They are a symbol of good luck and good fortune in Japan and Hawaii. It seems that according to a legend, a feudal lord saw a cat make this gesture, which apparently means something like "come here," and followed it; just then, lightning struck right where the guy had been standing. I guess that's pretty good luck.
Anyway, Otis found this particular little cat at Uwajimaya, and he is usually sitting near my abundance box (Otis made some abundance boxes for some of y'all) trying to help me get a tenure-track position. I have most often seen these cats in restaurants, where they are supposed to help bring in customers. (They also sometimes sell Kirin beer.)
Anyway, one website about nekos (nekki?) said they should be appropriate for websites or blogs, since they are beckoning in visitors. I thought this was a swell idea, so I've put a little version of this guy in my template. Maybe the rest of you bloggers out there in our solar system could do the same, and we could be the maneki neko blog-ring or something. If you do a GIS, there's a gazillion images of 'em; find one to match your online persona, on off we go!
9 comments:
Love the neko; could you somehow make him spinny and put him where the fan is so you will ensure that all the visitors he brings to the blog will be cool? After all, all those bodies in one place generate a lot of heat. ;-)
Your maneki neko blog-ring idea is a nice one, and it makes me wonder if there is any discussion on any of the 'nets about blog feng shui...
Talk about nerds! "GIS"!
Seriously though, I like him, and second the twirly notion of Wheylona. I think the come here gesture in Japan is something like pawing the air from shoulder height to about your waist with your hand facing down, so this could be the starting position, I guess. Saw it in one of those different-mannaers-in-different-countries ESL activities. Will ask my friend Mike in Taiwan to see if its sort sort of pan-Asian thing.
Sorry, just looked at the whole blog. Better be careful, you're starting to be on the very edge of verging on Web-site pitcher madness, a la your fave site!
I thought Walter had gone over the edge quite some time ago, will now correct that vision to right on it.....cutting even.
Also on the "I thought" train,I thought Wheylona was in Europe, not another state....perhaps you meant another state of mind? Or was there a stop in the states on her itinerary before Europe?
I see somebody's not reading my blog carefully... ;-)
Mel, I'm in LA for the time being (which is indeed a different state of mind) but will be arriving in France 8/2. Hurry, 8/2!!
Slainte (how does one pronounce this, btw?)
What an overwhelming choice - not sure mine fits my personna but I think it is something I could live with on my site - so how does one go about creating a blog ring (and is it as painful as getting any other kinds of rings?)
Wheylona, I could make the neko all spinny, but that might push the site over the edge that Ned was talking about, especially after I add the midi of the Airwolf theme playing in the background...
Jon, I wasn't thinking about actually getting any web-ring software, but just making a different section in the links sidebar to collect everyone who had a neko under one title, and have everyone make that section read the same. Sort of a jerry-rig ring. Less painful that way.
DOH! I just figured out how easy it is to read the other Blogs Walter keeps mentioning....click on the damn names, who would have thought of that?
Alright Wheylona, now I have checked out your Blog, and am updated on Wheylona-world.
Do you know the singer Shante? Well Slainte is NOT pronounced like her name. Alright, let me think here.....lawn-yeah that weird grassy thing in front of suburban houses- add an "s" in front of "lawn" and then add a "chuh" at the end of it.
Slainte = Slawn-chuh.
OK - I get it - so maybe you could put a section on your blog and we can all copy it? (With our own nekkis?)
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