Wallet Tony goes to Ueno

I've been a bit lacking on the posting front lately. I have tons of cards I can share, but I'm just too easily distracted right now hunting for things on Yahoo Auctions, trying to get the latest Buck Farmer cards (as of this writing, I need Purple, Gold, Pink, Framed, and the 1/1s), and just working on various projects.

I haven't even been really doing things on the weekend since the New Years vacation. So Wallet Tony has been mostly shuttered in, keeping watch over my point cards. But on Monday afternoon I made my way to Ueno and Tony came out for a while as well!

Ameyoko is an area just south of Ueno along the railroad tracks with lots of shops and restaurants. This is in the izakaya (Japanese pub) area, which was still pretty quiet around 4PM.

Look closely at the intentionally blurry background and you might be able to tell that the store in the picture is an adult novelty shop. Those are girlie magazines out in the front, and I'm pretty sure that pink and black poster above them is for a toy men might use while looking at the magazines. Around the corner were cosplay costumes.

I'm sure Tony enjoyed the ladies, but I met up with my friend and we went to an art exhibit instead. Afterward, we went to a cafe with very expensive coffee. If you think Starbucks is pricey, take a look at the cup above. Over $7 for that, which was basically a hot chocolate with green tea. It was good, but I don't think I'll be trying that idea again.

Tony didn't make an appearance in this photo... after coffee and chatting we went to a "hamburg" restaurant. Hamburg is basically a salisbury steak - hamburger patty with sauce. This one came with a baked potato and was very tasty.

Happy Twintail Day!

Japan loves its "Days" with several holidays and other notable days scattered through the year. Yes, America has plenty of them, but the ones in Japan are just more fun!

Case in point, February 2nd may be Groundhog Day in the US, but 2/2 represents twintails, those two bunches of hair that hang on either side of a girl's head, should she choose to wear her hair that way.

 These can take several forms, from the standard pigtails look below, to a more "shrimp" appearance above, to the dual ponytails that seem to be most popular.

 The day isn't just about girls putting their hair into two bands, though. There is a romantic side as well!

 Today is a day where guys can profess their love by giving their lady of choice a pair of hair bands. Should she accept his love, she uses those bands to put her hair into a pair of twin tails!

 Japan has a youth-oriented culture, and despite your feelings about that, many ladies choose to look more youthful by wearing their hair in twintails. And in summer, it really helps girls keep their necks cool in the humidity.

 After living in America, where so many women shun femininity in the name of feminism, Japanese women's interest in looking like women is a welcome change. And I've seen plenty of women who can be plenty powerful and feminine at the same time.

But today's about hair bands. And love, I guess.

The Return of the Top 10 Want List!

I'm a bit behind the times when it comes to pop culture. When I was in high school and college, I knew all the hottest songs and movies. Glee and the whole a Capella renaissance hit while I was still teaching in the US, but the movie Pitch Perfect came out in 2012. I'm just now finally watching it, as I write this post.

And I have to ask... is this movie for real? Are there universities in the US with four or five groups competing against each other? Do they gather in drained pools and have impromptu rumbles? Are there people so obsessed with a Capella singing that they make horrible puns like "a Ca-excuse me?" and "you're going to get pitch slapped" when they speak? Are intra-university competitions broadcast with color commentators? I get that the story is actually based on a non-fiction book, but... really? At least the movie is funny. It had some moments that made me laugh out loud.

I guess I'm getting old and out of touch with these younger kids. Before you know it, I'll be a grandpa.

So, baseball cards...

I used to have a top 10 wanted card list. I got rid of it when I redid my want list page, because it was just easier to leave the full lists up. Call me lazy.

But there are cards I've been looking for for some time now, and I thought it would be good to bring it back. You'll find the list in my sidebar on the right.

What's on the comeback of what I'm calling the Tricky 10? (By the way, I didn't exactly put much thought into the title, I picked the first thing that sounded remotely clever, and I hope nobody else has a list with such a name... but if your want list is called Tricky 10, tell me.) I hit up the list of sets I'm trying to build and found a good number of them where I needed only one card.

There are two cards from the Fans of the Game inserts that DLP (and later, Panini) issued. A couple cards from the 90s make the list, plus a CD card issued by Upper Deck and given away at a Yankees game in 1999. A wrestling card and a non-sport card. And all the cards have managed to remain pretty elusive!

There are plenty of other cards on my want lists though, including upcoming Buck Farmer singles!