(Feeling) Down, (But Not Up) Set, Hike (ooh!)!!!!

東風寒さ

のろのろ車

無言礼

kochi samusa [The coldness of the East Wind]

noronoro kuruma [A car creeps along]

mugon rei [A mute salute]

I can't really say that we were friends. We rarely spoke. We weren't in the same department, and we were never assigned to the same grade. His sudden loss was still a shock. True, his reputation was kind of mixed, and a lot of students made fun of him, but they always did so in an affectionate way. The fact was that he was widely loved. His habit of giving a screaming gift of kiai (life energy), karate-style, to students that had trouble solving his math problems was one of the more colorful features of life at Ye Olde Academy. Hearing that howl from down the hall in the middle of a lesson period brought both a smile and a sense that an ancient spirit was somehow dwelling within these winding corridors. Now that howl is silent...as silent as the mass of students and teachers standing in mute respect as the hearse does a slow drive-by through the campus.

Cancer is such a horrible thing.