Monday June 18, 5:11 p.m.

I'm having a pretty routine Monday so far. Since the Class Act was off again today, I just headed over to Oazo in Otemachi and had my lunch at Com Pho. Yes, that pho ga sure hits the ticket at just 730 yen with all the free bean sprouts and Rice Krispies puffs you can add to the soup. But after 11:30, it does start to fill up. I chose to eat at one of the standing tables; there were empty seats at the sit-down counters but frankly I'd rather eat bark than slurp my noodles just centimetres across from another person. By the time I finished off my noodles, there was a small line forming.

I popped into Maruzen and got my weekly issue of METROPOLIS for SIL. I also came across guides on how to play Go, that Japanese version of checkers...although I think RISK is a much better analogy. I'd always had a passing interest in the game but with just a thousand yen in the wallet, I had to hold off any purchases. Not that I would be able to devote any major time to it any time soon anyways.

Then, it was off again to Yurakucho to check out HMV. Again, it was just mere window shopping due to the dearth of yen in my pocket. I did come across a CD by that new techno unit, Ryukyudisco. The boys have got a new single out with a collaboration with the pop-punk band of the moment, Beat Crusaders, but it was the B-side that got my fancy. It's a cover version of YMO's classic "Absolute Ego Dance"...perfect for all the Donald Trumps out there. Still walked down to Ginza Yamano Music just because I still had an hour to kill before SIL's class. Speaking of music, I finally did get through my purchases from last week. Hall & Oates' "Big Bam Boom" was OK since it also included the remixes of some of the hits from the album, including "Out of Touch", "Method of Modern Love" and "Dance On Your Knees". Some of the other entries will always remain filler.

My two discs on disco were interesting backtracks into musical history. The one compilation certainly held tributes to Earth, Wind & Fire. No less than 3 of their finest graced the CD: "September", "Boogie Wonderland" and one other tune I forget. Of course, "Soul Train" was there and even "I'm in the Mood for Dancing" by the Nolans, a tune that seems to have far more legendary status here in Japan than Stateside. The song is known as "Dancing Sisters" here and its latest posting is as the theme tune for Softbank's latest generation of cellphones with Cameron Diaz doing her mime-like performances.

The second disc was less on actual disco and more on 70s R&B although the title of the CD was "Soul". It's one of those cheapo purchases at a mere 1,000 yen and it only comes with the flappy cover sheet...no liner notes and not even an inside cover listing the songs and their times. Still, I could listen to stuff that I now realize have been sampled to death by today's artists on both sides of the Pacific. For example, the very first track was James Brown's "It's a Man's World" with that ubiquitous horn fanfare at the beginning. Womack & Womack's "Teardrops" was a revelation....I could see where J-Pop Queen Yumi Matsutoya could've gotten some of her pop inspiration. And Gloria Gaynor's "Never Could Say Goodbye" contributed one riff to Morning Musume's only megahit "Love Machine".

However, what I bought the disc for was the one entry by Love Unlimited, "Love's Theme". It's a pulsating early disco instrumental which could've been the blueprints for any other meshing of orchestra and pop in that era. I remember it being used as the theme song for Toronto TV station CBLT's 6 o'clock news program, "24 Hours" back in the early 70s, and it's been used as a theme song for a lot of other sports and news programs all over the continent. Heck, CITY-TV still uses Maynard Ferguson's "Rocky" theme for its newscasts, some 32 years after its debut for Sylvester Stallone's masterpiece. The one thing I hadn't known about the band was that it was Barry ("Oh, baby, baby, baby") White's unit.

Well, MB finally contacted me about "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" this morning. It seems that The Satyr is cool with it for Sunday. Skippy has already seen it but hasn't given in her two yen; I'm sure that will come during the dinner hour. However, Speedy did catch it back on Saturday. He just said not to go in the theatre with very high expectations although it wasn't a total bomb.

I ought to be having The Full-Timer in about 15 minutes. I don't think I'll be returning to the school after that. The bossman hasn't come up to me about any of the curricula stuff and frankly, I would like to know what a weeknight off feels like after several weeks.

Ah, I did forget to mention one thing. Last week, Coca-Cola Japan launched Coke Zero, that zestier version of Diet Coke. Well, apparently, there's another new Coke now with the added zip of cucumbers. Yes, you heard it....some Brainiac decided to add the crisp flavour of proto-pickles to the legendary drink. Not sure what colour it is (remember Clear Coke?...i.e. weird 7-Up) but gotta try this sucker out.

Monday June 18, 10:20 a.m.

Been a while...have a few things to unload...

On Thursday night, after having taught The Carolinan and BC in Ichigaya, I was walking back to my place from the station along the northern side. It was the usual gaggles of folks traipsing back home from the company or from the izakayas. Suddenly, there was an angry scream. Apparently, there was a short but intense altercation which cleared the air of all sound. I saw a suit walking back the opposite way looking rather rumpled, angry and chastened. Meanwhile, there was another suit who felt he wasn't through with his battle. He just stomped the other way muttering to himself and then turned around and just kept screaming all sorts of epithets periodically. He didn't seem drunk....no slurring, but he was rage personified. Not sure what the fight was all about but I think I had seen him before. On the exact same stretch of road some months back, there was a similarly dressed fellow who went out of his way to kick pylons and garbage cans. Not sure if this is a guy who needs some mental help.

The next day on the telly, I cut in midway through a news item in which some fellow was arrested for approaching the home of a local government official with a knife as a negotiating tool. The neighbourhood looked familiar, so my thoughts immediately went to that guy from the night before. Apparently, the suspect had some major grievances about his Citizen's Tax going up.

Friday, I was lucky to have most of the day off. Just The Ace and Jolly. Saturday, though, was a fairly busy day. I had The Coffeemaker for a solo before the Speedy classes with the Manhattanite and The Dentist.

Sunday was another day off. But it was also a trip to the boonies of Chiba Prefecture. Mrs. Alp of the Beehive had invited some of us to her place for a summer BBQ. She couldn't have asked for a better day to have it. It was sunny and hot out there....rather atypical for the rainy season. In fact, it's been a bit worrying. We've been hoping for some precip to alleviate any potential water shortages.

It was a fairly long haul trip. Getting to Chiba Station from my area took about 35 minutes; I met up with Mrs. Jade and Mrs. Perth along with her husband there and then we took the Chiba Monorail for another 25 minutes or so. By the time we reached our final destination, we were in a fairly small city atmosphere. Mrs. Alp picked us up by car and it was another 5 minutes or so before we got to her place. She and her hubby live in a pretty well-to-do neighbourhood with all new houses obviously made by different companies which gave the area an eclectically pleasing appearance....something that urban planners ought to consider when trying to avoid the sameness of suburbs. The area reminded me a lot of the suburbs ringing outside of Toronto, such as Richmond Hill or Markham.

We had the BBQ on the front yard which was luckily obscured by a high hedge. It was a very pleasant time with Mr. Alp clearly enjoying his time as regaling host. He was definitely a good chef...it's been a while since I had such good grilled Japanese fare. We had sashimi, grilled fish and butter clams, and even some nicely smoked sausages to add that European flair. Of course, wine and beer liberally flowed. Afterwards, for an hour, Mrs. Alp took her dog for a walk with the Perths, Jade and me following. Not 10 minutes walk away, we were deep in a forest peppered with bamboo along with more deciduous varieties of trees and then we found ourselves walking amongst rice paddies and small green hills. It was very refreshing to walk in clean cool air away from the usual urban stuff. I couldn't believe we had walked a solid hour. I did get the beginnings of a sunburn on my forearms, though. We stayed for another half-hour at her house for some last-minute imbibing of icewine that I'd gotten from someone. It was the usual long-necked thin bottle but it was perfect for all 6 of us.

Mrs. Alp said that though she and her husband loved living in the wilds of Chiba, she also pointed out that any commutes to the big city are major exercises. Just to get to our weekly meetings in Tsudanuma takes about an hour. I think if I ever retire, the Alps' area would be great for me but by that time, I would probably need to be a successful writer with just a small cadre of students surrounding me in a tight circle. Don't think I could let go of the convenience factor of Ichikawa just quite yet.

Well, gotta head on out soon. Got my usual 90 with SIL but I gotta pick up her weekly METROPOLIS in Otemachi. And then it's just The Full-Timer. Not sure if I'll head back to Speedy's afterwards. I may just call it a fairly early night. This week doesn't seem too heavy, schedule-wise, although Wednesday will be a killer.

Thursday June 14, 11:41 a.m.

I'm thankfully enjoying this partial day off today. Yesterday, I left home at the eye-cringing time of 6:45 a.m. and then came home at the eye-drooping time of 12:17 a.m. this morning. Yup, 18 hours out on the road and in the school. And here I was some 4 years ago when I started this freelancing career naively thinking that I could actually get some nights off. Well, I'm wiser if more tired. And the fact is that I won't have a single total day off until next next Sunday. Actually, Mrs. Alp invited us all to her house for a BBQ this coming Sunday but a part of me still considers that work since I've gotta be on my best behaviour. It's getting to the point that I've put a huge black "X" on the 24th on my calendar so that I guarantee myself no classes.

My little vent at Speedy's expense yesterday has been forgiven and forgotten. I sent over a written apology via e-mail along with some attached curricula stuff to be looked at. But it has gotten me thinking about what I should do about my relatives....part of the vent was influenced by my chat with Mom the other night concerning my letter to my Uncle sending my deepest condolences on the death of my grandfather. Apparently, by sending the letter to my Uncle, who's actually the second son, I committed a slight faux pas in that I should've sent it to my other Uncle, a man whom I haven't had any contact in almost 2 decades. Mom didn't intend it but just by telling me the list of my errors, my bile pit rapidly filled up since this was stuff I could've heard some days before sending out the letter. So, now it feels like I've basically excommunicated myself from the expanded family. To be honest, it doesn't bother me too much since I've never been all that close to the relations on either side of the family....and this isn't all on my doing. My mother seems to have always vetoed any attempts on my part to go see them over the years....saying that I would just be a burden on them. And I could see her point to a certain extent....imagine a Canuck with limited Japanese ability in his forties shuffling off to see relatives who might as well be strangers. Certainly, I couldn't go now...with the passing of Grandpa over their heads. So, I've just decided that I'll take off the albatross around my neck and sever all ties with the relatives. My lease is up for renewal next year...I would usually have to beg for my Uncle's signature as guarantor. Well, I'm just gonna have to find a new place without the need of such a person....such places are now on the increase.

In other news, I'd dropped a line to Chip Guy to see how he was doing since we haven't spoken in some weeks. I mentioned in the message about when his wife would be delivering Child No. 2. Well, I should've put some money down on the roulette table...Mrs. CG is having the kid today. If I had a cigar...

Corporate Japan has been getting its face slapped a lot this month. Of course, the government has been doing damage control on the grandest scale to rescue itself over the news that a ton of pensioners' deposit records have been lost. Then, Goodwill Japan had to do its deepest bows of contrition when one of its companies in the elderly care industry, Comsyn, tried to do a bit of creative paperwork. Now the other shoe has dropped on my old company, NOVA (the McDonalds of English teaching). Because the management was found guilty a few months ago of cheating students on the contracts, NOVA has been told to suspend partial operations. So, the branches will stay open but they just won't be able to sell long-term contracts for the next 6 months. That could sting a bit since that's what NOVA has always pushed rather aggressively.

Ah...well, this isn't exactly on the scale of the Bob Woolmer revelation that he wasn't murdered after all (that retired Scotland Yard guy who had been crying wolf must feel flatter than a bagpipe's deflated sack right now), but the death of the ZARD lead singer, Izumi Sakai (aka Sachiko Kamachi), was officially ruled a tragic accident in the papers a few days ago. Of course, true to the slightly sleazy nature of some of the rags, the headline was accompanied by a topless photo of the singer when she was still under her real name and doing pinup photos.

Well, I've got The Carolinan and BC tonight. Hopefully, the cafe won't be hopping too much today.

Wednesday June 13, 5:25 p.m.

Still have some time before 001 comes in, and I've already got all the lesson plans done, so here I am.

I've heard about the much-awaited finale to "The Sopranos" and its rather virulently disappointed reaction from the masses. On the Sympatico newssite, Tony Soprano's swan song has already gotten onto "TV's Worst Finales"...there's James Gandolfini's mug along with those of Mulder and Scully and even the gang from "Seinfeld". Well, "The Sopranos" have just barely gotten through half of its first season here in Japan via SkyPerfect's Super Drama TV so it'll be another 6 or so years before some of us start bellyaching. As for me, I saw the pilot but it didn't really come across as must-see TV for me. I can only wonder if the pressure is now on "The Simpsons" if and when it comes to its last episode. As for best finales, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "Newhart", "MASH" and yes...."Star Trek: The Next Generation" still fit the bill.

I got a quick response from The Carolinan concerning her family's passport status. She reassured me that all is OK, and they won't be treated like potential terrorists by Honolulu Immigration or Five-O.

I've got my triple pack tonight but at least I've got a pretty empty Thursday aside from The Carolinan and BC. I think BC's lessons need a bit of a pick-me-up after a somewhat laconic lesson last time, so I've printed out an article on Louis Riel, the Metis rebel since she's such a Canuck-o-phile. Hopefully, that will be the tonic.

Wednesday June 13, 4:40 p.m.

I just had my lesson with The New Yorker in Ichigaya. Maybe it was the hair, but I thought she lost some weight. Mind you, I may have helped her do just that when I sent her into a little panic when I asked whether her passport was machine-readable. Y'see, the Sisters of State and their mother will be heading for a short vacation to Hawaii next month. The New Yorker wasn't too sure so I told her about Ms. Tulip's hubby's little nightmare a couple of years ago when US Immigration kicked him out of the country for bringing in a non-machine-readable passport despite it being perfectly valid. He had to head back in what was practically a 16-hour round trip for nothing, probably get chewed out by his boss, and then endure a week of quick processing for a new passport. Hm...I could see where The New Yorker might get a little antsy. Well, I do remember that the sisters did go to Vegas a few years ago, so they should be OK but I'm not sure about their mother. But just in case, I also sent a heads-up to The Carolinan.

The Manhattanite has been playing musical chairs once more with the schedule. Now, instead of next Monday, she has changed over to this Saturday between The Coffeemaker and The Dentist. One can only hope that she will come back someday.

Stateside, it would seem that the big news is Immigration Reform...or is that mostly due to Lou Dobbs? Well, over here, the big story is Pension Records...and how the records of thousands (or millions) of people have slipped through the cracks over the past 20 years. You can imagine that a very quiet panic has set in with the population, and the City Halls all over the country have been inundated with worried and irate pensioners and near-pensioners wondering if they will get their fair share. The Liberal Democratic Party, the government party that has been in power virtually for 60 years, is getting the slings and arrows thrown at them despite its promises to rectify the situation. Shinzo Abe must be rolling his eyes like a roulette as the Upper House elections are in less than a month.

In any case, I've got my triple-pack tonight with an EIC class sandwiched between 001 and The Judge.

Wednesday June 13, 9:14 a.m.

Well, off to a not-so-great-start. I had a conversation with Speedy about a change in schedule next week with The Nurse. She usually chooses (but it's not committed in stone) Wednesday mornings, but next week I've got The Class Act in a rare Wednesday morning class. I received a little lecture from the bossman about how important it is not to bump a client from a regular slot; I was already in a bit of a bad mood due to one of those calls from my Mom concerning my recently deceased grandfather last night. So having to get a lecture from a guy who's a bit anal to begin with (as much as I am grateful to him for letting me teach here)...well, I did a mild snap and just said to him that The Class Act got in first and when it comes to my business, my students come first. I automatically regretted that as soon as I said it. Well, I'm not quite up to apologizing quite yet...but I'll send something to Speedy later on...or maybe not...even when he's accepting apologies, he tends to prefer 10 words when just one would do.

Anyways, yesterday morning, I had The Beehive for their usual kaffeeklatsch. The main topic was on this Second Life craze that's been sucking in folks into the Internet for hours at a time. Ms. Alp, the resident techhead-and-spy geek, was the one introducing the topic. Ms. Perth was trying to wrap her head around the concept that people could actually have vicarious thrills and second lives in cyberspace. Also, there was some mild, good-humoured griping about the difference between Japanese service-oriented responses and Canadian service-oriented responses. The case in point has been all of the hotels in The Great White North that the ladies have been trying to reserve for their big tour in October. It seems like response time is greatly lengthened back home. I did warn them not to expect the usual high calibre of service that one gets here.

002 was fine...her usual happy-go-lucky self. And as for the juku, it looks like the emphasis on fun and games for Chip N' Dale has been successful. With Seven, it was the customary exchange of sweets; we shared the chestnut-based Mont Blanc pastries this time while I found out that she's not too crazy about dried fruits...or most fruits, for that matter. The lass is basically tolerant of just citrus fruits and perhaps the odd watermelon. I think Atlanta or Florida would be ideal for her.

It was a short night for me. Both The Siberian and Jolly canceled their lessons so I was able to get some sleep time in. Just as well....I've got a long day ahead of me. The Nurse, The New Yorker, 001, a new EIC student and finally The Judge.

Monday June 11, 10:02 p.m.

Dunno how much time I have left before Speedy decides to call it quits for the day; he's still feeling fairly jetlagged after his time on the road.

However, I did want to address an interesting quirk on Japanese pop culture...yeah, as opposed to the thousands of other quirks. But this quirk has a name...it's Bobby Caldwell. In the United States, perhaps the vast majority of the citizenry may have recognized the name as that belonging to Matt Damon's character's father in "Ocean's Eleven" ("Oh, you're Bobby Caldwell's kid!")

Well, despite having been born and raised in the good ol' U.S of A, the Bobby Caldwell is that singer who sang the late 70s AOR hit, "What You Won't Do For Love". The song itself is pretty catchy and has been covered by a lot of acts including 80s British band Go West and 90s Japanese AOR act Sing Like Talking. And in fact, probably a lot of R&B musicians today know Caldwell better than the public since they've sampled those famous opening beats to Caldwell's signature tune. The quirk comes in the fact that the man has been more of a legend here than in his home country. People usually say "Big in Japan" as a denigration of an over-the-hill singer or band...for Caldwell, it's the ultimate compliment. Not sure what it is about the man in the fedora with a penchant for white-eyed soul that has made him such a musical fixture in The Land of the Rising Sun but the guy's albums usually get released here before they make it Stateside. I have to admit that I also have a few of his albums. He's just one of those musical equivalents of comfort food. And he's certainly shown his gratitude to his Japanese fans; he married a Japanese woman and has had a couple of kids.

Well, speaking of well-worn musicians, I caught uber-aidoru Seiko Matsuda on an episode of "Bokutachi No Ongaku" (Our Music), that Friday-night Fuji-TV music show with a touch of urbanity. Usually the singer of the episode gets interviewed by a tarento of some sort. Strangely enough, the interviewer happened to be Kane Kosugi, the young muscular son of movie ninja Sho Kosugi. I was later to find out that the choice of interviewer was due to the fact that the two of them appear as May-October lovers in Seiko's latest music video. I kinda wonder if father Sho wanted to throw a couple of shuriken at errant son for that affair. Still, if anyone is in doubt, Seiko is still out there. Now, if only someone can explain to me what has happened to Akina Nakamori...

Monday June 11, 7:44 p.m.

The first Great Rain descended upon the Kanto yesterday morning in what was a most timely fashion for me. I had just arrived at the house of the two sisters, although I'm now only teaching the Junior. The first few drops of what would become an hour of deluge started falling just as I was entering the door. Then during our lesson, the drops became sheets of precipitation, but by the time I finished, things were back to a trickle again. As for my new status as a teacher of one sister, well, it wasn't too bad. There were no awkward moments since The Elder had taken off to celebrate her freedom by running to Disneyland. Still, the mother was kind enough to up my salary by 500 yen.

Today was a greatly truncated schedule. The Class Act had an atypical day off while Mr. TOEIC cancelled his class tonight. So, it was just SIL and The Full-Timer. Since I had a late start, I headed off to Maruzen at Otemachi to buy a copy of the text that I'm now using with 002 and then had lunch at Com Pho, my favourite eatery in the area. This time, it was the hot Pho Ga instead of my usual Bun Bi. Then, I just went over to Yamano Music and put my hard-earned discount points to work and bought 3 CDs. I've just about scavenged through the 80s, so I've got further back and got some disco...yep, you read me...disco....compilations. Hey, it wasn't as if I were actively buying records of the stuff during my childhood...this was the stuff that was my aural wallpaper from the radio and the TV. But I still kept my foot in the New Wave era by purchasing Hall & Oates' "Big Bam Boom". Well, I'm glad I recharged the Discman.

After 2 weeks, Speedy was back. He was able to scratch up some new business but he was moaning the fact that he would need to do some heavy catch-up. However, he was kind enough to help me generate the two tests for 001 and 002. I've given the ladies the (bad) news.

The Full-Timer and I were back at the Doutors again...after that one blissful lesson at the school itself. So, I am once again infused with the noxious smell of coffee and cigarettes. Still, I had another good session with the lass. It looks like she may be starting another hobby via kickboxing. Apparently, she referred to the teacher as "cute"...although he must have a kick that could stop an elephant dead. In fact, The Full-Timer said that he was a professional athlete who's been on the telly by the name of Hayato. Also, it seems like she also knows someone who has fallen under the spell of "Billy's Boot Camp" by the B-movie bad guy known as Billy Blanks. I've been seeing his commercial of hardcore workouts on CNN for weeks now, and one of The Quiet Pair has started her first lesson under his tutelage. Speedy informed me that one of his acquaintances has also been doing his/her military presses, and now it's The Full-Timer's friend. Ironic, considering that the Japanese have gotten hardcore for high-calorie meals. But perhaps, this rush for all things Billy is the effect of the rush for all things hamburger.

Anyways, I gotta help the bossman install the air conditioner...

Saturday June 9, 2:47 p.m.

Just awaiting The Dentist for her 60 in about 20 minutes. Supposedly, we're getting deluged today and tomorrow. So far, though, Tokyo has only been sprinkled on. We can certainly use with the rain...the reservoirs are only at 55% capacity, which could mean water rationing.

I just had The Coffeemaker today at Tully's since Tully the student is now in Georgetown for his month-long English education at the university where George Tenet is lecturing. I did ask the lad to go up and meet him (and risk getting tasered by Secret Service). As for her partner, she is actually the first person I've seen or heard or read anywhere who actually enjoyed "Pirates of the Caribbean 3". Even Seven wasn't too thrilled with the overly supernatural aspects of this sequel. Still, even The Coffeemaker wasn't too sure about Orlando Bloom's performance.

Looks like 3 is the number of death this summer....at least where movie sequels are concerned. I read Roger Ebert's review on "Ocean's 13"...just marginally better than the mess that was "Ocean's 12". Now, there is just "The Bourne Ultimatum" to keep the 3 alive. However, I am interested in catching "The Prestige" with Batman and Wolverine. It just opened today. Heck, I'm even interested in seeing "The Shooter".

I remember when Paddy once mentioned that he had suffered reverse culture shock on one of his return trips to Japan and said that he couldn't tell the difference between men and women from the back since they were all too darn skinny. Well, that could all change. I read an article concerning the return of Burger King and the Whopper where one line read that the Japanese were now going away from the healthy diet of seaweed and fish and heading at warp speed toward typically American megacalories. There was a picture in the article of a rather portly Japanese fellow tucking into his Whopper which should be quite telling. However, I think the trend toward gigantism has been happening for some time now with the boon in burger joints such as Baker Bounce and Sasebo Burger. Then there is all that MegaMac business which sold out in no time earlier this year, followed by the craziness that is Krispy Kreme. Pretty soon, you're gonna have folks taking up two seats on the bus...one for each cheek.

Speaking about BK, it looks like the opening of the so-far sole branch in Shinjuku managed to bring Krispy Kreme-size lineups on its first day yesterday. I hope the chain will open up more branches in a hurry unlike the molasses-like KK. Once again, despite the potentially downpours that could happen tonight, the lines for Tokyo's favourite donut shop are 1:30 long.

Friday June 8, 9:33 a.m.

Another early start here. But I won't be here nearly as late as I had been this week. As soon as I'm done with The Nurse today, I'm heading back to my home in the wilds of Chiba for some catchup on sleep before dinner and The Ace tonight at the juku.

Last night's lesson with The Quiet Pair went swimmingly well. The Admin warned me that the girls were pretty quiet, but again, I'd met them and even taught them a couple of times over the past few years so I already knew their temperament. They were beyond the texts so it was 90 minutes of entertaining chat with The Dancing Bear...comic skills can go so far. However, we even had a mini-crisis of sorts when for some reason, the last person to use the washroom somehow was able to lock the door from the outside so one of the Pair couldn't use la toilette. Then, my unintentional comedic skills got to work as I pathetically tried to think like a lockpicker and used toothpicks, a de-curled paper clip and even the school business card to try to open the door. Basically, it took a call to Mrs. Speedy and she got the door opened with a fork. Of course, the old fork-in-the-lock trick. Crisis averted.

I was actually able to watch a bit of TV this morning on the main set for the first time in a couple of days. It was the usual sordid spate of child killings and other horrible crimes in this country. Yep, Japan's crown of low crime may be starting to slip.

The next few days could be rather wet ones....which I hope is true since the news is stating that water reservoirs for the Kanto area are looking pretty low right now since the past winter was an unusually dry one. It may mean back to the 1-minute showers or putting Saran Wrap on the plates.

Thursday June 7, 3:56 p.m.

Came back from Shinjuku doing a bit of walking. Checked out Tower Records by the station where I only checked out the magazine section on the 10th floor; can't really be buying too many more CDs. Not a whole lot to buy there, either. Then, I just went over the overpass towards Krispy Kreme...yep, the usual snaky lines. The sign said a 1h20 min. wait. Didn't bother going across the bridge to Takashimaya Times Square and Kinokuniya. I figured there wouldn't be anything different that wouldn't cost more than 2,000 yen to purchase. So I just turned right and headed towards the Maynds Building.

I was expecting to tuck myself into another spicy Chinese lunch at that eatery in the basement, but as it turned out, the place was going into junbichuu status (standby status for the dinner crowds). I was tempted to try out the Indian curry place next door but I didn't want to subject my two students to any more body odor than absolutely necessary, so I just headed to the local Subways for a sandwich, before getting back here.

Well, so far so good with Speedy's students. If I can pass the gauntlet with these two quiet ones in a couple of hours, I'll head back home as quickly as I can.

Thursday June 7, 11:42 a.m.

Just finished the last of the Grandmothers. She was another one of those sweet little old ladies from a bygone era, but she also had some very interesting tales to impart. We spoke about her love of ballroom dancing (the first student who has ever referred to the activity by its proper name instead of "social dance"), but the interesting stuff involved her confession that until last year, she'd never been on an airplane of any sort in her life and that last June was her first overseas trip ever. Also, she talked about the postwar era and the fact that she had attended two sessions of the Tokyo War Crimes Trials as a young lady. Good golly...what the elderly can teach us about those days.

While we were talking for the hour, Grandmother 4 caught sight of a zeppelin flying about the Shinjuku sky....which, I'm sure, evoked some more memories. I don't really see many dirigibles out here, so I'm kinda wondering if there's some sort of event happening today.

Anyways, the Grandma classes are over and done with, so they'll be back with Speedy next week. Now, it's just the quiet pair tonight.

Thursday June 7, 10:19 a.m.

Just got through Grandma 3...and yep, as expected, she's quite the firebrand. I wouldn't say it was an automatic, though...did have to help her through some rough spots. But we talked about our hobbies which includes the famous all-female troupe of Takarazuka. She's not quite up to the okkake (groupie) level that one of my students was, but she's pretty knowledgeable about the current and previous stars.

Well, Grandma 4 has just rung in....hope my energy levels can keep up.

Thursday June 7, 8:36 a.m.

Some nine hours after leaving the school last night, I'm back again. For the last couple of days, my apartment has just been a bed to me. And I think for the first time in my long history here, I haven't turned on the main TV for 2 days straight. The Admin, who always opens up, noted amusingly that I looked rather tired...this, despite having drunken down an Oronamin C and on my way through a Nescafe iced coffee. I'm now starting to understand how Speedy feels on a regular basis. However, it will be just for this week.

In the batter's circle today, it'll be all Speedy's students. I've got Grandmas 3 and 4 followed by another several hours of nothing before I've got that quiet pair that I usually only see at the dinners. I met Grandma 3 when she came for her model lesson with Speedy; she's actually Grandma 2's sister, and she's a bit of a firecracker in class. In the industry, you might say that she's an automatic...the teacher can just sit back and relax while she barrels on. I've heard that Grandma 4 is diametrically the opposite in demeanor. The Admin told me that Grandma 1 (who was quite low and had to struggle to keep a conversation going) is probably better than her. Oh, boy...

I'm gonna make a concerted effort and head into Shinjuku today to get a bit of air, physically and spiritually. I just read in today's Japan Times that Burger King will get its second chance in the market as of Friday...right in the heart of Shinjuku somewhere.

The Manhattanite is a good kid but I'm kinda glad that she cancelled her lesson tonight. I could use with a bit more sleep tonight. So, as soon as I'm finished with the pair at 8:00, I'll be taking off for home. Still, I have to make another beeline here early for the 3rd morning in a row since I've got The Nurse for her 10 o'clock. However, after that it'll just be The Ace at the juku and since he won't have his class for about 10 hours, I'll just shoot straight back home again and recover.

When Speedy gets back, I really hope that he won't offer me the opportunity to make this lineup a permanent one. The money is good but the cost in commuting time and sleep is just a bit too high. Still, I'm saying this after a few months of being in the black. The Health Insurance premiums and Citizen's Tax (which apparently is going up) payments are due to come in anytime now, and then I'll probably be begging once again.

Wednesday June 6, 10:43 p.m.

Well, I figured it was gonna happen sooner or later. I got the e-mail from the two sisters' Mom stating that the Elder will no longer require my services as her teacher. It seems that the Elder and her mother came to the mutual decision (probably after much yelling) that she just had too much on her plate with her volleyball practices and other school stuff. Part of me feels a little bad that it came to this after 3 years, but on the other hand, most of me feels quite relieved that I'm dumping some adolescent deadwood. It was just not working out.

The news came between 001 and The Judge. 001 kept her spirits high as she usually does in her lessons but she also admitted that she and her department are in a bit of trouble due to some sort of error committed in the past few days. So, she said that she may be in for a bit of turning and tossing in bed tonight before the investigation begins. Hopefully, it won't be so bad that NHK will be aiming its cameras. The Judge has been quite the hard worker. Not too quick on the delivery but he does have quite a bit of grammatical accuracy.

Well, I gotta head out of here in a few minutes. Basically, I'm just heading home to get some shuteye and then I'm back here in less than 12 hours to teach the next two grandmas in the morning before getting another couple of Speedy's students in the early evening. The Manhattanite has cancelled her lesson for tomorrow which means that I may be able to head on home at a more decent hour. But then I've got The Nurse first thing on Friday morning.

Wednesday June 6, 1:54 p.m.

Well, got my reservations for that hotel in Fujisawa later this month. Man, just love Net hotel reservations! I don't have to talk with a human being. It could be a bit of a reenactment of that stuffed train I took this morning, though. I'm headed over there from 002's apartment right around rush hour.

Time for lunch...

Wednesday June 6, 1:00 p.m.

Well, got through the first half of the lessons today. I had the 2 grandmas. Grandma 1 was a fairly quiet sort although very sweet. I kinda had to keep the ball rolling with her, whereas with her friend, Grandma 2, it was pretty much automatic. She could hold her end of the talk with little problem. Grandma 1 was nice enough to provide us with Godiva chocolates...she has a rather nasty penchant of giving us little goodies like those.

I've now got about less than 6 hours before 001 shows up. Not quite what I'm gonna do with her since she's pretty much finished her text, and so we're going into rather virgin territory. After I figure that one out, I'm gonna see what I can do with the curricula project since I've let that go fallow for a while.

Wedneday June 6, 9:51 a.m.

Less than half an hour away from my first lesson here at Speedy's with Grandmother 1, one of the bossman's students. I was told that I needn't do anything in her text today...it'll probably be free conversation. I've never been all that comfortable with that directive since I kinda feel naked without some sort of lesson plan under my belt. Ah, well...we shall see.

Made it through yesterday in fairly sane shape. The Beehive got together at the meeting room of Mrs. Perth's apartment building. To use it, a resident has to pay 500 yen an hour for regular meetings but if it's to be used for educational purposes, heaven forbid, the rent doubles! So, of course, Perth, being the shrewd and savvy one, just said that it would just be a meeting. We were gabbing in Japanese while the maintenance crew was in earshot but once the folks closed the door, we were in the clear. The things we have to do to get a dedicated classroom... In any case, we mostly discussed Perth's trip in Italy and Malta along with her impending departure to start a new life with hubby in Sapporo. The ladies have said that they'll be fishing for a new classmate.

It was the usual lunch at Becker's and lounging around in the Funabashi Seibu Department Store between The Beehive and 002's lesson. I spent some of it proofreading The Chef's latest recipe plans. 002 was another fun run as usual.

The long stint at the juku went pretty well...really well, considering some of the chaos that prevailed during the Pancake Day proceedings last week. Chip n' Dale were fine. However, I'm a bit worried that Seven may be starting to tire of the lessons. She's been with me for over a year now and since she's still rather young, she may be getting those ideas of straying away. Mind you, her new textbook, Expressways 2, hasn't exactly given her much of a challenge, despite her protestations to the contrary.

Although the classes went well, the juku boss warned Chip n' Dale to be careful outside. Apparently, a couple of teen boys have been riding...illegally...a moped on the street immediately outside of the house. I did see them hotrodding back and forth, but seeing a couple of boys gleefully flaunting authority on a moped doesn't exactly bring fears of moral turpitude when I've seen and heard scenes of gangbanging and drive-by shootings on the evening news in the States. However, I was surprised when the boss said that the two delinquents were junior high school kids. The punks I saw on the moped looked a whole lot bigger than middle schoolers. I guess someone's been putting steroids in the kyushoku.

The subway into the big city was just packed like a mid-rush hour train. Once again, the droning announcement stated that due to some tech difficulties at Nishi-Funabashi Station, delays were piling up. This year, it seems that Tokyo Metro has been having more and more of these problems.

Anyways, Grandma 1 is here...

Monday June 4, 9:32 p.m.

Just got through Mr. TOEIC's lesson with brain intact. Actually, it was a pretty good lesson. We didn't get too far with the text but we did communicate on other stuff. For example, we gabbed on the utility of Internet cafes and our mutual like for Hayao Miyazaki movies (well, in my case, I really just prefer "Kiki's Delivery Service"). For him, just to talk in English was a huge boon.

This morning, I watched the majority of the first big series of Democratic Presidential Nominee debates on CNN (remember I'm in Japan...Lou, Wolf, Paula, Larry and Anderson are my morning team). According to what I read on TVNewser, the opinions on the debates themselves were very mixed, but for me, I actually did enjoy what I saw and heard from the candidates, although it was very obvious that the talking time was made especially for Barack, Hillary and John. None of these sound bites; there was a bit more substance with the style.

As was the case last week, this week will be another loaded one with classes. I've got the bulk of Speedy's students, which include a gaggle of grandmothers. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with them although the bossman has said that I don't need to use the texts with them. Just hope I don't end up a basketcase.

In about a few weeks, The Dancer and her family will be heading over here. She and her troupe will be performing in front of the locals in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, just west of Yokohama. The recital is actually gonna be held fairly early in the morning so I'm thinking of just getting a room at The Dancer's hotel in the city the night before. So, I've asked the juku boss to see if I can get a night off, although I do have The Chef and 002 until 5 p.m. that day, so any check-in will have to be around 8 p.m. at the earliest.

I guess 3's not the charm...at least where Hollywood blockbusters are concerned. "Spiderman 3", "Shrek 3" and especially "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" haven't exactly scored the highest of critical ratings so far...mind you, making hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide must cut down on the stings. I've been somewhat surprised at the vitriol that Johnny Depp's final (supposedly) entry as Captain Jack Sparrow has been splattered with...although I'd always been contrarian in my opinions when it came to the very first movie...never really liked the franchise, to be honest. So, unless I get some sort of invitation from either Movie Buddy (he's likely gonna be very busy with the wedding stuff) and Skippy, I'll probably wait til the DVD. Now, I just wonder how "Ocean's Thirteen" is gonna be taken by the critics, and that movie is coming from the distinct disadvantage that was "Ocean's Twelve". The knives will probably be sharpened for this one. I did hear, though, that former sumo yokozuna Musashimaru, a native Hawaiian, will have a cameo in this one, although I'm not sure who he'll be portraying.

Anyways, it's just Mrs. Speedy and myself now. So I'll probably be getting ready to get going home. She gave me some orange juice that's gone past its due date. I'm pretty confident, though, that I'll survive...although there may be a chance of some Montezuma's Revenge later on tonight.

Monday June 4, 7:32 p.m.

Just finished with The Part-Timer for her first class in 2 weeks. We actually got to do it here at Speedy's which certainly saved us a lot of wear and tear in terms of coffee and cigarette smoke, and of course saved us a bit of yen on drinks. Just waiting for Mr. TOEIC...that is, if he doesn't pull off another cancellation.

After Paddy on Saturday, I met up with M+M for the first time in 6 weeks. I headed over to that supposedly new haunt of ours just a few seconds away from Ichigaya Station, Cafe Des Etoiles. I was then approached by a woman whom I had initially thought was some sort of unusually aggressive tissue pack distributor. It turned out to be the Junior M; it was the first time for her to show up before the Senior M. The Cafe Des Etoiles was shuttered...perhaps permanently, so we had to look for new digs. Well, we ended up at my new home away from home in Ichigaya, the Tully's where I teach The Sisters of State, BC and Tully & The Coffeemaker. The Senior M did show up some minutes later...and we even got a mild tremor, to boot.

It looks like the Junior M is going through some teething relationship pains at her first career posting in the city of Yamato. It looks like she has a bit of a dilettante of a supervisor, although he doesn't seem as bad as the potentially psycho boss of The Polynesian; but to digress, The Polynesian doesn't have to worry about her supervisor anymore since she quit last Friday. In any case, it seems like every organization will have an in-built psychopath as corporate tormentor.

I finally got that condolence letter off to my uncle. Boy, did it take a few hours to write down. Even my students were commenting on how difficult it is to get that sort of letter written. Of course, I had to pull out all of my dictionaries along with a small guide on writing Japanese letters.

Sunday was happily a totally free day. All I did was just clean things up, do some shopping and watch some of the satellite stations that were on free. So my evening was just spent hearing some oldies on Channel 795 of SkyPerfect. It will be the only free day that I'll have for the next 2 weeks.

I received a call this morning from Mrs. Travel of the Beehive. She told me that the field trip to the Canadian Embassy has been canned once again. Again, I'm not all that disappointed since any interesting information concerning the Beehive's trip to Canada will be rather limited in any event, and besides I have 002's home visit tomorrow afternoon. So, I'm just meeting the ladies at Mrs. Perth's apartment tomorrow. Yes, Mrs. Perth is back with lots of tales of her European trip...and the news that she and her hubby will be moving to Sapporo soon; apparently, her hubby has found a new position up in Hokkaido. With Perth's imminent departure from the group, she'll be the third Bee to leave the hive in the past 12 months, along with Mrs Tulip and Mrs. Potter. It'll be sad to see Perth go...she was definitely one of the best students I've ever had.

Monday June 4, 5:32 p.m.

It was a good weekend. I met up with Paddy bright and early in Shinjuku on Saturday in front of Studio ALTA, the main meeting spot for everyone in that area. Actually, at 8:30, it was downright deserted. Just some gaggles of young folk getting together for some trips outside of town or the usual nomadic homeless people just schlumping along. Paddy arrived about a half hour later and we made our first stop at a cafe inside the station.

Paddy has been doing good as a lawyer in jolly ol' London for the past few years. His significant other has been writing up her PhD in university. The lad has been back here for the past few weeks to do some presentations and make some connections in the big town, although he and his missus have no plans to live back here at all. Talking with him now made me marvel at how far he's come along over the 15 years of our friendship. Back then, he was just a slightly angst-ridden working-holiday student taking a year off university. Now, he's fighting the good fight for environmentalists everywhere. Kinda reminds of CG in that way.

After the coffee, we made a further stop at Starbucks (yep, more coffee) before going across the street to Takashimaya Times Square to pick up some edible souvenirs for his family. He picked up a bag of candied grasshoppers (yep, you saw that right...grasshoppers...it's a delicacy here) and some much more appetizing desserts. For lunch, we walked up north to a ramen shop called Musashi....one of those noodle joints that have gotten onto the media scene. Sure enough, there was a bit of a wait in store for us....unsurprising, since the seats are only counter ones. Another restaurant with that eclectic mix of traditional and new...the chefs were all young folk in blue-and-white headbands and red T-shirts chanting slogans while making the broth and noodles in the open kitchen. Meanwhile, B.B King was wailing away at his blues on the stereo. Musashi is a chain, and Paddy used to go to the Aoyama branch almost daily (amazing that he'd survived all that salt and cholesterol). However, in a "you can't go home again" moment, he declared that the ramen has changed and that it's no longer that good anymore. To be honest, despite all the hoopla and lineup, the ramen wasn't all that remarkable when compared to the hundreds of other outlets. After one stop at the nearest Bic Camera, we made our goodbyes at Ichigaya Station.

More later...

Friday June 1, 4:53 p.m.

Woke up this morning to some sore muscles in my shoulders. I guess that masseuse really did a good number on them yesterday. All that lactic acid ready to be gushed out...

Paddy did get back to me this morning. He said that he only got my messages late last night; about a good 2 days after I'd sent them. And the two of us were using our Hotmail addresses. Well, I guess it was more like tepidmail.

As I promised myself, I enjoyed my completely free day by first heading down to that buffet restaurant in Shiodome City Centre, the UN. Now, I did something after that lunch that I thought I would never do after a buffet all-you-can-eat...I actually went down to the NTV Plaza and bought a hot dog at Hansens. The viking (as they call buffets over here...you got me why they chose an ancient Danish people's name....I guess the tables of food reminded them of the fare that the Vikings ate...and smorgasbord was probably just too difficult for the Japanese to pronounce) was nicely arranged in an atmospheric setting with some jazz and R&B lite. There was some spicy Thai curry and plenty of salad....which I guess must've been my downfall with this place. There was just a certain sameness with the dishes...a vegetarian would swoon here. And the meat was virtually all chicken....just like an old buffet place around the corner. The desserts were OK, though. But I guess I was expecting a bit more for 1,500 yen. Thus, the quick trip to Hansens. I'm glad that that branch of the New York hot dog chain still exists after seeing the Shinjuku branch pack up its bags.

Took my walk down the Ginza to start shedding off the calories I ingested (fat chance). Stopped off at Yamano Music before hitting the stationery shop, Ito-Ya, to pick up a Father's Day card and a condolence card concerning my grandpa. I've decided that I will take the time and write my thoughts to my uncle instead of phoning him tonight. Considering the topic matter involved, I feel it would be safer for me to pen things down where I can be careful instead of the immediate risks of verbally expressing things that I'm not well versed in.

I walked up to Yurakucho and headed toward Tokyo Station. I also took a look-see in the Yaesu Book Store just across from the station. It's an unusual place in that the escalator and elevator take on a relay function instead of working in tandem. From Floors 1 to 4, the escalator takes up but then after that we have to rely on stairs and elevators.

As I was headed toward the station, I noticed how much more built-up and clogged this area of town was getting in terms of skyscrapers. I can only hope that when The Big One eventually hits, the buildings are strong enough to withstand a Shindo 7. Speaking of which, I was lulled awake this morning by a Shindo 2.

I went through Tokyo Station, took a brief dip into Maruzen before looking into the Shin-Maru Building. This has been the newest shopping mall of interest in a year when it seems like every neighbourhood is trying to grow its own ultramodern commercial complex. Unlike its older sister, the original Maru Biru, Shin's interior has gotten a heavier design esthetic...I guess one can call it neoclassique. The wood paneling is glossy and dark chocolate-coloured...I can only think that Willy Wonka may have had a few things to mention during the first design sessions. But the interior also reminds me of what the original Matsuzakaya department store must've been like a century ago. Of course, the stores and restaurants were on the high end of the credit card limit. Heck, even Godiva has opened up an ice cream outlet in the basement.

But that's all she wrote about my little walk through downtown Tokyo today. Tomorrow, I'm meeting Paddy out in front of Studio Alta in Shinjuku in the wee hours since that is the only time I can see him before I meet up with The Polynesian and then M+M later on.

Thursday May 31, 9:40 p.m.

Today is sending out this month in a drippy fashion. Not too bad considering the earlier humidity of the week.

Kinda an off-kilter day professionally. Unlike the marathon session at Speedy's all yesterday, I just had the one morning lesson with one of the bossman's students. I only get to teach her once a year when Speedy has to head out overseas on business; she's a magician by trade and an English student by hobby. I would definitely tell her not to give up her day job. Considering that's she been with the school for as long as I've been here, she's remarkably low and unable to string even a few sentences together. And of course, the chapter I had to teach her was on simple statistics English...which wasn't so simple for her.

Then, tonight I met BC for the first time in a month since she had that trip to Belgium and Holland earlier this month. Also, a bit off-kilter since we spent the better part of two hours just talking about her fascination with Canada (so, would that make her a Canadaphile, a Canucklehead or an honourary Hosehead?) I was impressed that she would know John Candy, a comedic institution in his homeland but probably completely unknown here. Anyways, considering she's seeing me to help her with her writing, I wondered if she thought she got her money's worth with me tonight. But then again, she didn't finish off the report that I had assigned her so not much to be done there.

Still, the conversation got interesting between us when it came to her talking about the "Yellow Cab" phenomenon back Stateside. For those not in the know, the yellow cabs refer to the allegedly naive, trusting Japanese women who head out to countries unknown and get preyed upon by the local wolves. BC had been lurking through a Canadian web forum and saw some of the guys gabbing about yellow cabs and even that Japanese woman who had just become Miss Universe, Rio something-or-other from Shizuoka. My student posited that a lot of the foreigners who come upon this land take back to their own home countries info or images of the more erotic variety...not quite sure how accurate that could be with Customs regulations around the world. In any case, I kinda compared what she said with the fact that newcomers to their new home often pick up swear words before anything else in the new language.

Speaking of Miss Universe, considering how much tragedy there's been this week with the deaths of that ZARD lead singer and the Minister of Agriculture, it's also been a week to celebrate some of the big wins by Japanese out abroad. Of course, there was Rio in Mexico getting the tiara, but also there was also that Japanese director scoring the second-highest prize at Cannes, and of course, Ichiro is on a 22-game hitting streak for the Mariners.

In between lessons today, I had my annual treatment at Creambath Ebisu in the titular area. As I mentioned in my last entry, I really needed that massage. My masseuse of the session took good care of me (no giggling out there). I got into my half-robe and went through the course of shampoo massage, aloe vera scalp massage, the option of shoulder-and-hand massage, steamer and then the big rinse in my 80 minutes with her. Yep, I definitely needed it...I fell blissfully asleep during the first two stages. And since it is their 10th anniversary, I got a thousand-yen discount along with a complementary jar of ginseng hair cream.

Tomorrow, I've actually got a full day off. That's right....nothing to do with teaching at all, and unlike today, it promises to be a fairly sunny day tomorrow. Being the 1st of June, I will probably head on down to indulge in a buffet in Shiodome (nope, LAST is gone but there is the UN), make like a tourist and walk around downtown.

I never got any follow-up from Paddy so that's why I'm currently here typing away. But I did get a surprise message from The Bohemian asking me how to make a call to Canada. You would think a guy of his intelligence would be able to figure it out. Still, I'm surprised he even made the call considering our last meeting in which I chewed him out for acting so caddishly.

Thursday May 31, 1:51 p.m.

Well, I'm ready for that massage now. Just had one of Speedy's students while he's away. Really nice lady but I was surprised that she's so far up on the textbook scale considering her low delivery. In other words, it was a slog.

Managed to get through the second day of Hell. 001 was great and then I had The Judge's first official lesson as the last guy in my long 18 hours. He finally did admit that he was a judge (Speedy broke it open for me last week)...he was rather secretive about it for some reason. I remarked that he was the youngest judge I'd ever seen (he was in his late 20's when he got the post). To that, he replied that the Japanese system is markedly different from the American one in that people are trained to become judges directly, instead of having to go through several years of being a lawyer to earn the right to hold the gavel.

After two straight days of nothing but wall-to-wall classes, I just have BC tonight in Ichigaya. But first, I'm heading to Creambath Ebisu for that Balinese Head Massage that I'd been waiting for for weeks. I'll be putty in the masseuse's hands.

I still haven't heard anything from Paddy about tonight so I'm starting to think that it'll be straight home after BC's lesson. And then I have a glorious day of nothing tomorrow. May indulge in a buffet and just walk around the Imperial Palace area.

Wednesday May 30, 9:48 a.m.

Actually, The Admin has to do some paperwork with him so I've got a 5-10 minute reprieve. The fellow is a bit of a serious fellow so I'll be following suit...I'll hold off on the jokes today. In any case, I'm not in too much of a humourous mood today.

In any case, to continue with the Jolly saga...yup, he was a sleeping drunk on the trains which explains his absence last week. But he did show up and did pretty well. But these long sessions could be the death of me. I was very lucky that the boss took pity on me and drove me home with the hotplate.

Still, I only had 5 hours of sleep before heading out the door to do this fellow's model lesson. He's looking for a STEP 1 Test. The STEP test is one of the English proficiency exams that regularly distract a lot of folks here from children to businessmen. STEP 1 is the highest level...basically, if you're going for that test, you really don't need my help. However, some masochists still want the practice of talking on politics and the economy in English. I think this guy may be the real deal, and he would be my first STEP 1 student. Perhaps, I should be taking out subscriptions to the Japan Times.

Next, after him, I gotta head on out for another in the latest of crosstown commutes to see 002. She's graduating to the next text. I would be giving her her test today but the computers are down so no test for her...much to her delight. I'm glad our students are so delinquent that way. Then, it's all the way back here for the STEP guy's first official lesson, followed by 001 (whom I haven't seen in 3 weeks) and then the first official lesson for The Judge. Man, I'm gonna have to talk with Speedy about this schedule.

I did get a letter from Paddy. The lad is back in town so he was thinking about getting together on the 31st. The best barrister I know in England has picked up a slight Brit accent...which I will never let him live down. Not sure, but I think I can see him after my lesson with BC. We'll play it by ear...

Wednesday May 30, 9:38 a.m.

In the middle of the two days of scheduling Hell. First off, I had my first of the newly-packed juku nights. And it started with that Pancake Party. Kids have never been my forte but I had to deal with Chip n' Dale, plus two of their siblings, plus two of the boss' regular high school students and then with the mothers in the same room. Then, there was the fact that the recipe for the homemade pancakes didn't work out too well which necessitated a not entirely successful quick fix. The flapjacks came out more like crepes. Then, Seven came in which really filled up the room. Basically, I would rate the result as somewhat mediocre...it'll be the last time I do a Pancake party...just don't have the flair for that type of stuff anymore.

Afterwards, things were pretty smooth, although Mrs. Mild had her usual sieve-like mind. The Siberian was fine. And then, the juku bad boy of fecklessness, Jolly, came in sheepish and apologetic after last week's no-show. Apparently, the lad had ended up sleeping on the subway all the way to the end of the line after a round of wining and dining last Tuesday.

But I must stop here since my newest potential student has arrived...

Tuesday May 29, 2:52 p.m.

Currently giving The Nurse her test. Got a surprise jump start to Pancake Day when the lass brought some kinako pancakes for us to taste test the Extra Light No. 1 syrup on. Considering that Speedy is out on business, we got downight slovenly and had ourselves a momentary tea party which included even The Admin.

I lugged out the hotplate earlier today to the juku along with the other stuff. The bags themselves weren't too heavy but lugging them for a total of 30 minutes still took some out of me. The juku boss was out at the hospital having her arm looked at after having strained it a little after some ill-advised calisthenics.

The Nurse got a clear pass. We're free and clear. Now, it's time for the main event.

Tuesday May 29, 1:33 p.m.

Well, the day after two untimely deaths...first off, that Agriculture Minister Matsuoka. Looks like the news hit the government like a ton of bricks. The Prime Minister and his No. 2, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki looked rather shellshocked, and one of the female ministers had a major crying jag on camera. Of course, all the shows were talking about the fallout. The comment has been made that this was the first suicide of a standing government minister since World War 2. I think it is something to be mentioned since all of us wouldn't have noticed. Suicide news has almost become a genre unto itself, and there have been the fair share of Dietmen who have offed themselves over the years.

Then, there was the news about the lead singer of ZARD dying that would have taken centre stage if it hadn't been for the above suicide. Now, the journos are speculating on whether the death had been an accident or not. The reports have been strangely confused. The Japan Times reported that she died as a result of her slipping down the wet stairs, which was the original story. But subsequently, reports and pictures have pointed to a 2nd-floor outdoor sloping walkway, some 3 metres above the pavement. And both theories have holes...if it had been suicide, why would the singer Izumi have decided to jump from the lowest level when there were so many other higher levels to jump from? And if it had been an accident, it would've taken some doing for a lady some 165 cm in height to allegedly "fall off" over a metal barrier which was 150 cm high. But it isn't impossible, especially if the lady had decided to sit on the fence...as foolhardy as that may sound. It may be one of those cases that may never be fully solved.

But in any case, the official mourning has started. Altars have been set up at her recording company and elsewhere for fans to lay flowers and comments. A couple of teary-eyed women was interviewed by the geino reporters.

In any case, off to class...

Monday May 28, 6:27 p.m.

Well, it's been a double-shock day! On the political front, a government minister, Mr. Matsuoka of Agriculture has decided to shirk his responsibilities of facing up to some scandal in the ultimate way: hanging himself in those inexpensive government dormitories. To be charitable, though, sometimes it's a combination of circumstances beyond one's control and one's past choices which call in the Grim Reaper.

Then, on the pop-cultural front, the Greta Garbo-like Izumi Sakai, otherwise known as the lead singer of 90s-sensation ZARD, passed away due to injuries suffered in a fall down the stairs at the hospital where she had been being treated for ovarian cancer. As the saying goes, "I didn't even know she was sick." The rumours are flying that Sakai's tragic death may have been suicide as well since her cancer had metastisized into her lungs.

I found all this out from SIL when I hit her office. She had been watching NHK about the Matsuoka suicide, and then she was trying to remember the band's name for a few minutes when she told me about the other death. Being the old J-Pop hand, I immediately went into memory mode as she hummed a few bars of one of her old hits and said some bands which had been ZARD's contemporaries at the time....bands like B'z and DEEN. I was quite shocked to hear about Sakai dying since she was only a couple of years younger than me. Again, her rare appearances on TV shows will probably add to her legend. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of ZARD although I do have her very first hit on CD, "Goodbye, My Loneliness"; I just found a lot of the ZARD catalog very repetitive. I was looking through the J-Pop forums...it was rather interesting in terms of the comments; there was surprise and shock at the announcement but none of the horrified "I JUST WANNA DIE!" screams from the fanatics when that former member of X Japan, Hide, had died years ago in that bizarro accident (?). And in fact, a lot of the statements prefaced their condolences with "Well, I wasn't a huge fan, but..." So I gather we won't be seeing the 50,000-plus funeral procession for Ms. Sakai.

The news on Sakai must've been very new despite reports that she had died early on Sunday morning JST. I had dropped by Tower Records before seeing The Class Act...didn't see any hastily-made notices on her passing or a huge commemorative section with all of her CDs. No doubt, though, that there will be lots of coverage on her life and death on the morning wide shows for the next couple of days, followed by lots of singing of her hits in the karaoke boxes for the next several weeks.

But death wasn't just limited to the outside world. I got a call from Mom last night that Grandpa finally left the mortal realm on Sunday morning. He was 94. It wasn't unexpected and he had lived a long life. My mother, who would cry on a dime at any tender scene in an NHK drama, didn't shed any tears. Not that they hadn't gotten along but decades of separation pretty much eliminated any close emotional ties. And for that matter, although I did meet Grandpa a few times, I didn't particularly feel any major mourning for him, although I will be sending a letter of condolence and I'll be phoning my uncle later this week. But I do regret that my direct family and I never really had that closeness with the rest of the relatives. I'm not sure if that had been due to a choice on the part of my parents or whether it's just the family way. However, I sometimes wonder how much life could've been enhanced and how many more grand Xmas dinners or New Year's celebrations could've been had if there had been closer and better ties amongst us.

Before things get too maudlin, though, I'm happy to say that the covert feud between The Admin and The Cook has been nipped in the bud. All a misunderstanding, as they say. Due to my extra efforts on Saturday, a grateful Cook gave me some a tender, giant bamboo shoot as a present (here, that is a nice thing to do). She said that the top part of it can be sliced into sashimi whilst the thicker part can be fried as a steak. Wow...multitasking ingredient.

In any case, both The Full-Timer and Mr. TOEIC have cancelled so I will be out of here in a few minutes. I had wanted to make something up for Pancake Day tomorrow but since Microsoft Word has been disabled on our loused-up computers, I think I'll take that as a hint to vamoose.

Sunday May 27, 6:23 p.m.

Well, it's been a bit of an up-and-down few days. On Thursday, my lesson with The Carolinan was off since I had the bad luck of witnessing a couple next to our table at the Tully's pulling a few faces when my student kinda gabbed in English a bit louder than usual...so I was somewhat on pins and needles for the rest of the hour while The Carolinan wasn't sure what I was so concerned about. It also didn't help that the ambient noise level in the place was higher than usual which made comprehension all that much harder. Friday was just the lone class with The Ace...no problems there. Yesterday, though, I had my three at Speedy's...the first day of class there while the bossman was off on a business trip. So it was just The Admin and myself.

The three students, The Manhattanite, Farrah and The Dentist, were just fine. However, the Admin was going off on a small rampage about The Cook, that student who has been sporadically showing up for some help in her lessons at that cooking school. Apparently, The Admin has been having a back-and-forth with her on the phone about the fact that The Cook has been put out about me not being all that available for lessons. I hadn't seen the lady in some time so I still have yet to get her side of the tale, but The Admin feels that The Cook is acting like some sort of prima donna. Plus, I ended up staying a few more hours at the office than necessary to go over the latest recipes that needed to be faxed back to her posthaste. So I had to endure those extra hours of tension in the atmosphere; plus, The Admin mistakenly scheduled my lesson with The Cook 15 minutes earlier than I would've liked which meant that I had to bring up my lesson with SIL appropriately. Luckily, SIL was game. But it should be rather interesting when I get to the school tomorrow. It'll be a packed two weeks since I'll be taking over some of Speedy's lessons.

Then, today, The Elder of the two sisters was on a major sullen pouting fest which got an apology from her mother. The kid only lasted 40 minutes with me before she decided that she'd had enough of me and begged off. Well...being a teen myself, I could see what I was partly like back in those emotionally charged years. Apparently, mother and daughter have been having some words for the past few days. Fortunately, The Junior is firmly on my side of the fence.

And happily, Tully and The Coffeemaker were good to go. It'll be Tully's last class with me for the next month or so. He takes off for Georgetown next weekend for a month of English practice in the US capital. I did ask him to say hi to George Tenet for me. Surprisingly, The Coffeemaker is still willing to go solo with me for the next couple of times while her buddy is away. As for The Polynesian, she did show up and she was quite good, although she's still wrestling about whether to endure the machinations of her psychopathic boss or to finally call it quits. Both she and I feel that life is too short to gain an extra ulcer.

So I find myself back here getting some respite before the coming storm this week. I still have to get The Full-Timer's reply about whether she's gonna show between The Cook and Mr. TOEIC. But I'm just gonna enjoy myself with a nice dinner and do a dry run with that pancake recipe before showtime at the juku on Tuesday.

Thursday May 24, 2:15 p.m.

The past couple of days have been downright summery. Reached up to 28 C yesterday. No wonder I had to scrape my shirt off when I got home.

Kinda wonder where Japan is headed morally. Yesterday, I found out on the telly that some regional cop answering his apartment doorbell ended up with a knife to the stomach by some thug who is still on the loose. Then, initially I had assumed that NHK was leading off with the same story but realized that they were talking about another incident in which an emotionally unstable guy stabbed a middle-aged housewife to death in her own kitchen yesterday afternoon in a quiet neighbourhood in Shinagawa. Shinagawa ain't anything like the raunchy areas of Shinjuku or Roppongi. That's what makes this incident so sordid. Schools in the area immediately called a Red Alert and had parents pick up the kids as soon as the news got out. But unlike the first crime, the Shinagawa stabbing solved itself within a few hours. The psycho did himself in by hanging himself in another apartment. Methinks that Japan will really need an influx of mental health professionals....although that's gonna be next to impossible with National Health Insurance probably becoming a dinosaur in the next two decades. And Ichi the Killer is still out there.

I found out from the juku boss that Jolly had called in after I had left the place on Tuesday to say that he wouldn't be able to come in. Talk about a lack of timing. The boss told him to call by 10 p.m....uh-uh; make him call by 9 p.m. if he's to be a cancellation. So I guess that fellow who passed me on his bike at warp speed wasn't him, after all.

Looks like Speedy sealed the deal with 002. I saw her today and she told me that she signed, albeit a bit reluctantly, for another 48 classes. The lass tried to squeeze out a lower rate from him but it was like trying to do the same to a rock for blood. I told her that the boss always makes it a habit to ramble about how much in the red the school is during a sparse month. However, potential crisis averted.

I've only got The Carolinan tonight for her 60. BC is indeed back but under the weather so she's pushed her next class to the 31st. Also, I've been helping The Beehive with their reservations for their hotels in Canada. It looks like one of them has done right by us pretty quickly.

After a few hours at Speedy's, I was flush with cash...ironically, though Speedy lamented about the lack in profits this past month, I did make quite a few yen so I put most of it into the bank like a good saver...and then went crazy with the rest of it. I made a quick pit stop in tony Omotesando and picked up a couple of bottles of Extra Light No. 1 maple syrup at Kinokuniya Supermarket before heading off to Ginza...where the real yen drain occurred. Yup, I filled up my Yamano Music point card for the second time this month. The theme of my purchases was strictly 80s, from both sides of the Pacific. I got another couple of re-releases by pop chanteuse Hiromi Iwasaki, City Pop icon EPO, Joe Jackson's "Body & Soul" and the Scissors Sisters' only major hit so far, "Don't Feel Like Dancing". I realized that Joe Jackson had already been exploring the jazzier side of himself over a decade sooner than his stylistic twin, Elvis Costello. As for Iwasaki, the purchases were a reunion since I already have the original LPs back gathering dust in a storage room in my family's apartment complex...not exactly using record players anymore. So, it was nice to listen to her dulcet and velvety tones again. I've been going rather ga-ga collecting her remasters but it's been interesting to get this decade-long soundscape from her initial days of her as a typical teen aidoru to a vocally talented kayo kyoku kashu (singer) to a chanteuse who could thrive in front of a full orchestra.

Had lunch at Bamiyan, the Chinese restaurant chain near the station. Yes, I realize that Bamiyan is a rather strange name for a Chinese eatery considering the namesake is located in Afghanistan but, hey, if the food's good.... Strangely enough, it's one of the places in the neighbourhood that I seldom go to; I think the last time there was about 2 or 3 years ago. I think it's because Chinese food is stuff that should be enjoyed with a group of people with a lot of different dishes. Going there by oneself would just be a wasted opportunity.

Wednesday May 23, 1:58 p.m.

Just finished off a beta version of a midterm test on Telephone Conversations. I tried to keep out some of the more raunchier answers from the multiple choice section...

Not too often I get to opine on a celeb in the media but since I see this guy just about everyday on CNN. It looks like Lou Dobbs has finally gotten that accusation that I figured would be aimed at him eventually. Nope, it's not about that he's anti-immigrant...he's gotten that for years since he went on that crusade about America's porous borders. Nope, it's the accusation about him bullying various correspondents on the air. Apparently, an Andrea Koppel fan has gotten on Dobbs' back for his one of his nightly tirades on the Congress while his heroine got caught in the crossfire (no pun intended).

For one thing, I think Dobbs can be lauded for his perseverance about not letting up on something he fervently believes in (he's already trashed the theory that journalists must remain fair and balanced), but yep, anyone going on his high horse night after night will inevitably be called a nag. And of course, after a while, even yelling will just have no effect on viewers once it just continues ad nauseum. However, I think that anyone working in news probably already has burnished steel plating for a skin, so the fan needn't worry too much about Koppel or anyone else (although that was quite a smirk she had on her face during Dobbs' latest outburst). At the same time, the correspondent in charge of the Pentagon (forgot his name) did half-jokingly say at a meeting a few years ago that the only person he fears is the Dobbman himself.

On that note, I'm out of here...

Wednesday May 23, 12:18 p.m.

Well, The Nurse had been looking a bit glum until I told her that Speedy couldn't get that test done up in time for her. Then, the lass looked considerably up. Lucky for all of us. Just did some worksheet writing for Tully and the Coffeemaker for Sunday's lesson. Still haven't heard from the juku boss about whether Jolly did show up and whether she had eviscerated him.

Not doing too badly considering I didn't get all much sleep between the late night and the early morning but as Robert Frost once wrote..."still have many miles to go before I sleep."

I read in "The Japan Times" this morning over my uncomfortably sweet McGriddles sandwich that meat has supplanted fish as Japan's choice of protein. Not great news for the various fishmongers in Ameyoko or Tsukiji here in Tokyo, but that may mean some relief for the environmentalists. One seller in Ameyoko (American Alley) in the Ueno area complained on the news this morning that the young folk couldn't even distinguish their fish properly. As if I'm interested in telling the difference between albacore and bluefin tuna.

Getting back to my schedule yesterday, we had a switch in venue with The Beehive in the morning. Instead of going to Beckers as originally scheduled, Mrs. Travel had the rest of us over to her place. She complained that she couldn't really hear me at that fast food restaurant despite the fact that I was sitting right across from her. I don't really mind the chance since I've never been too comfortable teaching groups in a public space and we can't do things such as repetition practice there. Also, we don't have access to the Internet at Beckers which is what we were pretty much doing the whole time in preparation for their grand tour of Canada. We made some preliminary reservations for B&B's in Ontario and Quebec. Not sure if The Beehive will therefore now stick with a rotation of Travel's and Perth's homes.

The New Yorker was definitely under the weather with a cold yesterday. She could've just given me a ring to cancel but she said that she hadn't had my phone number. I rectified that situation although she could've just called up her sister to get it.

The long haul at the juku wasn't as bad as I had dreaded although I was feeling pretty glad that Jolly had AWOL'ed. For one thing, Jolly did desert and for a second thing, I'd forgotten that Seven had informed me about cancelling her class last night. So, basically, I had 90 minutes to just stare at the ceiling and play with the juku cat.

Speaking of the lass, I'd always wondered why Seven looked so familiar. After perusing the Wiki entry of "Saturday Night Live", I finally found out as if a thunderclap had exploded just above my head. Seven has this rather eerie resemblance to SNL alumna Victoria Jackson in both looks and voice. If my student can recite poetry while doing a headstand, that'll just seal the deal. Jackson was never one of the main forces in her time with the show but she had her moments.

Wednesday May 23, 9:44 a.m.

Well, off to an interesting start...I have my usual 10 a.m. with The Nurse so I had brekkie at McD's. I actually gave that new menu of McGriddles a try. I think I'll just stick with the usual breakfast fare from now on. McGriddles is a new series of McMuffins except that instead of the English muffin, some psychos at HQ decided that they should give raisin-filled tiny pancakes a try at sandwiching all that greasy sausage and egg. I like my Sweet N' Sour Chicken but I will keep my pancakes and savory fare separate from now on. Plus, McGriddles is also a bit more premium in its prices which made my decision all the easier to make.

Then I get into Speedy's and find out from The Admin that the computers have been acting haywire again which affected a lot of files on the bossman's HD. And this is on the eve of his 2-week business trip...which doesn't give The Admin a lot of confidence about her stint as the acting head. Plus, Speedy gave me the wrong test to administer to The Nurse.

Speaking about screwups, I think Jolly is back in the juku boss' doghouse once again. This is the same guy who had requested the hour-long class last week...against my better judgement. Well, on the first night of the new regimen, he allegedly doesn't show up...no calls, no e-mail, no nothing. I twiddle my fingers for about 15 minutes before the boss huffs and gives me the go-ahead to go home. As I was shuffling back to the subway station, this portly fellow on a bike just whips by me in the other direction. I wondered if it had been Jolly arriving at the juku nearly a half-hour late. If it hadn't been such a late hour, I would have probably stayed and waited but he didn't give us a heads-up, plus I have an early class today so my judgement was pretty much made up.

I only have The Nurse today but I'm gonna see about doing a bit more curricula and talking some last-minute stuff with the boss (provided that he's calmer) before heading out the door in the early afternoon down to Kinokuniya Supermarket to pick up the rare and golden Extra Light No. 1 maple syrup for Pancake Day next week. I shall be looking forward to a rare Wednesday night off, since it'll probably be the last one I have for the rest of the year now that The Judge has been added to my schedule.

Monday May 21, 7:45 p.m.

Got finished with The Full-Timer. She isn't having nearly as tough a time as The Polynesian is with her boss from Hell, but the shift to a longer workday hasn't been all that easygoing either for her. Still, she was skimming quite nicely through my introduction to Passives. Now, I've just got Mr. TOEIC, and if everything goes well with him, I will proudly be able to say that I will have gone through the cycle. 001 called up to say that she won't be able to make it for this Wednesday either. Well, I will be killing myself with the late finish at the juku tomorrow night and then the early start with The Nurse here but at least I can probably make a quick beeline home...although most likely I will be doing some shopping for the pancake party next week.

Yep, Cannes is with us once more. Why would I say that? Well, of course, the Japanese contingent consisting of 50% of the SMAP gang has descended upon the French shore once more. KimuTaku and Shingo Katori are there to promote their respective movies, "Hero" and "Saiyuki" although I wonder how two glorified trendy dramas are gonna make much of a dent in the jaded, and often hostile, press there. During the press conference with the two, Katori even managed to earn a few boos for his stupid comments....although not nearly the raspberry crop that Pamela Sue Anderson earned for not sticking around long enough for the photographers' liking. Mind you, Cannes darling, Beat Takeshi is also there, and even one half of Downtown, acerbic Hitoshi Matsumoto, is making his directorial debut with his flick which seems rather similar to some of Takeshi's work in terms of absurdism.

I see that Shrek has handily beaten Spiderman in the blockbusters' sweepstakes overseas. But what could beat a big, green ogre that has stomped a spider? Of course, a fey androgynous pirate...I've got no doubts that Captain Jack will smash some records of his own come Friday/Saturday.

Anyways, Mr. TOEIC should be shuffling in right about now...

Monday May 21, 5:23 p.m.

Well, back to more conventional surroundings doing this blog. Back at Speedy's just now. I'm starting to get the feeling that things will be getting busier this week. I've been getting the lesson plans for The Full-Timer and Mr. TOEIC, and I've had to spit out a worksheet for Chip N' Dale. Plus, I just realized that I have to make up something for Jolly tomorrow night. Eeesh!

As I was telling SIL earlier this afternoon, Japan is truly a safe country. I say this because this is the only country I know whose media would make headline news out of the fact that 8 bullets were fired from the gun of that former yakuza who had taken his ex-wife hostage last week. In contrast, the 75 shots fired by that nutbar in Moscow, Idaho yesterday (a small town of 21,000) was reported incidentally.

Monday May 21, 8:40 a.m.

Kinda rare day for me to start off my Monday here at the I-cafe, but I was playing a hunch that I would need to check my e-mail. Well, my hunch was pretty much crap...nada. I was kinda hoping to hear from 001 about her schedule on Wednesday whether she would come or not for her 90...the main reason being that my Tuesday night/Wednesday morning transition this week is gonna be hell. I've got Jolly for his 60 from 10-11 on Tuesday and then I gotta head out the door early next morning for The Nurse's 60 some 12 hours later.

I met up with The Polynesian for her first lesson in 2 months. It looks like she's undergoing the suffering that everyone does in corporate life at least once...the office bully. I did read in an article that psychopaths aren't just the killing machines; they're also the unthinking, uncaring and paranoid folks which often populate the various levels of a company. Unfortunately in The Polynesian's case, her bete noire is her immediate supervisor. None of her colleagues, including the big boss, will come near the poor lass since they would face the bully's wrath. Ahh...I sense there will be a change in The Polynesian's life soon enough.

Speaking of psychos, once again...it only took a few days for another lurid sensationalistic crime to hit the media. A gang of four high school students took it upon themselves to punish a fellow female schoolmate for spreading bad rumours about them. They kidnapped the girl, beat her to a pulp, before chopping off her pinkie, yakuza style. I think the sociopathic morons only legitimized the rumours.

I caught the finale of Season 3 of "The West Wing" last night on SuperDrama TV. It looks like the show seems to revel in pathos-laden season finales. However, I would have to agree with some of the commentators on the Net that the killing of Simon Donovan was pretty forced. They shot Josh in Season 1, killed off Mrs. Landingham in Season 2, and they decide to have C.J.'s potential love interest assassinated because Aaron Sorkin felt that he couldn't have dutiful Ron Butterfield done in. However, this season finale did take on operatic overtones on the level of a Shakespearan tragedy with President Bartlet's decision to have the Defense Minister of Qumar taken out. At the same time, though, some of that high-toned drama kinda lost a bit of air with me since another West Wing-finale trademark, the message-laden song, was the same one played in the first "Shrek". Just couldn't reconcile C.J. Cregg's crying jag with a big green ogre moping around. In any case, next week will be some sort of special concerning "The West Wing" with all sorts of real West-Wing politicos such as Leon Panetta. And then it'll probably be December until Season 4 starts up. I hear that's when the show jumped the shark.

Anyways, I got my usual big four today.