So much to do before I go, I have one more Sunday performing in the world premiere play Verbose Gourmand’s 7/25 at the Hollywood Fight Club Theatre on Sunset and Highland.

The big cherry is Mind Majors an LA based production team that I have recently fallen completely in love with, and I think the feeling is mutual. I’m just really excited to be working on music again, fun, funky, soulful… AAAAHHH! I’ll keep you posted.

Love, light,

So much magic

aaaaahhhhh

Today I went to a Japanese restaurant downtown in Little Tokyo, it was my idea to go and I was really excited about it, was I in for a surprise.  It was so surreal, people speaking Japanese and me understanding them, the menu, the decor, it was SO Japanese…it was too Japanese…it made me sad.

I remember when my mom moved out of our childhood home, the house in which she raised her four children, the house where I swallowed a quarter, the house where my cousin Sarah and I staged a full two person production of Les Mis, where my sister Laura swallowed a jack (we were very hungry children, and loved shiny things…still do), the house where I chased my brother Logan with a fork, a house full of memories.

I was already living in LA when she moved, so although it was sad, I was a bit removed from the emotion, so caught up in my daily grind, it wasn’t until I went back to visit with a boyfriend that it hit me, I wanted to show him the neighborhood I grew up in, and asked my mom if she would come along, I knew that she would have a slew of stories about every corner, embarrassing anecdotes that I’d forgotten, but she refused, when I asked why, she said simply, “too sad.”  I didn’t get it.

Today, in that restaurant, it was surreal, I told my date, “I feel like I had a dream I was being chased, and woke up with blisters.”  Japan was a dream, and today, as I summoned the waitress with a friendly sumi masen I realized that it was real,  lol, that really two months ago, I was living in Japan, I woke up, and all of the details came flooding back , and once again mother proved right…too sad.

Some memories  are so close they sting, not because they are sorrowful, but because they are so joyful.

I miss my friends, in the best way, I feel so ludicrously blessed to have them in my life, I love them so much I want to fight about it.

I want to line them up and punch them in the face and/or stomach and then cover them in hugs and kisses.

I want to sing with them again.

I want to dance with them again.

I want them to make fun of my Nihongo.

I want to embarrass them by putting this hideous picture on my blog.

But mostly I just want to honor them and the experience.

What a great ride.

I feel better now.

Thanks for reading.

ps. (two of the pretty girls from that picture up there, read em’)

Katie Nunez’s Blog

Beck Corley’s Blog

Arrigato Chu hi!

Although there is one positive to all this fluness, this morning at the doctor, they gave me a flu test…yeah… I didn’t know this existed either, It involves a translator telling you to sit very still and breathe through  your mouth and a dainty Japanese doctor man sticking a swab way up your nose and into your sinuses. For a moment I felt like I was in Ancient Egypt about to be mummified.   It sounds gross, but it kinda felt good in that gross way, you know when you have a sinus infection or are really stuffy, and all you want to do is just get in there and shake things up, thats what it felt like.  And then they sent me out to the waiting room About 5 minutes later I was called back in, and he shows me this little thing that looks like a pregnancy test, and it has one pink line growing darker and darker, and then the translators telling me that i have flu, the doctor points to the line and explains that its Influenza A, that it could be swine flu but there is no way to really differentiate at this point. All I could do was look at the test and say “Sugoi!” (cool) and you know what, I think I saw a smug sort of a smirk from ol’Doc, because he knows,  like I know, that this flu test is awesome.

So they gave me a ton of medication, which I’ve started and which is helping.

The bummer is I’m out of work for 5 days, and since I love work this is no bueno.

The plus side is that I get to do some hardcore TV watching, I’m catching up on Heroes to start, who knows whats next.

Okay, still a little delirious from the 12 hours of napping I’ve done today.

Jones, Out.

or

2064 hours

or

123,840 minutes

or

74,30,400

Left of my contract with Tokyo Disney.

A HELICOPTER!

This shark hates all mankind…

I probably shouldn’t be watching this as my boyfriend is presently in Florida and has been spending a great deal of time shark fishing…yeah…SHARK FISHING. People actually do this. Regular intelligent people will wade through dark sharky water and catch fish, tie them to their bodies and then wade out and use the fish to catch sharks…here’s the question…what if the shark catches you? duh duh duh duh…

And you know what the worst part is? I want to do it!  I don’t think I have the courage, for as much as I talk a big game, I am a huge sissy.

Oh My God The shark is after the Police Boat!

Yikes he crashed!

I wonder if the hysterical girl in this movie got nodules from all the screaming?

The other really incredible thing about the movie JAWS! is the Police Chiefs sexy man cut offs….HOT.

So anyway, yeah, I don’t think I could do the whole standing waist deep in the ocean with dead fish tied to me and Bull sharks swimming at me…But then again, I can stand on a stage and sing for 2000 people no problem, and that might scare some people.

OH MY GOD THE SHARK GOT THE CHAIR!

This is the best movie I have ever seen in my LIFE.

For just a second there he just looked like a it breathed fire which as we all know would make it a dragon shark which haven’t been around since the days of Bilbo Baggins.

The end credits have some really pleasant music

I have made a terrible mistake…I was wondering why nothing looked familiar…That was Jaws 2!

well this is just a travesty.

The best part of all is that I’m still going to post this blog.

Boom.

Jones. Out.

Been really busy at work with Christmas rehearsals and then finally opening the Christmas show (which is absolutely Magical by the by) in which I get to speak JAPANESE or Nihongo (Japanese in Japanese) which I have been studying more and more, and I actually made a reservation ON THE PHONE using my skills! Probably it was mostly using the guys patience and my dictionary, but still! Ha! Have you ever made a reservation at a Japanese restaurant in Japan? (if you have don’t respond, I need this right now) because I have!  Speaking of things that I have and you probably don’t;.

Yes. It is exactly what it looks like.

A Gizmo Onesie.

Yeah, you heard me right.

A GIZMO. ONESIE.

Feeling a little green? Choto jealous?

Well then you’re feelin’ about right hermano.

Cause this thing is good.

So good in fact that I”m wearing it as I type.

Why you ask? Because its a Gizmo Onesie, thats why.

And its cold here in Japan, some might call it ass cold. And this fleecy suit of love is keeping me warm, and cozier than a snuggy.  So as you go about your day today and ponder life and the world as we know it, remember this…someone out there is in a Gizmo Onesie…It can’t be all bad.

I got really excited last week when not only did Asahi (my favorite checker at the grocery store who kind of speaks English) remember my name, BUT also, the girls at Pan Jewel (the little bakery across the street that gives you free espresso with purchase and where I have eaten about 3 lifetimes worth of cheeseballs) greeted me when I came in for the first time in a week, of course I had no idea what they were saying really, but I could tell they noticed that I hadn’t been in…I’m not gonna lie…it made me want to cry a little bit.

Here’s the thing, I never realized how much time I spend alone at home in LA, and because of this how much of my interaction is with strangers, or people who work at the places I regular.

For example, I spent more time with the Ladies at Curves then I did with my best friends, or Nick and Cody at the Healthy Bean (where I would go for the worlds best coffee and smoothies), or Jesus from El Pollo Loco, or that one really hot delivery guy who works at Bossa Nova and who’s name I can never remember making it really awkward every time I go in…in fact all the beautiful men and women of Bossa Nova, and their delicious, delicious Cheesecake! (I probably spent more time with Bossa Nova cheescake than anyone or anything else…this is true.)

What was I talking about?

Oh yeah.

So I found myself on one of my days off in the grocery store feeling really lonely.  I just hate not being able to ask someone how their day has been, or,  tell them how much I love their earrings, or ask where I can find the cheescake.  I was fine before I realized this, but you know when you’re aware of something how it becomes all consuming? Suddenly I could feel the walls closing in…everything was in Japanese, I couldn’t figure out which was the milk and which was the drink yogurt, I bit into what I thought was beef yakitori and it was liver…Yes. The world was falling apart.

Then something happened. I saw a sample cart set up and this adorable woman peddling her gyoza, so I did what I always do when there is free food involved, I partook, and it was delicious, and the look on my face must have said so, because she then did something  that turned my life around, she looked me dead in the eye, touched my arm and said, “Good.”

Good. GOOD. Good never felt so good.

I responded, “Sugoi!” (great), “Oishii!” (delicious).t

And then we both just grinned at each other really hard, knowing that we had gone as far as we could with words, but that our vigorous smiling and nodding  for the  7 seconds that followed solidified our relationship…Best friends forever.

The word good on its own has never brought tears to my eyes before, but it did that night.  When you feel small and alone its amazing what a friendly face can do.

I finished my shopping and went to the checkout, Asahi had a line, and there were other checkers with no wait, but I went to my girl, she noticed that I had gotten a tan .

On the way out of the shop I ran into my friend Michael who said, “Its so good to see you, I had the day off and, I don’t know, it was depressing, I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

I know exactly what you mean Michael.

Isn’t it funny how in the moment our feelings seem so unique, but in reality, we are all just people negotiating our way through life?

Trying to figure it out.

sigh.

In conclusion, I live in Japan.

I have a checker who knows my name, I eat too many cheese balls, I naturally say Kawaii instead of cute, and Sugoi instead of awesome.  Its normal to see people walking around in Yukata’s (soon to be Kimono’s), and I know exactly where Gwen Stefani is singing about when she says Harajuku (or her bastardized version of the word “Hairajuku”… so very wrong) and I could even tell you a great cafe to try if you ever happen to be in the neighborhood.

I love it here, or at least I really, really, really, really like it so far. And it will only get better.

ps. Did I mention that the shopping is amazing? cause its amazing

pps. I ended up buying a package of gyoza, and they were oishii, so oishii in fact that I ate the package of ten before I’d even unpacked the rest of the groceries.

ppps. Is it possible to air mail cheesecake?

My favorite part (besides the food of course) is the clothing, so many women were in their traditional summer Yutakas, which I have been calling kimono’s which is WRONG, as I have been informed on several occasions lol.

There were amazing street performances, traditional Japanese Drums, Dancing girls wearing nothing but feathers and pasties!!! It was stimulation overload and I loved every second of it.

I ate some amazing Yakitori, and also tried a traditional Japanese dish, Okonomiyaki, which is basically a pancake with a potatoey egg base, covered in shredded cabbage, and then some type of protien, every stand made it differently, mine had a huge piece of bacon, and squid(which is quickly becoming my favorite seafood) then its covered in this sauce (kind of a less sweet teriyaki sauce),( there was a hint of ginger too) and all grilled together, then covered in this mayoey stuff, and then eaten by me in about 30 seconds because it was so good!

Its going on all weekend, so if you happen to be in Tokyo, Don’t miss it! If not, live vicariously lol…Trust me, I’ll eat enough for all of us.

http://www.timeout.jp/tokyo/aroundtown/article/maximum-matsuri

I am going to make an agonizingly long story short by saying this…

1)we got on the wrong train… twice.

2)A 20 minute trip took about 2.5 hours.

3)I forgot my papers.

4)The American woman at Citibank pretended not to speak English,

5)The money never got wired,

6)We were hungry.

7)Kasi was angry at everyone in the world including you probably.

BUT there is always a light…

1)I now know SEVERAL ways to get to Chiba no matter where I’m starting from.

2)Trains in Japan play a song everytime they stop which might be the greatest thing ever, not quite sure yet.

3)We ended up in SHIBUYA!

Now I’ve had a shirt for a few years thats one of my faves, and it says, Shibuya by night. I should have known that it would be one of my favorite places too! Its beautiful and colorful and WONDERFUL, and I can’t wait to go back.

We were literally there long enough for one drink, then, exhausted, we got on a train home. But even the one drink was cooler than a drink anywhere else I’ve had a drink…so there.

The moral of this story is, when someone asks you “How many Americans does it take to wire transfer money?” you answer “more than 3….and don’t forget your Visa.”

PS. How great are the Japanese? in America if we don’t have something we just get annoyed with you for asking. In Japan, they mix ingredients until they have what you need. Soda Water and Syrup?! and you know what? it was way better than 7up. HA!

Sunday, we had a chance to see the show that we will be performing  5days a week 5shows a  day, beginning 9/1, and I was a bit…shall we say…anxious. I mean, this is going to be my life until April…what if I didn’t like it?!

That wouldn’t have mattered, I’m a professional, and its a job. But how much better are jobs when you absolutely LOVE them? Am I right? No need to answer that. We both know the answer.

So we sit down in the theatre, which seats about 1500, and is BEAUTIFUL, it has a very intimate feeling, it reminded me and Katie (one of my fellow singers) of The Pasadena Playhouse, not the look, just the feel.

Anyway, the theatre was PACKED, totally and completely, and they told us that it is like that every show! There are patrons who have annual passes and are just fans of Big Band Beat (that’s the name of my show) and will queue up for every show. They come to the park and thats all they do!

SO, the lights dim, and  I start getting excited, it goes to black and then the music starts and the lights start dancing all over the curtain, the curtain rises and there is the Band! I totally got chills and started giggling like a school girl.  The show opens with  It Don’t Mean a Thing, which as we all know is one of the greatest toe-tapping songs of all time.

I don’t need to do a full play by play, lets just say the show was AMAZING, and  I can’t wait to be in it!