Cat Herding and English Don't Mix

One thing I learned about living out in the Pacific is that conversations with people who aren't native English speakers can be kind of fun. My friend Angelo fished out this video for Jeff after his latest blog entitled Herding cats with Sisyphus.

I hadn't seen this cat herding video since it aired during the Super Bowl years back, so I forwarded the link to my Japanese friend. Her English is okay for conversation but she doesn't know all that much about the good ol' US of A.

When she sent me an instant message about it I couldn't resist having a little bit of fun with her. Read our conversation below...

*Editor’s Note:

Here’s a little lesson in Japanese that will surely help

1. Hai means Yes

2. Neko means Cat

3. Desho means Right

4. Honto means Really

5. Gomen Nasai mean I’m Sorry

6. Demo means But

Okay, here goes...

kimiko: neko desu

brad: hai

brad: did you watch the whole thing

kimiko: hai, just did. cat herding wa kidding desho?

brad: no, it’s a big business in the US

brad: only in the west

brad: in the dessert

kimiko: honto!!!!????

brad: hai

brad: they roam wild out there

kimiko: I thought just kidding for the video

brad: no

brad: where do you think all of the pet store cats come from?

kimiko: just born and come to pet shop... that I thought

brad: no

brad: if not herding the cats they would be all over

brad: maybe take over the country

brad: there is a big hunt every november

brad: they bring hunters from all over the world to hunt the cats

kimiko: I didn't know that

brad: a lot from japan too

kimiko: really!!

brad: hai

brad: you never heard of people hunting the big cats?

kimiko: no, hunting for pet?

brad: no

brad: for jackets

brad: and hats

brad: for pets, it's in october

kimiko: honto!!

brad: but they never get enough

brad: so they have to hunt in november to kill off enough of them

brad: so they don't get to be too many

brad: they scratch up all of the buildings and rocks

brad: climb up all of the trees

brad: some of the big ones even come into towns and drag dogs back into the wilderness

brad: once they even attacked a little kid

kimiko: wow... a Japanese traditional instrument use cat's skin

brad: that’s why

kimiko: dangerous ne

brad: do a google search for big cat hunters

brad: you'll see lots of sites

kimiko: honto

brad: hai

After a little while I couldn’t take it anymore so I spilled the beans. It would have been too cruel not to let her about truth.

brad: by the way

kimiko: hai

brad: i was just kidding about the cats

kimiko: huh??? honto?

brad: hai, it was a joke commercial

kimiko: ja, the video also kidding?

brad: hai, for a computer company

kimiko: I really believed you

brad: gomen nasai

kimiko: I thought what a lot of wild cats...

brad: demo, could you imagine if that was real

The funny thing is that if you Google “big cat hunters” you will see a lot of sites, but of course it's for lions, tigers, cougars, and big cats like that.

Inspiration...

When you are living the worst day of your life and you can't remember why you love Buffalo, remember how thankful you are that David Hasslehoff doesn't live here!

Welcome to Queen City Style

Shouts to Kevin at Queen City Style for popping on my MySpace and dropping a line. You should check out his page as well to see what he's got going over there.

Gotta like the threads that this guy has to offer. Check out the cool shirt I posted here (my fave) and the three at the bottom of the page. There are must haves for locals and tourists alike. If we want to promote the Queen City with pride then we have to take an active role in doing so.

Here's a suggestion, buy one of these for your relatives when they come home to visit you for weddings and vacations over the summer. You know they’ll be wearing them during their stay (which will help promote the city to the people already here), and they’ll be sporting them when they get to their transplanted city as well (where they’re bound to get questions about the shirt from friends and passersby).

See, it’s a total win-win. That’s how we can start promoting the city that we love, baby!

Now, will somebody puhleese send me some Zorba’s ova heah?

Welcome my fellow Buffalonians, Buffaluvians, um Buffalovites.....

Welcome to the latest blog about my hometown. The home of the Bills, the Sabres, the Bisons, and someone or something called Lop Ba Nick Box. I've been away for the past four and a half years but I still remember the taste of Jim's Steakout, Mighty Taco, and the almighty Zorba's!

Here's a little introduction from yours truly...

My name is Brad E. Ruszala. I grew up in Depew, New York but went to school in Lancaster due to one of those wacky school districting issues. My dad taught me how to skate when I was four at Fireman's Park in Depew (home of the fastest ice in Western New York) and I spent the rest of my youth playing hockey (and riding the pine) with the Depew Saints before representing the Lancaster High School Redskins in my Junior and Senior years.

From there it was off to the ARMY where I traveled the world with a rifle and a rucksack the size of a small house on my back. I've traveled across the States (actually driven cross country three times, not to mention the north-south trips) and been to Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cuba, Japan, Saipan, Tinian (where I saw the bomb pits for the Fat Man and Little Boy), Rota, Managaha, and exotic Canada (at least their dancers were exotic).

I played hockey all the way until the night before I left for the Northern Mariana Islands, back in January 2003. Since then I have done a lot of living with my head in the clouds and my feet in the sand.

I currently write sports for the local paper and live the carefree life of a single white boy in the Pacific. Sounds nice, huh? Yeah, it's not too shabby.

Even with a year round tan and an ocean view apartment for $400 a month I still miss the folks back home (and yes, Buffalo is still back home) and our culture. Funny enough, before I left I only thought people who weren't white had all the culture. Looking back, that's a load of bull.

We do have culture! Honkey's unite!

Some of us can dance, but out culture isn't defined by the way we pop and lock. Just the fact that we head out for a few "pops" after a long day of work counts. And once in a while we hit the dance floor on the Chipewa Strip like there's no tomorrow. That's cool. Let it all hang out white boy.

A lot of us go to church on Sundays (and a lot of us don't), but we always watch the Bills. We come home to reunite with our loved ones for the holidays. We know the first day of spring isn't on the calendar. It comes out of nowhere. Even Don Paul can't predict it--that first day when you can smell it in the air. It's a little bit warmer outside and the sun is out. People are walking with a little spring in their step and their faces as marked with smiles rather than runny noses. You might crank the heater up in your car just to drive with the windows down, and the line for Delta Sonic stretches down the street and around corner as everyone washes the salt off of their cars.

Can't forget those days.

I love it.

I miss it.

I miss you.

My Buffalo.

I hope that this blog can be more than just for my memories. If you're away from home and want to share some Buffalo memories, feel free! Still in WNY and want to keep us updated? Please do!

Send photos, stories and more right here or to my email address...

bradinthesnow@yahoo.com