delight (monday)

Spent the day in glorious anticipation of putting on my Halloween costume. I don’t really have a favorite holiday, but something about changing persona for a day is really appealing. In the elevator on the way home I was excitedly telling a Japanese coworker a story about assembling pieces of my costume (which included packets of squid ink).

When I told her that the black paper I purchased would be cut into a crown, I mispronounced the word: okan instead of ookan. Still Halloween appropriate, since okan means “coffin.” As she and I parted ways in the lobby I realized the source of the confusion and called after her to explain.

When I turned away, I noticed a well dressed Asian-American woman, looking rather confused, standing right behind me. I composed my face into a “can I help?” expression, but before I could say anything she spoke: “Do you speak English?” Gotta love a city where it’s a possibility that a white woman could speak only Japanese.

Oh, yes. Here is the costume, for the curious: