[sumo] (mainly OT) Common ground

[Doreen Simmons]

Unexpected encounter yesterday evening on a subway train. I was going 
to a retro party and was dressed for it -- got into a carriage filled 
with a gang of young foreigners in red shirts, who  looked sideways at 
my outfit and laughed a bit. An older one, however, got up and offered 
me his seat. I motioned that I needed to move up to the front of the 
train, but managed to read 'Georgia' on his shirt. They were some kind 
of sports team. With hardly a word of a common language. I said, 'Sumo 
-- Georgia."  The young man brightened and said, "Kokkai."  I said, 
"Gagamaru!" to which he replied, "My friend!" "My friend too!" I said. 
Then I tried, "Tochinoshin" -- and drew a blank. "My friend" I said, 
and felt it was one up to me.

[Really off-topic -- at the party I won a prize for 'Best reply to 
invitation':  "All my clothes are retro -- decisions, decisions..."]

Doreen Simmons
  jz8d-smmn at asahi-net.or.jp