a new kind of common sense: TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese man set fire to the hotel where he was due to get married at the weekend, rather than go through with the ceremony later the same day, newspaper reports said Monday.
Tatsuhiko Kawata, 39, had gone along with wedding plans despite already having a wife, the Yomiuri newspaper said.
"I thought if I set a fire I wouldn't have to go through with the wedding," the Yomiuri quoted him as telling police.
Guests at the hotel were evacuated and no one was injured when he set the fire in the early hours of Sunday morning at the resort hotel in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo.
---- a normal day near San Francisco:
SAN ANSELMO, Calif. – Police have charged a man with stealing a Lexus SUV he drove to court the day a jury was to decide whether to convict him in a separate auto theft case.
The man, a 37-year-old San Francisco hairstylist, was arraigned Monday on charges of receiving a stolen vehicle and receiving stolen property after police saw him approach the stolen Lexus in front of the courthouse with its keys in hand.
Police were attracted to the SUV after bystanders noticed several Yorkshire terriers mulling around it.
----
my ex had a very stupid brother, we'll call him Schmo. Schmo was dealing drugs for extra cash in college by way of a duffel bag. it worked, and he could afford a certain lifestyle desired.
then one day, his duffel bag got stolen. so he needed Justice, and called 911 to report the theft. he now lives in Ecuador.
chickens & friends :: East Coast Parade
Current mood: grateful
Off Duty Boba Fett Clones going to a party.
I've just come home after an great five weeks of being on the road. it was the best trip, yet. Greg did all the driving, i kept banging the GPS against the dash. fantastic gigs, generous listeners, and some of the best conversations i've had in a long time. from feeding chickens & sheep a few mornings, to grabbing the closest rail on a packed subway in NY, it was the most diverse and beautiful North America i've seen, yet. my cousin took me zip-lining through the autumn mountains of New Hampshire, where i realized that it was a different kind of music i heard in my head in the hypnotic october color-palette that burns the sky.
shadow feeds animals.
Playing in Manhattan was like three shots of caffeine but without the melancholy hang over. we had a crowd that literally marched into the venue in what looked like soccer uniforms. they listened closely at the front tables, while stylish boots and lookers surrounded the perimeter. Philly, New York, Jersey, Boston, New Hampshire, all over the tour there were surprise appearances by family, friends, friends of friends, myspace friends.. it was so humbling to realize that people are generous with their lives, always inviting us in, willing to share in the basic pleasure of human connection.
after many dunkin' donuts & toll plazas on jersey turnpike, greg and i parted ways. i traveled on to Canada to visit Montreal, city of croissants and crepes, and where i joined the Babes for Breasts Benefit Tour. we played in beautiful listening rooms, old churches turned theatres, and rowdy pubs where we rocked out. we shared love stories and kept each other safe. i have female friends, but not always on the same geographical plane. so it was my first series of "Sex in the City" chatting-at-a-cafe cut scenes, except it was all the time, on/off stage, in the van, groggy in the mornings, or hyper after gigs. There was a grace that i loved about these girls. it was so much fun.
knowing i had five weeks to sell cds, i brought what i thought was more than enough. but to my self-deprecating surprise, i sold out at the second to last gig, and spent an afternoon burning cds in Ottawa, where it was crispy cold. (scarf! :) i was watching my expenses, so instead of buying legit disc envelopes, i ripped out maps of Ottawa from the phone book. they looked so cute that i made more so i'll have keepsakes:
my mad origami chops ruled. i SOld OUT all those cds that night.. which meant i had to rip out the REST of the maps out. if you're lost in Ottawa, my bad.
It was an amazing time. i hope to do it again soon. Thank you for being a part of all my movement. i'm glad to be back to explore SF, where i'm still brand new and don't call Home yet, but i'm super excited to write this month, and PLAY my first big SF debut next month at the RED DEVIL! while on the road, i also found out that there's a piece on me in a magazine called AUDREY? i haven't seen it yet... hope it's good!
much love, jane.
ps. greg and i made a music video of his song: "End of the Road". enjoy! pps. check out PICS for East Coast Parade pictures!!
London texting. songwriting competition.
Current mood: jedi
a few days ago, i hesitantly joined this songwriting contest based in London. Hesitant, not because of anything ethical or self-critical, i just don't have the dinero to pay entrance fees. but i closed my eyes tight, cringed my nose, "f*&! it!" and clicked the bright orange SUBMIT button.
yesterday, i found out that i made it through a few rounds, and "Firefly" is now on their website for a month of Text-Voting! if it gets through this heat, I'll fly to London for the finals!
secondly, i can't wait to fly down to SD for the Music Awards tomorrow! my ma always said, "save the best underwear for important occasions!" i'm so honored that i'm considering a hair cut on top of that. and my best socks. see you there. !!
----
i just joined netflix. amazing. lately: The Diving bell & the butterfly Neverwhere (neil gaiman) Herbie Hancock: Possibilities I'm trying to break your heart: Wilco Madame Tutli Putli (animated short: sooo beautiful) The Office (Brit)
since i haven't written in a while, i think i'll start backwards.
Now :: Los Angeles i competed in an Acoustic Show produced by Kollaboration. the Ford Amphitheatre was gorgeous, and the talent knocked my socks off. though i think too loudly in my head, i tend to be shy talking with new folks. Yet there's a weird blurry point when the veil lifts and i become fierce - i think Between when i'm ironing my pantlegs with sweaty palms off stage, and when my butt situates on the piano bench (or phone book for those of you insiders). my darling said to me on many occasions, "be faithful to your artform." so i did, and the piano became a friend, and we sang a song together for yall. both wore black for sexyness. yeeeea. it was the greatest 3 minute-blast i had. so much that when all the musicians/crew were standing on stage waiting for the awards announcements, i was hanging in the back with the piano, totally content with the night and new acquaintances. then PK (the MC) said, "grand prize.......JANE LUuIIII!..." i give beauty pageants more credit these days... 'cause putting my hands over my mouth was seriously the only thing i could think of. seriously. i won $1000, a chance to play at House of Blues Anaheim, and at the next Kollaboration in Feb at the Shrine Auditorium (6000 cap.!!). we're going to take the long way home tomorrow, stopping off here and there for cappuccinos and oceanic views to celebrate.
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you.
July :: San Francisco i adore my apartment. we still need a couch, there's boxes of crap that i never know where to put. but we're walking distance to a mental rehab, and i can get help real quick. a very active city, it says, "do what you want. the ideas will have room to grow." so many new faces, opportunities coming along, tours, travels, what a life! i WILL finish my apt decor, and i WILL put up a video giving you a tour.
i'm off to dinner...oh and a friend just tagged this old pic of me and mraz... good lord..
i bought a pair of black heels from payless. (buy 1 get 2nd half off) then painted on them. "oh, a rabbit with a hat on..." well, close enough i guess. it's a windy scene with a girl and her umbrella got blown off. i wanna see what else you can come up with. yeah yeah. i swear i'm great at stick figures.
i don't think i've had this many people know my birthday before. what a crazy place these internetworks become :) thanks for all your wishes.
i had an amazing day, fed ivan at the wild animal park (see photos), chased geese, watched lorikeets pee like a squirt bottle, and watched pelicans regurgitate for the young. sweet sight, but good lord i'm out of shape. so sore. (giraffes are my most favorite animals ever, if you have my album, you'll see Misu on the back of barkentine!)
thanks again for being so kind. it was one of the most funnest birthdays ever.
since the awesome show at lestats, i've been damn sick! you just don't wanna know what i've been hacking up. so i sat a lot. leaned on things. watched episodes of monty python (flying circus). here's a joke:
what's brown and sounds like a bell...
DUNNNNG.
funnier when THEY do it? definitely. ---
SONY liked Firefly, so they put it on the new edition of their gadget MYLO as a part of their music demo playlist. i was all asian with my camera phone and buck teeth at the sony store taking pictures of it. so if you're at fry's or any gadgetry place, look for it!
my film maker bud steve ellington met up with me at piccadilly circus, London on my first day there last October. we went under and overground and shot a video for Libra Armor. some fun things i got to do include lipsyncing to the song at half AND double speed, & getting weird looks from people preaching jesus.
impressed
jedi
rushed
