Reptiles

Reptiles
Silly Grins

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Every Minute

Every minute...

Part I & II

Part I
 
"Gaijin clown."

"Huh? What?"

"'Gaijin clown'... I googled it to see what kind of images would pop up and this what happens."



"Okay...so?"

"So,the first six or seven pictures across the top show Mr.James. McD's pretty much 'nailing it' - on of the layers of the ugly truth about this place."

"That's nothing new. It's already been discussed to death. Why bother?"

"Well, considering the other day's post, even if you haven't read itthere are a few things here worth looking at."

"Such as?"

"If you look back up at the result from the gaijin clown google search results, there is a picture at the top, second from the right, that pretty much pegs it. The caption under the photo reads: 

They think [we] were clowns a lot of the time anyway!!

"You want me to click the link?"

"No need. It's just there to give credit where it is deserved for the flavor in one of the layers of this le roil w/cheese."

"So, there's more to this post?"

"Oh yeah."

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Balloon Bloodhounds

Yeah, they have 'em here too.


A is for Apple

"Seriously, that joy-ride of an idea has taken off over there?"

"Here?"

"Yeah, in the land of the rising whatever-the-fuck-it-is...just don't keep staring at it or you'll go blind. Twisting balloons is big in Japan?"

"Balloon animals. I wouldn't say they are big here. But they are here. And I never imagined that it would take such skill. Especially when I don't consider myself a clown...here to enter-freakin'-tain anyone. Not anymore."

Friday, September 28, 2012

Ishihara's Vision Test


Ishihara’s Vision Test: Something for the Color Blind

Tests freak him out. Especially diagnostic tests that require a certain amount of cooperation for them to work. Much like that one. Yeah, that one. The one where he says, “It’s too bright in here” and then she asks if she can smoke.

“It won’t affect the test...just relax,” he says. And then talks about her birthday, and a gift... 


 



Tests that require dimmed lighting, establishing a base-line, cooperation in following instructions...there’s just something about those tests. He can’t quite put his finger on it. 







There must not be any distractions. The amount of concentration that is required...maybe 'focus' is a better word...combining that level of focus while in a relaxed state can make most subjects susceptible to a number of things. 

Color blindness may be the underlying cause of many headaches. He never really knew that he was color blind. Funny how that hadn't been tested for.

Maybe it was the rare case of inheriting certain genetics as well as what turns out to be an acquired ‘blue weakness’. He’s sure it was due, in part, to the way he was raised, his environment. And quite possibly related to a tear in the vitreous cavity; the ‘floaters’ were around from an early age.

Though most people may raise their eyebrows by what they find in their own tests, his Project Implicit Implicit Association Test* results showed no bias when viewing ‘black’ and ‘white’.

Good for him.

Now, Ishihara’s nearsightedness or blindness is another story. This is about the Ishihara Color Blindness Test.




As it turns out, as people age, they lose sensitivity to certain things. Apparently, this is a natural process, affecting each individual in a different way. Some may not be able to see what is right out in front of them.

Which is kind of ironic, really

Before he took the color blindness tests, he really had no idea what Tritanopia was. Supposedly rare. 


How about those tests?

* From the IAT site: "For best results, close other distracting programs on your machine, minimize noise distraction in the area, and make sure that you have up to 15 minutes to spare. The study will open in a pop-up window."


If you are leery about entering any of your data on their site and you still really want to take a test, try the one below. It doesn't require any information form you and doesn't take nearly as long. 


** For the updated Ishihara Color Blindness Test, the same thing applies for minimizing noise, distractions, etc. Except, this diagnostic test only takes a few minutes.If you haven't take one of these or haven't taken on in a while, the results can be useful. 

For best results, you might want to find a quite area, dim the lights, and just relax in a way that you can focus. It helped me. 










Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Trained to Fight: Old School

This is what got started it. Got things rolling. The questions. 





Reaching conclusions too quickly is dangerous. And sometimes, reaching any conclusion at all can be just as bad. 

But simply looking?

Doubt is good. Question everything. Never know what you might find.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Seduction Unexpected: Sex Really Must Sell

Her drowsy voice would drift off at the end of a sentence, just enough to take his breath away and leave him straining to hear more.

Long, deep drag off her cigarette. Only much, much slower and she wouldn't look away. 


First, push (gently). Go ahead..


Easy, huh? 
(just let it roll, in the background as you read)

That’s supposed to be dirty.

I’m not supposed to want this.
But I do.
And I don’t care.

“Hey, she's messed up. Why are you even with her…is it because she’s nice to you?”

For a while, even that didn’t bother him. 


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Shake it...

till even.

This next bit is autobiographic. Like a few others, but even more so. About Japan.  But first, indulge:




So, I was there (or 'here'), as an ALT, in the middle of nowhere. The kind of nowhere anyone with a little more brains and motivation wants to be from.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Journal: August 28

Year: Unknown

Only two classes today. I was looking forward to another one, so here I sit, wishing I had brought my Japanese text with me. My stomach has me salivating for the three rice balls I made this morning. They are packed in my bag just a few inches from my right foot. The office is too quiet. I want to learn how to make better onigiri and perhaps some other kind of food.