainers since the '90's. Beyonce has a reputation as nice girl here in Houston - hasn't forgotten where she's come from - and from what little I've paid attention to, a very private person. And has gone through a fair amount of profession nastiness. Hell, didn't she even hide her marriage for a while? If, in all that happened, JHud was crushed because Beyonce didn't text her (which I find really hard to believe considering what she was going through), then I feel for the girl. But at this point, it strikes me that this famewhore of a "friend" - "Superstar James" person, posting because HE was angry at Beyonce (and no, everyone doesn't know how much JHud loves Beyonce) didn't accomplish anything except negativity. And frankly think JHud needs better taste in friends.

Ooooo...JHud's best friend blogged about this? See, now that creeps me totally out. If Jennifer Hudson was hurt over this, let's hear it from her - Superstar James could (and in my opinion should) have kept holding his tongue. What in the world did the blog accomplish except to have people dislike Beyonce? Somehow, I don't think it made JHud feel any better. My only problem with that, as far as I can tell, JHud and Beyonce weren't friends or anything - at most, they were coworkers. For all we know, they hated each other. Beyonce didn't diss the woman, didn't lie and say she reached out for her, but did say she prayed for her. Which I don't see as a bad thing. I'm probably projecting, but I wouldn't want a co-worker that I wasn't close to "reach out to me" in the midst of a tragedy. And not texting or emailing? God, maybe I'm too old school for words, but maybe Beyonce verbally expressed her sorrow at J's loss - and left it at that. "Reaching out" in a situation like JHud's - oddly enough, I don't think it something that everyone - or even most people needed to do. Obama clearly likes JHud (considering she's singing at the inauguration), maybe he feels some sort of personal connection with her - because there were probably a hundred similar tragedies that occur constantly - but he didn't "reach out" to them. Which doesn't make him wrong. Eh, I am so just not a shary-type person - when my father passed, I admit I only told my supervisor and certain co-workers and friends about it - hell, my mother was pissed that she wasn't one of them (very long and convoluted story - for years, I didn't think she knew what his first name was, she disliked him so much).

Yay for couchiemom! I am so totally indifferent to celebrities' (and most people's) personal lives (yes, even Clay's). If Clay is happy...I don't really care why he's happy. Like the Beyonce/JHud thing - I didn't have a clue apparently there were issues - though the first thing I thought was how in hell did anyone know if she reached out or not? (Beyonce, I'm fairly indifferent to as well, though she's from Houston). Apparently she went to the memorial service, and beyond that, I'm not sure what obligations celebrities have to the public's expectations. Not really interested in Parker, Reed, etc. etc. etc. because proximity to the Aiken is not really enough to stir my interest. Jaymes is interesting because frankly I liked what she has produced with Clay so far, and I've agreed with what little she's said on the OFC. Reed is of no interest to me because I don't think he's all that hot (much too big eyed sensitive looking dude for my taste) and except for Clay, I'm not really into Broadway. If various rumors turn out to be true (or false), it will make absolutely no difference to me because I already think for the most part, the internet fandom as a collective is clinically psychotic (or crazier than a shithouse rat, take your pick). My advice is to avoid the crazy, enjoy the good, and chill.

{{{{{{{{{couchie and mom}}}}}}} Congrats to son of Fear!

Have fun! Anyhoo, I like Bo too - just not as much as Clay!

Snow in frickin' Houston...500 accidents in Harris County since last night. Lord, we really don't know how to deal. I've survived the second layoff in a month at my company...let's see if I can make it through March! Happily, I have 4 hours of Clay on my flash drive I conveniently keep in my purse (as I has cleared my computer of stuff "just in case".)

Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP! It was 78 fricking degrees yesterday. YESTERDAY! It is now SNOWING. Stupid, freezing cold SNOW! All in the air and stuff! How do we get it to quit?!?!? I can't feel my FEET.

pats via the internet xxx3clay... Tsk, tsk merrieeee...my fantasy gay boyfriend may have gotten me an additional boyfriend. I need to send him a note that I still want Brosnan. Not that Reed isn't cute. Cute is good. But to make a good faith effort of fulfilling my fantasies (and as his fan, I deserve at least that!) Clay needs to collect a number of older guys I've been lusting for for a really long time. He's the youngest in the bunch, so it's his job to make it work. He can do it one at a time though. I'm not as young as I used to be. But if he finds out he, Depp, Denzel and Pierce only have the one weekend in Vegas, I'll suck it up. Heh. (Frankly, the gay thing makes my fantasy life much easier - I am so not interested in competition with hot chicks. Shallow. I redefine shallow.) Concert Clay. I want me some Concert Clay.

One of the admins (couchie) should know. Admins (couchie) knows everything! Mods are pitiful. And lazy. But I think it's 50 posts for the next thing, which I don't actually remember what it is. As for Clay, the important thing is that Reed is cute! Yay! I am deeply, deeply shallow. Deeply. If Clay is going to indulge my fantasies, I need him to pick up a (or several - I'm easy) hot guy(s) so I can be in a hot guy sandwich.

Hmph...While it's obvious I am too good and kind and understanding and sympathetic and agreeable and wouldn't say boo to a fly to be in here with you btiches... I'll hang around and let some of my BS* rub off on y'all... *Blessed Sweetness in case you didn't know. Really. No, really! Uh huh! Ask anyone who knows...better yet, ask someone who doesn't know me! I'll just wait for someone to bring me my halo... And no, no one is allowed to do searches for various earlier posts. Or quote things I might have said in person. What, do you think my name is Clay?!?!?

Christmas eve! Make sure you get me your wish list!

Tsk, tsk, clazycoffin...cheerful, happy, joy joy stuff? You should know we'd be on that like white on rice! I shall cabbage patch a little just for you! Couchie got it in one...Clay Aiken is the one dragged all the fans into the fandom...he is the magnet that will continue to do that. Just sing to me, pretty boy... - love it. spikesmom - full of crap my ass - I think you have a clear understanding of a segment of people. pats everyone with woes - job or otherwise Scarlett is such a geek...chick! Guess where one of the places I'm staying in Tokyo is? (I know that sentence totally sucks structure wise, but science major here, thank you very much!) The Akihabara district!

One of the joys of being me is that I see no reason to get along just for the sake of getting along. I am picky with whom I associate, and I don't see the reasons I choose to disagree with someone as being ignorant, and there is just some shit I will not put up with. I personally don't want to hang around unpleasant people and I personally find intolerance unpleasant. And I'm not going to make myself miserable in the hope that I am in charge of Clay's fan base. At a certain point, people need to own their reactions. There are members of the fandom I don't care for...I went somewhere else. Didn't leave the fandom. There is not a Prince fan in the entire freakin' world that has one iota of effect on me. And I've been a fan of Prince for more that 30 years. The Clay fandom as a whole, is probably a lot less influenced by individuals than you think. You feel someone has judged you erroneously? Then call 'em out. But don't whack the innocent for the hell of it, or try to make them feel guilty for stuff they didn't do.