Monday November 20, 5:28 p.m.

Gonna have to be typing this at a slightly more accelerated rate since I gotta go pick up The Part-Timer at the subway to lead her to our new "classroom".

The weather has been another wet one. I got a reprieve this morning when the clouds decided to dry up. My sneakers (more like overdressed sandals now) were grateful but I think the raindrops have started to fall again according to what I'm hearing out of the window.

I had my regular Monday sessions with The Class Act and SIL. The Class Act was once again on gab mode...this time on art. The Lady had just purchased some rather ancient Chinese artifacts and was showing them off. I can believe that she had the moxie and the money to pull this off. She also mentioned that she has a Picasso somewhere in the house...figures. She asked me about my artistic tastes. I don't really have any so I just went with who I knew from my trips to The Art Gallery of Ontario as a lad....Henry Moore. The Lady was quite satisfied with my answer; apparently, Moore has a cult following here, too. As for SIL...well, let's say it wasn't one of our more prolific sessions. She rejected my article on the TomKat wedding although she asked if she could take it home for further perusal. When a teacher finishes up a class with a talk on vomit, it's a pretty dire class. I noticed that although SIL said that she would be available next week, she also landed a caveat that she would tell me if there could be no session. Not a good sign.

I'm still having my Desilu mornings on Super Drama TV. "The Untouchables" is in its fourth and final season while "Mission: Impossible" has entered the Leonard Nimoy years. Both transitions have shown that the shows have "jumped the shark". Robert Stack's magnum opus is no longer all that watchable although this morning's episode, "Blues for a Dead Goose" was a step back to the old days, thanks to the film noirish antihero played by a young Robert Duvall. However, it's evident that Ness and the boys were now taking a back seat; Hobson and the rest of the Untouchables hardly have any lines at all. As for "Mission: Impossible" without Martin Landau and Barbara Bain....well, let's say that Nimoy himself has admitted that even he doesn't remember too much about his time there.

Well, as TomKat have given their Scientology nuptials in Italy, I was given some rather interesting news about weddings on the local scene. Actress/model/pneumatic beauty Norika Fujiwara has announced her engagement to some popular comedian...not the usual company president or handsome thespian or baseball player. I'm sure while Fujiwara is stating that she feels like the luckiest woman in the world, the guy, and many other guys, must be saying that he feels like the luckiest bastard.

I did forget to mention that The Engineer called up past midnight (so of course, I wasn't answering the phone) to ask about my availability during Xmas vacation. He needn't have done it since he had already asked about it via e-mail some weeks ago. Maybe he needed someone to talk to.

Sunday November 19, 3:19 p.m.

After our special lesson with that tarento's kid, Skippy decided to keep going with our regular Burger Tour. She'd asked a few other people such as OA, The Madame and The Kid. The Kid did respond positively to Skip's summons. But OA couldn't make it and, of course, The Madame pooh-poohed the idea since her transition to Asian vegetarianism.

We headed all the way to Ningyocho on the Hibiya Line...a couple of stations away from Akihabara. It was also the first time to visit this area. Unsurprisingly, Ningyocho was more inner-city than Honancho but it still had that down-home feel of shitamachi. Since The Kid wouldn't be available for another few hours, we just whiled away an hour at a nearby Doutor's cafe before we walked into one of the quiet side streets.

This latest burger joint, Brozzer's (and here I thought that Skippy was making a typically Japanese pronounciation error with the word brothers), was located on the corner in the middle of a deserted commercial sector; I gather that the area is a lot more hopping during the weekdays. As we shivered briefly outside in the windy cold, we took a gazer at the menu. Yup, these guys do their burgers...there were two pages of different variations on the American staple which included the de rigeur super burger. Brozzer's isn't a huge place...it only occupies one floor but it beats Baker's Bounce, the very first burger tour destination, in that it's a whole lot more spacious, although it also helped that it was a Saturday night in a commercial area of town. Skippy ordered an Avocado Burger while I went for the Bacon Cheese with an extra patty for 350 yen. I gotta admit...the Bacon Cheese made a very good rival for that burger I had at Village Vanguard almost a month ago, and I didn't have to hear the spiel on how to actually eat a burger. One other thing that shows that Japanese society likes to put its own little spin on imported ideas: along with the regular napkins, there was also a basket filled with wax paper envelopes to put our burgers in. Heaven forbid that any of that combination of meat juices, mustard and ketchup would invade our fingers while eating. Even in these days of J-R&B and hip-hop fashion, licking fingers after a good juicy burger is still verboten. However, I stayed true to the American cause. Even though I used the envelope, my hands were still a regal mess by the time I inhaled my mass of meat.

The Kid would be another hour or so. I cheekily suggested that when he did arrive, we would be honour-bound to order some dessert so that he wouldn't be too self-conscious about eating his burger in front of us. As it turned out, The Kid hadn't eaten a thing all day so he was quite happy to go down to town on a Tartar Burger (don't ask)...I was quite happy to do the same to a slice of brownie with a scoop of ice milk (not ice cream...this definitely didn't have that usual taste of vanilla). Neither Skippy nor I had seen The Kid since our last get-together for those Akiba maid cafes back in March. Skippy reverted to older sister mode again with him.

Not sure as we waddled our way back to the station if I would see Skippy or The Kid again for the rest of the year. In a way, after looking at my bank account, I kinda hope that I don't just so that I can ease the financial leakage but I've got a feeling that Skippy will be calling upon me one more time for a new restaurant she wants to try out.

When I made my way home from the station, I witnessed a couple of examples of some of the dregs of night life. A couple of raucous lads were screaming gleefully at the top of their lungs in the mall under the subway, and there was an angry drunk man hitting anything sticking out of the ground while ambling on the street heading home. I daintily walked across the street so that I wouldn't have to encounter him. No problems obviously in either case but when I got home I was reminded of yet another murder in suburban Tokyo in which the sociopath was able to straddle across balconies and enter an open window to strangle his female neighbour who had been arguing with him about his rather loud entries and exits. The loud screams got the other neighbours calling 110 but it was too late by then. I currently have that weirdo hikikomori type living next door so I locked my bedroom window. My living room window can't be closed due to the washing machine outside so I've braced the sliding window with my old crutches.

I felt rather bloated this morning when I woke up but my stomach is growling something awful now since I haven't eaten any lunch. I got the call from Mom that she and Dad got back home safely. This time, it was my turn to suffer from garbled KDD transmission; Mom could hear me perfectly clearly so I didn't mention anything about my end. In any case, I'm so accustomed to her comments and cadences that I could pretty much decipher everything she said.

That arrival of the Anime King is getting more and more dicey. He's now well on his way to his home country of Taiwan so contact will be more difficult. He's arriving on the afternoon of the 28th, the same day as my juku classes. Timing will be crucial. I hope that the Anime Chamberlain and The Anime Duke will be able to assist.

The biggest worry though is how I'm gonna try to financially survive over the next few months...

Sunday November 19, 2:49 p.m.

I've found another base of operations for Internet...just across from my station. It's a bit more rough n' ready...the cashier was sullen, I hear a lot of annoying giggling near me, and there is no point card system...but it's cheaper than even Ai Cafe. I got the 3-hour pack for just 980 yen. I was gonna go to Ai Cafe but when I updated my bankbook after about a month, I was rather depressed to see the results, so I decided to keep things strictly within the neighbourhood. It isn't much of a day to go out anyways...cold and drippy out there.

Well, yesterday was quite interesting. I had the kids for their usual lessons; I got some persimmons from their Mom. And then I headed out for lunch before my meeting with Skippy. I ended up going to the B1 of the Maynds Bldg near Shinjuku Station. Folks, if you ever want to find some decent uncrowded restaurants in one of the most crowded areas during the weekends, the Maynds Building is the place. The entire B1 is one restaurant alley: Chinese, tonkatsu, ramen, a Subway, Indian. I ended up going for a bowl of chashiu shoyu ramen. That would be noodle soup with large slices of BBQ pork and soy sauce-base broth. For soy sauce, I found it a bit lighter than usual.

After noodling around at Tower Records for an hour, I met up with Skippy at Honancho Station at about 2. We were going to that celeb's house to teach her kid. But first, we stopped off at a nearby family restaurant to have some drinks and talk about the plan. Skip was of course the person in charge so I just listened to what she had in mind for me. I was to be the native English guy for the kid. I'd never been to this neighbourhood before...it was at the end of an adjunct branch of the Marunouchi Line...just 4 stations. Walking through it, Honancho just struck me as being a typical suburban area...not a place where the famous come to roost.

We walked over to the tarento's house at about 3. The house itself was not a huge deluxe mansion that would be typical of The Lady's neighbourhood but it was a nicely apportioned semi-detached townhouse. Meeting the tarento herself was striking in that I wasn't awed by this person. I don't mean that as an insult at all...the lady has been a fixture on TV variety shows and even a few dramas for years and comes across on the small screen as a rather loud and raucous presence...but the lady in person(same face, same height) just struck me as a very regular softspoken housewife and mother. Skippy had told me once that her employer was quite different but I finally got the proof from that moment. The tarento and her mother cordially invited us in to meet her son, a typically 6-year-old bundle of energy, and we had some desserts before the lesson itself. We had a nice little bit of chitchat about me and Canada and about the kid's numerous robots and dinosaurs before we went up to his room. The only thing that tipped me off about the family's well-off status was that this kid is the first ever kid I've ever met with his own large TV and DVD player in his room. The lesson itself was about an hour long but Skippy was made to teach kids; she just has this very natural ability to get along with little ones, but she was able to insert me in through the games like a pro. Really, all I needed to do was just ask the kid some questions that he could answer very well already. The hour went by at warp speed. The tarento herself poked her head in secretly to check on the goings-on. She seemed quite happy at the results.

Afterwards, the son showed me some of his Lego creations. They were definitely not my generation's Lego...they were some pretty complex looking dinosaurs...I wouldn't have identified them as the multi-coloured bricks of yore. I also got a chance to meet the father, a young and handsome actor. Just like his wife, he didn't put on any airs...he could've just been working at a company as a regular salaryman. Finally, we were able to take some pics; I had my last shot on my disposable camera luckily. I hadn't been sure if I would've been allowed to take some pics or ask for an autograph (I didn't) since privacy could have been an issue but the entire family was only too happy to take some poses for me and Skippy. And we even got some baked goods from a nearby trendy bakery. One of the nicest afternoons I'd ever spent.

Thursday November 16, 2:45 p.m.

Unlike yesterday, the sun is out and shining. Got back home last night to see that my hanging laundry was quite drenched but it should be drying nicely now.

Last night, while Speedy and I were putzing away at our computers, I just happened to come across the CNN site stating that there had been a major quake yesterday some 1100 miles away from Etorofu, one of the Kurile Islands, northeast of Hokkaido. Because of the distance, there was no problem from the quake itself but all of the tsunami warnings lit up like a Xmas tree apparently. So, all of the TV stations, including NHK, went on alert for half of the Pacific coast and the entirety of Hokkaido. However, I wouldn't have heard of anything if it hadn't been for that little look at CNN. And by the time I got home, everything was pretty much back to normal. My brother was concerned enough, though, that he sent me an e-mail asking if everything were OK. Also, he wasn't sure when Mom and Dad were coming back to Toronto, so I'm gonna have to try to contact them via Uncle to get the number for Grandpa's ol' house.

Just had The Polynesian today. She and MB finally met after an absence of 2 years. As for MB, I had to let him know that we would have to re-schedule the final DVD outing this year since I realized that I have the kids on the 26th. The 2nd is the only chance we've got.

After The Polynesian, I scooted over to that cafe across from Speedy's for a bit of recon, since The Part-Timer will now have to find alternate facilities for her lessons on Mondays. As true with all of that strange Japlish, this place is called The Cafe in Broom (should it be bloom?). The interior has got that pastel trendy interior with a bunch of coffee-table magazines. I was lucky enough to see an English-language "Esquire" with that fetching picture of Jessica Alba on the cover (too much mascara, though...looks slightly raccoonish) so I had some reading material while I noshed on a 900-yen chili chicken on rice lunch. It was tasty if a bit too shrill on the heat. The place should do rather nicely.

After I get done with the surfing here in Akihabara, I should be heading over to the nearest department store to start the Xmas shopping. Mom gave me a little stipend in thanks for the accomodations so it's time to pick up the calendars. Then, it'll be a nice little night at home.

Wednesday November 15, 10:03 p.m.

Recently, I've been hearing about this new hit show called "Heroes" which has been making its rounds on NBC. I first noticed the phenom (I guess "Lost" has finally peaked?) when I made my visit to Kinokuniya a couple of weeks ago and noticed that an edition of Entertainment Weekly put the cast on its front cover, including the potential new sex symbol in the form of one Hiro Nakamura, a character who can apparently manipulate time. The bad news is that Hiro has a passing resemblance and character traits to me; the good news is that so do millions of otaku in this country. I can still rest easily. However, I do wonder if this show will make its way over to this side of the Pacific. "The Adventures of Lois & Clark" and "Smallville" have done so but not to any wildly successful degree. Mind you, the X-Men series of movies has done fairly well here. Plus, since I'm an old X-fan of 3 decades running, I would also be interested in seeing a bit of this. Ah...I do remember..."Roswell" has a cult following in Japan. So, there is hope.

Anyways, gotta get home and see how wet my laundry got.

Wednesday November 15, 8:51 p.m.

It's been a while. Pretty drizzly out there...in other words, miserable. Kinda reflects some of the cancellations I've been getting over the past few days. Not only have I lost The UL and The Ace for their Friday night regulars this week, but I found out that the juku boss and B2 today have decided to cancel their lessons as well. Also, 007 pulled a dotakyan tonight. And even 001 told me that she won't be here next week since she'll be going over to that huge spa complex next to Tokyo Dome, L'Aqua, for some refreshment. Nice to be wanted. So I guess tomorrow's session with The Polynesian will be my final lesson for the regular workweek. Still, I have the kids on Saturday and even that little assist with Skippy's kid later on in the afternoon.

I actually got an invitation from The Ballerina via B2 on Mixi. Apparently, she's got her own page. I answered her summons although I don't think it'll mean much since I have lost a lot of motivation for it...people don't or can't respond to my English commentary. As for B2, although I'll be out of some fluid cash tomorrow night due to her cancellation, I really don't mind all that much since we had a rather tiresome session two weeks ago.

The Baker responded back about her potential lessons. It looks like she'll probably want to start from the New Year which makes more sense. I'd already told her that nights are pretty much out of the question for her and most likely she'll be busy with year-end stuff. Perhaps the last couple of months may bring a breakthrough. I did tell Speedy about the semi-conflict-of-interest between any private lessons with her and the official Speedy school lessons...y'know, I gotta show some loyalty. Of course, he said that he would prefer her to have lessons with the school for the reason that I charge a whole lot less than he does and that he doesn't want 001 and 002 to defect to my bargain-basement rates. Well, I don't think The Baker will be towing the party line, so to speak. But again, we come to my availability which doesn't look too good.

Well, the parentals showed up at Tokyo Station on Sunday. And I hosted them for a couple of days. It was good seeing them again after 2 years. We spent a quiet night at my place and at the wa-fu family restaurant a block away. Of course, I got caught up on the family matters...all about how the relatives were doing and who had kids. I aged a bit on hearing that my little cousins are now full-fledged parents of their own now. The next day, I took a day off so that I could spend time with the folks. I took them first to Akiba since Dad wanted to get his digital camera. It wasn't too difficult...just took them to Yodobashi Camera. After some poking around and a talk with the knowledgeable staffer, Dad got his device. Afterwards, we headed on down Ginza way to our next destination, Yamano Music, since Dad also wanted to pick up some enka CDs...especially those of a singer whose latest single happens to be about an area in the ancestral prefecture. For lunch, we only had to cross the street to Genkatsu, that place where I've been to twice for mille-feuille tonkatsu. This third time, though, the three of us got in without any waiting so at least I know when to go now. I was happy to see that the parents enjoyed lunch. Of course, at their age, they didn't want to really stick around town so we just headed back home and watched the sumo championships in Kyushu before noshing on some store-bought sushi for dinner. The parentals then retired at the early time of 9:30 p.m.

When I saw them off at my station on Tuesday morning, I actually experienced a sensation that I'd never had when it came to my parents. I actually felt wistful and felt keenly aware of me missing them. Now, before some of you start dismissing me as a real cold fish, I'd like to emphasize the word keenly. Of course, I do miss them. But the night before, my mother remarked that it would probably be the last time she would see her father alive. When I heard that, I realized that my times to see my parents may actually be getting numbered as well. My folks are still pretty healthy although age has definitely brought the inevitable sags and lines to their faces...and they've also mellowed considerably. Because of my money situation, I don't think I can really see them every year so anytime that I do see them will probably get increasingly precious and poignant. It was an interesting start to my Tuesday.

I was also reminded by a remark that The UL made a couple of weeks ago when The Tea Room had still been open. She was rather amazed that I would be willing to live far away from my parents when she had heard about my permanent residency. The UL said that she couldn't ever imagine living away from her family for any considerable length of time. Well, it did make me think that not only are The UL and I are quite different, but it also reflected the similarity between my parents and me. My mother can count on two hands the number of times she's seen her father since she decided to emigrate to Canada decades ago. I guess it's just the nature within our family that there will be one member of a generation that will fly the coop for good. I'm quite happy here and though I will miss my parents and the rest of my family, I know that Tokyo is really the place for me.

As I said, it was an interesting start to my Tuesday. After two days of feeling like part of a family again, it took a bit of temporal decompression to get back into my usual swing of teaching classes. Luckily, The Beehive and 002 were there to make that decompression comfortable. However, I did have a 3-hour interval between those two in which I had time to sit down on a bench on the top of the Seibu Department store in Funabashi to reflect on things. It really wasn't until the juku classes later that night that I was back to English teacher-normal. Mind you, Mom called me when I got back home to let us know that they were back close to Grandpa. I felt kinda sorry for them...this trip has been more of a solemn business instead of a vacation. Our hopes to try a ryokan somewhere were dashed because of the insertion of the memorial service for my long-dead grandmother right smack dab in the middle of their time in Japan. I was somewhat unreasonably angry at first that my relatives had the nerve to disrupt my parents' vacation, especially since they only had less than 2 days' worth of seeing me and a lot more days of staying in Grandpa's long-deserted drafty, TV-less house. Still, there was a bit of balance when I remembered that my parents had gone on those two cruises in two oceans in the last two years.

Anyways, I met up with The Anime Chamberlain today. He arrived last week for a month-long vacation in Tokyo. His buddy, The Anime King will be arriving for his little trip in a couple of weeks. It's possible that even The Anime Duke could join the party but we're still not sure. The Chamberlain and I went to my buffet place, LAST in Shiodome. Looks like the food kept coming in droves even after the lunch time crowd had taken off. It was nice talking with the man; I've always appreciated the mano-a-mano talks instead of the big parties. But it'll also be nice to have two more to add to the mix in a couple of weeks.

It looks like I've finally caught up on things now. Surprisingly, I was able to do it considering Speedy's exhausted exhortations of closing up shop as soon as I finished with 007. I guess he's fallen to the temptations again of answering every little e-mail. Lucky for me...not so lucky for him.

Saturday November 11, 1:25 p.m.

Pretty dreary outside right now as I type this at Speedy's. I've got an EIC session, the first one in a while, with a newbie. For those not in the know, EIC stands for English-in-Cooking, and it's our mini-course for folks who want to try the Cooking-in-English class with Mr. Influence but aren't too confident in their English abilities. I'm the one who designed EIC but I've never been all that comfortable with my brainchild...not quite sure why but I think it's just because it seems a bit dodgy just to teach 3 classes of food-connected English when the student can just pick up stuff in Mr. Influence's classes. I mean, why shouldn't the student pick up the vocab during the regular session? Ach...I'm just griping...mostly because EIC has had its share of growing pains and the fact that a lot of my students only bothered to come to the first two sessions.

Last night, I saw The Ace after all. One call to him from the juku boss got him to come later last night. But he'll be away again next week...which means that I'll only have the 2 hours with the boss herself next Friday. So, with The UL away next week as well, I'll only make half the earnings but at least I can keep things within the neighbourhood..

Then again, The Baker contacted me about potential lessons last night. At last week's party, she had mentioned this topic and was deciding whether to go with me as a private teacher or go to Speedy's as an official student. Of course, that kinda put me into a spot. The Baker has further complicated things by stating that she would now prefer to have me as her private teacher since it would be a pain for her to come all the way up here to the school from her homebase in Shiodome, near Ginza, and Speedy won't refund any money for emergency (namely on-the-day) cancellations. Hmm...gonna have to break it to him gently since he was really hoping for a hat trick with 001 and 002 safely in the Speedy arena. However, I am thinking now whether to have a prelim meeting with The Baker for her lessons on Friday night since I've got those two cancellations. Another wrinkle is that I just don't have any weeknights free to teach her. It's either that she has to become a floater or strictly a weekend student. I don't mind teaching her on either Saturday or Sunday but I wonder if she would be willing to come down to Tokyo all the way from Saitama. I ain't doing house calls all the way up there.

Had The Coffeemaker and Tully for their biweekly. Again, a pretty good session and the lesson seems to be taking on a more formal character than a lot of my other sessions...which is, of course, not a bad thing.

I actually caught the very first episode of The Sopranos last night on Super Drama TV, the SkyPerfect channel. Yep, just when the acclaimed HBO programme is (or has) wrapped up back Stateside, Japan has finally decided to start with it. For years, I'd just been hearing or reading all the badda-bing-badda-boom about James Gandolfini's magnum opus. Now that I finally got to see an episode, I can say that it truly delivers a punch...plenty of swearing and nudity. Not sure if I'll stick with it but it was a fun diversion before bedtime.

Well, gotta get ready for EIC, and then I have to get ready for the parentals' arrival tomorrow afternoon.

Friday November 10, 8:00 p.m.

Well, got over to Toranomon Starbucks for what may be the final time since The UL actually found a more centrally located cafe in Otemachi. Just as well...that branch of the cafe chain had already started belting out Xmas jazz tunes. Yeah, I like my Yuletide songs like anyone else not named Scrooge but having to go through 4 weeks of that...don't think so. In any case, The UL is off next Friday due to some tea ceremony practice.

Friday November 10, 12:46 p.m.

It's been a fairly peaceful couple of days. I only had The Polynesian for her 11:00 yesterday. Unfortunately, I was blindsided by a sudden spate of sneezing which necessitated the medicine. The first half-hour was trying my best, therefore, to direct attention away from my runny nose. Luckily, that herbal stuff kicked in from the second half-hour but I gave her a full 90 minutes of time since those first 30 minutes were lousy.

Today, I've got the juku boss for her 2 hours and then The UL for our first post-Tea Room session. Looks like my nighttime stint at the juku will be a washout though since Jolly has once again canned his lesson, and The Ace has no idea about when he can come here from his conference. I would rather not be waiting for a class that may never be. I can always use another early night off.

Wednesday November 7, 9:08 p.m.

Well, it's been the usual fun n' games during the last couple of days. Yesterday, I didn't have The Beehive but I did see The New Yorker, sans our late lamented venue of The Tea Room. We decided to have our inaugural Tea Room-less lesson at the Starbucks above Ichigaya Station. I was surprised that we could get ourselves a table at the usually packed cafe but the noise level was even higher there than it was during our last lesson at The Tea Room. However, I was relieved that the lass did better than she did last week. It looks like the next time we're gonna go for the Italian restaurant next door, To The Herbs, just to see if we can operate in a more audibly quieter environment.

Then, there was the rather unusual start to my night at the juku. Toonces the Juku Cat was crawling around my room again when he was scratching at the screen window behind me. Since the boss had always let him roam around outside, I simply opened the window and let him loose, safe in the thought that he would return home. However, when the boss was made aware of his meowing outside the window, all hell broke loose. At first, she stormed in on me and demanded to know why I'd let him out, not realizing that she had never told me about the new rule change that Toonces could no longer be let outside due to an incident the day before in which the puss was mysteriously and sinisterly trapped into the covered drainage ditch. Once she realized that I was innocent, we, along with the student that she'd been teaching at the time, ran outside to try and grab him. Toonces is just over a year old which would make him equivalent to a 7-year-old boy. He was certainly as energetic and as rambunctious as one which made him impossible to catch so after some running around like a trio of Keystone Kops, we just let him be until he tuckered himself out and came in from the cold.

Seven had cancelled out and Jolly once again dotakyan'ed so I just had The Milds. We've come to the end of the second book. Once the lesson ended, we kinda gave each other a look which may have had a bit more significance than usual. It's been over 3 years now and though the couple has improved somewhat since their nearly mute days...I'm kinda wondering if they've reached the end of their time with me. The Siberian finally showed up. Had a nice chat on Shakespeare and some of his most famous quotes.

Today was a full Speedy day. I did my usual house call to 002. Looks like the afterglow from that nice party on Saturday was still dimly suffusing the atmosphere. Strangely enough, 002 still had that Jack O'Lantern although it was probably a breeding mold factory by now; but she reassured me that it would be in the trash by tomorrow morning. Then, I made the long commute back to home base to teach this young lady who's doing the crash course in English before she takes off for a 1-year working-holiday programme in Australia. I think it's going to be a regular Pygmalion process. All of us have gotta change this very low lass into a relatively conversant lady in 2 weeks. I think we're still at the beginnings of "The Rain in Spain". Of course, 001 was her usual guffawing self.

Well, it's a new day in America...at least when it comes to the government. I was watching CNN's coverage of Election Day, so it was the whole gang of Lou, Anderson, Paula and Wolf tackling all the number crunches and the grande version of Milton Bradley's Battleship. Democrats must've been partying til the wee hours of the morning since they finally got the House and perhaps even the Senate. But I think even if the Senate is still held by the Republicans, Pelosi and her gang can still celebrate. Besides, I think folks would feel a little more secure with a balance in power.

Monday November 6, 5:45 p.m.

Did also forget to mention that I had met The Madame for the first time in a while for lunch on Friday. We met in Ikebukuro this time, nearer her home. We ended up having our meal in this somewhat trendy little basement Japanese eatery. Prompt service and a reasonably-priced delicious set but the first half of our meal was marred by some shouty mother, misbehaving kids and the ineffectual father. And people wonder why I've stayed single this long... A couple of times when things were coming to a head..I quickly turned my head and did a bit of a glare at the brats but families always seem to develop a Cone of Ignorance during these times.

Looks like Speedy's given The Part-Timer her eviction notice. Things are starting to hop here at the school so since The Part-Timer is my private student and not an official student so Speedy told me that we're gonna have to find new accomodations of sorts. Speedy, being Speedy, was kind enough to recommend a cafe just across the street. He says it's pretty empty so getting a table should be easy (although I wonder how much longer it can stay in business with that type of rep). As for the Part-Timer, she was already given the 2-minute warning about finding a new classroom so she should be OK. Plus the fact that there will be a 1-week absence should cushion things nicely. I'll be sampling the place myself on Wednesday before 001's regular lesson.

Monday November 6, 4:56 p.m.

Been a while. There've been a few social events and my parents have arrived in the home of their ancestry. To start off, my latest class with B2 and B2B wasn't quite as bad as a total crash n' burn but...let's say that all 3 of us were pretty winded by the end. I kinda thought that I should've just cancelled the lesson first off and gone on to The Coffeemaker's party.

Then again, that party and the party I had at 002's on Saturday make for an interesting comparison. I got down to Shibuya on Thursday and met up with the ol' school gang at that same restaurant where over a year ago Scully had stepped on that dead rat. I'm just amazed at how willing the gang was to try that place again after that incident...especially in cleanliness-obsessed Japan. The Satyr, Scully and Tully were there along with a few others. Unfortunately, The Barmaiden and The Okinawan, the two other ringleaders of this latest reunion couldn't make it...the former due to the demands of work, and the latter due to personal problems (ie. the boyfriend, I assume). By the time I got there, everyone had already had their fill of food and drink so I was very much in the role of cleanup hitter. In other words, I just ordered my own drink and little dishes. I guess the digestive process must've already kicked in since the conversation was fairly low-key. And I never really chimed in with some of the guys there even during their school days. Basically, it was just some fairly polite conversation from former teacher to students and vice versa.

On the other hand, the 002 get-together was oh-so-comfortable and nice. I brought the Cabernet Sauvignon (a gift from that Halloween event with The Satyr and Skippy) and the pumpkin for carving. Of course, 002's hubby was there along with The Baker and 001. Speedy was right in that I could've read the telephone book and the ladies would've been rolling in the aisles. The main course du jour was something imoni-nabe; now that the Fall is truly upon us, nabe or hot pot cooking is back in vogue. Imoni is this really starchy potato dropped into the usual mix of broth with carrots, onions, beef and other stuff. All very tasty. Beforehand, we all tried our hands at making onigiri...rice balls with different fillings such as flaked salmon and mentaiko (salty cod roe). As is the case with many a thing that I try to learn, my attempts at making the simple rice ball ended up with me making something to a Henry Moore sculpture. However, the laughter was graciously kept to a minimum. 002 even decided to go Okinawan and made some spam onigiri. Yes, you heard me...the quiet culinary trend in Japan has been to place some slabs of Spam onto a rice ball and wrap it in nori. It's pretty darn good...but then again, I'm quite the Spam connoisseur. MB would probably be heading for the toilet on seeing this entry. After filling ourselves up on nabe and other stuff, we got started on the last pumpkin carving of the year. 001, 002 and The Baker had a ball of a time carving the Jack O' Lantern; as I said, anything could amuse them. Of course, once Jack was ready, the cameras came out to take pics of the lit-up pumpkin. As you can see from the size of this paragraph as compared to the other one for the other party, I think I was much more at ease with 002 and the bunch there than I was with the ol' school gang...not that I like the latter any less but I think things are much easier when there isn't that barrier of teacher and student between me and them.

Sunday was by contrast a very quiet stay-at-home day. Mind you, I did get to see Saddam Hussein finally get his comeuppance live on CNN. With the exception of Fidel Castro, it would seem that dictators' life spans are quite short. But at the same time, they also share the same sociopathic trait of blaming everyone else but themselves for the misery they'd put their populace under.

Thursday November 2, 3:01 p.m.

Back at the Ai Cafe in Akiba. This time, due to a full house, I've been placed in the so-called full flat booth. Instead of a chair, I've got something like a chaise lounge to sit on in front of the computer. I have to admit, it's pretty comfy. I had The Polynesian this morning. She was fine but there was one of those things that happen from time to time between me and students; forgetting to pay me. Before, I used to let that sort of thing go and just gently remind them via e-mail. But today I tried to leave some hints such as asking as innocently as possible, "Uh...did you pay me?" However, try as I might, she just couldn't pick up the hint so I sighed internally and let it go. It was lucky though that the two of us were headed for the same station on the Oedo Line, Tochomae, right in front of Tokyo City Hall. As I was heading up and out and she was heading for her train, I stopped at the top of the stairs to tie my shoes when she breathlessly rushed up and profusely apologized before handing me the fee. Well, better late than never.

I had lunch at the nearby Hansens since it'd been a while since I had hot dogs. I had my usual double dog lunch but also tried the Bacon n' Cheese Fries. Yup, certainly was cheesy...there was a lot of bright orange goo smothering the taters with some generously large squares of bacon instead of the usual burnt bacon bits. Kinda reminded me that it's also been a while since I last set foot in The Maple Leaf. Maybe it's almost been a year. There was a review of it in The Japan Times a while ago...I definitely agree with the reviewer's take on the chicken wings. Their Suicide Wings are the real deal. However, I do protest on charging almost 1,000 yen for Labatt's Blue.

I've got B2 and B2B later on tonight. And quite possibly, I may be heading down to Shibuya for the second party of the ol' school gang. But I got word from The Coffeemaker that they're still not sure whether or not there will be a nijikai. So I've got a feeling that I'll be heading home after the lesson. However, The Satyr will represent the teacher side there tonight. Ironically, the main restaurant will be the same place where the gang had come across that dead rat. Man, these guys are a forgiving lot.

I've been steadily watching Robert Stack's "The Untouchables" fairly religiously for the past several months. Super Drama TV is now showing the fourth and final season, and I am getting the impression that it had "jumped the shark" by that point. Eliot Ness, Lee Hobson, Rossi and the rest of the bunch seem to be heading into the background again and letting the crims have most of the scenery. However, I did get to see the Robert Redford episode, "Snowball". Lest I give the impression that it was a cute little show based on the title, the young unlined Redford plays a handsome sociopath who doesn't mind killing college kids with wood alky to get up in the criminal world. And there was an uncredited "blink-and-you'll-miss-him" appearance by Walter Koenig, aka Ensign Chekov of "Star Trek" and Alan Bester of "Babylon 5", as the buddy of one of the victims of Redford's James Parker. The show plays without commercials on Super Drama TV so at about the 45-minute mark, I was starting to scratch my head at the fact that the story still hadn't reached any big point until there was a very quick climax and denouement in about 3 minutes. A bit disappointing, that. It kinda reminded me of some of the dramatic arcs of the more mediocre eps of "Star Trek: The Next Generation". And it wasn't Ness who wrapped things up, but Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti. I think the show overall though has been a hoot to watch just to see all of the stars who have popped up on it: future Oscar winners Redford, Patricia O'Neal (who did a remarkable Captain Janeway impersonation), and Martin Landau. And there was Peter Falk, Steven Hill, Cloris Leachman, Michael ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") Constantine, Jack Klugman, etc. But it won't be too long now before the end is nigh, and I'll be able to get an extra hour of sleep in the mornings.

Wednesday November 1, 9:27 p.m.

Finished off with my two classes: 001 and 007. 001's lesson was a pile of laughs as usual, and we had a nice bonus chatting about our favourite anime of yesteryear. Kinda felt like humming the old "Star Blazers" theme again after so long. 001 got quite a kick out of hearing what the characters' names were in the English-dubbed version of "Space Cruiser Yamato".

As for 007, I was left a bit iffy. He has just finished his latest cluster of four classes, and he seemed a little uncertain about his ability to come next week. And he wasn't so sure about the week after that, either. So I gave him an out and just said that he could contact us when he knew what his schedule would be like. Again, the old paranoia has set in and I'm just wondering if he's gonna be doing the ol' pullout. To be honest, he is also one of those folks who doesn't seem to particularly chime in with the programme; his ability is a lot higher than the text we're using to be sure, but his consistency and vocabulary are so all over the place that the text is needed to build a more stable foundation. In any case, I'm not gonna bother telling Speedy of my concerns since he's always Mr. Glass-Half-Full. But if 007 is indeed gonna be the ex-007, I wouldn't be particularly put out.

Well, I'm just about ready to head on home while Speedy does his model lesson. I've got The Polynesian first thing at the neighbourhood branch of Cocos, a family restaurant. Then, it will be several hours before B2 and B2B. Not sure what I'll be doing in the meantime. Actually, I forgot to mention that The Hawaiian called up last week from Australia. She hasn't picked up that typical twang of Aussies but she's certainly gained in the fluency department. Looks like she's gonna be like me and gonna try for a Permanent Residency down under.

Wednesday November 1, 5:11 p.m.

Finished off my dinner of tofu...nothing more blander in taste and ambience.

Looks like there's a chance that there won't be any reunion party for me to go to tomorrow night. The Coffeemaker's shindig is from 7-9...which is about a half-hour longer than my time with B2 and B2B...not even sure if there's gonna be a second party. Well, at least I could save some money.

The Anime King will be heading over here at the end of November. I told him about taking The Egg to Kimu Katsu last month. Speaking of The Egg, I got some Swiss Chalet Debit Cards from him and his wife in thanks for my hospitality back in September. That should alleviate some of the cash flow during The Holidays. Mm-hmm...love Swiss Chalet. For those not in the know, Swiss Chalet is a chain of roast chicken restaurants in Canada. My family's had a long relationship with them...eat-in and take-out. And now that I'm living long-term in Japan, my rare visits to the place have become more precious. The BBQ sauce has been a source of some controversy over the decades. Some (like me) just lick up every last drop while others compare it to well-seasoned dishwater, preferring SC's rival, Ste.-Hubert's Chicken. I've never been to Ste.-Hubert's. Over in the States, one way of finding out what a man is made of is by his stripe of politics: Republican or Democrat. Over in Toronto, it's probably about which chicken restaurant he goes for. I'm solidly Swiss.

However, I'm not crying for lack of good chicken dishes here....and I'm not talking about KFC, either. The Maple Leaf, the Canadian pub in Shibuya, has some really good wings which can actually burn orifices in your throat and stomach. And a more Japanese alternative, Toriyoshi, which is also in the same area, has a scrumptious menu which is totally devoted to the beloved fowl. But when I get back to Toronto next month, I still plan to hit Swiss, along with The Madison Ave. Pub for my wings. I may even hit The Colonel...if only to have my 10W40 gravy on my fries there.

Speaking of food, I'm reminded of a scene from a 1985 Japanese movie, "Tampopo", the first ramen western. The movie was released a good decade before the critical darling, "Shall We Dance?" which introduced cineasts to Koji Yakusho, and was notable for the Pythonesque scattershot comedy of how a struggling ramen owner tries to get back on her feet, and a risque scene combining food and sex (don't think too deeply...no fruit or vegetables were harmed during the filming of this movie). However, I also remember a scene in which a homeless man sumptuously cooked a dish for a young boy. The old codger first sauteed some chicken and onions and then tossed in some cooked rice before adding ketchup. Then, he whipped up some eggs to a froth before putting the mixture into another pan, jolting it with his arms and hands into a softly cooked mound before landing the fluffy thing onto the red chicken rice. And for the piece de resistance, he took a sharp knife, carefully sliced through the pod of egg and the pod opened gently revealing a glistening yellow roof which slowly covered the rice.

It was a magnificent minute of cooking artistry displayed on film. The dish is called omu-raisu (rice omelette) and it belongs to that peculiar intra-Japan culinary genre called yo-shoku, or Western cuisine....but Western cuisine done through Japanese eyes. I know about Spanish omelettes in America and the ground beef-filled omelettes that my mother makes but I don't think omu-raisu has ever made its appearance in the West. And yo-shoku isn't just about eggs and rice. We also have hayashi raisu (Hayashi Rice), the beef stew-like concoction poured over cooked rice, our own version of rice curry (very mild...I don't think the Indians have ever quite forgiven us for making our own type of curry using honey and apples), and perhaps even sukiyaki could even be put into this august group...beef wasn't widely eaten until Commodore Peary decided to break Japan's isolationist policy and throw Japan into The Meiji Restoration.

Wednesday November 1, 3:26 p.m.

As the Peanuts gang annually say, "Christmas time is here..." At least for the department stores in Tokyo, it has. Not more than 12 hours since the last Jack O' Lantern was thrown out with the rest of the garbage, the Xmas trees went up. As I was coming down the huge escalator at the Mark City Mall in Shibuya this morning, there was a huge trimmed tree in gold, and one of the main thoroughfares in the Teen Mecca was already sporting a distinctly Noel look.

However, yesterday was indeed Linus Van Pelt's favourite time of the year and thus, it was Haruhiko's annual pumpkin carving day. It all started with The Beehive. Mrs. Travel came through with one medium-sized pumpkin. Instead of the usual lesson, the Hive and I set up shop at Mrs. Perth's apartment where the ladies couldn't help but already put out all the fixins for another amazing lunch spread with plenty of alcohol. I was feeling quite gregarious by the end of lunch. Mrs. Perth had a great time traveling through Europe with her husband and buddies and had the pics to prove it although she couldn't quite handle the quantities characteristic of a German meal (I think that's more my domain). As for the pumpkin carving, the ladies pulled off the job within 20 minutes which is a record in my history of pumpkin carvings.

Then, later that night, it was the same activity with Seven at the juku. However, there I was more of the navigator since I was given a rather faulty knife and I couldn't really have the lass take the chance of slicing off her hand. However, her pumpkin did look like a proper Jack by the end of our 60 minutes. She gleefully took it home. Once again, she carried on the tradition of giving me some confectionaries; this time, it was a bag of marshmallows which I managed to devour in about 2 hours...i.e. the time that I was at the juku. I also got a nice box of cookies from her. But I also gave her the complementary Halloween waffle from a package that I'd bought at the local Mini Stop. My time was really just half a stint: Jolly no-showed and once again, The Siberian cancelled. So, in my little corner of my world, I had a nicely quiet Halloween as compared to the raucous goings-on at the dance parties in Roppongi and Shibuya.

My Wednesday has been remade into my usual Monday schedule since I saw The Class Act this morning. The Lady has fallen for the "24" trap. Yup, she rented out the first half of Season 1 from the nearby Tsutaya, and now she can't get enough of Jack Bauer. I accidentally let it slip out that Dennis Haysbert's Senator survives to become President but other than that I kinda tortured her about the traitor within CTU.

To continue with that Charlie Brown analogy from the beginning, I actually did buy the latest Peanuts book (1961-1962). The Peanuts gang has finally taken that most familiar shape, and there was a nice intro by Diana Krall.

The foreign celeb sightings continue. I was talking about Scarlett Johannsen hawking Mt. Rainier Iced Coffee. Now, Cameron Diaz is back...this time, she's selling Softbank cellphones. She's made her money and this time, she doesn't have to spout out any of those nonsensical non-sequiturs that other stars have to spit out. She's just gabbing silently away to some music. Plus, Madonna made her way onto the "Smap X Smap" programme starring the SMAP boys; it was as the guest on the Bistro SMAP segment where she has the boys whip up some sort of magnificent dinner. Just glad that she didn't have to do the duet segment where she actually has to sing with them. Mind you, The Black-Eyed Peas weren't so fortunate several weeks ago. Speaking of them, though, Fergie did a surprise appearance on the Fuji-TV noontime variety show, "Waratte Ii Tomo" yesterday to promote her new album. Not sure if she pulled off one of her "London Bridge" dancing gyrations on Tamori.

Lifting a paraphrased quote from an actor from a recent article of "Premiere" magazine, paying the bills is like vomiting: I dread it but when I get it done, I feel somewhat better. I unloaded a lot of yen last night for National Health Insurance, Citizen's Tax (I keep telling myself that I enjoy having my garbage picked up to justify the cost) and my rent (I also appreciate my apartment).

Monday October 30, 9:51 p.m.

Still a bit early to make my way home, so....

Also still wondering when that first Krispy Kreme franchise will be landing here in Tokyo. I've been reading the announcements about it but so far there has been no sighting of those succulent icing-drenched haloes of heart-stopping cholesterol yet. I kinda wonder if KK will make a splash (or a splat, if I'm gonna be onomatopoeically accurate) in the megalopolis. KK donuts are a pretty sweet deal and I'm not sure if the Japanese are quite ready for that level of fat. However, I figure if they've weaned themselves on McDonalds, Hansons and even The Doughnut Plant, they may be ready for the ultimate in guilty culinary pleasures.

I was able to take care of The Part-Timer and 008 tonight. 008 came in some 15 minutes late due to the rigors of work but she was good to go as usual. I even gave a little spiel about Halloween. Speaking of which, I've got my first pumpkin carvings tomorrow morning and night. I hope that Mrs. Travel of the Beehive was able to procure a couple of gourds for carving up; I haven't heard anything from them in the last couple of weeks. And then I've got Seven for hers.

In the D'oh! (as in Homer Simpson's favourite expletive) department, the Japanese education system must be yelling "Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" while knocking their brains to the wall repeatedly. Apparently, almost 200 high schools across the nation are guilty of not teaching the required core courses for their seniors to graduate next March. The teachers and principals basically lied to Monbusho (Ministry of Education...or Propaganda) about what their young charges have learned in the misguided notion of helping them pass their entrance exams for university. After all, there is only so much time in a semester to cram as much info into their brains before the exam hell comes upon them so something had to be jettisoned....and that something was the basics. And now the schools' so-called assistance may ensure that the students will have to cram even more hours of schooling just to be eligible to get out with a diploma. I'm kinda surprised that the students didn't just lynch the faculty right then and there during cho-rei (morning assembly).

As if the government weren't screwing the kids, the incidence of violence toward kids has become front and centre in the news (I knew it...all that media outrage about drinking n' driving has been shoved aside like week-old leftovers). A father beats his two kids to a pulp after they accidentally deleted his notes from his computer...a 4-year-old boy is found dead in a drainage ditch in some suspicious circumstances...a 64-year-old guy goes berserk and uses his car as a ramrod against some elementary school kids for some perceived bullying against his daughter...and two kids hang themselves in separate schools last week due to bullying itself. What's this about Japan having the safest society? Apparently, that fact only kicks in if one survives childhood.

Monday October 30, 7:28 p.m.

I've got a bit of an unexpected respite between students since 008 is running a bit late.

Can't believe how much Halloween has grabbed hold of Tokyo. If the holiday has taken hold of the rest of Japan like it has here in the past several years, then the country should be considered the third official nation to celebrate October 31 after America and Canada. The decorations of Jack O'Lanterns and witches were up in many store windows as early as late September, and I'm sure there was the gamut of Halloween parties over the past weekend. Not sure if the custom of foreigners hijacking one car on the Yamanote Line for one hour still reigns though. The annual Omotesando Halloween Parade was in full stride, though. I saw a lot of children running around in costumes with their ragged parents.

I should be in for an ass-kicking. Here I was yesterday trying to grab a couple of pumpkins down in the tony district of Omotesando/Aoyama. I checked the usual flower shop next to Kinokuniya Supermarket for some of the medium-sized orange gourds and they were fresh out. I even checked the supermarket itself, despite the considerable cost, and found out that even they were sold out. So I walked down to one last chance at another flower shop down the street across from Aoyama Gakuin University. I did get one, the last one...for the price of 2,000 yen...the going rate in the tony area. Then I get back home lugging this behemoth and decide go into my own little supermarket for dinner supplies when lo and behold, I see these large orange pumpkins on the shelf. My neighbourhood supermarket had never sold pumpkins before now, and there they were selling for the tiny price of 298 yen each....almost a tenth the price of the pumpkin I got in Aoyama. Oy vey! Well, at least I've got the two I needed for Seven and 002.

Monday October 30, 5:35 p.m.

Gabbing with Speedy while I'm typing this...he's doing a major gripe about PH's latest Thanksgiving party. I didn't bother going since I decided that large parties are no longer my thing and I just don't have anything in common with most of the Quarterback's gang. Apparently, the QB's group, according to Speedy, is taking the massive annual PH Thanksgiving party for granted. PH, ever the ball of energy, was slaving away over the hot stove while virtually no one lifted a finger or offered to pitch in financially. In a very cynical way, it made me feel a little better but I do feel sorry for PH. On the other hand, knowing that PH is a take-no-crap type, she'll probably grab QB's ear and give him a good talking-to.

Mom called me last night....after Uncle had called me asking me whether I was gonna go to Osaka when the parentals arrive there later this week. One of the small things that drives me up the wall about my mother is that for months and years, she's discouraged me from visiting my Kansai relations so that I'm not guilty of meiwaku (burdening)...although part of me thinks the real reason is that there is no risk of me embarrassing the family name. When she called me last night, she kinda asked me questioningly if I would be willing to go to Osaka after all. I sighed (internally)....I already have plans for the long weekend. Now I've got some guilt trip coursing around in me, although I'm glad that I'm not going for purely financial reasons. A Bullet Train ticket is not cheap.

Sunday October 29th, 1:49 p.m.

It's been a case of seconds for the Japanese sporting world over the past few days. In the World Series, the Cardinals won so it is the 2nd year in a row that a Major League team with a Japanese player got the brass ring. This time, the lucky fellow is So Taguchi. Of course, the local media here focused all on him spritzing his mates with the champagne. Over here, the Japan Series got its champion from Hokkaido when the Nippon Ham Fighters won its first Series in 44 years in Sapporo over The Chunichi Dragons. The second connection comes with the fact the Fighters was the 2nd team in a row to win its do ring with an American manager, Trey Hillman.

But the bigger news was that it was Fighters centrefielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo's final game. After 14 years with the Hanshin Tigers, the New York Mets and then his current team, the man with a personality bigger than his talent finally hung up his mitt for good (supposedly). He didn't do much with the Mets but his outsized self certainly brought a cultural earthquake of sorts in staid Sapporo. And he's been hitting the commercial world in a big way, which ought to hint at what his post-baseball future may be like. He's been hawking a travel agency, iced coffee and underwear. Although some have disagreed with me, I think he'll probably hit the tarento circuit. In his last game, he was wearing his emotions literally on his sleeve. While wiping away the tears at his last at-bat, he took 3 mighty swings-turned-strikes before heading out to the field one last time. The man didn't stop crying for about half an hour. But it was a great way to end a career...getting a championship on his home turf.

In my own little life, I've had the usual ups and downs during the latter half of the week. My first true class with The Polynesian went very well...looks like the girl has actually turned another leaf. On the other hand, my lesson with The New Yorker was very nearly a crash n' burn. The girl just can't get it together. It also didn't help that there was a bigger-than-average crowd at The Tea Room because of its last days. All of my Tea Room students were with me on the last 3 days. The New Yorker suggested the Starbucks over the station although that place is one of the more crowded cafes in the neighbourhood. Then on Friday, The UL suggested a potential choice in Otemachi since it is the station for both our lines; however, we'll be meeting at the old Toranomon Starbucks the next time. Ironic...I thought once The OL went inactive, The Tea Room would remain one of my main bases and Toranomon would become a faint memory. Now it's the other way around. Finally, M+M came for their 2 hours with me; they actually decided to get some food with their tea in commemoration of the very last day yesterday. Then, followed The Carolinan. As they say, the joint was really jumping last night as old regular customers tried to get one more cuppa before the doors closed for good. Even I got a bit sentimental by ordering the scone set with my Earl Grey. As The Carolinan and I made our way to the cashier, we had one final chat with the ever-smiling manageress. Luckily, she has my name card so if anything comes up, she'll be the first to contact me.

During my 5 years at The Tea Room, my favourite sandwich was The Tuna Salad and Cheese. I finally asked the manageress about the recipe, thinking that I would have to combine a complex mix of ingredients such as the finest European cheese, some sort of expensive mayo or the freshest tuna from Tsukiji. Well, she sank my boat by just answering that the chef always used regular supermarket ingredients. At least, I know that I can put it all together by myself. The manageress is one class act...I'll miss her.

Earlier in the morning yesterday, I had my first class with The Coffeemaker and Tully. It went very well. Looks like my "Conversation Gambits" book has become the impact player of my texts. I may even use it with the text-shy Siberian on Tuesday night. Before the two came though, I had been sipping my coffee in the basement of the Tully's cafe near the station (my new Ichigaya touchstone since The Tea Room has closed up shop). There was a group of young me just huddled around three tables just talking very quietly...very unusual considering their age...I'd guess, their twenties. They looked the intellectual university type and were just talking in hushed voices. I could've sworn that they belonged to a bible study group...or an otaku terrorist cell. I wonder if they're regulars. In any case, The Coffeemaker and Tully are still planning their umpteenth reunion with their old mates this Thursday in Shibuya. The Satyr and I are planning to go but I do have that lesson with B2 so I'll be late.

I just had my kid, The Younger, and her mother today. The Elder is off at one of her frequent volleyball games today. Now after this, I'm heading on down to Aoyama to pick up a couple of pumpkins for carving with Seven at the juku on Tuesday and then at 002's party on Saturday (fully knowing that it'll be 4 days after Halloween). The Beehive will be having its own pumpkin carving on Tuesday morning but hopefully Mrs. Travel will have taken care of the details on her end.

I got word from Speedy that Farrah came in for one of her rare classes yesterday. Usually, I'd be teaching her but since I was already well engaged, Speedy had to take over. And it looks like Farrah will be a rather scarce student since her company is now entering the busy season. Speedy was ruefully saying that it would be May before any more time would open up for her. Well, that's the way it goes.

Wednesday October 25, 10:04 p.m.

I've finished up my classes with 001 and 007. Everything was as usual: 001 and I were bandying about the dollops of humour during her lesson, while I've discovered that 007 is not just slightly otaku-ish but he's also quite the intellectual. We were playing Desert Island Discs, Movies, etc, and he was throwing me some rather highbrow suggestions. I'm still wondering if he's still a bit too high for the text since his listening comprehension and grammar are rather high; it's just that his fluency isn't too great. Well, Speedy told me that his fourth and final lesson of his current batch will be next week, so we'll see if he'll continue on with me.

I've also updated my Mixi account with a couple of articles on my Permanent Residency and on the death of The Tea Room. I haven't really gotten any replies from anyone...not too surprising since Mixi is a Japanese community forum, and I've stubbornly continued to write in English. I'm just not willing to spend two hours on line constructing Japanese sentences with the help of dictionaries. Still, there may be someone who will dare to read what I've got.

Well, gotta go on home. I've got The Polynesian for her official first lesson tomorrow and then The New Yorker for her final lesson at The Tea Room. I kinda wonder if The New Yorker will be continuing on with me. She's been slow in progress over the past couple of years, and I wonder if the end of her presence at my base of operations will cue her to stop with me, period. I've recently decided not to go haywire whenever a student decides to cease his/her time with me. I will now just treat it as her time to go away for a while. With the return of The Polynesian and The Coffeemaker after a few years, I think my life is just one bus stop with a lot of arrivals and departures.

Wednesday October 25, 5:07 p.m.

Two months before Xmas...what will I be doing then...aside from devouring fowl, that is?

In any case, I've changed the flight for The Great White North. I've gone back to the robber barons at Air Canada since I decided that paying more for a direct non-stop flight was better than risking missing a connector via the US. The damage won't hurt too bad...just another 14,000 yen extra.

Well, after two straight days of rain and cooler weather reminiscent of mid-November instead of late October, things are pretty peachy today. But I'm still drying out the sneakers. I headed on out to City Hall to register the fact that I'm now a Permanent Resident on my gaijin card. It just took 5 minutes. While I was thinking about lunch before heading over to 002's place, I came across the sign stating the existence of a cafeteria inside Ichikawa City Hall in the basement. And I saw that the lunch sets were at a low, low 400 yen. So I checked it out. And I should've checked it off. It was like going into a time warp into those old company shokudo of yesteryear: dingy walls and flourescent lights with a staff of old ladies. I had the saraudon, a dish of dry chow mein noodles smothered in a cornstarch sauce of veggies and bits of meat. Well, I tell you, the adage "You get what you pay for" loomed large in my mind (and stomach) after eating that one. I actually tasted gristle. Just like the processing of my information upstairs, my digestive tract only needed 5 minutes to return its verdict. Of course, I used the proper facilities.

Yesterday, during the unstable weather, I had most of the day off since The Beehive was having my rarely seen teaching partner and 002 was having her class today. So I trotted off to the nearest department store to see if I could pick up a new fax/phone to replace my ailing one. Well, a comparable one comes to about 23,000 yen...and on my current budget, I don't think I'll be purchasing one this year. I came home when I kinda ran into that weirdo neighbour on the stairs. We didn't say anything to each other...well, I mumbled a konnichiwa but most likely he didn't hear...he looked pretty raggedy in his undershirt, shorts and flip-flops. I kinda wonder how much of a hikikomori (shut-in/recluse) he is. One thing, for sure...he's a morning person..a very early morning person. He was already banging on the walls at the crack of dawn. He still has his penchant of slamming doors. But then again, he isn't alone. My other neighbours at the end of the hall are a group of Filipinos who often have the same habit.

The juku guys were fine last night. Seven was her usual giddy self. I'll be getting her that pumpking for carving next Tuesday. Jolly finally came back after a 3-week absence, and The Milds were their usual happy selves.

During that idle afternoon, I caught a rare rerun of one of the last Japanese dramas I'd seen before giving up on them several years ago. It's called Shin O-Mizu no Hanamichi (The New Golden Road of the Water Trade). The water trade in Japan refers to the somewhat sleazy businesses catering to the salarymen such as hostess clubs and the more risque establishments like soaplands and the like which breed in Tokyo's entertainment districts of Kabukicho and Roppongi. Lest you think that this show is a hardcore expose with vile characters, I have to remind you that it was a Fuji-TV drama...very fluffy and all that. The original O-Mizu no Hanamichi was shown in the late 90s and was a moderate hit since it was a comic take on life in a ritzy hostess club called Club Paradise. When I mean "comic", each episode seemed to have a similar structure to an average show of "Sailor Moon". There were the kooky characters, the slapstick situations and the breaking of the 4th wall. However, the original got so maudlin in its final eps (the romantic lead gets offed in a car accident) that the new version wasn't a bona fide sequel. It was made so that the original show was a manga read gleefully by the characters in Club Paradise in the first ep. How's that for a "Dallas" dream sequence? In any case, one of the third-stringers in the show is now an A-lister actress, Mizuki Ito.

In any case, I've got 001 and 007 starting in about 20 minutes.

Monday October 23, 5:26 p.m.

Had one of those up-and-down weekends. On Saturday, I had The Ramen Lady for a total of 45 minutes...she only got the half treatment since she'd been late due to a hangover from an all-night binge with a buddy of hers. Speedy himself kinda tailored that schedule for her since he was a bit antsy about getting to the theatre in time to see "World Trade Center"; not that he was being selfish or anything but he kinda cut things a bit too close and the movie outing was an official school event. However, I think he almost threw out The Ramen Lady a bit too hastily once I got done.

So, while he raced off to his movie, I made my more leisurely way up to Kichijoji, a subcentre of Tokyo in the northwest. Speedy had mentiond that it was "a happening area". When I got there, I just thought it was just like any other minor commercial hub around a station...kinda like Jiyugaoka, where MB now resides. There was the requisite department store, a couple of fast food places and the like. However, I had to dig a bit deeper to realize that there was a bit more going on. Kichijoji seems to take in the character of a few other subcentres. There is a long shopping arcade a la Nakano, a number of tastefully done restaurants and boutiques a la Omotesando, and Inokashira Park. In fact, I think the whole area has this labyrinth type of feel to it...turn a corner and you end up in a small zone of differing atmosphere. I did this for about 90 minutes before meeting up with The Satyr, MB and The Sylph.

Of course, it was another stop on the Grand Burger Tour. This time, it was The Village Vanguard about 10 minutes' walk from the station. It had that rather intimate pub vibe to it. Surprisingly, we actually had a choice of seating in it despite its small size, considering it was a Saturday night. I have to admit that the burgers there were the best I've eaten so far in the tour; the patties weren't quite as big as the monsters in that Double Burger at Baker Bounce in Setagaya but they were better seasoned. I had the largest sucker amongst a goodly variety of burgers there: the W Cheeseburger. Downed that beauty with a Corona and then a Bailey's Irish Cream. MB was so impressed that we decided to try out the Fish n' Chips. They were OK but the burgers were really the thing. The only downside, and admittedly it's a very small thing, was that the staff was a little overly friendly. Like, the staff had their smiles on full wattage and spoke in very airy-fairy voices (these guys were dressed like dorm students on campus...they had to be at least baritones) explaining how to eat hamburgers. I mean, didn't the guys take a good look at me?! I'm no freakin' vegetarian...I know what a hamburger is. The Satyr remarked that if we'd been in Canada, he would've sworn that our waiters were really going for that tip. Of course, Japan doesn't allow tipping. Still, I'll take too much nice over too much indifference.

After our engorging, the four of us decided to attempt to walk off some of our added calories by going through the commercial maze and then cutting through Inokashira Park. Very pleasant stroll although we didn't come up against any amourous canoodling or ambitious muggers. On the way, MB mentioned that The Polynesian had actually contacted him the day after my meeting with her; looks like our trip down Memory Lane on Thursday prompted her to make some old contacts. We actually made our dessert stop at some sort of French patisserie. Pretty good fixins there...I had a sesame-cream cheese tart concoction. Of course, the four of us all have had our histories with the ol' school...so we regaled one another with various stories of the nefarious staff and the casanova teachers. Probably the next outing for burgers might be in Akasaka-Mitsuke or The Firehouse near Ueno. In any case, Village Vanguard gets my enthusiastic vote for a repeat visit.

The next day was the trip out to Hikarigaoka at the very end of the Oedo Line. The Satyr was helping out at this annual Speech Day festival organized by his former colleague and one other somewhat boho lady. The students were all kids of varying ages...never a target that I would approach willingly; however, The Satyr asked us some weeks ago if any of us would be willing to help out in the main post-event: an English lesson version of Battleship (as in "you sank my.."). Skippy, being the kids' teacher and all around happy lady, naturally put up her hand. I volunteered because I was his friend and I could understand how any teacher could put up an SOS taking care of several younglings. As it turned out, I was the large fifth wheel of the outfit. The Satyr, Skippy and I were assigned to the littlest kids who may not have had the ability to speak out readily. Satyr's and Skippy's young charges did need some guidance but aside from a perfunctory greeting between me and my kid, the kid proceeded to destroy quite a few fleets without any help from me. I just sat there. And then, one of the organizers asked me about some further activities for the kids since there was some time left over. To be honest, I'd already thought up of some stuff for Charades and Hangman but since Skippy had brought over some stuff for her game and since she was the more experienced kids' teacher, I had Skip talk it over. My decision wasn't wrong. Skippy took care of the kids, even the teens, like a pro with her games. I would've had a major case of flop sweat; it would've been like bleeding in shark-infested waters. However, both Skippy and I received some nice cake and wine (a Cabernet Sauvignon) for our efforts. I felt rather badly about that....I did bupkiss and I get a pretty nice swag pack...I felt pretty awkward for the rest of the night. I think I'll have to think harder before accepting things like these.

As it were, Hikarigaoka the neighbourhood, was a very nice residential area. Skippy used to work there and she said that the rents weren't too bad. Food for thought...

Saturday October 21, 1:45 p.m.

Gonna have to speed-type this since I've got The Ramen Lady for her biweekly chit-chat within the next 15 minutes.

Well, The UL and I got a bit of walloping news last night at The Tea Room. The manager had wanted to tell me the day before when I was teaching The New Yorker there but she didn't have the heart. Apparently, after 10 years of serving up all kinds of tea and crumpets, The Tea Room is calling it quits in one week. One of my main haunts will go the way of the dodo. Maybe it was fate that all of the students that I see there (The Sisters of State, M+M and The UL) will be coming next week right up to the final day. Time to look for alternate venues. I'm gonna miss the ol' girl...I was there for 5 years starting with The Tea Room Ladies; perhaps I should let them know as well. I retro-figured that maybe The Tea Room's days were indeed numbered for the same reason that I always enjoyed teaching there: it was always so empty there except during lunch. The Tea Room would have been my final touchstone gone with Ichigaya aside for the fact that I'll be meeting The Coffeemaker and Tully at a Tully's there from next week.

On Thursday morning, I met The Polynesian for just the 2nd time. My first demo lesson with her was a few years ago...and I didn't hear anything back from her. Plus, MB and I thought she was a bit more flightier than her more button-down and down-to-earth sister, The Hawaiian. So I wasn't looking forward to particularly any big things that morning. But it seemed like the girl has become a bit more grounded and less burdened with the accessories. And her English is better since she'd spent 6 months in Perth with her sibling. So, there is hope.

And after The Ramen Lady, I've gotta head out the door for Kichijoji to see The Satyr and MB for the latest chapter in The Burger Tour Saga. Tonight's episode: The Village Vanguard...and no, it doesn't follow the legendary jazz joint in Manhattan.

Wednesday October 18, 10:00 p.m.

A long day is coming to an end. From my 5:00 a.m. wake-up call to head over to Immigration to this blog entry after 001 & 007, I've had a day. Hmm...not sure but I seem to be in a midweek rut. The lessons with the Wednesday duo have been a bit sloggy. In the case of 007, I think it's just that the guy is pretty button-down to begin with, but with the usually vivacious 001, she's been rather exhausted due to work. However, a long-unheard-from student may be making the rounds once more. Farrah may be coming back into the fold but it probably won't be til the second week of November at the earliest.

I've made the official announcement of my heading back to The Great White North for the Holidays to the students and to some of my close friends (what few I have left...I've been quite the demolition expert). Sometime next month, I may have to impose on the juku boss to pick up any December bills. I probably won't be asking The Chipmunk since I've barely spoken to her in the last year.

Recently, my departure from Speedy's neighbourhood has taken a different route. I used to just board the Oedo Line and then transfer to the Tozai. However, in the last couple of weeks, I've actually gone with the bus whose stop is conveniently situated not too far from the school. It heads back to Nakano Station, and the Tozai Line usually starts out from there which means a guaranteed seat. But more than that, despite the extra cost of 100 yen, I rather enjoy being on a bus more than a subway...obviously more to see from the window of a bus....life whizzing by instead of a dark tunnel.

According to CNN, Condi Rice has reassured we Japanese citizens (and permanent residents) that the U.S. will protect us if push comes to shove where North Korea is concerned. Well, considering what's happened with Iraq over the past 3 years, I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up wearing a Kim pin unless I got out of Dodge really quickly.

Wednesday October 18, 5:36 p.m.

Just finished my tofu dinner. I've gotten used to eating the curds, slightly flavoured with soy sauce. It helps that I'd eaten the lion's share at LAST so I wasn't all that hungry. But I'm just concerned about my sleep levels. Coffee would be kinda nice.

Thursday should be an uncharacteristically busy day...perhaps thankfully. I've got The Polynesian...The Hawaiian's sister. Actually, some years ago, I had an abortive first lesson with The Polynesian. Things didn't gel between us and MB had warned me that she was kinda flighty. So, I'm not meeting her with any big expectations here. Then, I've got another sister...The New Yorker. She's been pretty loyal...not particularly proficient in the English language, but loyal. And then in the evening, I've got B2....maybe B2B, although he's been busy.

I've also gotta think about what I'm gonna do with that new duo, The Coffeemaker and Tully although I won't be seeing them for another 10 days.

Wednesday October 18, 4:03 p.m.

Well, as of 9:15 this morning JST, I was no longer a visa resident in this country, living 3-year-to-3-year. After 10 months of waiting, I became a Permanent Resident in Japan. Well...I think the term waiting is a bit harsh. Actually, it should be more like 10 months from my initial application with brief periods of wondering. So, it was just a matter of getting up with the roosters and then heading on down to the monolithic Tokyo Regional Immigration Centre, waiting in a line with the rest of the applicants for about an hour. Then, I was told to purchase an 8,000-yen revenue stamp from the convenience store on the 1st floor before handing it in on a form. Some 10 minutes later, I got my passport back with a stamp saying that my permanent residency started today. No need for an interview or any other interrogation techniques; it was just like my previous visa renewal processes. But now, I no longer have to grovel for visa sponsorships which helps me somewhat. However, it doesn't mean that I no longer have to head out to Shinagawa. I still gotta renew rentry permits and when my passport runs out, I will still need to head out to the TRIC but at least the frequency of my visits will fall even further. And of course, sometime next week, I'll have to head on out to City Hall to register the change in my status.

Still, it was a small burden off my back. And I guess I can consider the permanent residency a belated birthday gift. Any other rewards were purely culinary: a Sausage Muffin set at McD's and then a buffet lunch at LAST in Shimbashi. The 8,000 yen for the Permanent Residency was a bit hefty, I had initially thought. But then again, I rationalized it by thinking that I've just paid something less than ichi-man to be able to stay here for the rest of my life. Not a high price to pay.

My day and night yesterday were generally fine despite it being the busiest day of the week. But I came down with a major allergic attack during The Beehive's session which elicited a lot of tissue from the ladies. I was still sniffling something awful until after lunch when I decided to sacrifice my 1400 yen to get some Benza Block Cold Medicine. Thankfully, it kicked in at the beginning of 002's class. My juku classes were their usual OK works of art. Jolly called in to pull off another dotakyan and The Milds pulled a sudden surprise weekend trip to Korea. Mrs. Mild had wanted to consult with The Siberian about his time there about a month ago. But man, the Milds aren't the greatest at retention. It was a bit of a tooth-pull trying to get any sort of application out of them. Not surprisingly, they gave me some more Korean dried seaweed as souvenirs.

I've got 001 and 007 tonight although I'm not sure if I'm in the best shape. Not because of any more sniffles but instead because of the early morning call today, I'm feeling pretty sleepy right now. I could use with a bit of joe.

On a totally different note, that part of the media covering the J-Pop industry is having a bit of a time talking about the defection of one of that local boyband, KAT-TUN. Apparently, one of the boys, a Mr. Akanishi, has rather strongly wanted to follow his desire to study overseas. After just a little less than a year of stardom, I'm slightly surprised that Johnny's Jimusho decided to let the kid go but it's supposedly for about 6 months, so not too long. The band's name comes from the first letters of each of the band members' last names, so Akanishi was the "A" (in a weird way, it reminds me of the "5 Neat Guys" from SCTV). So, with his departure, KAT-TUN may now become K'T-TUN. Sounds a bit Klingon, to me, although I don't think the remaining members will start wearing forehead ridges. Mind you, being a Johnny's band, they may as well sound like Klingon opera considering how little I like SMAP or Tokio.

Speaking of celebs, Speedy had his own sighting. And it was quite a catch, too. Over the weekend, the head honcho caught a glimpse of actress/model/Amazoness Norika Fujiwara during a bit of filming for her latest TV drama near Tokyo Station. Hubba hubba. Of course, with a lady of her stature (literally AND figuratively), her minders were also on double time. One of Speedy's colleagues was trying to snap a pic of her on his cellphone camera when a whole bunch of these guys started to block said colleague's view like a football team's defense on a hapless quarterback. But Japanese minders don't compare at all to a Mike Tyson posse. For one thing, bothering a Japanese celeb doesn't carry the risk of bodily harm.

Monday October 16, 2:53 p.m.

Did actually forget to mention a couple of other things. One is that after 10 months of waiting, the Immigration folks finally sent me that postcard telling me to come on down. Now I see if I finally get to become a Permanent Resident in my adopted home. It looks promising. The form postcard always has a list of the visas and their prices. Well, at the bottom of mine, there was a new stamp for "Permanent Residency---8,000 yen". Guess it's a small price to pay for relative security. Mind you, it means that I'm gonna have to head on out pretty early on Wednesday to Shinagawa.

I was also wondering about The Class Act. Both The Lady and The Matron have houses in Hawaii, and there was a rather sizable earthquake there yesterday. The governor has apparently labeled it as a disaster area. But at least for The Lady, some representatives from the area called her up this morning to reassure that aside from some crooked pictures, her second house is in good condition.

I also got a birthday wish from DTE, whom I hadn't heard from in several months. Looks like she's doing fine in Munich.

Monday October 16, 2:12 p.m.

Back at the AI Cafe in Akiba again. I just had to check my e-mail to see if my brother actually could come through with that ticket proposition. He was thinking of sending me an Air Canada ticket over. I kinda doubted that it could be done, and sure enough, there was no message for me. So in about an hour, I'll be sending my deposit to the travel agency for that Continental ticket.

I've had The Class Act but SIL cancelled out due to her mother's illness so I do have a few hours to kill before heading over to Speedy's. I've got The Part-Timer and 008 tonight.

After yesterday's stint behind the keyboard here, I met MB downstairs and we walked over to the Kanda area. Kanda is known mostly for its bookstores but there is also a small intense zone of ski shops. MB is getting that itch to hit the slopes again after his epiphany last season for the wonders of skiing. However, we decided to get some lunch at a local Freshness Burger. It was the first time for us to witness an empty Freshness Burger; since this branch is located in a commercial area and it was a Sunday, the place was a far cry from its Shinjuku cousin which is usually wall-to-wall people. We took another long walk towards Kudanshita. On the way, MB was talking about his hoped-for plan to set up a Role-Playing Game session sometime in the new year. That reminded me of my days witnessing the U of T RPG'ers; I rather blurted out that the guys there looked like the prototypical geeks. I don't think I offended MB with that remark but I'll consider it a long-delayed retaliation towards him and Frodo for snickering at me during karaoke all those months ago. Strangely enough, as we were walking through Kanda, we came across a small shop that was hawking "Lord of the Rings" RPGs. The staff there struck me as being folks doing a labour of love...very friendly and encouraging about their wares.

Last week, NHK was reporting on the fact that the Japanese economy had actually surpassed the legendary Izanagi econonic boom of the 60s which led The Land of the Rising Sun to its status as the 2nd-richest nation. The boom was so big that it actually got named after one of the founding gods of Nippon. Well, all of us viewers were rather gobsmacked at this news. We certainly aren't feeling any richer...folks aren't getting paid any higher despite this news. Perhaps it's an economic boom by stealth. Still, I think Tokyo is doing far better than any of its fellow megalopoli/metropoli.

Still, one sign that there could be an economic recovery under way is the fact that the Hollywood celebs are back doing their mondo bizarro Japanese TV commercials. Case in point: Scarlett Johannsen is now the spokesperson for Mt. Rainier Iced Coffee, following other pixieish stars like Winona Ryder and Natalie Portman. I'm sure she could have asked Bill Murray of "Lost in Translation" fame for some fatherly advice after his character's stint doing Suntory Whiskey commercials. Like Murray's character, Johannsen had to spout some English snippets while she's walking through what looks like the London Tube; unlike the previous spokeswomen, though...Scarlett is considerably more voluptuous. No idea whether she'll be making an appearance on Matthew Minami's program.

Mind you, Johannsen is following Kiefer Sutherland and Tommy Lee Jones on the Japanese ad front. Sutherland has been taking the piss out of his Jack Bauer character by trying to dismantle a bomb with a bumbling Japanese sidekick while munching on a Calorie Mate wafer. But the weird one is Tommy Lee. Mr. Suffer-No-Fools-At-All has been in a series of ads for Boss Coffee for the past few months as he plays an alien (no costume though...just craggy-faced him) observing Japanese life. He's had to take on odd jobs as an assembly line worker and an electronics store salesperson hawking the merchandise in Japanese. And lately, he's been a delivery man who's had the unfortunate luck to have his truck ticketed by a couple of rent-a-cops played by The Regulars, one of those goofball comedic duos. Never thought I'd see the day. At least, he doesn't have to spit out some non sequitur English phrases. He just glares at the cops. If only Clint Eastwood were younger...

Ah, what else is new? Well, I was watching "Aru Aru Daijiten", that Fuji-TV Sunday night program which features tips on self-improvement. Last night's program dealt with the physical age of one's body and how to lower it. The show has a panel of tarento to talk about the topic and often humilate themselves going through a battery of tests. I was rather amused to see buxom beauty MEGUMI, a 25-year-old member known more for her sassy mouth and two other assets than for any particular talent, realize that her body is more fit for a woman on the cusp of retirement. She wasn't really all that sassy after that.

The locals here have been a little edgy since neighbour Kim Jong Il set off that little pocket rocket last week. Kinda wonder how things are gonna go for the remaining part of the year after the UN Security Council finally brought the hammer down on North Korea. The ambassador for Kim naturally stormed out. I wonder if he's gonna stay out with a South Korean becoming the new Secretary-General.