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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まだ死にそう・・・

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・They twirled batons rapidly and with great dexterity, and about a dozen performers were propelled into the air.
with dexterity : 器用に

・GDP per capita in 2007 was a mere $2100, only 50 percent of the population has access to plumbing, and many parts of the country remain without electricity.
GDP per capita : 一人あたりの国内総生産
have access to ～ : ～が利用できる
plumbing : 水道設備

・For example, there are towering monasteries ― some internationally recognized cultural landmarks ― while nearby the poor strive to sell a mishmash of wares to tourists.
mishmash of wares : 寄せ集めの品々

・If you're smart, you'll do all you can to avoid power struggles and ego trips.
ego trip : 利己的な過ち

・The iron fist in the velvet glove approach will work best, especially on the weekend.
the iron fist in the velvet glove : 優しさに包まれた厳しさ

・Don't even try to second-guess the behavior of others this week.
second-guess : 後でとやかく言う

・A fresh approach will work wonders.
work wonders : 効果てきめんである

・So don't let loved ones push you around or attempt to persuade you do something you don't believe in.
push ～ around : ～をこき使う

・We had to make do.
make do : 間に合わせる

・"You eat more than Nic and I put together."
more than A and B put together : AとBを足したよりもっと

・I have to know what the day holds for me.
what the day holds for ～ : ～に何が起こるか

・I wouldn't be caught dead doing that.
wouldn't be caught dead ～ : ～するのは死んでも嫌だ

・You're a straight-down-the-line person of science, and you abhor wishy-washy superstitious types.
straight-down-the-line : 正当派

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・She had to move on hands and knees, because the space was too low to crouch in, and every so often she had to squeeze under a square duct or lift herself over some heating pipes.
on hands on knees : 四つんばいになって

・"With respect, they did, Mrs, Coulter."
with respect : ご意見はもっともですが、はばかりながら

・"No; on second thought, don't tell me."
on second thought : よく考え直してみると

・"With the first model we could never entirely overcome the risk of the patient dying of shock, but we've improved that no end."
no end : とても（= very much)、非常に、絶え間なく

・She remembered hurling a handful of clay in the broad face of a brickburner boy bearing down on her.
bear down on ～ : ～にずかずかと歩み寄る、～を圧迫する、押さえつける

・The Tartars, in a tight group now around the sledge, were able to blaze at will into the snow, but the gyptians dared not shoot back for fear of hitting Lyra.
at will : 思うままに、好きなように、自由自在に

・Somewhere outside, the flap and swish of air through cloud-pine needles and witch garments told that the witches were keeping them company into the upper airs.
keep one's company : ～のお供をする

・He was growing old; he was an old broken man, and she would be young for generations.
for generations : 数代にわたって

・"We feel cold, but we don't mind it, because we will not come to harm."
come to ahrm : 酷い目に遭う

・It felt as if the had torn loose from the balloon, and were dropping unchecked by anything; and then came another series of jerks and crashes, the basket being tossed rapidly from side to side as if they were bouncing between rock walls.
tear loose from ～ : （物が）～から外れる　cf. tear loose : 自由になる、逃げる、（物が強く引っ張られて）外れる

・Then she had the fright of her life.
have the fright of one's life : 非常にビックリする

・"I don't know," she said, and then, making it up out of pure habit, "no," she went on.
out of pure habit : 単なる癖・習性で

・"I bet you know more about the bears than he does, for a start."
for a start : まず第一に

・"I have it on good authority."
have on good authority : 確かな筋から聞く　cf.on good authority : 確かな筋から

・Everything she'd heard about the bear-king added up: the mighty Iofur Raknison wanted nothing more than to be a human being, with a daemon of his own.
add up : つじつまが合う、意味を成す

・Some of the highest-ranking, she saw, carried little manikins like Iofur's rag-doll daemon, trying to curry favor, perhaps, by imitating the fashion he'd begun.
curry fovor (with someone) : （～の）機嫌をとる、へつらう

・The fog had lifted by this time, and the air was clear; and as chance would have it, the brief lifting of darkness toward noon coincided with the time Lyra thought Iorek was going to arrive.
as chance would(/ will) have it : 偶然に、たまたま

・"Belaqua? No. You're Lyra Silvertongue," he said.
silver tongue : 雄弁、説得力

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

I'm still struggling with nausea sometimes.
Knowing it's all my fault because I was aware enough to be able to prevent this from happening to me that my stomach had become vulnerable due to my medicines, I can't take it out on somebody else.
Wooops, I'm going to throw up, seriously. (T_T)

What with suffering from retching stomach and being pressed by daily routine, I, off course, could read neither The Golden Compass nor the Mainichi Weekly as much as I had expected.
I don't know if I can manage it today.
Well, I should think it's enough for me to be only able to update this blog, shouldn't I?

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TOEIC結果発表

I have something to write here.
I'm, however, going to make it short because of my hangover from the last two days' drinking parties for celebrate my birthday,
Each drinking party was so fantastic that I forgot all about the time, though. (^^;

As writing in this blog on May 27th, I took the 138th TOEIC test to know how many points I could get now that it had been more than a year since I started English learning.
And I got the result today, though I thought it should be sent after June 24th since I saw the TOEIC officials having written on their HP that they were to do so.
Can you imagine my shock of the moment I found it in my post this morning when I didn't expect it at all? (^^;

Anyway, my score is as follows:

Listening : 370 (mean score : 313.9)
Reading   : 425 (mean score : 272.2)
Total       : 795 (mean score : 586.1)

(total number of examinees : 88,983)

Oh, to be honest, I thought I could get, or at least aimed to get, a score of a little more than 800.
One more correct answer, and I could have reached my goal!!
Never mind.
With the complimentary application form valid for a year, I'm going to take the TOEIC test once more at any cost.
Maybe, this autumn or next spring.
I have to improve my listening skills by then!!

う～ん・・・。
二日酔いで本気で死にそうなところに、予想以上に早いTOEICの結果発送＆目標点数に１問足りずという結果はちょっとキツイかも。
本気で800点以上を狙ってたんだけどな～。orz
まぁ、せっかくTOEICから無料の申込用紙をゲットしたので、次回はもう少し頑張りましょうってことで。
（無料申込用紙ゲットの事情はこちらをどうぞ）

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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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なが～～い！

The weather report said it was going to rain yesterday, but in fact it was nice weather without rain and strong sunshine for me having to go by bicycle.
Today the sky is also clear and the air is both cool and comfortably dry, so I feel as if it were not a day in the rainy season.
Hmm..., is my English right?  Can you understand what I want to say?
To be honest, when visiting the official website of TOEIC Speaking & Writing Tests, (yes, I did despite knowing it's far beyond my English skills,) I was so mentally-devastated as to think I wanted to stop my fruitless attempt to master English immediately.
Well, it may be not too bad that I have still long, long way to go, compared to having no goal in mind to head to.
Don't you think so? (^^)

And one more thing I want to confess here.
I bought a copy of a magazine for English learners titled English Journal, not the latest but the May edition because the latter features the interview with my favorite Johnny Depp about his musical film Sweeney Todd, along with a set of His Dark Materials in order to improve my listening skills.
It's so difficult and has so many articles to listen to (and to read, as for me) that I don't dare to think I can get it through within a month.
Yes, the way ahead of me is long enough to make me feel dizzy. (^^;

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ポップアップ・カード♪

Any news about Southern All Stars' 30th anniversary event or new single CD haven't come out yet!
All I was able to confirm is that Keisuke Kuwata was recording a song or two, or three(?), according to what he said on his previous radio program.
There is a fact that makes me feel worried about the possibility of no special events to come.
It's that Hiroshi Matsuda and Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, the drummer and the bassist of the band, are still continuing their solo work, though I don't care at all about Takashi Omori, the former guitarist, having announced on his blog and a porno magazine his will to make a comeback as a member of the band.
An announcement of his ambition or dream, whatsoever, for the comeback on a porno magazine without showing sign of remorse...
So absurd that I'd like to tell him in person not to make me laugh, if possible.
Anyway, another fact that Keisuke Kuwata doesn't always put what he said, yes, he certainly said on TV last year they would show their appreciation for the fans, into action makes me more worried.

By the way, though Mother's day is coming soon, have you already decided what you're going to present?
If you'd like to make a pop-up card for your mother and have confidence in your hand dexterity, please check this site out.
When you'd like to learn from the basics, this site may help you.
Needless to say, no sooner did I browse the site than I gave up making such a complicated card. (^^;

前々回の日記にもちょっとだけ書きましたが、ポップアップカード作りにチャレンジしました♪

・・・え～、ネットで作り方を書いたサイトを見つけた時点で断念しましたが・・・。~(=^‥^A
『こんな複雑なもの、私に作れるわけがないだろ！』と、ほとんど逆ギレ状態でしたが、その後、ネットでポップアップカード作りの基本を書いてあるサイトを見てみると、案外簡単かもしれないという気になってきました。
母の日に間に合わせる自信はないので、暇を見つけて練習して、クリスマス頃までにまともなカードを作れるようになる！
なんて妄想に耽ってみる今日この頃。
もし興味があれば、母の日に手作りポップアップカードなんていかがですか？
まずこちらで基本を確認。　http://www15.ocn.ne.jp/~r-piece/try/top/try.html
そしてこちらでステップアップ♪　http://dyn.c-ij.com/japan/greetings/home.page?lang=jp
ちなみに、プレゼント本体はゲランの美容液と口紅にしました。
そしてチャッカリ自分用にも美容液をゲットする私。(^m^*)

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権利と義務、自由と責任

How are you spending these scattered holidays?
I enjoyed a delicious lunch with a friend of mine chatting about this and that ― about nothing in particular as usual. :)
She, however, was furious about the government's handling of the gasoline tax and her husband, saying there was nothing she could depend on.
So I told her about what Toru Hashimoto, governor of Osaka Prefecture, had said on TV.
That is, he said it was voters who was to blame for this financial blunder by Osaka Prefectural Government because it was a result of their long-term neglect of the right to vote.
What do you think about this?
I think he is right, at least about this point.
Most of us, sometimes more than half of us, give up voting, our living prefecture and our Japan, that is to say, our future, always saying it can't be helped, and that even if s/he votes, nothing will be changed, but maybe it's wrong.
I felt as though we were big children who think it's natural for adults around them to do anything they want adults to do, just by their throwing tantrums or complaining.
Don't we forget freedom or rights come with duties and responsibilities?
Isn't it us who let politicians freely do whatever they'd like to?
Honestly, I didn't like Hashimoto before he became governor.
Maybe I still don't like him, but I sometimes feel like his words are right and true, and have something strong enough to make me believe them.

Er..., as for her husband, I think, or hope (laugh), I have no right to say something about him. :P

テレビで弁護士、あるいはタレントとして登場していた時は、まるで注目を浴びたくて過激な発言を繰り返すだけのいい加減な人かと思っていた橋本氏ですが、大阪府知事になられてからは、寝ぼけた大阪府民を叩き起こさんばかりに熱の入った言葉の数々に、うっかり感動してしまうこともしばし。
・・・感動してる場合じゃないんですけどね。（大阪府民です。σ(^_^；）
まさか大阪がここまで、これ程までにお金がないとは思ってなかったし、特に先日、テレビで述べていた『府政や国政の堕落は、最終的には全て選挙権の行使さえもサボリがちだった府民・国民の責任。だから今の有権者にも我慢をしてもらいます。でも子供達に今の問題を押しつけてはいけない。子供達に選挙権はないのだから』というような趣旨の意見には殴られたかのような衝撃を受けてしまいました。
そうなのよね。
彼のしていることが全て正しいとは思わないけど、この点に関しては大賛成。
（親が生きていけなきゃ子供も生きていけないと思うけど・・・。まぁ、これは揚げ足取り）
選挙権すら行使せず文句ばかり言っているのは、『あれして、これして』と駄々をこねていれば周りの大人達が何でもしてくれると思っている子供と同じ。
『投票したところで何も変わらない』というのは、言い訳にすらならない。
権利や自由ばかりを声高に求めて、それに伴う義務や責任は放棄するようなことしてちゃだめよね。
できるだけ投票するようにはしてるけど、何度となくサボってきたこともある私としては反省するばかりです。

・・・って、テレビばっかり見てない？＞私　~(=^‥^A
英語の勉強開始から１年経過。
そのうえ頭に花が咲きそうなお天気続きときては、勉強どころではないのですよ。
今日はちょっとぐらいは（ちょっと？）勉強して、お休みはたっぷり休んじゃおうっと♪

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複雑怪奇なり

As the day goes on, it seems to have become more and more comfortable and pleasant for us to do anything, like walking, driving, washing, and airing out futons.
The things disturbing my English learning and luring me out are everywhere.
Who can blame me for neglecting my English learning under this circumstances?
I'm a genius in finding excuses.  (--;

Oh, and have the Golden Week holidays already started?
I can't believe it!
Almost all of my friends, some of whom often enjoyed their Golden Week holidays traveling abroad or somewhere in Japan, seem to have no special plan for this year's scattered holidays as well as me.
Do you have anything special to do in these holidays?
Whether or not you have, please enjoy your holidays with someone very special to you.  (^^)

By the way, I'm writing this diary watching the torch relay for the Beijing Olympics running through Nagano right now on TV.
I hear it was Nazi Germany that began the Olympics torch relay at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, and that they took over Pohland in only a week soon after that, in 1939, which was the beginning of World War II.
Why could they occupy Pohland that quickly?
It was thanks to the torch relay they began.
They checked all the roads running through Europe before the Berlin Olympics, saying it was for the sake of the Olympics.
I regret to say the Olympics torch relay seems to have been exploited for political purposes since the start of it.

聖火のリレーなんだか、警備のリレーなんだか、はたまた抗議のリレーなんだか、すっかり何がなんだかわからなくなってきた感のある聖火リレーが長野で行われている真っ最中ではありますが、皆さんはゴールデンウィーク第１日目をいかがお過ごしでしょうか。
私は英語の勉強に勤しむ予定ではありましたが、言い訳を見つける天才と化しております。 ~(=^‥^A
数日前の雨空が嘘のように晴れ渡り、暑くも寒くもない爽やかな風が吹き抜けるこの休日を、どうしたら家にこもってすごせるというの？
う～～ん、飛べるものなら空を飛び回ってみたいぐらいの快晴だわ・・・♡

で、再び聖火リレー。
聖火リレーって、ナチスドイツがベルリンオリンピックの際に始めたのが最初なんだそうです。
聖火リレーを行うに当たって、ヨーロッパ全土の道路事情を調べ尽くし、その数年後にはポーランドをわずか１週間で占領し、第２次世界大戦が始まったわけですね・・・。
聖火リレーが政治に利用されているのは、今に限ったことではないようですね。
なんか情けないというか、悲しいというか、虚しいというか・・・。
複雑怪奇なり。＞オリンピック
もっとシンプルなのがいいわ。

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時制の壁、あるいは感覚の壁

There are a lot of things which are always bothering me about how to write in English ― about which tense to use or about whether a noun should be used as a countable or not, for instance.
The book titled 151 Common Mistakes of Japanese Students of English says like this:

1. We usually use the simple past tense to talk about completed past actions, even when we are talking about the duration of an action.

e.g., not "I was living in America for five years when I was a child," but "I lived in America for five years when I was a child."
Not "We were waiting for an hour, and the we left," but "We waited for an hour, and the we left."

2. We usually use the simple past tense for completed past actions, even when we are talking about the duration of an action.

e.g., not "Last year I had gone to China and had stayed in Beijing for ten days," or "Last year I had gone to China and had been staying in Beijing for ten days," but "Last year I went to China and stayed in Beijing for ten days."

3. We use the present perfect tense ('has become') to talk about actions and situations which started in the past and have continued up to the present time.

Thus, one should say not "Japan became rich since the war," or "I made many new friends this year," but "Japan has become rich since the war, (Japan is rich now.)," or "I have made many new friends this year, (This year has not ended yet, and presumably the speaker still has his/her new friends.)"

　　　　　　　　　　- from 151 Common Mistakes of Japanese Students of English -

Can't you understand?
When reading this book, I feel like I was able to do, but when trying to write English, I very often feel as if I'd gotten stuck in a labyrinth without an exit.

By the way, I'm now listening to the audio book of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban again.
Er..., just for a change.
Reading it after the fifth volume, I can't help feeling sorry for Sirius and how cruel the fate all of his fellows and he, who all had spent their boyhood at the same place and in the same period, followed was.
Anyway, audio books are really wonderful.
I could buy more, if I had enough time, physical strength and budget.

例えば、今日を含めここ数日の間、ある行為を続けている場合、現在完了形を使うべきなのか、現在完了進行形を使うべきなのか、普通の進行形を使うべきなのか・・・、いつも悩みます。
完了形か進行形かは、最終的には一緒に使う副詞なんかで使い分けるようにしていますが（正しくは『しているつもりですが』）、一体どの時制を使うべきなのかと考え始めると、いつもわけがわからなくなってしまいます。
加算・不可算名詞なんかと同じで、日本語にはない（？）感覚だもんね。＞完了形
さらに『アメリカ英語では現在完了形のかわりに過去形を使うことが多い』などと言われてしまうと、さらに・・・。
曖昧なくせに、『それは間違いだ！』と頑として譲ってくれないケースも多々あって、もう泣きそう。(T_T)
でも言葉ってそういうものよね。
理屈だけじゃないから面白いのかもね。
（そう思わないとやってられないわ）

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眠たいの・・・

I have no idea what to do for my English learning.
No, I was planning how to learn through the reference books I'd already bought long before: FOREST, 151 Common Mistakes of Japanese Students of English, etc...
However, I feel sleepy every time I open one of those books, so sleepy that I think it's almost impossible for me to concentrate on and to take in what I read.
As the result, I haven't done almost nothing ever since finishing Harry Potte and the Order of the Phoenix.
I felt sleepy and heavy in the head while reading the last part of it, but it was not as bad as I feel now, and my feeling of wanting to read more encouraged me so much.
Will it be better if I take an adequate rest, or will it make no difference because it's due to my medicine having been increased the dosage of?
I wonder how those who learn English by using reference books or text books can continue their learning style.

By the way, the author of the serial novel in the Mainichi Weekly is changed from Roald Dahl to O. Henry.
The first novel being serializing is The Green Door; have you ever read it?
As interesting as easy to read, and his writing seems to me something ... cool.
For instance:

In the big city of New York, Romance and Adventure are always waiting.  As we walk along the streets, they are watching us.  We look up suddenly and see a face in a window. The face seems to interest us strangely. Or in a quiet street we hear a cry of fear and pain coming from a house where no one lives.  A cab takes us to a strange door, instead of to our own.  The door opens, and we are asked to enter.  At every corner, eyes look toward us, or hands are raised, or fingers point.  Adventure is offered.

Cool, isn't it?  (^^)

うっ・・・、久々の日記だというのに、とってもテキトーな内容になってしまった。
でもまぁ、いつものことだけど。 (^^;
それにしても参考書や問題集ばかりで英語の勉強をずーーーっと続けている人をたまに見かけますが、彼らってスゴすぎ。
飽きないのかしら？　眠くならないのかしら？
要点や間違いやすい所が、わかりやすく＆まとめて載っているから、上手に使いたいと思うんだけど、どうも私自身に問題があるようです。(--;

結局、土・日はほとんど何もせずに、ドライブ三昧。
しかも車の中ではほとんど寝てたし。＞私　σ(^_^;
私にとって車は揺りかごと同意です。

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世の中に絶えて桜のなかりせば

I went to the nearby park known for its many cherry trees only, it's sad to say, though, within our living area, and enjoyed viewing cherry blossoms in full bloom, eating delicious and many kinds of box dinner for cherry blossom viewing, and drinking nice cold beer and sake.
I was still not good in shape, but the fantastic beauty of the cherry blossoms lit by the reddish light from the Japanese lanterns made me forget the heaviness of my head.
So beautiful that it made me feel close to tears, and reminded me of my affection for my country: Japan.
Yes, I love Japan!
I don't know well whether or not other countries have this sort of custom, relishing the beauty of flowers while eating and drinking; I'm sure, however, this Japanese astonishingly longstanding custom of cherry blossom viewing is one of what we should be proud of.
But at the same time, it's shame that there are some people who can't care about the others trying to enjoy the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms as well.

One man's fault is another's lesson.

That's right.
All I should do is learn through other's, and maybe my own too, behavior or mistakes.

I decided today's song in heavy rotation at my room is Tojin-Monogatari, the beautiful and sad song from Southern All Stars' album Sakura, sung by Hara Yuko, and depicting the tragic fate of a woman having lived at the period of Commodore Perry's arrival in Japan.

英語学習者に広く名を轟かせる『英辞郎』君によると、『お弁当』は "a box lunch" なんだとか。
では夜に食べるお弁当は "a box dinner" なのかと問うてみても、貝のように答えることを拒否するばかり。
むむぅ・・・、致し方ない。
夜に食べるお弁当は "a box dinner" だと（勝手に）決めさせていただきます。

私の家から少し歩いたところに、季節の木々や花々を楽しめる（私の居住区限定で）人気の公園があり、言わずもがな、この季節には見事に咲き誇った桜の花を愛でる人達で、昼も夜も大にぎわいです。
『桜吹雪』とはいきませんでしたが、絶えず舞い落ちる花びらに酔いしれながら飲むお酒の美味しいこと。
濁音だらけの大声で騒ぎ踊る（？）会社員どもがいなければ、もっと素敵だったろうな～・・・。
毎年、桜の時期になると言われる、いわゆる『マナー違反』の数々がなければ、私にとっては世界無形遺産としてUNESCOに登録申請したいぐらいの伝統（？）行事なのに。
・・・マナー違反がなくても、それは無理かしらん？
在原業平さんも詠っている。

世の中に　絶えて桜の　なかりせば
　　　　　  　春のこころは　のどけからまし

木の芽時には、多かれ少なかれ、頭の中が常日頃の回転軸から逸れてしまうものです。
（在原業平さんの言う『春のこころ』は、『桜まだか、散りはしまいか』と、思い煩わずにおれない気持ちのことですが・・・）
まぁ、いずれにせよ、『人の振り見て我が振り直せ』。
・・・はい、気を付けます。　（← 心当たり大アリだわ）

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情けない・・・

What do you think Takashi Omori , who, according to what Keisuke Kuwata said on his radio program and what he reportedly said himself, has decided to leave Southern All Stars of his own free will and accord, and who's been sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment with four years suspension of sentence for illegal drugs possession and use, wrote in his blog that he would like to play for his fans in the Southern All Stars' 30th anniversary live supposed to be held this year because there was no reason his appearance in the event was not to be allowed, despite the fact he IS still on probation?
"There is no reason"?
How could he write such a thing on the Net?
It's outrageous!  I can't believe what he wrote! 
I doubt he has enough sense to understand the situation he's in now.

He possessed and used not only marijuana but large amounts of stimulant drug when he was arrested.
I know some people say there is nothing wrong with smoking marijuana because it's free of side-effect and nonaddictive, and I can't deny it's safe to human health beause of my lack of my knowledge about it, but where does the money that's paid for it come from and go, and what is the money used for?
At least in today's Japan, where these drugs are prohibited by law, it's obviously unlikely the money is used for the sake of the public welfare.

Though I also know there are such questions as "If those people who were arrested, and finished their sentences or are on probation, have to be blamed for their past mistakes, how can they work?" I must say that's just the punishment the person must receive in the real community.
The important thing is I think to continue their struggles to retrieve their own social lives, helped by their company and supporters, isn't it?

Anyway, the most shocking thing to me is the fact that there are those who can shamelessly write in on the Net as if they show off their criminal acts and egg people on to try it.
Hopeless idiots, they are.

寝坊はするは、朝一で怒りを通り越して呆れるしかないような発言の数々を目にするはでしばらく日記をサボってしまいました。~(=^‥^A
所詮、人の考えていることなどわかるわけないので、推測だけで批判するのもいけないのかもしれませんが、某巨大掲示板ならともかく、ネット上で恥ずかしげもなく薬物を容認するかのような発言をする人がいたことには本当に驚いた。
覚醒剤はもちろん、大麻などに支払われたお金はどこに行って、何のために使われているのか考えもしないんでしょうか。
周囲の人間や制度のせいにして自分を正当化することしかできないなんて情けない。

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プレゼントの立場

Is this all because I forgot to say happy birthday to Ruu the budgerigar on his birthday?
It was when I was cleaning up his cage last Tuesday that with a ominous clang his cage suddenly broke down.
I thought it was likely to get broken before long, considering it had been nearly 10 years since I got it for his grandparents in Kyoto.
If, however, I got a new completely different cage from old one, different-colored or different-shaped one, for instance, he would undoubtedly panic and not want to get into it.
So I bought a new and almost the same cage for him at a nearby pet shop first thing in this morning.
The same-colored, same-sized and same-shaped one, except it's glittering a little more brightly.
What a joyless purchase.
I've already put it together and placed it on its usual place, on the shoe cupboard, and Ruu, the very bird for whom I've worked from this morning, however, hasn't noticed anything yet.
I hope he will remain not to notice any difference when he enters the brand-new cage at night.

朝一でペットショップに行き、カゴを組み立てる。
・・・何て有意義な休日の朝。
それに、どうせ買うなら最近流行の手乗りインコ用の扉が大きく開くタイプのカゴが欲しかったんですが、何せ新しい物にはトコトン警戒して、警戒すべき物には全く無防備なルー君。
買ったはいいけど、肝心のルー君が怖がって入ってくれなきゃ単なるお飾りになってしまう。
結局、ほとんど同じ物を買ってきたんですが、何て買い物し甲斐のない子なのかしら・・・。
色とりどりの可愛いインコ用オモチャにも誘惑されましたが、そんな物を買ったところで、ルー君に止まって欲しくないところに『ルー君除け』として飾る以外に使い道はない。
巣立ちしてから１～２歳ぐらいまでは、インコも好奇心旺盛で、初めて見る物にも果敢に挑んでいくんですが、年をとるほど警戒心が強くなってしまうんですね。
若い時には巣立ちして、新しい自分のテリトリーや伴侶を探さないといけないのに対し、大人になると自分のテリトリーを守るために警戒しなくてはいけない・・。
自然の摂理なんでしょうか。
人間も同じですね。
まぁ、カゴはちょっと（？）遅めの誕生日プレゼントだと思おう。
そして、新しいカゴになったことにルー君が気付かないことをひたすら祈るという、なんとも虚しい立場のプレゼントに思わず同情してしまった春分の日。

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忘れてた・・・。

Though having almost completely forgotten about it because I was preoccupied with something else, March 14th, known as White Day, of 2008 was my little Ruu the budgerigar's eighth birthday.
I'm sure I kept it in my mind firmly, and that I thought I should say to him "Happy birthday," ...until going to the hospital on March 13th.
Suddenly remembering it when watching him pecking at the feed delightedly yesterday evening, I tentatively offered him a very belated Happy Birthday.
He seemed to me not to care when his birthday is, or whether his birthday comes or not.
Knowing living today as happily and calmly as yesterday is the most important thing to him, I also didn't do anything special to celebrate his (a little belated) special day except giving him some leaves of komatsuna.
Big presents or surprises seems to be nothing but terror to him, which is, in a sense, a big help to me.
Anyway, he's reached eight years old of age, and I hope from the bottom of my heart that he can continue to enjoy his peaceful life for a long, long time to come.
I love you, Ruu!

ちょっとゴタゴタしていて忘れていましたが、ルー君（注：セキセイインコです）が８歳になりました～♪
『忘れるなよ』と自分でツッコンでしまいましたが、本人（本鳥）はそんなことは一切お構いなしで、ただ毎日を穏やかに過ごせればそれでいいようです。
彼の仙人（仙鳥　もういいって？）のような生き方は、少し見習いたいものです。
超自己中で、多少野望に欠ける感もありますが・・・。

『お誕生日のお祝いに♪』と、『粟穂』（脱穀しない状態の粟の穂。自然に近い状態で餌を食べさせてあげようという発想から生まれた商品らしい・・・）やインコ用オモチャを買ってきては、ルー君に思い切り怖がられ、拒否され、背中を向けたまま本棚から降りてきてくれなくなった過去の過ちを繰り返すまいと、今年も何にもしませんでした。
頬と頬をスリスリしながら『おめでと～♪』と心からの一言を述べれば、彼はそれで満足。
ついでにその姿勢のまま10分ほど歌を歌ってあげると、なお喜んでいただけますが、10分歌うのはシンドイので、その時かかっていた曲を１曲だけ歌いました。
なんて安上がりなお誕生日☆
それでも、『これからもずーーーーーっと元気で長生きしてね♪』という気持ちに嘘偽りはありません。
大好きだよん♪　Happy Birthday♪

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凹んだ

I went to the hospital yesterday and was so shocked when my doctor said I needed to increase my steroid dosage from 5 to 7 mg a day that I could hardly believe what he said.
Though I've not suffered from its noticeable side-effects yet, I can't say with confidence I'll remain not to do after increasing the dosage.
I couldn't relish the scent of spring having come a little early at all on my way home despite the fact that yesterday was a wonderfully beautiful day, warm, plum trees in full bloom, and everything I saw shining and bright in the gentle sunlight.
I neither could read even one line of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix nor do anything I had to do yesterday.
I know there's no point to worry about things I have no control over, but his words brought me down so terribly that I couldn't think like that about the possible side-effects caused by steroid.
The fact remains, however, that I just do what I can.
When thinking like that. I sometimes feel it's a bit weird that we can't control even our own organs or cells despite their being part of our bodies.
Don't you think so?
I also sometimes wonder whether it means I'm made alive by something or someone beyond words, or just tortured by none other than myself until I get to want to die.
The idea of the later is really ridiculous and one of those a person like a drama queen might have, and I hate such a kind of people.
I'll never let it me down anymore.

『（何か超自然的なものによって）生かされている』って英語でどう言うんでしょう？
"be let alive" かと思ったんですが、google で調べてみると "be made alive" という表現の方が圧倒的に多いんですよね。
でも、全く違う意味で "be made alive" って書いてあるのかも・・・。

昨日は本当に何にもしなかったんですが、一つだけしました。
証明写真を撮ること。

・・・これは友人との約束を果たすために必要だったんであって、決して taspo の申請をしようとしているわけではありませんから。
一応、禁煙続行中です。　念のため。
臓器や細胞にちゃんと働くよう言い聞かせることはできませんが、臓器や細胞がちゃんと働けるように私が出来る数少ないことだと思うので、もう少し（？）頑張ります。
（といっても、決してそのような大志（？）を抱いて禁煙に臨んだわけでは決してありませんが・・・）
自動証明写真撮影機（←名前違う？）の側面に早くも貼られた『taspo用』という写真サイズの説明書きを見て、誰に聞かれてもいないのに思わず、『違うの、煙草を吸おうと思ってるワケじゃないの～！』と（心の中で）言い訳を繰り返した春の日のように穏やかな午後でした。

はぁ、でもまだちょっとお疲れ。
今日は（今日も？）無理はすまい。

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捨てる！

I know it's a little sudden to say this, but my theme of this year is "disposal," to get rid of everything in my room I don't need any more.
As a matter of fact, I've already put this idea into action since the beginning of February, when I started to quit smoking.
It might be thanks to my uncontrollable frustration caused by smoking cessation that I suddenly noticed my room was so full of unwanted things that there was no space to place anything I newly bought, and that I thought I could no longer stand this state.
Anyway, I've been gathering things to dispose of and throwing them out little by little every trash day.
The problem, however, is to decide what to keep and what to get rid of, and how and when to discard them.
Books, a pile of papers and letters, floppy disks and CDs I used to use and don't need any more, shoes and clothes, and a mountain of useless things which I thought might come in handy and I don't know why now, etc.
There are too many kinds of things each of which needs a different disposal method to deal with at a time, and besides, it's hard to say goodbye to things I used to like or use, but I'm coming to think it's great fun to see the space in my room getting larger bit by bit.
It's almost addictive and makes me want to buy something new to display!
If I really did it, however, I'd be a complete fool to "put the cart before the horse."

もう何年も同じ部屋に暮らしていて、ある日突然、部屋が要らない物で溢れていると気付くのは何故でしょう。
私の場合、少し重症かもしれません。
今は昔の大学・普通のOL時代から今に至るまでの、『想い出』と呼ぶにはあまりにも埃をかぶりすぎた不要物が多すぎる。
おまけに、シャンプー・リンスは１．６リットル単位、入浴剤（といっても単なる炭酸水素Naとクエン酸ですが）がキロ単位、ハーブや茶葉も特大大袋単位、化粧水＆入浴剤代わりの日本酒もドーンとケース単位と、ネットで、しかも購入手数料の無駄を少しでも省くため一度に大量に日用品を購入する人間なので、とにかく場所に余裕がない！
年明け早々、これらの置き場所に困った挙げ句に、台所の隅に大きなダンボールをドカッと置かざるを得なくなった時にようやく『何とかせねば』と思ったのですが、少し遅かったかもしれません。
とても一度に片付けるのは体力的にも時間的にも無理なので、ゴミの日の前日に『今日はここ！』と決め、チマチマと片付け始めております。
『捨てる』という行為はエコロジーに反するような気がして、偉そうに書くことでもないような気がしますが、『勿体ない』と何でも溜め込んだところで、利用しなきゃ意味がない。
溜め込んだ結果、私のそれでなくても狭い部屋が不要物で埋め尽くされてしまっては、それこそ勿体ない。
捨てますよ。　えぇ、今年は捨てます。
そして空いたスペースを眺めて、『まだこんなに物を置くスペースがある♪』と思ってしまう私は本末転倒も甚だしい。
何かを買い足すために物を捨てるのではなく、夢見るものは余裕のある空間での生活・・・
まぁ、入れ物は既に決まっているので、大した変化もないでしょうが・・・、捨てます！

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お酒のせい

I'm so sleepy, I feel these days as though no sooner did I fall into bed and a deep, dreamless sleep than my alarm clock unmercifully rang to wake me up.
I guess most of people feel the same way.
I know I'm not the only one who is forced to fight against drowsiness to get through every day, working, doing housework, and learning for self-development.
Probably, I'm not also the only one who feels like s/he has a lot more things to do or consider than usual whenever s/he is in such a not-so-great condition, am I?
And what is worse, I made a promise I didn't have the slightest intention of doing until then with a friend of mine.
Oh, I can't believe what I did myself!
Maybe it's because I was a little too happy to know well what I was talking about because I was enjoying a nice dinner with my friends to celebrate my having spent a month without smoking even one cigarette at the time, of course, drinking.
Hmm..., though I'm going to make every effort to keep my promise with her, I must say nobody knows whether or not I'll be able to make it and get good results.
Be careful about what you're saying, especially when drinking!

私という人間は、お酒の持つ摩訶不思議な魔力に一体何回はめられたら気がすむのでしょうか？
気が大きくなってしまうんですね。　どうしてでしょ？
気を大きく持つことのできる根拠なんて何一つ持ってもいないのに。
そして、自分のあまりの馬鹿さ加減に、先週末からずっと脳がエンスト中です。
まぁ、何とかなる・・・のかなぁ？

あ、それから『禁煙生活１ヶ月達成パーティー（注：パーティと言えるモノであったか否かはここでは論議いたしません）』なるものをする際は、お酒は飲まない方が賢明です。
薄々どころかハッキリわかってはいましたが、お酒と煙草は大変相性がよろしい。
特にグループに愛煙家が紛れ込んでいる時は要注意。
ましてやかつて愛煙家だった禁煙生活の先輩とも言うべき人が同席している時はなおさらです。

私：『何で禁煙してる人間の目の前でそんなに美味しそうに煙草が吸えるの？！』
友人A：『美味しいから』
私：『・・・・・』
友人B：『っていうか、禁煙してる私の目の前で美味しそうに煙草を吸ってた人間がよくそんなこと言えるよね』
私：『・・・・・・・・・・』

今日の一言。　『選ぼう、友人。　慎もう、己が言』
あ、二言だ・・・。
（一応、数多の誘惑を振り切って、禁煙生活２ヶ月目を邁進中です。念の為）

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春一番？ 爆弾低気圧？

Last Friday it was warm and comfortable weather for shopping or cycling as though spring had come.
The next day the first spring storm, haru-ichiban, swept through not only the Kansai district but most of the Japanese islands, howling and swirling menacingly, and I could hear both something heavy and something light, making a rattling or loud crashing noise, rolling down the street, which made me frightened.
Yesterday was sunny but snowed a little bit in the morning, and the weather forecast said it would be a little warmer today, and that we would have nasty weather again from the next day.

Don't you think the temperature swings more wildly from hot to cold, and that winds blow more violently these days than before?
Though it's natural haru-ichiban blows strongly enough to annoy us, this year it seemed to me extraordinarily powerful.
Is it all because of global warming?
Am I the only one who thinks so?
Not that I'm especially concerned about global warming and have taken action to stop it.  (Of course, I know it's not what I should be proud of, though.)
However, sometimes I get worried about it.
Anyway, be careful not to lose your health.

いくら 『三寒四温』 でも、気温の変化が激しすぎる！
それに 『春一番』 とはいえ、いくら何でもあれは頑張りすぎでしょ？！
大抵、土・日はランチしに出掛けるんですが、あまりの強風に家から一歩も出られませんでした。
今日は少し暖かくなり、明日はまた低気圧が猛威を振るう可能性があるとテレビで言っていたような気がしますが、『爆弾低気圧』 って前からそんなに発生してました？
ここ１～２年、特に夏によく耳にしますよね。
何でもかんでも 『地球温暖化』 と結びつけてヒステリックに騒ぎ立てるのは如何なものかと思いますが、ヒステリックになるべき時はもうとっくに過ぎている気もしないではない。
え～、一応、節電・節水は心掛けております。
『地球のため』 というより、たんなる節約術の一環として。

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・what will be will be : なるようにしかならない

・be away with the fairies : 心ここにあらず、空想に耽って

・"Wishful thinking" is to believe something will happen, even when it is quite unlikely to occur.

・A "wish list" is a list of things that you would like to have or accomplish.

・To "wish on" something is to make a wish using a lucky symbol.  For example, "When I saw the shooting star in the sky, I made a wish on it."

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

♥　祝☆禁煙生活29日目突入　♥

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お部屋も禁煙

I bought new lace curtains and lightproof ones for the biggest window of my room and replaced old ones with them yesterday.
Needless to say, there's not as many windows in my room as I have to write it as "the biggest window," though.
Also I washed all the other curtains this morning, so my room is now filled with fresh and smoke-free air.
I didn't notice until now that my curtains had smelt of tobacco smoke that badly.
It's shocking to me because I relatively often washed them and tried to smoke as little as possible in my room, and as much as possible under the fan in the kitchen, and especially because I'd never let anyone including myself blow smoke full of nicotine in the same room where Ruu the budgerigar was; besides, he spends almost all of his time there.
Thinking everything in my room, like the wallpaper, the kotatsu futon, my favorite sofa and so on, must have taken on the odor of cigarettes, I came to want to wash the whole room, seriously.

And one more thing that's lifting my spirits so much is this sunny weather like spring days!
Keititu, the day on which insects are said to begin coming out from the ground in spring, is March 6th, so lots of seeds and insects may have already started preparing to welcome the coming spring under the ground.

左右で一組のカーテンは "curtains" でいいんでしょうか？　"a pair of curtain" じゃなくて？
、『部屋ではできるだけ煙草を吸わず、台所の換気扇の下で吸うようにした』 を "tried to smoke as little as possible in my room, and as much as possible under the fan in the kitchen" とするのは無理がありそうですね・・・。
"tried to smoke not in my room but under the fan in the kitchen to the extent that I could" とかの方がまだマシ？
う～ん、英語って難しい。

それにしても、交換したり洗ったり、部屋中のカーテンから煙草の臭いを一気に撃退しただけで、ヨーデルでも歌い出したくなるくらいの清々しさです。
マメに洗濯したり、部屋の空気を入れかえたり、ファブリーズしたりしてたつもりだけど、やっぱり煙草の臭いって強烈なんですね。
部屋を丸ごと洗いたくなってしまいました。
そして何より、部屋自体を禁煙にしてやろうかと計画中。
（今でもルー君と同じ空間での喫煙は厳禁です。 ）

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・not say [hear] a dickeybird : 何も言わない（聞いていない）

・take one's word (for it): 人の言葉をそのまま信じる

・be on the warpath : 非常に起こっている、けんか腰である

・be no great shakes (at～) : （～が）大したものではない、平凡である

・none the wiser : （説明を受けても）相変わらずわからずに

・up to scratch : 期待通りの、標準に達して、良い状態で

・take a leaf (or page) out of one's book : ～を見習う、～の真似をする

・pull out all the stops : できるかぎりの努力をする

・add insult to injury : 踏んだり蹴ったりの目にあわせる

　　　　　　　　　　from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

・To "be on a roll" means to experience continuing success at something.

・If you are "rolling in it," it means that you are very rich.

・To "make someone's head spin" means to make them dizzy or confused.

　　　　　　　　　　from the Mainichi Weekly

♥　祝 ☆ 禁煙生活23日目 ＆ 『Forest』２度目の読破　♥

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"See you"は正しいか否か part.2

『"See you" は正しい英語か否か』と問題提起だけして、アクセスできる人とできない人のいるトピックにリンクをはるだけで終わらせるのは、あまりに無責任かと思い、問題のトピックを読んでみました。
えぇ、最初から最後まで。　起き抜けの頭で１時間ほどかけて・・・。
問題のトピックはこちら。　『See you　.は間違った英語！？』
まだmixiの会員やってますという方は一度ご覧あれ。

で、見られない人、覗いてみて一気に読む気のなくなった人のために、話をとぉってもコンパクトにまとめてみると、英会話スクールで教師をしているアメリカ人と知り合いの日本人からの問題提起が始まり。
曰く、『どうして文法的に正しくもなければ、誰も使わない"ｓee you"のような言葉を授業の終わりに挨拶として使うよう、スクール側はネイティブ講師達に指導するのか？』
"see you later" "see you tomorrow" "see you around" など "see you + 副詞（or副詞句・副詞節）" や、"see ya"（これは"see you + 副詞”のスラングとして定着しており正しいらしい。つまり"ya"="you" ではなく、"ya"="you + α〈アルファ〉"なのかな？ スラングなので、イギリスでは眉をひそめる大人も多いようです）は実際に使われているが、"see you" だけで使われることはないという主張ですね。

で、"see you" を使わない、違和感を感じる、間違った英語であるとする人が一番多いのはアメリカ（このトピ内では）。
ただし同じアメリカ国内でも（また英語を仕事として用いるような英語への意識の高い人（アメリカ在住の記者など）でも）文法的に正しいとは思わないが、普通に使われている言葉だとする人もいます。
"see you" に対して一番抵抗感のない人、or 普通に使われている言葉であると認識している人が多いのがイギリスでしょうか。
そのイギリスでも『"see you" の後に何もつけないと「今後はもう会いたくない」という意味になる』とする人もごく稀にいるようです。
他、カナダ、オーストラリアなどでの反応を見ても、『地域性のある言葉』という側面＋『人にもよるのかな？』という、実に曖昧な結論のようです。
個人的には意外なほど、"see you"に違和感を覚える人が多い、そもそもはなから否定している人もかなりいるなという印象で、『日本人は英語で満足に別れの挨拶も言えない！』のように、強く否定している人がいたのが結構ショックでした。

が、ある人が英英辞書（Collins COBUILD）を調べてみたところ、

`See you', `be seeing you', and `see you later' are ways of saying goodbye to someone when you expect to meet them again soon. (INFORMAL, SPOKEN)

と掲載されていたようなので、イギリス英語圏においては、とりあえず辞書的にはOKのようです。（『辞書は言葉の墓場』だと f-word ＋人種的偏見全開で反論していた“ある意味”とっても興味深い、人としての資質に欠ける方もいらっしゃいましたが）

私個人としては、『そうか～、文法的に間違っているんだ。じゃあ使わないようにしよう』と、トピックを途中まで読んだところで思っていましたが、その後、ハリ・ポタ４巻でハリー（ロンも）がバーノンおじさんに（恐らくは『二度と会いたくない』などの悪意はなく）"See you" と言っているのを読んで混乱してしまいました。
これがUK版なら『やっぱりイギリスではOKだけど、アメリカでは違和感のある言葉なのかな』と思うところですが、私が読んでいるのはUK版よりも格段に安いUS版。
大胆な変更が時に目につくUS版で、しかもそれが圧倒的多数にとって『違和感のある言葉』なら、US版になる時点でほぼ間違いなく適当な言葉に訳し直されていると思うので、この問題提起をした講師の方がこれ程ムキになって『誰もそんな言葉を使わない』と言うのは、多少無理があるかなというのが私の今のところの結論です。

が、この問題提起をしたアメリカ人が一番言いたいことは、『どうして、さして一般的だとも思われない言葉を、よりによって「これは文法的に間違っている言葉だ」と考えている人にまで、まるでその言葉が「正しくて広く一般的な英語」であるかのように使い、教えることを（英会話スクールは）強制するのか？』ということのようです。

おもしろいのは、この講師が英会話スクールに『どうして "bye" や "bye-bye" などのもっと一般的な言葉を教えないのか？』と聞いたところ、『日本人は "bye" や "bye-bye" を日本語の「バイバイ」だと思うから』と答えたらしいことと、この理由に加えて、この講師自身が推測した "see you" を推奨する理由が『日本人の英会話初心者にとって "see you + 副詞" は難しい（！）から』だということ。

確かに。　否定はできないかも・・・。
高額のお金を出しているのだから『より英語っぽい』『使っていて何となく格好いい』言葉を求められていることをスクール側も熟知して、それが行き過ぎてしまった感がしないでもない。
どうせ "see you" を教えるなら、『文法的には後に副詞などが必要になるけれども、口語では省略する場合もあります。違和感を覚える方もいることも覚えておきましょうね～♪』とかなんとか一言付け加えても良さそうなもんですよね、お金を払っているからこそ。
また、『ネイティブと楽しくおしゃべりしている間に英語がペラペラ』をウリにしているスクールでは小難しい感のある文法なんてすっ飛ばし、英単語を並べただけの連想ゲームやジェスチャー・ゲームにのみ日々磨きをかけ、教えられたフレーズを応用して使うなんてできるわけない人続出ですから（注：私の偏見です）、できるだけ応用するべき要素を減らして教えたいのかもしれませんが、にしても・・・（この講師の理由は的を射すぎていて）笑える。(^^;
文法にはできるだけ触れず、『赤ん坊が言葉を覚えるように英語も話せるようになりますよ』と宣伝し、結果、赤ん坊のように単語を無秩序に並べるだけの人ばかりを増産する英会話スクールも、『まずは英語に親しみましょう』という観点ではいいと思うんですよ。
ただ、それで『ペラペラになれる』かのように宣伝するのは明らかに誇大広告じゃないのかな・・・と。
『赤ん坊が言葉を覚えるように自然に英語を覚える』だけの授業時間をその英会話スクールで取るよう勧めるのは（まるっきり根拠ない虚偽の広告というわけでもないし）、『経営』の観点から言えば大正解ですけどね。
でも、やっぱり変だぞ。　＞日本の英会話スクール

言葉は生きているからこそ、地域や文化だけでなく人によっても違いがあり、言葉に対しての思い入れも人それぞれなので、文法的にああだこうだ、実際にはああだこうだとやり合うことは無意味なのかもしれません。
間違いを恐れて何も発信できなくなるなんて馬鹿げているし、文法が滅茶苦茶でも『伝えようとする気持ち』こそが大事なのだと言われればその通りだと思うし、かといって言葉が『伝える手段』である以上、より確実に、より的確に自分の意志を伝えたいと文法的知識を求めるようになるのも当然だと思います。
（何より、あまりに文法的に滅茶苦茶だと、理解を求められる相手が大変でしょう）
でも、言葉の向こうには自分とは違う個人がいること、それぞれがそれぞれの考えに基づいて、それぞれの言葉を紡いでいるんだということ、言葉にはその人の『人となり』が現れるんだと思った時、単にスクールの方針だからというだけで、その言葉に違和感を覚える人にまでその言葉を使うよう指導するのには『何だかな～』と言いたくなってしまいます。
（そして、『全ての英語を母国語とする人にとって違和感のない英語だけを教えようなんて無理だ』という実にごもっともな反論にあうわけですね。かくて生徒達は教師によって実にバラバラな英語とそれにまつわる主義・主張に惑わされるハメになる・・と・・・）

とりあえず、チャットや友人との個人的な会話ならともか�