Longer than a nap.

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Between three and four hours down.  No real choice.  I did do a bit of studying before going down.  I reviewed one lesson in hiragana.  As well, I looked over the slide rule.  Multiplication is done with C, and D.  To do numbers over five was... baffling.  

There is a way to do it, but I wasn't quite seeing how and the examples I found, they ran through it so fast I didn't catch it.  I still want to learn that way, but there is another way.  With my slide rule, there is a -D, or as I would call it, a D', or D-not.  Which simply inverts the standard D, so that it is easy to simply use that scale for multiplication of higher numbers.

As well, I sorted out how to get the square of a number.  Two of the twenty two or twenty six systems down!  Next will be to sort square roots, trig functions, and see what else this thing can do.  I am rather excited.  Now, perhaps, I will go back to the book.  It, at least so far, is terribly about explaining things.  Though, as I remember, they often were, initially.  It's like they wanted to confuse you, so you wouldn't want to learn more, or at least without instruction.  It was written from a time when America was a lot more like Japan.  They wanted the people to be successful, but not real go-getters.  They wanted us to be led, not to take charge.  Truly.  So, yeah, I get it.

Odd thing?  As frustrating as that is, it has some points.  However, anyone a head ahead, or behind, was completely marginalized.  As if they weren't anyway.  Anyone out of step was set aside, permanently.  Anyone different was at the very least separated, one way or another.  There was no room for anyone different.  Japan is still that way.  And, yet, that is... a feature, to be honest, not a bug.  If Japan survives, it will be because of this.  If America fails, it will be because it has gone in the opposite direction, embracing only the queer, different, broken, dissimilar.  A tough choice, but only one will ever really work.  Homogeneity of culture, race, and politics is a basic survival thing.  Anything else is an end, or the beginning of it.

Though, as an outsider, thus enemy of sorts, it isn't their homogeneity which I would like to eventually explore.  If I would like to see it in action.  No, my primary reason is to view them as a past and future possible enemy, see what happened there, and try sashimi as only they can seem to produce it.  If you aren't Japanese, as if you aren't Lakota, or probably even Navajo, you are... enemy.  I am told I was born "enemy".  I just want to see another form of it.  A cultural based one.  As well, to grapple with things I saw my father grapple with, about them.  Amen.

Oh... supper?  More chicken stew?  Yep.  Two things I have to fear eating.  Carbs and salt.  I have been doing poorly with both, lately.  Oh well.  I am managing, mostly.  Regaining balance, and taking extra of whatever will help me sort the extra of those out, until I can reclaim a right diet.  Bleh.  Later.