[ozma]

Around 6ish I double checked everything, rolled my veils and packed them with my skirt and what items I'd need to spend the night at Momo's and go to a Sharron Kihara workshop the next morning.

6:30PM: I dragged my luggage to the station, happy that they've finally installed an elevator so that I don't have to lift suitcases up and down the stairs. I purchased a latte at Tully's (risking gas and bloating for that sweet sweet drug caffeine) and headed to Momo's house.

7:30PM: I arrived in Momo's hood. I called her to meet me at the station and she walked me to her tiny place. At our last meeting Momo fully realized the extent of my Japanese skills and has not spoken English to me since, so it was a Japanese night.

It's Japan and an area of Tokyo, of course her apartment is tiny. Three small rooms and a toilet and bath. The price of space in Japan was also why the shoot was so late. Nam has to rent studio space in Tokyo for his shoots. Space is expensive. You take what you can afford to get. I think the space he rented is a belly dance studio by day. Night time shoots mean that he doesn't have to worry about getting everything done before a class starts up.

This is part of why I live near my workplace, 30-55 minutes outside of Tokyo, so that I have space for my crafts, art, and dance.

Momo's tiny place was filled with color. Ethnic fabrics of all sort covered the boxes and boxes of stuff she has. On a dress form was a leather skirt, with lace and a lace-up top. Momo is a singer and performer as well as being a stylist.

But what interested me the most in her front room (where she'd put out the make-up, boombox, tea, lights and mirrors) was the 3-4 foot tall mosquito hanging from the ceiling, which I immediately asked about. I used to draw insects in college, big bugs, so I felt right at home. Turns out that her sister sculpts...bugs. She doesn't usually meet females who are enthusiastic about her sister's insects, so Momo proceeded to proudly show me her bedroom, lined with her sister's giant red ants, ladybugs, and a series of ticks.

Her little black snauser (Aruru?) was wearing a tye-dyed hoodie. Aruru look a liking to me and spent most of my make-up time sitting in my lap or bringing me his favorite well-abused stuffed animal.

Momo gave me green tea, put on my Balkan Beat Box cd, and sat me down on two zebra patterned cushions in front of her large mirror. She checked her wig supply and found some hair to match mine and set to work. We'd decided that my hair should be 60's -70's big and sexy. She brought out the "rat" for my hair, and proceeded to pin, attach, curl and tease my hair until I had hair that parted in the middle, framed my face, and rose to a dramatic height before cascading down my back, past my bra.