You may now call me Uncle 'Batou

[sakabatou]

My older brother and SIL had a baby earlier this morning. She, Eleanora, is doing fine.

[rocktivity]

1. Congrats, Unc!

You'll love it -- you get to spoil 'em rotten, then send 'em home!


rocktivity

[Wait Wut]

4. Careful.

My big brother would buy my son the most obnoxious battery operated toys he could find. Remember the Ghostbuster car?

Little did my childless, carefree, single brother know...he would eventually have a son of his own. Vengeance was mine.

[sakabatou]

25. What did you give him?

[Wait Wut]

26. I don't remember exactly.

It's been almost 20 years. Anything that required batteries and earplugs.

I will never, ever, ever forget that damned Ghostbusters car. I think I cried the first time my son turned it on.

OH!!! I remember!!! I bought him a fire engine with extra batteries! A year or so later I bought him the cop car.

[Wait Wut]

2. Gratz, Uncle Batou!!

Will she be an 'Ellie' or a 'Nora'?? Can I vote for Nora?

[sakabatou]

9. No idea. That's for my brother to decide.

[ret5hd]

3. Hey Unc...

I need $50 and my folks can't find out about it.

[sakabatou]

18. Punk, you owe me $150

[ret5hd]

28. You used to be cool, man.

[sakabatou]

29. And you used to be responsible. Go and earn you dough.

[zanana1]

5. Congratulations, uncle Batou!

May you and Eleanora have a fine relationship.

[sakabatou]

24. Thank you.

[LiberalEsto]

6. Congratulations

and best wishes to your brother, sister in law and new niece!

[sakabatou]

41. I'll forward it onto them.

[lunatica]

7. That's wonderful!

Uncles are cool! I liked a lot of mine.

[sakabatou]

23. Yeah, I had a few cool ones.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. Congratulations, my dear sakabatou!

I hope you and your new niece will have many happy times together!

[sakabatou]

22. Thank you.

[Gorp]

10. Congrats. You do realize that it is now your solemn duty to spoil the child.

It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

[sakabatou]

11. I dunno if I can

Limited budget and all.

[Gorp]

12. Oh come on - home-baked cookies aren't that expensive.

You: "Do you want a cookie?"

Mom: "No, uncle, she doesn't. It's almost time for her dinner."

You: "Oh, come on, one little widdle cookie wookie won't hurt her, will it? Do you want a widdle cookie wookie from your uncle wunkle?"

Kids instinctively know to reach out and make encouraging gestures for such queries. Face it. You're obligated.

[sakabatou]

14. LOL

[Gorp]

15. I'm DAMN SERIOUS! It's your job! I spoiled my nieces!

You have an obligation. It's a sacred vow you took when you were, um, born or something, I forget. Isn't it in the Bible somewhere? "Thee shalt spoil thine niece or nephew with cookies or other treats, lest the wrath of GOD shalt strike thee dead in some sort of bloody, fiery, Hollywood special effects event that shall be an abomination EVEN unto GOD." I forget where that line appears, but it's probably in Leviticus or something. Definitely not Numbers - every other word is "begat".

[sakabatou]

16. I don't think I got spoiled

but I did get some good incentives if I did stuff as a kid.

[Gorp]

19. Yeah, well, I'm in the "spoil them" department.

Curiously, despite the spoiling, my daughters and nieces all turned out rather conservative (in ways of life, not politics). Kids need to be spoiled to some degree, even if it's just an extra serving of vanilla pudding. You're only a kid for so long. At the time you can't wait to become an adult and after you become one you wish you were still a kid. It's a rather brutal curse, eh?

[rocktivity]

20. Well, that's how my sisters and I did it

Spoil the nephews and nieces, be strict with your own kids!


rocktivity

[Gorp]

21. We still spoiled our own, but we also had strict rules. It worked out well.

[bluesbassman]

13. Hey congrats!

Glad to hear they're both doing well.

[sakabatou]

17. Thanks

[LeftofObama]

27. Congrats!

Here's another thing nieces and nephews are good for...

Many many years ago Disney re-released Cinderella in the theater and I wanted to see it. Well, an adult male by himself at a kid's movie is going to draw attention so I called my brother and sister in law and got permission to take their little girl. We both made pigs of ourselves with the popcorn, candy, and soda and then I took her home all hopped up on a sugar buzz.

[sakabatou]

30. LOL

[sakabatou]

31. And here's Elenora (pic)

[Brigid]

37. So adorable!

[sakabatou]

38. Hehehe

[frogmarch]

32. Congratulations!

Eleanora is beautiful, and I love her name.

Congrats also to your brother and sister-in-law!

[sakabatou]

34. Thank you.

[mrmpa]

33. Congrats! She is absolutely beautiful.............and it is your duty to

spoil them rotten

I have 4 nieces & 4 nephews. Ages 18 to 31. I am in the process of taking one out weekly for breakfast. Did it last Saturday with the 27 year old MBA. I asked him to leave the tip and learned he never carries cash!

He leared early that his aunt will take care of things.

[kentauros]

35. Congrats, Uncle Batou!

The Major approves, too

[sakabatou]

39. I wonder if the "Old Ape" does too

[Brigid]

36. I have an Achmed the Dead Terrorist bobblehead.

It talks too. My six-year-old nephew loves to play with it when he comes over. My sister won't let me give it to him. You want it so you can give it to her later? Her parents would love you for it.

[sakabatou]

40. Just for you

http://www.soundboard.com/sb/connexion

[Brigid]

56. Hee hee!

I love Achmed!

[AsahinaKimi]

42. Ne!!! OJI SAN!!!

Omedetou gozaimasu!

[sakabatou]

43. Boku wa furui kanji.

Demo, arigatou gozaimasu.

[AsahinaKimi]

44. Furui can be used for "old" but

not for a person. To use it as such is very insulting. Hence the honorific after "Oji" uncle. (Oji~san) Elder people are very respected in Japanese society.

[sakabatou]

45. So it would be... Boku wa oji kanji?

[AsahinaKimi]

46. Kanji refers to

Japanese writing.. You have hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.. which is Chinese style lettering. (put all of them together you have kana). Not sure what you mean by Kanji.. Kanji also means; impression, effect or ..it can mean feeling; "Watashi no Kanji de wa kare wa konai to omou" = "I have a feeling that he will not come."

kanji can also mean: secretary, manager, steward, organizer.

I am not sure what context you are using the word. Tell me what you are trying to say.

[sakabatou]

47. What I'm trying to say is "I feel like an old man."

[AsahinaKimi]

48. okay

"watashi wa hukete mieru"

or you could just say: : tonikaku kibun ga warui = i feel like hell

[sakabatou]

49. I thought "mieru" meant "to see?"

I don't know what hukete means.

[AsahinaKimi]

50. It means, I am looking old.

hukete mieru: look old

I checked with someone and they suggested: "Watashi wa dare ka no sofu no yō ni kanjiru" "I feel like someone's grandfather".

[sakabatou]

51. I think your friend got it closer.

[AsahinaKimi]

52. I was talking to him telling him

its most difficult to find words that pertain to Senior citizens.. as I told you fururi refers to objects or places. Like an Old Temple or Shrine.

To say "That person is old" is "Ano hito wa toshi wo totte imasu."
I am old. "Watashi wa toshi wo totte imasu."

Even that sentence would not be considered too polite in Japanese conversation. So, they may use... ojiisan (Grandfather or used for elderly males) roujin, toshioi are used for older persons as well.

[sakabatou]

53. The expression doesn't translate well

I wonder if there's a similar phrase with the same meaning.

[AsahinaKimi]

54. Funny thing about that...

He did mention to me that many sentences do not translate well to English and Visa versa. I try not to use Google translate too much because, see, even if you tried to write.. "that person is old" it will give you the word Fururi .. which is wrong. I guess that's why I always tell people to never use Rosetta Stone if you are going to try to learn Japanese. There's a good reason not to..they don't tell you about some of the little hidden traps in the language. They don't tell you about how the Japanese language is based on levels of politeness.. that the way you speak to one person, is not always the way you will speak to another. That many things are often implied in the language.

For example.. In Japanese (and in watching Anime or Jdrama)..you will hear people say " Jyaa ne!" When they are about to leave. Translation will often come up with " Well, see you later." But that is not the true meaning. "Jyaa" simply means "Well" (like in, "well, than".) Ne.. is a word that asks for your confirmation.. like.."right?"... so when its spoken "Jyaa, Ne" (or appears as Ja Ne) it's an implied meaning. "Well, right?" ..which in English makes no sense.

Much of Japanese is often like that. You think, "Wow, they are expecting me to read their minds" ..but that's how it is. You have to know the Culture and how things work..when you learn the Language.

Another thing I learned, unlike most languages, is that you simply can't just pick stuff up you heard and use it.. A good example of that;

I was watching a Japanese drama. In the scene, a guy on a motorcycle is run off the road by a woman in a car. She is of course concerned for him, so runs to his aide and asks..

"Daijoubu"? (which means, are you okay?)

His reponse was "Betsu ni" however the translators must not have known Japanese very well and made the translation "Yeah, I am okay."

But in reality, his use of "Betsu ni" was very rude. It was like saying.."I don't care, or I don't give a damn". The proper response was to simply say "Daijoubu." I am okay.

When I first heard "Betsu ni" I had asked my teacher about it, and if it was okay to use it. He said, firmly "No!" I told him about the scene on the Drama, and he explained it to me it was not a polite response. That he should have used the proper response.

I have met many people who have tried to learn Japanese by copying what is said in Anime. Anime language is considered very rough and not considered polite language. To pick it up and then go to Japan using something say from "Naruto" might get you either a black eye or ignored by the local people you try to talk with.

Not only that, but the Naruto character tends to use a made up word at the end of his sentences.. "Dattebyou!" which has no meaning at all. To go to japan and say (I come from America) "Amerika kara Kimashita, dattebyou!" might get you a lot of weird stares..laughs or people will think your a "baka gaijin" (Stupid foreigner).

I knew a guy once who told me he had learned Japanese from an Anime and was planning on going to Japan. I tried to warn him that the language he was using, was very rough and offensive but he seemed to think he could get by with it. I have not heard from him, but I had asked him to report to me when he got back, about how it went. I can only imagine.

[sakabatou]

55. 3 years of high school.

I know of the different levels of formality. But yeah, some expressions don't go exactly the way you want it too.