ELVIRA, Mistress of the Dark

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark on her red velvet settee.

Halloween is almost upon us and I am reminded of my first love.
When I was a teenager in the 80's I would stay up very, very, very late on Friday or Saturday nights to watch 'Movie Macabre' hosted by Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark.
Mistress = aijin 愛人 {Lover}　on'nashujin 女主人 {Female head or owner. Feminine of 'Master'}

'Movie Macabre' (macabre = 死　shi (no) {of death}; kimi ga warui 気味が悪い{gruesome})
was a TV show that showed old, B grade horror movies. B grade as in BAD! So bad! Very cheaply made, bad, old horror movies with monsters in rubber masks and, even worse, very bad acting. These movies were so bad that nobody would ever want to watch them, except.... they were hosted by the one and only Elvira! !

Oh my God Bless the USA! I would even watch old men playing golf if only Elvira hosted the event!
I had a few pictures of her ripped from horror movie magazines posted in my school locker.
She set my hormone - saturated teenage heart beating like nothing else! She would make any guy, young or old, single or engaged, gay or straight stay up late just to listen to her mischievous (いたずらな itazura na) bad jokes, laugh at how bad the movie was, and just to get a look at her beautiful.... uhmm, ... legs!

Elvira! What big... eyes you have!

The show always started with the same introductory "macabre" music and an image of Elvira standing in the doorway, beckoning you to enter...
(beckon = temaneki suru 手招きする).

Sometimes, where I lived, they even showed a double feature with two episodes of 'Movie Macabre' back-to-back! I never got enough sleep on those nights! I tried so very hard to stay up late and watch every minute because I didn't want to miss any of her silly shenanigans (mischief = 茶目 chame - harmless teasing). I would stay up 'til dawn (yoake よあけ) sometimes. Even when I got drowsy and started falling asleep I would pinch (tsuneru つねる) myself to wake up to watch Elvira come on between commercial breaks and at the end of the film to make jokes and play seductively to the camera. I was completely mesmerized (mesmerize = miwaku 魅惑)! I would try to hold out until the end of the show when she always looked right into the camera, waved her long slender fingers and said those two sweet words that meant I could finally turn off the TV and fall completely asleep; those two words  that still echo softly in my mind.... "Unpleasant dreams....."

Later in life, around 1998-9 or so, I actually got to meet Cassandra Peterson (a.k.a. Elvira) briefly at 'Terror on Church Street' the haunted attraction where I worked. She was not in costume but was still very pretty and so sweet and kind. I was a little star-struck but managed to say "I'm a really big fan" as I shook her hand. Somewhere in a box I have a photo of my co-workers and I with her. If I find it I'll post it up here.

Actress Cassandra Peterson

Every year during Halloween season Elvira is still very busy. She has become so completely associated with Halloween that she is almost like an icon of the holiday itself. But recently she has accepted the fact that she isn't getting any younger and has done some talent scouting and recruiting for fresh young Elviras to take her place for events and public appearances. Just as Santa Claus shows up everywhere at X-mas time, so does Elvira (or a younger version of her) get around at Halloween time.

But as for me, NOBODY can ever replace the ultimate funny femme fatale.... Elvira.

Below you can watch some clips of Elvira doing what she does best...

In this clip she introduces and concludes the film 'She-Demons' for a vhs video tape release:

Striking a pose... very striking!

In this clip she introduces the cult B movie 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes' on Movie Macabre...

 This next clip is more recent...

 

If you enjoy Elvira you can find many postings of her on Youtube or discover more at her official website:

http://elvira.hostedbywebstore.com

Or an officially unofficial fan site:

http://www.elviramistressofthedark.com

My Favorite Obsession: Tarot Cards!

VII (7) The Chariot = Victory, my 'Soul Card' from the Tarot. This Italian deck includes the key word (meaning) of each card  written along the left border in 4 European languages

My collection of 48 Tarot decks.

What is your hobby? Anata-no shumi-wa nan desuka?
What do you like to do? Anata-wa nani o surukoto-ga suki desuka?
What excites you?
What is your passion (jonetsu)?
Do you enjoy sports? Supotsu-wa suki desuka?
Do you like watching movies? Eiga-wo-miru kotoga suki desuka?
Do you love art ? Reading ? Nature hiking?

Are you a collector? Anatawa shushuka desuka?
Do you have a collection? Korekushon-o motte-masuka?
If so, what do you collect?

My brother Chris collects coins. He started collecting them when he was just a boy. He has a very nice coin collection. He taught me a lot about being a collector and taking good care of your collectibles. I used to have a pretty big comic book collection. I started collecting comic books when I was a boy... mostly Batman, House of Mystery, Archie, and anything featuring vampires, werewolves, witches and monsters.
I sold my comic books on ebay a few years ago to help earn money before we moved to Japan. Can you believe I made about $2,000.00 from selling my old comic books?

I have a confession (kokuhaku) to make...
I am such a geek! Cho Otaku-desu!

I have also collected Tarot cards over the years. I started actually collecting Tarot cards when I was in high school, but I bought my first deck of Tarot cards when I was about 12 or 13 years old and in Junior high school.

My first deck of Tarot cards ! The classic 'Rider - Waite - Smith Tarot'.

While I was a high school student I discovered that there were many different types of Tarot decks being published. Some of them were reprints of old European classics with traditional (dento-teki) symbolism (shochoshugi). Some were new and featured contemporary (dojidai) art or unique themes; like: 'The Ukiyoe Tarot' with Japanese art, 'The Native American Tarot' based on American Indian tribal themes and legends, the circular (maru) shaped 'Motherpeace Tarot' with circle shaped cards.... and the list goes on and on.

At first, I was just interested in using the Tarot for Divination (uranai) or "Fortune-telling". Then, I became deeply interested in it's use in meditation and learning about occult philosophy and psychology (shinrigaku). Soon, I discovered that there were many beautiful and original decks with a wide range of art and symbolism. I now have 48 Tarot decks, Oracle cards or divination packs. There are so many now available that can suit any taste.

I have loved art and the occult all my life. Tarot is where these two passions meet and where my obsession (toritsuki, kyohakukan'nen) has grown! I usually buy them for myself but I also have decks that were given to me as gifts. I get some decks just for their artwork. Sometimes I just shuffle through a deck to get inspiration or to find a model for one of my own drawings or paintings. Sometimes I read the Little White Book (LWB) that comes with each pack of Tarot cards to get the meaning (imi) of a card, but I also like to trust my own intuition (chokkan) for a card's interpretation (kaishaku). Tarot is a way of training your intuition.

A new Japanese Tarot deck and book set I recently found.  Most of the  decks produced in Japan  are not so attractive or they contain only the 22 Major Arcana cards (not the complete 78). This set has all 78 cards but every character is kind of artificial anime looking and THEY ARE ALL BLOND! But it's still pretty nice.

Tarot is a very old system of symbols (shocho, kigo) and it has direct connections to other Esoteric (nankai, himitsu) Arts like Astrology (hoshi uranai), Numerology and Cabbala. The deeper you look, the more you see... and learn!

Tarot of the Master. Reprint of an old Italian deck.

VI (6) LOVE card from 'Tarot of the Master'. The key meaning: 'Love' is written in 5 Western languages along the left edge of the green border.

Tarot encouraged me (susumeru shimashta) to read and study when I was in school, as it still does today. Studying the Tarot taught me the meanings of many words like 'Temperance', 'Justice', 'Judgement', and 'Hierophant' (!), as well as about Archetypes (genkei), Consciousness (ishiki), the Unconscious (muishiki), Subconscious (senzai'ishiki), and the deeper meanings of many words and symbols. I would recommend to English students to get a pack of 78 Tarot cards to play with just to pick a card they like and read the suggested meanings in the LWB.  Studying the image and symbols of each card and reading it's key words one can greatly increase one's knowledge of English vocabulary. Tarot can also act as a record of European  history.

Recommended for starters...

The popular Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot and the Morgan-Greer Tarot.  Bright colors and  classic  images. Easy to read.

Rare decks:
I Tarocchi Dell'Alba Dorata has only the 22 Major Arcana
The weird H.P.Lovecraft Tarot based on horror-fantasy.

The Druid Craft Tarot & the new  Mary-El Tarot.
Two new favorites.

This deck contains vivid contemporary artwork with Cabbalistic and elemental symbols. Each of the 5 suits (the Major + 4 Minor Arcana) feature a different ancient world culture. Egyptian, African, Meso-American, Viking and Indian.

Rohrig Tarot
Psychology & Mysticism

The Goddess Tarot, a gift from a dear friend.

The Rider Waite Smith, The Grand Etteilla, and Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarots.

How can you deepen and expand your English vocabulary and comprehension?
Why be shy? Give Tarot a try! Hazukashii-garanai !

Mis-heard Lyrics; 'Purple Haze' & 'O FORTUNA'

Have you ever heard a song and thought "what is she / he saying?".

Sometimes we think we know the lyrics (kashi)- the words to a song - but sometimes we mishear (mis-hear; mis= like mistake = machigai) the lyrics and think the singer is saying something completely different!

A famous (famous = yumei) misheard lyric in American pop music is from rock and roll legend Jimi Hendrix in his psychedelic song 'Purple Haze' ('Murasaki no Kasumi').

The lyrics say: "' 'Scuse (excuse) me while I kiss the sky",
BUT, it is often misheard as: "Scuse me while I kiss this guy".
Please see the quick video example here:

"Purple haze all in my brain
lately things don't seem the same
Acting funny and i don't know why
excuse me while i kiss the sky"

So is Jimi kising THE SKY (sora)? or THIS GUY (kono otoko no hito)???!!

It is funny but actually I still don't know all the lyrics to some famous songs like 'Heart of Glass' by Blondie, even though I've heard it ten thousand times!

My friend Melissa recently shared this next video on facebook and I thought it was very amusing (tanoshii, okashii).

The Goddess Fortuna turns the Wheel of Fortune. Sometimes we are on top, sometimes we  are  falling , sometimes we are crushed beneath the Wheel until Fate brings us up again.

'O FORTUNA'  is a famous classical religious poem in Latin. It is a complaint (fuhei) about fate (shukumei) and Fortuna, a goddess (megami) in Roman mythology (shinwa) and personification (gijinka suru) of luck = fortune (un; koun). It has become immensely popular and has been performed by countless (many) classical music ensembles and popular artists. It can be heard in numerous (takusan) movies and television commercials and has become a staple (shuyosanbutsu) in popular culture, setting the mood for dramatic or cataclysmic (disastrous, = kaimetsu-teki (na) ) situations. "O Fortuna" topped a list of the most-played classical music of the past 75 years in the United Kingdom.

In this funny video somebody has put their mis heard lyrics with animation to 'O FORTUNA'.

If you're interested in the original Latin lyrics and their English translation you can find them here at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Fortuna

The Wheel of Fortune card from the Tarot .

What's In A Name?

Does your name have a meaning (imi)?
What does your name mean?

My name "Sonny" is actually a nickname (adana). Many people use their nicknames in daily life and keep their given names for official business and paperwork.

How did I get my nickname? Well, from my father.
My father's name was Heyward Bruce Gardner. When I was born my parents "named me after" my father;
so, I became Heyward Bruce Gardner Jr. (junior).
As I am the "son" of my father (father & son), and we share the same name, my father automatically became  H.B.G. Senior while I became H.B.G. Junior; or nicknamed "Sonny", from "son" (of the father with the same name).
My name does not mean "sunny" like a "sunny day" or, "sunny weather".
My family also could have nicknamed me "Junior".
They could have also named me H.B.G. II, or, Heyward Bruce Gardner "the Second" (II = the Second).

This way of naming a son with the father's name is an old formal custom. Some people continue this tradition for generations (sedai). For example: King Henry VIII (the Eighth).

Most names carry some kind of meaning in themselves. Usually you can learn the meaning by checking the root word or words used from the culture the name comes from. In Japan the meaning of a name depends on the meaning of the kanji characters used to write the name. I enjoy asking my Japanese students what their names mean. It is fascinating to study the meaning of the kanji characters that form a person's name in Japan.

In the West, most names originate from old European languages. A family name can often give you a hint as to what your ancestor's main occupation (job) was or where they lived. For example, if your last name is 'Smith' then your ancestors were probably smiths, (black)smiths or metal workers of some kind. If your last name is 'Baker' then your ancestors were probably busy baking bread. Same goes for names like 'Fisher', 'Farmer', 'Taylor' (tailor), etc...

Names like Anderson = Son of Anders, Jefferson = Son of Jeffers, Michaelson = Son of Michael etc..

Take my first name for example: Heyward....
Is a German name that means "The Brave One, or the Chief Guardian".
Hey = Hay = hoshikusa, the grass horses eat; OR, Harvest = shukaku.
Ward = hogosha = Guardian.
So.... "Heyward" = "Guardian or Keeper of the Harvest".

And my middle name.... Bruce = Woods = mori, or forest. A popular boy's name with French origins but made popular in Scotland in the 14th century (1300's). My father's family is Celtic; mainly Scottish, Irish and British. My mother's is Scandanavian; mainly Norwegian and Laplander mixed with some German.

The family name Gardner is obviously a gardener = "Keeper of the Garden".
This indicates that, very long ago, my father's family's main occupation was gardening.

So my name is very organic, possibly even pagan.

I nicknamed my wife "Mia" when we lived in the USA because Mizuho Otahara is hard for Americans to remember and pronounce correctly. Her name is, like my own, also very organic.

Mizuho = Is a classic name for Japan. I mean the whole country of Japan used to be called 'Mizuho' by it's native population. It means "Fresh Rice" and conjures images of abundant, green rice paddies.
Her family name, Otahara = A very big field, or rice paddy.

Together we represent a perfect balance of the abundance of Nature and the nurturing and care and protection of it.

Please refrain from any "oyyaji gyagu" (= old man < bad > joke) comments about "the gardener plowing the field". Speaking of which....

We are now 21 weeks pregnant so we are talking about baby names.
Next week we should discover our baby's gender or sex (sei). That should help us narrow down our choices. Naming a person is a very big responsibility. Adam had the responsibility to name every animal in the Garden of Eden in Christian mythology.

We love the Gaelic (old Irish) name Aidan or Aiden for a boy. It means "Fiery"; "of Fire".
It also bears resemblance to Eden, The Primeval Garden, 'Eiden no sono',  = The Garden of Eden. Also, an angel with a fiery sword was stationed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden as a Guardian (= Heyward).

This name Aidan can also be for a girl; but, I think the spelling could be feminized a bit.
My favorite poet, Edgar Allen Poe, wrote in his famous poem 'The Raven' :

"Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore -"

Aidenn is a lovely form of Aiden or Eden and is a more feminine spelling with the double "n".
Lenore is a nice name too, but we want to avoid any name with  "L" and "R" because it will be horribly mispronounced in Japan, i.e. "Renor" instead of Lenore, "Riri" instead of Lily etc...

As for middle names we like Wolf for a boy and Deanna or Dianna for a girl.
Aidan / Aiden Wolf for a boy, and Aidenn Dianna / Deanna for a girl.
What do you think?

Deanna or Dianna's "Di" / "De" pronounced to rhyme with "sea".
Not "Die"-anna, like Princess Diana. I don't think "die" sounds as sweet (die = shinu).
Also, I have a sister named Deann, but we call her "DeeDee".
Wolf is a powerful name and not an uncommon name in Northern Europe where my ancestors are from.
Dianna or Deanna is of course Diana = the Roman name for the Goddess Artemis.

What do you think? Do you have any suggestions?
Do you want to share the meaning of your name?
What's in a name?

Turning Japanese; or, Accepting the Uselessness and Futility of Japanese Bureaucracy

We decided to make today the day we would finally change Mia's last name to Gardner for convenience sake, and the sake of Baby-To-Be. Mia has kept her family name, even since we married nearly 7 years ago, because it just seemed like too much trouble to change her name on everything like passport, marriage license, etc...

We were right.

I don't mean to bash Japan... just it's bureaucracy!

I certainly didn't expect this to be done in one day.

In the words of Alex Kerr (see my previous blog on his insightful book: 'Dogs and Demons; Tales From the Darkside of Japan'): "Japan's bureaucracy has been much studied, mostly with admiration, by Western analysts, who marvel at its extremely subtle means of control (my emphasis), its tentacles reaching downward into industry and upward into politics".

The Japanese bureaucracy (kanryoseido) is extraordinarily sophisticated, complex, often shady, and actually kind of ritualistic. It seems that in order to accomplish almost anything in Japan one must first fill out paperwork to obtain a certificate from a clerk at one office, bring said certificate to another office (often in another part of the city, requiring a train ride plus expense and time) where you take a number, fill out more paperwork, wait until you are told that the certificate or paperwork you have is insufficient, OR it requires a type of official postal stamp of a certain cash value one must buy at a convenience store next door (because government offices do not accept cash) where, after getting said stamp and returning to the clerk one must produce ones personal signature seal ('hanko') which is used as a signature. You make your little red stamp with your hanko and are given more paperwork telling you to return on such-n-such day when.......

You get the idea. It's a never ending circle of paperwork madness that ultimately means nothing but the destruction of millions of trees.

Mia checked the Osaka courthouse website, knew what was required for applying for a name change, and we decided to go there. I even brought my gaikokujin card (legal alien resident card) and passport.
First, we stopped at the local city office branch at our train station for Mia to fill out a paper stating the reason she wanted to get a copy of her family registry. After a few minutes she got a fresh "official" copy of her family's 'koseki tohon' (family registry, including dates of birth, our marriage with my name in katakana scrpt etc..) printed on it's "official" watermarked, and decorated with roses Toyonaka City document paper by the ubiquitous, artificially over-obsequious clerks (there were two, one man to do the work and one old woman to hover next to him, breathing down his neck, whose job seemed to be nothing but to repeat "I'm sorry" and "excuse me" and to answer the phone to say "I'm sorry" and "excuse me".

Next we took the subway to the Osaka courthouse, (changing trains once), where we took a number, Mia filled out the change of family name application form. When our number came up we sat with a man who told us that we needed first to go to the Toyonaka City main office and get a document, the name of which is so long Mia can't remember it so he had to write it down, that states that I can legally reside in Toyonaka City.

Of course I had my gaikokujin card (legal resident alien card) and my passport with my spouse visa (which both had been updated just over a month ago) with me. However, I knew without even asking that offering these useless little votives unto the altar of Japanese Bureaucracy would be totally futile. The clerk would have simply apologized profusely and stated the officially approved statement stating that all required documents must be submitted together for consideration of approval. In other words, The Beast must be fed and it's sacrifice of choice is endless reams of paper;  paper that has been specially printed, stamped, sealed, approved and won by hours of pursuit and waiting.

This is how things are done here and it doesn't surprise me anymore. But it does piss me off a bit.
This endless game of collect the stamps is deeply imprinted onto the Japanese psyche. Nothing seems worthy of pursuit here unless you get an officially sealed document for your trouble. Education, Career, Sports, Hobbies... everybody needs to seek validation, to show a piece of paper that says: "I DID IT!". I PERSEVERED! I ENDURED! GAMBARIMASHITA!
Everybody is so used to it here they know of no other way. Schools teach children not to speak out; hence activists are rare. As a result, nothing changes... especially Japanese Bureaucracy.

"The real purpose of education in Japan is not education but the habit of obedience to a group"
                                                                  Alex Kerr       'Dogs and Demons'


Everybody in Japan has at least one 'hanko', a signature seal like a mini rubber stamp, but usually made of wood, stone or horn. I just got mine recently. It is made of horn, has my name in katakana, the script used for foreign words and names because it seemed easier than finding kanji characters to make my name.

Its official. I think I'm turning Japanese.

Why the name 'Artemis' for an English school in Japan?

Once in a while (Sometimes) somebody asks us why we chose the name 'Artemis' for Eikaiwa Artemis, our unique English teacher - student matching system here in Osaka, Japan. I will try to explain a little.

First and foremost, I'm a mythology geek (shinwa no otaku desu)!

Shinwa = Myth(s); Legends. Mythology = Shinwagaku
Otaku = geek, nerd.

I've loved and studied mythology all my life.
The gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters of Greek and Roman mythology have been a source of inspiration (hirameki) for me since childhood. And Artemis (Artemis is Her Greek name; the Romans called Her Diana) has always been a personal favorite. She is a moon goddess and the goddess of  all living things. She is also both protector and hunter of wild animals.

Classical Mythology is.....well, CLASSIC! Artemis is a classic name from our Ancient Western Heritage.
The Greek and Roman civilizations (civilization = bunmei) are primary foundations (kiso) of Western civilization.
Today we use words in English that have their origin (kigen, hajimari = beginning, source) in Greek and Roman mythology like 'cereal' (from the goddess Ceres), the 'Olympics', and 'muse' (amuse, amusement, amusement park!), not to mention the many planets (wakusei) and stars and the signs of the zodiac (kodotai, junikyu). All this and much more in our language come from mythology!

Another reason for choosing the name Artemis is that she is the keen-eyed Goddess of the Hunt (kari no megami). She is The Huntress (ryoshi). As an expert archer (ite) she carries a bow (yumi) and arrows (ya).
Hunt = kari, hunting game; kari o suru.
In English, "to hunt" can also mean: sagashi, search, sagasu, search for.
To hunt, search or look for something; like an Easter egg hunt, or to go deer hunting.

Artemis is also unmarried and fiercely independent. She has a wild side!

These characteristics (tokucho-teki) are a symbol (shocho) of our student's individual (koji-no), and independent (dokuritsu shiteiru) search for English study to suit or accommodate (tekio saseru) their personal needs or reasons.


The uniquely personalized teacher - student matching system of Eikaiwa Artemis allows students the freedom to meet an English  teacher for one-on-one English lessons at times that are convenient for them.

Eikaiwa Artemis Teachers and students can take aim (nerau)

aim: mokuteki (purpose)
        mato (goal)
        nerau (point)
        mezasu (intend)

...and focus (shoten) upon the individual student's needs...  much like The Huntress Artemis takes aim with Her bow and arrow to hit her target, her personal goals.

The English student must make a personal commitment to set goals and, having spotted their target....

the student readys, aims, fires!

Some students need English for international travel, some study more advanced grammar and vocabulary related to their jobs and careers. Most students welcome and enjoy the one-on-one conversational English practice. Together, the teacher and student can set goals, but a lot of foreign language study is up to the individual student's commitment (sekinin = responsibility, kenshin = devotion) to practice and study on their own to reach their target. The student must hunt, must pursue (chase = oikakeru; tsuzukeru = carry on; tsuikyu suru = search for, commit oneself to, the study of English.

Eikaiwa Artemis Toyonaka tries to facilitate (yoi ni suru) this growing individual need for private English practice by matching students to teachers based on individual requirements. We hope that we make successful matches between English language teachers and students which will foster and nurture (sodateru) our student's growing English language ability through lessons, chat-time events, and sometimes taking field trips together. It makes us proud and happy to see students commit to improving their English skills. This is the more domestic (katei no) or motherly side of Artemis, as Mother of All Living Things....

Gloomy Sunday

"Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come."
                           - Rabindranath Tagore

 Our sweet little Meow-Meow has passed away..... such sad news.
She had health problems so it is amazing she lived as long as she did, about 6 years. She came with me from Florida when we moved to Japan 3 years ago. She was such a good kitty during the long trip. We will miss her and her lovely absinthe-green eyes and her tortoise shell fur, but; we believe she will return to us when she gets a new, healthier body.

Here I'll post videos and lyrics to the saddest song ever.... 'Gloomy Sunday'.
Although we feel that Meow-Meow's spirit is now free from the bonds of earthly suffering (kurushimi), and her passing carries some relief (keigen = relief from pain; anshin = relief from anxiety); but, we will still mourn (itamu) and lament (kanashima). Mourning (mo) is an important part of dealing with, and acceptance of, loss.

I think music, and song lyrics are a fantastic and interesting way for ESL students to study English.
Listening, reading and pronunciation are all highlighted this way. In this case we also get to listen to two American female vocalists interpret the same song in two different ways!


"Life is about dealing with loss."
                                - Mia Farrow
'Gloomy Sunday' is a well-known song of deep sadness in the West that is rarely heard or performed publicly because it is so "gloomy"; and some people fear it's rumored reputation  for encouraging suicide (jisatsu). Please note that I do not encourage suicide, but rather a necessary period of grief (kanashimi) and catharsis (katarushisu).

Gloomy = usugurai (dark); yu'utsu (na) (depressed); kanashii (sad); undadareteiru (dejected).

First I will put the version by Diamanda Galas because she gives a brief introduction to the song before she sings/plays it, and I'll transcribe (write) her words & lyrics down for English students.
I admit that Diamanda Galas's singing style is an acquired taste... that is, her music is not for everybody.
She is dark, dramatic and often purposely discordant... to amazing effect!

Diamanda Galas (Intro):
"This next song was sung by Billie Holiday, called 'Gloomy Sunday'.
Um, when she first recorded it on the radio, there was a, uh, protest from the record company because it was, um, it was too pessimistic and depressing. Therefore, they had her change the ending to make it more optimistic and hopeful. And at that moment was born the first pop music. I don't do it that way of course."

(Lyrics):
Sadly, one Sunday, I waited and waited
With flowers in my arms for the dream I had created
I waited 'til dreams, like my heart, were all broken
The flowers were all dead and the words were unspoken
The grief that I knew was beyond all consoling
The beat of my heart was a bell that was tolling
Saddest of Sunday(s)

Then came a Sunday when you came to find me
They brought me to church and I left you behind me
My eyes could not see one I wanted to love me
The earth and the flowers were forever above me
The bell tolled for me and the wind whispered 'Never'
But you I have loved and I'll love you forever
Blessed of all Sunday(s)

And now.... 'Gloomy Sunday' by Miss Lady Day (a.k.a.) Billie Holiday, with lyrics.

Did you notice how it was changed in the last verse to make it all sound like a dream???
The original version does not contain the verse that begins: "Dreaming, I was only dreaming....."

One final quote from a book I'm reading now:

"People are not the only things that go through cycles and end with death; there are situations, relationships, eras of your life, even the seasons of the earth and the stars and the wheel of the great year go through cycles of life and death. At some point everything comes to an end, which is good; life and death have the same maker and come from and through each other. Even though death ends a cycle, the circle continues on."

                                                                 - Marie White

                                             'The Mary-El Tarot,  Landscapes of the Abyss'

Weird & Amusing Japanese Signs

Left: Sign in Nara about the rather tame yet wild deer that roam the park.
"The deer of Nara Park are wild animals. They can occasionally attack people. so please be careful."

Bite
Kick
Butt
Knock - down

I've been personally molested by deer* on numerous visits to Nara.
*recommended






Right:  Sign in vinyl sheet protector
taped to column on underground subway platform.

Beware of drunk salaryman
OR
Drunk salaryman beware of oncoming subway train!

Translation:
"Danger! After drinking many people fall off the platform on to the tracks. Please Beware !

One upsetting result of relying on public transportation is the very rare but occasional prolonged delay of the usually hyper-timely
Japanese trains due to "human accident".

No wonder I never see children playing in this park near our  home!
"Perverts exist! Please be careful!"

.

Beware of bamboo shoot thieves!
This shady character is wearing dark glasses and sports some stubble and an armful of ill-gotten bamboo shoots.
This sign is in the bamboo grove behind our apartment building.

Living in Japan definitely has many advantages:

Unparalleled customer service.

No tipping (staff are usually paid a relatively low, but fair, working wage for service jobs, perhaps starting in the range of US $8 - $10 per hr.).

Kids can walk or ride buses or trains to school alone without threat of fear.

No guns.

Low crime.

If you live in the city you don't need a car or the accompanying expenses.

Reasonable healthcare (even if I was unemployed I would be totally covered for 500Yen a month (about $5).

If you are having a baby, our city in Osaka pays you 420,000Yen (about $4,500.00)!

When Mia goes to hospital for delivery* in October she will stay for 5 days, receive a treatment from an esthetician, and dine on healthy 5 star French cuisine (another birthing clinic we checked out offers a limo ride to & from the clinic!).
*Our total fee from this birth will be about (estimated) US $5,000.00, which that money from the city will reduce to about $500. Also includes mother's training & exercise classes!

I can make a decent living teaching English privately.

The Yen is high now (great for when I went shopping in Florida last Xmas - New Years season;
...not so great if you want to visit here from abroad).

BUT, one more remarkable phenomena I wish to share with you about fairy tale Japan is it's signage!
Perhaps no where else in the world will you see such a profuse display of municipal and government spending on signs that warn against, encourage, and alert you to all sorts of behavior and phenomena.

(By the way.... Buses, escalators, subways, and public buildings (like libraries!) also stream a constant barrage of audio warnings, announcements & notices ad nauseam.)

So, here are some of my personal faves from around our lovely neighborhood of Toyonaka in Osaka.

Chikan Chui! Beware of Perverts!

Children's play park in Sakarazuka

Hmm, Haiku posted on a park fence. But this is not classic poetry...

Translation: "No excuse for 'I just wanted to try shoplifting one time'".

"Politeness bridges heart to heart contact"

On Left: "Can you clearly express your thoughts?"
On Right: the shoplifting message... AGAIN!

BEWARE! Don't accept rides from strangers!

A fresh, new "Beware of Perverts" sign... AGAIN! A little further from the first.
This may not be such a bad idea as Mia remembers a flasher standing outside her elementary school
at recess time. She says some kids were shocked but most pointed and laughed.

"Hey Bully! Your heart is crying!" (?!)

Self explanatory I think.

Don't litter!

In front of a shrine: Warning to drivers and kids about suddenly running into the street. 

ENGLISH! On the side of a 100Yen ($1) drink vending machine

The Spring Equinox

Today is the Spring Equinox.

A painting of a Nature Goddess by me

The Japanese call it 'Shunbun no hi' and it is a National Holiday here in Japan.
Banks, post offices, schools and many other businesses have the day off on this auspicious (saisaki ga ii) day. Some Japanese people visit the graves of loved ones on this day to observe "higan". During higan families remember those who have passed away and visit family graves bringing food and other items to give sustenance to their ancestors. Perhaps this is done because of the liminal nature of the Equinoxes. A feeling of "inbetween-ness", of standing on a threshold (shiki'i) between this world and the next. Special services are held at Buddhist temples and some Shinto shrines.

EQUINOX [Equi = equal, Nox = night] however you pronounce it means the same thing:
The time when day and night are equal. 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of light. The day when we stand on the cusp (hajimari) of leaving the dark, cold phase of winter and entering (springing ?) into the season of light and warmth.

While the Autumn Equinox (mid to late September) carries a more somber (inki [na] , usugurai) feeling as it marks the entry to the winter season of darkness and death; the Spring Equinox has a brighter and more promising (yu-bo-) energy  as it is the dawn (yoake) of a new season of [re] birth. It's the birth of Spring!
Or, as we like to say, "Spring has sprung"!

In English the word "spring" has several meanings:

Jap. / Eng.
bane  (metal)
haru  (season)
izumi  (water)
tobiagaru  (jump); spring over ... o tobikoso ....; spring up = sho-jiru

Thus, the phrase "spring has sprung' carries with it an innuendo (iyami, atetsuke) of the season's passionate nature.

In the West, The Spring Equinox is also the time of the Goddess (Megami)  'Ostara' to the Pagans, from where we get the word 'Easter'.
The Goddess Ostara or Eostre is described as a beautiful young maiden (unmarried woman, or girl) as the personification of spring, the new growing season and fertility (hanshokuryoku). She is sometimes shown carrying a basket filled with eggs with a hare or rabbit as her companion. It is from the old European Pagan traditions that we get the customs of coloring eggs and bunny rabbit symbolism for the modern Easter traditions (in fact, just about every holiday is a modified Pagan one with Halloween and Christmas being obvious examples) , even though these have been adopted by Christians for centuries.