10 posts from May 2009

日馬富士「本当にうれしい」…モンゴル出身、幕内最軽量 : 大相撲 : スポ

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/sumo/...

日馬富士「本当にうれしい」…モンゴル出身、幕内最軽量初優勝し笑顔で声援にこたえる日馬富士（２４日、両国国技館で）＝竹田津敦史撮影　大相撲夏場所は２４日、東京・両国国技館で千秋楽を迎え、幕内優勝は１４勝１敗同士の決定戦となり、モンゴル出身で大関３場所目の日馬富士(はるまふじ)（２５）（伊勢ヶ浜部屋）が、横綱白鵬（２４）を破って初優勝を飾った。　外国出身力士では８人目の優勝で、モンゴル出身では朝青龍、白鵬に次いで３人目。体重１２６キロは、幕内最軽量。　前日、朝青龍を豪快な外掛けで倒した大関は、この日の決定戦でも左を深く差す絶好の体勢から、下手投げで白鵬を圧倒した。１３日目に白鵬との全勝決戦に敗れて優勝が遠のいた日馬富士だが、「一日一番、自分の相撲を取るだけ」とあきらめず、「うれしいです。本当にうれしい」と、初優勝をかみしめた。（2009年5月24日21時56分  読売新聞）YOMIURI ONLINE トップへ

I saw this dude today!

My dear friend lives in Ryogoku, which is Sumo Central, where they have a big sumo stadium plus tons of sumo stables, including one right by my friends house. I'm not a huge fan of sumo, so I didn't know that there was a big match today, and Harumafuji (the guy above) became some kind of champion!!!

And he came out in a convertible dressed like he is in the photo above, carrying some champion flag, and a huge crowd chased him down the street cheering and congratulating him. Including me and my friend. We just got so swept up, we chased his car down the street and waved at him like he was the King of the World, and he waved at everyone he could and even shook people's hands who were brave enough to go up to the car before getting shoved away by security. Sumo fighters are so cute!

Then we went to a public bath and soaked and talked our troubles away. Our favorite was the mist sauna, which made us feel like we were in this music video.

Wow, the class last night was intense. The teacher's going to turn us into machines. This class is a continuation in a series, and some of the girls (there was only one guy in my class, the rest were office ladies all about my age or older) had been in the last class. The teacher used them to demonstrate some consecutive interpretation. It was really impressive, it was like they suddenly turned into robots. Apparently when you're trained enough you can even interpret without knowing the meaning, and you have to actually fight that impulse because (I guess obviously) that's not the best thing to do. Our teacher also is teaching us about our posture and our professional pose while interpreting. This is all very useful because technically I've been paid to interpret, which maybe makes me a professional interpreter, but I do not have these professional skills, and I'm only comfortable in the most unofficial settings. And I've almost died interpreting in front of crowds. Like, I really thought I would die. I need this training.

I have to do some exercises at home, and really expand my vocabulary. The more words I know, the better off I am. Lots of things to do over this three month course to turn myself into an interpretation robot.

I'm half wondering if I should switch to the Saturday class. It was pretty tough going from class to work, and it would be nice to soak in everything I learned and to get some practice in afterwards. I think I will, even though it's a lower level. If I can get as good as those girls I saw last night, it can't be that low level. Okay, I'm switching to Saturdays.

It was cool to get out of my comfort zone and sweat, and to use my brain so hard that it hurt. It felt really good.

I'm excited!

I took advantage of the sun coming up to take some pictures on my way home. In consecutive order, you can see the world getting brighter.

Ultra Man Waking Up

Good Morning Tokyo Tower

1 comment

Crow Eating a Nut

*****

Weekly rankings were up. I am fourth from the top.

One hour to live. What do you do?
Submitted by Jeff Zie.

This is kind of like the question of what do you do ten minutes before taking a big huge exam. There isn't really much you can do to change your outcome, it's the decisions you made leading up to ten minutes before the exam that are going to make a difference.

But I'll probably tell everybody I love in the world that I love them very much. If they're near enough to hug, I'll go hug them.

That should take about an hour.

Then I'll see you in the next life. If we have a strong connection in this one, I know I'll see you in the next one, just as we've probably seen each other in countless lives past.

*****

I called in sick again today, even though I get a 1,500yen penalty fee taken out of my paycheck. I just have too many things I have to do that need to get done.

Of course a customer just called me. I told him I took the day off. There goes those sales. Oh well. I don't like him anyway, he's a super cheap ass. Why does he want to go to a hostess club on a Monday anyway? He's one of the customers from the old ghetto club. I pretty much can't stand any of them and have been trying to get a whole new set of customers, which is kind of working, but it's hard work. But I definitely like the customers at this new club much more though.

I was talking to my good friend, who remembers how I was years ago at the old club we worked at together. I had a serious attitude problem and I hated every customer who walked through the door. I really am not like that anymore, I am much more professional and much more appreciative of everything. Appreciative of the job, of the customers, of my bosses (kind of), I just have more respect for the work.

*****

My interpretation class starts tomorrow. I am so nervous. I have to go to work after the class ends, which means I'll show up at the club around 9:30 sweating bullets from the high pressure class, and from the humidity and the heat I'll have to walk through. Oh god, I'm so nervous already.

Got the results of my blood test, etc. from the clinic. I now have my "Certificate of Health" in hand, woohoo! I cradled it all the way home. Come on schools, let me in, I'm healthy enough to study!

This time there were Ukrainian sailors on shore leave in the waiting room. One tall, dark boy started talking to me. He told me his name, it was the most consonant-heavy name I have ever heard in my life, and that's saying something. Then he told me he was actually Armenian but he lived in the Ukraine and was in the Ukrainian navy. He had something wrong with his foot. He indicated this to me by stretching out his looooooong leg. Then his friend (who looked and sounded like an Indonesian guy, but was in the Ukrainian navy, wtf?) came in and started complaining about some disgusting infection he's had for two weeks on his lower back that's been bleeding and festering so badly he can't even sit down. "Sorry to tell you this," he said to me. Well yeah, that is kind of gross. Maybe I should have told him about my menstrual blood.

The Armenian-Ukrainian asked for my number, but I told him no. I mean come on boy, you're on shore leave for a day to get your injured leg checked out, you're 20 years old (that's what he looked like), and you're leaving for Korea tomorrow. Then again, I've known a few girls who got addicted to sailors on shore leave, usually US Navy boys. One girl knew the Kittyhawk's schedule. I can understand that, because after being stuck out in the ocean with a bunch of men for weeks at a time, they think you're the most beautiful girl in the world.

Then on my way home, I started imagining what this town would look like if I were a 20 year old Armenian-Ukrainian sailor on shore leave to get my leg injury checked out after a two week trip across the Pacific. Yeah, every girl looked sparkling and beautiful suddenly.

なんで証明写真機で撮るとブサイクになっちゃうの？

元々がこうだからしょうがないか．．．

証明写真

8 comments

Show us a picture of your mother.

お母さん&me

11 comments

Here's an old photo that I posted before. Me and my mommy many many years ago. I love you and miss you so much.

Even though the "Don't ask don't tell" law is still in place, and fully qualified good soldiers are still losing their jobs for vocalizing who they are, President Obama made it clear where he stands.

He wrote a personally handwritten letter to a soldier who came out as a lesbian.

Personal letter from President Obama

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/im...

Making it clear where he stands on the "Don't ask don't tell" policy on gays in the military.

Sandy -
Thanks for the wonderful and thoughtful letter. It is because of outstanding Americans like you that I committed to changing our current policy. Although it will take some time to complete (partly because it needs Congressional action) I intend to fulfill my commitment!
(signed Barack Obama)

How awesome is our president?

Baldy told me that this was a good show, a little like Flight of the Conchords without the music.

Actually it's completely different but it's still pretty funny.

Share a book that made you laugh.

Dead Famous

Ben Elton

I read this book years ago, but I still remember my favorite line in the book. When the Davina McCall-ish presenter of the Big Brother-ish show says:

"not to say that it was a good thing for her to get stabbed in the head, in no way did she deserve to have such a pants thing happen to her..."

I just love the word "pants." Makes me laugh every time.