Jun 29, 2005

Kotowaza of the day: Devilish advice: live for today

Japanese:
来年のことを言えば鬼が笑う

Romanized:
Rainen no koto wo ieba oni ga warau

Meaning of Japanese:
Devils* will laugh if you speak of the events of next year

English equivalents:
Fools set far trysts
Nobody knows what the future might bring


*Other less popular versions of this kotowaza substitute "mice in the attic" or "birds" for devils.

Jun 27, 2005

Kotowaza of the day: H2Ohayo!

Japanese:
寝耳に水

Romanized:
Nemimi ni mizu

Meaning of Japanese:
Water poured on a sleeping ear*

English equivalents:
Bolt out of the blue
To take (be taken) by complete surprise


*Alternately, being awaken with a start by the roaring of a sudden deluge.

Jun 26, 2005

Saved!

Okay, so dailysoy's been a bit of a netcluse lately.

There was the move, and then the apartment and job search, and the cross-country train ride. And once you're hooked, not throwing posts into the bloggerhole can become a nasty cycle. I wanted to post, I really did. But I had lost the confidence to step up to the keyboard... and had grown enamored of more earthly distractions.

Until this weekend. Billy Graham (the evangelist preacher, not the pro wrestler) was hosting a crusade just miles from our new digs and, well, this seemed like the perfect occasion for a revival of sorts here at dailysoy.


So, uh, there you have it. Lost and then found. For now.


Kotowaza of the day will resume and be somewhat consistent for the time being, although my work schedule* (pronounced sheh-jewel) will ultimately determine how much action there is in these parts.

Not to burn myself out on my first day back, here's a brief summary of what's occupied our last few months:

Rie and I and our dog Kona flew back from Japan to the US on April 12. Between then and our one-way Amtrak ride from Omaha to NYC on May 17/18, we made two trips to New York - one to look for jobs and an apartment, and one to move our belongings - and one short jaunt to Dallas to attend the wedding of our friend Scott and our new friend Johnette.

We now call Queens home and live in a 3rd floor walk-up. Try to find us in this picture. Rie found a job with a Japanese telecom company, and I'm "coordinating" in the export department of a Japanese shipping company. She commutes to Jersey, I drive by LaGuardia on my way to JFK. Kona spends her days mostly in our apartment. While shes still adjusting and a bit nervous about nighttime walks, she seems to have found new joy in the greater variety of foodtrashobjects to be found on the street. All in all, we're doing fine.

As always, friends and family are welcome to come visit anytime. Now it's easier than ever before.

*I swear, I'm working more Japanese hours now than I was in Japan.
I also work with Japanese people with names like Mike and Kate, and with American adults named Frankie, Richie and Cheekie.