Adventures in Japan

Irish Pee Teevee

We went to an almost authentic Irish pub just the other day. It was a very nice change. Not that we don't like izakayas, far from it, I'll probably miss them the most. But man, having nachos as an option on a bar menu is just really nice. We did not order the nachos. We got a few rounds of Kilkenny and a Shepherd's Pie and Chicken, Fish and Chips. It was all good, baby! Especially the fish. The batter was just excellent. But only when on the fish. On it's own, suprisingly bland. Maybe we could have paid less, but who really cares? The decor was decent, the service was good and there was live Irish music. Okay, it was played by Japanese people but it was still good.

Woot.

On our way back home we observed two Japanese guys. They were urinating. They were urinating loudly. They urinated on the signs that obscured their urinating bits from us. They urinated on the bikes and scooters parked in front of said signs. They urinated on each other. They seemed to be having a grand ole time.

Also: Carla and I were in Australia when 24 first started. So we haven't seen any 24. None. Even when I was being paid to watch it, I didn't watch it. The Fox Channel here has started to replay 24 from the first series so we decided to tune in and see what all the hooplah was about. As far as we can tell, the hooplah was about frequent dips to black.

Our cable service sucks is what I'm trying to say. Our cable box craps out at least four times every episode. That makes following the various plot threads difficult.

And since we got the cable (which isn't really cable, it comes in over the phone line) our internet connection has been less than stellar. Not slow so much as intermittent. Like the TV. Sucks. We're gettin' a dish.

Back to 24, as a former television proffesional, I am confused by the Japanese broadcast of 24. It is obvious that they have butted segments together and inserted breaks willy nilly. That makes no sense. Why do that? The show is already formatted. You can tell it's time for a break when you hear that ticking noise. Not here in Japan. It really disrupts the flow. Not as much as when the box craps out, but still. Plus, the whole gimick of 24 is that it takes place in real time over the course of an hour. That illusion is kinda ruined when the credits roll a good fifteen minutes before the top of the clock.

And whoever works their traffic department is getting a sweet deal. We're pretty sure the commercials have been exactly the same, in every break, for the last couple weeks. They are plugging the heck out of Dharma and Greg. We should just rent the DVDs. Not the Dharma ones, the 24 ones.