Go away Expressions

These expressions are done. To make me stop listening use any of the following.

1. "It is what it is."
2. "Good to go."
3. Professional journalists referring to bloggers "who work in their mother's basement."
4. News teases like "You won't believe..." or "Wait until you hear ..." or "You'll be surprised to hear...."
5. "Best of the best."
6. "... is just wrong."
8. "We're really excited about...."
9. "People die/lose their jobs everyday."
10. "It's not over till it's over."

Books to Movies

I think these are good screen-interpretations of classic literature.

1. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain. With Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. Steamy

2. Double Indemnity by James Cain. With Babs and Fred MacStoneFace. Noir at its best.

3. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. With Daniel Day-Lewis and Michele Pfeiffer. Dir by Scorcese. Beautiful period settings, clothes, manners.

4. The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna. With Steve McQueen. Prestige epic: violence plus ideas, what a rare combo for Hollywood.

5. The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham. With Naomi Watts. Superb production values, excellent acting.

Re "movie takes you to the book is cheating." No way for two reasons. Movie versions are often so loosely based on the source novels that inevitably the book is better than the movie on almost every score, plot, incident, believablity of characters and motivation, etc. Second, one right as a reader is the right NOT to have to defend our taste. We avid readers read to develop our own unique authentic tastes and it is not for anybody else to be passing glib judgements on what we read or how we came to read it (or how much we read but that is another thread). Naysayers would sneer at including McKenna, Cain, and Maugham on a list of writers of classic lit, but frankly my dear I don't give a - hey, how could I forget

6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

Casey Jones

On April 30, 1900 engineer Casey Jones was killed when his engine, under a full head of steam, slammed into the caboose of a freight train. Due to Jones’ heroic efforts, no passengers on his train were hurt or killed. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the US had lots of train wrecks. So many that some people were afraid to travel by train. One wreck that will recall the big scene in the circus movie The Greatest Show on Earth was one in which about 60 circus performers and roustabouts were killed in 1918 near Chicago. Odd story about that is here .

Golden Week In Japan

Today is the beginning of Golden Week in Japan.

April 29 Shōwa Day 昭和の日 Shōwa no hi. This is the birthday of the Emperor known in the west as Hirohito. Folks are supposed to remember the turmoil of the reign, which lasted from 1926 to 1989. I was in Japan in 1989 – I realized that the Emperor had died after a long illness because the Armed Forces Radio was playing somber music.
Many stores closed that day. Those that didn’t were hassled by rightists.

May 3 Constitution Memorial Day 憲法記念日 Kenpō kinenbi. This has been a holiday since 1947.

May 4 Greenery Day みどり(緑)の日 Midori no hi. This is kind of an Arbor Day, when people are supposed to reflect on the importance of ecology and the environment.

May 5 Children's Day 子供の日 Kodomo no hi. This holiday goes back to the 8th century.