Origami Productions 2

 So you'll be wondering what that big wall of text means at the base of last weeks post is. Well all I can say is that after a long time wrestling with Jim Breens online Kanji Guide I can say that this is sort of what it means. I'm nowhere near fluent (base Kana and a few stray Kanji learnt) so take this with a severe pinch of salt. I'll happily supply a better scan of the back sleeve, but be warned tiny black Kanji printed on what can only be described as the envelope paper you get bills sent to you on are not conducive to good identification.  

2006. The Shibuya Scene. Yoshi Tsushima drawn to the genreless Jam session community, leaves his job at Victor Entertainment and in 2007 joined the session scene group Jamnuts (comprising one of the 30 or so members). They released a smash album,  from which many of them would go on to be solo artists in their own right. From these roots it seems that he had quite a following. 

From such a wide musicianship, drawing on a variety of black music* through to live improv, inevitably generates such strong performances, following this up with a best selling artbook / CD**. These unconventional artists with their rebellious styles, gain support from those artists affiliated to the Fuji rock festival, and were regulars of both these media. 

Indie artists both from inside Japan and those underground artists further afield provided mixes to this making it the smash hit it  is. 

* You can listen to them cover Outkast's Hey Ya here. 

** A cursory search comes up nothing, unless I've mistranslated (and that's a distinct possibility) then its not on line. But here is a small something that you browser will auto translate, here. 

Origami productions comp

 This is what I was hinting at yesterday. A real mystery of dance, and such. 

Origami productions is a Japanese lablel that is for downtempo / lo-fi hip hop beats to study.  From listening to this obscure comp, I feel as half of these would fit a good teen slice of life anime. Most of these sound like the opening titles theme especially the last few tracks, which are hip-hop. 

So what is it.

This is a 13 track compilation of songs from the Origami Productions back catalogue, its housed in an Origami paper sleeve and has some info in Japanese on the back. There is a QR code linking to a Spotify playlist if you really want to listen on the go. The music is mostly downtempo with some classical and lo-fi hip hop thrown in. It really has no title and is split between three different entities, Origami productions, Fragment inc. and Big Turtle (Recording) studios.

Looking on discogs, the latest song released is 2018 (Ovall Winter Lights) but apart from that has no date, title or indeed information of any kind in English. I'll see if I can do a translate from dictionary (not AI) though its been a while. I'll also throw up some scans here if anyone wants a playlist, I'll not share any songs here (let's face it there's a track list and most if not alll will be on Youtube if you want to dl) but I may have to be brave and ask on the forums there how to add this, as its not straight forward. 

 Also found something else while doing an image search for this. Not sure what this is and is also obscure AF. Origami Amarades.

Infinity

 Might do two posts this week, as I have a genuine mystery as well as a new book transcribed. 

The Infinity clue is the 68th book in the series here and the boys are having to face a strange plot involving nuclear power, earthquakes and a bomb threat. Oh and an albino  terrorist thrown in for good measure.

There are no differences  as its part of that era where we got hardback versions with identical texts and that means no localization. 

The boys are visiting Biff Hooper's uncle at Bayridge nuclear powerplant, where he works,  when an earthquake goes off jepordaizing it's security. The area has no history of quakes or of being on a fault line presents the boys with a challenge. 

There are a few nice touches such as a trip to the Smithsonian museum and a mysterious geologist group. Also thrown into the mix is the theft of a cursed diamond owned by missing racehorse magnate, Arthur Rutlidge. A theft of which the Hardys and Chet Morton are accused of. 

A nice touch is Chapel Island a place where 18th century English is still spoken, which the boys visit over the course of the mystery, and could be based on this place.

Anyway you can read them here and here. 

Is Aloe Vera, Vera?

 I'm asking this weird question because, well is what we grow as Aloe Vera, really Aloe Vera. Because I've seen pretty much a variety of leaf styles on what purports to be Aloe Vera.

It all began in the week when someone threw out a perfectly good Aloe along with a totally unsuitable ceramic planter complete with zero drainage holes. Took all the soil off it and repotted it at home, but before I did so I gave it a virtual I.D. in an app I use, and it says its Aloe Vera, when I can tell that the former is true, the latter wasn't. 

To me Aloe Vera is a plant that is medium sized with no maculation on the leaves, a uniform grey colour with either orange or yellow flowers.

Some pics I've seen here has it with saw edged leaves (surely Arborescens) or maculate and green in colour with orange flowers. 

Or if you want a link to what I mean, this is a great example. I have a sneaking suspicion that this could be a juvenile form as the spots in this seem to be on smaller plants. I could well be wrong, though.

I've still drawn a blank on what it my Aloe may be, AI doesn't help and a look through society books and journals will be of some use. I'm pretty sure it's not a Haworthia, though the real acid test will be if it flowers. If its has a typical Aloe flower (large stem, straight, either yellow, orange, pink or red) I know its not a Haworthia (small stem, green and white striped flower). To me it seems too large a plant for it to be a Haworthia. I will add a photo and see it either Google image or Tineye will know. Failing that I'll have to ask at club if any of the old heads will know what it is. 

Super L(oop)

 Remember last week I told you that the SL2 goes from North Woolwich to Walthamstow, well abandon all hope all ye who enter here. I really hope you like sitting in traffic either on the Ilford part or when it goes through South Woodford, Cos that is what you'll be doing mostly. 

 As a service the Superloop has its ups and downs, but our side its mostly speedy and an express service Thamesmead to Bromley. I would say don't do the whole route but come in from somewhere like Gants Hill or Ilford and then pick it up if the DLR or Central line is down.

Walthamstow is still a weird town more foreign than English with a large market and various shops. Saw a big tabby outside a phone shop there and picked up a load of house from Oxfam. Back home saw a smack head in the road begging and dodging traffic at Gants Hill before finding out the Central line is closed.

Good to know if you're Islamic and want to eat ass.

A trip through Valentines park and you can pick up the crossrail from Ilford, with some shenanigans gets you back on the right side of the river.

Ilford home of Hispanic hate Pizza

Oh and thanks to this running in Firefox, we now have pictures for you.
 

Ferry cross the... Thames.

Yesterday we took a trip out to Africa (Brixton) a godforsaken place in south London that is full of pro Palestine nut jobs, Africans, Jesus freaks and the homeless.  A strange day in all, not least is that I saw the most amounts of good boys on the tube and DLR. Including a dead ringer for Pepsi dog and a brown rug Jet. 

Brixton maybe the home of music but for thrift shopping apart from the big Banardos, has nothing, you are better off going to Peckham, which at least has a Crisis the Harrods of Charity Shops.

Coming home we got almost to Woolwich Arsenal DLR before being shunted back to King George V dock as a train had broken down on the station.

George V station is a strange place, its got no gate across only a voluntary Oyster tap out, you could theoretically go from here to Stratford international (not Stratford, the one at the end of the line) for free as that has the same set up. I guess its the North Woolwich equivalent of Woolwich Dockyard station on the trains. For those that know. I wouldn't myself as I had the ticket inspector come along. 

I hadn't been there for about 40 years and as its North Woolwich, it means I can take the ferry to my side of the river. Can remember it being rather bleak and there was an escaped budgie the last time we visited. And it hasn't really changed much, a few local shops before we hit the road to the ferry, and it must be said fuck all else. 

A fun hack, it's serviced by the Superloop express bus network, if you don't fancy taking the DLR or Crossrail (switch at Whitechapel) to Stratford to go to Walthamstow. You can bypass Woolwich and get the Ferry then the SL2 all the way once you're on the other side. 

The ferry is actually quite nice, with a few fellow travellers and some seating arrangements meaning you can look out over the side as you cross into civilization. Once there its just a case of going up Thomas Street and looking in where Omni's once stood. A bastion of alternate lifestyle its now part of the British Hate (Heart) foundations furniture shop. The Cashies played Waiting in vain when I looked in which was probably the highlight of the day. 

The annual stay out of South London Day

 Or the London Marathon as it's known to sane people. Thought I'd be safe and go up town on Saturday but got off a stop early (Westminster) and had to shlep through St James' Park. 

Big mistake.

There is a mini half marathon for the kiddies going on and as a  result the park now resembles a rat maze with various bits shifted around so you can barely find your way out. I did in fact manage to leave the park only for you to be routed round back in the park and out towards Buck house. 

I have on occasion gone down to see them run past the old Coronet cinema / New Wine Church as a kid, but even with your primary school caretaker running, it isn't all that. It doesn't help that these bits weren't really shown on television then and are sort of glossed over now. Remember that bit in the Simpsons where they went to bumtown. This is us but instead of a thinly veiled Disney reference its the Marathon.

There's a hierarchy to racing, which is a long wait before the wheelchair racers come in then the pro runners and finally the unsung. The regular Joes, and the fun runners in costumes and stuff. When they finally go, you shuffle off back home and hope the buses are back up and running before doing it all again next year.