August 10, 11:03 p.m.

Ugh! It felt like the hottest day of the year so far this year. And yet, I decided to abandon the comfort (and high bill) of my air conditioner, and go down to Roppongi to try that breakfast at Roti's. According to the ad, it boasted the best breakfast in town.

I was surprised when I got there at about 11:30 a.m. that there weren't all that many people there, but the cashier told me that things usually got hairy past noon with the tourist crowd. The place had friendly service and I was surprised that I was spoken to in English right off the bat despite my stealth gaijin status. It took me a tenth of a second to hook up to native Canadian mode.

As for the food, it was good enough but I just didn't think it earned that best breakfast bit with me today. The pancakes were very good: two large and fluffy flapjacks with whipped butter on the side and real Canadian syrup. The side dish of hash browns was nice but the sausages came a bit mis-seasoned; not underseasoned nor overseasoned. They just tasted a bit off. The buffet table with fresh fruits, breads and cereal seemed a bit skimpy considering that the restaurant expected a lot of folks for an all-day breakfast. However, it was nice to get bottomless coffee.
I wasn't too happy with the surcharge they threw at me, though. Overall, it was good enough and I would bring someone there if they weren't too picky on the money per value aspect of it.

After breakie, I took a quick look through Roppongi Hills for no other reason except to just be part of the crowd. I did take another look at Wolfgang Puck's bistro. The menu did have a reasonably priced lunch at 3000 yen.

Then it was back up to Nihombashi to the Maruzen bookstore to do some prospective shopping for my newest student for a new TOEIC study manual. There was a pretty good practical one issued by Oxford Publishers at a reasonable price, but the CDs and tapes were another matter. I will have to check with her to get her OK.

Next, it was down to Shibuya to Tower Records. I found a good mixology book by Mr. Boston, the bastion of bartending. It ought to be quite good for tomorrow's "lesson" on martinis. I managed to get a juice break in the steam heat before making one last stop at Tokyu Hands to get a teddy bear for Chip Man's baby daughter.

Finally, I swam through the humidity to neighbouring Daikanyama where Chip Man lived. The heat just seemed to get worse, probably because of the reflective surfaces all over and the refractive nature of concrete. I just had enough energy to slog into the nearest convenience store to grab some snacks for Chip Man before making that last 7-minute trek to his house.

I got to meet the littlest member of my extended family. She was an adorable tyke with a good set of pipes as I was to hear sporadically through my visit. It had been several weeks since I'd seen them, so we caught up on a number of things while we watched a couple of episodes from his DS9 DVD collection. I greedily gulped down most of his cranberry juice; my colon should be squeaky clean by tomorrow.

Mommy came home so we ordered in a pizza and just relaxed in cool comfort before I headed out once more. Luckily, the temps had lowered quite a bit to make my trip home bearable.

Now, I just have to confirm that I'm still on for that trip to my student's apartment in Yokohama tomorrow for that class in English mixology. That guide I bought should be quite nice for some of that rum and cognac I have just lingering in my home.

August 9

The grad party went pretty much as expected despite some intense squalls from the typhoon. Lots of food and drink and talk, including some major griping from a few of the teachers about the schedule, which perhaps wasn't too appropriate in front of the grads.

Afterwards, there was a 90-minute waiting period back in the lounge before heading off to the izakaya downstairs for the next 4 hours. There was definitely a major rift between the louder junior grads and the quieter senior grads. However, I'd seen that in previous years so I wasn't too worried about it. However, a rather intriguing running gag started up as one of the students noticed that me and the top grad of the school looked like a married couple. Of course, that got everybody to razz on us big time. I must admit that I was pretty flattered, and the top grad played along very cheerfully with it, but I'm not sure how she truly feels. Plus, there is the fact that I had relatively recently ended my previous relationship. However, she not only likes movies but jazz as well....which perfectly chimes in with me. My ex never really got into the flicks and she had never really registered with any musical style. Overall, I'm just gonna have to take it nice and slowly. I think one reason that my last relationship broke up was that we just went too quickly.

After 8:30, we decided to go across the street and try that trendy bar that we have used for other grad parties and Xmas parties. There, we just continued our separate talks on relationships over ice cream (no other desserts) and tea. Finally, an hour later, all of us went home with the assurance that we will continue to get together once ina while for dinners and movies, and in my case, the possibility that I may get another better chance at happiness.

August 9

The pizza party went well. About 11 full pizzas were generously devoured by the student body. Beforehand, the senior class was feeling some post-grad blues or ennui, so I engaged them in the basics of poker and blackjack.

Today is the big grad party. No idea what's gonna happen this afternoon. It could just end up being a very quiet 2-party deal or it could end up becoming a fracas. In any case, aside from a bit of gale earlier this morning, it looks like the typhoon will just bypass us and leave just some steady rain in its path.

I've been watching the Mariners/Yankees games on one of the commercial channels. The rivalry between Ichiro and Matsui, mostly pumped up by the local media, has been a godsend for sports fans. Watching a game between them is like watching an old game between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens in hockey, when BOTH teams were worthy.

August 7, 8:30 p.m.

Today was an intriguing day as I spent my last class with the top classs at my school. As usual, the top student failed to disappoint us in leading the conversation to the down and dirty. We got into the topic of attending a men's strip show in Tokyo. I couldn't believe how enthusiastic she and one other girl was about going out to the Japanese equivalent of a Chippendales. At the same time, the coordinator of the year-course programme was showing a potential new student. I may have dodged a bullet; I just shifted to more ambiguous vocabulary, and luckily most of the students caught on. Boy, I am just gonna have to keep contact with this class.

Later that day, I had my first class with an alumnus at the Tea Room. She was also quite an interesting character in her day at our school. I hadn't seen her for a couple of years, and after meeting her for the first time tonight, I think she has developed a certain amount of gravitas although a certain Betty Boop still resides within her. It looks like it won't just be letter writing that I'll have to help her with but also her TOEIC score since she'll be taking the test at the end of September.

Well, tomorrow I may be catching The Hulk with new father Chip Guy if our schedules can be reconciled. Then, I head off to the celebratory Pizza Party back at school to herald the end of summer term. Finally, I do have my regular English circle. All that is tempered by the meterological possibility that a typhoon may plop onto our city on Friday. Mind you, I think it won't be too powerful since it will have gone over most of Honshu before reaching Tokyo.

August 7

Well, just heard from CNN's Breaking News that The Terminator will indeed try to become the Governator. Serenity NOW! At least, it was amusing to see the entire media caught flat-footed.

August 6

Fifty-eight years ago, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. As usual, NHK broadcast the annual comemmorative ceremony live this morning at Peace Park in downtown Hiroshima. However, for the other commercial stations, it was just business as usual which made me wonder if even most Japanese have started to forget about the importance of the day. Mind you, the mayor of Hiroshima shot one across President Bush's bow by accusing the US of helping to proliferate nuclear weapons.

However, apparently and perhaps all may not be lost. One old woman who had been there on August 6, 1945 as a young lady in her twenties has been visiting the graves of as many of the victims as she possibly could and offering water from a waterfall as a means of atonement. She admitted that back in 1945 she didn't help the seriously burned people around her because had been told not to. And since then, she has felt guilty enough to go on this annual mission to the tombs. But now that she is getting too old to keep on going, the task has now fallen to a 24-year-old man whose grandmother was an A-Bomb survivor. Perhaps the younger generation still has some gravitas about the first city to be attacked by a nuclear weapon.

But of course, we must return to hard gritty reality. Mind you, there is a sense of justice done. Recently, there had been a spate of serial stabbings by a nutball in Shibuya. Well, the police finally got their man, a disgruntled unemployed man in his thirties who wanted to REALLY let off steam. I say, a thousand paper cuts weekly.

Looks like I've got that temporary stint over in Nakano, thanks to Movie Buddy. My first meeting will be on Monday after my special "cocktail" English lesson with my real estate agent students earlier in the afternoon.

Tomorrow will be a 5-hour day with two classes at the school and my first lesson with an alumnus for letter writing.

August 5, 11:30 p.m.

Another scorcher to remind me how much I dislike summers in this country. I think I was downing a lot of canned drinks today just to replenish my sweat. Plus, I taught a good 7.5 hours which equally drained me. It also didn't help that there was an intense thunderstorm today which made walking home in the humidity an exquisitely unpleasant experience. I just had time to grab my books for the night classes before heading out again into the rain. At least, I was able to have some down time at the McDs and in my room at the juku before my first class.

Looks like I may have a short assignment coming up with one of my movie buddies' sister. I have to give her a call. Tomorrow should be a bit more pleasant at least in quantity. I teach my kids for 2 hours and then I've got my Toronomon student for 1 hour.

An update on that house that my juku owner was thinking of acquiring. It turned out to be too good to be true. It turned out that there were a lot of cracks and damage in the old hourse, including a toilet tank that was emulating a certain Italian landmark.

David Beckham was back in Japan this week for a demo game with his new team, Real Madrid. 1200 of his best friends roosted in Narita Airport to welcome him.

August 5

Well, that supposedly cancelled class today was put back on when the student called this morning to say that the overtime work itself was cancelled. It wasn't too bad and I did get paid, but I sometimes wonder about a class when the students get more excited about my talk on Ontario horseflies than anything on business.

Beforehand, I met up with those two students to head over to their classmate's restaurant for lunch. It was the same place that I had gone to a few weeks ago. We got there a bi t early so we ended up ordering from the lunch menu. However, it was all good; we were privy to a nice cheap meal of some dim sum, noodle and rice dishes and even some dessert thrown in. The three of us had a nice talk for a few hours and then another more at a coffee shop before I had to head out to that night class.

Tomorrow will be a grueling one. I've got 7.5 hours of teaching ahead of me. At least, I've managed to prep for them. It almost feels like my full-time days.

August 3, evening

Boy, showers feel so nice after getting in so gunky. Also, there was another dire reason for me to be so happy to be home but more on that later.

I started what turned out to be a long entertaining Sunday by heading out to Shinjuku and meet up with some students to catch Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean". When I got there at about 11 am, it was already 31 degrees C. You know when a country is truly heading into the subtropical range when you go into a shop and the air conditioning is set to blizzard. The temperature differential was so enormous between the inside and the outside, it was a wonder that the entire population didn't get pneumonia.

In any case, I met my 6 young charges, all of them from the higher classes, in front of the Mizuho Bank. Then, we set off a block down to the theater and got our tickets before stepping into the Wendys next door to have a quick bite to eat. In what would turn out to be a later gastronomic mistake, I ordered a Classic Triple Meal which included fries, coke and a triple-patty burger. Part of the incentive for my insane choice was out of curiosity, the other part was to provide a conversation piece for the students. I'll have to learn not to do that in the future.

One of the ladies pointed out jokingly that I was the teacher and the only man in the group. The irony didn't escape from my notice, and certainly I was glad for the company. In what would be a running gag throughout the day, the school gossip was bandied about like hot potatoes among kids' hands about which teacher was trying to charm his way into the students' hearts and vice versa. But that was a familiar theme with this group. I didn't feel particularly uncomfortable about the talk; I'd been through this all before. However, this group, and the de facto ring leader in particular, was quite intense about it.

The gossip got really hot when we were waiting in line to get in. Never had I been more entertained in a lineup than with this group. I hope all future outings with them are like this.

Pirates of the Caribbean was a 2 hour, 20 minute flick which had garnered some good reviews from the States. This summer, the so-called blockbusters had to start begging for any sort of approval from the critics, and it seems that Pirates was one of the luckier flicks. However, I think I would have to consider myself one of the naysayers. The movie was OK for the length but it just seemed so lacking in energy. And I'm not saying for certain scenes but for the entire movie. It just didn't reach for the highest highs, or for the lowest lows for that matter. It stuck to a pretty dull narrow range. Depp certainly put ina lot of chutzpah into his Captain Jack Sparrow but it was all in a cinematic vacuum. I just wonder what it would've been like if there had been a dynamic cast and story surrounding him. It will be a minor feather in his cap of sorts, but Pirates won't signify the return of the pirate movie as a viable source of income for the studios.
Mind you, the ladies seemed to have enjoyed it...because of dreamboats Depp and Orlando Bloom.

In any case, the first run of the Movie Buddy outings came off successfully. We, or at least a few of us, may go for Confessions of a Dangerous Mind when it comes out in a couple of weeks.

Our next stop after the movie was a cafe called Veloce. It's just another small chain mixed in with the others that have made Tokyo a coffee town. As we were sipping our iced lattes, our ring leader once again regaled us with some of her adventures in Europe. It will be a pity that she will be graduating in a week, although I think I'll actually be hearing or seeing her a bit more often than I have at the school the last couple of months since we've struck a good friendship.

Then, it was time for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant just around the corner from Veloce. It was tucked into a side street on the 2nd floor; very non-descript. It was notable for the fact that the staff were actually Vietnamese and that the chairs were very heavy. The food itself was OK but not overwhelmingly impressive. In a way, just like the movie, it lacked something. However, once again, the students enjoyed it more than I did, and that's good enough for me. Even after several hours of chat at that point, the gossip was still flying. I landed a minor bombshell on them which threw all of them for a loop.

Finally, our last stop was at a Starbucks...not out of choice but for the fact that it was available and there were really weren't any other interesting places out there for a drink which didn't require a lot of money. In another stupid gastronomic endeavor, I decided to get the Mocha Latte with a Sugar Doughnut. Meanwhile, the ring leader started talking about her former roomie in Paris, a wild child with a long history of substance abuse, and how she had to drag her to the bathroom to help her throw up and then, in another incident, pull her from out of the bathtub since she was drowning. The others suggested that she write a book.

So, 10 hours and over 6000 yen later, the first Movie Buddy outing came to a close. I can't speak for my companions but I was feeling majorly sweaty and smelly in the humid and hot air. Shinjuku is definitely not a place to be if you want to stay feeling fresh. And all of my gastronomic foibles of the day decided to come back at me with a vengeance when I started getting a stomachache on the subway home. Since I was traveling with two women back into Chiba, I couldn't really show my pain so I had to exert a Vulcan control over my body....to stem the flow, if you catch my drift. On second thought, don't bother. Thank god for meditation; I just focused on one word and repeated it over and over to keep things at bay. All this and at the same time keeping a conversation with the students.

When I got out of the subway at last, it was the longest 10-minute walk this year as I mightily trudged my way home while keeping control. But when I got there, a safe resolution was reached and I was proud and relieved...literally. The only bad news is that I have another dinner tomorrow with one of the ladies who had come out today and two other students. However, I'll exercise some more discipline.

All in all, it was a good day despite the hair-raising ending. I think if this continues, it will probably be a monthly thing. I certainly couldn't financially afford to shuck out the yen as I did today on a weekly basis.

In what comes a s a potentially bad news/good news thing, my Monday night student left a message stating that because of overtime work, she would have to cancel the lesson. This will mean that I won't have to trudge out to the west end of town and teach until 10:30 pm and I could potentially spend a more leisurely time with the students at dinner tomorrow. However, of course, another source of income will be lost for the week. Then again, I will have a 3-day weekend. Such is the life of a bohemian teacher.

I probably won't be heading for bed for a while yet. I still have a lot to digest and since I won't be seeing anyone until the mid-afternoon, I can afford a bit of a late night.

August 3

I had my monthly call from Mom last night. Most of the calls are cordial but once in a while, she gets into ultra-mother mode and ends up annoying the hell outof me. Partially because part of what she says is true.

Once again, she got into her harangue about thinking about my future and marriage. She comes from the generation where marriage is a no-brainer; one gets married and that's it. She even said that my sister-in-law has offered to introduce me to one of her friends...which really steams me. After breaking up with my ex, getting into another relationship falls somewhere between eating raw liver and having a procotological exam. I'm starting to think that I really have no interest in having a "normal" life of wife and kids. But I kept my cool, though she knows that I have a bad temper.

The other thorn to stick into me was about my financial future. Here in Japan, as an alien, I probably would not get any access to an old age pension if I did stay that long, and since I'm not in Canada making any income, I'm not accruing any pension there either. Basically, there is no nest egg for me provided by the government. I am bothered by that...although I and most people both in Japan and Canada are of the opinion that old age pensions probably will not exist by the time I reach 65. However, my mother asked me whether it wouldn't be wiser to return to the Great White North and find a job with a computer company.

Once again, my blood started to boil. My parents just won't get it into their heads that I have very little interest in becoming a systems engineer or a doctor or a lawyer. And returning home would leave my career in tatters over there. I will not work for any Board of Education at home; I have no love for kids and most likely I would miss life here in Japan. I would end up wondering about how life would be like here. Maybe I'm being closed-minded but I know what I don't like.

So, I'm left at the proverbial fork in the road but a fork with roads leading possibly to dead ends. I stay here in an uncertain economy and future for Japan or head eventually back home permanently but have verylittle opportunity to pursue much of anything.

Why do I feel that my life seems to have more bitter than sweet? Great...I can go to bed grumpy.

Several hours later...

Well, I'm awake again. The grumpiness is largely gone although a lingering sense of UGH remains. Another sign that the typical Tokyo summer is here? I went straight to the air conditioner for relief, and sure enough, that sweat stain is on my futon.

Last night, I went through my increasingly neglected DVD collection (notable by the growing layer of dust) and found the South Park movie. Now that's a view into the pop culture looking glass. Back in the late 90s, the infamously crude Comedy Central series was the talk of the town. Wicked toilet humour, celebrity skewerings and quotable catchphrases ("Oh My God...they killed Kenny"; "Beefcake...BEEFCAKE!") were helping it become the latest challenger to The Simpsons.

The movie itself to me was the peak of the South Park phenomenon. Its "Jump The Shark" moment. And what a moment. The movie relentlessly went out of its way to shock and offend just about any group out there, and the result was a huge outpouring of laughter at the audacity of it all. And on top of that, its ode to musicals was unbelievably good. I could say that the movie was the last great musical of the 20th century (although I could imagine the Gershwins rolling in their graves).

I have a number of movies that I regret not having seen at the theater. Minority Report is one. The South Park movie is another. I would've loved to have been in the audience when all of the mayhem was being spewed. I heard that a number of people left the theatre in horror...with their kids, thinking that this would be a regular cartoon. I'm pretty sure that the kids were dragged kicking and screaming.

Since then, South Park is apparently still running but the glory days are over. The Simpsons are still unbeaten. I saw a recent episode of SP and found out that Kenny was PERMANENTLY dead, as non sequitur as that may sound. Now, the main challenger to Bart, Homer and the Springfield gang for respect is King of the Hill, a much less raunchy show but still very funny.

August 2

Another hot day and yet people are still wondering when the rainy season will officially close. Hello, McFly!

Decided to do a little Saturday enjoyment in the neighbourhood. Went over to thelocal massage clinic for a rubdown. I didn't get my favorite masseur, the chief, but his spunky second-in-command. She did a pretty good job.

Then it was off to McDs for a Big Mac set and Coke. I deserved it. After a bit of grocery shopping, I'm back home where I'll probably be sweating all of my Big Mac set over the next few hours while I clean the place. The wonderful thing about my apartment is that it retains heat in the summer and it loses it in the winter. Yes, you read that correctly.

More proof that there may be a god after all. The Ben-Jen vanity project, Gigli, is being slow-broiled by critics and rated a perfect 0% on the Rotten Tomatoes website. People that rich and beautiful should get some cloud with their silver lining.

August 1

A long hot Friday. The summer is definitely here...although it may be too late for the rice farmers to get a decent crop.

I had several hours of break time between my lone class and the dinner with my old students so I ended up heading for Ginza and getting a CD plus magazine. Then, I went up to the roof garden of the Mitsukoshi department store and just read my Entertainment Weekly outside for a couple of hours. It wasn't too hot there; the winds helped to cool things down.

Then, I walked over to Shimbashi Station to meet up with the four oil company students and the lone Friday night circle student (the other is in Switzerland, and my ex has pulled herself out). One of the oil company students found himself a new job with Mazda out in Hiroshima, so it was a goodbye party for him. As usual, we went to the Farm Grill. Of course, with the evening menu, we had access to the good stuff. And of course, I overindulged. Goodbye diet.

Tomorrow will be a rare Saturday off since my kids won't be available then. So I hope to wait for a package to be delivered and then do a bit of cleaning up at home since I probably won't be home on Sunday for most of the day.

July 30

Summer is just about on our doorstep. Now, the nights are starting to feel humid. Looks like I'll be burning up the yen overnight via my fan. It's that or end up with a huge sweat stain on my futon the shape and size of my body.

I made the easiest 3000 yen tonight when my student popped into the Starbucks at Toranomon to tell me that she wanted to cancel tonight's lesson because she wasn't feeling too hot. I tried to refuse the money since it wasn't earned but she insisted that I take it if only as an apology that I had to go downtown for nothing. After doing the culturally acceptable two refusals, I finally took the yen. I'm not gonna look a gift uma in the mouth.

Movie Buddy left a message on the machine today saying that he may have another group of students for me. Always nice.

Last night at my newest gig at that lady's English conversation school on the 2nd floor of her house, she first asked me how much rent I was paying for my apartment and then she shifted her attention to a potential house a couple of stations away that she was planning to get for a second school. She even mentioned that she was gonna try to bring the rent down to an unbelievable 50,000 yen a month; the original cost was 95000 yen for a 3-room, 2-floor place, still a good bargain. The catch is that it is located beside a cemetery, and the Japanese, despite all of their technological savvy, are still very superstitious, and so most people would rather eat cockroaches than move next to a final resting place. From what she was saying, I was wondering if she were thinking about me being the new resident.

I must admit that it would be tempting after nearly 9 years in my 2K. And my ex had always wanted me to get a house for us, but that's pretty much a moot deal now. However, I would wonder about having to be at home AND at work at the same time. The superstitious angle doesn't bother me, though. I'm the guy who can always find an empty spot on the subway platform where the label marked "4" (designating the area where the 4th car would be stopping) is located. Even on a crowded platform, it seems that noone native here will go to that spot since the Japanese pronounciation for 4 is a homonym for "death". However, as I write this, I'm knocking on my wooden table.

Well, I've got my early Thursday morning to look forward to

July 29

Back from another exhausting Monday. I feel very sticky all over, and it's just going to get worse once the rainy season ends officially on Friday.

Looks like August will indeed be a fairly lean month for me. My Monday morning class announced that they will be going on summer hiatus for the next 4 weeks. And along with the fact that my in-school classes and my Tuesday morning private class will be doing the same thing in the next couple of weeks, I may have to look forward to a lot of tofu meals.

After the morning class, I decided to catch a movie. Unlike most of my choices, this was a homegrown production called "Odoru Dai Sosasen 2" or as it is translated, "The Big Investigation". It and the first movie back in 1998 are the only Japanese movies I've ever caught in nearly 9 years of life in Japan. I never even bothered to catch the magical "Spirited Away" which I may regret.

Now what's so special about this flick? Well, to be honest, I first got hooked on the theme song, a kinetic techno number which has become as famous as the Hawaii Five-O theme song. And strangely enough, the movie is based on a cop show which ran for 12 weeks on the local Fuji-TV network back in 1997 before releasing the two movies.

"Odoru Dai Sosasen" will never really compare to American fare such as NYPD Blue or Hill Street Blues. Our cultures are just too different. However, both countries share a love of police dramas and this show has become the recent standard to beat. It stars Yuji Oda (those of you who are into Japanese trendy dramas may remember him from the 1991 hit Tokyo Love Story, as Kanchi Nagao) as Detective Sgt. Aoshima, a salaryman-turned-cop who fights the good fight. The show is notable for its mix of Keystone Kops-type comedy or probably the same level of comedy allowed to exist on The Love Boat and drama based on the eternal rivalry between the local police grunts and the arrogant elite detectives in Tokyo.

This rivalry was what got me further hooked into the show. Apparently, the police hierarchy is separated into two parallel forces: the aforementioned elite cops on a national level, and the grunts occupying the small precincts and police boxes all over the country. Of course, the elite look down upon the grunts which is the heart of the story.

The sequel, whose story revolves around not only the main plot of murders committed by disgruntled laid off salarymen but also on the open battle of police procedure between Aoshima and a new witch-like elite police superintendant and three very small subplots, was entertaining enough although there was very little innovation in the story. It basically followed the same formula of the internecine rivalry, a serious injury to one of the main characters which sparks a closing of ranks and Aoshima's coming to the rescue. However, the Japanese prefer this formula; just take a look at the Tora-san series or the Mito Komon TV show. Formulas rule!

Several hours later, I had my usual late-night class with my real estate agency students. However, I wasn't too impressed with my performance. I felt like I slacked off today; mind you, the one woman was simply exhausted and not in any sort of shape to learn English. However, when I'm doing my own business, slacking off will just lead to being fired off. So I'll have to smarten up next week.

I'm just glad that I just have my new Tueday night class considering how late I've stayed up.

One thing to note, though. And this will fall into the life lesson category. I've known for a while now that my circle of friends is getting very small now. In some instances, it is due to a change in family circumstances; for example, my good friend, Chip Man, has just become a father. His interaction with me, and a lot of other friends for that matter, will understandably be curtailed for the next number of weeks while the new family unit coalesces.

In other instances, though, I've intentionally let go of large groups of "friends". You notice that I've put the last word of my last sentence in quotations. Well, the fact of the matter is that I've stopped considering them my friends. I let go of one group a number of years ago; the last straw was at a Xmas party. I just found that I simply didn't mesh in with those people anymore. I rarely spoke to them, I didn't feel particularly comfortable and I knew a few of them didn't particularly chime in with me either. So it was simply a matter of not answering any invitations. There may be one group right now that I might do the same to. In both groups, none of the people involved are really bad sorts but they and I are just on different wavelengths. Frankly, as I get older, I'm getting less and less patient with accepting being the quiet listener all night at someone's house or at a restaurant.

And strangely enough, I don't feel all that bad about it. I just appreciate the relatively few friends I have all the more, and I understand that as time passes, one's circle of friends does get smaller. Sorry, but I'm not buying George Bailey's final scene of the whole town of friends bit. I liked "It's A Wonderful Life" but it's just another case of Capra-corn fantasy. Finally, I think I'm just more content being alone or being with very close friends. The rest will be kept at arm's length. If this makes me a cold fish, so be it!


Nine hours later....

I woke up to CNN to find out that Ol' Ski Nose, Bob Hope, passed away. In the past few decades, he had largely been seen as a hoary old cornball relic or just a name barely remembered from the Golden Age of Hollywood or as part of a golf tournament. And no doubt to anyone, his TV specials had largely been reduced to barely naughty rimshot jokes and appearances by buxom women who were young enough to be Bob's great-granddaughters.

However, being born in the last few years of the Baby Boom era in the middle of the 20th century, I did remember catching some of his frequent NBC specials as a child, and though, I can't remember things in detail, I do remember the huge TV in front of me and laughing my lungs out at his quips. The man was a master of delivery and timing.

The specials were of course my first exposure to Bob. But then as I grew up, I discovered the Road pictures with him and Bing Crosby, and found out how manic he had been in his ad-libs and his willingness to break the 4th wall. Probably he could be called the Robin Williams of his time.

Being a bit of a comedian myself, I've had a number of influences. Bob Hope is one of them.

I gather that this year will definitely be the one for the passing of the Golden Age celeb. So many have left in the past few months: Kate Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Buddy Ebsen.

July 28

Just woke up to painfully realize that my backache is back, no pun intended. At least, I know what my pain is like so I'm semi-accustomed to it. But I've taken the Blitzkrieg approach to it. I slapped on liniment, and then applied a mustard patch that I had received from my massage clinic. And I'll probably swallow a couple of aspirin for breakfast.

Japanese baseball set a dubious record thanks to the antics of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks and the Ichiro-less Orix Blue Wave. The latter team must be really feeling the ghost pain of their best ever player 3 years after his departure, after it got shellacked for 32 hits and 26 runs. The Hawks "only" got killed for 7 runs. I guess someone forgot to tell them that the final score was more appropriate for a lopsided American football game. The game was pretty much over in the bottom of the first inning when the Hawks got 11 runs. Methinks that the Blue Wave will be doing extra jump-squats today.

And in the world of entertainment, another Musume bites the dust. Yet another original from the 1997 Group of Five, Natsumi Abe, will be "graduating" early next year. She will be the fourth girl...oops, sorry...I should say woman to leave which leaves current leader, Kaori Iida as the sole charter member. Right now, Morning Musume is at a hyper-inflated 16 females, including Abe. The announcement was made last night a t a concert via the MM's guru, Tsunku on video screen (no doubt to evade any flying bottles from the almost exclusively male audience). You could've heard a pin drop when Tsunku dropped the bombshell.

Hmmm....is it me or did President Arroyo of the Phillipines smiled very vindictively after defeating that mutiny of 296 of her soldiers in Manila?

Good golly, it's been a violent weekend. There have been a rash of these random stabbings in Japanese neighbourhoods. Crime may be low here but what few there are, they've been of the psycho variety.

Off to breakfast, I go...that is, if I can stand up.

July 27

A quiet Sunday for a change after some previous socially-influenced ones. Just did the usual home maintenance and lazed around.

Looks like those quakes in northern Japan were quite a bit more serious. There were a lot of wrecked homes and stores. Three quakes of Shindo 6....those are pretty unlucky odds there.

According to NHK, today is Eel Day. Could've fooled most of us in Japan. When I went to the supermarket today, there wasn't all that much fuss over eels.

Tomorrow will be the start of a slow-as-molasses week...luckily I should have my two most profitable classes on Monday. I may catch a movie in between classes.

July 26

The kids were good today...thank heavens. Plus I met that former student at Starbucks near my school.

We've had a few tremors today sprouting up in the northern Tohoku area. They were pretty strong suckers as well...up in the 6s according to the Shindo scale. For comparison, the quake that leveled Kobe in 1995 was a Shindo 7. But true to the Japanese technology protecting us from the big ones, there was damaage but not any injuries. Without gloating, I note that there have been many casualties in other countries from smaller quakes. NHK has been giving some major attention to the quake for the past hour.

I'm trying to figure out what I'll do for the next week. Since my regular school-based classes will be on hiatus, I have huge patches of time. I may just decide to catch up on some movies or explore a little. There is that modern conference area, Makuhari Messe, not too far from my place that I've been wanting to take a second look at. Plus, they've included quite a few more places since my last visit years ago including two megamarts, Carrefour and Costco.

I forgot to mention about that new Tuesday night class nearby. This ball of energy has been running this combination tiny English school and juku (cram school) for 3 years from the second floor of her house. I teach four students in two classes. The first sclass has three very low people including a traditional couple; I almost forgot that people like that still existed. The second class has just one businessman who want s to head overseas to work. It's pretty laid back; I've basically been given carte blanche as to how I teach them and which texts to use. I would've liked more structure....case in point, the students are just given photocopies of the lessons I want to teach. Hmmm....not too pro but if they don't mind, then I'm OK. Well, it is a new challenge.

July 25

Well, the week has once again come to an end. I just taught my regular morning oil class, had the regular kaffeeklatsch with the teachers up on the 6th floor before heading out to the Farm Grill for the first time in a month. Got my fill of food although I wasn't too impressed with the servings this time around.

I checked out my phone messages after lunch and got one from my ex. Apparently, her time with my Friday night English circle will cease because of her work schedule. I'm disappointed and admittedly, a bit suspicious. I'm ashamed to admit that since she was always up front with me during our relationship. However, my suspicious nature is sadly a permanent part of me; that part thinks that she's pulling away from me of her own volition or has found a new boyfriend. Of course, I will not dare tell this to her.

Feeling somewhat grumpy, I took a long walk in the spitting showers through Ginza, Yurakucho and Marunouchi. I finally came up to the new Maru Building complex, another one of the new vertical commercial behemoths growing in Tokyo, although it has been overshadowed by the complexes in Shiodome and Roppongi. Looked like your usual glass-and-metal ode to 21st-century conspicuous consumption.

I even decided to traipse through the Imperial Hotel. I had gone to the basement before with a friend of mine a year ago but it was the first time in the lobby. It had that classic flavor. Even the bathroom stalls were fitted with real oak-and-brass doors with lights that turn on and off automatically. Now, that's class.

I finally gave into temptation and bought that issue of Entertainment Weekly from the Yurakucho HMV. First, it had a goodly-sized tribute to Katherine Hepburn, and it was only 799 yen plus tax....the lowest price for a foreign magazine anywhere in Japan.

Then, I returned to Ichigaya to the Tea Room where I waited for my lone visitor for 2 hours of English banter. Happily, the talk went pretty much non-stop without any major embarrasing lapses.

When I got home, I had my schedule faxed over to me. They needn't have bothered. I basically have nothing next week except for the oil classes due to the fac t that the regular classes are having tests almost all week. I'm just lucky that I've got my privates to prop me up. But the lack of income for that week will hurt. Perhaps I shouldn't have given in to temptation.

Anyways, it looks like my social calendar is building up. This weekend is fairly dead but the next couple of weekends could get busy with a grad party, a movie buddy outing, an outing to a Chinese restaurant with some students and a goodbye party for a former student.

At least tomorrow is Eel Day. Eel is great to build up stamina. All of the supermarkets should be having barkers yelling everybody to grab some grilled eel on rice. Also, the annual Sumida River Fireworks Festival will be held in Asakusa. This brings up the next mystery. For the past 7 years, I had been invited to a former NOVA student's apartment right next to the river itself for fireworks viewing. However, I didn't hear a thing this year. I hope everything is alright with my student.

July 22

Feeling pretty sleepy right now although I think a combination of vitamin drink and caffeine is propping me up. And of course, when I'm sleepy I also get rather down with life generally. Hopefully, the feeling will pass since I'll be starting my new gig in Urayasu later tonight. I've got very little info about this class outside that they're using American Streamline. Hmm...I just hope that this isn't a fly-by-night operation.

Yesterday I had a pleasant afternoon at the Tokyo Hilton with a friend of mine for that cake buffet. Good, friendly staff and a wide variety of food helped the experience. I'll definitely have to try it again and perhaps I'll even go for the other buffets they have. They're all very reasonably priced.

Just glad that I've got most of the day off tomorrow.

July 20

A very pleasant if humid day today. I taught my kid and her father. It worked out very well and the doctor was OK if somewhat less able than his wife.

Then, it was off to see T3 with Movie Buddy and his friend. We had a bit of a glitch at the beginning though when the three of us had entered the wrong theatre (the one we wanted was next door) and only realized the error after the staff had clipped our tickets. Movie Buddy almost went into a fit but luckily the staff taped the tickets together; they seemed rather nonchalant about it as if this were a common occurence. MB fumed a bit about how the staff should've realized that we had walking into the wrong theatre when we entered the place just a half-hour after the movie had already started. However, I kinda think we should've just kept our eyes more open.

In any case, we were able to rectify the error quickly enough so that we could scoot over to the right theatre and get some decent seats. The movie itself was OK but a shadow of T2. It kinda had that Star Trek "Odd Numbered Movie" syndrome; it had potential but it just ended up being a prelude for something more. For that reason, I would like to see a T4.

Afterwards, we had some coffee at the local Starbucks followed by dinner at an Aussie pub in Shinjuku. It was sure nice to chug down a Crown Royal while tucking into delights such as fish and chips, meat pie and swordfish. I rather enjoyed the outing today so much that I just sent an e-mail to some of our soon-to-be grads to see if they want to be part of the Movie Buddy system.

And I finally got that CD I had been searching for. No liner notes but I'm not complaining after 15 years of looking.

July 19

Well, we're into a 3-day weekend...not that it matters a whole bunch to me since I'm half on holiday, it seems, anyways.

I had my usual oil company class yesterday morning followed by the usual lunch in the lounge with the teachers. It was quite bustling today there. We had no fewer than 7 teachers gabbing away. I kinda wonder if the Teachers' Room on the 4th floor will go fallow once more. However, it was nice chatting with the lads.

I stayed for another hour there and ended up helping a few students in the senior class while the assigned teacher was talking with the other students before heading out to Akihabara. I basically went out there really just to kill time more than anything else since I had my regular English circle in Ichigaya. The clouds were looking pretty threatening at that point. However, I indulged in some massage, courtesy of the showroom massage chairs in the Yamagiwa appliance shop; gave myself a good 20-minute treatment for free. Then I decided to spend most of the next 2 hours just scouring around for old CDs. But alas, it looks like the days of the late 80s and early 90s stuff may be coming to an end. A lot of the stuff I saw there yesterday were used copies of fairly current artists.

I returned to Ichigaya and headed over to the Tea Room almost 90 minutes early for the session, so I just indulged in my crossword puzzles and had my dinner until the first person came...a good 20 minutes late. Both women who came had just come back from trips, one to Vietnam and one to a local hot spring. The custom of bringing back souvenirs reaped good dividends for me as I got a pack of instant Pho noodles and chocolate from one lady, and then some more chocolate from the other.

After I got home, I got the notice from the neighbourhood post office saying that my CD had arrived. My 15-year search will soon be over. Actually, I received a most cordial letter from the distributor responsible for getting me the CD ove r the Net today. He seemed impressed that I would choose such an obscure artist amongst all of the current hitmakers. Well, I bent his ear a bit with my explanation. Maybe this will reap dividends for me here as well.

In any case, I gotta head on out for my kid class, and then I meet Movie Buddy and his friend to see Terminator 3.

July 18

My last class was a bit frustrating. I had a girl who had always been a bit of a problem with the other teachers, and up to that point, I really didn't have too much of a problem, but today, she completely shut down on me. The other women assured me that she's just a kid and that all teens act like that. Problem is that she's NOT a kid but a 20-year-old, and most teens don't join up with an English school for a whole year.

Caught The Bourne Identity last night. It was a good quiet spy flick much on the level of Ronin. I'm sure Robert Ludlum would've liked the way it was filmed although I had heard that there was some contentiousness during filming. Matt Damon may not quite have the charisma of a Tom Cruise or a Brad Pitt, but he can hold a film. As for Chris Cooper, I'm not saying that the Oscar winner phoned his performance in, but I think any number of actors could've had his part.

July 16

Ugh....had to battle an allergy which my medicine couldn't fight for me, and have my lesson with my Wednesday nighter. Nothing worse than teaching with a runny nose. The worst thing is having the allergy finally fade AFTER the class.

On the way down to the Starbucks to teach my student, I decided to pop by the new Shiodome complex, yet another high-rise entertainment emporium built in the last year. It 's located next to the salarymen-and-pub soaked area of Shimbashi; quite a contrast. Looking into it, I see that it follows the Roppongi Hills example of lots of restaurants including the Oregon Bar and Grill but not a whole lot of shops.

Speaking of Roppongi Hills, my students told me that the complex may already have peaked in popularity. One of them said that her daughter had visited the place recently only to find a relatively small number of people going through the labyrinth-like nooks and crannies of the complex. My feeling is that having Mr. Mori design his baby like an amoeba may be counterproductive for the commercial residents. The place already has a reputation as a ritzy, exclusive mall. I don't think people would be all that willing to explore all of the cul de sacs if they knew of the expense. I could imagine some stores pulling up stakes in the not-too-distant future. At this point, th e only successful places seem to be the Virgin Theaters and the restaurants.

On a totally different note, my yeasr-long search for a CD by a certain artist may be coming to a happy end. I managed to find an online CD service which has a copy. I have the original vinyl album but since record players are pretty much a rarity these days, I had almost given up hope.

Let's see, I did decide to also purchase The Bourne Identity on DVD last night. I had caught it on the plane on the way back from Canada last year. The viewing experience on a plane is never that good but I did enjoy watching Matt Damon kick ass so I'd been waiting for th e past half-year for it come out. Will probably watch tonight after work.

July 16

I hadn't intended to check my e-mail so soon after my last check just last night, but I unconsciously activated the Outlook. There have been times that I've done things just on a hunch which ended up becoming meaningful for me, so I decided to follow through. Sure enough, it was one of those times. My good friend, Chip Man, and his wife had just sent the message that they're now the proud parents of a baby girl.

A nice slow Wednesday today. I won't be doing my class until tonight so I can afford to laze back a bit.

July 15

Another binge fest last night. In fact, I ended up at McD's twice, a breach of a personal rule not to visit the Golden Arches more than once a week. But I just needed a place last night to hang out before heading to mylate class. And sure enough, just by this poky little station, there was a McDonalds. Of all the places... Also in between visits, I visited my student's Chinese restaurant in the Kanda area. It was a pretty good place not spectacular, but the service was very good, thanks to my student. However, I did notice that somewhat concealed icy look from the first waiter who had met me at the door. I guess I just struck him as a typical lousy oyaji in for a quick bite.

That was the bad news. The good news is that I actually saved some yen on my new, supposedly rarefied, lifestyle. Even with a wedding and some outings, and the expenses that come with them, I actually netted something.

July 13

Woke up this morning earlier than desired because I was getting that distinctly dreaded feeling of throwing up. Well, not that far ahead but nausea was present. So I downed a bunch of baking soda with water to neutralize the acid that must've been bubbling in my poor stomach thanks to the 2 kg of beef I had ingested the night before with the students in Shibuya. Then I sat down in the doorway of the bathroom for about 10 minutes just to make sure that I was over the hump before getting back to bed. Luckily enough, it did the trick but I ended up feeling drowsy all day.

A few hours later and some rushed cleaning afterwards, Movie Buddy came by and we saw Angelina Jolie's TOMB RAIDER on DVD. The movie itself was OK but not a huge spectacle for me. There were just too many draggy exposition scenes interspersed with the action plus some herky-jerky pacing near the end for me to give it a thumbs-up. Hopefully, things will be better in the sequel.

Then, MB and I met up with his girlfriend a couple of stations over to go over to her friend's place for curry. Marilyn was chastising herself about her curry contribution all throughout the afternoon despite our encouragment. She even went so far as to say that it was a bunch of horsestuff. To be honest, in a way, it did have that color and certain chunkiness but it was actually pretty good when poured over rice. She was so relieved when we gave our compliments. Her friend made a somewhat more lighter and more vegetable-laden curry which was no less spicier. I unfortunately had the misfortune of chewing down on one of the green chili peppers which rendered my tonsils radioactive for a short while. It was a bit of a feast since we also dove into a giant fruit tart that MB had bought, and then we finished off with some takoyaki (deep-fried octopus balls) at the nearby mall.

I may have also scored another job lead although I'm not sure what the asking price will be thanks to the help of Marilyn's friend. Keeping my fingers crossed.

My weekend has been a feast. 2 kg of beef which threatened to blow me up and then curry. But it doesn't end today. I'm heading out tomorrow to a Chinese restaurant in Tokyo where one of my students is working at her invitation. I kinda wish I didn't have to go alone, though. It's always so limiting when there is only one to order stuff from a Chinese restaurant.

Joly 12

Well, as I said in my last report, I should be pretty tired after my day and night of debauchery today. Actually, I don't feel all that bad; things were pretty calm although the conversation was starting to approach the salty area.

Yep, it was another hot and humid one as I started my day by teaching those kids. The younger sister was fine but the older one was rather out to lunch for some reason. I figure it was the usual annoying teenage emotional roller coaster. I kinda mentioned to the mother that the daughter was a bit "sleepy" today for which I received a very profuse apology. I think I should've just given the usual bland "No problems" instead.

I managed to speed over to Shinjuku after class to see Movie Buddy and watch Charlie's Angels 2. The sequel to the 2000 hit had more of everything: more unbelievable stunts, more skin (the Terminator-like emergence of the Angels in their birthday suits was a nice touch)....and more dumbness. This was absolutely a movie to not just suspend your disbelief but also to take that disbelief, put it into a catapult, launch it and blow it out of the sky with a high-powered rifle. A lot of the critics will take issue with me on this point, but CA2 made itself so dumb as to render it bulletproof from any harsh reviews. As MB pointed out, anyone giving this a bad review didn't come with the right attitude.
The movie also continued to add to its custom of pop culture riffs by spoofing CSI, the aforementioned Terminator and Cape Fear. And it took a little from Austin Powers' Goldmember by having a goodly amount of stunt casting. Luke Perry and that guy from Friends were back along with creepy Crispin Glover. However, Bruce Willis, Robert Patrick, John Cleese, Demi Moore and a nearly unrecognizable Carrie Fisher also popped by for a spell.
In a bit of a contradiction of my contention that CA2 is criticproof, I think that the movie suffers from Return of the Jedi syndrome in that McG tried to stuff in too much in less than 2 hours. Only Bernie Mac's outsized talent managed to keep him above water but having no less than 4 villains pretty much sublimated what could've become 2 interesting subplots involving Drew's character and Demi's Fallen Angel. All in all, I'm pretty certain that CA3 is inevitable.

Well, after that flick, Movie Buddy and I hit a Becker's burger joint for a little respite where he told me that his ruse to set me up with his friend at tomorrow's party was itself a ruse. He just wanted to keep quiet the fact that I would be meeting one of the staff members from my school at the party because she's been going out with MB. There's nothing wrong with teachers and staff per se but knowing that the grapevine at our school is especially ripe, the news just had to be kept quiet.

Then, I finally met up with two other teachers and five students for dinner at a hot pot restaurant. I managed to down a good 2 kg of beef so I'm feeling quite bloated right now. Breakfast will therefore mean just a lot of fruit. MB's prudence was quite wise; a lot of the talk centered around various possible relationships. I stayed sober and tried to listen. However a couple of the ladies decided that their little talk was so private that they just moved themselves to another table for a short while. However, I think I'm pretty much in the know as to what they were talking about since a former teacher let me in on a secret some months earlier.

Anyways, time to take my shower and hit bed.

July 11

Well, didn't have to wait long before the heat and humidity came roaring in. My air conditioner is now on full power. Luckily, today was a short day in that I just had one class in the morning and my Friday night circle was cancelled. I just had lunch with the full-timers in the school lounge and then went off to Kinokuniya to find a couple of t exts before getting home in the form of a limp dishrag.

Tomorrow, I've got a pretty full schedule. After my class with the doctor's kids, I'm catching Charlie's Angels 2 with the Movie Buddy in Shinjuku. With it being out for 2 weeks and T3 hitting the shores tomorrow, I think we should be able to get in with little fear of huge lineups. But then again, in this burg, one can never tell. Then, I'm off to have dinner with some students and teachers at an all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu place. Don't know how long that's going to last but with the fear of the cost having been bandied about and the fact that it's pretty hot, I have a feeling that we'll probably break up early.

That's all well and good since on Sunday, Movie Buddy will be hitting my place early for us to watch Tomb Raider on DVD and then go to a party near my place. MB is trying to set me up with a woman who just can't seem to grab a boyfriend. Hmmm...I'm frankly not too hopeful about this one.

Well, the big news on the front pages these days in Tokyo has been that murder of that 4-year-old toddler by the 12-yeas-old kid. Plus, there has been news from Okinawa of the murder of a teen by his classmates. I had been thinking for some time that the reputation of Japanese kids has been largely overrated. I just wish that fate hadn't proven me too right.

I caught part of an old Spielberg movie last night on satellite.: 1941. It is the first of his relative failures, and the movie has all of the sheen of his 70s/80s whimsy. I only saw the first half hour since I had an aerly start today and because the movie was a horrible print which managed to slash a lot of footage. I have very little patience for "Edited for TV". Anyways, from what I saw last night, I think the Bearded One was trying to go for a farce on the level of a "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" but didn't quite make it. Doing a farce even back in those days was hard to pull off and even "It's...Mad World" has dated rather badly.
The movie got slagged critically and fans stayed away but nowadays, it is seen as an underrated flick. Then again, even Spielberg's failures are fascinating to watch (check A.I.) I enjoyed watching it just to see who popped up. I knew about Dan Ackroyd and Robert Stack, but there was also Treat Williams, Ned Beatty and Dianne Kay (from Eight is Enough....good lord, what's she up to now?). Of course, John Williams' score was a perfect match for the movie. And to see Christopher Lee and Toshiro Mifune bickering like a couple of old ladies was worth the price of admission. Hmmm....I wonder about that next DVD purchase now. Speaking of which, I am also considering The Bourne Identity.

Joly 9

The weather here has been surprisingly cool. I can live with that but Ido wonder what is to become of this year's rice crop. Maybe we'll be having more of the Thai variety this year. I don't mind myself but I'm sure the more rightwing elements will be going nuts.

I had a heart-to-heart yesterday with a fellow full-time teacher who similarly has little love for the upper echelons of our school. He's also thinking about jumping over to the part-time side. Financially, he shouldn't have much to worry about since he's been saving much more than me. And he ought to enjoy the down time. We just talked about when he'll be pulling the trigger since he does have some holiday time coming up and he doesn't want to sacrifice that.

I just have the one private today and then two tomorrow.

July 8

Just got back from my night class. And I'm feeling pretty refreshed after a hot shower although I'm ready for bed. I'll tell you something...the fact that I have to teach at 2100 hours is not a great thing but I'll take those students over some of my erstwhile in-company students any day. It's always great when I know that my efforts are being appreciated. That said, I could use more students.

The only downside of that tonight though was that I had to cut short my reunion with my former students of 3 years back. It was sure nice seeing them if only for an hour. Hopefully, they will follow through with the promise that we would try to get together again.

I also indulged myself in a rubdown at the neighbourhood massage clinic near my station. It had been about a year since my last visit (my ex was providing the rubdowns during our relationship) but it was nice when the lead guy there recognized me and knew what I always wanted: neck and shoulders. It was also great that he was the one who took care of me; he was always a bit more of the soft touch unlike some of his underlings who believed the more Japanese spartan ethic of pressing til one blacks out.

Well, back to sleep and then an atypical leisurely rise for a Tuesday since I don't have that private class in the morning. Just one class at the school and then I'm back free. But then I'll have to prep myself for the trip to Ichikawa City Hall on Wednesday to inform them I want to pay my taxes from my freelance work. Don't want to end up being caught for tax evasion, after all.

July 6

A very slow Sunday. Just got up and then spent the rest of the day just lazing about and watching CNN. Not too bad. Only needed to get out to buy dinner from a convenience store 200 m away.

Saturday's kid lesson went better. The texts definitely helped focus the two of us, and instead of having the younger sister (who had to go to a birthday party), I was able to teach the mother who was an avid student in English. Then I had my usual monthly English circle.

I received a call from a blast from the past. It was from a former student of ours a couple of years back when the student body was a few years younger and a good deal more swinging. He asked me for a round of drinking with some of the school Alumni. I can attend for the first hour but then I have to head out for my late class.

July 4

Hmm...let's see, I'm not sure but I may be in the doghouse via e-mail with a distant friend and my ex. I just made one cute little question to her about something and I got walloped with a huge NO! in response. As for the other guy, I received this rather terse letter of change of address in Japanese so I just answered in kind and told him I have the bottle of wine I was saving for him. I particularly care how I feel for either for them right now; that's their petty problem.

I had my second class with the oil company; this time it was with the A class, the cream of the crop. I guess it must be because of it being the first week of classes for them. The students sure didn't act like the A-team. A couple of them were sputtering their speeches like a couple of junior high school students. Then again, this has been the earliest I've ever been exposed to the oil group. I hope that things start gelling next week.

Well, after that interesting experience, I had lunch with the few remaining full-timers on staff and one pretty gabby rookie teacher who wanted to get the lowdown on the school. He's been here for a couple of years so he knows the politics that go with an English school. Hmmm...I'm starting to wonder if this exodus this time may take on a more potent edge.

Then afterwards, I went out to the bookstore to fish out some texts for my kids tomorrow morning. Man, I think this part of mynew job will be the least favorite but one of the most necessary.

Finally, I had my regular English circle with just one student. It was going OK for a while when an especially ornery and obnoxious idiot came in with his daughter and proceeded to harangue her about her future. Gad, if there is one thing I despise in middle-aged men here..

Man, I gather that I've been in a dour mood today. I don't know what it is...the heat, the fact that my new career is so far limping, the two e-mails and the loudmouthed guy during the circle or if it's everything put together. I just hope that things are better after a good night's sleep. It kinda helps that "Major League" is on right now; the scene where Wild Thing makes his entrance is arguably one of the best in a sports movie.

Arnie has come by for his usual promo jaunt for T3...well, let's hope that what he does best is what saves what remains of his career. I'm starting to get a little tired of the Austrian Oak, though, with his "I'm back" greeting. Well, in a good sign, it looks like th e movie has gotten some positive reviews. Perhaps he IS back.

July 3

Kinda of a belated Canada Day present but Vancouver got it s Olympics! Hooray for them. I just hope they can handle it better than Athens has or Montreal did. Isn't Montreal still paying off the debts from the 1976 games?

Well, I started the easly wake-up calls from today as the new oil company classes have begun at my school. To be honest, I don't particularly mind...I'm not at the age to roust about at night anymore and the students from the oil company have always been a good bunch. I had the first bunch today; not a bad group but the personal dynamics are still gelling.

Speaking of classes, I finally ended my classes at the other oil company. I don't regret finishing them although I did make a few fans over there. Once again, the materials and the fact that the students simply didn't seem all that serious influenced my decision to tell my boss that I won't be doing them anymore.

And speaking of bosses, I finally had that long-awaited (is there any other kind in my school?) chat with the assistant manager about my salary increase. I did get it, and things are pretty much locked in. I'm now free to pursue other opporunities on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

July 1

Happy Canada Day back to my fellow Canucks at home.

The last day of June was pleasant if humid as all hell. I started it by trying out a trendy restaurant with the expats in Roppongi. It's called ROTI, presumably its claim to fame is the rotisserie chicken (a rival to the Farm Grill, I wonder?). The place was certainly quite a bit smaller than I had thought it would be. It's not one of these dark sprawling restaurants with all sorts of nooks and crannies. Indeed, it's quite a bright place with two windows acting as half the walls for this somewhat small brasserie. I think half the tables were outside on the patio. I can only wonder what would happen if it rained. I tried one of their lunch specials for 1300 yen, a relative bargain in Roppongi. The chicken quesadillas with salad fit the bill quite nicely. However, what I'm really angling for is their all-day Sunday breakfasts; I'm such a sucker for pancakes.

Then, it was time to beat feet all over Tokyo for textbooks, one of my new duties as a freelancer. After a few hours, I was able to get somethng suitable for my late night class although the bill was quite a heartpounder. Luckily, my students were very willing to foot the bill. Speaking of food, I'm so glad that there is a doner kebab wagon outside of Tower Records in Shibuya. For just 500 yen, I can get a mightily satisfying pita stuffed with juicy pork and veggies...a good 34 yen less than a Big Mac set. I guess also that lounging in cafes will probably be my lot in life as a freelancer. I ended up staying at the New York Cafe around the corner from the doner kebab wagon for a couple of hours before I had to hightail out west for my lat e class. Still, overall, it was a good experience.

Today was my usual school day. I did my private class then went back to the school for my conversation class before coming back all the way out to Chiba for my final bout with that oil company. Nice students but I won't be going back there. I was just spending too many hours there twiddling my thumbs. Also, my idiotic boss took me aside today for a minute and asked me not to spread around how much I'm enjoying my partial freedom. Hmmm....that's a switch considering he was more than willing to throw one of our experienced and popular teachers to part-time before she decided to fly the coop.

Good heavens...another old veteran goes to that entertainment venue in the sky. Marble-mouthed Buddy Hackett has died.

June 30

Well, the Japanese media are having a field day trashing t.A.T.u. after the two kids and their Svengali-like producer pulled a fast one and suddenly cancelled all of their appearances for interviews and music shows. Not only that, they flaunted a police order not to film any footage of themselves in Ginza and Akihabara (although it was basically just a Handycam defying the order), and then finally at a press conference last night, the duo proceeded to act in a manner unbecoming of guests by openly yawning and cracking gum. Tabloid headlines like "Gimme a Break, t.A.T.u.!" and "Pissed Off at t.A.T.u." are screaming this morning. Geez, I guess that rebelliousness wasn't an act, after all.

As in any democratic country, the fourth estate wields a certain amount of power in society. Even more so in Japan...at least where entertainment and sports are concerned. In America, t.A.T.u.'s behaviour would've merely amused or bemused the folks there, but in protocol-conscious Japan, the Russians committed a faux pas of huge proportions. Perhaps, the girls' new name will be b.R.A.t. from now on. It should be interesting what the departure will be like at Narita today.

All in all, I'm not a huge fan of Japanese journalism...a large group of which are either beholden to the politicians or to hack editors. And the idiocy with which they handle international cele b inteviews borders on the surreal. However, I do wonder if there is a certain amount of naivete as well. t.A.T.u. has based its career on being delinquents. Perhaps in Japan, a lot of bands act tough but they're pretty mild in person. Other countries' punks probably don't fool around in that way. They are either true rebele (please imagine if the Sex Pistols ever came here) or they will keep the hellraiser attitude in public.

On the other side of the spectrum, I just heard Katherine Hepburn passed away. Good golly..another legend leaves the silver screen and just a number of days after Gregory Peck dies. There goes a woman who lived life defiantly to her own drumbeat. There was a Larry King episode a week ago which focused on Hepburn. I wonder if CNN had some inside information about what happened.

June 29

My student's wedding turned out to be an all-day affair. However, it was probably the most enjoyable wedding of all of the nuptial celebrations I've attended in 9 years in this nation. It was just the right combination of people, good food and fun stuff which did the trick for me.

The first party was held at a trendy little restaurant tucked away in an exclusive area of town called Shirogane. Until the subway line s started encroaching the area, it used to be quite difficult to access which of course had lent it its famed exclusivity. In fact, the women who lived, worked and walked there were known as Shiroganeze, basically the elite.
The food was great, the bride and groom were decked out in Japanese kimono while a lot of the guests were in their finest. A wedding here is always a great spot to see the women at their very best. The two companions I came with were themselves resplendent in a Vietnamese dress and a China doll dress. I opted for the usual suit and tie affair; a bit tough since it was rather humid.
We also had live entertainment in the form of a shakuhachi player; a shakuhachi is somewhat akin to a large recorder. As well, we also had some more contemporary fare in the form of a live band playing some bossa nova. As usual, with a wedding here, there was the customary bingo game with prizes.

Also, as with any major social event in the country, the main party was followed by a second party down the street at a place called Boheme, onother trendy little Italian bistro. We just hung out there for drinks for about an hour before heading what turned out to be our longest stage of the night, karaoke at the Big Echo just in front of the Meguro Station. Karaoke is pretty much a never-miss when it comes to thinking about where to head to next.

However, what was different about this bout of karaoke compared to all of the other trips to karaoke was the fact that just about everyone was eager to get their 2 cents in, as it were, for a song. We were getting steadily more aroused by all of the 80s party songs coming out like YMCA, Go West and even Copacabana. Heck, some of our more liberal fellows were getting into major dance mode. Even after 5 straight hours, we were quite willing to go at it further, but more sensible heads prevailed.

Finally, there were just six. The bride and groom, me and my two companions and a friend of the groom. So, now into my 10th hour of partying, I spent the last of those hours with the folks just noshing on a few more dishes (we majorly pigged out at the karaoke box) and nursed an oolong tea before making tracks for home. I was quite exhausted on my way back home and I've finally gotten back into my apartment at the relatively wee hour (for a man in his late 30s, that is) of 12:30 am.

Overall, I had a ball at this wedding. Considering that a lot of weddings consist of listening to boring speeches by the President of the company of the groom's father who should have no business at a wedding, and being stuck with a lot of people one doesn't know, the wedding I attended today was fun, cool and just down-home.

On a related topic, during the wedding party, t here was an underlying current of work and office politics which was inevitable considering that the bride and my two companions were students, and another former teacher made a surprise appearance. The teacher was telling me, or to be more accurate, making a pitch to me about taking a potential position at his private high school come January. He regaled me about the higher salary and lower hours, and also the revelation that yet another teacher will be jumping ship from our school to the high school. I was polite about it but in my mind, it was a no-brainer. The conditions might be better, but it is still a high school, and I made my mind long ago not to teach kids anymore. Unlike what he told me about me being a perfect fit for the school, I would have to say that I wouldn't be too happy there.

From the students, I got the usual complaints about the rookie teachers and even some classmates. It was a bit difficult to listen to, especially when I have no animosity against any of my students myself. However, that may be my Pollyannish side poking me with the hopes that everyone can get along. Just too many people in our programme for that to ever happen. And the gripes about students by students has been par for the course every year I was a full-timer.

The wedding itself set me back quite a few yen but it was worth it. In fact, the bride was quite worried whether I would accept the invitation because of the rather high price; another teacher had declined with the very straight-to-the-gut reason that it was just too expensive to attend. This rather rattled the bride, so she was grateful for my presence. However, for me, I'm always honoured if any student would invite me to his/her wedding. Yes, it is expensive and I certainly cannot afford to go splurging at this time, but on the other hand, I also appreciate the fact that this was one of the most important days in my student's life, and that she wanted me to share it with her and her friends. I think that factor outweighs any financial reason not to go. However, I'm not about to slag the other teacher for his reason not to go; that's his decision, and I can respect that. He could've been more tactful about his reply, though.

June 27

Well, the weather was back to sunny and warm again. And once more, my back was having mood swings.

I had my dinner tonight with my English circle and the boys from the oil company. Despite the popularity of the restaurant and our rather large number, we managed to get a good table, and the food was excellent. My ex was getting well lubricated on the local alcohol so she was in quite the ebullient mood tonight much to the amusement of most of the folks there; she certainly made an impression on the oil boys.

Also, I found out tonight from one of the guys that there is a remote chance that Tokyo may have its first programmed blackout on Monday although I'm not sure if the news had been made public. Due to some scandals involving Tokyo Electric with botched inspections and subsequent coverups, the majority of the nuclear reactors powering the Tokyo grid have been taken off-line until further noticed. Therefore, demand may overtake capacity and we'll be in the dark.

Charlie's Angels debuted today all over the world, and it looks like the movie will get a very mixed review. The reviewer for the Japan Times liked it but a local gaijin magazine didn't. However, this movie is probably going to fare better with critics than the Matrix Reloaded.

June 26

It was raining kennels tonight. But it was cooler and dryer than it has been over the past few days, so we have some respite from the heat. And concerning the current soap opera that is being played out on my back, I was getting some major climaxes there over the course of the day, but for some reason, it's going through some very pleasant denouement righ t now. Hopefully, then, my back is slowly getting back to normal.

Well, my weekend will once again be a hodgepodge of social activities again. I've got my regular Friday circle meeting for dinner at a Chinese restaurant tomorrow. And then I have a student's wedding to attend with a couple of her classmates on Saturday. Not cheap but hey, it's an important date for my student and I'm just grateful that she invited me

Came home tonight and had dinner while viewing a MISIA concert DVD. Who is Misia, you ask? Well, she just happens to be one of the few singers in this country who deserves to be called great. She is this tiny bundle of energy from Okinawa or somewhere in southern Japan who has quietly created a very large and loyal following without any (over)exposure on TV and very few commercials. For most singers, talented or otherwise, they're usually pushed into making tons of appearances on the various music or even variety shows to push their CDs. Not Misia.
Misia's brand of music is hip-hop/house/R & B which often has a 70s disco flavor. The special thing with her is that she has a set of pipes which can knock one's socks off. Apparently, she got her inspiration as a child from the musical "Mama, I Wanna Sing!" (which explains her singing style) and the J-Pop band, Dreams Come True whose lead singer, Miwa Yoshida, also possesses a great voice. And in fact, a couple of years ago, the two did meet and collaborated on a minor hit song.
The usual question which I usually ask to myself when it comes to these real talents is if she can actually make it big in the States. The practical answer to that is sadly no...at least at this time. The current genre du jour Stateside doesn't particularly fit Misia's type of music; it would probably be considered to be more pop and even worse a novelty act (Wow! A Japanese person singing hip-hop? How cute!). Several years ago, a Japanese pioneer in rhythm n' blues, Toshinobu Kubota, tried to break into the US market with nary a ripple. It wasn't because he was bad. Far from it, Kubota is a very accomplished singer. It's just that there is plenty of the American product around. It would have taken Kubota a song with almost impossible appeal for him to get noticed outside of Japan. And I think that would be the case with MIsia. But then again, I think Misia is quite happy enthralling her local fans without the usual media influences.

June 25

My back has gotten worse. It's even a chore just remaining sitting up and getting dressed is an exercise in pain. I bought some liniment just now and I've been popping the Tylenol but I have a feeling that I'm going to have to see a doctor pretty soon. Luckily (perhaps) I got that private class with the doctor's kids, so maybe he can help me out. I have a bad feeling that I may have a slipped disc. If that's the case, all that money I've been paying for health insurance for the past 8 years will probably go down the drain pretty fast. In any case, this hasn't been one of my more favourite weeks.

Well, I just got back from a bit of research on the Internet concering back pain, and apparently a slipped disc is very rarely cause for surgery...at least in the US. Might be a bit prejudicial to say, but I think a number of doctors over here love to make some money on the side from their diagnoses for extra medicine or that big winfall: a date with a scalpel. On a better note, I found that one of those non-surgical remedies happens to be as simple as anti-inflammatory liniment which I bought today. It certainly feels a lot nicer right now. Plus, that aspirin is coming in handy.

Forgot to mention that I caught one of my all-time favourites: AIRPLANE! I remember seeing it back at the Golden Mile Plaza back in 1980 with my brother and just guffawing non-stop through the picture. The gags only elicit a fond grin now but I can still appreciate the humour in it. Since I saw it on DVD, I was able to hear the commentary by the creators; unsurprisingly enough, it felt like hearing a bunch of beer-swilling men in a basement rec room...just the types who would come up with this sort of film One point that the boys didn't mention that I thought should be mentioned is that AIRPLANE spawned off some interesting things: Leslie Nielsen's new career as a wacky comedian, the mini-genre of crazy comedy movies such as The Naked Gun and Hot Shots and the fact that otherwise serious avuncular leading men can do comedy.

June 24

I indulged in one of the perks of my career by joining one of my private classes to a housewarming party for a former student up in the wilds of Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. She has a very well-kept condo with her family and cooked up a storm of hearty dishes while we had a nice chat. Sure beats work. And the crazy thing is that I still got paid my regular fee though I didn't teach anything. One of the topics we ranted about was the overhype of Beckham during his time in Japan. One of my more gleeful students went on a rare bender decrying the stupidity in falling for this athlete.

In a very sad sign of the times in this country, a couple of rather heinous crimes have come to light recently in the news. One was the mass murder of a family in Fukuoka for reasons unknown; the father, mother and 2 children were all strangled and dumped into a local river. The other was the gang rape of a student by a rather notorious Waseda University circle. There have been arguably even more heinous crimes committed in Japan over the past several years but these two are still a sobering reminder that even this country is not all safe and comfortable.

Interesting. On the Dark Horizons movie website, I saw news about this new version of Battlestar Galactica so I checked out some of the images. I saw the popular Cylons and one Viper. However, I then saw Edward James Olmos, the cool Lieutenant from Miami Vice, as an officer. He and the rest of the supposed crew seem to be garbed in blue jumpsuits reminiscent of the guys on Enterprise. Uh-oh.
I used to watch the original back 20 years ago as a high school student, and managed to endure the repeated film footage of battle scenes. I did like the late Lorne Greene as Commander Adama; no idea if Olmos will be taking on that role. My favorite episodes from the short-lived series were The Pegasus with Lloyd Bridges as the legendary Commander Kane and the other one featuring Patrick Macnee as the head Cylon himself.

June 23

A bit of a return to the old spending splurge of old, though I did hold the reins somewhat more tightly in lieu of my new spending diet. However, I think with a payment of 20,000 yen today from two different classes, I could treat myself a bit. Picked up a Hall & Oates' 12" remix CD (no snickering) from Tower and then got the DVD of that hilarious comedy of yore, Airplane; will always be a fan of the Zucker Brothers.

On a sad note, I found out that they closed down the World Magazine Gallery permanently when I stopped by for a bit of a read. There was a just terse English statement but the Japanese version had a full explanation about how the popularity of the Internet had a hand in its demise, which I think is a crock. The organization probably just couldn't afford all those magazines anymore. In any case, I greatly lament the loss just when I'm now a part-timer and would have appreciated the extra time browsing through the mags for free. As a result I also picked up a couple of mags at HMV along with the DVD. At least, I could use my point card and get a discount.

Having lunch at TGI Fridays today in the Ginza, I realized their 1000 yen lunch special is only a bargain if you choose the hamburger. I unwisely chose the chicken fritter which ended up to be this deep-fried hunk of very substandard fowl...and yes it was quite foul. However, it was a lesson learned.

Then I had started my new Monday night class with a former student and her colleague at his place all the way on the other side of Tokyo, a good 70 minutes away from my place by train. And it starts at 9 p.m. and finishes at 10:30. This is the latest class I've ever had so the commutes home will be a bit of a drag but at this point I'll take anything that's potentially lucrative.

June 22

True to form, summer has indeed come to Tokyo in "person" as well as in tradition. I actually had to activate the air conditioner for the first time this year. But it was nice to see a sunny day.

My friend and I caught The Core at the neighbourhood theatre yesteday. It was one of those check-your-brain-at-the-door films: as long as you're not looking for any deep meaning or even deep science, you should be OK. Plus I gather that the actors involved must have seen this as a good paycheck as well as a bit of a summer-stock lark. In fact, several of the performers completely passed under the radar though they are famous names (Stanley Tucci, Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo), a fact that perhaps enhances their reputation as character actors. In any case, it was a good-enough flick for a summer blockbuster. Hilary Swank was the only one recognizable actor I could pick out although it was amusing to see Bruce Greenwood who had played JFK in Thirteen Days basically play the same character as the commander of the life-or-death mission.

Afterwards we got back to the apartment and just pigged out on some major junk food: Pringles, Domino's Pizza and Haagen-Daas while we scanned through a couple of DVDs: Goldmember and From Russia With Love. It's quite nice to go wild once in a while, especially after having been trying to keep the calories lower for a while. My buddy stayed over for the night and kept the air con on all night which makes me dread what my electric bill will look like next month.

This morning, we watched Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, the best of any of the Trek movies (and yes, I do realize that Patrick Stewart can act orbits around William Shatner) which saddens me that it's been 20 years since Khan was released and perhaps only First Contact has even approached the appeal of it. The relationships, the philosophical message and the battles all came together in a way that hasn't really been achieved in any of the others. And sorry to say, the only relationship in the TNG movies worth mentioning has just been the Picard-Data duo.

June 20

The World Cup was one year ago here but you would've thought it had never ended. David Beckham and his wife, Posh Spice, swept into Tokyo with all of the fanfare of a mix of rock star/head of state (I believe David is a soccer player of some merit). Hundreds of mostly rabid female fans at Narita Airport on Wednesday afternoon had their camera-laden cellphones thrust up into the air like technological Excaliburs to get a shot of their lord and master. Considering that David and Posh breezed through the gate and into the elevator inside of 15 seconds, a lot of people were left disappointed.
His timing in arriving in Japan was a godsend for the local media and, of course, for him since it was during the flight that it was announced that Beckham was dealt to Real Madrid from Manchester United.
If the Beckhams are thinking of running for public office after David's eventual retirement from the game, they are certainly getting a lot of practice at being heads of state right now. There was a reception for them last night with a lot of the Tokyo glitterati in attendance. And today, while the missus took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony of a posh new store in the posh neighbourhood of Minami-Aoyama, the hubby held a press conference at 11 with 300 journalists in the room. The piece de resistance of this event was having Becks unveil a 3-metre likeness of himself all done up in delicious milk chocolate.
Then, Becks continued his state tour with a visit to an elementary school near Ginza in which a whole bunch of kids were there to hear his pearls of advice. He took some questions from the kids (which were no worse than some of the inane questions asked at the press conference) and kicked a few balls from the soccer team for promotional purposes. Again, tons of media were on hand to capture the event live and a lot of office workers desceded upon the schoolyard en masse.
At this time, he is currently doing interviews at Fuji-TV where he was seen handing out presents of chocolate-covered almonds to his hosts. I'd say at this rate, the Japanese would be more than happy to vote Beckham as the new PM of Great Britain. Certainly, he's a whole lot more popular than the current guy.


On more mundane matters, I've finished off another week as a part-timer. Happy to see that I've been a pretty good boy with my budget. I've been far more successful with my financial diet than with my physical one. I couldn't believe how much less I spent on hobbies this past week. I hope this plan of austerity reaps some dividends for me by the time the next paycheck comes in. Also, the life itself isn't too bad. The extra time has given me more sleep and less stress (although my back is still not too good). And I may be picking up yet another former student of mine as a private.
Also, I managed to catch up with a couple of old movies. One was the Audrey Hepburn suspense, "Wait Until Dark". I'm a bit surprised with that one since here in Japan, Audrey Hepburn's career only goes as far as "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and the suspense was a post-Tiffany release. To the locals, Audrey will always be the young gamine of the 50s and only that. As a suspense, it was an interesting concept of having a blind person fend off three criminals, and I could see how the Jodie Foster movie "The Panic Room" may have gotten some inspiration from it.

The other flick was one that I'd seen before, "The Caine Mutiny", Humphrey Bogart's last great movie before his death. It was also an interesting one to see certain actors cast against type, notably Bogie's role as the mentally crushed Captain Queeg. Then there was also Fred MacMurray (from My Three Sons) as the cowardly and treacherous Mr. Keefer. I'd say that the movie was ahead of its time in terms of plot direction. If it had been a conventional flick from the 50s, Queeg would've been revealed as a straight nutso villain, and the crew as the heroes...end of story. Instead, we got the "Gotcha" ending when the victorious yet spiteful defense lawyer, Lt. Greenwald, drunkenly castigates the celebrating crew on being just as guilty for not helping Queeg when he had asked for help. Certainly a sobering way to finish a Best Movie nominee that showed Queeg in a more complex light.

June 17

Kinda nice double-whammy day. First I find out that my buddy had given me a 10,000-yen bill yesterday not just to cover his expenses with me giving the rest back to him, but in fact, he gave me the whole amount as a partial advance for my potential new student. Then I started getting some compliments from various students about my slow but steady slimming.

Well, my social calendar is starting to fill up which is fine for me, but a bit worrying too considering that I'm not making all that much money. Luckily, I've been able to maintain a good budget so far.

Some more TV reminiscing. Lately, I've been catching reruns of that ol' chestnut, Perry Mason, every weekday morning on the satellite Super Channel. It was definitely a product of its times: virtually all Caucasians, Perry always won and didn't have a single problem (outside of obvious weight gain and smoking...but then again, I did say that it was a product of its times) and the usual overwrought, hackneyed acting.
However, in this age of moral ambiguity and depressingly human antiheroes, it is kinda nice to turn back the clock to a more innocent (or naive) time. Perry Mason was notable for the stolidness of (Canadian...yeah!) Raymond Burr in the lead role, and his tete-a-tete with Hamilton Burger. Also, just the overall film noir quality and that famous theme song gave the show that touch of class. I just came off from the always fun "Jump The Shark" website where I found out that the show had quite a fair share of diehard fans and sneering detractors. But the big shock for me was finding out that the actor who had played the craggy DA Burger, William Tallman, was kicked off the show for smoking pot at a nudist colony. Gah...get that image away from my mind!
I did catch a special episode this morning, the supposed one of only two times that Mason had ever been seen losing a case (well, actually, he later proved that the defendant was indeed innocent). Of course, the director played it up to the hilt. It actually started with the darkened courtroom just before the "shocking" verdict came in.

More on the old faces bandwagon. Last night, I caught a Biography of Burt Bacharach. I recall vaguely having watched some of his TV specials. I have to forgive him for writing "What's New, Pussycat?", but pretty much the rest are classics. I actually got to listen to that burned CD of the Elvis Costello/Bacharach collaboration of a few years ago. To be honest, I'm gonna have to let it grow on me. I didn't hear a single tune that really got my attention.

Finally, I have to say that my back is slowly coming back to normal, thanks to Aspirin and those heating pads. Man, I will really have to be careful.

June 16

There's nothing that ages a person more than a bad back. Well, I got aged more than a good side of beef over the last few days. My lumbar has been feeling knifed which has made any sort of attempt to stand up or even absorb the inevitable shaking on a subway an exercise in pain. I'm not a religious person by any means but I would be willing to give tribute to the Aspirin God today thanks to the wonderful quick-acting efficiency of pain relief. I'll be going to the next step of a hot shower and then a heating pad.

Today, I also got to add a new restaurant to my repertoire of Tokyo eateries when a friend of mine invited me to a cake buffet at the Tokyo Hilton in Shinjuku. I first thought it somewhat odd since over here cake buffets usually attract the opposite sex. However, I was happy to find out that there were enough savory dishes to relax even the manliest of men. The cakes were also excellent...perhaps even better than those of my beloved Farm Grill. And when one sees bread pudding AND accompanying sauce at a buffet....well, nothing more needs to be said. Another fringe benefit was that the guy who had invited me may be getting a new client in the form of his president. Ahhh...those word-of-mouth referrals.

Reflecting on my 4th Monday on part-time status, I realized that I was able to pull off this trip to the cake buffet because of my new schedule. Again, money is a concern at this time but the main thing is that I could enjoy myself during a time which otherwise would've been spent potentially teaching a boring class with boring material. I can't say that it's been too bad. However, I am tempered by the fact that I will have a regular Tuesday schedule. Glad I could get that self-indulgent stuff out of the way.

June 15

I heard some stuff about the next and last Star Wars movie. Apparently, Chewbacca gets his intro here and ends up rescuing the Skywalker twins and handing them off to Obi-Wan. Y'know, with all of these coincidental connections among the characters, I think they should be retitling Episode IV from "A New Hope" to "Small World, Eh?"

My rarefied week begins with my regular class and then I see some friends for a cake buffet at the Shinjuku Hilton. There goes my budget and my diet. Well, if you have to die, die hard.