あれもこれも

I've read 151 out of 326 pages of The Subtle Knife, the second part of the trilogy His Dark Materials, which I've started reading since June 27th.
It seems to me to be much easier to read than The Golden Compass, the first part of the trilogy, at least so far.
In spite of such impression, I've not been able to devote enough time to reading, especially since I got a copy of the Nonstop English Wave magazine on July 2nd.
Maybe I should determine the priority of things I need to do, and my rough schedule in accordance with it, or else I'll no doubt be in a mess in both physical and mental senses.
Hmm..., could somedody tell me about when, which and how much time I should do? (^^;
I think I've got to spare more time to improve my listening skills than to do any other things, though.

What makes it difficut for me to do so is that the story of The Subtle Knife has become much more exciting and larger in scale than both the first volume and what I had expected, some characters coming and going from one world to others, soul-eating Specters roaming around in one world and attacking only grown-ups, and you can see Angels (they're naked!) flying across the sky purposefully.
And now, Lyra, the heroine of this series, is running away from the police of our own world, after making me laugh some times with her weird but hard-to-dislike pride of being a great(?) liar!
Lyra, is it what to be proud of? (^^;
Well, I like her all the more because she is different from other children who behave themselves. (^^)

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・It was certain that they were in a world none of them had known before, with strange winds, strange scents in the air, great unknown birds that attacked them on sight and had to driven off with volleys of arrows; and when they found land to rest on, the very plants were strange.
on sight : 見るとすぐに

・"If angels were mustering, that's where they'd go, and if they were going to make an assault on heaven, I daresay that's where they'd build their fortress and sally out from."
make an assault on ～ : ～を攻撃する

・Each angel-being was distinctly an individual, and yet they had more in common with one another than with any human she had seen.
in common with ～ : ～と同様に、共通して

・"You've been in the wars, haven't you, Lyra?" said the inspector.
be in the wars : （事故や喧嘩などで）傷を負っている

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Subtle Knife (US) -

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Nonstop English Wave

Having been devastated by my listening score on the 138th TOEIC which is too low compared to my reading one, I decided to make a six-month subscription of Nonstop English Wave magazine to improve my listening skills if only a little.
This magazine seems to be aimed at English beginners who want to make progress mainly in listening skills, so it comes with a CD recorded in English from start to end each issue.
I, of course, know there are many kinds of magazines like it.
What makes me choose it is, needless to say, the best price of all.
Almost all of other magazines cost you more than 1,000 yen a month, mostly more than 1,400 yen a month, even if you order a one-year subscription.
However, you now need to pay only 6,000 yen per seven months (six months plus another free month) to subscribe to it.
It means the price for a month is only about 857 yen!
As far as I'm concerned, it was natural there was no need to bother myself about which magazine I should order.

I got the first issue for me yesterday.
Trying browsing and hearing it, I can't stop myself from wondering if I can really get it through in only a month, because I have a lot of other things to do.
Its English seems to me a little easier to take in than that of English Journal I bought last month, though,
Well, all I have to do is just give it my best shot without grumbling now that I've ordered it.

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・The idea that she had come all this way in order to help him took her breath away.
take one's breath away : ～をあ然とさせる、ハッとさせる

・For her part, Lyra was a little surprised to find that the Scholar she sought was female, but the alethiometer hadn't said a man, and this was a strange world, after all.
for one's (own) part : ～としては、～に関する限り

・Mindful of what the alethiometer had told her, she tried hard not to do what she normally would have done, and she told the truth.
mindful of ～ : ～を心にかけて忘れない、～を念頭において、～に気を配る

・"'...Capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.'"
reach after : ～を追求する、～に向かって努力する

・He'd kept it away till now, but it was closing in,
keep away : ～を寄せ付けない、くい止める
close in : （敵などが）近づく、～を取り囲む、迫ってくる

・Her account of a voyage in a balloon, of armored bears and witches, of a vengeful arm of the Church, seemed all of a piece with his own fantastic dream of a beautiful city on the sea, empty and silent and safe: it couldn't be true, it was as simple as that.
all of a piece (with ～) : (～と）同種の、調和した

・And I pretend to be bluff Major Parry, stout fellow in a crisis but not too much between the ears, what.
between the ears : 頭の中

・But it's not easy to find because that part of the other world looks just like this―rocks and moss and so forth.
and so fort : ～など

・So Will must be on the right track.
on the right track : （考え・行為が）正しく

・The conversation turned to the topic on everyone's lips: the catastrophic changes taking place around them, which no one could see.
on everyone's lips : 誰もが話題にして、誰もが関心を持って

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Subtle Knife (US) -

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懐かしの村上春樹氏

As I wrote in this blog on June 27th, er..., in Japanese, the interviews with Haruki Murakami appeared in the previous and the present issues of the Mainichi Weekly.
When I was a university student, I loved his works so much and would often read his works, yes, almost all of his works.
Especially, his Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is one of my most favorite books.
I've, however, never read any of his works for some reason ever since graduating from the university.
So his works have become what reminds me of my school days ― my old friends, the shops and the streets in Kyoto I used to drop into and cycle across and along, and my old loved one. (^^;
It means that they have become something important for me and, at the same time, what makes me reluctant to touch it again in a sense.
So I've also not read any of his recent works, Kafka on the Shore, for instance, despite having heard that it's highly appreciated all over the world.

Reading the interviews with him this time, I feel an irresistible desire to read Kafka on the Shore or Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World in English if I can.
I wonder and can hardly wait to see how his characteristic world and writing style have been translated into English. (^^)

う～ん・・・。
ホント、村上春樹氏の作品って私にとって大学生時代そのものです。
今出川や堀川、千本通りを自転車で日々駈け抜けていたことや、勉強よりもバイトや飲み会 (^^;、恋愛に耽って、その時その時を楽しむのが精一杯で、将来の事なんて何一つ考えられなかった頃・・・
あぁ、懐かしすぎる・・・。(T-T)
ある意味、懐かしすぎて、ちょっと辛いことまで思い出させてくれる作家さんだったりもするので、卒業してから一度も手に取ることはなかったんですが、インタビュー記事のせいで、久しぶりに読みたくなっちゃった。
どの作品がどんな題名だったのか、それがどんな英語のタイトルに訳されているのかもわからない状態ですが、とりあえずまだ一度も読んでなくて、海外でも高く評価されている（らしい）Kafka on the Shore は読んでみようかな。
彼のあの独特の世界がどんな風に翻訳されたのか、ドキドキものです。
そしてあの気だるい、何とも言えない読後感。
彼の作品が日本だけでなく世界中で高く評価されているのって、嬉しいような、不思議なような・・・。
英語で読んでみたら、その理由も少しはわかるかしらん？
・・・ムリかな、やっぱ。　私の場合。(^m^*)

あと、毎日新聞の英語サイトの妙な記事問題。
なんとかしてください。(/_<。)ﾋﾞｪｪﾝ
どんな記事なのかは確かめたくもありませんし、できればウィークリー毎日の定期購読も打ち切ってしまいたいくらい情けないニュースだったんですが、如何せん、定期購読は数カ月単位で先払い・・・
新聞社ってもっと自分に厳しくあるべきだと思う今日この頃です。

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・"We express our profound gratitude to Iranian officials who provided all-out efforts for his release," Foreign Minister Komura Masahiko said in a statement.
all-out : 総力を挙げての

・Those first pioneers spurred a wave of immigration that has grown to a 1.5 million-strong community.
～-srtong : 総勢～人の

・Young players see it as a stepping stone to the tour.
stepping stone to ～ : ～への足がかり

・"We'll assign experienced workers to help out in an effort to ensure punctual operations," said a spokesman for the line's operator, Tokyo Metro Co.
in an effort to ～ : ～することを目指して
punctual : 運行予定通りの（時間通りの、時間に几帳面な）

・Five prizes were awarded in the ceremony on June 17 for the awards created to put some spark into a toy industry that continues to shrink amid a declining birthrate and a rapidly aging population.
put some spark into ～ : ～に刺激を与える

・It was like pulling a rabbit out of a hat.
pull a rabbit out of a hat : 思いがけない行動をとる

・Japan's determination to continue whaling to the detriment of its international reputation presents an unnecessary obstacle.
～ to the detriment of ... : ...を損ねるまでの～

・It gave oxygen to extremists, which itshould regret.
give oxygen to ～ : ～を勢いづかせる

・Similarly, if you call someone a "green-eyed monster," it means that they feel jealous.

・The "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" means that things appear better in a different place or situation.

・"Rather than being a genius of the ilk of Mozart or Schubert, he was more like Beethoven in that he kept fighting his way up through struggles, building on what he achieved and finally creating a work that should be deified."
genius of the ilk : 天才肌
fight one's way up through struggles : 葛藤しながら進路を切り開く

・"I was somehow compelled to write in the first person when I started to write, but I've gradually come to tend to write in the third person."
write in the first person : 一人称で書く

・Murakami doesn't know why he has touched such a nerve.
touch a nerve : 共感を得る

・"He talked about that thing till the cows come home."
till the cows come home : = endlessly

・With a variety of performance spaces, there is more to watch than just opera.
more than just ～ : ～だけではない

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・Because all the events that had overturned the world had their origin in his mysterious activities.
have one's orpin in ～ : ～に由来する、～に原因がある

・"But what her place was in the wider scheme of things, I don't know."
scheme of things : 事態、物事のあり方（scheme : 組織、構造、計画、陰謀）
cf. in the scheme of things : 物事の性質上、世の中の仕組みの中では
cf. in the ～ scheme of things : ～な見地に立つ

・"He's been my master and my study for nigh on forty years."
for nigh on ～ : ほぼ～、ほとんど～

・"But on the face of it, Serafina Pekkala, yes, he's stark mad."
on the face of it : ちょっと見たところでは、表面上は

・Serafina's daemon, Kaisa, had learned from Ruta Skadi's daemon that she had killed the tigers herself in order to punish the Tartar tribe who worshiped them, because the tribesmen had failed to do her honor when she had visited their territory.
do someone honor : ～に敬意を払う

・Schools often sent groups of pupils off to do a shopping survey, or something of the sort, and if he seemed to be on a project like that he wouldn't look as if he was at a loose end.
at a loose end : 何もすることがなくて、ぶらぶらして、定職がなくて

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Subtle Knife (US) -

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小岩井のミルクとはちみつ♪

I've started reading The Subtle Knife since June 27th.
When first opening the book, being excited by the expectation of what would happen to Lyra and Pantalaimon, I was surprised by only a few sentences written in almost the first page preceding the first chapter: The Cat and the Hornbeam Trees, in a different way from what I could have thought of.
That is this:

The Subtle Knife is the second part of the trilogy that began with The Golden Compass. That first book was set in a world like ours, but different. This book begins in our own world.

Begins in our own world!
Besides, the second volume begins with the story of the boy, Will, who has never appeared in the first volume.
Is the second book set in this our world from beginning to end then?
I don't know yet because I've just reached page 35, chapter two, but suppose it's not.
However, I can recognize for now at least three different worlds depicted in this novel ― Lyra's world, our world, and another "seemingly empty" world.
Once picking up the book, I almost lose track of time with its dazzlingly grand-scale story.

By the way, do you know a soft drink called Milk and Honey manufactured by Koiwai?
(Or, it might be better to write it as Milk and Honey of Koiwai shortly.)
I was looking for a youghurt drink or something at a convenience store a few days ago, but to my surprise, I couldn't find it.
So I instead bought a bottle of Milk and Honey of Koiwai to try, and it turned out to be a really right choice for me.
Milk, honey and a bit of lemon juice.
I never even dreamed such a combination can taste that good!
Give it a shot if you'd like to, though whether or not it suits you seems to vary from person to person.

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Out of competition for two months because of knee surgery, Woods won the toughest test in golf, though it came at a price ― he will miss the remainder of the season, and major tournaments for the first time, to have more knee surgery.
come at a price : 犠牲を強いられる

・He struggled early in the first round, double bogeying his first hole of the competition, but roared back into contention with a back nine 30 in the second round, making five-straight birdies to move only one shot off the lead.
roar back into ～ : ～に復活する
with a back nine 30 : 後半９ホールを30で
move only one shot off the lead ; 首位から一打差に詰め寄る

・Biting is what you do with your front teeth. After you take a bite of food, you chew the food with your back teeth.
cf. So when you want to say something is "歯ごたえがある," it's better to say something is "hard to chew," not "hard to bite."

・He was born upstate and comes from a time when everyone farmed for a living.
come from a time when ～ : ～の時代の子孫である

・They were grass fed, free range and organic.
free range : 放し飼いの

・Be brave as you blast out of your comfort zone and take on the world!
take on the world : 何でもやってみる

・This weekend you can charm the pants off those around you, without even trying.
charm the pants off : 人に取り入る

・Loved ones have been telling you a few home truths but have you been listening?
home truths : 耳の痛い真実

・A little regular attention now could save you from big problems further down the track.
further down the track : ずっと後で

・Don't let a clique squeeze the personality out of you.
clique : 仲良し
squeeze A out of B : BのAを潰す

・Live and learn. Besides, I don't want to wear "the emperor's new clothes."
live and learn : 人生、常に勉強だ
the emperor's new clothes : 裸の王様

・I wish all the smart alecks in your section were like you, Mr Smart.
smart aleck : 知ったふりをする人、知ったかぶりをする人

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・The close where Will and his mother lived was a loop of road in a modern estate with a dozen identical houses, of which theirs was by far the shabbiest.
by far : ずっと、はるかに

・Will braced himself as he heard the quiet creak of the top step.
brace oneself : 不愉快なことや困難に備える

・She drank so quickly that the bubbles got up her nose, and she snorted and belched loudly, and scowled when he looked at her.
get up one's nose : ～を大いに困らせる、イライラさせる

・"Stands to reason there's other things the same."
stand to reason (that ～) : （～は）もっともである、道理に合う

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Subtle Knife (US) -

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The Golden Compass 終了！

From June 4th to 26th, after struggling with numerous words I'd never seen over about 23 days, I finally got through The Golden Compass yesterday!
At first, when I started reading it, I thought this book was easy to read with almost no need for me to look up in the dictionary.
However, as you might imagine, soon after I got to chapter three, Lyra's Jordan, I had to scribble a lot of notes in the margin of almost all of the pages in red ink.
It got easy again after part two, though. (^^;

I'm going to read The Subtle Knife, the second volume of His Dark Materials series, starting today!
It seems to me that nothing was solved in the first volume ― the Dust, the Magisterium and the Oblation Board, Lyra's parents, Lyra and Pantalaimon's future, and the another mysterious parallel world beyond the Aurora, for instance.
Besides, nobody is with Lyra, of course, except Pantalaimon.
She has to set foot in the another unfathomable world by herself.
So exciting that I can't wait to take off for the world with her!  (^^)

My impression, having just finished the first volume, is that the story is full of wonder and surprise.
I'm sure you can't tell who is on Lyra's side and who, or which group, is not, until you read through the first volume.
You, and I also, might not know it until finishing the last volume of it.
Anyway, as for what the journey to the world beyond the Aurora holds for Lyra (and me), nobody knows at this moment.

う～ん・・・、ハリ・ポタの（最初の数巻の）ように、１巻ずつ大きな区切りがあって、読者も一息つけるような構成になっているのかと（勝手に）思っていましたが、これは先に進むより仕方ない！
２巻からはオーロラの向こうの（Lyra達の住む世界とはまた違う）パラレル・ワールドが舞台になるのかな？
いずれにせよ、何一つ解決してないようにしか見えない今の状態で、「His Dark Materialsシリーズは一旦休憩♪」とはできそうもありません・・・
感想としては、結局１巻を読み終えるまで（もしかしたら１巻を読み終えた今でも）、誰がLyra側で、誰が敵なのかよくわかりませんでした。
意外だったと言えないことも・・・ない。
最初に「この人が悪者か！」と目を付けた人はどうやらいい人っぽいし、あの父親と母親に関しては何を考えているのかサッパリわからない。
Roger君がどうなるのか（or 「どうなったのか」？　それは辛すぎる・・・）も気になるし、せっかく３巻セットで買っちゃったことだし、今日から第２巻 "The Subtle Knife" を読み始めようと思います。=＾-＾=

あ、あと毎日ウィークリー掲載の村上春樹氏のインタビューとか、Listening力向上のために「NONSTOP ENGLISH WAVE」なる雑誌の定期購読を申し込んじゃったとか（前回のTOEICが、ほぼ予想通りとはいえ、結構ショックだの(/_<。)ﾋﾞｪｪﾝ）、いろいろ書きたいことはありますが、とてもそんなに一度に書ける英語力はないし、せっかくのネタを日本語で書いてしまうのも勿体ないので、それはまた今度、機会があればということで・・・。(^m^*)

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・"Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm and has no place in our country." he said, as 11 aboriginal leaders looked on just feet away.
have no place in ～ : ～にふさわしくない

・Throughout the first half Thailand was kept on its heels by Japan's relentless attacks.
keep on one's heels : 苦戦する

・The eco-friendly "M9R" engine can deliver powerful acceleration along with emission levels low enough to meet tougher Japanese regulations slated for October 2009, Nissan said.
deliver powerful acceleration : 力強い加速をする
(be) slated for ～ : ～に予定されている

・According to the Department of Defense, the U.S. military is currently deployed to more locations than it has ever been in history.
deploy A to B : AをBに配置する

・Today, activists in Hokkaido are joining forces with citizens from other parts of the world to protest the continued presence and expansion of the U.S. military.
join forces with ～ : ～と力を合わせる

・At that moment, an idea came into Miss Martha's head which she acted upon at once.
act upon ～ : ～に従って行動する

・Acclaimed author Murakami Haruki took time out from writing his first full-length novel since 2002's Kafka On The Shore to talk exclusively to the Mainichi. Murakami spoke on a broad spectrum of topics ranging from recent Japanese translation trends ― including his own work on contemporary classics ― to awareness in the post-Spt. 11 world.
take time out from ～ : ～から時間を割く
a broad spectrum of ～ : 広範囲で多種多様な～
comtemporary classic : 同時代の名作

・"They're skillful, beautiful, rhythmical, flowing. That's what it all comes down to," he says.
that's what it all comes down to : その事に尽きる

・It's because I use Fitzgerald as the standard I'd like to be at myself," he says.
to be at myself : 自分らしい文章を書くこと

・"We're not going to let you screw up your life."
screw up : 台無しにする

・Travelers probably need at least two to three weeks to do Sikkim any justice.
do ～ justice : ～を堪能する

・If trekking is your thing, there are some stunning possibilities.
one's thing : 好きなこと

・Covering only 0.22% of India's total landmass, Sikkim punches above its weight, ecologically speaking. The Sikkimese government is very keen to promote the state's ecological credentials. Forest cover per capita is 0.61 hectares as against 0.08 for India as a whole, and there are over 4,000 flowering plants, 144 mammals, 500 bird species and 650 kinds of butterflies!
punch above its weight : かなりの務めを果たす
as against ～ : ～に対して

・Of course, everyone needs electricity, but on the flip side, some locals say that the damming of rivers not only damages the ecosystem, it may also be weakening mountainsides.
on the flip side : 一方で

・Most of the Sikkimese people are nothing if not welcoming, and it is generally safe to wander around villages and meet the locals, who may well invite you in for tea and biscuits.
nothing if not ～ : とりわけ～だ

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・However, Iorek was worse off.
worse off : 状況が一層悪い、暮らし向きが一層悪い（反対 : "better off"）

・But he leaped at Iofur before the king could disentangle himself from the clinging chain mail, and knocked him head over heels, following up with a lunge at the bare part of Iofur's neck, where the edge of the helmet was bent.
head over heels : まっさかさまに

・They can play them off against one another; if one succeeds, they can pretend to have been supporting it all along, and if it fails, they can pretend it was a renegade outfit which had never been properly licensed.
play someone off (against) another : 人と人を対決させて、漁夫の利を得ようとする

・"Don't flatter yourself that I'd give you a second's thought. Now stay and work your mischef in this world, or come with me."
flatter oneself : うぬぼれる、得意がって～だと思う
cf. work great mischief : 大変な悪影響を与える

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

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かっぱエビせん状態

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・He could tell her when they woke, and it was probably a marten, or a dream, or some kind of harmless local spirit; but something was following the train of sledges, swinging lightly from branch to branch of the close-clustering pine trees, and it put him uneasily in mind of a monkey.
put someone in mind of ～ : （人）に～を思い出させる

・She heard a mighty roar, and the clang and scrape of Iorek Byrnison's armor as he leaped fully clad over the sledges and into the fog, and that was followed by screams, snarling, crunching and tearing sounds, great smashing blows, cries of terror and roars of bearish fury as he laid them waste.
lay waste : （～を）叩きのめす、荒廃させる

・Pantalaimon was agitated and fearful, but he didn't want the witch's daemon to see his fear, so he had flown to Lyra's breast and taken sanctuary inside her furs.
take sanctuary : （保護を求めて）逃げ込む、聖域に逃げ込む

・When it was time for bed, she knew she had to let the other girls into her confidence.
let someone into one's confidence (= "take someone into (one's) confidence"?) : （人）に秘密を打ち明ける、を信用する

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

After I've reached part two, The Golden Compass seems to have suddenly become much easier to read, with almost no difficult words for English beginners.
Besides the story is becoming more and more exciting and thrilling, so making short work of writing this blog, I want to read the rest of it as soon as possible.
I'm also going to read as many pages as possible today and tomorrow, considering my prospect of not being able to spare enough time to read it this weekend due to my women-only birthday party.
I hereby pledge never to drink too much! Never!!

あはっ♪　とぉ～ってもテキトーな日記（？）ですね。~(=^‥^A
"The Golden Compass"は、Part.2に入るとほぼ同時にかなり読むのが楽になりました。
しかも話も急激に展開し始めるので、ちょっとした『やめられない 止まらない～♪ かっぱエビせん♪』状態です。
今週末は読書に時間を割けそうにないので、今日・明日のうちにできるだけ読み進めたいのですが、今日も今日とて眠いです。
しかも暑くも寒くもない、カラッとした昼寝にはもってこいの天気・・・
『寝なさい』ってことかしらね～？(^m^*)

余談ですが、『かっぱエビせん』の表記を確認するためにCalbeeのHPをのぞいて、『かっぱエビせん えびリッチ』が無性に食べたくなりました。
『リッチ』という響きにそそられるわ～♪

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煙草1000円なんて生ぬるい！

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・A team of astronauts working inside and out anchored a giant billion-dollar Japanese lab to the international space station on June 3, making it the biggest room there.
anchor A to B : AをBに固定する

・Considering U.S. President George W. Bush has record-low approval ratings, the Democrats should be in a strong position for November, but most polls show Obama only inching ahead of McCain, and Newsweek even has them locked together with each receiving support from 46 percent of voters.
lock together : 互角にする

・Its main task is to excavate trenches in the permafrost in search of evidence of past water and organic compounds considered the chemical building blocks of life.
organic compound : 有機化合物
chemical building block : 化学的成分

・Wearing Speedo's LZR Racer, Kitajima clocked a time of 2 minutes, 07.51 secnds at the Japan Open, taking almost a second off the previous mark set by American Brendan Hansen in 2006.
clock a time of ～ : ～のタイムを記録する
take a second off ～ : ～を１秒短縮する

・Like lightning out of nowhere, Usain Bold is now the world's fastest man.
lightning out of nowhere = bolt out of the blue : 青天のへきれき

・Even with that, he said he wasn't sure if he would switch out the 400 for the 100 at the Beijing Olympics.
switch out A for B : AをBに替える

・When Koizumi Junichiro was prime minister, he wanted to explore the possibilities for a breakthrough in diplomatic ties with North Korea.
explore the possibilities for ～ : ～の可能性を探る

・As a result, on the U.S. side, there is somewhat of a diplomatic dance over control of policy.
diplomatic dance : 外交における駆け引き

・To "look over your shoulder" means to be worried that something bad is going to happen to you. It is also used when someone is afraid of being caught.

・If you "cover your back (or butt)," you do something to avoid failure or problems in the future.

・"To cover our backs, we made sure that we got everything in writing."
get ～ in writing : ～を書面にする

・I didn't think he had it in him.
has it in (one) : 能力を持っている

・However, if after a long dive you want to relax on a sandy beach, you'll be out of luck: Hachijojima is a volcanic island, so there are no sandy beaches.
(be) out of luck : あいにくで

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・Secondly, Lord Asriel's bridge will have a bearing on a war being waged at the present between some witches and various other forces, some in the sprit world.
have a bearing on ～ : ～に関係がある

・They watched the bear turn away from his victim at the bidding of the girl with the cat daemon, and then they shuffled aside to make room as Iorek Byrnison padded heavily through the midst of them at Lyra's side and made for the harbor.
at the bidding of ～ : ～の言いつけに従って

・They had been itching to get under way ever since they had disembarked; the sledges were packed, the dog teams were in their traces.
in one's traces (= in the traces) : 引き革につながれて、（業務に服して）

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

To tell the truth, my birthday is coming up soon.
(As for my age, I'm old enough to know that I shouldn't write it on the Net. (^^;)
I don't know if it's the reason, though, one of my friends gave me two 500-milliliter cans of beer, an assortment of sweets, and, somehow, a pack of sashimi yesterday.
I think now I shouldn't have done so, I drank all the beer after my bath.
Needless to say, I couldn't read The Golden Campass much yesterday, and I have a slight headache today.
I can't complain about suffering this intolerable twinge because I know well it's not his fault but my fault. (T_T)

何で飲んじゃうかな～？
何も頑張って一日で飲む必要なんてないのに～！！(/_<。)ﾋﾞｪｪﾝ
ま、仕方ない。今日一日は諦めて、頭痛に堪えましょうか・・・。

あ、煙草１箱1000円にっていう話が出てますよね。
実現しないかな～・・・（ボソッ）
決して、ヒステリックかつ下品に騒いでいる一部の過激な非喫煙者的意見ではありません。
（ま、何を言われても仕方ないような喫煙マナーの悪い人っているからね。
携帯灰皿を持ってれば、歩きタバコもOKだと思っているような人とか・・・）
今年２月から禁煙に踏み切ったものの、お酒を飲む時だけわざわざ１箱購入して吸ってしまう意志薄弱な私としては、１箱10,000円にでもして欲しいくらい。
１箱買ったからといって、その後も続けて吸いたいということはないのですが、たまに（１ヶ月で１箱ぐらいかな？）１箱吸っただけで肌の荒れること！
頭も本気でクラクラして、脳細胞が破壊されているのをヒシヒシと感じるというのに、どうして完全に絶てないのかな～？
『そんだけ何回も、煙草を断つ苦しみを自ら繰り返しているのは、ある意味Ｍだろ』等と言う友人もいますが、その苦しみはもうあまり感じないのよね。σ(o^_^o)
だから、ついつい機会があると買ってしまう＞煙草
（これは私の場合であって、普通に禁煙しようと思っている人は決してマネをしないように）
１箱1,000円なんて生ぬるいわ。
いっそ１箱10,000円、せめて2,000円ぐらいにしてくれれば、煙草と完全に縁を切れるかもしれないのにぃ～。
そして増えた税収を年金や国保なんかにまわしてもらえれば言うことナシ。

・・・こういう禁煙すら人任せな姿勢が問題なのかもしれない。orz
あ、一応、昨日は煙草ナシでの酒盛りでした。
（taspoはさすがに作ってないし、煙草のためだけにコンビニまで行くマメさは私にはありません）

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第２部突入☆

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Pubs, restaurants, theatres, live music house, clubs ― Londoners are spoilt for choice when it comes to a night out.
be spoilt for choice : 選択肢がたくさんある
night out : 夜遊び

・Yet its owners claim it is running at a huge loss.
run at a huge loss : 赤字経営をする

・Your talent for talking is given a boost as the full moon stimulates your communication zone.
give ～ a boost : ～を伸ばす

・You could be the one called upon to calm troubled waters, as those around you suffer from a dose of madness.
troubled waters : 混乱状態
a dose of : 一盛りの

・Fair-weather friends will lead you astray, whereas true mates will fill your life with abundance and joy.
都合のよい時だけの友は惑わす
cf1. fair-weather friends : 都合のよい時だけの友 <反対語> "true mates" or "all-weather friends"
cf2. astray : 迷っている、正道を踏み外して、方向を見失って

・I thrive on it.
thrive on ～ : ～を生き甲斐にする

・You're far more of a homebody than a jet-setter, and you simply don't have the stomach for the celebrity lifestyle.
don't have the stomach for ～ : ～に向かない

・That's not to say you don't have talent, but you're not one to court publicity.
court publicity : 自己宣伝をする

・The airplane is not able to accommodate such a large cargo. : 収容する
・She is very accommodating lady. : 気が利く
・Knowing you are very short of cash, we might as well issue you an accommodation bill. : 融通手形
・Their services and accommodations are pretty good. : 設備
・She can easily accommodate several major European languages, not to mention German. : 対応する、必要な物を提供する

・With all the excitement surrounding the arrival of Oshii's animated aerial adventure, fans might be surprised to learn that the project almost didn't get off the ground.
get off the ground : 実現する

・The film alternates between beautiful 3D dogfights in endless blue skies, and the drama on the ground as the young pilots try to lead regular lives in the face of sudden, violent death.
alternate between A and B : AとBの間を行ったり来たりする

・"It's not aimed just at young people, because there are many who struggle on day-to-day without any sense of achievement."
struggle on day-to-day : 日々葛藤する

・Do you know what your kids have up their sleeve for tomorrow?
up one's sleeve : （いつでも出せるように）密かに隠し持って、密かに用意して

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・"And the Ambassador was in a fix then, 'cause he couldn't refuse to drink without giving deadly insult, and he couldn't drink it because he knew it was poisoned."
be in a fix : 苦境に陥って

・"And then he had to either drink the poison or own up."
own up : すっかり認める

・"Yes, friends," he said, over the babble of shocked whispers, "they're a going to pass a law doing away with our right to free movement in and out the fens."
do away with ～ : ～をなくす、廃止する、（不要な物を）捨てる、処分する

・"Nothing will hold my hand, Margaret, save only judgment."
hold one's hand : 処罰などを控える、我慢する
save ～ : ～を除いて、～の他は、～は別として

・"I'm a putting you under Farder Coram's wing. Don't you be a trouble or hazard to him, or you'll be a feeling the force of my wrath. Now cut along and explain to Ma Casta, and hold yourself in readiness to leave."
under someone's wing : ～の保護（世話）の下に、～に保護されて
hold oneself in readiness : 心構えをする

・Another rumor said she wasn't a human child at all but a pair of spirits in the form of child and daemon, sent to this world by the infernal powers in order to work great ruin; and yet another rumor said it was no child but a fully grown human, shrunk by magic and in the pay of the Tartars, come to spy on good English people and prepare the way for a Tartar invasion.
in the pay of ～ : （時に悪い意味で）～に雇われて

・"It's almost like talking to someone, only you can't quite hear them, and you feel kind of stupid because they're cleverer than you, only they don't get cross or anything...."
get cross : つむじを曲げる、不機嫌な顔をする

・"Being as she'd fell out of the air, I more than suspected she was a witch."
being (as, or that) : ～であるので、～なので

・"But they keep a consul there, and I shall get word to her, make no doubt about that."
get word to ～ : ～に伝言をする
make no doubt : （～を）確信する、間違いなくする

・She had the run of the ship, from the engine room to the bridge, and she was soon on first-name terms with all the crew.
have the run of ～ : ～を自由に使う、とりしきる、～の主導権を握っている
on first-name terms with ～ : ～と名前で呼び合う仲で（英） ="on a first-name basis with ～"（米）

・Lyra's possessions, such as they were, had been packed ever since she'd woken up and seen the land.
such as they are : 粗末ながら、大したものではないが =such as it is"

・"It's not impossible that the notice of such activity might have come our way," he said.
come one's way : （事が）～の身に降りかかる、～の手に入る、手中に落ちる

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

Though my reading isn't progressing as much as I hoped, I've finally reached the second part and tenth chapter of The Golden Compass.
I, however, still have more than half of it, indeed 222 out of 399 pages, to read.
What should I do in order to speed up my reading, at least a little more?
Is it the only way to work it out to read as many books as possible, and to get used to English?
I feel like it's one of the most suitable way for me, though.

And I had a little accident this morning.
No sooner did I take my favorite tea pot out of the cupboard to make tea than I dropped it on the floor.
Needless to say, it broke into pieces....
How careless I am!! (T_T)

なんだか、最近また時間帯によってネットが不安定になるわ・・・。
ちゃんと書き込めるかしら？　不安。~(=^‥^A

あ、↑の"The Golden Compass"からの引用文に、"they're a going to ～"、"I'm a putting ～"という表現が多々見られますが、別に私の書き取り間違えではありません。
多分、あくまで推測ですが、gyptian達の訛りのようなものではないかと思います。
読み進めるにつれて、彼だけの都合で甘えてくるルー君が、私のdaemonのように思えて愛しい気持ちが抑えきれません・・・♡
さらには私がルー君のdaemonだという可能性も否定できなくなってくるほどの混乱状態。
う～ん・・・、疲れてる。

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The Golden Compass 進捗状況♪

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・The company announced it was going out of business at a news conference in Osaka, with 71-year-old proprietress and company president Yuki Sachiko offering a tearful apology.
廃業する

・African leaders and international aid agencies implored developed nations on May 29 to do more to help countries reeling from soaring food prices.
reel from ～ : ～で揺らぐ
soaring : 高騰する

・Money-losing train company Wakayama Electric Railway Co. has found the purr-fect pet mascot to draw crowds and bring back business ― Tama.
purr-fect : purr（猫がならすゴロゴロという音）と"perfect"をかけている
bring back business : 経営を回復させる

・All she does is sit by the entrance of the station, wearing the black cap and posing for photos for tourists, who are now flocking in droves from across the nation.
flock in droves : 大勢が群がる（drove:群衆、群れ）

・Tusks were sold in place of elephants' ivory to raise money for weapons and food.
in place of ～ : ～の代わりに
raise money : 資金を調達する

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・This little lady knows all about it, I'll be bound.
請け合うよ、約束する

・She had one hand clutched to her shoulder, holding the swooning daemon in place.
clutch ～ to ... : ～を...にしがみつける、抱きかかえる
hold ～ in place : ～を適切な位置で支える、～を適所に保つ

・And as if in answer to that last wish, she heard his name mentioned, and wandered closer to the group talking nearby with the pretext of helping herself to a canape from the plate on the table.
～に答えて、応じて

・"They feel their way about at night and if you're a sleeping out in the forest they get ahold of you and won't nothing make 'em let go."
get ahold of ～ : ～を見つける、～を手に入れる

・She would have been nervous but for Pantalaimon, and the fact that John Faa's stony expression had warmed a little.
but for ～ : ～がなかったら

・Lyra couldn't hold it in.
hold in : ～を抑える、我慢する

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

How do you determine what to do first when you have too many things to do to complete them all?
To write like this may be a little exaggerated, because I think I can manage such a situation if I can only make better use of my time.
And yet why do I feel as if it were impossible for me?
Everyone around me looks not only powerful and energetic but much more efficient and a better time manager than me.
What is it that they have and I don't?
Maybe there's not only one but more things missing in me, and maybe I have something they don't.
Yes, maybe... (^^;

Oh, and as for my reading of The Golden Compass, the fact about lyra's parents, that is to say, about who her parents are, has just become clear.
The gyptians' English is a little difficult for me to precisely understand, though I feel like I can somehow grasp the meanings from the context.
I can't tell if the above sentence, "they get ahold of you and won't nothing make 'em let go," is grammatically correct or not, for instance.
I guess it means "there is nothing to make them let go," or am I wrong?
Anyway, the story is getting more and more interesting and exciting! (^^)

As an aside, I have to go to the hospital to have monthly consultations with my doctor, and it's going to rain tomorrow according to the weather report.
I don't want to go anywhere!

う～ん・・・、辞書にも英辞郎君にも載っていない不可解な単語が多いんですが、何とか大筋は掴めていると・・・思います。
ジプシー達の言葉は訛りのようなものもあると思うのですが、作者の造語なのか、訛りなのか、単に辞書に載ってないだけのネイティブには周知の言葉なのか、考え始めると不安になるので考えません。~(=^‥^A
とりあえず、思わず「え～！！！」と叫びたくなるような事実が判明したところで、昨日は睡魔に負けてしまいました。
明日は病院だぜ～。
しかも雨だぜ～～。

・・・・・・・・・・・いやん。(/_<。)ﾋﾞｪｪﾝ

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今日のメモ-やるな、TOEIC！-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・"Behind the chair―quick!" whispered Pantalaimon, and in a flash Lyra was out of the armchair and crouching behind it.
あっという間に、（今すぐ）

・There was no question now of creeping out unnoticed: she'd have to sit tight and hope.
～の可能性はない

・"Make a noise in there and I won't help you. You're on your own."
（自分で何とかしなさい・・・？）、自分でできるだろ、もう一人前だよね、好きにしなさい
cf. on one's own : 自分の責任で、独力で

・The Scholars had more important things to do than attend to the affections of a half-wild, half-civilized girl, left among them by chance.
偶然に、たまたま

・As with the previous pair of pictures, many of the features visible by ordinary light were much dimmer in this one, and so were the curtains of radiance in the sky.
～と同様に

・Some of the money was put by for reinvestment―Concilium had just approved the purchase of an office block in Manchester―and the rest was used to pay the Scholars' modest stipends and the wages of the servants (and the Parslows, and the other or so families of craftsmen and traders who served the College), to keep the wine cellar richly filled, to buy books and anbarographs for the immense library that filled one side of the Melrose Quadrangle and extended, burrow-like, for several floors beneath the ground, and, not least, to buy the latest philosophical apparatus to equip the chapel.
特に、少なからず

・When they were last in Oxford, she and Roger and some of the other kitchen boys from Jordan and St. Michael's College had laid an ambush for them, throwing mud at their brightly painted narrowboad until the whole family came out to chase them away―at which point the reserve squad under Lyra raided the boat and cast it off from the bank, to float down the canal, getting in the way of all the other water traffic while Lyra's raiders searched the boat from end to end, looking for the bung.
待ち伏せする

・She was a coarse and greedy little savage, for the most part.
大部分は、普通は、ほとんど

・All she did with that knowledge was to give herself airs and lord it over the other urchins.
give oneself airs : 気取る
lord ～ over ... : ...に～を威張る

・He's got a shilling in his pocket that a soldier gave him for taking a message to his girl, but Tony's not going to waste that on food, when you can pick up so much for nothing.
無料で

・She, poor drunken thing, will think he's run away, and when she remembers him, she'll think it was her fault, and sob her sorry heart out.
sob one's heart out : 胸も張り裂けんばかりにむせび泣く

・Soon those few who did want to send a message to whatever home they had were sitting around the beautiful lady as she wrote a few lines at their dictation and, having let them scratch a clumsy X at the foot of the page, folded it into a scented envelope and wrote the address they told her.
write at someone's dictation ; ～の口述を書き取る

・My uncle said he's leave him alive if he untied him, so he did, and then my uncle killed him anyway just to teach him a lesson.
～を懲らしめる、戒める

・REQUIESCANT IN PACE
cf. Requiescat in pace : 安らかに眠らんことを

・If she and her cronies from the College kitchens could get as far as Abingdon, they could play havoc with the weir....
～を大混乱させる、～を破壊する

・"She's in a temper."
怒って、短気を起こして、躍起になって、むしゃくしゃして

・Everyone's daemon instantly became warlike: each child was accompanied by fangs, or claws, or brisling fur, and Pantalaimon, contemptuous of the limited imaginations of these gyptian daemons, became a dragon the size of a deer hound.
be contemptuous of ～ : ～を軽蔑する

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

When starting to read The Golden Compass, I thought it was relatively easy to read, at least much easier than to read The Remains of the Day.
It might be wrong...
If this book began from the chapter three, I might give up reading it through.
Because it's full of words I'd never seen in my life, such as ones related to churches (or Christianity) and to science!
All I can do is look up every word I don't know in the dictionary, until my wrists become sore, not a joke.
Oh, and this heroine Lyra is extraordinary attractive!
When reading a passage including such words as "a half-wild, half-civilized girl", I thought what a terrible description far from the image of the heroine in the namesake film it was.
As I read further, however, I found, especially given her warlike and mischievous character, it was the best wording for Lyra.
I'm already hooked on her! (^^)

And one more thing to write!
Do you know I wrote about the audio equipment accident having occurred during my TOEIC?
If not, please take a quick look at it.
(http://s-kotonoha.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2008/05/toeic_16e7.html)
I wrote every bad thing about TOEIC staff I could think of, didn't I? (^^;
So I must write here that they courteously, and to my surprise, sent me an application form that enables me to take a TOEIC test for free for a year!
Free! For a year!!
Oh, what should I do having been given such a wonderful gift?
Should I take a TOEIC test?  Again?
Hmm..., I think it's considerate enough to make me grateful for the staff, though, it's also true that just thinking about taking another test gets me a little down. (^^;

え～、"The Golden Compass"ですが・・・
楽に読めるページと、（私だけかもしれませんが）辞書との格闘を余儀なくされるページとの差が激しい！(/_<。)ﾋﾞｪｪﾝ
う～ん、出だしが簡単だったから、ちょっと見くびっていたわ。
気合いを入れ直さないと。
それと、Lyra♪
映画の主人公がやたらと賢そうで可愛いので、勝手にイメージを作っていましたが、かなりのお転婆さん。
いえ、ほとんど不良少女の域かも・・・。 ~(=^‥^A
派手すぎるわ、やることが。 ~(=^‥^A~(=^‥^A
ハッキリ言って、好きかも・・・♪ =＾-＾=

それとこれを書かなくては！
先日、「TOEICのテストを受けた際、オーディオ機器にトラブルがあったり、その後の対応がひどくて散々だった」という趣旨の日記を書きましたが(http://s-kotonoha.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2008/05/toeic_16e7.html)、その後、TOEICからトラブルに関するお詫びと、１年間有効の無料で受験できる申込書が送られてきました。
ポストを見た時は、「え？　もうTOEICの結果出たの？！」と、結果発送が24日だと知っているのに、本気でビビッてしまいました。
もう一度、休日に○○大学まで出掛け、２時間で私の精気を吸い尽くすあの試験を受けるのかと思うだけで気が滅入るのも事実ですが、正直、ここまでしてくれるとは思っていませんでした。
悪口書いてゴメンね。＞TOEIC

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The Golden Compass - His Dark Materials 1-

I finishing reading The Remains of the Day on Monday, the next book I've got from Amazon to read is, needless to say, The Golden Compass, which I repeatedly wrote on this blog that I wanted to read as soon as possible.
Even if you can't imagine well what kind of book The Golden Compass is by just hearing its English title, I suppose you can immediately recognize it as the fantasy novel on which the popular movie having released in March 2008 is based by hearing only once its Japanese title, Lyra no Bouken ― Ogon no Rashinban.
I've read only 20 or so pages yet, but the heroine Lyra seems to get involved in trouble of some sort at almost the same time as the story begins, and I've already gotten into it. (^^)

Though I know the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, the series of Lyra no Boken, is originally written in UK, I bought a set of US edition of it because I thought it was the cheapest way (I don't know my thought is right, though.)
I always think every time I get foreign paperbacks that the quality of the paper is inferior to that of Japanese paperbacks, and I think it holds true for this trilogy too.
But at the same time, the design of the cover, and cute but seemingly meaningful signs, or I might as well describe those as symbols, written in on one side of the all pages, I feel, make the books more mysterious.
Yes, I think the design is not too bad for a US edition, and as for the story, there's still nothing able to write because it has only begun.

Oh, and do you know you can check on the Net what kind of daemon yours is?
According to the site, my daemon is an osprey, or a fish hawk, a kind of hawk, I guess.
Hmm..., should I be pleased with the result?  (^^;
Anyway, please check your daemon, if you'd like!
The movie of The Golden Compass : http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/

「読んでみたいな～♪」とブログに書いてから何カ月経ちましたっけ？
やっと「ライラの冒険-黄金の羅針盤」のUS版をゲットいたしました♪　(^^)v
かねてから目を付けていた、ライラの冒険シリーズ全３巻のボックスセット。
（ところで「ライラの冒険シリーズ」を英語で書こうとした場合、"The series of His Dark Materials" or "'His Dark Materials' trilogy" でいいのかしら？
US版と本家UK版では、タイトルからして若干違いがあったような気が・・・~(=^‥^A）
まださっぱり「ワケわからん」状態ではありますが、物語が始まるとほぼ同時にライラがトラブルに巻き込まれてしまうのだから、夢中にならないワケがない。(^m^*)

ちなみに↑の映画版「ライラの冒険-黄金の羅針盤」の公式サイトで、私のdaemonを調べたところ、

daemonの名前：Elleron
daemonの種類：ミサゴ（鷹の一種で魚を食べるらしい・・・）

私は：気まぐれ、孤独、はきはきした、謙虚な、受身的
私のダイモンElleronは、ダイモンの全人口1,222,288中のミサゴ45,934の１つ
人間とダイモンのペアの性別は反対なので、Elleronは雄のダイモンである

なんだとか。
インコを飼っているので私のdaemonが鳥類なのは良しとして、何故に猛禽類？
ちなみに姓と名前の間にブランクを入れて試したところ、トラでした。
（若干、アンケートの答え方も違ったかも・・・）
映画公開から随分時が経ってしまいましたが、良ければあなたのdaemonもチェックしてみてくださいね。=＾-＾=

「ライラの冒険-黄金の羅針盤」の公式サイト：http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/

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今日のメモ-The Remains of the Day 終了～♪-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Obama on the brink of victory. (headline)
～の寸前に(= to the brink of)

・Some critics noted she had no military experience and said pregnancy or the challenges of new motherhood would handicap her as she tried to learn the ropes of a highly demanding position.
new motherhood : 新しい母親のありよう
learn the ropes of ～ : ～のやり方を学ぶ

・In a matter of days, perhaps in a bid to silence critics, Chacon took off on a whirlwind tour to visit Spanish peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Bosnia.
in a matter of days : 数日中に
in a bid to ～ : ～することを目指して

・Arrivals from China and Hong Kong, who accounted for 16.5 percent of visitors to Japan last year, are posed this year to become the second-largest group of tourists after South Koreans.
account for ～ : ～を占める
(be) poised to ～ : ～する構えである

・To "test the waters" means to find out what people think about an idea before doing something about it.  It can also mean to try something out before fully committing to it.

・When something "doesn't hold water" it means that an opinion or argument doesn't have any truth to it.

・"Don't you think it's a whole lot of ritual for something that has about a 50-50 shot of making it out of the gate?"
shot : = chance （50-50 shot : 五分五分の確率）
make it out of the gate = succeed

・"Do you also go around telling children that Santa Claus doesn't exist? Because someone needs to blow that wide wide open."
blow ～ wide open = tell the truth publicly

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・'I only have to do a few lines to have the pair of us in stitches.'
笑いこけて、抱腹絶倒して

・'His lordship is in deep waters.  I've watched him swimming further and further out and let me tell you, I'm getting very anxious.  He's out of his depth, you see, Stevens.'
in deep waters : 非常に困って、難儀して
out of one's depth : 理解（能力）の及ばない、深みにはまって、（背の立たないところに）

・'His lordship has worked wonders to bring this meeting about, and he believes ― faithfully believes ― he's doing something good and honourable.'
驚くべき事をする、奇跡をおこす

・'Do you think that's being loyal?  To his lordship?  Or to the Crown, come to that?'
実のところ、ついでに（それに関して）言えば

・'Mr Stevens, you mustn't take anything I said earlier to heart.'
take ～ to heart : ～を気にかける、悲しむ、じっくり考える、深く心に刻む

・But then again, I may well have been mistaken about this.
だが同時に、だが一方では

・But it was not so much the content of our conversation as the little smiles she gave at the end of utterances, her small ironic inflexions here and there, certain gestures with her shoulders or her hands, which began to recall unmistakably the rhythms and habits of our conversations from all those years ago.
not so much A as B : AというよりはむしろB

・For my own part, I tried to describe to her as best I could the Darlington Hall of today.
for one's own part : ～（個人）としては、～に関する限り
as best one can : 精一杯、できるだけ

・'And I can put your mind at rest on this matter absolutely.'
put one's mind at rest : 安心させる

・'He is not in the least a cruel or ill-tempered man.'
少しも～しない（= not at all)

・'That is to say ― forgive me ― you have taken it on yourself to leave your husband on a number of occasions.'
take it on oneself to do : 自ら進んで～する、責任を持って（勝手に）～する

・'We may never meet again, Mrs Benn, so I would ask you to take good heed of what I am saying.'
take heed of ～ : ～を重んじる、～に注意する

・'We've all got to put our feet up at some point.  Look at me.  Been happy as a lark since the day I retired.'
put one's feet up : （何かに）足をのせてくつろぐ
= as happy as a lark : とても楽しい（lark : ひばり）

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

After spending, to my surprise, more than a month, indeed from April 31 to June 2, I finally finished reading The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
It's almost disappointing to me that it took me such a long time to read it from cover to cover, but I feel it couldn't be helped because I'd had a lot more things to do than reading it, and because I wasn't (to tell the truth, I'm still not) in good shape.
In addtion, it may be one of the reasons that the book is full of stiff words I had never encounter.
Though I write "the book is full of stiff words," don't worry.
Such words are only used in the scenes of gentlemen who are so distinguished as to be concerned with foreign affairs talking to each other.
You can probably read most part of it easily enough to get absorbed in it.

Anyway, I wonder why I'm attracted like this by Kazuo Ishiguro's world elaborated with beautiful English and his affection for the characters, especially for Stevens, a main character of this story.
There's almost no exciting scene with, for instance, unexpected incident or romantic affair.
Nevertheless, I can't help sympathizing with Stevens, ...and Mrs Benn.
People sometimes tend to look back over the past, regretting the mistakes they made.
It may seem like the end of the day, or maybe it can be said, the end of the life.
However, we can still look ahead to the future with pleasure and anticipation in each mind.

う～・・・、長風呂したら疲れちゃった。
とりあえずもう寝ます・・・　グー…(__).。oＯ

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今日のメモ-サザン記事とThe Remains of the Day-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Fortune finally favored Imada Ryuji.
運命は～に味方する
（Fortune favors the brave. 「運命の女神は勇者に味方する」という諺より）

・But there was no surprise about Imada's victory ― the Japanese star, who worked his way up from the ground in America, had finished second on tour twice in 2008 before his breakthrough win.
～からたたき上げる

・Along the way, Jamie picked up a few tricks.
ここに至るまで

・Being a rock star and doing lights still don't pay the bills in New York these days.
家計を賄う

・Finding new ways to communicate old ideas will give you a real lift.
活気づける

・You've been talking about saving for something big (like a car or trip) for ages, but now it's time to put your money where your mouth is and actually start saving.
口ではなく行動で証明する

・Expect major plans to be put on hold for the next couple of weeks.
put ～ on hold : ～を保留する

・Sensible Virgo goes out the window as the New Moon stirs up your reputation zone.
完全に消える

・You're far too laid-back to be a snob.
こだわらない、おおらかな、気軽な、リラックスした、くつろいだ

・You might want to shape up your act if you don't want people looking down their noses at you.
shape up one's act : シャキッとする
look down one's nose at ～ : ～を見下す

・You've got a big heart and a live-and-let-live attitude.
「自分生き、他も生かせよ」の姿勢

・You're probably a name-dropper as well.
有名人の名前を親しげに言う人

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・Then he came towards the table and stopped, standing to attention before me as though reporting to an officer in the army.
気を付けの姿勢で立つ、不動の姿勢を取る

・And so it proved in good time.
やがて、そのうちに、（時間通りに、早く、早めに）

・'You'll excuse me, sir, but like I said before, we don't stand on ceremony here when it comes to express opinions.'
堅苦しくて打ちとけない、儀式ばる

・I perceived, of course, that Mr Harry and I were rather at cross purposes on this matter, and that it would be far too complicated a task for me to explain myself more clearly to these people.
互いに意味を食い違えて、目的（意図）が相反して

・'And when you think that it was my good fortune to have had their ear on many great issues of the day, yes, when I think back, I do feel a certain gratitude.'
（有力な人に）聞いてもらう

・'But the likes of us here, sir, we can go year in year out and never even lay eyes on a real gentleman ― other than maybe Dr Carlisle.'
終始、絶え間なく、年々歳々（= every year）

・I was by this point well on top of the situation, but the gentlemen went on laughing covertly.
状況を把握する（管理する）
cf. on top of ～ : ～を支配して、～に精通して、～を掌握して、～を上手く処理して

・While of course this was a slightly uncomfortable situation, it was hardly the most difficult, or even an especially unusual one to encounter in the course of one's duties, and you will no doubt agree that any decent professional should expect to take such events in his stride. I had, then, all but forgotten the episode by the following morning, when Lord Darlington came into the billiard room while I was up on a step-ladder dusting portraits, and said: 'Look here, Stevens, it was dreadful.'
take ～ in one's stride : ～を楽々とやり遂げる、～に冷静に対処する、～を苦もなく飛び越える
all but : ほとんど、すんでのところで、（～を除いて全て）

・It was, as I recall it, one of those moments that brought home how much the pressures of life had taken their toll on his lordship over a relatively small number of years.
bring home : 痛感させる
take one's toll on ～ : ～に損失をもたらす、～の一部を犠牲としてひきとる

・'Germany and Italy have set their houses in order by acting.'
自分の問題を解決する、財政状態をよくする、秩序を回復する

・One need only look at the butlers who attempted to put such an approach into practice, and one will see that their careers ― and in some cases they were highly promising careers ― came to nothing as a direct consequence.
失敗に終わる、徒労に終わる、水泡に帰す

・How can one possibly be held to blame in any sense because, say, the passage of time has shown that Lord Darington's efforts were misguided, even foolish?
hold ～ to blame : ～に責めを負わせる

・We exchanged a few pleasantries as we climbed a narrow road between tall trees, he inquiring after how I had slept at the Taylors and so forth.
～など（= and so on）

・'He's entertaining enough to listen to for a while, but really, he's all in a muddle.
支離滅裂で、まごついて、ぼんやりして

・Any fears I had that some deeper trouble was afflicting the Ford were laid to rest when I tried the ignition and heard the engine come to life with a healthy murmur.
lay ～ to rest : ～を忘れ去る、～に関心を失う

・'Just as well his father's not alive to read this.'
it is just as well (that) ～ : ～とはついている、～とは好都合だ

・'On the contrary, Miss Kenton.'
とんでもない、（それとは反対に、それどころか）

・I intend to go with or without your blessing, Mt Stevens, I wish to make this clear.'
～があろうとなかろうと、～を持っていようがいまいが

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK)-

After flipping through the Mainichi Weekly of this week's issue yesterday, I found the article reporting the news about Southern All Stars' indefinite break.
The article is this:

Popular band Southern All Stars to take a break

Southern All Stars, arguably one of Japan's most loved bands, will take an indefinite break at the end of this year, their record company announced on May 18.
"We hope to get together at some point in the future," the band said in a comment released through its record company, while ruling out the possibility of dissolving the band.
Headed by 52-year-old vocalist Kuwata Keisuke, the band debuted in June 1978 with the hit song Katte ni Sindbad. Their songs were so popular that some of them were even covered by foreign artists, including Ellie My Love by Ray Charles.
In August this year, the band will give a special concert at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, commemorating the 30th anniversary of their debut.

Unlike Japanese other media, I think this article seems to be written much more accurately with no irresponsible speculation.
Maybe it's because, I guess, it doesn't have enough space to describe their opinions on the news, though.  (^^;
Anyway, my dearest Keisuke Kuwata said firmly and repeatedly on his radio program on May 24, the day before my TOEIC, that he had no intention of dissolving the band at all!
So there's no need to worry about absurd rumors having come out one after another.
His words made me relieved and much more addicted to him, and when I heard he saying he felt as if they should refrain from resuming the band's activities immediately because various kinds of media had reported the news as though somebody had died, I couldn't help laughing with my SO, who also likes their songs. (^^)

連日「今日のメモ」ばかりというのは如何なものか？と思いつつ、諸々の仕事にひとまず区切りがついた今、するべきことはただ一つ！
そう。　眠ることです。~(=^‥^A
全く無意味に長くかかった「The Remains of the Day」も、あと数日で読み終われるかな～という感じ。
某HPに「"Never Let Me Go"は"The Remains of the Day"よりも少し敷居が高い」と書いてありましたが、これ、私は全く逆だと思います。
前者は主人公が30代の現代女性（SFですが・・・）で、彼女の回想を軸に描かれているので、当然出てくる単語もさほど難しくありません。
後者は第二次大戦後、年老いた執事が車で旅行をしながら様々な人と出会う「現在」と、自分の全盛期を振り返る「過去」とが交互に描かれており、当然、辞書で〔堅〕という注釈付きの小難しい単語や言い回しが多くなります。
ただ、堅苦しいお話かというと、そんなことは全くなく、時折クスッと笑えさえします。
もうすぐ、も～すぐで、“彼”が“彼女”と再会するはずです。
残り数十ページでいったいどういう展開が私を待っているのか、全く想像できないのですが、何がきても大丈夫！
余韻に浸る時間はた～～っぷりあるもの♪ (^m^*)

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今日のメモ-リスニングetc-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・The fact that I am now here, the fact I came to be to all intents and purposes at the mercy of Mr and Mrs Taylor's generosity on this night, is attributable to one foolish, infuriatingly simple oversight: namely, I allowed the Ford to run out of petrol.
to all intents (and purposes) : 事実上、つまり、あらゆる点で
at the mercy of : ～のなすがままに、～の言いなりで

・I resolved then to return as far as the gate, and from there, descend the field, walking in as direct a line as possible towards the lights of the villages, regardless of whether or not there was a proper path.
as far as : ～まで
regardless of : ～に関わらず

・By and by I found myself on a paved path going down into the village, and it was while descending this path that I met Mr Taylor, my kind host of this evening.
やがて、まもなく

・I rarely had the time or the desire to read any of these romances cover to cover, but so far as I could tell, their plots were invariably absurd ― indeed, sentimental ― and I would not have wasted one moment on them were it not for these aforementioned benefits.
cover to cover : （本を）最初から最後まで
were it not for : = if it were not for : もし～がなかったら

・'And that, Mr Stevens, is really the long and short of it.'
結局のところ、要点、要旨

・Naturally ― and why should I not admit this? ― I have occasionally wondered to myself how things might have turned out in the long run had I not been so determined over the issue of our evening meetings; that is to say, had I relented on those several occasions over the weeks that followed when Miss Kenton suggested we reinstitute them.
in the long run : 長い目で見れば
had I not been ～ : = if I had not been ～
had I relented ～ : = if I had relented ～

・She became very still, but to her credit she remained composed, reading the letter through at least twice.
to one's credit : ～の偉いところは、～の名誉のために言っておくと、称賛に値して

・'For instance, Miss Kenton, although the crockery is being washed to as high a standard as ever, I have noticed it is being replaced on the kitchen shelves in a manner which, while not obviously dangerous, would nevertheless over time result in more breakages than necessary.'
時間が経てば、そのうち、やがて

・But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently?
such and such : これこれの、しかじかの
had such and such a moment turned out ～ : = if such and such a moment had turned out ～

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

Though four days have passed since my taking TOEIC, I'm still not in good shape, feeling pain in my hands and legs, and sleepy all day.
I'm nevertheless trying hard to complete my unfinished work, which should be over in a few days.
When I finish all I have to do, I will sleep as long as I'd like to. (^^)

By the way, having taken TOEIC, I painfully realized my lack of listening skills.
I've watched one of news programs which offer bilingual broadcast service for more than a year, and I began to feel getting used to the newscasters' English enough to roughly understand what they speak.
I suppose, however, I'm not good at understanding everyday conversation.
Hmm..., what should I do to improve my English listening skills?
Some friends of mine say that hearing any of radio English programs is effective way for English learning, but I don't think, to my shame, I can stick to it.  (^^;
If I could improve my English skills only by doing what I'd like to, how wonderfull it would be.

眠い・・・、眠すぎるわ・・・。(/_<。)
“The Remains of the Day”は、仮定法のifを省略して倒置された形の文章が多く、この弛みきった頭で読んでいると、「？」で頭がいっぱいになってしまうこともしばし。
それにしてもKazuo Ishiguroさんの文章は素敵です・・・♪
何が綺麗な英語なのかなんてわかるわけもありませんが、「好き」だとか「愛してる」という言葉は（今のところ）１つも出てきていないのに、深い愛情がひしひしと伝わってきます。
“Never Let Me Go”を読んだ時にも同じ事を思いました。
ただ“The Remains of the Day”の主人公・Stevensさんは、思わず笑ってしまうぐらい几帳面で真面目なのに、鈍感すぎるのがチョットね・・・。~(=^‥^A
ラジオを聞いてウィットに富んだギャグの練習する暇があったら、女心の研究でもしなさい。
ロマンス小説を読む理由が「執事にふさわしい美しい英語を身につけるため」っていうのもどうなの？
らしくって私は好きだけど、こんな人を好きになった女性は大変でしょうね。

さ、もう少しでこの修羅場も一段落つくぞ～♪
頑張りまっす。p(^^)q

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今日のメモ-I have a dream!-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Of the more than 34,000 runners who finished the Flora London Marathon, six stood out ― they were warriors of the Massai tribe of Africa.
"Six of the more than 34,000 runners who finished the Flora London Marathon stood out ～" の倒置（？）

・It's time to speak your truth and then walk your talk.
有言実行する

・Americans say, "Nice guys finish last."
お人好しは損をする

・A little birdie told me.
風の噂で聞きました
e.g. "Who told you such a thing?" "Just a little birdie told me.（ただの風の噂ですよ）"

・Actions speak louder than words.
行動は言葉より雄弁

・If I use a big word, you are very eloquent.
大袈裟な言葉、難解な言葉、大言壮語、意味不明な語、もったいぶった言葉
if I uses a big word : 「言い換えれば」とここでは訳されていました。

・All of us are working against the clock.
時間と勝負している

・in chronological order : 時代の順番に

・out of order : 主に公共物が故障した際に使われる
not work : 一般家庭の家電等が故障した際に使われる

・You need good hand-eye coordination to play video games.
視覚と手の協調関係（ここでは「目と手の動きを上手く調整することが必要」の意味）

・The audience was made up of people who love documentary films.
～が占める

・Scuba divers have long headed to Rota because its water visibility is amongst the best in the world.
～の１つ、（３つ以上の）～のうちで　（＝among）

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

The Mainichi Weekly runs a column called "A New York Minute", which is written by Sean Sakamoto, who lives with his Japanese wife in New York City, every four weeks.
I love his column, where he usually introduces various kinds of interesting people and his daily life in plain English even I can understand.
And I found the address of his(?) blog was on the paper, and checked the site out yesterday.
The blog hadn't had so many articles yet when I visited it, though, it was full of intriguing videos probably having been shot by him and his fellows.
I was able to hear his voice for the first time there!
His English was also clear enough for me to take in what he said in his video titled "Nerdnyc, Thanksnerding!" though I could hardly make out what the other people appearing in it said.
Please check his blog out, if you'd like to.  (^^)
http://www.idratherbe.tv./

And one more thing.
The Mainichi Weekly has started running an article about American history since this week.
The article of this week's issue features Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, both of whom were the slain black civil rights leaders living in the same period.
Let me write down very famous King's speech in today's diary just for remembrance' sake.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.
It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
With th