2017年05月24日
Bug Bites!
We’re on the cusp of summer now, and I’m really enjoying the warm weather! It feels so good to be outside! I know that it will be hot soon, so I plan on being out and about as much as possible before then. There’s just one problem: the bugs! I think that last summer the Japanese bugs didn’t recognize me as food yet, so they left me alone. They are now making up for lost time! After the Summer BBQ and a picnic in Marugame last weekend, I ended up with eight huge bug bites. They feel better today, but the last couple of days have been uncomfortable. I also wonder what kind of bug bit me. I know that they were probably mosquitos, but in America my mosquito bites didn’t swell to the size of pennies! Maybe I’m reacting differently because it’s a different type of mosquito? Oh well. I’m willing to suffer some itchiness in order to explore the beautiful Japanese countryside.
2017年05月24日
Word Meanings Pt1
Hello!
I mentioned last week that I would be writing about some etymologies of words. Etymologies (eh-tuh-mo-low-gee-s) is a word that means the history or meaning of words. This week, I want to talk about a great English word that can be used in lots of different places.
The word “Phony” is used as a way to call something false or untrue. Like “This ring isn't made from real gold. It's a phony ring.” Phony is a word that can be givent to both objects or people.If someone tries to lie to you about something, feel free to call them a phony.
The word phony comes from a British slang term. Slang is a word or phrase that is very casual and usually only used by a certain group of people. The word “Fawney” means fake gold jewellery, something that pirates would try and pass off as real when they were selling them to store owners. The word later got changed from a “Fa-” sound to a “Pho-” sound because of the pirate accents!
I mentioned last week that I would be writing about some etymologies of words. Etymologies (eh-tuh-mo-low-gee-s) is a word that means the history or meaning of words. This week, I want to talk about a great English word that can be used in lots of different places.
The word “Phony” is used as a way to call something false or untrue. Like “This ring isn't made from real gold. It's a phony ring.” Phony is a word that can be givent to both objects or people.If someone tries to lie to you about something, feel free to call them a phony.
The word phony comes from a British slang term. Slang is a word or phrase that is very casual and usually only used by a certain group of people. The word “Fawney” means fake gold jewellery, something that pirates would try and pass off as real when they were selling them to store owners. The word later got changed from a “Fa-” sound to a “Pho-” sound because of the pirate accents!
2017年05月24日
Aesop Rock
Pictured above is one of my favorite people in all the world. He is a hip-hop artist of the highest caliber. Famous for several things, but most recently he has been recognized for having the “highest vocabulary” in hip hop ever. He came up (came up=became famous) in New York’s underground scene alongside the likes of El-P, Camu Tao, Cage, Cannibal Ox, C-Ray Waltz, and many more. He made up half of the legendary duo of himself and El-P as well as composed perhaps the definitive anthem of the underground scene of his time, a track titled “Daylight.” Its chorus is simple:
“All I ever wanted was to pick apart the day
Put the pieces back together my way”
I met the guy once after a concert in Oakland. It was a small venue and he was playing songs from his latest record, which in my opinion not as great as his previous work, so the concert was not as great as I had hoped. But the guy was so cool to meet, very down to earth and open. He took some pics with me, though I’ve lost them. It was just nice to see him up close and to actually talk to him a bit.
Additionally, he looks like my younger brother!
Go YouTube him pronto (right away)!
It’s a beautiful thing, to my people who keep an impressive wingspan, even when the cubicle shrink.
- Aesop Rock
