Saturday, July 10, 2004

Sunday July 11, 8:31 a.m.

It's the first time in a number of days that I didn't rush to put on the air conditioner in the morning. In fact, there was no need for me to put on the fan all night. It is a good sign. Tokyo was basically saved from yet another deluge which washed across a lot of the country yesterday. It was surreal to see massive rivers flushing through the streets of the countryside while Tokyo remained relatively dry.

Well, in about 90 minutes, I'll be out to Odaiba to catch Spiderman 2 with Movie Buddy. So far, I haven't received any messages of cancellations or requests for additions from the others for the Outback, something that's pretty rare.

The Engineer contacted me with his schedule about his next business trip. Apparently, he'll be here today but there's no way that I'll be able to catch him until the next weekend. Chip Guy is also coming here the week of the 19th; it'll also be a bit tight in terms of scheduling.
Saturday July 10, 7:09 p.m.

It's still warm but at least it's bearable today unlike the past week. Clouds have even made an appearance and a bit of rain started spitting from earlier this afternoon.

I just had that one class at my morning students' place. The older sister had a volleyball game to support so I really only needed to plan for the younger one. However, I did have to make a quick stop at Maruzen to get that I SPY book which was a big hit with the little sister's friend, The Little Owl. Luckily, the race against the clock was worth it. We managed to kill a good half-hour of her lesson going through the first four puzzles of this pictorial scavenger hunt.

Since the older sister was off, I had the mother instead as a proxy. It's always good with her since she's rather avid about speaking and picking up new vocabulary. We did a Japan Times article on the late great and majorly flawed Marlon Brando. She learned a lot of movie words as well as about the eccentricities of last century's arguably best actor.

I wasn't in any particular hurry to get home. I figure that all I was gonna do at home was just waste money and energy on the air conditioner so I spent a few hours looking through Tower Records. All I picked up was an EMPIRE movie mag. Then I was thinking about heading back but I ended up going to FOO FOO for the first time in a few months since I was starting to get hungry. To be honest, I didn't think I would be dropping by the ramen shop since it is the summer. However, I relented to my stomach's more strident needs and tucked myself into a set of a small bowl of ramen, a bowl of rice with seasoned ground beef and a dish of gyoza...all just for 980 yen, a good bargain. I think I not only saved myself some money but also some time and ingredients and sweat since otherwise I would've had to buy some fixins for dinner tonight. I did buy some supermarket spaghetti and salad but that's easy enough to prep without having to slave several minutes over the gas range.

Well, tomorrow while a bunch of us catch Spiderman 2 and dine on steak, the Upper House elections will be taking place. The pols did their best to blow some hot air into the atmosphere in a last-ditch effort to get their message across.

I haven't heard anything from the school scheduler about the next week's classes. They may not have anything for me but then again, the scheduler sometimes doesn't get back to me until Monday.

Friday, July 09, 2004

Friday July 9, 7:52 p.m.

Well, I missed it by 10 minutes but all of the local media got what they were waiting for weeks, and a former abductee got what she had been waiting for for almost 2 years. I got home about half an hour ago to find out that at 7:10, Hitomi Soga had that long-awaited reunion with her family. There was so much diplomatic square dancing to get this family back together due to the fact that her hubby is a former US soldier who defected to North Korea over 40 years ago. Colin Powell recently stressed that he's still wanted for desertion; a point that made Jenkins refuse to head to Japan for fear that he would be thrown to the US as soon as he lands here. So began a lot of multilateral diplomacy to find out where the family could have their reunion. China was bandied about and soon rejected because of its proximity to North Korea. Finally, Indonesia was chosen because of its "just right" distance and because it doesn't have an extradition treaty with the States.

Well, the family is back together again. Now, the big question is how long the reunion will be. Will the States relent and give Jenkins a pass? Doubt it...a deserter is pretty much on the level of Osama or Saddam as a hated person..at least to the US government. There's no way that Uncle Sam will swallow its pride on that point. Looks like the diplomats aren't finished yet.

Another long hot day. Luckily, things will be cooling down somewhat starting from tonight. That's not the only reason that I'm happy this week is over. With the exception of the school classes, most of my privates have been off for some reason. The Teacher's latest report on some historical fact just didn't grab me.

In between classes, I made a run to Odaiba to buy a couple of advance tickets for Spiderman 2 on Sunday. It proved to be no problem as I could pick the time and the seats. There's no way I'll head back to those ancient theatres in Yurakucho with the dreaded lineups. Luckily enough, Movie Buddy dropped by the Tea Room during my lesson with SR to pick up that ticket.

Well, I've just got that one class tomorrow with the little sister and then her Mom so the planning won't be too arduous. Mom is such an avid English student. All I gotta do is just make up some dinner. It'll be the cold noodles again which I don't mind, especially in this heat, and then some minced raw tuna on rice from the supermarket. My third batch of yogurt looked pretty darn solid today. I wouldn't be surprised if the thing gelled five minutes after I'd left this morning.

In any case, I gotta make that reservation for the Outback now.

Thursday, July 08, 2004

Friday July 9, 8:40 a.m.

Another ridiculously torrid day coming up, but at least the forecasters say that this should be the last day of the really hot temps. From tomorrow, we should just merely be hot. A lot of the concrete in the Kanto was buckling because of the heat; considering that Tokyo is the largest concrete jungle in the world, that should raise some cause for concern.

My lesson with the Jazz Buddy wasn't too satisfying for me...and perhaps not for her although she did say that she enjoyed it. She's a bit of the more emotionally unreactive type so I couldn't be sure how she felt about the lesson. I tried going for the "simple is best" approach concerning her telephone practice but she wasn't biting. "Simple is best" is only best when the student is pretty avid; she doesn't fit that description. Well, I'll have to find some concrete material for next time.

At least, I've got my two solid students today. In between classes, I'll be checking out Odaiba Mediage to see if I can pick up a couple of tickets for Spidey 2 on Sunday. The Ballerina sent in her regrets about not coming out on Sunday; no surprise there. But Arwen has virtually disappeared from the ether. I guess her job is really getting her.

Sounds like there's some sort of Cameron Diaz S&M video out on the Net. Non-news to me...

Well, happily my Internet "diet" has reaped a small dividend. My phone bill was 1000 yen less than that of last month. However, I think my time in Hokkaido helped a bit there.

Wednesday, July 07, 2004

Thursday July 8, 7:38 a.m.

Well, I put on my electric fan all night in my bedroom. It made a world of difference for my sleeping comfort. Still, I've woken up to a 26-degree C morning. I sent off word to the Jazz Buddy that I'll meet her INSIDE the cafe. No use melting outside. In another development, I've shut all the energy to my audio-visual systems since my satellite tuner is acting like an oven. I'll have to be careful about how I use that if I don't want to have any unnecessary fireworks in my apartment.

I sent off a courtesy call to Chip Guy back in Toronto just to see how he's doing. I also got mail from The Entrepreneur; he gave a rave review to Spidey 2. Definitely looking forward to that...if I can score the tickets.
Wednesday July 7, 11:05 p.m.

35 stinkin' degrees today! And much the same for tomorrow. I'm gonna need the deodorant in mass quantities. NHK's telling people to get the hats and loose clothing on. I get to go casual. The latest issue of METROPOLIS also talked of the mechanics of sweating in a humid atmosphere. Now, at least I know how I'm dying.

Well, I got to meet the newest student, the Biologist. I took her to the Tea Room. She's pretty quiet and reserved but amiable enough. She told me right off the bat what she wanted to do which is to assess her weekly presentations in terms of grammar, vocabulary and overall structure. Can do. The rest of the time was just spent getting to know each other. Some awkwardness but her English is pretty good. She's definitely not one to pussyfoot around, though. I'm not quite sure how she felt about our meeting but the fact that she faxed a whole sheaf of pages over to me probably means that I've passed muster for now.

Afterwards, I checked the school. Sure enough, the kids put up their wishes for Tanabata as did I. I also checked with the coordinator about this thing concerning Halloween. She assured me that the rumours were just rumours and the show will go on come late October.

Then, I did a pit stop at Maruzen to check out for some possible material for the Jazz Buddy and SR. Nothing there but I picked up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Next, I made it to Starbucks where I hauled my ragged carcass and imbibed two drinks and a cinnamon roll to recuperate from the heat. The Office Lady did her class and I was off for home.

Looks like things shaped up for Sunday. I finally got replies from Movie Buddy and Skippy. We may have about 7 people for steak, excluding Arwen and the Ballerina who are still straddling the fence. MB's also asking about Spidey 2. I suggested the Mediage Cineplex in Odaiba.

Well, blast from the past. The top news on NHK tonight was the arrest of three Aum Shinrikyo followers for the attempted murder of a Tokyo police commissioner nine years ago just a few days after the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subways. I remember that story very well. I'd just barely been in the country for 6 months.

I really am holding off heading for bed since I'm enjoying air-conditioned comfort only in my living room. I will most definitely be activating my electric fan for the bedroom. I'm not quite sure how the lesson for Jazz Buddy will turn out tomorrow. I won't be doing it outside, that's for sure.

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Wednesday July 7, 8:52 a.m.

Barely 9 a.m., and it's already hot as all Hades. I think I lost a litre of sweat just putting up the laundry. The laundry should be dry as a bone within an hour.

The Wild Guy contacted me. Looks like he had one of those alcoholic binges this past weekend. Ended up channeling the climax from The Exorcist. Reminded me of some of my ill-advised benders. One was due to foolishly ingesting 4 Screwdrivers in 2 hours in four different bars one December night in the mid-80s. By our fifth stop, an all-night Chinese diner, I think I was seeing things in 13 different dimensions. By the time Automan was driving me home, I was feeling the Dimension of Pain. It was just by the skin of my teeth (which I probably did develop through the hangover) that I didn't manage to erupt my own version of lava all over the interior of his car. I staggered home and slithered into bed, and didn't bother to wake up until mid-afternoon. Mom wasn't too pleased.

Well, I've yet to hear anything from the folks about Sunday. If I don't hear anything by tonight, I'm gonna assume that it'll be basically a teachers' outing.

I see that John Kerry finally announced his running mate in what had to have been the most overrated secret this election year. One joke that will never see the light of day at the Democratic Convention: imagine if Kerry and Edwards get into the White House and imagine if a Clinton-like scandal erupts there. The intern/tart can just tell her buddies that she saw a couple of Johns. (rimshot!)
Tuesday July 6, 11:32 p.m.

Gahhh...I hate Tokyo summers. I feel like I've been dunked in a thin film of Vaseline...or at least I felt like it before my shower of desperation. That, and the fact that I've got my air conditioner on right now is making me feel much drier. It was another scorcher out there. Still, I've gotta face my bedroom which feels like a sauna and smells like a gym changeroom. I'm gonna have to replenish my stock of Lysol. Plus, I'm suffering from some prickly heat. I'm getting rashes on my lower legs where my socks would be. I don't recall griping so much about the heat this time last year. At least, I can be sure that the rice crop this year will be excellent.

My 8.5-hour day of teaching went off without a hitch. On the way from Tsudanuma to the school, though, there was a crazy old lady screaming epithets about how stupid Tokyo is. Hmmm...and I thought that sort was pretty much just a New York phenomenon. Anyways, she just lasted a few stations before she either got off or was dragged off by station personnel; I'm not sure which but I'm glad that she got off.

My four hours at the school went by smoothly thanks to the Dancing Bear act. Especially in my latter two hours with a reading class, there was one cute little student who was just collapsing into a pile of tears and giggles. Nice to be appreciated. However, I may have heard something disturbing about one of my prize events. I'd heard rumours that the annual Halloween party may be shelved. I have a feeling it may be because that there isn't enough of a budget available this year for it to be held. Well, that I can resolve...I'd be willing to foot the bill completely for that, but the show will go on. However, I'm first waiting for confirmation from the coordinator before I offer anything.

Between classes, the Ballerina made a surprise visit. Well, I shouldn't say surprise anymore since I think she'll be making a regular habit of dropping by the school during her brief furloughs in Tokyo. She was giving some advice to a current student about the wonderful world of stewardessing. When she does finish her term of duty in about 3 years, she'll probably make an excellent counselor for the in-house programme.

My juku classes had no problems per se. The air conditioner in my room, though, was working far more powerfully than the one in my apartment. All of my students initially welcomed the blast of the Arctic but by the end of their lessons, they were quite grateful for the heat wave that awaited them when they left the room. Being the Canadian, I was quite happy to stay in my little enclave of frigidity. But I did have to get home and here I am.

This week, there's been a dearth of useful e-mail for me that's frankly galling me. I haven't heard much about the upcoming Outback outing although I realize people like Arwen and Skippy have been busy of late. Well, in any case, I did get a confirmation from DTE at the school that she'll be coming out on Sunday. In any case, I took a more proactive role by sending out assignments to SR and then giving some info to that new student I'll be meeting tomorrow for her first lesson.

Speaking of tomorrow, it's supposed to be Tanabata Day or the Star Festival. Every July 7th, the festival of star-crossed lovers is celebrated. However, the only place that really takes it seriously is the northern city of Sendai. But over here in Tokyo, we recognize it by writing our wishes on pieces of paper and then tying them to the branches of a bamboo tree. The classes at the school will be doing that as well but I'll have to miss a good part of it because of that meeting with that new person. It may be a blessing in disguise, though, since I've heard that the coordinator may be forcing the kids to sing "When You Wish Upon A Star". I'll gladly avoid that. Besides, I need to make another stop at Maruzen to look for some possible materials to help SR with her Eiken Test.

I've yet to hear from either one of those prospective students concerning lessons. Perhaps my time limitations have scared them off. I'm not complaining too much here.

Tuesday July 6, 11:32 p.m.

Gahhh...I hate Tokyo summers. I feel like I've been dunked in a thin film of Vaseline...or at least I felt like it before my shower of desperation. That, and the fact that I've got my air conditioner on right now is making me feel much drier. It was another scorcher out there. Still, I've gotta face my bedroom which feels like a sauna and smells like a gym changeroom. I'm gonna have to replenish my stock of Lysol. Plus, I'm suffering from some prickly heat. I'm getting rashes on my lower legs where my socks would be. I don't recall griping so much about the heat this time last year. At least, I can be sure that the rice crop this year will be excellent.

My 8.5-hour day of teaching went off without a hitch. On the way from Tsudanuma to the school, though, there was a crazy old lady screaming epithets about how stupid Tokyo is. Hmmm...and I thought that sort was pretty much just a New York phenomenon. Anyways, she just lasted a few stations before she either got off or was dragged off by station personnel; I'm not sure which but I'm glad that she got off.

My four hours at the school went by smoothly thanks to the Dancing Bear act. Especially in my latter two hours with a reading class, there was one cute little student who was just collapsing into a pile of tears and giggles. Nice to be appreciated. However, I may have heard something disturbing about one of my prize events. I'd heard rumours that the annual Halloween party may be shelved. I have a feeling it may be because that there isn't enough of a budget available this year for it to be held. Well, that I can resolve...I'd be willing to foot the bill completely for that, but the show will go on. However, I'm first waiting for confirmation from the coordinator before I offer anything.

Between classes, the Ballerina made a surprise visit. Well, I shouldn't say surprise anymore since I think she'll be making a regular habit of dropping by the school during her brief furloughs in Tokyo. She was giving some advice to a current student about the wonderful world of stewardessing. When she does finish her term of duty in about 3 years, she'll probably make an excellent counselor for the in-house programme.

My juku classes had no problems per se. The air conditioner in my room, though, was working far more powerfully than the one in my apartment. All of my students initially welcomed the blast of the Arctic but by the end of their lessons, they were quite grateful for the heat wave that awaited them when they left the room. Being the Canadian, I was quite happy to stay in my little enclave of frigidity. But I did have to get home and here I am.

This week, there's been a dearth of useful e-mail for me that's frankly galling me. I haven't heard much about the upcoming Outback outing although I realize people like Arwen and Skippy have been busy of late. Well, in any case, I did get a confirmation from DTE at the school that she'll be coming out on Sunday. In any case, I took a more proactive role by sending out assignments to SR and then giving some info to that new student I'll be meeting tomorrow for her first lesson.

Speaking of tomorrow, it's supposed to be Tanabata Day or the Star Festival. Every July 7th, the festival of star-crossed lovers is celebrated. However, the only place that really takes it seriously is the northern city of Sendai. But over here in Tokyo, we recognize it by writing our wishes on pieces of paper and then tying them to the branches of a bamboo tree. The classes at the school will be doing that as well but I'll have to miss a good part of it because of that meeting with that new person. It may be a blessing in disguise, though, since I've heard that the coordinator may be forcing the kids to sing "When You Wish Upon A Star". I'll gladly avoid that. Besides, I need to make another stop at Maruzen to look for some possible materials to help SR with her Eiken Test.

I've yet to hear from either one of those prospective students concerning lessons. Perhaps my time limitations have scared them off. I'm not complaining too much here.

Monday, July 05, 2004

Tuesday July 6, 7:33 a.m.

Got squalled earlier this morning...as in 4:15 this morning. I had to do a quick but groggy pull-in of some of the clothing on the line. I managed to save most of them. I think I'll be doing a lot of sleeping on the Sobu Line today.

Over in the States, the presidential campaign has been front and centre in the media with production values approaching that of a pretty big movie. Over here, with the Upper House elections on the 11th, it's just been the usual suspects with their white gloves in their megaphone vans. That, and the daily NHK offerings of air time to candidates.
Monday July 5, 9:34 p.m.

Well, I hope that this entry gets through. It doesn't really matter that much anyways. I don't write this blog especially to have people read it; it's just something for me to exercise my writing muscles and get my ya-yas out.

Just when I thought I was facing another quiet summer, I've got people asking me about my availability. I've already had to turn someone who was recommended to me by the mother of those two Saturday kids because I'm simply not available on Wednesday nights. I gave one fellow whom I met briefly at the Maple Leaf a few weeks back a bit of hope with that lone space evacuated by The Salaryman. He does work out all the way in Ikebukuro; I don't want to have to end up doing that retrospectively ridiculous late-night gig again like I did last year so I put in the limitation that I work until 9 p.m.

This Wednesday afternoon, I meet up with Party Hearty's friend's daughter for her first meeting with me. I know that it'll be a temp gig since she'll be heading back to university outside the country.

Looks like the Ballerina is back in town. She left a message on the machine. She sounds a whole lot more mature. I guess that high-flying life has made an impact on her. Otherwise, the rest of my day was a lesson-less day...quite a rare phenomenon these days, although I know that the 11th will be class-free. I just used the time to make up another one of my compilation tapes. Yes, I know...I still use primitive audio tapes. And they are getting more difficult to find. I may be forced into CD burning by the end of the year.

It was a scorcher today. And tomorrow should be just as torrid. Some of the more inland areas will be heading into dangerous territory, into the very high 30s. Well, I figure that the rainy season will be ending officially this week. And I've got a lot of hours of teaching on Tuesday.

Sunday, July 04, 2004

Monday July 5, 10:11 a.m.

Hey, Blog Lords! Some service please. What happened to my last two entries?
Monday July 5, 9:57 a.m.

Had some pretty decent sleep for the first time in a while although my eyes still have that annoying habit of opening up before 5 a.m. The rest of my body was able to beat them into submission, thankfully. I actually feel a bit hungry even after that Chinese/Mexican culinary KO yesterday.

It looks like I'll be having the company class after all since noone has called me to cancel. I did tell them to contact me by 9:30; I just hope that the remaining student just didn't forget. In any case, I had to send my regrets to Jazz Buddy and offered a slot on Thursday morning.

So, now with the morning students off the list for this week, I don't have to leave home until late in the afternoon so I can get a bit of housekeeping stuff done. I know that my matttresses would appreciate some airing out.

I checked out the TokyoWalker website for Spidey 2. The theatres seem to be a bit more forthcoming about their times and places than they were for TROY at about the same time. The advance ratings for the movie here look as wild as the ones back Stateside. About a good 97% from the advance screenings this past weekend place it at excellent or good. Since we're having that dinner at the Outback in Shinagawa on Sunday, I was looking to see if the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Cineplex would have any of the Spidey showings. Sure enough, there are. I'll have to see if Movie Buddy or some of the others would be interested in catching it before steak.

Well, off to brekkie. My stomach is actually growling now.
Sunday July 4, 11:35 p.m.

Well, it's the Fourth of July in the States, and knock on wood, the only promise of explosions is still from officially sanctioned fireworks.

I finished my gourmand weekend today. After having a relatively light breakfast after that huge dinner last night, I went all the way to Jiyugaoka to meet The OL and Betty Boop for a Chinese lunch. We decided to take a taxi over there since it would have been a 20-minute walk to the place and at near noon, I had no desire to drench myself in sweat before lunch. The taxi ride itself took about 10 minutes, enough to keep the cabbie in good humour. In fact, he and the ladies bantered pretty happily during the ride there.

The place we arrived at was located on the first floor of a building in a suburban neighbourhood, pretty non-descript for a high-class Chinese eatery. But when we entered, there was a well-suited maitre d' and several waitresses in China dresses. We went for the 3500-yen lunch which included such savory fare as leek dumplings (they taste far better than they sound in English), shark's-fin and pumpkin soup, juicy prawn in a light sweet-n'-sour sauce, tenderloin beef in black pepper sauce, cold noodles and a light mango pudding to finish it all off. Definitely worth another visit.

The OL and BB then walked me down the street for a couple of hundred metres to the college where they studied. We went downstairs to the cafeteria where we gabbed for about 90 minutes. They had a rather long gripe session about cigarettes and the salarymen who smoke them. I told them that they would love Canada.

We finally walked the kilometre through a pretty tony neighbourhood back to Jiyugaoka Station. BB could really talk up a storm which left me feeling rather limp. She even acted like my mother telling me about how to get up to Shinjuku. I left the ladies to their shopping. Most likely, we may have another outing in a few weeks..this time for yakiniku.

I made it up to Shinjuku within a half-hour. Not surprisingly, the trains were pretty crowded though not to the rush-hour extent. There I went over to the Microsoft Building where I ended up waiting for almost an hour wondering what happened to Arwen and 77. As I knew it, I was supposed to have met the two at 5. I checked my phone twice to see if any messages had been left on it, but nada. Finally at 5:45, I was just starting to wonder if I'd made a mistake with the day when I finally called up Arwen on her cell. The two were waiting at Shinjuku Station for a 5:30 meet. I told them where I was but not when I'd thought I would meet them despite my annoyance. No need to sour the atmosphere needlessly.

We had our lesson at a nearby cafe in the building before we went downstairs to line up for dinner at El Torito. 77 had never gone Mexican before which surprised me a bit, and Arwen had been to one just once. We waited for about half an hour during which 77 discussed her upcoming three-month homestay in Toronto. She actually did break up with her boyfriend. Seems like things never really got off the ground for them.

When we finally did get in, the two of them really got into the swing of things. I don't think I've ever seen past dinner companions at El Torito enjoy themselves and the food so thoroughly. We had the Fiesta Platter of quesadillas, chicken wings, nachos and Mexican spring rolls along with a huge chimichanga. Of course, we made full use of the free nacho chips and salsa. And then we finished things off with deep-fried ice cream and a banana chimichanga. I was quite reminded of ol' Chip Guy's love of saying that word "chimichanga" when he used to live here.

As I did with The OL and BB earlier in the day, I left Arwen and 77 to their own devices. Arwen said that she and 77 needed to discuss on something important. The paranoid side of me thinks that it's probably on the future of our classes. 77 has her soccer games, her upcoming trip and perhaps even enrolment in another English school; Arwen is currently heavily besieged by her new job. Looks like I may lose another couple of students. Speaking of 77 and her new job, it looks like 77 is making noises about quitting this gig as well. The one thing that the interviewers neglected to tell her was that noone leaves work before the boss does, a frankly outdated regulation for Japanese companies. As a result, in her first two days at work, Arwen just barely caught the last train home. She's planning to hold on for about a month before taking off. 77 and I encouraged her to give the place a fair shake for at least a week. I remember myself being pretty negative in my first week at each of my schools before things settled down. But my feeling is that Arwen will be a free woman again come August.

Well, I'm in a holding pattern for Monday. My morning students have cancelled their class and the company class may be getting canned, too. If so, I can teach Jazz Buddy later in the afternoon. But I'm just wondering if I should just cancel the gig with her even if the company class cans out. I'm just thinking about just chilling out after the weekend of food and female pairs. And besides, I really haven't gotten anything planned for her.