07.09.08/03:45  some thoughts                           

I realize I don't post many personal diatribes on here as of late.  Such is the nature of things.  I've been really focused on translation, tobacco, and sleeping late recently, so there hasn't been much time for all that other stuff.  That being said...

To that member of the sannin to whom I haven't spoken:

I'm not avoiding you out of enmity, I just don't want my record to interfere with the projects you've got going.  If you think that won't be an issue, send me an e-mail.  Jezza's mentioned something about August and beer.  As always, jbaugher@rocketmail.com.  Also, I'm sorry I was a douchebag to you the last time we met.  My behavior was inexcusable.  I miss running up and jumping into a bear-hug (completely platonically) as we have in the past after extended periods of separation.

To my friend in Cincinnati:

Shit.  I don't even know if you still live there.  We also need to have a beer and lament about what the years have done to us in the years separating the present from our youthful indiscretions.

To the mother of my furry son:

You LIVE with me...yet you still read this?  Am I not boring enough in real life?

To YOU, peachycomics reader:

My friend made an interesting point the other day, noting that I'm stingy when it comes to letting other people post articles here.  If you think you have what it takes, tell me, in 1000 words or more (or less) about one obscure thing that you like (or hate...) that few other people know about.  Examples of the kind of article I'd want to post:

Rocko's Modern Life:  The Greatest Cartoon of All-time

Screw You, Mensa, At Least My Mother Thinks I'm Brilliant

Uncharted Waters:  New Horizons was the Funnest Shit Ever

Guy de Maupassant's Underrated Yet Awesome Vampire Story

Companies I'd Like to Sue So I Can Quit My Crappy Job

An Open Letter to the Tapeworms in my Digestive Tract

Oh wow.  Just reading those made-up titles makes me want to write the actual articles.  If only I had the motivation...anyway, what you'll get as compensation for your article are the following things:  a chance to be published somewhere outside your own blog, a nice link to that blog (or page of your choice) and absolutely NO money from me.  Use the e-mail listed above.

07.06.08/03:18  the truth is...over there, look!        

Yeah, I don't know.  Television has made me cynical.  I don't even know if I believe what I believe.  I want a president who will talk about the issues.  And by 'the issues,' I mean UFOs.  That's why I want that guy from Ohio to win...if he weren't knocked out of the primaries as soon as they began.  Anyway...

07.02.08/06:49  kanji overload                          

In 1916, Akutagawa Ryunosuke published a short story about a monk with an extremely long nose.  While arguably not as absurd as Gogol’s story of the same name, this one had enough merit to catapult Akutagawa into the spotlight of the Japanese literary scene, where he stayed for the remainder of his all-too-short life.  Click on the graphic to read it.  Also comes with a glossary of tricky kanji words, should you have access to the original.

07.02.08/06:46  from murakami haruki's Pinball, 1973     As it says in the preface to the pinball research manual Bonus Light:
 

From the pinball machine, you will gain almost nothing. Only the pride of seeing the numbers increase. In truth, the things you lose will be many. Successive generations of presidents, they all had bronze statues erected in their honor, and copper coins (although, in case you’re wondering, Richard M. Nixon has a bronze statue, but…) and you can’t get back your precious time.

While you’re standing in front of the pinball machine, feeling your lonely exhaustion, there’s probably somebody, somewhere, reading Proust.

And someone else is at a drive-in theatre with his girlfriend, most likely doing some zealous heavy-petting while watching True Grit. And, some of these guys will likely become insightful authors, or end up in happy marriages.

However, pinball will never take you anywhere. The ‘replay’ lamp lighting up is all you’ll get. Replay, replay, replay…as long as pinball games have those, perpetuating this endless cycle is all you’ll be able to think about.

As for this ‘endless cycle,’ we don’t really know much about it. However, we can speculate a little about its nature.

Pinball is not a means of self-expression, it’s a means of self-reform. It’s not an extension of your ego, it’s a curtailment of your ego. No analysis, only comprehension.

If your goal is something like self-expression or ego enlargement, trying for analysis will likely earn you merciless retribution via the ‘tilt’ light.

Have a nice game.

07.02.08/06:39  early morning ranting                   

I’m exhausted and sexually frustrated. I have tiny shards of glass in both of my feet and, I suspect, my left eye as well. Nevertheless, I must push forward. As you can see, I’ve added a new picture to the artwork section. Though I drew this small tribute to the Hellsing series a few years ago, I never took a good picture of it for the website. That’s now been remedied.

As you can infer from the posts above this one, the next phase of the website has begun, a phase concerned mainly with translation.

Starting in January, I spent four months translating Murakami Haruki’s novel Pinball, 1973 into English, for fun and to facilitate studying for the JLPT1 and 2.  Having finished that in May, I started looking for other stuff to translate, and that led me to Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s The Nose.

The greater part of June went towards creating both the translated short story above, and the exhaustive glossary that accompanies it. Since the story was written 92 years ago, I’m pretty sure it’s fair game as far as copyright is concerned. I’d like to state, for the record, that classical Japanese is HARD.

Also, for those of you who missed the last post, peachycomics is now five years old. Relive that golden moment, and dozens of others, by visiting the archives. This month is shaping up to be a busy one for the site, so stay tuned for more stuffs to appear in rapid-fire succession.