Author Archives: NathanJones

For the last week I’ve logged in, looked at a blank "new blog entry" page for 15 minutes then just end up logging off.  So today I’m actually going to write something.  Wait I just did!  Sweet. See you next week.
　
　
　
タイトルを考えるには、遅過ぎる・・・

先週は、ログインしてから　ニューブログエントリーページの　空白を１５分間、見ていました。それから、結局、ログアウトしました。それで、今日は、何か書く積りでした。
ちょっと待てよ、もう書いたよ！　ヤレヤレ。。。　　では　また来週。
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Of all the things I miss about Hawaii now that I’m on the mainland, I think spam musubi is somewhere in the top three.  Now I know what you’re thinking, "Why not just recreate this ambrosia in your own kitchen?" but it’s not that simple…I’m lazy.
 
 
スパンむすび
　
私は　メインランドに住んでいます。
今、私は　ハワイのものすべてが懐かしいです。
懐かしいものの　およそトップスリーに　スパンおむすびがあります。
今、あなたが　何を考えているか　私はわかります。
「そのおいしいものを　あなたの家の台所で　作ったらどうですか？」　
でも　そんなに簡単ではないんです。。。私は　怠け者です。

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Today was awesome.  I woke up, did a bunch of stuff and now I’m about to go to sleep.  What will I do tomorrow?  Rinse and repeat.
 
　
退屈なる日課

今日は凄かった。　起きて　山ほどの 仕事をして。。。さて　もう 寝る時間になった。
明日は、何を しようかな？　同じことの 繰り返し。。。
　

 たいくつ なる  にっか
　
きょうは すごかった。　おきて　やまほどの しごとをして。。。さて　もう ねるじかんになった。
あしたは なにを しようかな？　おなじことの くりかえし。。。

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Because of the overwhelming positve response I recieved to yesterday’s blog entry (Mariko added a comment and Norman sent me a message )  I planned to come here and write something deep and philosophical.  Unfortuanely however, I’m not deep or philosophical, so I’ll just leave you with a joke I heard the other day:

How did the chicken with no legs cross the road?

He took the "F" out of "Way".

Don’t worry.  If you don’t get it now you will later.

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As in my first post I mentioned I’m a terrible writter.  Though I’ve been immersed in English for 27 years I haven’t yet grasped it well enough to use it as an effective means for communication.  Because of this quandary I’ve been reluctant to post here at regular intervals.  But then after some thought I’ve come to realize no one will probably read this anyway, so it’s really all the same if I wrote a masterpiece or just wrote three pages of "Nate Rocks".  Actually I’m not really doing this of my on accord.  I’m doing this because Michiko ordered me to do it and being that I’ve been in the military for the last seven years I’m not one to argue with orders.  Anyways cya tomorrow…or more likely the day after that. Continue reading →

 
Recently on business I went to Seoul, Korea.  I was there for New Year’s Eve and was really looking forward to seeing what Seoul had to offer as for New Year’s celebrations.I woke up early and headed out to see some of the sights planning on staying out sometime well after midnight.

I visited the Seoul National Museum, Kyongbok Palace and then went to Seoul City Hall where various traditional New Year’s festivities were taking place.  I was really impressed by the tradtional dance and music that was performed there.  During the performances a Korean man in his 50’s kept commenting on the performance in an almost inaudible tone and then would laugh hysterically.  I really don’t know what it is but it seems where ever I’ve traveled (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, etc.) I always seem to run into someone who insists on talking to me even though I haven’t a clue what they’re talking about.  I guess it’s a gift. Continue reading →

 
I’m a terrible writer. I can never think of a subject when it comes time for me to write. Because of this I’m just going to write about why such a terrible writer has a blog.

Ever since I can remember I wanted to learn a second language. When I was about seven I was convinced I could write in kanji. It’s to complicated to explain why I believed this so I won’t go into details, but I believed it whole heartedly. People must have laughed quite a bit when they saw me scribble out some indecipherable character and tell them it was kanji. People would always ask, "So what does this mean exactly?" and I’d always respond the same way "I don’t know, but it means something."

When I entered high school I was very excited to learn that two years of a foreign language was a requirement for every student. I couldn’t wait to begin and fantasized about being fluent after just two short years. Continue reading →

 
I knew a girl once.  She is probably the most amazing person I will ever meet.  She is courageuos, strong, talented and intelligent.  Everything she tries she has some level of success. This girl cared for me very deeply, but I took her feelings forgranted.  I said things to her I shouldn’t have and should have said things I didn’t.  I broke promises to her and didn’t treat her the way that she deserved. I didn’t do these things intentionally but I did them none the less.  I assumed that she would always forgive me.  I was wrong in this assumption and as a result I lost her.  This is my greatest regret.
 
 
人生、最大の後悔

　以前、知り合いに一人の女性がいました。彼女は、恐らく、私の会った女性の中で、もっとも驚くべき人だったと思います。彼女は、勇気があり、強く、そして、才能豊かで知的な人でした。彼女は、試みるすべてのことに対して、一定の成功をおさめるのでした。 Continue reading →

 
　Though Nathan is now a strong man on his own and of great wisdom and
strength. A son that fills my heart as his Mother with much pride, I would like to share a story of love from his days of youth. When he was very young we stopped to visit with a friend who happened to be trying to find homes for a new litter of puppies. As we peered into the box of bouncing bundles of joy, there was a quiet little one who seemed the runt. The smallest shiny black smiling pup focused its attention to Nate. It was as though they looked at each and knew they belonged together. A boy and his dog.

　Nate named him Duke. He filled our lives with extreme loyalty and hours of entertainment. We also had another dog named Candy that became Dukes best friend when Nate was busy with other things such as school and outside interests. Continue reading →

 
In order to help improve my Japanese language skill and visit some friends, in November of 2002 I went to Japan for two weeks.

First I went to the Kansai area (Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe), where I stayed with my friend Motoki and his family in Kyoto.  Kyoto is very rich with history.  There are many temples, shrines and streets that are hundreds of years old.  To ensure these places are not overshadowed; new buildings in Kyoto are not allowed to exceed a certain number of stories.

While in Kyoto I visited numerous places.  It would take several pages to tell of everything I saw and everywhere I went.  So I’ll only write about two of my favorite places.

 The first is Ryoan Temple.  It is most famous for its rock garden, which was built in the 15th century by a painter and gardener named Soami.  The garden is very simple.  It has a total of 15 rocks surrounded by white gravel.  All but two of the rocks sit on islands of dark green grass.  There are no trees or bushes in the garden.  It is very simple but unique.  I was told that there are not five islands of grass but actually six.  And to see the sixth you must close your eyes and allow your spirit to find it.  I still haven’t seen it.  But I like the garden anyway. Continue reading →