Tatto For You

Well-a-day once more, yet more Economous. I have a whole chapter to deliver but split it in two to keep to the 1000-1500 word limit I set myself. This limit is entirely arbitrary so if you would like more words at once just say. More importantly, thank you for your words, comments, encouragements - I have not been responding much in the comments but I am definitely reading each one gratefully. I have been thinking about the apparent "slow" start, the "info dump" of it and in part think that yes it does perhaps need review; yet when I consider the classics I have enjoyed find that many of these can begin in such a fashion, that such a start is consistent with the form of style and cannot help but wonder if it were in an actual book format whether it would feel nearly quite so "info dumpy" as it does in this electronic format, where expectations are different...? Hmm. Anyway, on with the show. Economous musgrove         © D.M.Cornish PLEASE DO NOT PUBLISH OR...

Well-a-day to you all and welcome to a new week and the proper beginning of my intent to regularly post the continuing tale of Economous Musgrove,  illustrator, some-time concometrist and would-be fabulist, and    citizen of Brandenbrass. It must be said that I cannot promise that this will succeed as a story, but I am willing to try if your are willing to go with me come what may.  Either way, let us get on with part 3 ... Economous musgrove         © D.M.Cornish PLEASE DO NOT PUBLISH OR REPRODUCE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION Chapter 1, part 3 Breathing deeply of the tepid leafy perfume of the wooded park, he heaved a long sigh seeking to expel his fretting with that great exhalation. Curling and uncurling his bare toes in the grasses kept cropped and neat by many rabbit mouths, he allowed himself to bask for a beat or two of his humours in the dapple of sunlight touching his face as the day orb reached the acme of its meridian. Ringed about by hawthorn...

Thank you all for your continued thoughts and reactions. I wondered too about having a more conversational start, to reveal some things about EM through chatter at an alehouse with fellow spedigraphers and other arterly types. We shall see - info-dumping is a common first draft symptom, so perhaps - if this goes to a second working - such an issue will be resolved. I am thinking to post 1000-1500 words every Monday (Oz Monday that is, so this may vary for other parts of the world, late Sunday in the US and its neighbours for example). How does that grab you?

from: Kaci H. to: "tiangotlost@gmail.com" date: Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 9:27 PM My mom has this tattooed on her back. The guy that did it said that it meant Mom in Chinese. I have googled and googled and cannot find a meaning for this ... Can you help? Please. This is based on a different set of gibberish font we documented in 2009, where "m" is represented with 来 and "o" is 联 .

from: Bobbie B. to: tiangotlost@gmail.com date: Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 7:08 AM subject: Lost in translation Here are two "Chinese" characters I have tattooed on my body. I got them when I was very young and wasn't legally allowed to even be tattooed. I was told they meant happiness and sadness. I am very embarrassed by getting these and now being older I'm very curious what they might mean if anything. Thanks Bobbie 苦 of 痛苦 is upside down.

from: Kim C. to: "tiangotlost@gmail.com" date: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 4:17 PM subject: Translation Hello there. I just read your article- very entertaining :) I was wondering if you might find the time to translate a tattoo for me? My brother got one and I'm curious to know what it really means. Thanks so much!!! Kim 望 is revered referencing with other two characters, 力 and 信 .

Here we are with the next instalment of Economous Musgrove - a Half-Continent tale, that I hope to be releasing with regular frequency. What do folks think: twice weekly? Once? Thrice?  Thank you everyone for your encouragements, I shall press on and let the cross-fertilisation go on. Economous musgrove         © D.M.Cornish PLEASE DO NOT PUBLISH OR REPRODUCE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION Chapter 1, part 2 His most recent employment at a grand gala held a month past by the Duchess-in-waiting of Naimes – in which he performed the required entertainment of spedographer – hasty portraitist – he thought he had gained a reference of the truest excellence. Yet it turned that even so exulted a recommendation as that of the Branden Rose – surely one of the great lights in Brandenbrass society – actually produced opposite outcome of spoiling the interest of patrons.  “Oh, that’s not much chop,” potential customers would say with the same sour yet subtle sneer. “ She t...

from: Sherry B. to: "tiangotlost@gmail.com" date: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 2:50 PM subject: Tattoo translation I've had this tattoo for almost 20 years, and I've had several friends get it as well. And I've met people who have had it as well before I ever knew them. We were all told it meant something akin to the Seize the Day sentiment. Were we right? Alan and I have already blogged about  生現  be complete gibberish back in 2007 and 2010, yet we continue to see people getting fooled to thinking it means "live for the day", "seize the day", "carpe diem", or "YOLO, you only live once".

from: Tamara M. to: tiangotlost@gmail.com date: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 12:19 PM subject: Tattoo Translation Hi there My girlfriend got this tattoo specially made. She even paid for a translator to get her daughters name. It’s supposed to say “ALEXA”. Can you tell me if it does or not? Thanks 荒草  weeds / brush (vegetation) / wild grassland

from: b. kane to: tiangotlost@gmail.com date: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 12:11 PM subject: kanji translation had a friend help out with the translation.   he said afterwards it meant "property of mitsubishi"  am i am car now?  or does it say some variation on 'love conquers all'  someone else who told me that the translation was incorrect. It is complete grammatical gibberish. "love / change [location] / ten thousand [many] things / overcome" Obviously stupidity is one thing love can't conquer.

from: bernadette c. to: "tiangotlost@gmail.com" date: Wed, Aug 7, 2013 at 11:34 AM subject: tattoo translation While I am fully aware most of this is menu items, I'm wondering what the left hand characters are? I was told it was 'new life' . (For the record I had the part about chicken and rice added #1 to prove that any characters tattooed would do fine and #2 because tattoos are so often miss translated I knew that at least one I would know for sure!!! and #3 it's just the funniest thing ever) bernadette Alan and I have already blogged about 生現 be complete gibberish back in 2007 and 2010, yet we continue to see people getting fooled to thinking it means "live for the day", "seize the day", "carpe diem", or "YOLO, you only live once". Bernadette's attempt of humoring "chicken fried rice" has incorrect 飯 , rice.

from: Hauke P. to: tiangotlost@gmail.com date: Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 10:58 AM subject: Re: Tatoo translation Found your Blog a few hours ago and it is just so much fun :) This Tatoo is from my Roommate. He got it 1 or 2 weeks after he went 18. Would you please Translate it? It should be the gemini zodiac sign ("Sternzeichen Zwilling" in german), i translated that with google, i hope you know what i mean with that. Thanks in advance and greetings from Germany :) Astrology's Gemini is  雙子座 ,  雙胞胎 is biological twins.

from: Al to: tiangotlost@gmail.com date: Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 6:53 AM subject: Tattoo Meaning Hello, I was wondering if you could tell me what this means. Thanks! It is complete gibberish and fooled by using this font.

from: James S. to: tiangotlost@gmail.com date: Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 6:52 AM subject: Does this mean hakaifuka? I was told that hakaifuka means unbreakable. Do these symbols mean that? Thank you! James S . The characters are correct, however grammatically is reversed and contextually different than English's concept of "unbreakable". It is read as "damage / can not".

from: penny a. to: tiangotlost@gmail.com date: Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 6:15 AM subject: Lost in translation hi, saw your blog...I got these back in 99... It was supposed to mean Faith, Passion, Discipline.... it came to my surprise that my chinese friend was unable to read the second one back the day... Now I joke around and say it means 'impossible to read' Thx 肝  liver 纪 record, annal, historical account 瘾 rash; addiction, craving, habit " Chronic hepatitis?"

I just had a crazy thought: I have an m/s that has not gone anywhere for a long while so perhaps I could share it with you all 500? 1000? words at a time. Perhaps feedback might get it moving? Perhaps it might be cool to let you all roam the Half-Continent again? It will be un-edited, first-drafty (draughty - holes in it, get it?) , and like un-spellchecked (not a real verb) but what do you think? Will the format of this blog make it too hard to read? 500 words? 1000 words? Any other problems? Benefits? Here is a sample to get things rolling and see how it works... (about 1100 words, too much?) Economous musgrove © D.M.Cornish DO NOT PUBLISH OR REPRODUCE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION 1 st Draft, June 2011-August 2013 1 ~ In the Park fabulist ~ an imagineer – a maker of images by stylus, paint, charcoal or any other medium – employed by monster-hunting teratologists to go with them upon their dangerous exploits, observe their daring and make drawings and etchings of the same to prove to saf...

from: Matthew to: tiangotlost@gmail.com date: Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 5:23 PM subject: Tattoo translation Hello, just curious to know what the symbols used here actually mean. The impression I was left with is that the middle symbol is supposed to be honour and the three symbols around it courage, loyalty, and respect. I'm wondering if that is anywhere close to correct. Thanks! The center character, 貴 , means "expensive, costly, valuable."

from: Ben D. to: "tiangotlost@gmail.com" date: Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 2:38 PM subject: Tattoo translation Hi there, I got this tattoo about 15 years ago, I was told it meant wise/to excel, i'm kinda guessing that I wasn't too wise getting it as it probably means nothing of the sort!!! Thanks in advance, Ben 殊  different, special, unusual

from: Amy H. to: "tiangotlost@gmail.com" date: Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 8:28 PM subject: Tattoo Translation My friend just got this tattoo but he won't tell any of us what it means. I'm beginning to think it's just gibberish after seeing all of the older posts. Any help is appreciated! The tattoo is grammatically incorrect translation based on word-per-word machine translation tool (e.g. Google Translate) "Destroy / Them / Total" "Let / Deity / Organize / Them"