Friday September 16, 8:05 a.m.

My shoulders feel as hard as granite, I've got a slight rasp in my throat and it's much cooler outside. I hope this means that Fall is finally on its way. After the heat and humidity of earlier this week, I'm feeling practically giddy with my physical ailments.

Well, I've got my teaching mixed in with some Immigration today. Gotta send that envelope to my mother's hometown town hall for some documents to help my Permanent Residency bid and then between The Teacher and The OL, I've gotta run down to the Immigration Centre and pick up an application form to extend my current visa. Man, I'm lucky that I have several hours between lessons but to go that circuituous way just to pick up a piece of paper...gahh! It's the commuter's version of bureaurcracy. I've yet to hear from The Matron of an update on her hubby's kind proposal. I know it's early but I hope she does come through.

The news hasn't been all that compelling here since the avalanche win of PM Koizumi. Just another report on how all the Japanese Major League ballplayers were doing, another bad police officer getting busted for copping (ouch!) a feel off a woman. However, I did see the televised chew out of the leadership of the Democratic Party of Japan by its members for its big meltdown on Sunday. The members seemed to take the opportunity as a practice session for future campaign speeches.

Thursday September 15, 9:32 p.m.

Strangely enough, it seems like this month, more than June, is the time for engagements and weddings...at least in my sphere of influence. Not only has Yumi Adachi tied the knot...mind you, it was an Oops! wedding...but I heard that Movie Buddy's buddy, Sam, and his live-in, made it official a couple of days ago. And now the two students I had tonight announced to me that they're engaged. Yep, MK and the Manager are now one step away from matrimonial bliss. My congratulations to them.

Kept my first gym workout in a couple of weeks pretty light so as not to overtax my atrophied musculature, and for the blunt reason that I just wasn't feeling particularly into working out. But I am paying my money to the gym so I'm obliged to not waste it.

Still have some stuff to do before I hit bed tonight. I got my weekly pile of ironing to get through, get ready for The Teacher and the OL and then get ready to send out some key letters.

Thursday September 15, 8:29 a.m.

Well, what do you know? The temperature did drop. I actually felt a little chilly with my electric fan going on. It's only going up to 27 today. Very relieved. I'm hoping that this day signifies more than the fact that it's the middle of the month.

However, I am feeling signficantly older. I read on the site of local celeb, Eriko Sato, that former child star, Yumi Adachi, has gotten married. When I first arrived in Japan a decade ago, this little girl, this Japanese reincarnation of Shirley Temple, was all over the airwaves as this sweet-smiling but snarly-mouthed urchin who would twist anyone's sympathies to survive in this drama called "Ienaki Ko" (A Homeless Child). Her big catchphrase: "If you love me, give me money!" Hm..charming. Now this morning, I checked the wide show and found out that this young adult who still looks like she needs to be carded has not only gotten married with some comedian but has got a bun in the oven. Oy vey!

I even have a secondhand reminiscence about little Yumi. One of my minders in NOVA told me that she had been her student for a short time at the Okachimachi school (a note to all Yumi otaku: don't bother looking for it; it was closed down years ago). Adachi never got past the lowest rank due to the rigours of her work. However, some of her rabid fans got wind of what she was doing and proceeded to mob the little branch. Well, Yumi quickly got out of her English-teaching hobby after that incident. My old trainer hadn't even realized how famous she was, at least not until the siege.

Well, gotta get those plans done up for MK and The Manager. It's been a while since I've seen those folks. Then I gotta get some more work done for the project.

Wednesday September 14, 11:33 p.m.

I feel not unlike a warmed-over Cinnabon. It was another blazer here in The Big Sushi. But apparently today will be the last of the great hot ones for at least this week. It should be dropping to a relatively frigid 30 degrees tomorrow.

Well, that trip over to Kinshicho was a wild goose chase. The optical store that The Teacher had recommended couldn't install existing lenses into new frames so that was that. Still, I could finally take a look at this centre briefly. With the atypical (for Tokyo) grid-like pattern of its streets and the cubic buildings jutting out into the sky, it felt more like walking through Sapporo than the nation's capital.

I hopped onto the Sobu again and ended up in Shinjuku. I walked over to have lunch at Hansen's, that transplanted hot dog emporium. Since it was the latter half of lunch hour, the place was pretty packed but a very happy, smiley staffperson eagerly told me that he saved me a table in the back. Man, THAT is service with a smile! Since I didn't want to get into that confusion of ordering a double-dog set since I've come to the conclusion that Hansen's has canned that idea, I ordered a Philly Cheese Steak set with an added hot dog on the side. Of course, the crinkle-cut fries were still there. The Philly was quite good but could've used more cheese. No complaints about the dog though.

Then it was off to the Starbucks nearest The Company since I got to the area a full hour before my scheduled drop-in at The Company to pick up my pay. When I did get there, it was a pretty quick chat with the Prez. Just a few words with him while I took in the yen and gave him the receipts and then I was off again to Speedy's.

Speedy had a rather bad day technologically. Apparently, a virus managed to infiltrate the school system and wipe out a month's worth of work. To add insult to injury, a fix-it man will have to repair the damage for a cool 70,000 yen. Still, I was able to get access to the Internet. 001 and 002 were fine as usual but I was quite sleepy. It took some pretty superhuman strength to get through the day but I also noticed 001 stifling yawns during the lounge session.

I spent about an extra hour getting stuff done for the great Immigration project. I didn't intend to stay at the school that long but when I checked my e-mail, Paddy was kind enough to do a lot of the legwork when it came to paperwork and so all I had to do was print it out and put my stamp on it. This past week has been interesting. My project is twin-pronged: Paddy and The Scrivener have been helping me with the Permanent Residency end of things while The Matron and my old friend from NOVA have been tackling the extension of my current visa. I'll be so happy, though, when things finally clear.

Skippy has given me some new addresses to replace her old ones since one of them was getting spammed big time. She's still confirmed for not coming to the Saturday movie night with Speedy. I told her it was just as well since it looks like it'll just be him, me and The Madame for "Charlie". The Barmaiden sent me a progress report on her first few days in Toronto. Looks like she's been having a good time so far. I told her and 002 about the wonders of The Madison Avenue Pub near U of T. Luckily, there was a website to refer them to.

I was hungry when I got back to my station. Serves me right for buying a chocolate eclair and a packet of peach jelly and calling it dinner. I couldn't get anything substantial at this late hour at the risk of waking up nauseous but my stomach was pretty adamant that I just had to throw something into it, so I ended up ingesting a small bag of peanuts and rice crackers while downing it with a Calpis Water. It ought to do the trick.

Wednesday September 14, 8:28 a.m.

Another scorcher today. At least, it won't get any hotter but 34 degrees is still 34 degrees. I think I'm gonna have to take another shower.

Although at this time I start teaching at 4, it'll probably be a long day since I gotta do some errand-running. Get some new frames for my glasses and then pick up some money from The Prez. I would have stopped at Akihabara to see if this metamorphosis were really true but I don't think I'm gonna have time. Besides, Wednesday isn't the day to visit to get the full effect. Sunday's the day but then again, I'm meeting up with The Beauty Pair on that day. Perhaps once I get the money, I'll treat myself to Hansens, that transplanted hot dog chain. I was talking about it with The New Kid so my culinary memory has been sparked.

Well, gotta get that lesson planning going.

Tuesday September 13, 11:25 p.m.

The heat was down a good deal when I left for the juku this afternoon. The climate may not be too disciplined but I can always depend on the seasonal angle of the sun to bring the temps down.

It was an interesting start to my night at the juku. When I got to the house, it was totally devoid of life. I had to go upstairs to switch on all the lights and the air conditioning. Man, was it a sauna there! The paranoid part of me thought that the boss took my notice too seriously and just wanted to escape from my sight. I was already into my class with The New Kid when she finally came back home. She burst into my room to tell me that her mother had needed some emergency surgery on her eye and so left in quite a hurry. But it looks like her Mom is on the mend.

The other two lessons, The Beauty Pair and The Milds with McGirl, went quite swimmingly. Much better balance in the latter class. I was also quite relieved that The Siberian had cancelled his lesson today. Still not sure what to do with that guy. Instead, I used the hour vacated by him to have a heart-to-heart with the boss about my situation. It was quite heartening to hear how much she wanted me to stay on with the juku since both she and I feel that if I were to go, my entire group of students would quit their classes. That would be a pity. So it looks like all of us are depending on The Matron to rescue me. As for The Beauty Pair, I'll be meeting them on Sunday to head over to check out all those massage places in Riraku no Mori in Namjatown. I hope we can get in. It is a Sunday after all, and not only that, it is also the middle day in the first 3-day weekend of the month.

Well, it looks like The Prez will be in the office tomorrow so I can pick up my pay. It would be nice to get my balance up above the million mark again. I'll probably head on over to The Company once I get my new frames in Kinshicho. At the very least, it'll be interesting visiting the area.

I actually got two replies back from The Coordinator. She says she'll try and help me. I'm not too hopeful for a response...quick or otherwise.

I need another shower badly.

Tuesday September 13, 4:17 p.m.

Well, I've spent most of the afternoon just planning lessons and listening to old music...a bit of a calm in what has been the small maelstrom of my visa. The curtains are drawn and the air conditioner has been on for a few hours so things have a pleasntly cool vibe. I've also been reading through the much-belated (it was printed before the debut of the new Doctor Who) issue of SFX highlighting all of the good Doctor. From reading through it, I've come to the realization that with the exception of the new and improved series with Chris Eccleston, the only saving graces that this series had had in its classic form were the characters themselves and the idea. It certainly could not have been the special effects (well, the TARDIS interior always looked good).

Skippy called to say that she won't be coming out for Speedy's Movie Night after all due to other plans. I kinda wonder if the old boyfriend decided to make an appointment with her instead. The Madame is all good for a bit of coffee before the main event though. M+M have set their next date with me. It'll be all the way on Halloween weekend. Should have plenty to talk about by then. I've yet to hear anything about my requests for assistance from my old school. Not that I'm really expecting any answer from them. I've burned quite a few bridges there but then again, the majority of the staff deserved a bit of demolition.

I've just gone through an entire bowl of pork kimchi on rice, daikon salad and fried chicken. And I drank it all down with oolong tea. Well, my insides ought to be getting a good cleaning by now. But I do have to get ready to get going to the juku within the next half-hour. Hopefully, the heat's come down somewhat.

Tuesday September 13, 1:29 p.m.

I will be so glad when scientists come up with artificial time limits on seasons. This summer has already worn out its welcome with me. Just way too hot out there! I'm gonna have to sacrifice the shirt I'm wearing to the washing machine. It's already soaked with sweat.

Well, the announcement to the Beehive didn't go as badly as I had feared, especially since I did dangle that little piece of hope in the form of that proposal by The Matron's husband. Still, I did feel like a guy giving a press conference in front of an eager group of journalists with the ladies pelting questions at me. They did get a kick out of the news that soon-to-be-former Princess Nori may be living at the perhaps-newly-posh address of Akihabara.

I've started getting replies to my announcement on Sunday. So far, the reaction has been pretty muted which kinda signifies that perhaps I'm making an emotional mountain out of a molehill. I am anxious to find out something from The Matron, though.

Gotta get the lesson plans done for tonight's outing at the juku. Got word from The Madame that I still gotta pay some incidental fees sometime in the next week for Taiwan. I'll be meeting her for coffee before Speedy's movie on Saturday.

I found out from "Dark Horizons", the movie website, that there is a new sci-fi show on the horizon called "Threshold" oddly enough (horizon...threshold, get it?). What struck my eye was that it starred Charles S. Dutton and Brent "Data" Spiner. According to the cast bios, Spiner will be playing a very mercurial and confrontational NASA microbiologist. I guess he's still trying to shake off his landmark role. It rather sounds like a 21st-century version of "The X-Files" so I'm kinda holding back any praise despite the accolades, deserved or not, it's already getting.

Monday September 12, 11:48 p.m.

Well, it's been a day and night. I had The Class Act as usual. After having sent my rather sad notice last night, one of them offered to help out. It's been an interesting exercise today. I've got help coming out from all angles. It almost feels like running a company. Perhaps watching "The Apprentice" would have helped.

The Madame sent me a so-called emergency message to pay the rest of that money for the Taiwan trip. Apparently, she found out that there were no less than 3 contradictory pieces of information concerning when to pay up. I did wire that money in although it was a bit depressing seeing my bank account dip into the six-digit range for the first time in a few years (remember I'm being paid in yen). Ah, well. Mind you, I do have quite a bit of money owed me by The Company. I may have to drop into the place during a non-teaching day to get my money since I won't be seeing those guys until October. The Prez hasn't been in whenever I've been there for the past few weeks.

Speaking of the Company, once again I just had that one guy who's been coming relentlessly for the past several weeks. Junior just can't or won't show up. I think it's becoming clear that his attendance will be moot. I'm now considering whether it would just be an easy thing simply to drop the class since his classmate is just studying stuff that he probably won't ever use. And it was just another struggle today with the listening segment. However, he and I usually have some good chats in Japanese at the end of the class. One was about that article with The Teacher concerning the fate of Akihabara. He certainly doesn't sound too disappointed about the gentrification of the area. And he dropped a bit of a bombshell....he said that he'd heard that one of those two Gundam legs will possibly end up being the building housing the soon-to-be married Princess Nori and her husband. Since marrying a commoner will mean the loss of her royal status, the two will be living in just a regular condo. But what an address!

I was feeling pretty exhausted after The Company. But I still had one more house call. But it wasn't The Poppy. Instead, I went over to meet the juku boss' friend over at Nishi-Kasai Station to help him get through the oodles of English legalese for some contract. We went over to his apartment and pored over the pages of the contract. I managed to keep it focused on just the English language although at a couple of points, he threatened to swing thngs into legal territory for which I'm obviously woefully ill-prepared for. He even had me go through the entire book of the contract just to give it a once-over. Well, all I could possibly was scan it and then just focus on a few areas to make sure the English was in good form. But I got my pay for my troubles. Not sure if I really did help him. The boss apparently informed him of my visa situation. I'm gonna have to sit down with her tomorrow and update her on the movements of this past day.

I'm plenty tired since it was one of those energy-sapping humid days. I didn't even bother eating any dinner. I just had one of those rice crackers that the juku boss' friend's wife so kindly gave me as further compensation for my hour there. At least, it'll keep the grumblies away until morning.

I'm gonna be talking turkey with the Beehive first thing since I sent a fax over to Mrs Alps this morning. Could be an interesting start. But all I'm interested right now is a hot shower and sleep.

Monday September 12, 7:19 a.m.

So far, I haven't gotten any fallout about my big announcement last night. I did get a response from The Madame, though, to ask me to pay the rest of the cost for the Taiwan trip ASAP since she read something in the contract which contradicted what the woman at the travel agency had told us. Ahhh...the wonders of bureaucratic confusion. I think there has been a lot of news on that lately.

Well, Mr. Koizumi is savoring his landslide victory. The others are verbally licking their wounds, much to the glee of the LDP faithful. Of course, the elections were seen worldwide. China, Korea and presumably much of Asia aren't too thrilled while the US is quite happy.

Sunday September 11, 9:52 p.m.

Well, I've started the ball rolling on informing my private students about the changes that will occur in about a little over a month. I've contacted folks like The OL, SIL and the like. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, but it wasn't a pleasant thing either. I have to come up with Japanese messages for The Prez and the New Yorker since their English isn't quite up to reading speed. I've also gotta inform The Beehive. This one will be, by far, the most difficult group to announce this to. I just mentioned last Tuesday that this was the beginning of our 7th year together. I don't want to shock the folks by just blurting it out in person this Tuesday so I'll send a fax to Mrs. Travel's house tomorrow morning.

It was a good thing that I did the laundry early this morning. As I was checking out "Orion's Arm" earlier this afternoon, I noticed things outside darkening dramatically. In fact, I just saw this massive great wall of gray-black rolling in with sounds of thunder. I quickly brought in the dried clothing and closed the windows. Man, it got so dark that I thought a total eclipse was coming overhead. Then, I heard these very distinctive pings hitting the balcony railing. Initially, I thought that we were actually gonna get hailed on. They turned out to be very big drops of rain thrown down from the heavens at high speed. For about 30 minutes, the deluge was on. Fuji-TV's regular Sunday broadcast of live horseracing showed a racetrack just a few stations away from me getting absolutely doused. It was basically a re-enactment of last Sunday night after the cruise.

Beyond 8 tonight, it's been pretty much the Lower House Elections on all of the channels. It looks like Koizumi will easily get his mandate. However, I think this will mean political deadlock as usual. The people may have given The Lionmaned One his mandate but his big raison d'etre of privatizing the postal system will just continue to be kicked about in Parliament. The guys who broke away from the LDP in protest against the privatization attempts and made their own parties have only scored a paltry 5 seats so far. I'm not sure if what those politicians are wiping off their faces would best be served scrambled or sunny side up.

It was rather hilarious watching the coverage on Fuji-TV. The producers there have labeled their show, "Senkyo Wars" (Election Wars) and the opening minutes had wall-to-wall John Williams music from a certain sci-fi movie while the newscasters chatted away. I think they quickly did away with that idea since I don't hear it now. I think the music was blocking out a lot of what the talking heads were saying. However, I've been keeping it mostly to NHK since it's the only channel with English dubbing.

Between 8:30 and 9, I was switching between NHK and CNN where "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart was playing. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure how Stewart would handle the Katrina affair but boy, did he hit another one out of the park. Mind you, picking on FEMA and Bush hasn't been new since last week but he even knocked Larry King for a bit of inappropriateness during a talk with a sobbing Celine Dion. Then again, I've known that King is hardly in Ted Koppel's league when it comes to interviews.

Well, I gotta make that fax up for Mrs. Travel. Gad, I'm gonna hate this.

Sunday September 11, 12:56 p.m.

Got that massage in. The clinic was pretty sparsely populated today. There wasn't the usual influx of old folks or even middle-aged guys. They were probably out at the polling booths. I had the young fellow rubbing me down (OK...stop snickering). Usually after his sessions, he remarks how knotted up my shoulders are. Well, he put in the word "very" this time. I wasn't surprised. The last few days have been putting me in knots internally.

Just got some groceries for lunch and dinner. I'll probably just clean things up at home. I bought that Haagen-Daas parfait as a treat....I'd better think it as a treat. It cost almost 400 yen!

That TVNewser site is continuing its nearly daily updates on Anderson Cooper's mental health. Now, it's using words such as "existential crisis" to describe the son of Gloria Vanderbilt (only found that out just a few minutes...rather stunned by that revelation, after seeing Mommy Warbucks all these years ago in those commercials). Speaking of the Katrina devastation, apparently the flood waters are being drained a lot faster than expected. I'm not surprised. During the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, the authorities were saying that it could take years...or even decades according to some very pessimistic types...to bring Kobe back to its former glory. Well, Kobe has been back up and running for a number of years now. I can see New Orleans bouncing back itself. Mind you, I think the emergency response to Kobe was somewhat faster.

I've been continuing my exploration of "Orion's Arm". Man, I'm not sure if the contributors are trying to be very serious or flippant about their approach to sci-fi. They go into some head-numbing detail about concepts such as AI Gods and hyperturings. They say they try to eschew everything that's soft about the conventional stuff such as "Star Trek" or "Star Wars" but it's still all technobabble to me. But then once in a while, I see stuff that makes me wonder if Douglas Adams' ghost is adding some of his own "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" spin to the material. Still, it makes for an interesting existential (there goes that word again) walk in the cyberspatial park.

Sunday September 11, 9:28 a.m.

None of the usual solemnities about this date but the US is still going through September 10th. Over here, it is Election Day! According to BBC, the turnout has been "brisk" which is saying quite a lot considering past apathy for voting.

As for me, since I'm not a citizen here, I'm merely an observer of these events. All of the networks will be turning up their engines tonight but in the meantime, it'll be regular programming. It'll just be errand day. I've already had my Sunday breakfast, done the laundry and I'll soon be headed out for my rubdown (dearly needed especially today) and then off to get some new frames for my glasses. I'm still on the old tarnished pair. Although I'm used to it now, this pair is missing an eye pad so the bare metal end has been digging into the left side of my nose.

Saturday September 10, 8:56 p.m.

Finished off my pork kimchi and rice while watching one of the satellite karaoke channels. When I first got Sky Perfect some years ago, I got this karaoke channel thinking, naively, that I would be able to get my favourite songs to croon to on demand. Well, as it turned out, the channel has a fixed schedule of spotlights on certain singers at certain times of the day while the morning is devoted to kiddie music.

However, the nights seem to have more original programming, usually in the form of shows based on stuff like music from the 80s and 70s. Of course, enka has a home here, too. And it was one of those programs I was watching while chowing down. With all the J-Pop, J-R&B and idol stuff now pounding the airwaves, it's refreshing once in a while to hear some of the old-fashioned enka. Brings back memories of yesteryear musically since the early years of my life were spent listening to this stuff on the old Victor stereo. Enka used to be a major part of the music world here for many decades until the very last one of the 20th-century when it finally started shrinking with the invasion of American and dance sounds. Still, although the genre belongs to the middle-aged guy in a suit or the woman in a kimono, there are a few young folks who have surprisingly decided to go the old-fashioned way.

The guy I saw on TV tonight was on a program called Enka O or as it's translated, "The King of Enka". And he was this somewhat androgynous fellow who would look more at home in a visual kei, the Japanese equivalent of glam rock, video. But there he was in concert crooning some new tunes with the usual vibrato and lyrics about lost love and drinking in a Sapporo bar. If he really does become a force in the industry, it would be another welcome shot in the arm since I only know one other guy in his 20s who's become a bona fide enka star, Kiyoshi Hikawa.

I'm not a huge fan of enka although I can appreciate it while being in an izakaya nursing a beer. I don't recall a single CD in my voluminous collection that would be considered an enka CD although I've got some entries in CDs detailing the top hits of certain years. And yet, I wouldn't mind a compilation disc with all of the best stuff. I've got a feeling that enka, like jazz, will never die. It may just occupy a rarefied area of music in which only the true enthusiasts will happily enter like those folks who love cool bop or baroque, but at least it will stay somewhere in the pop cultural conscience.

Earlier in the evening, I was going through "Orion's Arm" for the second time. The site is this very densely plotted and epic attempt to create a history of the future based strictly on hard science (none of these flights of fancy like warp drive or transporters, which is called soft science). Just the facts, ma'am for the multiple contributors. Despite working from this basis, it still manages to make some pretty interesting and intriguing predictions for the next 10 millenia. Very addictive.

Saturday September 10, 5:47 p.m.

The kids were pretty sleepy today. Kinda blah actually. But we managed to survive. Afterward, I headed to the mall at Kiba for lunch. The food court was tons more crowded than it was during my last trip there during O-Bon. Somehow I managed to get my KFC and get a table. JJ was her usual bubbly self. Had a heckuva time trying to get through Third Conditional but then again most students do..not an easy structure for a non-native speaker of English.

Just want to unwind tonight. I may be rather busy tomorrow getting stuff.

Saturday September 10, 6:42 a.m.

Another early day, another day at the kids'.

Got all my planning done last night so I'm not too worried about that. But I will have to be doing a bunch of photocopying at the nearby convenience store.

I see that Michael Brown of FEMA has been recalled to Washington from the disaster area. I figure that's a good move on the government's part since in a way it would be saving Brown's life. If the VP can get heckled incessantly during his little trip to Mississippi, I can only imagine what people would like to do to the FEMA director.

Friday September 9, 7:40 p.m.

Land O'Goshen! Will wonders never cease! The garbage area downstairs is no longer a cesspool. Someone actually bagged all the sludge from the past 8 weeks and then it got collected. The pit is now empty. I won't need to hold my breath whenever I leave and come home.

My lesson with The Teacher was quite interesting today. We spoke somewhat on Nagisa Oshima's "In The Realm of the Senses" or as it is known here in Japan "Ai No Corrida" (yes, the same title as the Quincy Jones disco hit from 1981...no idea why composer Chaz Jankel named it after the movie). The movie is or was controversial when it was released in the 70s due to its explicit pornographic tale on the real-life story of sociopathic Sada Abe who had a very torrid affair with a man before strangling him to death and slicing off his penis as a memento.

Another topic was, strangely enough, "Space Cruiser Yamato", that classic Reiji Matsumoto anime which was known as "Star Blazers" back Stateside. The Teacher was surprised that it had been shown during my salad days as a youth in Canada. And then, her topic was on the sad "gentrification" of Akihabara. We went through an article from the Net which stated that developers via the cops were now executing a plan to clean out the famed electronics district of all its grime and otaku so that it would take on a cleaner look of a Silicon Valley. I have seen the construction of two huge skyscrapers (almost like the legs of a Gundam robot) and the opening of an express train running from here to Tsukuba, the science town famous for hosting the 1985 Expo. And then next week will be the grand opening of a humongous Yodobashi Camera just outside of the immediate Akihabara strip. This place easily looks like it wants to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. But I had no idea that all of these things were part of a conspiracy to leach Akiba of its strange flavour. Police are now actually breaking up those street-dancing performers in anime dress much to the chagrin of the appreciative otaku. These are the same performers whom I saw and reported some months ago. And they're all gonna be gone very soon. The author of the article predicts that the whole area may be otaku-free by mid-Fall. I also mentioned that when I passed by one of the skyscrapers, there were several non-Akiba like shops such as a Starbucks and other esthetically pleasing establishments. I have no idea what's to become of the maid bars.

I'm a bit disturbed by this plan of action in Akihabara. Yep, sure, there will be plenty of people happy with the gentrification since it will mean that the otaku, seen by them as very disturbed folks, will have to either find new places to haunt or go underground. Also, the cleanup will probably mean that a lot of the extreme forms of pornography will disappear. However, I still think there will be a dear cost in terms of the pop cultural aspect. Akihabara as it is (and will be for at least a few more weeks) is unique in the world as a headquarters for all things anime and manga and the genre of people known as otaku. I'm not trying to say that it should be made into a heritage site or anything but I think it's still a shame that a unique part of contemporary Japanese culture will be transformed into another nice and clean commercial district. There are plenty of those in Tokyo but only one Akiba. I guess then that book on Akihabara that I bought a few weeks ago will take on a sudden poignancy. I will mourn.

Well, in any case, after The Teacher, I went off to Shinjuku's Kinokuniya to find a text that would help the little sister's progress. I found the most updated version of New Interchange. It's the Pre-Beginner level so supposedly it's even lower than the version I use with people like MK and The New Yorker. However, the pics and the exercises look ideal for an 11-year-old kid. I also got that copy of Passport so that Speedy and I don't suffer any more incidents like the one from a couple of days ago.

I had another long session with SR at the Tea Room today. But I was able to get some lunch there on her tab as well. We only chatted...didn't touch on any of the grammar stuff but I did give her homework for next month. The next time I'll see her will be after Taiwan.

I finally got word from the juku boss. She was shocked at my two messages but she says she understands and hopes that I will continue to keep in contact with her as a friend. I suddenly felt a twinge of sadness when I read that. The fact that she wrote her reply in Japanese instead of her usual fractured English got me a little guilty as well. Sigh...I really don't want to have to leave the juku.

Well, in any case, I have to have my dinner and then get on with the lesson planning for the kids and JJ tomorrow.

Friday September 9, 8:46 a.m.

Is it me or is Anderson Cooper starting to channel Martin Sheen's character in "Apocalypse Now" and New Orleans is playing Vietnam? It is getting very surreal and the journalist is going native.

Got another e-mail from Speedy in what I hope is the last contribution to this silly thing about the texts just now. He's quite the volleyball player when it comes to messages. He replies to just about every little thing. I used to do that quite a bit, too, but I've weaned myself off the habit in recent years. Anyways, apparently, the other day he also had even more of an emergency when one of his other teachers accidentally went home with Speedy's apartment keys, and the teacher lives in my neck of the woods...a good hour's subway ride away.

I sent word to Paddy about my visa situation just because I thought he would like to know. I have yet to find out anything from the juku boss. Hmmm....

Still thinking about the next few months and what I'll have to do. It's looking increasingly likely that I'll need a miracle to maintain this current lifestyle...but perhaps change is the best thing.

Thursday September 8, 7:17 p.m.

Rushed off to Speedy's and got those books back to him. Luckily, he took the screwup well. But I'm gonna have to get my own copy of the text for 002's classes since I think this will happen again. Speedy asked me again about my decision concerning my visa but I couldn't really give him anything. I mean, there really isn't anything to be said...I gotta get a full-time job if I'm to retain my status here. I've yet to hear anything from the juku boss and she's usually quite prompt about replying. A bit worried there. If I don't hear anything soon, I'll have to start giving the bad news to everyone in a couple of weeks.

NHK's been doing its own on-site coverage of the aftermath of a major storm. Typhoon 14 doesn't compare to the death and destruction of Katrina but it still left quite a few casualties and destroyed property throughout the country. The network has also covered the 400th career home run of Hideki Matsui just now.

My lesson with The New Yorker was interesting. She told me that she'd just broken up with her boyfriend of 8 years, and she's now in the middle of getting things packed up to move back to her parents in Ibaraki Prefecture after her shack-up with her ex-beau. Never heard a peep about this boyfriend which seems to be par for the course when it comes to women here. They're quite expert at compartmentalizing the various parts of their social lives. Skippy, for example, didn't even mention a single bit about her boyfriend until way after she'd graduated from the school.

Finally finished "Ringworld" on the subway today. At first, I'd thought the characterizations were pretty thin but they deepened a little later on. I found the lead character of Louis Wu to be the glue holding the group together and also to be a bit of a jerk at the same time. I was surprised that the novel got a whole slew of sci-fi awards including the Hugo and the Nebula. I didn't think it was that amazing but then again Larry Niven probably was the first guy to develop what a ringworld would look like in detail. In any case, I still have a better impression of this novel than I did with J.D. Salinger's "Catcher In The Rye". That novel just didn't work for me...probably a product of its times. Talk about damning with faint praise.

Currently watching the Japanese version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" I'm surprised that the show has lasted this long. I think it's been about 3 or 4 years since it came to our shores. Initially, like the original version with Regis Philbin, the show had regular citizens but it soon reverted to type and is now just showcasing celebs instead. Civilians just aren't charismatic enough here.

Thursday September 8, 1:13 p.m.

Looks like my week of annoying luck (or maybe I should really upgrade it to bad luck) continues. I may be in the doghouse with Speedy since I accidentally brought home some texts that he needed for his lesson right now. I got an SOS from him via phone message and e-mail. Just a lousy habit I've got. I just hate myself sometimes. Well, it's too late for his class today but I'll have to bring them over to him tonight after The New Yorker.

Thursday September 8, 11:20 a.m.

After all that typhoon stuff from early this week, it's a bit "refreshing" to see the skies clear and sunny. However, I'd like to complain to room service about the temperatures. At least, I have the chance to air out the mattress and do the laundry.

It'll be a quiet day workwise. Just have The New Yorker for her 4 o'clock. But I'm still thinking about what to do with the younger sister on Saturday. She's getting a bit old for the kiddie books but I don't think she's quite ready for my usual texts ("So, little one, can you repeat 'Does that include utilities?'"). I'll take a look around the Net for some ideas and take a look at the Shinjuku branch of Kinokuniya tomorrow between The Teacher and SR, but I have a feeling that a lot of the new regimen will be homegrown. Not a bad challenge.

With all of the Katrina coverage I've been watching, I've barely seen any of the local coverage. Not even sure about what's been happening with the election campaign although NHK has been giving air time to the various parties during the early morning and late evening hours.

Thursday September 8, 12:17 a.m.

Well, I had half-expected it but when the news came, it still left me a bit lost and saddened. This morning, I went to meet Paddy's acquaintance, an immigration lawyer, about the possibilities of getting my Permanent Residency. She told me that if I can get all the necessary documents amassed then I would be scot-free. I had already achieved the other major condition: to exist here for over a decade. The only catch: even if I threw in the whole package to Immigration in the morning, it would still take at least 6 months for the whole kit and kaboodle to be processed. And just because it's in processing doesn't mean that I'll get an extension on my current visa. I will still need to extend it...which will mean that I'll have to give up the life and students that I've been enjoying for the past few years. I gotta have a full-time job for any company to sponsor me.

On a day that was exercising some major wind power, I went over to Speedy's some 4 hours before 002's lesson. I told Speedy about my situation. And we rather mulled over the probabilities but the fact is that he can't really help me since his company is still a newborn and financially as shaky. He can't afford to give me a full-time position. I even contacted the immigration lawyer again via e-mail to pose her a question from Speedy about some loophole. She wasn't too optimistic.

As anyone would scold me, I should have seen this coming earlier and done something about it. But frankly, I'm just not one of those guys who can really see the big picture or the long-term goal. What am I gonna do when I retire? Can I just continue teaching English for the rest of my working life? Will I die alone here? Who knows? I don't have this map in my head to tell me where I will be going. But one thing is clear...because of my inaction, almost all of my students will be affected in one way or another. Most likely, I'll have to start scouring The Japan Times Monday ads again for the first time in 8 years.

At this point, I've only told Speedy and I've sent off a message to the juku boss. She will definitely not be happy. Part of the reason I did this was a Hail Mary attempt to see if she could come to my rescue in any way but I doubt it's gonna work. I didn't tell 001 and 002 but the day will most likely come soon. I ended up staying over at the school for several hours due to my very early arrival and the fact that Speedy invited me to have pizza with his wife and the graphic designer responsible for whipping up the company stationery and mugs. It was a pleasant if subdued dinner in the lounge...just perfect for my mood.

The Carolinan just contacted me right now. Looks like she'll be a scratch for later today due to the big move of her office. I'll just be seeing her sister in the late afternoon. Some sleep will be nice right about now.

Wednesday September 7, 7:38 a.m.

Woke up to some sun streaming into my room. And yet, we're still forecast for some rain later today.

I was reading on TVNewser, my most recent acquistion for my Favorites LIst, the latest article which asked the question on why if Anderson Cooper is talking about so many bodies being seen, why aren't they being shown on TV. I didn't get the impression that the author was intimating that Anderson and his colleagues were either lying or exaggerating about the body count. Perhaps he was intimating that such grisly sights need to be shown to really stress the impact of this storm. Well, of course I'm speculating on speculation but I think that the impact of the storm has been made quite well not just in the States but worldwide. Plus, there have been some bodies shown on Anderson and in reports on some of the other shows on CNN although I'm not sure what the policy is on the American networks. I think even in these days when kids would just scoff at the scenes in the very first "Alien" or "Friday the 13th", there is just something about seeing real bodies, bloated and rotting in the hot sun, that would still make a lot of folks squirm if not scream. And believe me, after having the unfortunate curiosity to page through one of those bizarro magazines at HMV detailing grisly death scenes, I think we can be spared the sight of additional bodies and just take Anderson's word for it.

Speaking of disasters, and forgive me for the very rough segue, I heard that on the upcoming Emmys on September 18th, a number of actors and actresses will be paying tribute to theme songs of the past including William Shatner doing his version of the "Star Trek" song. This could rate on the scale of the Rob Lowe/Snow White fiasco.

I received word from The Barmaiden who has just come back from her trip to the World Expo in Aichi Prefecture (there was a World Expo? Who knew?). She had some major gripes about having to line up for hours to get into pavilions to walk around in for a fraction of that time. She made the point that the Japanese seem to have too much patience to wait in queues. Yup, the locals do like their lineups. Whether it be for the most popular restaurants, big sales or overrated expos, the Japanese don't seem to mind whiling away time that could be put to better use. Perhaps there is a feeling that if so many people are lining up for so long, then the purpose for all this queueing up is well worth it. I wouldn't be too sure about that. I know that one of Chip Guy's big peeves about living in this country was the willingness of citizens to line up for hours to get that table in that rumoured Italian restaurant or kaiten sushi bar. His belief is that no restaurant is worth that much love. He has a point...at least when it comes to Italian restaurants and sushi bars, one just has to spit in this burg and the wad would probably hit either type.

Tuesday September 6, 11:45 p.m.

Not quite sure how that typhoon is faring right now. I'm not sure how Tokyo will fare tomorrow morning.

My juku night was a bit off on all corners. I should've kept to the Eiken for The New Kid, The Beauty Pair seemed a little quiet tonight, I had to do a balancing act between The Milds and McGirl to the extent that I nearly crossed the line of favoritism to the latter's side, and The Siberian is still a tough slog. Man, he was sweating like a pig tonight due to the humidity. Just not quite sure what to do with him. He's becoming the poster child of the slogan "Teachers make the worst students". Just doesn't give out a whole lot despite his increased fluency when it comes to conversing.

Once again, the boss, The Siberian and I ended up staying a full half-hour after class chatting. Well, it was more the boss chatting at us. She was talking about the whys and wherefores of running a juku and in the midst of that, she explained how grateful she was that I was working there since I'm still quite the popular one when it comes to teaching English. It was a nice thing to hear since I'm always concerned about how I complete my job. She mentioned that more important than knowing my craft, it was my general approach as a humourous and humane teacher that's gotten me the success I have...or so it's assumed. I'm not sure if that really made The Siberian think a bit more about his lessons with me. Even at his early age and experience, teachers can be pretty set in their ways. In any case, the boss also relayed to me about that company guy whom I helped some months earlier concerning his contract. It looks like he has hit a snag with it. I could've told him the first time that his contract suffered from overly heavy use of legalese. I contacted him by e-mail tonight to see if we can meet sometime in the next few nights.

M+M, or one of them, contacted me tonight about our next session. It'll be sometime next month. I can't be sure about my schedule so far in advance but I can sure try to accomodate them.

It was unbelievable but when I got home it was actually cooler inside than it was outside. I'm still not totally convinced but apparently when I shut down my air conditioner before leaving for the juku, the cold air held its ground for several hours inside the apartment.

Tuesday September 6, 1:51 p.m.

Just watched the news about Fidel Castro's offer of help to the US concerning Katrina. When I first heard of this news last week, I was just floored. An avowed foe of the States not only offering help to its enemy but also having people stand up for a minute of silence? Cats and dogs must be living with each other. Then I saw the footage just now of Castro in front of a reported 1500 doctors with backpacks just ready to go as soon as ol' Bush gives the say-so. Then I said "Wait a minute here" with the sneer that usually comes across my face. Do I sense a bit of political theatre? It's no wonder that the White House hasn't said a thing publicly. Part of me, though, still thinks that Bush should swallow his pride and let the Cubans in. I'm sure Castro has some sort of deviousness up his sleeve but if it can save people's lives on the Gulf Coast, then I'm sure everyone except for the most extreme of right-wingers will be quite happy.

Tuesday September 6, 1:21 p.m.

Looks like another annoying luck day. Not bad luck, just annoying. I accidentally dropped an umbrella near a guy at Tsudanuma Station...no harm done but annoying. I place the same umbrella by a stack of flourescent lamps set to be installed. At the same time, the JR staffer comes by to pick some of them up, gotta move the brolley right away...annoying. And then I drop a platter of supermarket kimchi pork on rice outside thereby wasting 400 yen...well, maybe that was bad luck. I should've realized something when I saw the cost of my groceries come up to 1333 yen. Mind you, it could've been worse, I guess. The bill could have been 20 yen less.

It was a steady spritzer this morning on the way over to the Beehive but the rain has stopped for now. Only a few Bees today...well, actually we were just missing two of them: Mrs Perth and Mrs Travel but they're two of the most vocal members. Actually, everyone is pretty vocal. Mrs. Tee was her usual down-on-herself self. She's got a major house remodeling project underway which is depressing her no end. I always have to be careful that she doesn't completely drain the life out of the room. Mrs Alps was her usual happy self and Mrs Tulip was steady and armed with her e-dictionary just in case of any vocabulary emergencies. And the long-absent Mrs. Jade was back. She'd had a rather busy tough patch earlier in the year since her family was in official mourning after the death of her father-in-law. But the ready smile was back on her face and the others mentioned that she looked rather radiant today. It also helped her cause that her son got officially engaged.

Things seem to be slowly getting back to some sense of normalcy on the news after exactly a week of Live From New Orleans. General Honore is bringing law and order, FEMA and dozens of US agencies are finally getting something done, and CNN reporters are getting less strident. And the network is slowly looking at other disasters around the world: a theatre stampede in Egypt and a plane crash in Southeast Asia.

Monday September 5, 11:06 p.m.

Got word from The Madame and Skippy about their trips home after they had left me on the Yamanote last night. At the time, a driving rain had just started. Skippy was OK since her father came and picked her up in the car but The Madame got a bit of an ankle-soaking walking home. Looks like things got pretty serious last night. There was an area of Tokyo in which some houses got flooded all the way up to the ceiling of the first floor. Right now, Typhoon 14 is hitting Kagoshima on the south end of Japan. It's pretty darn powerful but according to the charts, it looks like it will skirt north of us although we'll probably still get our share of rain on Wednesday.

Had my longest day of the week starting with The Class Act. The Lady is still pretty adamant about the "horrible" service at Sadler last Thursday. To quote Movie Buddy on his opinion of "Revenge of the Sith", he and the other critics must have been watching different movies. And so I wonder if she and I were dining at different restaurants. In any case, neither of us will ever go back there again. In her case, it is out of choice. SIL was fine as usual. And once again, I just had the one student at The Company. And once again, things were better since we went piecemeal over the material instead of having to tackle the conversation in the text cold.

Then I met up with The Poppy at the local Denny's. We had a good time chatting and studying...mostly the latter. I think that's the way we'll probably have our occasional lessons. I won't be seeing her for an entire month since she's unavailable next week and the next two Mondays are occupied by a national holiday and my first day into Taiwan respectively. Man, does she like her older men. She's always had a thing for these actors, Japanese and Western, who are well into their 40s such as Gary Oldman. All I can say is that one of those celebs ought to make tracks for her right now since some of them seem to enjoy "robbing the cradle".

Speedy got back to me after I'd sent that half-apologetic thank you last night. He was pretty neutral. Didn't mention anything about what I'd said about that overagressive girl but thanked me for coming out. Well, I think all I'll do now is just take that shower and make those final comments for The Poppy before retiring. I'll try and get some of the ironing done tomorrow morning before I have my first lesson with The Beehive in several weeks.

Monday September 5, 7:32 a.m.

Well, we certainly got the month's worth of rain last night. I wasn't aware that the rain caused so much misery until I turned on NHK just before hitting the hay and seeing all these bulletins come up. Apparently, a number of homes in Saitama and other suburban areas had to be evacuated. And we still have Typhoon 14 due for touchdown this Wednesday although I think the effect won't be as bad as Typhoon 11.

Still haven't gotten onto the lesson planning. Will be doing that very soon.

Sunday September 4, 8:44 a.m.

Doesn't look too sunny right now out there. And there's rain threatening for tonight's cruise although NHK says that it won't come until after 9 p.m. I'm crossing my fingers although my brain says to expect the worst.

I got word from The Ballerina. She's been busy with her job up in the sky. Not surprisingly, she won't know her schedule for late October...when The Lady and SIL fly off to London...for several weeks but she was kind enough to say that she'd let me know if and when she gets that flight.

With all the news from the States over the past week, I haven't heard much from Japanese news but something that just came in over the radar was the discovery of remains of two Japanese tourists in Afghanistan. They could only be identified through dental records. I'm not sure if they were victims of an accident or the Taliban. One other reason that I haven't been keeping myself updated with the local stuff is that much of it is on the election campaign. If you've been here as long as I have, you'll know that it's all just the usual stentorian blather: we are better than they are, we'll get the country going right again. I've seen a few of the roving vans out there with the megaphones blaring out the candidates' names incessantly and the waving white-gloved hands...a great example of political irony.

Sunday September 4, 11:52 p.m.

It was a fun-filled Sunday for the most part; quite different from the past few Sundays had been spent at home. I met up with The Madame, The Satryr and Skippy at Ueno Station for dim sum. There was a place across the station called Bamboo Garden which sounds more Chinatown-like than Chinese. The entire place was this glass and chrome structure which stuck out incongruously against the old decrepit buildings bracketing Ueno Park. But it was in keeping with the recently remodeled station,

Dim sum in Tokyo is not like dim sum back in Toronto. That is, to say, restaurants don't have these old waitresses pushing carts yelling their wares in Cantonese or Mandarin. Basically, it's just a set course with X number of bamboo steamers. Ours cost 2000 yen per person. The food was pretty good. It was basically the old regulars such as siu mai, sho ron po and gyoza. Certainly the conversation was entertaining enough. The Satryr and I once again got into cinema class mode which often left the ladies in the dust. However, we steered the conversation back into more familiar territory for them. And of course, the ladies always seem to have the knack to get into some rather off-color topics of a sexual nature. Not that I'm complaining too much.

Afterwards, the four of us continued our conversation at a cafe in Ueno Station itself. Once again, we managed to get into some rather intriguing topics such as the uselessness of some of the settings on the bidet-like controls of modern toilet seats. Let's say we found out a little too much information about the Madame in that one. The Satyr had to make his way home so the three of us remaining continued to chat for just a little while longer before we went on to our next destination.

We all made our way down to Takeshiba Pier and met up with Speedy and his gang for that big cruise through Tokyo Bay. There was already a very sizable lineup for the ship with an hour to go before boarding. Quite a lot of folks in their yukata since yukata wearers got a 1000 yen off. Finally, at about 7 the gates opened and we boarded this surprisingly large liner. It wasn't exactly the Queen Elizabeth II but it was definitely no tugboat either. And it did manage to fit all 500 passengers pretty easily.

I found out that this cruise thing is a nightly activity that's been going on since the end of July. With all of the frolicking that took place and in such numbers, I initially thought it was just a one-off special. Each of the four decks had different types of food selling, and the alcohol was freely flowing. We all had a great time and I was personally grateful to the weather for not literally raining on our parade...at least not until we were on our way home. It was quite gusty, though, which made The Madame, Skippy and me squint a lot during the initial minutes of our 1h45min cruise. There was a lot of food such as sushi, yakitori, Korean fare and even Turkish doner kebab being bandied about while some summertime J-Pop of yesterday was blaring on the speakers. Our sizable group was up on the top deck so we had the greatest view as our ship sailed at quite a fast clip. We passed by the bright lights of Odaiba across the bay and then we ended up into some lightless black zone which made me shudder a bit before we turned around and headed back to port.

With our group, there was that rather portly young lady who was with the movie crowd a couple of weeks earlier in Shinjuku. I think it was part alcohol and partly a personal interest in me but in the last leg of the sail, she was trying to strike up a lot of conversation with me and at one point, she wrested me from my talk with The Madame and Skippy to introduce me to a former working-holiday visa guy who had spent a year in Toronto...15 years ago. We had a mutual acquaintance in the form of a guy whose friendship I dissolved several years ago for various reasons I prefer not to go into. Of course, I was polite and didn't say anything about that but that young lady kept bringing up that point just so that she could keep the two of us in the circle. Both she and Speedy tried to get me and my two female companions to go to the second party of karaoke at a building next to the port but we politely declined. For me, I have classes to teach tomorrow, something that I have yet to start planning. However, another part of it was that I just wanted to get out of that lady's gunsights. She's a nice girl and all, and I do remember stating that she was a decent person to actually strike up conversations with everyone at the movie night, but I think she just got a little too agressive that night. So the three of us just silently crept away when we finally docked, something that in retrospect that I feel a little guilty about since I didn't get a chance to thank Speedy and his friend for inviting us to the cruise in the first place. I did send him a thank-you e-mail just now, though.

Once we made our escape, the three of us decided to have a final coffee at a Starbucks in Shimbashi Station before we got on the Yamanote Line. Just a few stations before we got to our respective destinations, the skies opened up and hammered us. When I got off at my station an hour later, it had rained according to the watermarks and drying puddles of water. But thunder and flashes of lightning were rumbling about as I walked home. Just now, there was a rather intense squall followed by some steady shower activity.

I realized I gave that lady my e-mail address and phone number. Ah well...

Sunday August 4, 12:43 a.m.

It's a sunny day in New Orleans right now and with it some glimmer of hope. I just saw the lead military commander, General Honore, kick some major butt at the expense of some soldiers' and cops' pride to get some law and order back into the city. I've been hearing that it is being scoured of some of the scum and villainy that had been terrorizing whoever was left, including whatever was left of the police. Generally, things seem to be improving somewhat according to the less tense tone on CNN. However, the road ahead is still long.

Over here in thankfully more mundane Tokyo, it's been a quiet night. Dinner was a souvenir from the sisters' Mom. It was a package with which one can make flavoured rice with eel. Since I missed out on the Eel Day festivities in late July, I considered it my compensation. Yeah, it worked out pretty well for an instant dish...kinda like a Japanese version of Rice-a-Roni. Afterward, it was just some TV and some CD.

Saturday September 3, 3:00 p.m.

It's dry but it's also so hot that it doesn't really matter. At least any laundry that goes up today will dry by the end of it.

The kids were fine today. The elder sister was still her usual laconic self but at least she did show some abililty to use the target grammar. I played my homemade board game with the younger sister; it was a hit thankfully. After her 2-week trip to Oz, her comprehension has improved...still not the most forthcoming answers but they're coming that little bit faster. I didn't expect that I would get any insight directly from her about what she'd like to do in the near future and sure enough, I didn't get much. However, when I gave her the choice of grammar or conversation, her answer was the latter. I've got my marching orders, and now I get to work on it.

My body is reminding me that my 40th birthday is fast coming up. I've been nodding off a lot on the subways over the last several days. I've been reading through "Ringworld" by Larry Niven. I can't say that it's been an amazing pageturner; it's very much a plot-driven story instead of a character-driven one. But then again, aren't most sci-fi novels?

I decided to hit the neighbourhood Subway for the first time in several weeks. Looks like the place got some cosmetic touchups. Gone are the posters of the mock early 20th-century New York scenes. In their place were big ads for their latest sandwiches. I tried one of those made-only-in-Japan ones (I couldn't imagine it being a huge hit Stateside): the Korean bulgogi subway. Not bad...still I made sure my second sandwich was the tried-n'-true tuna.

Got home and checked the e-mail. The Satryr will indeed be coming for dim sum but not for the cruise (thank heavens for that since I couldn't get a ticket for him in any case). The Madame also gave her intention to come out for the cruise but flat out rejected me for The Lady's party on December 9th. She told me she didn't want to give me the reason but her final suggestion that I take a non-Japanese woman instead spoke volumes. Her answer made me re-evaulate my thoughts about going to the party. The reason I don't want to attend alone is because, based on my past experiences there, the other attendees are all the well-to-do and well-heeled...people that I don't normally relate with outside of The Class Act. Heck, I have enough of a problem relating with people within my own sociological stratum. Well, if that is the case, why would I even invite my true friends to such a place? The only reason would be to show off the grand life. Mind you, I've already told Speedy about this wingding. Well, perhaps I should just stay mum and then when the date nears, I'll just have to reject her invitation politely.

Now I know that New Orleans has become the equivalent of a Third World nation. CNN has sent Jeff Koinange, the guy whom I usually think is the go-to journalist for African crises, into the hell that used to be a medium-sized US city. And even he was horrified at the conditions in the convention centre. The other thing is the sad fact that a third of the police force have allegedly deserted. I say allegedly since I'm not sure how many of those cops have ended up dead or injured. Still, the fearful thing is that there are a certain number of cops who have now gone rogue. Rogue cops?....the equivalent of some small land mines.

I spoke with the kids' mother today after the lessons about the situation in New Orleans. She and her hubby had lived there some years ago as I had mentioned a few days earlier. She related to me how the family had lived close to Lake Pontchatrain when Hurricane Andrew came knocking on their door. They voluntarily evacuated to Alabama with another Japanese family where they turned lemons into lemonade and had a grand old time at their hotel and a nearby mall. As it turned out, Andrew didn't destroy anything in their area although just to make sure they lugged their piano to the highest point in their large home. What miffed the mother royally was the fact that the Japanese Consulate in New Orleans (wasn't even aware that there was such a thing in a regional city) had cleared out even earlier than they did. Well, Andrew is now looking a lot more different than Katrina.

Well, I guess it's time to get some of that laundry done as well as clean up the apartment. Gotta do something to burn off some of those calories from those sandwiches.

Saturday September 3, 6:47 a.m.

It's the first time I've been up this early in a while. But I've got those classes with the kids at 9:30 today. It was somewhat tough to haul my carcass off the futon but the coffee has helped. I was busy making this board game with cards for the younger sister. It should provide a good review for her and then I can decide where to take the young lady conversationally after 2 years on the Longman Picture Dictionary.

The situation in New Orleans is still pretty dire. Aside from the hurricane damage, the place still looks like any American city but the conditions are apparently on a par with Somalia with snipers, rape gangs, corpses and human waste. I was truly shocked when I heard that Fats Domino rode out the storm; I thought he'd died years ago.

In an earlier entry (weeks, months ago?), I mentioned about the late journalist, Frank Reynolds on ABC, going ballistic live during the Reagan assassination crisis. Well, I can't speak about how the major network news divisions are doing these days but it certainly looks like we've been seeing a few meltdowns on CNN over the past few days. Miles O'Brien is fast becoming the dreaded Mike Wallace of his network. He had another fight with another governor, this time with Governor Blanco of Louisiana. His namesake, Soledad O'Brien, has also been in spear mode with certain guests, notably with the head of FEMA and the Homeland Security Secretary. Anderson Cooper bawls out a senator over the air for being part of the venal pack of politicians congratulating each other for an "excellent" job. A couple of the reporters have shown themselves breaking down at the situation. And then I heard about this event which may have replaced the famous/infamous Jon Stewart takedown of "Crossfire" as the CNN blowup of the year: a little shouting match between Carol Costello and Chad Myers on air for some little faux pas. I'm sure it was an indirect result of the crisis and that hopefully Myers and Costello have patched things up; they used to work literally side by side in Atlanta before she made her way up to New York. According to the other blogs, it certainly looks like Costello is the villain of the piece. Admittedly, her personality can abrade many (including me). Still, after reading about this, I did notice that Myers, after a number of days covering the weather in New Orleans, was off from "American Morning" last night. I have to wonder if he's been given a well-deserved day off or if he's been reprimanded for throwing down his notes in front of a live audience. Most likely both.

Friday September 2, 8:04 p.m.

Got to see a couple of people I hadn't seen in about a month. The Teacher has been rather busy with a number of projects including her husband's attempts to build a house somewhere in the country. She also told me of her own blog for which I have the address. And then I got to see SR. She's in the first few months of her pregnancy and therefore will be limiting her lessons with me to just twice a month. Morning sickness hasn't seemed to be a big problem with her but she's been getting pretty darn tired. On the blog theme, I just informed her of the two blogs run by the celebs Eriko Sato and Sonim.

In between lessons, I stopped off at Maruzen once again to pick up another one of those I SPY books to use with the younger sister. Looks like I'll be making up a board game to review the past couple of years' worth of grammar. I'm hoping against hope that her trip to Australia opened up something in her.

On the good side, Speedy left a message saying that he was able to get those tickets for me, Skippy and The Madame.

Friday September 2, 7:26 a.m.

The media has been talking about breaking points in the aftermath of Katrina. I think one is about to be reached between FEMA and CNN. Yesterday, Anderson Cooper and the journos O'Brien were starting to get on their soapboxes and tear pieces out of the Federal Emergency Management Authority in their interviews. I guess with Lou Dobbs away from his desk, somebody had to do the crusading. So far, the reps from FEMA have been on the defensive about the seeming slowness of their efforts to get aid to the devastated folks on the Gulf Coast. However, I managed to see one testy little exchange between Miles O'Brien and the governor of Mississipi, Haley Barbour, last night in which the latter was starting to gouge into the media via the flustered O'Brien for being unfairly critical of the FEMA boys and girls. I'm sure they were pumping their fists when Barbour lowered the boom. Still, I think Barbour and FEMA reps aren't gonna win too much sympathy for using the fact that a lot of citizens didn't heed the warnings to evacuate before Katrina roared into town.

I'm once again quite Libran on this point. I cannot imagine how the stranded citizens along the Coast must feel as they wait and wait for supplies which don't seem to be coming fast enough. And CNN feels that they're the white knights sticking up for them and sticking it to FEMA to get their asses in higher gear. And things seem to be getting direr by the hour as once-proud citizens are digging through garbage now to find some food or drink; snipers...probably folks who have gone beyond their breaking points...are shooting everyone and everywhere; and doctors and nurses acting like they were in an especially intense episode of MASH. The area resembles more like a military action in a 3rd-world country rather than a cleanup in the United States. On the other hand, I'm sure FEMA isn't intentionally dragging its heels on this disaster. The Authority is going above and beyond the call of duty to get vital help to places like New Orleans and Biloxi but I think the sad fact of the matter is that Katrina was such a huge phenomenon that even the most-prepared rescue organization could not have reacted any faster. Still one wonders...after the horrors of 9-11 four years ago, what has FEMA learned?

The only recent equivalent we have here to Katrina was, of course, The Great Hanshin Earthquake from a decade ago. Now I'm not sure about the circumstances here...the society is different which therefore will affect everything from how people react to disasters to how media covers those disasters. However, I can't recall turmoil of this magnitude that is currently affecting the hurricane-hit areas showing up in Kobe in the immediate days after the quake had hit there, and this was a city which lost five thousand of its citizens. I recall some criticism of the Murayama government for slowness of reaction but there didn't seem to be this open verbal warfare. Also, one factor was that the regional Yakuza...and if I can add further elucidate, Kobe is perhaps Yakuza Central...was openly helping out to keep law and order at the grassroots level. And no one says No to one of those guys. I can only say that FEMA will probably be doing a lot of soul-searching once they get enough time for a breather.

To be honest, this disaster has once again gotten me thinking about what if and when The Big One hits Tokyo. Would things end up like what is happening in New Orleans? Just cannot be sure. One thing I am sure about is that I'm gonna start thinking about making up that quake survival kit. And it's not as if we'll get days of advance warning with a quake...aside from these so-called earthquake clouds. Ironically, yesterday was the annual Disaster Prevention Day in Japan.

Thursday September 1, 9:32 p.m.

Didn't teach a single class today but this was the most exhausting day this week so far. Allow me to give you a recap.

I think one factor is that I put on the good suit for that lunch in Roppongi Hills with The Lady and The Chef. I just carried the jacket for most of the day since I didn't want to broil in the 32-degree heat. But I figure just knowing that I was wearing a Made-In-Canada suit was enough to get the sweat going. I made my way down to Azabu-Juban, the same ritzy neighbourhood where The Quarterback got married earlier this year and where I had that special Korean dinner with The OL and Betty Boop. This time, I went up the slope to the Gate Tower, the first building of the Roppongi Hills complex coming up from A-J. I arrived there an hour early so I just looked around the Tsutaya CD/DVD rental shop. Tsutaya, if I haven't mentioned it before, is the Japanese equivalent of Blockbuster Video in the States or Rogers in Canada. I know the flagship store in Shibuya just across from the JR station. But the A-J branch was suitably more upscale-looking with wood paneling and artsy-looking chairs to sit down in. There was a Starbucks on the 1st floor so I just grabbed a Tazo Chai Tea Latte, one of my favourites there and just drank away and started reading Larry Niven's "Ringworld" for about 20 minutes before taking the elevator up to the restaurant.

When I got up to the 3rd floor, I was mentioning to the well-dressed maitre d' of Sadler about the reservation when I saw The Chef and The Lady seated in the lounge ahead of me. The three of us were then led to our table. I'd already known from the night before that Sadler was a pretty ritzy place from the sky-high prices and the "raging debate" surrounding its status as the premier Italian restaurant in Tokyo. However, the point was further hit home when our little group was escorted to the table surrounded by a fleet escort of suited waiters, and then our bags were placed on small benches....or I should say, settees in a place like this. Even the inanimate objects get pampered! I won't get into too much detail about what we'd eaten since that would frankly take too long and I certainly can't remember the names of the dishes. For one thing, they were in Japanese and Italian...and the two descriptions took up several lines for each dish, another indication that I wasn't in McDonalds.

Suffice it to say that the food was scrumptious. One of my highlights was appropriately the main dish, a surprisingly big medallion of Sendai Beef wonderfully seasoned and garnished. Our lead waiter, an Italian, even put on shavings of actual truffles on my dish. Wow! I'd seen and heard of truffles for decades...and watched them being applied to various dishes on "Iron Chef" over the years, so it was with some delight that I finally got to eat some. Actually, there wasn't much of a taste to them but still, I can finally boast that I got my taste of the fungus.

In fact, I was quite surprised at how long the lunch and how plentiful the servings were. I was quite stuffed by the time I finished dessert. Also, the alcohol was liberally flowing. I was quite red after downing a glass of champagne and white wine each. I tried to compensate with some sparkling mineral water and a delectable peach smoothie.

The conversation was anchored by The Lady herself since neither The Chef and I are particularly all that vociferous. However, all of us managed to keep things pretty balanced. I was kinda hoping for a bit more education from The Chef about his feelings about the dishes and how to prepare them. But I had been warned beforehand by The Lady that The Chef's forte was in his cooking not in his skills of regaling. At the same time, though, what prevented the lunch from being perfect occurred a little after the midway point of our 2.5-hour gastronomic odyssey. The Lady, through smiling teeth, confessed that she wasn't impressed at all with our Italian waiter's attitude, which internally shocked me. I thought the old boy was very professional, polite without being overly fawning, and very knowledgeable about the dishes. I'm not sure why The Lady was so unhappy with him (perhaps she wanted someone a bit more on the friendly side) but she didn't mince any words. She shot out that perhaps he was the reason that the restaurant wasn't so crowded during lunch, and then when the elevator doors were just closing, she mentioned that she probably wouldn't come to Sadler again if that waiter were there (as I said before, Sadler is arguably the best and most expensive Italian restaurant in town). The two times that her criticisms came out, I was wondering if she had meant them to be overheard by staff. And to top it all off, she said that her husband would probably have stood up and gone straight to the exit. For the same service, I would have given the guy a generous tip! Both The Chef and I stayed rather mum during her quiet tirade. Just goes to show that despite our long relationship, The Lady and I inhabit two different worlds that a solar system apart. Having had my own thankfully brief experience in the food service industry many years ago, I'd have to empathize more with the waiter. Rich people can be very demanding.

The Lady and The Chef made their way to the car. The Lady offered me a lift to the subway station but since it was less than a kilometre either way to Roppongi and Azabu-Juban stations, I demurred politely and waddled my way back to A-J. I made my way over to Akasaka-Mitsuke and once again I found myself with about an hour to kill before meeting The Barmaiden one last time before she made her way to The Great White North next week. So I just browsed through the Belle Vie store before meeting her in front of the First Kitchen. She was her usual ebullient self. For an hour in the fast food shop, we talked about her upcoming 3-month stay in my hometown. And I provided some photographs of Toronto just to show her what the place was like. Luckily, a lot of the photos were of places that were quite close to where she would be studying. She also spoke about how the last few weeks before her graduation were. In a sign of the times, her graduating class only had 4 members including herself. No fancy restaurant for her. It was just takeout pizza in the student lounge. Talk about pathetic! Strangely enough, she will be attending the same school that 002 from Speedy's will be attending in Toronto. The Barmaiden encouraged me to get 002 to make contact with her. I think it would be a good idea, too, since The Barmaiden can act as a vanguard for 002 before the latter's departure in October.

Finally, I made my way up to Speedy's to get some paperwork done. Speedy was also rather surprised about the coincidence concerning The Barmaiden and 002. I checked my e-mail while I was there. I got my third surprise of the day when I actually got positive responses from Skippy and The Madame about this cruise on Sunday. Well, actually, Skippy was pretty gung-ho. The Madame hasn't been in the best of health this past week so she's not sure about it. Well, as it turned out, Speedy underestimated the availability of tickets for the cruise. When I told him that my two friends were interested, he had The Morning Girl call up the ticket office. She then got the bad news that the tickets were pretty much sold out so this whole cruise thing may not come off for us after all. He was properly chastened by the realization although he hopes that there will be a few tickets left. However, I hope to hear from him about it either way.

As I said, I was plenty exhausted by the time I got home. Perhaps I wasn't teaching folks today but I was still meeting students and teachers alike. Also, it's interesting to note how different the meetings were. From the high life of Sadler to the fast food conversation with The Barmaiden to the hanging out with Speedy. I gather that my life isn't all that dull.

Thursday September 1, 7:56 a.m.

The situation in New Orleans and elsewhere is deteriorating pretty badly. It's hard to imagine that the home of jazz and Cajun cooking is in serious danger of becoming extinct. Certainly, it won't be the same New Orleans if and when it does recover. It'll be interesting when I see the parents of the two girls on Saturday since they had lived there years ago. It's been well over a decade since they left the area but I wonder what they must be thinking. Watching "War of the Worlds" when I did, a full 2 months after its release here, has been strangely prophetic considering the scenes of moral breakdown in that flick. Downtown New Orleans has become a similar microcosm of what happened to the planet in Tom Cruise's movie: bewildered people walking in a helpless funk, looting and lawlessness are rampant. To be honest, I couldn't blame most of the people there who steal the stuff and I think what police remain there are just as sympathetic. The fact is that these people are hungry, tired and desperate, and really when it gets this bad, humans will become just as ruthless as wild animals to survive. The problem is that humans also know how to use firearms.

Wednesday August 31, 11:06 p.m.

Hard to believe that we're at the end of August and tomorrow will actually be September. The official first day of Fall won't be for another 3 weeks but I consider entering the 9th month as a turning point into the final full season of the year.

Went to the gym today and sweated like a fountain once again. Definitely didn't smell like a bed of roses when I finished up but at least I knew I pumped some iron. I'll probably be feeling pretty sore tomorrow. Pampered myself by heading back down to that 2nd-floor restaurant for lunch.

It was another pleasant time at Speedy's. The Secretary and the Morning Girl were taking pics for the new bulletin board. I did my best to mug for the camera. Speedy also informed me of this cruise thing that he and his wife would be taking on Sunday evening. It's apparently starting from Takeshiba Pier, just across from Odaiba, at about 6. A sushi joint and a bar that Speedy frequents are behind the venture so the price isn't too bad at 2500 yen per person for all-you-can-drink on the ship. I was tickled enough by it that I even sent a missive to The Madame and Skippy just in case (I doubt it, though) they would be interested. The Madame still has those overprotective parents of hers...still on a curfew...Good Grief!

The Barmaiden got back to me about Thursday. Looks like I'll be meeting her in the tony Akasaka-Mitsuke district, near her workplace, tomorrow afternoon for coffee. I'll bring some pics of the ol' hometown to give her an idea what she'll be looking forward to. Not sure but I may be making a lightning stop between the lunch with The Lady and the coffee with the Barmaiden to Speedy's since I have to get a little paperwork done.

I also finally got word from The Teacher. Looks like I'm still on the payroll as far as she's concerned. I have to also think about what I'm gonna do for the kids on Saturday. Yep, they're back on my schedule. I'm not too worried about the older sister since the texts are pretty much set with her. However, I'm gonna have to think about the little one. Do I continue with the baby stuff or do I finally graduate her to something a bit more adult and therefore something I can more easily handle?

Tuesday August 30, 11:36 p.m.

We have been getting our own version of "outer band precip" to borrow some jargon from the Hurricane Katrina coverage. Throughout the evening at the juku, I was hearing some pretty heavy rain off and on. Unfortunately, I was caught in one of the bands heading home tonight so my shoes are pretty waterlogged. Luckily, I have my sneakers for tomorrow.

I had lunch, or a very early dinner, at that cafe where The Teacher and I have our chats. I went for a curry special: a plate of naan, rice and two kinds of curry with salad and a wedge of melon for just 930 yen. No, it's not exactly the Maharajah but the plate did good by me. I didn't win out on the discount though since I actually had one more spot to fill on the card but it seems like I have an ally in one of the waitresses. She's the one who usually serves The Teacher and me so she just got me a new version of the card, all filled up with an expiration date of sometime in 2006. My old card was due to expire tomorrow.

I had a better time with The New Kid today. Just basically kept it to the English Proficiency stuff so he appreciated the lesson more. The Beauty Pair was fun as usual and I actually got to see The Milds for the first time in a few weeks. McKid was off at her punk rock concert in Shibuya (can't really imagine her slamdancing). As for the Siberian, it was another sloggy one but at least I don't have to blame myself. The guy had only 5 hours of sleep, worked 10 hours at his juku, downed a gyudon (lots of carbs in that one) and had to head on out to a drinking party after the lesson. He was definitely not at the top of his game. Still, his fluency is still much better than before.

I'm gonna make another play for the gym tomorrow, have lunch and then head on out for Speedy's. I gotta at least take a little look at what I've gotta do for 001 and 002 before hitting bed in 40 minutes.

Checked out that restaurant where I am supposed to meet The Lady and The Chef on Thursday. It's called Sadler. It specializes in Milanese cuisine and the place has lunches starting at 4900 yen! Ay-ya!

Tuesday August 30, 1:51 p.m.

It's starting to cloud over somewhat. The forecast said that rain was likely this evening so I've got the collapsible umbrella in my bag just in case. I'm gonna try and get that gym time in since I haven't been there for a week. I got word from The Lady about this Thursday. I'm meeting her and The Chef at 12 in Roppongi Hills; she said that I can just come in my regular duds that I wear for her lesson but I think I'll err on the side of caution and even bring my jacket..though I know that the heat will kill me.

I got word from The Madame as well. Looks like she's OK for the movie outing on the 17th. But I've still got that dim sum thing with her and Skippy on the 4th. I've yet to hear from The Teacher about this Friday. I hope if she is deciding to drop me (which wouldn't, outside of the financial loss, bother me that much since it was pretty much gab for money anyways), she will at least give me a "Dear John" e-mail.

Things got pretty sober as I was watching the coverage on Hurricane Katrina, especially hearing Jeanne Meserve's often tearful report on the devastation in New Orleans on Newsnight. There are a lot of people in dire trouble out there. It will really make any issue I have this week pretty pathetic in comparison.

Tuesday August 30, 10:27 a.m.

I was awakened by one of the Lady's early morning messages. Mind you, she called after 8 a.m. but if I'm still in bed, it's early. She's upgraded her restaurant journey to this Thursday. Well, I don't have any plans the day after tomorrow and The Barmaiden has yet to respond to me about coffee so I sent a fax to The Lady giving the OK. I would've liked to have invited The Madame but that would have been presumptuous of me. Plus, we do have that dim sum thing this coming Sunday.

I've been running late on some things. I have yet to start prepping for the juku classes tonight and I still have no idea how to handle The Siberian and his newfound fluency. I was planning to hit the cafe today that The Teacher and I use on Fridays since she gave me that discount coupon for lunch but it looks like I'll have to put that off til tomorrow.

CNN is now out of Red Alert mode although the entire news is still dedicated to Hurricane Katrina. I can actually see the reporters fully without having them obscured by debris and rain. Looks like New Orleans, as bad as the hit was, still managed to get lucky in that it wasn't a direct one. I just read on the Canadian websites that what remains of Katrina willl be hitting Ontario. Hopefully, all that it will amount to there will be just some heavy rain.

Monday August 29, 9:37 p.m.

Not too bad today here in the Big Sushi...unlike in New Orleans. I just had The Lady today. She was quite gabby which can only help her fluency. And I'm glad that she's decided to take a more proactive role in her English education. She'll be reading and listening more. I also encouraged her to talk more as well although I can understand that she may be intimidated by the better prowess of her husband and daughter. Considering what she's told me about the inner strength of her family members over the years, I definitely wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of these people.

I was lucky enough to get The Chef's fare again. Today was some cold tomato pasta with corn on the cob and salad. I was even luckier when The Lady proposed that she, I and The Chef could try out a restaurant that he knows in Roppongi later in September. Any place that The Chef suggests must be in the excellent range.

SIL was having a rollicking good time this afternoon with the cusp of the fun being a rather morbid joke at the late Sonny Bono's expense...something about the way he passed on and The Cartoon Network.

The Company just had that same student again. The first hour was pretty good but again he slammed into a vocab wall in the second hour. Also, his energy levels dissipated pretty quickly after the break. We had a bit of a chat in the middle of that second hour on the upcoming general elections here. Basically, we were of the opinion that despite all the media hoopla that will cover the campaign as of tomorrow, the results and the consequences will still be the same: corrupt and logjammed.

Got home and had that leftover pasta from last night so it was basically a heavy carb day (sorry if I offend those Atkins Diet surfers), and for that matter, a free carb day. With the free lunch and the leftovers, I didn't have to pay that much for food today.

I've been getting answers to my announcement of my Taiwan trip. Miss Perth of the Beehive answered back; I'll back with those ladies as of next Tuesday but Perth herself I probably won't see until October due to various things. SR also got back to me and put me down on her schedule for this and next Friday...always nice to get that extra income. And the Prez wished me well on my trip although he wasn't there at the Company today. Speedy let me know about the next big movie outing for the 17th. It's been confirmed as Johnny Depp's latest. I'll see if Movie Buddy, The Madame and Skippy would like to attend.

Getting back to New Orleans, it's sounding as if the worst-case scenariou won't be coming to pass after all. Still, it's gonna be pretty dire for The Big Easy. And I just heard that not only has the power in The Astrodome gone out but it has actually sprung a leak. I sense a future made-for-TV movie. Once again, the intrepid Anderson Cooper is out there right in Katrina's way.

Sunday August 28, 10:07 p.m.

Made that ton of pepperocino spaghetti with an assist from The Carolinan's gift of white wine. Swigged a bit of it myself which made the cooking all that much more fun. Luckily, nothing burned down. Kinda too bad that I could only get through a third of it...well, maybe it's not such a bad thing after all.

I've been keeping updated on Hurricane Katrina which may transform New Orleans into Atlantis as of tomorrow night my time. Here we were in Japan fretting about last week's typhoon when in actuality Typhoon 11 rates a poor third against Katrina. Well, all I can say is that like many things there, when the US gets or does somethng, it does it big.

I've sent out the Japanese version of my heads-up announcement to my lower students concering my trip to Taiwan in a month. Man, I got a semi-frantic call from the juku boss asking about this week's schedule. I sighed because I knew what was up. She must have thought I was heading off tomorrow. Well, I called her and set her straight. Speaking of weather and Taiwan, I'm a bit concerned about this trip on seeing the latest typhoon making a beeline toward the country. I hope that the situation is much better at the end of September.

Sunday August 28, 4:15 p.m.

Went out to Daiei to get some shopping done. I cleaned my old glasses in that electrostatic solution machine at the optical department. Just saw a huge atomic cloud emanate from my glasses...goes to show how much of a civilization was able to grow during that time in the nooks and crannies of my spectacles. Saw some of the prices of the glasses WITH lenses. Not too bad at all...just around 18000 yen. But I'm gonna continue searching around. I also bought some gym socks since a lot of my pairs are getting rather holey.

Kinda broke the bank today buying stuff for my pasta tonight. Ah, well....I might as well make a great dish and go a little overboard on the money instead of settling for something mediocre and just being under the budget line. Saw a couple of kids who looked to be in desperate need of a fat farm. Paddy once mentioned that he couldn't tell men and women apart from behind since they were both so thin. He won't have to worry about the next generation, though.

Sent off some missives to students who have been largely absent this month. Just want to make sure that I still have them come September.