Monday September 3, 5:12 p.m.

A little back to the heat wave of last month, although it doesn't feel all that searing out there. It was a pretty glorious weekend, weatherwise, though. But we do have a potential typhoon headed our way mid-week.

As for my weekend...well, Saturday was certainly interesting. It was the first time in nearly a decade (since I had broken my ankle in a fall) that I didn't take a single step outside my door for more than 24 hours. Getting into a funk after paying all that money for health insurance premiums, rent and Citizen's Tax on Friday night can definitely induce one to become somewhat reclusive. I didn't even go out for food...I was afraid to go out for food. Basically, aside from yogurt, juice, coffee and a little cake I'd gotten from The Ace as a souvenir (namely, breakfast), I fasted. Actually, it wasn't all that bad. I was only being a couch potato so my stomach didn't register any pangs. The experience didn't give my any epiphanies although I'm happy to realize that I can go without any sustenance for a period of time. Really, I came to the conclusion that most of the time I eat not for survival but for the good taste. Maybe, if anything, it will lead to a bit better self-control.

I did manage to catch "300" on DVD, thanks to the Anime King's gift. It was more soul-satisfying than "Transformers" so it was a pity to hear that its theatrical release had underwhelmed whereas "Transformers" is pretty much guaranteed of a sequel or two.
I'd never caught "Sin City" when it came out so "300" was my first exposure to a Frank Miller film (I don't consider "Batman" or "Batman Begins" or "Daredevil" as Milleresque films...they're solidly the work of their directors). The use of greenscreen was obvious but not overwhelming...luckily, the heart and acting of folks like Gerard Butler kept the balance. And the story was simple enough, and more importantly, the battle scenes were easy to recognize.
Watching "300" though reminded me of Klingons. All throughout the reign of the Trek sequels (TNG and DS9), Klingons were often compared to the Japanese samurai with their code of honour and other facets of battle philosophy. However, I couldn't help but think that the Spartans, an entire society seemingly developed to be violent sociopaths, were more influential on the formation of Klingons. David Wenham's raspy narration reminded me of corrupt Chancellor Gowron, and even the guy who played Xerxes sounded more like Commander Worf. I half-expected him to order his Immortals to fire photon torpedoes.
In any case, I liked "300" more than I had expected to...but after watching the mind-numbing "Transformers", anything would've been an improvement. I kinda wonder if there will be a sequel to this movie. Considering the final scene, it will probably be called "40,000".

Sunday was another day at home, but I did step out to get some food. The only major highlight was seeing Eiko Koike make yet another congratulatory appearance on a variety program. Who she, you say? Well, she's probably the most successful member of the group known loosely as "Yellow Cab", a bunch of young ladies known for their breast sizes, at least initially. The amalgam included current tarento like MEGUMI, Waka Inoue and Eriko Sato. All of the ladies had already broken out of their gravia idol photobooks and gone into the tarento world of variety shows, quiz programs, and serial dramas. But Koike seems to be the one with the greatest exposure...ahem.
Well, last week, her standing exploded when she announced her marriage to her wrestler boyfriend. Basically, every variety show that she appeared in got the round of applause and congratulatory statements for her.

On the government front, Prime Minister Abe must be feeling like the entire weight of the world wasn't just only on his shoulders but as if Atlas himself was stomping on the world at the same time. Yet another Agriculture Minister fell on his sword again just this morning for some rather dubious financial dealings. And this, just a week after his Cabinet re-shuffle. I figure that if another major scandal erupts in the next month, there will be snap elections coming so fast that it'll probably blow back any typhoon headed our way. BTW, there is one on the way for midweek, apparently.

Today, I found out how long people can dwell and hold grudges. I had The Class Act for the first time in a few weeks. We were talking about our trip to Hong Kong when the ladies reminded me (and to me at least, not so jokingly) about what a washout I was as a communicator during the Korea trip last year. Nope, I admit, I let the side down when I couldn't really do anything about my lack of Korean skills there but I just wish they wouldn't hit me over the head with it. And to add insult to injury, The Lady seemed rather brusque when she told me to fax my flight details over to her and The Matron. I kinda wonder if I will really enjoy this trip, now that I've got this pressure on me.

Well, in any case, I've got to head out to teach The Full-Timer.

Friday August 31, 11:50 a.m.

Feeling somewhat less grumpy now since I had another pleasant lesson with The Nurse. It also helped that she'd aced her test. And since Speedy has completely forgotten the incident this morning, I'll also do the same...just chalk it up to one of those pet peeve issues that often plague married couples.

Just two weeks after the 30th anniversary of the death of an iconic pop cultural figure, there will be similar observations for the 10th anniversary of an arguably even larger larger-than-life figure. A decade ago, I was between my stint at NOVA and my longer time with the ol' school; at the time, I was teaching a private student I'd picked up thanks to a connection of Paddy. On Sunday August 31, 1997, I was watching TV when a bulletin came in about a car crash involving Princess Diana in Paris. Then regular programming had resumed for a short while before the jaw-dropping news came in that the princess had indeed died. My private student for whom I had been making house calls just happened to be the daughter of a geino reporter, so on the next day when I came to her house, her father was frantically packing his bags and handling fevered faxes concerning his sudden assignment to London to handle the upcoming funeral. Not surprisingly, I spent most of my time there that day talking about the tragedy with both the girl and her mother. They said that they'd spent most of the night watching BBC News.
Several days later on the following Saturday, the funeral was aired live at 1800 JST. By that time, all of the vilification of the Queen and the paparazzi had been in full force along with Tony Blair's tribute to The People's Princess. Then, Elton John immortalized Diana by making her the theme of "Candle in the Wind" instead of Marilyn.
Man, what a difference a decade makes. Blair is gone in disgrace, the Queen is firmly back in the good graces of the people and there's been a much more complex legacy built about Diana...and for that matter, Charles and Camilla.

Friday August 31, 9:28 a.m.

Pretty rainy out there. A bit stormy here...unfortunately, for several months now, the shoe cupboard has been acting up with a oft-jammed sliding door. Speedy told me how to avoid the problem which I followed and yet it still jammed this morning...Speedy kinda gave me this sigh and this "I told you..." look and I gave him a bit of a snide retort so things are off to a grrrr-eat start...

In any case, I've got The Nurse in half an hour followed by The Chef. I've gotta get the rest of that proofreading done in the next couple of hours for her. Then, it's just The Ace tonight at the juku. Looks like Jolly is too busy this week.

Just spent last night watching that Osaka Track & Field Meet on TBS. It seems that the Japanese delegation is very much like the one for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin...just can't muster anything. At least, Shizuka Arakawa pulled one off for the side by getting the lone medal last year, but there doesn't seem to be anyone like that right now. You just gotta feel sorry for them....working so hard but just getting ditched in the dust right in front of the hometown fans.

Well, my weekend is looking nice and empty....could use with a bit of R&R, especially if boss-employee relationships are gonna be like how they started this morning...

Thursday August 30, 1:10 p.m.

Not exactly cool but then again, we're not in a heat wave either. In fact, we've had a bit of rain on and off for the past couple of days...nice way to wash out the humidity. Just saw 002 for my lone class of the day. She and her hubby had gone off last week for a little trip to Taiwan; they were able to get to famed sho ron po eatery, Din Dai Fon for an early breakfast. She described it as a mix between the famed dumplings with Japanese shabu shabu...can't really see it for myself but I can take that as a further incentive to make another trip there someday. I did get a souvenir from 002 in the form of a box of tea sweets. I may give The Madame a call to see if she'd actually make the beeline over here for some tea.

Asashoryu, the beleaguered sumo yokozuna, finally went off for his home country of Mongolia yesterday to supposedly get better again. He steeled himself from responding (or retorting) to the throngs of reporters despite their best efforts and took off from Narita. Some are hoping that all comes around for him and he comes back in better condition, while others are glad to see the back of him for tarnishing the sport.

CNN has been reporting on that wayward senator from Idaho, Larry Craig. Just looking at him, his "Huh?!" press conference, and his George Michael situation, I can't help but feel that he reminds me of another Larry...Larry David from "Whose Life Is It Anyway?". I can always hear that tinkly theme song whenever they play back Craig.

I've been reading about the growing number of I-cafe refugees in Japan. Apparently, with the arrival of these Internet cafes with multiple facilities such as showers, lounge chairs and oodles of games & manga...plus, the low, low prices of using them...1,500 yen per night...the young and homeless have found a haven to call their own. And indeed, the largest concentration of users are in their 20s but also folks in their 50s have been making up a pretty big chunk as well....perhaps the guys are hubbies who've been kicked out of the house. As a user myself, I can understand the appeal though I'm not a permanent resident. And the I-cafes are probably quite happy (at the moment) for the business. Plus, the homeless can probably stay safe from the depredations of homicidal teenagers.

Wednesday August 29, 8:32 p.m.

Yup, 001 was the tonic. Always good to be speaking with someone on a happier note, although I did give a brief harangue on "Transformers" at the beginning of the lesson. Even Speedy remarked that he wouldn't pay 1800 yen for a movie based on toys. I was somewhat surprised that the movie actually did get some good reviews.

Well, my clone finally appeared yesterday morning on Fuji-TV's "Mezamashi Terebi". Masi Oka from "Heroes" was dressed like a regular salaryman, a fact that didn't escape notice from the giggly announcers and my other clone, Mr. Karube, the entertaiment reporter. I was impressed that he could speak Japanese very well although it was slightly accented. I also picked up on his catchphrase from the show, "Yatta!". There had been thoughts about using "Banzai!" but he rightfully felt that would bring a whole ton of negative memories even some 60 years after the war. Anyways, the show itself is ready to be seen on SkyPerfect satellite TV on SuperDrama TV this Sunday with the regular season launching in a month's time.

Yesterday's stint at the juku was still on diminished status. However, Chip came back to join his bosom buddy, Dale for the first lesson. The little lad was pretty darn tan and he looked like he lost weight to a near dangerous level. Since Seven is now on inactive status, I had to wait another 90 minutes before The Milds came by. And then The Siberian returned after his stint singing at that Beijing contest last week. Amazingly, he and his partner came in 4th. He said that he'd enjoyed his time there although he did catch Beijing Lung due to the high pollution. He noticed that the sun was completely missing.

Well, tomorrow will just be 002 in the morning. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday.

Wednesday August 29, 5:39 p.m.

Well, my day turned out to be rather mediocre in a couple of ways. Movie Buddy called me up this morning about catching "Transformers" since he's still on summer vacation. I was planning to head to that buffet restaurant in Toyosu, a few stations down from Ginza on the Yurakucho Line since I'd seen it on that TV Tokyo variety program "Admatic Tengoku" on Saturday. It ended up that we could do both in one afternoon.

When we got to this new neighbourhood, it just looked so un-Tokyo-like. Wide streets with huge stretches of concrete and tall condos poking up here and there like bamboo shoots. I remarked to MB that it looked like something from sterile Missisauga. And sure enough, there was the sprawling shopping mall, Lalaport Two (as opposed to Lalaport One in Minami-Funabashi in Chiba). Inside, it just looked like any American shopping mall. Our main target was this Grand Buffet, but it was right across from a United Cinemas. Well, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. We got our tickets for Optimus Prime.

The mediocre time started with the buffet. Nothing particularly wrong with the buffet itself, although it was pretty conventional....just the usual pasta, burgers and fried chicken with the drink machines. The bad stuff happened when three of the most obnoxious mothers in the country with their brats (sorry, the only way to describe them) sat beside us. Basically the rest of our time there was fairly grating since the mothers' only way to discipline the little ogres seemed to be just yelling at them at the top of their lungs. Apparently, any Japanese custom of polite reservedness was lost on them. Both MB and I thanked our stars that we had no plans to ever, ever raise kids. Note to self: don't go to The Grand Buffet.

Now, the second part of our mediocrity was the movie itself. As a child, I remember watching the original animated "Transformers". I mean, it was an OK way to waste 30 minutes every Sunday....certainly more interesting than watching "Lamp Unto My Feet". But it was certainly no classic. It was basically just the Autobots and the Decepticons just punching the mechanical crap out of each other.
Well, a quarter of a century later....I see Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay couldn't really pull off anything here either. I heard critics saying that the first third of the movie was pretty slow but then the jams get majorly kicked for some POW! kick-bang action. I'm gonna have to be contrarian here and say that the first third was more promising than what followed. There actually was some backbone of a story in the first half-hour or so....but then, that lame bit of comedy with the Autobots trying to hide around the Witwicky house started up, followed by John Tuturro's Sector 7 happened....all bets were off. John Tuturro and Jon Voigt must be enjoying their paycheques enormously. It was obvious that John was just playing his sinister G-man with tongue firmly impaling cheek, while Jon will now be famous for his usual Voigt Hunch (see Shouty Pacino for an analogy).
The special effects were truly special in the first half of the film but when the usual Bay elements of jittery cameras and explosive mayhem hijacked the last part, they just left me feeling shellshocked. By that point, I couldn't tell or care who was doing what to whom. And of course, the script brought writing back to the early days of talkies. Both MB and I just walked away from the theatre feeling like Shia LaBoeuf did after one of Bay's chewouts.

Well, here I am getting ready for 001. I'll be looking forward to the brief existential respite...

Monday August 27, 9:37 p.m.

Finished my day today. The Full-Timer came in and did her stint and then Mr. TOEIC finally arrived...20 minutes late, as usual. However, unlike my earlier premature assessment, I did notice that he actually improved his fluency a little bit after his week in Toronto. There may yet be hope. His appetite certainly has been running at high speed. As soon as I invited him to have a Krispy Kreme donut (he had the apricot-filled one), he just tore to the kitchen.

I'll probably be heading out in the next 20 minutes for home. I guess things are starting to wind down for the summer. The days are still pretty torrid but the nights are starting to cool down to more acceptable levels. The next few days may even see some rain and even cooler temps. All the better for us.

Today was notable in that Shinzo Abe's embattled Cabinet was getting a re-shuffle. All of the morning wide shows were devoting their 60-90 minutes to the gripping drama of seeing old guys (and one woman) entering, leaving or shifting. So far, the big move was Foreign Minister Taro Aso get the big job of LDP Secretary-General...perhaps a step closer to the Prime Ministership himself. And then there was the other event playing out in Osaka, the International Track and Field Championships. Tyson Gay unsurprisingly got his win in the 100-m dash.

Monday August 27, 5:32 p.m.

Just finished off my dinner of soumen. For the uninitiated, soumen are thin white noodles that are often eaten ice-cold dipped in a small bowl of sauce with chopped leeks and minced ginger. Very refreshing for summer and it still provides those fast-acting carbs (all apologies to those folks still on the Atkins Diet).

I've got The Full-Timer in the next half-hour. Thankfully, Speedy's given me the green light to bring her here to the school for her lesson. Nice to escape smoke and noise once in a while. And my student will be lucky to indulge in one of the KK donuts. Then, Mr. TOEIC will be back for his first since returning from Toronto a couple of weeks ago. It'll be interesting to see if he's improved any...I doubt it...he's a bit on the obtuse side but miracles can always happen.

I've been getting some work-related e-memos here and there. B2 sent me one stating that she's done the corrections to her covering letter and that she's sent it off to the airline company for perusal. And then I got word from Ms. Travel reminding me about the return of the Beehive next Tuesday at what will probably be the new Hive. The Chef sent me her usual long sheaf of fax this morning for this Friday's upcoming proofreading lesson. BC even sent me e-mail thanking me for last night. I, in turn, sent her the web address for the best Doctor Who site.

This week will actually be a fairly light one. In fact, I think today and Friday may be my only truly busy days with 3 or 4 lessons. I only have the juku tomorrow but only the kid and The Milds are confirmed. Seven is out of the picture indefinitely until she's out of the woods after her operation, Jolly told me he couldn't make it for tomorrow night and I always wonder about the Siberian. Wednesday is only 001, and Thursday only has 002.

I think the newest breakout comedy star has arrived on Japanese TV screens. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Yoshio Kojima? This guy has become quite the presence on that variety show showcasing new tarento on Saturday nights, "Enta no Kamisama" (The Gods of Entertainment). This is a nutcase who just gallivants all over the stage in only a tight Speedo with a manic grin on his face spouting out stream-of-consciousness stuff to a techno beat while he intersperses his stuff by suddenly punching the floor with his fist as he states his mantra "Sore wa kankei nai" (That doesn't have anything to do with it!") I know he's gotten his 15 minutes of fame (or 1 year in Japan) since he actually appeared for the first time on "Waratte Ii Tomo", Tamori's flagship show. There must be something to these folks who hit it big with just their real names. The past few months we've had another breakout star in the form of Sumiko Nishioka, the comedic S&M Queen; and of course, there's the veteran Sayaka Aoki, the Lucy Van Pelt of Japanese comedy.

Monday August 27, 5:01 p.m.

I've had a couple of surprises in the past 24 hours. For one thing, The Maple Leaf is gone. Yup, Tokyo's vaunted Canadian pub in the heart of Shibuya up and went some 3 months ago. And unfortunately, The Carolinan and I found that out the hard way. Last night, I had been expecting to take her, her sister and BC for some of that poutine but when I didn't see that big Canadian flag emblazoned on the 4th floor of that building, I knew something was up.
Mind you, in retrospect, I can't say that I'm that surprised at the closing. I'd never thought that The Maple Leaf was all that hopping a place. Plus, I was rather miffed at the fact that they charged 1,000 yen for one can of Labatts and served some of the lamest poutine. However, they also served the spiciest Buffalo Wings the Kanto has ever seen and some pretty decent burgers.

Well, as they say here in Tokyo, sho ga nai. And as they say in "Peanuts", "AAUGH!" However, The Carolinan and I were able to find alternate digs not too far away up on at the top of the PARCO 1 Department Store. We made a beeline to The Saigon up on 8. Nope, about as far away from Ottawa as one can get in terms of cuisine but the food there was very good, and the local beer was great to quench one's thirst....and it didn't cost 1,000 yen. The Carolinan sent word out to her sister and BC about the change in venue.
And some 20 minutes later, BC showed up followed by The New Yorker an hour after that. I felt very badly about the error so I treated everyone to the first round. Still, the dinner was fine. It was the usual orders of pho, Spring Rolls, etc...anything that's good from Vietnam. Plus, the Vietnamese Coffee was good and strong (although I still slept like a baby last night).
I realized that it was the first time that I'd ever had The Sisters of State in the same place at the same time in the years that I've been teaching them. Obviously, the usually-much-quieter New Yorker was a bit more ebullient in the presence of her sister. BC got along quite well with The New Yorker in their first meeting. In fact, BC was doing much better since her sudden waterworks more than a month back. She's still quite the Canuck-o-phile; she said that she regularly went to the CBC website, and wanted to know about this Doctor Who fellow. Well, it's the first time any Japanese citizen ever asked me that question.
It ended up being more expensive at The Saigon, especially for me since I treated everyone to the first drink but it was well worth the outing. Good food and companionship.

And then less than 24 hours later, I saw The New Yorker again for her regular lesson. Last night, I had remarked that I wished I had my own little room to teach the ladies since Tully's has recently been the target of insect swarms and has always been a noise magnet as well. Well, the noise was in full bloom there today and that isn't too good, especially when I have a student as shy and reserved as The New Yorker. It seemed like I was giving her the ultimate test in listening comprehension. Now, I'm gonna have to see if there are any places like the ol Tea Room.
But I did get a nice final surprise today in the form of a box of Krispy Kreme donuts from The New Yorker. She and her sister bought it last night after dinner. I figure that they wanted to "get me back" for the round of drinks. Whatever the case, I'm mightily grateful. It just falls in with the Japanese custom of escalating the gift exchanges here.

Saturday August 25, 6:34 p.m.

And thus we come to the end of another teaching day. And a pretty frenetic pace we kept as well. The EIC student's last lesson came off pretty well; I think she'll fight the good fight tomorrow at her debut. Then the Dentist came in. Pretty steady job there...problem was that I suddenly got a major demand from my bowels to discharge so the last few minutes were rather clenched, not to put a fine point on it. Luckily, the DVD miracle student is also a peach of a lady so that she gave me those vital minutes to head to porcelain Valhalla. Yup, she's a keeper but unfortunately, she won't be able to come out next time so we'll have to see late in September.

Glad I'm off now. I just have that Maple Leaf outing tomorrow with The Sisters of State and BC. Just kinda wonder how crowded the place will be at 6 p.m.

Saturday August 25, 1:35 p.m.

Well, here I was yesterday wishing for rain when the entire Kanto area got deluged by supersqualls around midnight. Thank heavens I got home early enough. Not sure if that will be good enough to keep the reservoirs happy but every bit helps. We're back to hot and humid today, though.

Last night, I gave Jolly quite a bit of inspiration. During the lesson last night, I showed him my copy of METROPOLIS, the free weekly English-language magazine. In it, there was a review on some non-descript pub in the bowels of Kabukicho which had an interesting challenge for all the pubcrawlers. For 10,000 yen, a group of tipplers can try drinking a gallon of Guinness with a Bailey's Irish Cream chaser. The giant cocktail is known as the "Irish Car Bomb". I think it is named aptly if politically incorrectly. In any case, Jolly became quite like his name when he saw the challenge, and there's a good chance that he and his buddies will make a beeline to Shinjuku tonight. I, of course, gave him the issue.

As for me, nothing so extraordinary. I had Tully and The Coffeemaker at the usual Tully's Coffee Shop this morning. Unfortunately, we all had to concentrate on beating back the flies as much as going through the lesson. In about 15 minutes, I've got the final round with that EIC student before The Dentist shows up and then that miracle DVD student. With my luck, she may not show up at all.

Mr. TOEIC is coming back on Monday. Nice to supplement the income although he's a hard student to teach with his slow-as-molasses processing time. I'm not sure if his brief time in Toronto helped his fluency any.

Yesterday, I had lunch at Maharajah in the Shinjuku Southern Tower Building, home of Microsoft Japan just across from Takashimaya Times Square. They had the usual curry buffet for 1,000 yen. I certainly indulged in that one...almost overindulging myself on the pots of Chicken Saag, Vegetable Curry and all the naan & saffron rice I could get my jaws on. It's certainly a good deal, though. And I even had cherry Jello for dessert. It's been years since I had that stuff. In any case, I didn't need dinner at all after that Indian feast.

Friday August 24, 11:32 a.m.

Had a bit of a marathon session with The Nurse. I guess she's like 002 in that we usually have extended lessons to take into account the gab factor. At first, though, I guess sleepiness was having some sort of effect on her since she was just all over the place in comprehension, so she quickly got down on herself for that, which meant it was time for Dancing Bear, my alter ego, to shore things up. Luckily by the time we were finished, everything was happy, happy, joy, joy.

Now, I've gotta prepare some things for tomorrow's lessons. I've got Tully (?) and the Coffeemaker, followed by some more Speedy lessons with that other EIC student (the more ebullient one), The Dentist and then that miracle DVD student. Man, I could use more like her.

Friday August 24, 8:32 p.m.

Got another cool respite although it isn't the glorious night of one week ago. The day has started out pretty decently. Not exactly heartstoppingly icy out there but I haven't needed to take out my handkerchief yet this morning...a kerchief is pretty much a mandatory part of everyone's fashion here. Still, it's gonna hit 33 C today, and the Meterological Agency is predicting another hot September.
I was lucky that today is starting off so moderately. The fan that I'd bought just some weeks ago has already started to show signs of wear and tear. Well, I did only pay 1,300 yen for it but I had thought that Japanese reliability would have made any sign of failure something far off in the future. But when I turned off the fan by my bed after a few minutes to assist in the cooling down process, I saw this rather bright spark emanate from the wiring. I turned it on and off several times to make sure I hadn't been seeing things. Sure enough, I saw a few more sparks. Well, I'm not gonna shuck out some more yen for a replacement, so I'll have to go with the AC for the rest of the summer.

Not surprisingly, my TEPCO bill was almost twice as high as last month. The craving for air conditioning can do that to a bill. Speaking of the beleaguered company, it looks like the temporary (?) shutdown of the Kashiwazaki Nuclear Power Plant due to that big earthquake last month has had some major effects on the Tokyo area. All of the government buildings have been ordered to shut down any unnecessary lighting during the daytime hours, so a lot of the hallways and lobbies are looking pretty spooky at noon, and all air conditioning can only be set to reach no lower than 30 C. That may sound like rendering air conditioning rather useless, but when downtown Tokyo has regularly hit the 40s for the past several days, 30 degrees doesn't sound too, too bad.

It's another early start to my day here at Speedy. I just have The Nurse here and then I'm free for several hours before I teach Jolly....provided that he doesn't dotakyan again. Being a Friday, it's entirely possible that he may "have to" go out drinking tonight. I kinda wonder how The Siberian did in Beijing this week with that singing contest and all.

Well, the Asashoryu scandal is still lingering like the odor of a used fundoshi after a particularly grueling sumobeya session. The Mongolian yokozuna is still acting very un-yokozuna-like while he goes through his depressive funk. The big question right now is whether he rides out his existential storm here or heads back to his home country for good. I'm sure a lot of the ultra rightwingers are using Asashoryu as their tsk-tsk warnings about letting foreigners into the neighbourhood.

The Anime King has given me the heads-up about some more packages to be sent over. Last year, it was The Anime Chamberlain who showed up with him. This year, it'll be The Anime Jester who'll have the road trip here in Asia.

B2 has been sending me her latest covering letters to be proofread. Not too bad at all.

And I've just read that Kylie Minogue is rumoured to be leaving professional singing. I didn't think that "Doctor Who" or Doctor Who would have that much of an effect on her. Speaking of the erstwhile Gallifreyan, I haven't had much to grumble about the resurgence of the Time Lord on TV although I did read a comment on a YouTube video that pretty much stated the writer's hatred for the new series. However, I kinda wish that Russell Davies would stop hammering us over the head with all that sexual tension between David Tennant's Doctor and any of his companions. It almost makes me wish that whoever replaces Tennant will be a throwback to one of the early regenerations: old, wrinkly and asexual.

Anyways, off to work then....

Thursday August 23, 10:09 p.m.

It was a short but fairly intense night at work. I had The Carolinan at the usual time and place, but she was 10 minutes late due to a meeting. And I got the feeling that she was a bit annoyed when I told her that I had to take off right at 7:30 to head over here for that EIC student. Hey, that's her problem. Still, it was pretty cordial for the most part, although we had to contend with a group of overly happy, young girls at the next set of tables.

With the EIC student, I had the quiet and soft-spoken type for her 2nd class. Every time I asked her a question, I got a lot of "Hehhhhh...." with the requisite hemming and hawing before finally getting a whispered answer. I was patient, but I must admit that the words "wringing" and "neck" did pop up once during the lesson.

Unfortunately, it's one of those "out and back" nights. I'll be out of here in about 10 minutes but then I'm back first thing tomorrow morning for The Nurse. Well, as long as I've got the keys to the place, I can just come on in and relaxedly get ready for her lesson. Not sure what I've got until Jolly's lesson at 8 later that night.

Wednesday August 22, 7:43 p.m.

Man, casting is getting interesting. I was talking about all the stuff happening on "Doctor Who", and now I learn that the re-launch of "Star Trek" has cast James (faux pedophile faun from "Narnia") McAvoy as the new Scotty. Hmmm...I gotta see how this guy can beat the first James...Doohan, that is. However, McAvoy is a true Scot instead of a Canadian trying on a Scots burr. Still looking for the new Kirk, though.

While I was trolling through YouTube for videos to watch, I decided to input an old 80s songstress, Kate Bush. Sure enough, I caught "Babooshka" for the first time in more than quarter of a century. A truly weird video from long ago...the barely-out-of-her-teens Bush scampering around with a contrabass before she metamorphosizes into something that probably inspired every Playstation video game warrior princess. Then I caught her in "Wuthering Heights" in all her big-haired, wide-eyed glory. And you thought that bizarre-but-compelling divas started with Bjork...

Actually, I get to hear those first few chords of Bush's wailing from "Wuthering Heights" every Saturday on Sanma Akashiya's talk show. The English title is "Much Ado About Nothing" which pretty much sums up this half-hour of banal chatter-and-insults between the loudmouthed, sadly overbitten Osaka comedian and a group of young women whose fashion sense is on the wrong side of skankiness. I very much doubt that anyone on the stage realizes who sings the theme song.
But then again, it would seem that 80s songs don't truly die...they just find new life in Japan. "Wuthering Heights" has become so regular that anyone listening to those first few bars would recognize it as the theme song for Sanma's show. But The Eurythmics' "Angel" and Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" gets regular airplay in various cover versions. Even bad grrrl of J-Pop, Anna Tsuchiya, has done a cover of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" for a car commercial. I go into the main department store at Urayasu Station and always hear 80s music. I half-expect to see customers or staff wearing skinny ties and big hair.
Ironically, the one song and act that I haven't seen here: Alphaville's "Big In Japan". Then again, I haven't heard "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors either, but that song is a bit different in tone, so I hear.

Wednesday August 22, 6:52 p.m.

Just came back from this restaurant just downstairs that opened up recently. Speedy had been telling me about it since he'd gone there once for a burger, and he knows about the currently dormant Burger Tour. Actually, restaurant sounds a little generous for this place; it's more of a bar...definitely a bar. From the outside, the Chianti Piccolo Bar (love the name) seems to take on a Shinjuku Golden Gai esthetic in that the distance from the automatic door to the bar itself can be measured in millimetres. Yup, it's pretty tight but the space opens up a bit to the sides where stools and tables exist. In fact, I was a bit worried that due to the dinner hour, the place would be packed. It wouldn't take more than three couples to saturate it...or so I thought.
When I came in...and nearly walked into the bar, the friendly young waitress asked me whether I preferred smoking or non-smoking. I first thought...is she kidding? A walk-in closet has smoking and non-smoking sections? Of course, instinct forced me to answer non-smoking to which she led me into a back cubby hole. Well, the Chianti was actually a TARDIS. Actually, that's a bit of an exaggeration. Still, I was brought down a few steps into this rather dimly-lit (moody, as the locals would describe it) section. Here I truly respected the Japanese ability to make any small volume of space into a likeable, livable area. There were three tables with seats in this area...basically if I brought the MB gang here, the cubby hole would need a "No Vacancy" sign. However, just a metre or so away, there was yet another small, low-ceilinged space which could accomodate a couple if they kept sitting. I was quite impressed with this origami approach to interior design. And for such a small little bar, the Chianti was wired for the 21st century...the main area, the cubby hole, and even that small pocket had their own individual flatscreen showing NHK News.
But I was there not to admire the design. I was there to take advantage of the special campaign for a 600-yen burger plate. The Chianti Burger was usually 1200 but I guess the folks wanted to bring in the customers. It was a very generous offer considering what I got. The burger was definitely one to compare to the likes at Baker Bounce or Sasebo Burger. The owners must have quite a loss on this one. It was a pretty big burger to satisfy any American. And since the bar had an Italian theme, the Chianti Burger was not laced with the usual onion, tomato and lettuce but it also had two slices of creamy avocado and a thin but large slice of prosciutto. At first, I thought it was a waste of good Italian ham since I thought the taste would be overwhelmed by the other ingredients, but I actually could get the characteristic saltiness a few times. The sign of a generous burger is how messy and gloopy one's hands could get. Well, the Chianti passed the test. In fact, one of the avocado slices ended up in my pocket; basically, my shirt became a casualty of war.
When I finally went up to pay the bill, I also realized the secondary benefit of having such a tight locale. The waitress blocked my way to the door when she took my money. Now, if she has a black belt in judo or karate, the Chianti Piccolo Bar will be a fortress. I was lucky in that I was the only customer in the place. I was a bit worried about how business would be, but I remembered that the nights I headed home late, the place was quite filled with the customers.

Glad that I didn't have any lunch beforehand.

Wednesday August 22, 5:23 p.m.

Another hot and sticky one out there. But there may be some respite on the way in the form of thunderstorms. I couldn't imagine this pressure cooker without some sort of explosion soon.

Yesterday's juku classes were still kinda half-staffed. I only got one half of Chip n' Dale, plus The Siberian and Jolly were unavailable. The Milds showed up so it was another nice round with them. However, I received a small bombshell from Seven when she said that she would be out of the rotation for a month at least due to a serious operation she has to undergo very soon. It isn't cancer or anything like that but both the boss and I have been left somewhat worried, since she's all of just 25.

I went out back to 002 for her regular class. Officially, our classes are supposed to be just 1 hour but since I usually get there 15 minutes ahead of schedule and end up gabbing, the lessons end up nearly 90 minutes. Still, I don't think Speedy would be willing to reimburse me for the extra half-hour. I got some nap time on the Toei Shinjuku from Chiba to Shinjuku so I'm feeling a bit more upbeat, but it'll be another 3 hours before The Judge comes in for his double. 001 is off today...she's probably lounging about on her sofa in Kanagawa drinking down chuhais like there's no tomorrow.

I actually received mail from an old student of mine, and a friend of The Carolinan and SR, the Beach Girl in California. Apparently, another friend of hers is headed for Toronto and she asked if I could answer any of her questions about T.O. Speaking of The Carolinan's friends, the ailing BC sent me a note asking about resuming her lessons again; it shouldn't be any problem, and considering that I seem to be on half-staff right now, I could do with some replenishments. Still, I'm meeting her and The Sisters of State on Sunday for that round at The Maple Leaf.

In addition, I also got B2's covering letter to take a look at. Got that revised and sent off back to her. Man, I would be raking in the cash if I could translate this into a professional proofreading and counseling biz.

Being the Doctor Who fan (I wonder...do they still call the fans, "Whovians"?), I've been rather intrigued by the fame that the renewed series has been garnering in the form of its guests. In the second season, it was an old friend, Sarah Jane Smith. Then, this previous season, the show had its first titled thespian, Sir Derek Jacobi as The Master. Plus, Kylie Minogue is popping in for the fourth season premiere. Now, I'm hearing rumours of another Sir coming in as another pivotal villain...Sir Ben Kingsley as the progenitor of the Daleks, Davros of Skaro. Then, there is the possibility of Joan Collins as another villainous Time Lord, The Rani... some 40 years after her appearance as "goody-goody" Edith Keeler in the most revered episode of Classic Trek, "City On The Edge of Forever". But the one casting rumour that I'm hoping does pan out is the return of Doctor Who No. 5, Peter Davison, the cricket-playing fellow. Of course, everyone would love to see teeth-and-curls Tom Baker but I think he's a bit too far gone on the age level for that to show up on a special episode, so I'll be content with the former Tristan Herriot. My only question is how convincing ol' Peter will still look after more than 20 years. I did see No. 6, Colin Baker, in a recent documentary, and there is absolutely no way he can come back.

Tuesday August 21, 1:25 p.m.

Another blazing day, but it isn't that humid which is quite the godsend. Ahhh...to have that cool Friday back, though.

I came home last night after another late night stint at Speedy's to find out that travel agent tried to contact me once more for that Hong Kong trip. "Try" was the operative word...she attempted to send me a fax, except that I'd run out of fax paper...of all the days. So I sent out another apology to her for what has been a series of errors on both our parts, and then earlier this morning I headed out to Yamada Denki and bought a new roll of B4 fax paper. I did tell her that I would be home between 11 and 1 if she wanted to contact me directly, but it looks like she's very busy or she's gotten fed up.

Speaking of Hong Kong, I actually had a chunk of free time between The Class Act and The Full-Timer so I visited the discount CD shop, RecoFAN, in Shibuya. Well, what did a CD store have to do with HK? Well, it wasn't so much RecoFAN itself than what I ended up buying there which was that "Little King Kong" (yeah, I know....Hong Kong and King Kong....not much of a segue) single by Shibuya-kei Queen Kahimi Karie. It was used, so it cost me just 485 yen. After having seen the video on YouTube the other day, I was intrigued to get it.
Yep, she's one of a kind. She sounds like she's Japanese in name and passport only. With those wispy French-accented vocals of hers, I can only imagine what she sounds like in interviews. I did notice one video which supposedly features one such chatfest with her on YouTube, so I may take a look.

I guess I've been getting lax on keeping up with the news. I only found out this morning about that China Airlines jet which exploded at Naha Airport a full 24 hours after the event. I guess that "Thank You for Not Smoking" sign took on ironic importance. Still, it's a miracle that noone was injured, let alone killed. I wonder if CA is gonna get recalled along with the millions of toys.

The other news that I'd forgotten to mention is that all those travelers, business or pleasure, are kinda singing the blues....that is, if they're coming back from Hokkaido or Tohoku. For years, domestic travelers heading back from Sapporo or Sendai always brought back souvenirs in the form of this cream wafer cookie called "Shiroi Koibito" (White Lovers). I've often received and enjoyed the boxes of this confection over the years from various students. Well, it looks like even this legendary company has fallen to The Dark Side of Corporate Japan. Apparently, the distributors had been selling the stuff beyond the "Best By" date, so of course when the jig was up, the boxes were out. Personally, I prefer the Marseille Raisin Butter Cookies of Sapporo but those mega-calorie things don't last too long outside of the fridge.

Well, today, I've just got the juku folks. There is nothing like that little annoyance of the fax running out of paper to get me hustling on lesson plans since I had to head out this morning to the electronics shop. So I managed to get most of the plans done by bedtime this morning. The Siberian should be out there in Beijing right now with his partner, getting ready to compete for that big singing contest later this week.

Monday August 20, 7:38 p.m.

Just finished with The Full-Timer, but this time we had the lesson at Vie De France since Doutor was completely filled up. We didn't escape the smoke, though. Looks like this has been the Hawaiian souvenir day. I got the usual Kona coffee and macadamia nuts from The Class Act, and now I got some Dole Pineapple Gummies from my last student. She and her mother enjoyed themselves in The Aloha State but it looks like The Full-Timer has to contend with one of those cockroaches of corporate life...the dilettante supervisor.

Watched the last of the newest episodes of "Doctor Who" on The Entrepreneur's tape. Unfortunately, the sound was lousy so it was rather difficult to hear which necessitated me to go to Wikipedia to find out what did happen in the stories. The producers certainly have gotten ambitious...Daleks in Manhattan?! Who'd'a thought that the universe's most evil invaders could use The Empire State Building as part of their nefarious plans?

Monday August 20, 5:27 p.m.

It was an interesting weekend. For one thing, meterologically speaking, The Big Sushi got what it hadn't expected at this time of year on Friday night: a magnificently cool evening. It was like a death row prisoner getting 24 hours of freedom. I didn't have to turn on a single appliance to get temperature relief; I just opened the windows and let Nature waft in. I thought that the Fall had arrived a month early. But as it turned out, it was just a parole. Sunday brought in the heat and humidity once more.
At the same time, though, Chiba was still getting its shakes. But it looks like the worst is over for now, although the earthquake authorities warned us for some sizable tremors for the next week or so.

The only highlight for Saturday was another seasonal party at 002's. Being summer, yakiniku was the theme so the afternoon was given over to the hotplate and plenty of beef and veggies to be fried. The amazing thing was that The Baker actually came in on time...and with plenty of her mother's baked goods to satisfy us. It was the usual cast of characters: 002 and her husband with 001 and The Baker along with myself. The Baker also brought over a teacher from her current school. Talking with him, it was almost like talking with a mirror image of Speedy. He's not just a teacher but also the co-owner of the school. It was an identical story...someone who is idealistic enough to make a niche amongst the bigger English schools in the area. Like me, he's an old NOVA hand...and he had some stories about the old place that would suggest that Japan's largest eikaiwa school is in bleaker hands than is probably known.

Sunday was just a day at home...just switching back and forth between NHK and NHK Educational. One had the Annual Koshien High School Baseball Tournament while the other had the weekly I-Go matchup (yes, I'm still keeping up with my new hobby). I also got some shopping done....I was rather shocked that a lot of the veggies were sold out by mid-afternoon. Mind you, it is BBQ season so that a lot of folks may have stocked up, but I'm wondering if various storms all over the world may have contributed to a drop in availability. I already heard that Hurricane Dean may have wiped out Jamaica's banana crop.

I had The Class Act for the first time in a few weeks. Looks like the both of them had quite the time in Hawaii. The Lady was complaining mightily about her inept housekeeper/caretaker there which may necessitate another trip to The Aloha State to interview new candidates. Ah yes...something that I'm very familiar with, of course. But no SIL today. However, The Full-Timer should be back in 20 minutes and then a couple of more students including the Judge.

Friday August 17, 8:59 p.m.

Well, I'm done here. I finished with the latest EIC student an hour ago. She has the latent ability but doesn't have much confidence in using it...a pity since she's normally an AEON student. Speedy has been hoping that she'll make a transfer to our school but frankly from today's lesson, I don't see that happening. Plus, it didn't help that I had to teach her in the sauna-like conditions of the regular classroom instead of the lounge. I remarked to her that if she were to imagine that my lesson could be akin to a refreshing session of hot yoga...

Still, I've completed my long day at the school and will be ready to head on home. I may just turn on the AC all night again since I woke up so cool and dry this morning. Plus, I think I've been a good boy by not having to turn on the air conditioner all day.

Tomorrow, I will be getting ready for 002's summer BBQ at her place. Gonna be enjoying a lot of yakiniku...

Friday August 17, 6:16 p.m.

I've gotten through The Nurse's lesson and dinner. Once again, it was the chicken stick, the cheese dog and the salad. Digestion is proceeding normally. In less than an hour, I'll have my final lesson of the day with this EIC student.

I took a look through "Orion's Arm" after several months of not visiting the site. They've got a few new updates but it's still a pretty heady slog to go through for those not accustomed to hard SF. Not advised after a starchy dinner.

Looks like one of The Anime King's gang will be heading over here. The questions are coming out about travel plans.

Friday August 17, 1:14 p.m.

Still a little less than 3 hours away until my next class with The Nurse. I actually have prepped for that class and even for the EIC student a few hours later. I've even gone through some of that curricula. At this rate, I'll probably be browsing through the DVD that accompanies the text to relieve some of the tedium. However, though I can't really browse YouTube here, I have been going through Wikipedia. I finished up all the stuff dealing with "Peanuts" so I naturally jumped to some of the other venerable and venerated comic strips such as "Doonesbury" (I used to see it in The Toronto Star daily but never really got into it...wasn't too political back then) and "For Better or For Worse", Lynn Johnson's magnum opus in my ol' hometown. I lost sight of the Pattersons when I moved over here 13 years ago, so it was revealing to see on my last trip back home to find out that the original kids have all grown up and gotten kids of their own. The death of Farley the Dog was a shocker.

I don't think Japan has any strips currently running which can match any of the North American strips I've mentioned above. However, there is "Sazae-san", the story of the prototypical can-do Japanese housewife surrounded by her loving extended family in residential Tokyo. The original strip, written by the late Machiko Hasegawa, ended its run in the papers decades ago but it has still held onto legendary status since it still lives on in television form on Sundays via Fuji-TV. In fact, the half-hour cartoon has usually signaled the end of the weekend when it comes on at 6:30.
"Sazae-san" has some distinct similarities and differences to its North American counterparts. Like "Peanuts" or "For Better or For Worse", there is a large group of regular characters in which Sazae's family, the Fugutas, is the core. And like Charlie Brown and the rest of his gang, the characters in "Sazae" exist in a time warp, never aging. However, the series has resolutely stayed away from anything approaching controversial such as homosexuality or racism; Sazae has only dealt with stuff no more threatening than with the latest naughty doings of her wayward brother...which usually consist of trying to shirk his chores or doing things which would only get a half-joking finger wag from an bemused cop. Snoopy is far more dangerous. Still, this isn't to belittle Japan's most famous cartoon. I can only wish that there were more people and neighbourhoods in The Big Sushi like the ones in the show....although I admit that the setting in "Sazae-san" probably has never existed.

Friday August 17, 9:25 a.m.

Another day of sizzling heat and humidity. But it was sure nice to have the AC on all night. I just decided that I would give the money to TEPCO and sleep in sweatless bliss. I actually felt a little shiver when I woke up. Of course, I got the rather rude awakening when I stepped outside. Hopefully, if the weatherguys are right, the fever should break tomorrow...just in time for 002' seasonal party.

It was also quite the quake day yesterday. First there were the three tremors which rumbled through Chiba, including one while I was making my last report here. Then, I heard about the major shake in Peru which has gotten our tsunami warning systems active. So far, no tremors today.

Yesterday, I met up with The Madame once more in Shibuya for lunch at that Chinese tea house right by Mark City. They've got a pretty nice lunch set there but the fare could use a bit more seasoning although the waitress said that we wouldn't need any soy sauce or spices. Still, I've been weaned on fast food so my tongue's probably been numbed by all the artificial ingredients over the years.
Afterwards, the two of us tried to swim through the humidity in the neighbourhood and made our way to the Tokyu Department Store near The Lady's mansion. The Madame was trying to look for some new shoes. She found out from the information desk that the shoes she wanted were to be found at the Shibuya Station branch. One of the throwbacks from decades past, the information desk lady was still wearing a very Kennedyesque tea party uniform and was very informative...even calling up the Shibuya Station branch to see if those shoes were there. Sure enough, they were indeed there and the two of us, deciding to avoid any more heat, we hopped on the free shuttle bus which coursed through the area. I'd passed by the stop numerous times over the years on the way to and from The Lady's place but had never tried the shuttle. It was nice on our feet but it wasn't particularly all that cool and when we made a 4-minute stop at the Tokyu Hotel, the guy stopped not just the engine but also the AC with the door way open.
After about 10 minutes of riding, we finally got off at the East Exit of Shibuya Station where I thought I would say my goodbye to The Madame since I had to make that phone call to the travel agency about my ticket to Hong Kong. The guy I wanted to speak to was unavailable which meant another round of fax tag. So I ended up meeting with The Madame once more and acted like the dutiful boyfriend/husband while she shopped for her shoes. Another example of the still-fine service here in Japan, the shoe department clerks were waiting for The Madame's arrival since they'd got the heads-up from the information desk.
I gotta admit that in all the years I've known The Madame, I never knew she could be quite the negotiator with sales staff. She kept up quite the banter with the seasoned vet. However, it turned out that the saleswoman had recognized my friend from a couple of years back during her last major shoe excursion up in the Ikebukuro branch and apparently The Madame's sister is quite the Imelda Marcos when it comes to her shoe shopping; she made history when she cleared an entire shelf with her credit card one time.
After about an hour of solid talk and trying on shoes, The Madame snagged her purchase and we made one more stop at the underground cafe for 250 yen coffee. There was an interesting mix of old folks and Shibuya gals with their beaus. Of course, the gals were spitting out their annoying dialect at high volume. On the way up on the Hanzomon Line, we noticed a lot of young women were decked out in summer yukata, which usually means that there is a fireworks festival nearby. Sure enough, I found out this morning that there was such an event last night at Jingumae Stadium.

After finally parting from The Madame, I made my way up to Mitsukoshimae Station Starbucks where I had my monthly with B2. Yep, it's official...she's gonna try to get back her flight attendant status with her old company. So I was helping her with her covering letter. I told her it will help by namedropping The Ballerina's name. If she's successful, I will have lost a student by next May, but I'll have gained a happy friend.

Well, today is a long one. Just three lessons but they're separated by hours. The Judge is up in 10 minutes, followed by The Nurse at 4 p.m. and then a new EIC student at 7 p.m. At least, I won't be needing my AC today.

Thursday August 16, 8:59 a.m.

It's been a classic case of Shake n' Bake this morning. On the 30th anniversary of the death of Mr. "I'm All Shook Up", the Kanto is going through this massive heat wave; but to add insult to injury, Chiba has had 3 fairly strong quakes within the last four hours. The first woke me up in the wee hours with the second and third tremors hitting around 8 a.m. Not sure if this is the sign of something big coming. Well, if we survive the next couple of days, the weather folks have said that there will be a break in the torridness during the weekend.

After playing a form of facsimile tag, I may have been able to secure a ticket for Hong Kong for that trip with The Class Act in October. Strangely enough, it's an All Nippon Airlines flight, not an air company that I would associate with discount ticket agencies but who's complaining? Anyways, I've informed The Lady so I'm sure we'll be entering the next stage when we meet on Monday.

Last night, in the air-conditioned confines of Speedy's, I taught my 3 hours with 001 and The Judge. Both folks were a little sluggish...not surprising considering the natsubate (summer fatigue) they must be suffering from. I'm not exactly at 100% power myself. Meanwhile, The Admin has been off for the past several days on leave, so her sub is some sort of high-powered translator (I'm not sure how she feels about having to serve tea and greet students). Nice young lady but as quiet as a mouse.

Another sign of the dog days of summer in Japan....those controversial visits by the politicos to Yasukuni Shrine. And sure enough, there was a Koizumi sighting yesterday at the famed burial site for the war dead. A lot of media there but there was nowhere near the sturm und drang that used to accompany his visits when he was the PM. And he refused to add anything to the fire by staying resolutely mute.

Today, I'm seeing The Madame for lunch, then I gotta call the travel agency to make sure everything is OK before I see B2.

Wednesday August 15, 4:14 p.m.

Forgot to mention that tomorrow is also a rather auspicious day. It's the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death. And just like today being the 62nd anniversary of V-J Day, I'm not sure if much of the younger generation anywhere has much interest in ol' Swivel Hips outside of seeing those commercials hawking his distinctive visage and old hits, or even catching the grandparents listening to "Love Me Tender". Perhaps to the kids weaned on the Johnny's Entertainment Group bands here in Japan or on any of the hip-hop acts back in the States, Elvis Presley must come across as pretty creaky....or, horrors, just plain square; that's rather ironic, considering that the man had his lower half blacked out during a televised appearance, lest the view of his gyrating pelvis overly arouse the female persuasion.
But as I said about V-J Day in the last entry, that's not such a bad thing. Personally, I would be very worried if there were still teenagers in the millions going nuts about a guy who's been dead 30 years. Do I really want to see thousands of kids in the 2030s still lining up to put flowers for that dead guitarist from X Japan, Hyde? I think the contemporary acts would be so insecure and music wouldn't really be progressing as fast as it should. Not to say that Elvis and The Beatles should be swept under the garbage heap of history (and we all know that will not be possible), but I think it'll be enough that there is either a niche group of diehard fans to carry the flame or a large population who can still remember a tune or two from these guys.
And besides, all of us still remember that amazing pop artist from hundreds of years ago, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his songs. Not everyone is a classical music buff (I'm not) but his memory is still alive and well. The Golden Age of Jazz may be long gone but people here are still into Swing or Bop. And so, Elvis (and Stevie and Nirvana) will still be fondly remembered long after we've also left this mortal coil.
Certainly, the former Prime Minister of Japan is an ardent fan, considering his cute if embarrassing display of air guitar prowess in Graceland in front of George W. Bush, Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley last year (I gather that Junichiro Koizumi's display was a bit of revenge for having Dubya's father throw up on late PM Miyazawa back in 1989). And much more locally, my student SIL is a good fan of Elvis, not only in terms of his songs but also some of his movies although both of us agreed that he never really threatened anyone at the Oscars.

Completely off-topic, but I did catch a funny video on YouTube yesterday. It was the mashup between that hit song of two years ago, "Hey Ya!" by Outkast and "A Charlie Brown Christmas". You really haven't seen Linus or Sally boogie until you've seen them dance to this song.

Wednesday August 15, 2:56 p.m.

It's another blazing day...perhaps the hottest one yet this summer. Up to about 35 C in Tokyo, although that's just the air temp. The actual temp from the concrete is probably 5-10 degrees higher. We are truly in the midst of a heat wave, or moshobi, as it is called here. Still, I'm glad I'm not up in Saitama. Because the folks up north live in a basin, or bonchi, they have to suffer even worse temps.
However, adversity has brought out the creative side in the urban management folks. Meeting places such as Roppongi Hills have attached mist dispensers to key spots on the walls so that fine sprays of water can keep the masses cool and watered. Apparently, the idea came from the farmers who usually do the same to their cows during summer. Not to say intimate that humans and cows are very similar, but rush hour and cattle calls seem to share certain values.

Being the middle of O-bon, there's been a lot of traffic coming and going out of Tokyo. I do not envy the families their ordeal of driving on expressways-turned-parking lots. However, I am sympathizing with one motorcyclist who had a rather grisly end to his little trip. Yesterday, he accidentally banged into a guard rail on the highway...he lost a little chrome, a little paint and, oh yes, his lower leg. Apparently, the fellow kept riding for another 2 kilometres until he started feeling somewhat faint (massive blood loss and shock can do that to one), and then he realized that he was missing something vital. His rescuers managed to find what was left of his leg but it was too late to re-attach it.....decomposition, high heat and a very unsterile environment made that a foregone conclusion.

However, there is somewhat good news. The heat wave will break...a bit...by this weekend. Perhaps, we'll be down to the chillier temperatures of 30 C.

Yesterday, I had a day off since both The Beehive and the juku were on summer vacation. Just ended up hitting the I-cafe for a few hours since I didn't want to give too much more money to TEPCO. Still, I'm sure the bills for this month and September will be quite inflated. Today, it's back to business. I've got 001 and The Judge for a few hours tonight. Can't complain...both are fine students. Tomorrow, I'm meeting The Madame again for another lunch and chat before I see B2 for her monthly session. Looks like Friday will be somewhat full...I've got The Judge, The Nurse and a new EIC student. Actually, I've got them spaced out by several hours; a bit of a drag but again the students are good.

Let's see...the big entertainment news...and true to the supremely superficial nature of geinokai stuff, one of the tabloids has reported that Masayuki Nakai, the leader of SMAP, and the big pop singer for the last couple of years, Kumi Koda, are apparently an item. I'm sure a press conference will follow.

But the significance of today's date is that it's been 62 years since Japan officially surrendered to the United States in World War 2. The media has been asking some of the younger folk about what August 15th meant to them. All of them had blank looks and admitted that they didn't know. Of course, the reporters and wide show panelists probably tut-tutted and lamented the reaction while thinking about that proverb about those not remembering history are doomed to repeat it. Then again, those finger-wagging journos should think a little further...the Japanese live in a time in which war has been so far gone from these shores that the younger generations remember little about it. I don't think that's so much of a bad thing. Obviously being complacent about potential problems such as North Korea isn't good either but believe me, I'm happy that kids in Japan aren't drawing pictures of planes bombing villages and dead people cut into pieces like their counterparts are in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Monday August 13, 5:29 p.m.

Found out that Merv Griffin passed away. I just barely remember him from his talk show back in the late 60s and 70s. It was really just because of Rick Moranis' hilarious take on him during the SCTV years that Griffin still exists in my memory. I guess he won't be back...now before I get accused of being sick here, that's what the guy joked when he was asked about what would be written on his epitaph.

Just finished off making some answer sheets for the curricula. The Full-Timer got my acknowledgement about tonight's cancellation so I've just got another 2.5 hours before The Judge comes into view.

I was listening to one of my CDs that was gathering dust on my shelves. It's an old J-Pop one; well, it's from a band from the 80s called PSY-S. In an era when tuneless aidoru were all over the airwaves, PSY-S was an interesting combination of poppy synths (probably a Synclavier since it seemed to sample a number of instruments) and a petite woman, Chaka, who had a voice which was pitched high to near helium levels but could probably cut steel at the same time. The band's offbeat tunes (with titles like "Fuzzy Pain", "Parachute Limit" and "Woman-S") were also quite apart from the non-aidoru new music musicians such as Yumi Matsutoya or Anzen Chitai; I can posit that it was the precursor to all those Shibuya-kei entities such as Kahimi Karie, Cornelius or Pizzicato Five.

Speaking of Karie, I finally got to see a few of her videos on YouTube. Man, that "Little King Kong" was intriguing. Rather indie, mod and retro all at the same time. May have to consider picking up a Best Of CD sometime...if she has issued one. These auteur types can be a bit snooty about releasing compilations.

Monday August 13, 3:08 p.m.

A better-than-average weekend, I suppose...

On Saturday, I think I may have had the optimum student for those dreaded DVD classes. This one was engaging, enthusiastic and, best of all, she actually laughed at the "Friends" jokes. Yes, this one is a keeper. Now, if we're lucky and she also has buddies who are at her level, we may finally get this carcass re-animated. The good news is that she's locked for the next session on the 25th.

After that, Speedy and I went down to the newest Shinjuku theatre chain, Wald 9, near Shinjuku San-chome. There we met Skippy and Mrs Speedy to catch "Ratatouille", the latest Pixar classic. Before that, we had dinner on the 8th floor of the complex, the main restaurant floor. Skippy had to hem and haw a bit but we finally decided to have our meal at Matroishka, a Russian eatery. I'm not sure if this were the same restaurant that had moved up to better digs from the old basement corner near Isetan Department Store, or if it's a second branch. In any case, I went for the Burger Plate Special (yes, I know...it's a Russian place) which, despite its American main course, did come with the requisite borscht appetizer.
We all remarked that considering it was a Saturday, the restaurant was not all that full. Then, Skippy came out with the sage comment that movies were running up above us so we had the lucky timing of eating out between major dinner crowds.

"Ratatouille" was a most charming piece of entertainment. I had heard "Cars" the year before wasn't exactly the blockbuster that "The Incredibles" was a few years ago, but I think this new flick (or should it be, flic?) will probably be a see-again for the whole family just like "The Incredibles". And just like its superhero older brother, "Ratatouille" has funny and sympathetic main characters such as Remi the Rat, his brother Emile, and his human buddy, Linguini, along with a moustache-twirling villain. And Linguini even has a romantic interest, Collette, who is probably the spikiest female character in the entire Pixar family. Not surprisingly, she is voiced by Janeane Garofalo. The movie also wins in that some of the effects are truly incredible; case in point, the early scenes of Remi braving the sewer pipe rapids. But the fact that a lot of the mundane kitchen duties of the characters such as chopping vegetables or putting in ingredients into the soup are almost seen as live-action truly illustrates how far computer animation has come since the days of "Toy Story".
The other Pixar touches are there: director Brad Bird has a cameo, Michael Giacchino brings in his Gypsy Jazz sound as compared to the Lounge Swing of "The Incredibles", and there is a barnstorming finale as the rats come to the rescue in the kitchen (as distasteful as that may sound). Kudos also go to Peter O'Toole for his mellifluous voicing of Anton Ego. However, I didn't see John ("Cliff Claven") Ratzenberger's name up there in the credits; you'd think with a name like that, Bird would've made him a key player. I thought the story in the last third of the movie was a bit rushed but the ending made for a nice twist. Things did work out but not in the way that a conventional approach would've demanded. All in all a great movie and I'm now even more looking forward to an "The Incredibles 2".

Yesterday was a love letter to Japan's Con Ed...TEPCO, thanks to my blasting the air conditioner all day long. I had no place to go to so I just stayed in my little apartment and just vegged. Didn't touch anything related to English teaching....just needed to cleanse the palate, so to speak.

And it looks like that palate will be further cleansed. I've got The Judge today for a double but The Full-Timer sent in a cancellation notice for tonight. Well, I'm out of 3,000 yen cash but at least I avoid the smell of coffee and cigarettes infusing itself into my clothes. And on a steamy day like today, that would unleash a multitude of sins onto my fellow commuters later tonight. Basically, I'm looking at a pretty lean week. I've got the students who've gone onto summer hiatus (The Class Act, SIL, The Beehive and The Junior). Plus, the juku is on O-bon holiday this week. If it weren't for the fact that The Judge has asked to cram in a lot of classes this week, I probably would've been virtually on a week's holiday myself. Still, I've got absolutely nothing tomorrow but I really don't want to give TEPCO any more tribute than is necessary so I may be stepping out somewhere despite the torrid heat out there.

Friday August 10, 1:16 p.m.

Wasn't expecting to be here at the I-Cafe today but in the last few hours, I've had a few reasons to send out the e-mail. In a way, though, it's a good thing. Along with the regular electricity bill, I also got a notice from TEPCO about being a bit more careful with power usage yesterday stating that due to the big earthquake in Niigata a month ago, the Kashiwazaki Nuclear Plant has had to be closed down which will put a big strain on all of us in the Kanto. TEPCO has asked us to kinda curb those appliances, including air conditioners, between the hours of 1 and 4 p.m.
My city of Ichikawa must then therefore be the dream city for the TEPCO boys. Most of the population heads into Tokyo during the day...which would therefore also mean that Ichikawa is a dream city for thieves. Some wags would say that there is no distinguishing between the two parties. In any case, there shouldn't be too much power activity from this bedroom town. So I thought I could get away with blasting the AC during those prime afternoon hours. But then came that need to send out the e-mail.

For one thing, I called up No. 1 Travel, that discount travel agency with the lousy commercials to see if I could procure tickets for Hong Kong when I have my second excursion with The Class Act in October. Well, the lady there said that there was no problem with getting over there on the date I asked for but there was nothing for coming back although there were seats available on the next day. I've decided to contact The Lady for consultation.
Then I had to check to see if Skippy would join Speedy and I for "Ratatouille" or as it is called here "Remi's Delicious Restaurant" tomorrow night after my shift at the school. Surprisingly enough, she said yes. So, I've got that extra 1,800 yen, not including dinner expenses to budget.

Despite my gripes about spending, I still splurged the 4,000 yesterday to buy the latest issue of the "Peanuts" opus with Charlie Brown and the gang...some things in my life will transcend even my budget. It's the 1963-1964 edition; from the strips inside, I could recognize that these were the first strips I remembered from my childhood from signing out some of the original paperback compilations from the primary school library. Charles Schulz was now going through the glory years. Amazing how this guy was able to have these little folks spout out these potent nuggets of adult neuroses.

I only have the juku folks tonight. Jolly will be coming in to make up that lesson he missed out on the other night while The Ace will be coming for his usual Friday 60. The juku will be going on O-bon recess next week so my Tuesday will be completely free. I think the boss will be treating this O-bon even more seriously since her mother died less than a month ago.

Tomorrow will be a busy one, though. I've got The Carolinan and then Tully & The Coffeemaker at the Ichigaya Tully's before I have to head out to Speedy's for The Dentist and then the DVD "Friends" lesson. Still, I can still save on the AC bill.

Thursday August 9, 9:51 a.m.

Looks like the sci-fi franchises are still throwing around the A-list casting rumours like 10-metre lightsabers. First, there was the Tom Cruise-as-Christopher Pike rumour for "Star Trek" yesterday. Then, I've come across the rumour that Doctor Who may be bringing in Sir Ben Kingsley to play none other than Davros, the creator of the Daleks. I have to admit that there is a certain resemblance in the cranial area and if Kingsley were aged about...hm, oh, let's say, 20 or 30 more years, it would be nearly perfect. I think there would be a bigger chance of Kingsley playing a prime Who villain than Cruise as Pike; Sir Ben is no stranger to either sci-fi or villainy, and last season, Sir Derek Jacobi got to play The Master, albeit for just a few seconds. With all of these British knights popping up on Who, I can wholly expect to see Sir Alec Guinness come back as a past Doctor...in spirit form, of course.

Thursday August 9, 9:23 a.m.

Back here again after a long Wednesday night. Got home about midnight to a stifling apartment. Took a well-needed shower and even had the AC on for about 30 minutes...was planning to sleep in the living room with the AC but the thing was just making too much noise...and the thought of having irate neighbours (especially with yet another weirdo next door) murder me in my sleep activated my cowardice hormones, and so I endured a sweaty night in my bedroom with my little fan gamely trying to cool me. Luckily, I only had to stay at home for less than an hour before hitting the road again.

I'm doing pretty well considering that I got just 5 hours of fitful sleep. Did the McBreakfast near the school and read The Japan Times. There was a rather blistering article by a Ronald Blum on Barry Bonds; Blum's dissing of Bonds makes Bob Costas sound like Bonds' best buddy. Even over here, Bonds 756th homer made the front pages, sharing space with the two Koreas' sudden declaration of a summit. All I can say is that I hope the next big Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth will take over as soon as possible.

Got to the school to see Grandma Dynamite by the 1st floor elevators doing very well after her little sprain a couple of weeks back. Speedy's teaching her right now; he looks pretty rumpled, so I guess the trip to Dubai had limited restorative effects. I've just got The Nurse in half an hour, and then I just do a bit of curricula stuff before heading on out. No other classes today so I hope to have a nice and pleasant evening in cool comfort.

Wednesday August 8, 5:20 p.m.

Started to feel the fatigue setting in so I, contradictorily, decided to get on with dinner. Thanks to the La Vie En France bakery branch nearby, I downed a chicken stick (nope, it doesn't sound too French, but it's a nice crisp wrap with chicken chunks & white sauce inside) and something called an epi. I'd never heard or seen one before but it's this fairly long French breadstick if it had been designed by Picasso during his Cubist period. Each knob has a small bit of bacon inside. That small bit is able to release a bit of its oil which completely adds to the epi's savory nature.
Probably the reason for my stamina hitting rock bottom some minutes ago was that I'd downed a couple of those Marseille Raisin Butter Cookies for a snack an hour or so ago. What they, you say? Well, a company in Hokkaido has been creating these little desserts which consist of a hunk of butter and/or clotted cream with tons of raisins in between two rectangular cookies. As the Borg would say, "Resistance is futile". The Dentist, who originally hails from Japan's northernmost prefecture, went back to her old home and bought back some boxes as souvenirs. Lovely stuff but they sure go down like lead inside your stomach. Now, that would be a challenge for Takeru Kobayashi, formerly the Hot Dog Eating King. If the thought of him spewing pre-digested pork matter and bread turns your insides, just imagine him doing the same with those raisin butter cookies.

Speedy is back up; he'd been taking a nap to soothe some of that headache he's been suffering. Looks like it's been another busy week for him.

Wednesday August 8, 3:40 p.m.

Well, I see that Big Barry Bonds finally did the inevitable...break Hank Aaron's record. I'm sure Bob Costas would love to break Bonds, period. I didn't hear too much about it until I came across the unusually small article on the CNN website. I guess it's one of those few times in which the media really didn't want to trumpet this particularly controversial record. I, myself, have reached the big 1,900 in my blogging career. Within a couple of months, I may be able to hit the big 2,000....and without any chemical influences....well, perhaps caffeine.

It's another hot and steamy one in The Big Sushi. In Ichigaya, everyone was rushing into the bookstore...that is, the ones who weren't lucky enough to squeeze into the coffee shops during lunch hour. One aisle looked like a rush hour subway. The New Yorker and I were lucky to get the last table in Tully's for our lesson. She was once again in slow mode today but then again, a crowded cafe isn't exactly ideal surroundings for a shy student in a lesson.

I heard another one of those ridiculous casting rumours for the upcoming revamped "Star Trek". You have heard of Matt Damon as Captain Kirk? Well, how about Tom ("But, I'm always in every scene!") Cruise as Captain Christopher Pike? Oh, I can see and hear all the Trekkies throwing Vulcan ears at the Scientology Institute now. As Comic Book Guy (from "The Simpsons") would say, "Worst. Idea. Ever."

Looks like The Maple Leaf project is well under way. The melancholy BC wanted to go to The Maple Leaf, the Canadian pub in the heart of Shibuya. So, I was able to get The Carolinan's OK for her to come with us on the 26th. Plus, The New Yorker can also make it out, albeit around the 9 o'clock hour.

Speaking of melancholy, Japan's Sumo Association is currently looking up in askance at what to do with its first truly rebel yokozuna, Asashoryu. Several days ago, the native Mongolian begged off the usual intercompetition promotional tours, which involve signing autographs and playing with kids who may want to become future sumotori, citing back problems. Well, the JSA let him off the hook and look at what their generosity got them. Some guy managed to get a home video of Asashoryu back in his home country, playing a pretty healthy game of soccer with retired Japanese soccer legend, Hidetoshi Nakata. I can imagine Nakata inspiring anyone to kick a mean ball, but that video made the sumo champion look mighty guilty. Not surpisingly, there was a huge hue and cry in the JSA, the media and the fans. Not particularly behaviour befitting a Grand Champion, they say. And so, Asashoryu has been suspended from participating in the next two tournaments....basically, he's out for the rest of the year.
Now, Asashoryu is a mighty sad panda. His counselor has said that he's just inches away from full-blown depression and that he may decide to return to Mongolia to mull over his prospects. Well, I'd tell the JSA to get a full explanation from the lug and give him a second chance, and then just strip his rank if he screws up again.

Wednesday August 8, 9:42 a.m.

Met The Madame yesterday for lunch down in Shibuya. Looks like she's set up a niche in my life once more for the next little while, at least. We had lunch at a Chinese place in Mark City; the price for the lunch set was not too bad for a place in a major commercial hub (1300 yen), and the portions were OK as well, although they would look pretty chintzy in Toronto's Chinatown.
Afterwards, we had tea at that teahouse we'd gone last time for lunch. Apparently, there was a tea seminar going on on the more spacious 3rd floor so we had to settle for a table on the 2nd. The Madame is sensitive to air conditioning. She actually put on two cardigans (though they were flimsy fashions) inside; being the Canadian, I was quite comfy. We shared plates of coconut tarts and milk plums; the latter dish is just raisinized plums coated in sweetened milk powder. I was quite impressed with them, actually.
Finally, The Madame could no longer withstand the relentless AC so we moved it back into Mark City where we sat on lighted benches which actually made me feel like cooking bacon. Still, The Madame was quite happy with the warmer surroundings. The local Coldstone Creamery was attracting a very long line. I'll have to try that place out someday.

The night at the juku started out very noisily. Actually, I got there a full 2 hours ahead of my first class with Chip N' Dale. The juku boss was in feisty, take-no-crap mode since she had to teach three future teenage delinquents. While I was prepping in the one room, I had to listen to her trade verbal jabs with her young charges. Happily, it was only for an hour. The only ones not to show up last night were Mr. Mild and Jolly.

I've got myself a fairly full day, almost all compressed into the evening hours. I've got The New Yorker at 1 in Ichigaya but then it's wall-to-wall at Speedy's with 001, a new EIC student and then The Judge to wrap things up. Unfortunately, it's gonna be one of those quick sleep at home things since I've gotta be back at the school first thing tomorrow to teach The Nurse. But after that, I'm free and clear. I'll probably head to Akiba or Shinjuku to get my brother his birthday present; I've just sent him his card.

I got the gift of "300" on DVD from The Anime King as thanks for continuing to be his middleman for his anime shipments. Not exactly chomping at the bit to watch the Trojan flick but I'm free on Sunday so I should be able to view it then....after the last of the "Doctor Who" episodes.

Monday August 6, 5:11 p.m.

My weekend was one of the rare ones without any lessons to teach. A good thing, too, since it was blazingly hot and humid. Spent most of the morning on Saturday overhauling my apartment since 1) MB was coming over and 2) it desperately needed the cleaning. I was able to pull it off in about a couple of hours without suffering heat prostration; it did help that I'd left the AC on.

MB called me up for the pickup and we both did the usual of grabbing munchies at the supermarket and then ordering Domino's Pizza for dinner. It was basically a Bruce Willis Night at the Movies with "16 Blocks" and "Lucky Number Slevin" being the main features. Along with "Die Hard 4.0" which I'd seen a few days earlier, ol' Bruno kept within his comfort zone of playing cops and antiheroes but still it was nice to see that he was stretching a bit. Of course "Die Hard" had him playing the wisecracking and tough-as-nails John McClane. However in "16 Blocks", he played the type of cop that John McClane would've loved to beat into pulp: a dissipated alcoholic with a broken moral compass. For most of the movie, Jack Mosely (same initials?) was a man of few words until he finally came out of his whiskey-induced stupor and approached McClaneville again. MB noticed that there was a bit of Clint Eastwood's "The Gauntlet" in it...not sure if Willis was trying to channel ol' Squinty Eyes but he and Mos Def made a good pair. Of course, David Morse was his usual self playing a Machiavellian dirty cop. The DVD had an extra, much more downbeat alternate ending. I'm usually more for the latter, but this time, it was nice to see Mosely reaching redemption.

"Lucky Number Slevin" was a pretty offbeat number, though with a pretty top-heavy cast. Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci along with Bruce? It wasn't exactly Oscar-calibre but it made for a worthwhile diversion. Bruce played a slick assassin with a lousy toupee called Mr. Goodcat in a flick that was basically one big Kansas City Shuffle. Maybe it was the cinematography, but it had an indie vibe to me. Bruce was again fairly mute, letting Josh get most of the joshing done with Morgan and Sir Ben. And Lucy was about as winning as I'd every seen her. No Ice Queen here.

Usually, there is a 3rd feature at the quarterly DVD nights but MB brought only two. However we did get one fashioned for us, thanks to the good folks at Super Drama TV! The two of us got to see the pilot episode of that old CBS action chestnut, "Airwolf". That's right...we got to see Jan-Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine give Seagal-level line readings...even before Seagal became famous...while piloting the aerial rival to NBC's "Knight Rider". It was painfully 80s...the Flashdancing women, the Giorgio Moroder-like synth soundtrack (although the theme song will forever be etched into my brain), and those villains-of-the-time, the Libyans.

Got up the next day feeling very cool and dry since MB needs the air conditioner on to survive. I think that TEPCO will love my August tribute, though. We did our usual visit to Skylark and just coasted there for about 3 hours before heading out to Yurakucho Mullion where we met Skippy and MB's squeeze, The Sylph. Yep, it was time to catch the latest instalment in the increasingly darkening series of "Harry Potter". Skippy had frantically called up on MB's phone during our ride on the subway to see if she could grab the tickets since apparently the SalonPas Theatre in the Mullion was selling out like hotcakes. So by the time we met her, Skip had all our tickets ready and waiting. We spent an hour cooling our heels in an underground cafe in the Tokyo International Forum...the basement looks like something from the original "Rollerball". There was some sort of outlet-like sale on the main convention floor on B2, so The Sylph made use of her good time and went shopping. Between Mullion and TIF, there was another new gleaming tower of glass and steel being built on what used to be an aging group of buildings housing various pachinko parlors and the famed COCA Thai hot pot restaurant.
As for the new SalonPas Theatre, it was the same theatre that I'd seen "Ronin" a decade ago. As for the name, SalonPas is a medicinal product which is basically BenGay on a bandage. The jokes were flying about whether we would all get that whiff of mentholatum when we entered the theatre or our butts would get that numbing sensation as soon as we sat down.

Now as for "The Order of the Phoenix", it was a pretty fun movie to watch. Mind you, I can hardly remember each of the previous four entries of "Harry Potter" since I seem to have a determinedly Muggle sense when it comes to the thrall that has surrounded the franchise. However, I will remember this one for two things: 1) the fact that this movie was getting awfully crowded with characters: Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Lupin, Sirius Black along with new characters of Bellatrix and Lena Lovegood (apparently, she grows up to become Phoebe on "Friends")...and that's to compete with the regular Hogwarts crew. It was becoming a regular "X-Men" entry. I think Lupin only had one line at the beginning of the movie before being relegated to Jedi extra status at the end.
Speaking of the end, that brings me to 2) the fact that the big battle at the end of "Phoenix" pretty much put to shame anything that the Yoda/Dooku/Obi-Wan/Anakin group could rustle up in "Attack of the Clones". Dumbledore and Voldemort showed how a mighty battle between two titans at the top of their game should be fought. I'll definitely be looking forward to the war when "The Deathly Hallows" finally makes its appearance on the big screen in about 3 years' time.
Afterwards, MB and The Sylph, who have been keeping with the books, gave a middling-to-good grade on the movie version, although both agreed that the book is far better at explaining things. I will probably enjoy the series more when I finish off the movies and then go onto the books.

Skippy had been telling us about this Indian restaurant south of the main intersection of Ginza called NAIR. However when we went there, much to Skip's dismay, the place was closed for some reason. So, instead, I took the gang up a block to The Siam, the Thai restaurant that I usually frequent for the lunch buffet. It was the first time that I've gone there for dinner. Actually, the price wasn't too bad...just under 2,000 yen each. However, it was obvious that Movie Buddy and The Sylph aren't exactly the most spice-accustomed folk; they were gulping down a lot of drinks after each of the dishes.

Finally, we made our final stop at Starbucks No. 1, the one that started the coffee invasion a decade ago, just south of the main drag in Ginza. MB was fascinated by the humoungous mirror in the unisex washroom. Most likely, the next flick for us will be "Transformers". I don't think the ladies will be joining us for that....it's a guy thing. Maybe if I have the funds to spare, I may catch "Ocean's 13" later this week.

Today has been a fairly easy day. Just had 002 on a rare Monday meeting since The Class Act is off on summer hiatus. Then, I rushed over for SIL's last lesson before she goes on summer break as well. She was panicking a bit since the AC wasn't doing a great job at cooling the office but I assured her that it just needed a bit more time....kinda like Bush with his Surge. Unlike that, though, the wait did bring results. It was nice and chilly by the end of our session.
I now only have Mr. TOEIC (provided that he doesn't dotakyan again) tonight for his last lesson before he takes off for his homestay next week. The Full-Timer is enjoying herself in sunny Hawaii.