Young Version — April 1998

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“Teraji” doesn’t look good in print, because it has the “old geezer” character in it. In reality I have a baby face, nothing like that image. So I thought: there was the Skyline GT, called the “SkaG”—how about “TeraG”? It sounds powerful. But that was a long time ago; it needs to feel more current. What about “TERAZ”? It looks short and pretty cool. (At work, though, it’s already too late to change from “Old Teraji.”) I love events and, by nature, get swept up in trends. This month my head was full of the Olympics. Ski jumping is amazing, right? Funaki is really cool—not just his looks, but his character too. I’ve been keeping a cutout photo of him on my desk at work. When I got home, one was on our refrigerator too. (Parents and children really do the same things—Matsugon.) On an assignment, I finally managed to escape overseas for the first time in a while. America is great—absolutely wonderful! …except for one unpleasant thing. On the packed flight over, I was dozing when something touched my elbow. I looked back and one of three college students behind me had put his filthy foot on my armrest. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I said something and he apologized and stopped. Don’t do things in a group that you’d never do alone! I hate crooked parking. Of course the car must be straight in a marked space, but even parallel parking has to be beautiful and straight. I’m particular about it, so parking my car at home takes care. Especially when I get home late: it’s one shot, because I don’t want to disturb the neighbors and want to switch off the engine quickly. If I mess up, it’s a real problem. I want to try again, but don’t want to restart the engine… Usually I give up, but then I can’t fall asleep because it bothers me. Right now a wall is standing in front of me: the huge wall of the editor’s afterword! If I could get past it, I’d feel a little lighter, but of course this is exactly when ideas won’t come. That cold I had recently was brutal, wasn’t it, Influenza? You, I mean you! Getting sick right in the middle of this busy stretch, with a fever that shot up at express speed and all the extras. I hope I never see you again. (And I hope there won’t be much pollen either; I feel like I’ve just had a daytime dream… Banae .)