(no subject)

Recently, samiitiger mentioned a Japanese word in her journal. So, of course, I found myself using a few minutes at work to look up the kanji for it. It was so pretty! I started sketching it on the way home, drew it up again for wooisme to look at, and it's now pretty well ingrained in my head. Apparently the only thing one has to do to start learning these things is to find the pretty ones!

I did a google image search for it earlier today and found a collection of pictures. I was intrigued to find that kanji for similar concepts had a similar appearance. For instance, here's the one that Samii mentioned; ゆき, or snow: 雪　. Next to it, among others, was the kanji for あめ, or rain. It looks like this: 雨. Though it may be a little hard to tell with a small, computerized font rather than graceful brush strokes, snow is basically the same as rain with three horizontal lines added beneath it, perhaps to represent layers collecting on the ground. They both strike me as very beautiful in a subtly simplistic way. I can see the snowflakes or water droplets under the eaves of a pagoda. Kanji for thunder and cloud were fairly similar too, with the same upper part and a different lower part, so I wonder if it's a common form for weather related kanji. This is probably terribly dull to most of you, but I was just really fascinated by this realization. I can't wait 'till I know enough Japanese to start learning them in earnest.

Speaking of which, I'm fairly sure that my meager skills in the language aren't quite up to figuring out the books I have. I'm sure I'll keep poking at them from time to time, but I need to start with something a bit more basic, yet Japanese for Dummies doesn't seem to be quite what I'm looking for either. It seems to be very much a skimming approach that focuses on quick, rote memorization of enough to get by rather than focusing on learning things deeply and fully. If things look ok money-wise after Andrea and I get paid this week and we take care of other pressing bills, I may buy some more self-learning software. Anyone have recommendations for a good producer of foreign language instructional software? I have to call Carthage College to confirm, but I'm pretty sure that they don't have evening classes in Japanese, so that's probably out. What I'd really like is to start with the Japanese equivalent of Dick and Jane and just go from there.

I'm pleased with myself for having cleaned out my truck last night. I didn't get around to Dance Dance, but I probably got nearly as much exercise out in my driveway. I went outside with an extension cord, a desk lamp, and a vacuum cleaner. I Dejunked the cab, vacuumed the floors and seats, and then got my tools out. I unbolted the front seats so I could thoroughly clean out and vacuum underneath. When I clean a car I don't fool around! Among other things, I found a key-fob with the little buttons that let you lock and unlock your car from a distance. I'm guessing by the little stylized ram on it, that it's for my truck. Wow! I didn't even know I had a keyless entry system on the thing; nifty! I have to get batteries for it though; it seems to be dead as a doornail.

I may spend tonight cleaning out the bed; didn't get that far last night, and I still have a couple monitors in there from last week, not to mention a heaping stack of Amiga 2000 documentation and software, that I have to get out of there. I also need to try to connect with foreignlegion to swap a new fan into his laptop. Maybe I'll call him when I get home.

My night looks like it's going to be free 'cause Andrea is in bed with a nasty headache. Poor 'cooniegirl! I hope she feels better soon. She was very good and stayed at her new job all day despite feeling awful, so I'm definitely going to make sure she gets all the rest she can. Maybe I'll even figure out how to concoct some kind of passable dinner-related meal for her out of the contents of our kitchen. How exciting; puppy in the pantry! He'll be very careful not to close the door on his tail....