second hand love

We went through a bit of vinyl withdrawal here at the Lentil house waiting for a replacement belt for our turntable. Now it's here, it's on, all is well. It is a bit hard to believe a large rubber band can cost so much, but okay. It's also hard to believe a cartridge can be worth $300 - as ours would be, except that Mr. Lentil scooped it up at a thrift store, new in the box, for four dollars. I guess it averages out just fine.

To celebrate we cracked the seal on our original Blue Note recording of Jackie McLean's Action. Yes, it was sealed, geeky collector types, and no, it was not the re-issue! When we owned a record store we had to part with a lot of things we loved. Now, a year past it's closing, I'm starting to feel like a citizen of the world again, of our world anyway, the world where we buy something of quality because we know what we love, and we keep it. It is a much better planet. We're back to our house full of flea market furniture, discarded library art, dusty books and records - back where we belong.

Mr. Lentil said "Are you sure? We could sell it on ebay." Yes, I'm sure. A lot of good things are worth more than money.

turning japanese i think i'm turning japanese i really think so

Last night before bed I watched an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto who invented Wii Fit (among many other things). He was so sweet and obviously motivated by the simplicity and beauty of interactive design. Even saying it that way sounds too complicated. He is just directly connected with his work. Our work doesn't have to be complicated, just attentive and engaged, she mumbles to herself.

Then I went to bed and after dreaming about making thousands of Mii's in a contest, I dreamed I took Mr. Lentil out for his birthday to a small fancy restaurant owned by a Japanese family. We watched as they made our dinner, flat oval-shaped discs made of redbeans, served with a sauce and rice. I was taken aback when it didn't really taste like anything, but as we chewed it it got better and better. Then the mother and father and their little girl all came out with gifts for Mr. Lentil, wrapped in paper and covered with notes they had written to him in Japanese. So, in conclusion, thanks Japanese people, for all the food and video games.

First up today is a dress and shrug with ubersleeves made from the green and black fabrics that you see up there. Getting started with a CD mix of Brian Eno - Another Green World, Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong, Laurie Anderson - Big Science, Dr. John - In The Right Place, and my friend Norm: The Human - The Human Loves You. He does, you know.