Michelle "Ms. Geek" Klein-Hass' ASCII Weekly Entry

I hate what I look like, but as the Jedi saying goes, "I will do what I must."

This is the wonderful Perez family. Mama Vanessa took that picture of me above. She's a person who still loves dolls and toys even as an adult, like me. I think she wants either a Dollfie Dream or an Obitsu, and so do the young Perez kids. They're adopted...she had an empty nest and an open heart and there were a brother and sister who needed a loving stable family, so this is their second crop of kids to raise. Not shown: Hubby.

I got real busy geeking out with my little netbook and the dolls wanted a trip to the beach. This is at my friend and Otaku no Podcast collaborator's house in Carpinteria, a beach town north of LA.

I actually live in the San Fernando Valley. Don't start with me on the Valley Girl thing. I don't speak Val. Sorry to burst a stereotype.

Whatever the dolliehs want, the dolliehs get. Beach time at Carpenteria State Beach, the "Safest beach in California" according to reports. It's not near any runoff channels, that's for sure.

This is Yumiko Natsume. All my dolls have a backstory, so I'll fill you in. Yumiko is a native of the San Fernando Valley, born to a Peruvian Nikkei (Japanese emigre) dad and a Peruvian mom who was part Native Peruvian and part Hispanic Peruvian: what people in the Americas call "Mestizo." She's wearing her Alice In Wonderland cosplay here. But as you can see, she is very LA.

Yes, that's a Corvette she's posing on. And the place this was taken in Culver City is very close to Sony Pictures Studio which used to be MGM, and the Culver Studios which was built as Thomas Ince's studio but became Selznick (Home of Gone With The Wind) and others until it ended up a place where indie productions rent space.

She wants to direct. Like so many Angelenos. But since her dad is a sound mixer for the movies, she has a better chance than most.

Doll specs: she's a Yukino-type Volks Dollfie Dream.

Car specs: I think it was a 2009 Vette. Very nice. That's my Cousin Brad behind the wheel.

That's Z. Yamamoto. When Yumiko met him, he was calling himself Zetto. Before that he called himself Zed. Why all the name changes? One, he's a musician. Two, his dad is named Noboru, his older brother is named Nobuhiko, and he's named Nobuo. Growing up, he had to deal with three Nobus in the family. His older brother is Junior now. The only person who answers to Nobu now is his dad, a master luthier. The guitar he's playing was made by his father as a gift for his 28th birthday.

Yumiko and Z are married now, something they weren't going to do so quickly but Yumiko's mom got seriously ill so that pushed things along.

Doll specs: Obitsu 2-piece torso 60cm with normal joints, male chest mod and 55cm abdomen part replacing original 60cm abdomen. Faceup by Biff.

Here's Mitzi (Miriam) Chun. She shares the same Korean first name as Korean-American comedienne Margaret Cho. This would not be so bad but the name is Mo-Ron. In Korean that means "Peony," but in English....not so nice.

Mitzi and Yumiko met in 2nd Grade in Van Nuys, CA. Yumiko grew up for the first few years in Northridge, not very far from the epicenter of the 1994 quake. The move was traumatic but finding a friend in the other Asian-American kid in class was a very good thing indeed. They became lifetime best friends.

After Yumiko and Z met, they found out something amazing. Z and Mitzi are cousins. Z's mom is Korean, and her family settled in Japan during the Korean War. Mitzi's family were actively involved with the UN war effort, and as many of them as possible were spirited away to the US after the Armistice, because they all were originally from the North and in danger of persecution there for their loyalties. Turns out that both of them were from basically the same North Korean family, which scattered as a result of the war. Further amazing thing: Mitzi's dad is a Jazz musician when not being a doctor, and Mitzi picked up drums. So she's now in Z's band.

So now they are all sort of part of an extended family. You'll meet the last member of the family in the next picture.

Doll specs: Obitsu 2 piece "Ball Joint" 60cm. Faceup originally by Parabox, doll was originally a "Friend Gretel" fullset. Extensive reworking by both Pumibel (previous owner) and Biff.

This is Namiko Yamamoto. Her dad is pro surfer "Junior" Yamamoto, but for most of her life she didn't know this. She thought "Junior" was her brother, and that Z was also her brother. Z's her uncle, she's Z's niece. Namiko means "Wave-child" so it is somewhat appropriate. Namiko was raised as the kid sister in the Yamamoto family.

She hangs around with Yumiko, Z, and Yumiko's family because things are pretty sketchy with the Yamamoto family. You see, after about 32 years of marriage, Noboru Yamamoto and his Korean-Japanese wife are calling it quits. It's complicated. Things are more stable at the Natsume household, although they are dealing with the trauma of Yumiko's mother's death from colon cancer. Like I said...it's complicated.

Namiko deals with the drama by throwing herself into sports. She's an avid skateboarder and is on the track and swimming teams at her new school. She's 12 but a little backward. Like everything around Yumiko, Z and Mitzi, change will be coming soon for Namiko.

Doll specs: Custom Volks Mini Dollfie Dream with a DDH-04 head. Faceup by Biff. She will be receiving either a Volks Dollfie Dream Sister or Obitsu 50cm body soon. Our little girl is becoming a woman...