bring the heat...

so aunt sissy patty left last wednesday. sniffle, sniffle. we had a fun and exhausting time trekking around the country and we managed to get into some really interesting things. after i get all my pics hosted i'll write more about all that.

in the mean time...
liz and i headed to tokyo for a 'hot, hot, heat' concert on 9/9. i almost wet myself when i saw they were playing here and the show was not a disappointment.
the venue was fairly small and intimate, and we arrived early enough to get right up front.

i danced and sang until my evening wear had the sweat stains of a marathon runner. afterwards some of the 'try to be tough' bouncers were demanding we move from near the club. as the bar's doors open onto a really busy sidewalk in harajuku, where hundreds of people pass every minute on weekend nights, we paid him little mind, arguing we should be allowed to stand there if tons of others can. we blended in with the throngs while making some plans, then scooted down a side street to retrieve our things from a coin locker and discovered what all the hub-bub was about. the singer of the band was just chilling, talking with a couple of peeps, by a back entrance. we complimented his show and he called us over to chat. i'm not the star struck type, so i was pleased to discover he's not the stuck on himself rock star type. it was really satisfying to watch the big ole' bouncer glare at us over his folded arms while we hung out shooting the shit with the talent.
we were starving and bee-lined for outback restaurant, our guilty pleasure in tokyo. we washed down that huge plate of cheese fries, salad with real ranch dressing and peppercorn-crusted burger with a pitcher of margaritas. all the while explaining to passers-by who were giving us the 'you came all the way to japan to eat at an american franchise restaurant' look that 'no, we didn't. we live here. and you guys don't use enough cheese in your cuisine. and we don't want to get osteoporosis.' nevermind the faulty logic behind getting your daily dose of calcium from a meal like that. then we made the rounds to two tiny hip-hop clubs. family, where we'd never visited before, had a lounge with old school beats and a dance floor that eventually became the venue for a bunch of live emcees. then it was off to gas panic, a free and usually lively spot in shibuya that plays mostly top forty booty music.

as the night waned, we weighed our lodging options and decided to try and find a nearby hotel. well, you see... we were in the club and love hotel district, many of which apparently don't allow lesbian couples...unless they saw through our disguises and pegged us as drunk, foreign girls without legit hotel reservations. hmmm... a group of older men on the corner were outraged that a cute couple of 'resbians' [remember they can't make the 'l' sound] like us couldn't find a room so he promptly lead us to a place that obliged. our room rocked. complete with a huge fluffy bed, a slot machine and a bathtub bigger than my apartment.

we past the time taking tons of pics, most of which aren't appropriate for this space. what...c'mon...i mean, it was a love hotel...what'd ya expect?!!