三毛猫ホームズの推理 ~42% to 48%, halfway through chapter 2.5
I wanted to finish 2.5 so that I could read more spoilers, but it wasn’t to be. I’ll do it today, but then I’m sure I’ll find there will be more spoilers from further on taunting me.
I also really need to make time for the rest of 佐賀のがばいばあちゃん, chapter 2. I had read about half but then started to reread it more carefully, as I had sort of skipped over the dialect parts. Of course the main character doesn’t understand those either at this point, but I’m not at the stage where I can confidently tell what is okay to not understand and what isn’t…
Words and expressions of the day
面食らう - to be bewildered, to be taken aback
狐につままれる - to be bewitched by a fox, or just to be confused
優柔不断 - indecisiveness, indecision
影も形もない - disappear without a trace, nowhere to be seen
不能者 - impotent person
仇を取る - to take revenge
(Replying to you even though I know you probably can’t even answer, as you’ve nearly finished the book by now…)
Are we taking for granted that Harumi was meeting Hayashi? I mean, Shinjuku is a big and busy place, and Katayama never actually followed any one of them further than the station. He never saw them together, yet he jumped to conclusions and bored poor Holmes to death with his wailing.
This is such a cliche, it’s bound to happen. Although I’m getting the impression that none of the women in the story (at least not Harumi or Yukiko) need rescuing from Katayama. They seem perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, much more than Katayama himself.
As for the end of 2.5, this was by far the most ridiculous funeral ever! .
General Japan culture question that may be a slight spoiler for 三毛猫:
Is it common to hold several funeral services for the same person? One at the workplace, one at home, etc? I guess it’s more a memorial than a funeral.
I went ahead of the book club on ハピネス the last few days and have finished volume one and already read a bit into volume 2. On the one hand I feel like that was a pretty good pick for me for this challenge, as the text density is pretty low and I can manage a chapter even when I’m exhausted from the day. I’m also pretty invested in the story and really wanna know where it’s going, which is great! On the other hand I’m a bit sad now that I’m ahead of the ABBC I don’t really have anyone to discuss what I’ve been reading all that much Q.Q Especially future speculations and such only really make sense, when you discuss it with someone who read just as much as you (not much more or less) so regarding that I’m a little sad Can’t have it all I guess. I’m still reading through the ABBC threads though, because they discuss language much more than I usually do for myself.
I also read 夜カフェ this weeks assignment from the Beginner Book club. I read it in one evening (yesterday) but might read it again just because I probably rushed a little too much. Oopsie!
I did read a page every day except Friday and Sunday, I just didn’t post because I wasn’t in the mood
I had to work on both Friday and Sunday and work decided to be a bit more exhausting than I thought. I both hate and love working the weekend shifts at the Hostel - it’s busy but it usually is a good busy but it is exhausting to keep up with all the work that happens and which has to be done. This Friday a few complications happened - a lot of people had weather-related delays so I had to wait for them and then someone didn’t check out so I had to make a room real quick. At least the people affected were very nice about it, especially after the round of free drinks I… might have partaken as well.
And I decided to change some things up a bit.
First off, I decided to just read without obsessively looking up every word while I read. It’s a bad habit I am trying to break out of. Secondly, I decided to try and read part 3 to the end and then go back to look up the vocabulary and then do the translation. So, I will probably double my speed and snail along at the astounding pace of two pages before doing the translation at the end. Maybe I’ll even chicken out and do the translation after I finish reading (and I will totally count my translation days as days read - I mean, I am reading something again). We’ll see how I feel.
Added by EDIT: I also will do a mind map/vocabulary list with crime and law connected vocabulary I came across after I finish reading. Might take a while until I am done with that though
Day 11
Read: 終遠のヴィルシュ -Error:salvation-
Finished: 1 ending
Time: 1 hour 49 minutes
Finished the next ending, just 2 to go now. …? …?? It really ended like that? I knew it would be something along those lines but…
New Vocabulary
抜け目のない (ぬけめのない)shrewd; astute; cunning; alert
大量虐殺 (たいりょうぎゃくさつ)massacre; genocide
硝子 (ガラス)glass; pane (never seen the kanji for this one)
とどめを刺す to finish off; to ensure (something) is dead; to deliver the coup de grace
半端者 (はんぱもの)halfwit; blockhead; fool
遺族 (いぞく)bereaved family; surviving family; family of the deceased
見計らう (みはからう)to choose when to do something; to estimate (the time for something)
手にかける to kill with one’s own hands
裏腹 (うらはら)opposite; reverse; contrary
遠からず (とおからず)soon; in the near future
妖しい (あやしい)mysterious; bewitching; alluring; enticing; enchanting
側から (そばから)as soon as; right after
独りよがり (ひとりよがり)self-conceit; self-satisfaction; self-righteousness; self-importance; complacency
指名手配 (しめいてはい)(the police) wanting (someone) for questioning; having (someone) on the wanted list
端ない (はしたない)improper; immodest; disgraceful; shameful; vulgar; low
動脈 (どうみゃく)artery
首謀者 (しゅぼうしゃ)ringleader; mastermind; leader (of a plot)
織り込み済み (おりこみずみ)taking something into consideration; making allowances; discounting
末路 (まつろ)last days; the end; one’s fate
外道 (げどう)demon; devil; fiend; brute; wretch
命乞い (いのちごい)begging for one’s life; pleading for one’s life
I did something similar once and gave up after two lines What game did you try?
Last night I read 32 pages, finishing chapter 3 - 78% done. A lot has happened and I don’t want to ruin any of it so I will keep the major event to myself, but a development did happen that made me think of a possible solution to 森崎’s death. If you’ve read all of 3.4 you’re safe:
Couldn’t the exploding cigarette case totally explain how 森崎 died in a locked room?! I kind of feel silly for not connecting the dots sooner.
I have 78 pages left which is a lot for a weeknight, but I have a habit of burning through the last sections of books in my need to know so who knows.
You are correct, I cannot reply
I don’t think that’s a spoiler given the overall plot of the book I’m not sure. I’ve gotten the impression from TV shows and books that yes, multiple is a thing, but also, in TV shows and such the deaths are usually tragic and the services often serve as plot devices. I’m not sure what I would best google to get the answer to that, but perhaps someone living in Japan might know? We have a handful of folks in the forums living there
Exactly! The variety they have is so great! I’m at the phase of reading the first volume of the different series they have to see which are the ones I want to continue further.
What’s this? Did I hear you say that you wanted to do even more browsing spree? Kadokawa Tsubasa Bunko also has a nice variety to select from
Read today’s folktale, about a bald tanuki that lives under the floor of a temple. Who helps a shop keeper out with his monetary woes by turning into a shiny, golden kettle.
Japanese found in the tall grass
New Things
金ピカ「きんぴか」ー Gold and shiny; gaudy; brand spanking new 年の暮れ「としのくれ」ー Year end; the end of a year
New Kanji
禿 - The kanji for はげ, which means bald or baldness
Some additional things from earlier 獬豸「かいち」ー Xiezhi, a super cool mythical creature of East Asian legends
薔薇 ー The kanji for Rose「ばら」 鼯鼠「ももんが」ー Japanese flying squirrel 啖う「くう」ー An outdated way to say「食う」- to eat
三毛猫ホームズの推理 ~48% to 50%, end of chapter 2.5 (and halfway through the book!)
Didn’t read much 三毛猫 today, but I did at least reach the point where I could look at those spoilers that aren’t a week or so ahead (ahem…some people read fast). I wanted to go on reading, but after also finishing chapter 2 of 佐賀のがばいばあちゃん my brain decided it had quite enough reading for today, thank you.
words etc
怪奇映画 - horror film
拝金主義 - mammonism, which I had no idea means “the greedy pursuit of riches”
木が気でない - feel uneasy, on pins and needles
振り付ける - to choreograph
寒気 - chill, shivering
いても立ってもいられない - unable to contain oneself, itching to do something
いい気味 - it serves you right
I’d probably think it was “By the way, when male dogs become adults, they start to raise one of their back legs high up to pee.” (which is pretty close to what you wrote)
You can see here that ようになる means “以前は〜じゃないが、今は〜である。状況や能力の変化を表す。” “It wasn’t that way before, but now it is. Expresses a change in ability or situation.”
Here’s a kinda similar example sentence from the website
大学生になってから自分で弁当を作るようになりました。
(After becoming a college student, I began to make my own lunch boxes)
And here is a random example from a part of a website (website is here, see 生存戦略としてのモフモフ・真っ白 section) talking about how animals will adapt when they molt to match the climate and daylight hours of whatever place they’re in
昔から日本にいる固有種はもちろんのこと、外国からやってきた動物も、日照時間の変化に合わせて換毛期が現地に適応するようになります。
.
Note: 固有種 are animals native to the country, 日照 is daylight, 換毛期 is molting season
Today my reading was the preview of カラフル, a book I might be reading with a friend
Now I’m going to go do the translation I’ve been delaying for ages. That’s also kind of reading
Lol let’s pray I at least get past the 50% mark help my grades
Finished chapter nine. Thoughts: Very influenced by Chinese culture. Baozi, would eat
(Spoiler I guess but also word of the day) Maomao reveals she’s a strong drinker from having tried various medicines and concoctions with lots of alcohol. Was described with the word 酒豪 which means “heavy drinker” BUT the furigana was actually ざる, which can mean "draining basket, sieve, strainer "… So Maomao when she’s drinking is basically like pouring alcohol through a strainer. Just thought that was hilarious.
In what is always the way of things, 居ても立っても居られない then came up again in an episode of きのう何食べた I was watching this evening! It’s always so fun and odd when that happens.
I’ve been struggling because my health problems have really flared up again in the past week which includes very frequent blind spots (as sort of potential migraine precursors) creeping into my vision when looking at a computer screen. It’s rough. Plus today’s reading was kind of hard – I’ll get into that under spoilers. But I eventually made it through 5000 characters so that’s success, though it’s hard not to be frustrated by how hard I keep finding things.
Partially because I’m enjoying the silliness, and partially to explain my difficulties, I wanted to talk about the plot for once. So Umi and a group of the island’s children joined together to take over a shack of sorts on the mountain, armed with strong water guns, and barricade out all adults. Full child shenanigans. In response, the adults set up a countermeasure task force at the city hall, which is mostly an excuse for them to get drunk and reminisce about getting in trouble when they were kids. And therein lie my issues, I guess. It’s mostly just that they’re flinging around long idioms, over dramatic “task force strategy meeting” style words, and on and on. At least I guess I’m finding some of the adult male colloquial contractions and sound shifts more natural now? Meanwhile this week of the book club beat me down a bit in dialects (plus unknown vocab galore) so there’s always something more to not understand, heh.
Today I learned 出来上がる can be used as “to be very drunk.” I don’t have too many great words today, but I’ll share 解放区 (かいほうく), meaning “liberated zone or area.” It’s intuitive enough if you know its parts. This is a totally natural part of language learning this way, but it always amuses me to consider the simple basic things I haven’t come across yet while reading about something like liberated zones.