Tag: in the depth of winter

  • Winter rat

    Winter rat

    Word of the Day: Winter rat The time to put away your lovely Corvette convertible and switch to driving your winter rat has come and gone. Christmas is fast approaching, and New Year’s is not far behind. Then we will enter the depth of winter, and everyone knows Corvettes and convertibles, even more so, are…

  • Foot in the door

    Foot in the door

    Phrase: Foot in the Door Success, what is it all about? Well, if I could tell you that, then I’d probably be writing this post from my private jet 30,000 feet in the air flying somewhere warm for vacation. As I’m sitting at a computer in a small, tatami-floored home office in the depths of…

  • In the cold light of day

    In the cold light of day

    English Phrase: In the cold light of day It’s often hard to make a rational decision when we are feeling emotional. That’s one of the reasons why the healing effects of retail therapy are usually short-lived. At this time of year, I’m delighted to be living in Japan. It’s the shopping season, you see, and…

  • Old Man Winter

    Old Man Winter

    WotD: Old Man Winter Try as he might, this is one battle Old Man Winter, a personification of winter, will not win. It’s March in subtropical Wakayama, Japan. He’s fighting a losing battle if he’s trying to maintain his cold grip on us. Mother Nature knows what she’s doing, and nature will always find a way…

  • Warm spell

    Warm spell

    WotD: Warm spell Winter is back again. The southern parts of Japan just enjoyed a lovely warm spell for a few days. Unfortunately, Hokkaido and the northern parts of the main Japanese island never had an opportunity to enjoy it. They never got out of the depth of winter, and now Japan will be experiencing its version of…

  • Inertia

    Inertia

    Word of the Day: Inertia I’d venture to guess that the majority of people in Japan right now are suffering from inertia. If you’re right here, right now, you know it’s hot. I don’t mean hot; I mean, H!-O!-T! The dog days of summer have arrived early this year. Every day, the temperature is over 35℃. At night,…

  • In the depth of winter

    In the depth of winter

    English Phrase: In the depth of winter March is just around the corner, but it may still be hard to believe in some places. Here in Wakayama, the plum blossoms are just starting to open, whereas up in the northern parts of Japan, the snow continues to pile up. Those guys are still in the…

  • In a rut

    In a rut

    Idiom: (Stuck) in a rut Many of us feel we are stuck in a rut. When you are in a rut, each day feels just like the one before, and nothing new or exciting ever seems to happen. When you are in a rut, the best thing to do is to turn over a new…

  • Antifreeze

    Antifreeze

    Word of the Day: Antifreeze Mornings and evenings are freezing in Wakayama at the moment. There’s frost on the ground on car windshields in the morning and, if you’re walking anywhere, gloves are a must. When you go further north to Aomori or Hokkaido, you need to put antifreeze in your car during the winter.…

  • Freeze your butt off

    Freeze your butt off

    English Idiom: Freeze your butt off What’s going on with the weather, eh? It’s cold enough to freeze your tweetin’ butt off out here! Last week it was cold enough to be in the depth of winter, and now this week it feels like spring. I’m confused. Is this global warming? Climate change? Is the…