*Optimism?*

Psyche! I just wrote that to get you to read the entry! And it WORKED! Now, don't you feel silly in your shorts?

Anyway, it wasn't the greatest day, nor has it been an especially fantastic week. Ah, litotes, there you are! In any event, I purchased some books over the last few days, because that's just who I am. Get with it. O.o

I bought The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) in Japanese. Hoorah for children's books that generally tell you the hard kanjis meanings. Actually, kanji is both singular and plural, but it sounds weird, don't you think? Anyway, in Japanese, the title is 星の王子様, though my book puts the last kanji character in hiragana instead. Some of the kanji are left without notes for their reading, but I generally already know them. Which makes me feel smart. Which is good for my self esteem. Which is good for who? For YOU, gentle reader, and that's what I'm all about.

Also, incidentally, what the hokey pokey is all about.

Or is it all about the hokey pokey? Why didn't I capitalize the dance's name? Disrespecting the Hokes..

Anyway, the Japanese title literally translates to "The Star Prince." Isn't that pretty? And yet, not correct. So, why, beloved viewers, have they made this alteration? Then again, why is the American "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" renamed the "Sorcerer's Stone?" Because Americans aren't clever enough to know what philosophy means? Or because the target audience consists purely of CHILDREN who do not understand the meaning of the word philosophy beyond Charlie Brown's excellent explanation of his "personal philosophy," though I've forgotten what it was.

Also, speaking of Harry Potter, I got "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" in British-ese. The first story was sweet and the second's proving well but it is SO SHORT. Like 100 pages, TINY pages, and with pictures and other stuff cluttering up the pages. Why, Rowling, why do you do this to me? I will be done, and then what? Reread the Harry Potters? That is such a long time commitment! Le sob!

Additionally, in my RAGE at that [censored... um... the censor was on vacation during the last post] in my reading group, I purchased an actually culturally pluralistic Pulitzer prize winner. For 2008, if you didn't know, which you ought to, since I just posted it... Anyway, Junot Diaz's "The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" won. It is about a Dominican American kid. I think it will make me happy because you just don't get that much Latino American lit. Or Latino Americano? Or Americano Latino? Or, stop making it worse fool, they didn't much know you'd erred in the first place til you made a big to do about it.

Hi, mom.

So, anyway, I want to read that. Yet, I must also finish Little Prince in Japanese and Beedle the Bard and *$&# Robinson Crusoe AND The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Phew. I intend to complete RC tomorrow and burn it. Not really. It's a library book. I'll burn MY copy when I get home. That's the genius plan. So, dearest family, if you happen to feast your peepers on this ramble, you cannot in good faith tell me three months from now that I did not warn you of my intentions of arson.

You have been warned- bwahahhahahaha.

The research session was short. The girl just had me listen to random nonsense words in Japanese and mark what I thought I heard. Like...

Aki (a-ki)
Akki (a-pause-ki)
Aaki (aaaaaah-ki)

So the difference is what I marked. She gave me a five dollar gift card to the book store ^_^ Wasn't that sweet!? Of course, this was after my recent purchases and I'm now cut off of the book buying insanity. In January, perhaps. So, I must hold on to it.

Speaking of which, where the hey-ho did I put that thing?

Good night, all! Even though you will be awakening soon...

<3 and Chocolate