Present Imperfect

Happy Marine Day! | July 20, 2004

Today is Marine Day in Japan! I learned this from the page-a-day cat calendar my mother gave me for Christmas last year. My mother enjoys giving me cat-related paraphernalia, despite the fact that I have told her repeatedly I don't need cat gewgaws when I have two real-live cats to remind me of...cats. Whenever I want. And sometimes when I do not.

Anyway, back to Marine Day. Apparently, this holiday is only seven years old and was added to the calendar because July was the only month without a national holiday in it. (Why can't our government be so forward thinking? Every month should have a holiday in it, dammit! In fact, make it two and call me a cab.) You can read all about Marine Day here, as well as about how "maru" is a word added to the name of any Japanese ship, which, for Star Trek fans, either explains or completely obscures the precise meaning behind Kobayashi Maru. Because, as far as I can tell, "maru" means "ship" but "kobayashi" is the name of Japan's world-renowned hot-dog eating champion. Any help on this one?

(As a side note, I once suggested to my now ex-stepfather that he rechristen his sailboat, which he had recently plowed into a drawbridge, the Kobayashi Maru. He declined.)

So what does all this have to do with the Green Man (above)? Nothing, except I saw this picture in an NYT article on how tourists are trekking to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland hoping to find the Holy Grail because of The Da Vinci Code, which I hereby predict I shall never read.

Also, I have always found his greeness compelling and even a little sexy...um, you know, in a naughty, pagan, Britt Eklund throwing her nekkid self around in The Wicker Man kinda way.