Thursday October 14, 5:21 p.m.

Back at the gym again. Over the past couple of days, I've come across a few characters working out here. On Tuesday, it was some sort of "gyaru" or Shibuya equivalent of the Valley Girl. She was decked out in strawberry blonde hair, tan skin, pink workout outfit and loose socks. Plus, she always dramatically wrapped her pink towel around her before and after a session on each machine. Talk about desperation... Today, it was some pretty gabby old lady who was obviously on her first day here. As for me, I was a bit surprised that I actually lost nearly a kilo between Tuesday and today, and that was considering that I'd had a rather large lunch after my lesson with Jazz Buddy.

As for her, she was her usual self. I lent her my Jane Monheit album which she was quite happy to borrow since she's a fan. We got into the topic of American food so I told her about TGIFridays which is one of the big US chains here in Tokyo. She was rather intrigued about the Philly Cheese Steak. I gallantly offered to show her the delights of the sandwich.

Well, being the last day of my monthly budget, I'm not looking forward to totaling everything up tonight. I know that I'm gonna be in the minus column again. Actually, I leafed through the latest issue of METROPOLIS yesterday which had an issue on how to gain landed immigrant status. Basically, for me, I'd have to get a full-time job again....that is, if I am gonna stay here permanently. I'll have to talk with the folks back at home once I go home in December. I'd, of course, lose my life of Riley timewise if I did get a new full-time job but on the other hand, I'd have a stable, more promising salary.

Yesterday, I went down to the photographer who took care of my passport shots to get my photos for the update of my Alien Registration Card. Luckily, I also brought that floppy disc with the photos inside. All he had to do was just crop and reprint. Saved me money and time.

Still pretty gloomy outside although it hasn't really rained in the last couple of days. However, I was finally able to air out my mattresses if only briefly.

Tuesday October 12, 5:41 p.m.

Well, it has been a while since the last entry. I thought I would be making it on Friday from the sports club but the rains were coming in something fierce so I decided to cancel the workout and go on straight home. Lucky I did, too, since the rain just kept getting harder and harder. I could only imagine that the subways were packed to the gills with damp and smelly commuters.

I was also lucky twice on Saturday since my Saturday students didn't have their regular lesson due to their so-called sports day. However, I'd think that it was mostly cancelled due to the arrival of Typhoon No. 22. And sure enough, it failed to disappoint. Of all the record number of typhoons to hit the mainland, it took the very last one to hit Tokyo straight on. I was a bit worried about what could happen so I filled up my bathtub with water just in case the water supply cut out and my otherwise useless shower radio was ready to go as an emergency communications source. The worst of the storm hit around 5 p.m. Winds whipped up to gale force and the rains came down in sheets, the first time I've seen that happen in nearly a decade. Sure enough, NHK reported that T22 would not only be the most powerful typhoon of the year but the worst one since 1994. My windows got the best cleaning in their lives and my balcony got an extra layer of soil. Otherwise, that was about it from the Sturm und Drang.

The next day was PH's annual Thanksgiving feast. She sighed with some relief that all the weather problems happened the day before. I never got that reply from Skippy to my invitation. I'm starting to wonder if she'd sent it to my old address after my very last check with my old provider and before my contract with it finished up. I hope that that is the case; I'd think I would rather give up on women if she also decided to go the way of The Madam and Arwen.

T22 left us quite a legacy. Since its foreshadowing on Friday, we haven't had a single sunny day. It was indeed a pretty dreary long weekend and my laundry is still damp after washing it yesterday morning.

I finally did get my workout in this afternoon. Because I only made it to the gym just once last week, I'll hit the place three times this week. Not surprisingly, with all of the culinary debauchery on Sunday, I was back to where I'd started weightwise. Ah, well.... But the second trip to the gym won't be happening tomorrow. I gotta head out to the photographers again to get a second series of photos made up; this time, it's for the new Alien Registration Card that's gotta be made next week.

Christopher Reeve passed away this weekend which is sad. He tried so hard to walk again after that horrific accident which left him paralyzed. However, he did leave a legacy of awareness on the public about the plight of parapelegics and quadrapelegics which will translate to a cure someday.