Grandpa K, the Priory of Sion, Printers and Aftershocks

 Grandpa K the jazz band leader

 He looks very much like Ron from Sparks here (but then so does hubby)

Two of the many instruments he could play

The above pics are from hubby's grandfather's old photo album. I've spent a few hours today scanning them in and tinkering with the quality on Photoshop. The originals are all pretty faded and/or yellowed, so I am quite pleased with the results. I've also scanned in a huge number of photocopies of 1920s and 30s Japanese newspaper articles about Grandpa K. Eventually, I hope to put up a website in his honour as currently there is nothing at all online about him and his contribution to US and Japanese jazz.

Watched the documentary on Leonardo Da Vinci. Actually, it wasn't about him, it was about the Dan Brown book, "The Da Vinci Code". Tony Robinson spent a couple of hours trashing the theories and most interestingly covered the writing of "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail", which was one of the most gripping books I ever read and which I never realised until today had been exposed as a hoax years ago. I discovered that the so-called Priory of Sion was made up by three Frenchmen as an exercise in surrealism. So, I was right in my prediction that the documentary would be interesting, although for reasons other than I had expected.

I just managed to download a new printer driver and get the printer working all by myself. It doesn't sound like much, but for me, the technotard, that is quite an achievement.

Aftershock update - I've felt two since I posted last night - one literally a minute after I went to bed and another that woke me up at 9am.

Sunday, park, scanner, 1920s Hollywood

Only a few small aftershocks today. The first one shook me awake at about three in the morning, but I went straight back to sleep.

I had a good and quiet day. Went to the park and managed to find a very secluded spot to read my book. Also took lots of pictures of various types of blossom. 

Went to the video shop and rented two documentaries, one on Leonardo Da Vinci and the other on the making of "Deep Throat" (who said I didn't have eclectic tastes?) and "Taboo", the musical written by Boy George. I expect them to be fascinating, hilarious and dreadful in that order.

Hubby managed to resurrect my wonderful Epson scanner/printer/tardis after the nasty earthquake nearly killed it. It has a big piece broken off the paper feed where one of my boxes fell on it, but is otherwise back in action. My first project is to get some old pictures from about 20 years ago up on my FB. The second project is a lot more exciting - scanning hubby's grandfather's photo album from the 1920's when he was a swing band leader in Hollywood. Grandpa K knew Bing Crosby, Paul Whiteman and Charlie Chaplin. His album has about 50 pictures in it dating back to when Hollywood was just dirt tracks and trees. There is even one fascinating little picture which I think might be Chaplin, but it is hard to see as it is so small.

Hollywood c1928

 Universal Studios c1928

Hollywood c1928

 Julian Oil Wells c1928

Grandpa K (middle) posing as a cowboy, Hollywood c1928

Grandma and Grandpa K (on the right) on a cruise liner c1928

I hope to put some more up soon.

My weekend is finally here. Hoorah. I plan to relax quietly and do some things I enjoy: spend time with hubby, photograph some flowers, read some more of my book, clean the flat, play with the hamster, and do some more tracing of the family tree.

I will definitely get out for some fresh air tomorrow. Not sure where yet, but probably Shinjuku Gyoen as usual. It isn't only nice to be out in the sunshine and the fresh air; in earthquake season, it is great to be outside sitting on the grass and not have to worry about what would happen if the big one struck there and then. A full-blown 9.0 could hit right underneath you and you'd be okay sitting on that grass (unless, of course, the ground itself opened up and swallowed you, which would probably be just my luck). We had a pretty strong aftershock at 11:19 this morning. I was at work and myself and my student calmly slid under the table, waited for the shaking to stop, then clambered out again. It wasn't easy getting under there at my age either. We need bigger tables.

I am enjoying reading my latest Tim Pears "In a Land of Plenty". I read his first one, "In the Place of Fallen Leaves" and couldn't put it down. Both books concentrate on families in rural parts of England. "Leaves" was set in the eighties, but "Plenty" is set further back, starting in the early sixties. The pace of both is wonderfully slow, with the characters' lives unfolding day-by-day from childhood to adulthood. Just the kind of book I like.

Hamtaro got cleaned out this evening. I had to do it, as he was smelling too heavily of pee. He has a nice, new house in there now, made out of a cardboard box, and a fresh pile of dried grass and some kitchen roll for bedding. Every time I clean his tank, he spends the next half hour frantically digging about in all the new bedding, as if he seems to think he has some chance of escape. He's given up now and gone back in his box. He won't be out for hours now; I think he has a Playstation in there.

The family tree has turned into a monster. I now have over 600 people on it and that is just on mum's side of the family. I haven't been able to find any of dad's online as apparently all the Irish records are kept locked up in churches and have yet to be put online. Still, mum's side is proving huge enough to keep me going for a while. I will post some of the interesting things I've discovered, such as one of my very distant great grandfathers and two of his offspring being killed by a bolt of lightning in summer 1689. Ye should never shelter under a tree in a thunderstorm. Oh no.

Husband should be home soon, three sheets to the wind, no doubt. He's gone out on the town with a cosplay dentist. Goodness knows what they will be up to.

Hanami season is here again. This year it seems to have sneaked up on me without me noticing. I suppose my mind, like everyone else's over the last month, has been focused on the hell that has been happening up in the north of Japan. Tokyo Governer Ishihara, in his wisdom, infamously told everyone they should practice self-restraint ("Jishuku") on behalf of the north, and in particular avoid hanami parties this year, but that is not going to help anyone. We need to get the economy back on its feet, and sitting at home every night with the lights off isn't going to do that. So, get out of the house, into restaurants, bars and shops, spend money and get the ball rolling. I went out not once but twice to hanami this week, both in support of the north and the economy and to stick two fingers up at Ishihara. Who ARE the fools who just voted him back in for a second term? I wish they had been able to take his advice and practice a bit of self-restraint instead of ticking his name on the ballot slip.