Friday July 4, 6:51 p.m.
At the juku computer...which is dying a slow, agonizing death, much like my own SOTEC a couple of years ago. I've got vertical streaks slashing down the screen and a lot of the sites are showing up skewed. I can't even correctly get Hotmail.
Of course, with my memory failing in dribs and drabs, I've forgotten to mail The Anime King's envelope for his Idolmaster CD. Well, I've been looking for a post office that is open on Saturdays but even without the "help" of this malfunctioning computer, Japan Post also seems to have a labyrinthian website which vaguely points out that some of its branches may be open to the public beyond regular hours or even on the weekends. I guess in the Land of Zen, it is rather appropriate that we have to figure out for ourselves which branches are open. However, I believe I still have the 7th to get that envelope into Roppongi.
Instead I walked over to Shinjuku in what I later found out was 32-degree C heat with corresponding humidity. I didn't do too badly, actually. I guess it wasn't too humid, then. There were a lot of young women walking about in various alien costumes which I suppose are the latest trends in fashion these days. Walking by Krispy Kreme #1, I saw that the lineup did increase to a 25-minute wait. Nothing like piping-hot donuts to entice people to wait in summer heat.
On the way, though, I stopped off at Burger King #1 which is located in an underground enclave in the Shinjuku I-Land complex. It kinda looks like it's located in Uncle Owen's and Aunt Beru's joint on Tatooine. Not too many people in there which was nice but I kinda wonder how that would be for business there. I had the usual Whopper Meal. It's quite satisfying if a bit messy.
The dog days of summer almost being upon us (no cicadas yet, though), I strategized about how to make my way from West Shinjuku to Takashimaya Times Square without melting further under the sun. It wasn't a complete success but I decided to scoot through the West-facing Odakyu Department Store over JR Shinjuku in air-conditioned comfort before having to come down the escalator from the overpass into the Century Tower area where KK#1 is. I managed to survive the walk over to Takashimaya and then it was just a matter of getting up to the 12th floor to get to HMV. Yes, I did buy the two Genki Rockets albums....my geekiness is assured.
Some more avoidance of the heat. I went down the elevator to B1 and made my way over to the underground passageway starting from the Kinokuniya Supermarket to the Fukutoshin Subway. I decided to go all the way from there for what was probably a good kilometre and a half underground to the Oedo Line. 75% of it wasn't too air-conditioned but it was at least cooler than above ground. From about under Studio Alta westward, the blowers were there to cool us off. Still, I'm feeling characteristically funky this month.
Almost a pity that I only have to teach 30 minutes to The Ace but again he's a good guy. Tomorrow, I've got a semi-full day with The New Yorker and then at Speedy's, The Manhattanite along with yet another model lesson.
Just a place to deposit my thoughts on life here in the Kanto and about anything else that sticks to my walls.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Friday July 4, 3:07 p.m.
The way The Big Lug was mopping his brow, it must be scorching out there. It is sunny to be sure, which is contrary to what the weather forecasters had been saying for today. Not that I'm complaining although I'll probably be taking the train to Shinjuku instead of walking over there. Yep, I'll be hitting HMV or Tower Records to get that Genki Rockets CD.
As for the Lug himself, he did well on the test so we've finally gotten that out of the way. He also spoke on his regular visits to the manga kissa, or comics cafe. You might say that it is the precursor of the current I-cafes although both are in ample existence. Like the latter, folks often use the manga kissa as a really cheap alternative to hotels. And the foreign backpackers haven't been naive to that fact, either.
I've been doing a bit of a recon on Air Canada for tickets going back home during December. Man, the seats are already filling up so I gotta move on them. I'll probably make the final purchase tomorrow when I'm here yet again. As expected, the prices are sky-high.
The way The Big Lug was mopping his brow, it must be scorching out there. It is sunny to be sure, which is contrary to what the weather forecasters had been saying for today. Not that I'm complaining although I'll probably be taking the train to Shinjuku instead of walking over there. Yep, I'll be hitting HMV or Tower Records to get that Genki Rockets CD.
As for the Lug himself, he did well on the test so we've finally gotten that out of the way. He also spoke on his regular visits to the manga kissa, or comics cafe. You might say that it is the precursor of the current I-cafes although both are in ample existence. Like the latter, folks often use the manga kissa as a really cheap alternative to hotels. And the foreign backpackers haven't been naive to that fact, either.
I've been doing a bit of a recon on Air Canada for tickets going back home during December. Man, the seats are already filling up so I gotta move on them. I'll probably make the final purchase tomorrow when I'm here yet again. As expected, the prices are sky-high.
Friday July 4, 11:55 a.m.
Looks like The Pessimist is settling pretty nicely into his role of student here at Speedy's. In terms of appearance and temperament, he reminds me of that teacher I used to work with on the JET Programme nearly 20 years ago...which probably means he's got a ferocious temper. My old days on that programme also came up in conversation, although it had nothing to do with my observations. He told me that he'd spent a year as a ronin. "Ronin" means masterless samurai. In the West, ronin refers to a famed comic book character and to that great spy movie with Robert DeNiro 10 years ago. In regular Japanese life, it refers to those high school graduates who couldn't pass the university exams and have to spend a year or more cramming to finally get into the hallowed institutions of higher academia. I kinda probed him about it since I hadn't really known all that much about the life of a ronin. The Pessimist told me that it felt a bit like limbo...between two different worlds, that of the cramming high school child and that of the free-as-a-bird guy on campus. He felt a little lonely and isolated although not to the level of a hikikomori or shut-in, but he knew four other fellow ronin from his school. It sounds as if cramming was a pseudo-job for him from day to night followed by meeting up with the guys for a drink.
After the lesson, Speedy got a call from one of our more unusual students. He's a government official assigned to one of the remote islands south of Tokyo. He comes up to the mainland once every few months on business, so it's during those times that he tries to come in for lessons. He's asked for a pretty late slot tomorrow night. Usually Speedy doesn't stay open on Saturday nights but the bossman has decided to make room for him since the last time he came over, there was a misunderstanding on the schedule and the poor man ended up coming all the way to a closed school.
Looks like The Pessimist is settling pretty nicely into his role of student here at Speedy's. In terms of appearance and temperament, he reminds me of that teacher I used to work with on the JET Programme nearly 20 years ago...which probably means he's got a ferocious temper. My old days on that programme also came up in conversation, although it had nothing to do with my observations. He told me that he'd spent a year as a ronin. "Ronin" means masterless samurai. In the West, ronin refers to a famed comic book character and to that great spy movie with Robert DeNiro 10 years ago. In regular Japanese life, it refers to those high school graduates who couldn't pass the university exams and have to spend a year or more cramming to finally get into the hallowed institutions of higher academia. I kinda probed him about it since I hadn't really known all that much about the life of a ronin. The Pessimist told me that it felt a bit like limbo...between two different worlds, that of the cramming high school child and that of the free-as-a-bird guy on campus. He felt a little lonely and isolated although not to the level of a hikikomori or shut-in, but he knew four other fellow ronin from his school. It sounds as if cramming was a pseudo-job for him from day to night followed by meeting up with the guys for a drink.
After the lesson, Speedy got a call from one of our more unusual students. He's a government official assigned to one of the remote islands south of Tokyo. He comes up to the mainland once every few months on business, so it's during those times that he tries to come in for lessons. He's asked for a pretty late slot tomorrow night. Usually Speedy doesn't stay open on Saturday nights but the bossman has decided to make room for him since the last time he came over, there was a misunderstanding on the schedule and the poor man ended up coming all the way to a closed school.
Friday July 4, 8:59 a.m.
It's with some irony on this 4th of July that one of America's recently grand (or grande) commercial institutions is going through some economic doldrums right now. Starbucks apparently will be closing 600 of its shops from later this month and cutting a good chunk of its employees. Seattle is not having a good year. Starbucks is being ravaged, and the Mariners are just tanking...I think they're even mathematically out of the playoffs now. However, the Japanese media will always report that Ichiro managed to reach .301 at the plate the other day.
Well, Japan then continues to be the equivalent of The Land of Lost Toys (if you remember that scene from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Over here, various commercial enterprises and some people find a second act in this country after sputtering back in the home country. I have heard no particular worries from Starbucks Japan. People here are still lining up for their lattes and macchiatos. Krispy Kreme may have become virtually extinct in Canada after a brief heyday in the late 90s (I think the usual line at a branch in Canada now is "Would you like a litre of gas with your dozen, sir?"), but here, although the ridiculous lines seem to be finally getting a bit more flaccid after its first 18 months of Viagra-ism, the now-5 branches of KK Japan are doing fine business. 7-11 convenience stores which could just as well describe some of the prison time spent by some of its grungier customers back Stateside are thriving here. A number of singers from across the Pacific have often opted to hit the Oricon rankings in Japan rather than make it big in the States. Ever heard of The Nolans? Disco-era femme fatale singing group? "Feel the need for dancing, romancing?" Still beloved here. Jimmy Osmond and that kid from "Webster" have had hit songs here. It's kinda like David Hasselhoff being big in Germany.
It's with some irony on this 4th of July that one of America's recently grand (or grande) commercial institutions is going through some economic doldrums right now. Starbucks apparently will be closing 600 of its shops from later this month and cutting a good chunk of its employees. Seattle is not having a good year. Starbucks is being ravaged, and the Mariners are just tanking...I think they're even mathematically out of the playoffs now. However, the Japanese media will always report that Ichiro managed to reach .301 at the plate the other day.
Well, Japan then continues to be the equivalent of The Land of Lost Toys (if you remember that scene from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Over here, various commercial enterprises and some people find a second act in this country after sputtering back in the home country. I have heard no particular worries from Starbucks Japan. People here are still lining up for their lattes and macchiatos. Krispy Kreme may have become virtually extinct in Canada after a brief heyday in the late 90s (I think the usual line at a branch in Canada now is "Would you like a litre of gas with your dozen, sir?"), but here, although the ridiculous lines seem to be finally getting a bit more flaccid after its first 18 months of Viagra-ism, the now-5 branches of KK Japan are doing fine business. 7-11 convenience stores which could just as well describe some of the prison time spent by some of its grungier customers back Stateside are thriving here. A number of singers from across the Pacific have often opted to hit the Oricon rankings in Japan rather than make it big in the States. Ever heard of The Nolans? Disco-era femme fatale singing group? "Feel the need for dancing, romancing?" Still beloved here. Jimmy Osmond and that kid from "Webster" have had hit songs here. It's kinda like David Hasselhoff being big in Germany.
Friday July 4, 8:16 a.m.
Another early start to the day. But neither Speedy nor his student are here. Not sure if ...check that, the student has just chimed in. But the bossman is probably hustling over here right now...and in fact, Speedy has entered the house (to give you the sense of time, during those dots at the beginning of the line, 5 minutes had elapsed since I was keeping his student company). The bossman doesn't look too well, though. Another long night, little sleep and an early wake-up call. Man, just don't know how he does it sometimes.
In any case, while Speedy and I aren't too relaxed right now, I know 300 million other folks across the Pacific who are about to have their annual Independence Day celebrations. Happy 232nd Birthday, America! You don't look a year over 231 (that age could best be put to the current top two folks in the administration).
Since this is my third early day in a row, I actually went to La Vie De France to pick up some brekkie, instead of either McDs or Jonathans. The baked goods there are good if a little expensive. I've got The Pessimist first thing today followed by The Big Lug in the afternoon. Then it's off to teach The Ace later tonight.
Another early start to the day. But neither Speedy nor his student are here. Not sure if ...check that, the student has just chimed in. But the bossman is probably hustling over here right now...and in fact, Speedy has entered the house (to give you the sense of time, during those dots at the beginning of the line, 5 minutes had elapsed since I was keeping his student company). The bossman doesn't look too well, though. Another long night, little sleep and an early wake-up call. Man, just don't know how he does it sometimes.
In any case, while Speedy and I aren't too relaxed right now, I know 300 million other folks across the Pacific who are about to have their annual Independence Day celebrations. Happy 232nd Birthday, America! You don't look a year over 231 (that age could best be put to the current top two folks in the administration).
Since this is my third early day in a row, I actually went to La Vie De France to pick up some brekkie, instead of either McDs or Jonathans. The baked goods there are good if a little expensive. I've got The Pessimist first thing today followed by The Big Lug in the afternoon. Then it's off to teach The Ace later tonight.
Thursday July 3, 9:41 p.m.
Finally the Mega-Hump Day is over. I'm pretty much intact for the most part but I'm looking forward to home with a side visit to McDonalds for a much-earned Big Mac set. The place should be open for another hour when I get there. I've just finished up with Slim tonight. He's got that big party tomorrow with a bunch of Germans, so we went over some of the potential questions and answers. He's pretty nervous about it but I'm sure he'll do well.
Speedy had put out the thought about going to Chianti next door since they're having the last of their 3-day half-price menu. But I have to let it go since I don't think I'm really up for it and I've gotta be back here again early. I have to make another choice between McDonalds or Jonathans. Besides, Speedy didn't sound too good physically and it looks like he'll be stuck behind his computer again for the next number of minutes or hours.
3 model lessons today...man, if I can pass through this, I can probably pass through anything this school can throw at me...as long as children aren't involved. But I've got another model lesson coming up this Saturday with a lady who wants to work on her pronounciation. Another challenge...
Finally the Mega-Hump Day is over. I'm pretty much intact for the most part but I'm looking forward to home with a side visit to McDonalds for a much-earned Big Mac set. The place should be open for another hour when I get there. I've just finished up with Slim tonight. He's got that big party tomorrow with a bunch of Germans, so we went over some of the potential questions and answers. He's pretty nervous about it but I'm sure he'll do well.
Speedy had put out the thought about going to Chianti next door since they're having the last of their 3-day half-price menu. But I have to let it go since I don't think I'm really up for it and I've gotta be back here again early. I have to make another choice between McDonalds or Jonathans. Besides, Speedy didn't sound too good physically and it looks like he'll be stuck behind his computer again for the next number of minutes or hours.
3 model lessons today...man, if I can pass through this, I can probably pass through anything this school can throw at me...as long as children aren't involved. But I've got another model lesson coming up this Saturday with a lady who wants to work on her pronounciation. Another challenge...
Thursday July 3, 6:43 p.m.
Man, I'm baked! Just finished off the last of the 3 model lessons, and then I even had to spell Speedy for a few minutes with his veteran student while he took care of the after-action with that model student. The first model student came in between Grandma Dynamite and The Yogist. She's the nurse buddy of Mrs. Speedy who's already signed up with us but was going through the model lesson motions, so in point of fact, she was having her official first lesson. She'd lived in Hawaii for about 18 months several years ago but she's pretty rusty. Let's call her The Lanai, shall we?
The second model lesson student is a pharmacist who's actually quite a bit better than might be the case. In one of those weird and wonderful coincidences, she'll be headed over to Sedona, Arizona at the end of August, the very place that Mrs. Travel of The Beehive had visited a couple of weeks earlier. Not sure if she's gonna join us yet so no code name.
And then there was the friend of The Dentist, a makeup artist and hair stylist who's had a lot of location work overseas. But of the three, she was by far the lowest student. Tried my best with her but not sure if I really sold her on me. The lass was pretty game right up until the final bell when she seemed to get depressed about something. Again, like the pharmacist, I won't tag her until I know she's signed, sealed and delivered.
Well, I'm gonna completely veg until 7:30 when I have to get prepped for Slim at 8:30. I've gotta help him out on his conversation skills before he debuts at that party tomorrow afternoon with that bunch from Germany.
Man, I'm baked! Just finished off the last of the 3 model lessons, and then I even had to spell Speedy for a few minutes with his veteran student while he took care of the after-action with that model student. The first model student came in between Grandma Dynamite and The Yogist. She's the nurse buddy of Mrs. Speedy who's already signed up with us but was going through the model lesson motions, so in point of fact, she was having her official first lesson. She'd lived in Hawaii for about 18 months several years ago but she's pretty rusty. Let's call her The Lanai, shall we?
The second model lesson student is a pharmacist who's actually quite a bit better than might be the case. In one of those weird and wonderful coincidences, she'll be headed over to Sedona, Arizona at the end of August, the very place that Mrs. Travel of The Beehive had visited a couple of weeks earlier. Not sure if she's gonna join us yet so no code name.
And then there was the friend of The Dentist, a makeup artist and hair stylist who's had a lot of location work overseas. But of the three, she was by far the lowest student. Tried my best with her but not sure if I really sold her on me. The lass was pretty game right up until the final bell when she seemed to get depressed about something. Again, like the pharmacist, I won't tag her until I know she's signed, sealed and delivered.
Well, I'm gonna completely veg until 7:30 when I have to get prepped for Slim at 8:30. I've gotta help him out on his conversation skills before he debuts at that party tomorrow afternoon with that bunch from Germany.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Thursday July 3, 11:24 a.m.
Just finished with Grandma Dynamite. Speedy had quietly told me that she wasn't burning on all 4 cylinders today but she was pretty sprightly with me. Helped my energy reserves a bit, that's for sure. We spoke on her love for Yon-sama, the Korean heartthrob for millions of middle-aged Japanese women everywhere. She said that she has never been at Narita Airport with a good portion of that huge segment of the population whenever he makes his occasional appearances here in Tokyo, but she does make some pilgrimages to Shin-Okubo, the Korean quarter. Apparently she's also been learning some Korean. The hanryu boom is now several years old now so that it's really not a trend anymore but a fact of Japanese pop cultural life.
In about an hour, I've got the first of 3 model lessons. This first one happens to be a friend of Mrs. Speedy. She's the one I've said who's already bought the lessons but for propriety's sake would be taking the model lesson. In the meantime, I'm just gonna try to veg a bit. Despite Grandma Dynamite, I'm still feeling pretty worn out. 5-hour sleeptimes plus the humidity can do that to me.
Just finished with Grandma Dynamite. Speedy had quietly told me that she wasn't burning on all 4 cylinders today but she was pretty sprightly with me. Helped my energy reserves a bit, that's for sure. We spoke on her love for Yon-sama, the Korean heartthrob for millions of middle-aged Japanese women everywhere. She said that she has never been at Narita Airport with a good portion of that huge segment of the population whenever he makes his occasional appearances here in Tokyo, but she does make some pilgrimages to Shin-Okubo, the Korean quarter. Apparently she's also been learning some Korean. The hanryu boom is now several years old now so that it's really not a trend anymore but a fact of Japanese pop cultural life.
In about an hour, I've got the first of 3 model lessons. This first one happens to be a friend of Mrs. Speedy. She's the one I've said who's already bought the lessons but for propriety's sake would be taking the model lesson. In the meantime, I'm just gonna try to veg a bit. Despite Grandma Dynamite, I'm still feeling pretty worn out. 5-hour sleeptimes plus the humidity can do that to me.
Thursday July 3, 9:31 a.m.
Well, Grandma Dynamite is in the house gabbing away with Speedy. I hope she's like last week; otherwise, this could be a long leadup to my first model lesson.
I got the latest request from The Anime King last night via some stickers and a request slip. Looks like he's ordered another round of Idolmaster paraphernalia. Idolmaster is this computer game featuring these anime girls who dance in a creepily realistic way.
I've been reading this book called "Prisoner's Dilemma" by William Poundstone which has a bit of everything from game theory to a mini-bio of the guy who came up with it John Von Neumann to the early years of the Cold War. Considering the scientific angle of the book, it's been a pretty engaging read compared to the last couple of books that I'd given up on. That sequel to "Catch-22", "Closing Time" was way too Ionesco for me, and I have to admit that, try as I could, I just couldn't get into "Warped Passages", way too brane-y (and that ain't a spelling error...just being a little punny there).
The Sand Dollar sent over a rare e-mail asking some of us to listen to his brother's musical contribution to that contest back home for the new "Hockey Night In Canada" theme. Haven't listened to it yet but if it sounds anything like the "Wayne's World" song, count me in. But it'll be hard to top that original theme.
The Whovians are still gabbing away more rabidly than the guys at The Hot Stove Lounge during the Stanley Cup playoffs (how's that for an analogy?) about "The Stolen Earth", the penultimate episode in Season 4 of "Doctor Who". I've got a sneaking suspicion that that person from Sudbury, Ontario is probably close to the resolution but Robert Carlyle still has 2:1 odds to become the next Doctor. Still, I saw a picture on one of the British newspaper websites showing pics from the upcoming Xmas special with David Tennant still as the Doctor. And in that same round of photos, I saw actor David or John (?) Morrissey from "Basic Instinct 2" fame (or should that be infamy?) in what looked to be a pretty good new Doctor costume. Well, if the guy is willing...
That first official album by virtual band Genki Rockets got released yesterday. I'm considering purchasing it for posterity and for the music. Not that I think Carole King will need to worry about being usurped by a well-realized cartoon, but like one of the YouTubers remarked, the songs have just embedded themselves into my cranium. Virtual subliminal advertising...the time has come. Strange thing about the songs...again, folks like King and Madonna won't have to worry about their legacies since the tunes "Heavenly Star", "Breeze" and "Star Line" sound as if Hannah Montana could cover them; still, I guess the poppiness is rather catchy enough to have made some sort of buzz on the Net. Of course, it takes me a whole year to discover them. I'll never be accused of being a trendspotter.
Well, Grandma Dynamite is in the house gabbing away with Speedy. I hope she's like last week; otherwise, this could be a long leadup to my first model lesson.
I got the latest request from The Anime King last night via some stickers and a request slip. Looks like he's ordered another round of Idolmaster paraphernalia. Idolmaster is this computer game featuring these anime girls who dance in a creepily realistic way.
I've been reading this book called "Prisoner's Dilemma" by William Poundstone which has a bit of everything from game theory to a mini-bio of the guy who came up with it John Von Neumann to the early years of the Cold War. Considering the scientific angle of the book, it's been a pretty engaging read compared to the last couple of books that I'd given up on. That sequel to "Catch-22", "Closing Time" was way too Ionesco for me, and I have to admit that, try as I could, I just couldn't get into "Warped Passages", way too brane-y (and that ain't a spelling error...just being a little punny there).
The Sand Dollar sent over a rare e-mail asking some of us to listen to his brother's musical contribution to that contest back home for the new "Hockey Night In Canada" theme. Haven't listened to it yet but if it sounds anything like the "Wayne's World" song, count me in. But it'll be hard to top that original theme.
The Whovians are still gabbing away more rabidly than the guys at The Hot Stove Lounge during the Stanley Cup playoffs (how's that for an analogy?) about "The Stolen Earth", the penultimate episode in Season 4 of "Doctor Who". I've got a sneaking suspicion that that person from Sudbury, Ontario is probably close to the resolution but Robert Carlyle still has 2:1 odds to become the next Doctor. Still, I saw a picture on one of the British newspaper websites showing pics from the upcoming Xmas special with David Tennant still as the Doctor. And in that same round of photos, I saw actor David or John (?) Morrissey from "Basic Instinct 2" fame (or should that be infamy?) in what looked to be a pretty good new Doctor costume. Well, if the guy is willing...
That first official album by virtual band Genki Rockets got released yesterday. I'm considering purchasing it for posterity and for the music. Not that I think Carole King will need to worry about being usurped by a well-realized cartoon, but like one of the YouTubers remarked, the songs have just embedded themselves into my cranium. Virtual subliminal advertising...the time has come. Strange thing about the songs...again, folks like King and Madonna won't have to worry about their legacies since the tunes "Heavenly Star", "Breeze" and "Star Line" sound as if Hannah Montana could cover them; still, I guess the poppiness is rather catchy enough to have made some sort of buzz on the Net. Of course, it takes me a whole year to discover them. I'll never be accused of being a trendspotter.
Thursday July 3, 8:50 a.m.
Speedy owes me once more. I had been lounging around McDonalds after another Sausage McMuffin breakfast thinking I would come in about 9 a.m. when something told me that I should be getting there an hour earlier. Sure enough, I was the first one in and the first one to greet his first student. The bossman was once again running late. Can't say I blame him, though. He's been through the wringer battling a cold and a recently busy spate.
I don't usually talk about international politics or intrigue but I am happy that Ingrid Betancourt was finally rescued from FARC earlier today.
It'll be a long day today. Got those 3 model lessons; Speedy says that they're virtually a lock (in fact, one has already offiicially signed up and is therefore ready for regular lessons) but they're no less stressful. Also, BC is off on holiday in Korea for the next few days which will mean that Speedy or I will have to handle the phones.
Recently, I've heard that a number of the various Olympic teams will be coming here to do their final training before they make the jump to Beijing for the big event next month. Rather logical due to proximity and advanced training facilities. Plus, they can get themselves acclimatized to the hot and humid weather without having to deal with the air pollution that seems to plague China's capital. Not sure if that will be resolved by Games time.
Speedy owes me once more. I had been lounging around McDonalds after another Sausage McMuffin breakfast thinking I would come in about 9 a.m. when something told me that I should be getting there an hour earlier. Sure enough, I was the first one in and the first one to greet his first student. The bossman was once again running late. Can't say I blame him, though. He's been through the wringer battling a cold and a recently busy spate.
I don't usually talk about international politics or intrigue but I am happy that Ingrid Betancourt was finally rescued from FARC earlier today.
It'll be a long day today. Got those 3 model lessons; Speedy says that they're virtually a lock (in fact, one has already offiicially signed up and is therefore ready for regular lessons) but they're no less stressful. Also, BC is off on holiday in Korea for the next few days which will mean that Speedy or I will have to handle the phones.
Recently, I've heard that a number of the various Olympic teams will be coming here to do their final training before they make the jump to Beijing for the big event next month. Rather logical due to proximity and advanced training facilities. Plus, they can get themselves acclimatized to the hot and humid weather without having to deal with the air pollution that seems to plague China's capital. Not sure if that will be resolved by Games time.
Wednesday July 2, 8:17 p.m.
I'm officially off now that The Diver has cancelled her lesson tonight. Good thing, too...I'm bushed. 001 and I are kinda slowing down in our long educational relationship. A bit of a slog. The reading assignment didn't exactly enthrall her and the current text isn't all that much of a win for her, either. I'm kinda considering creating something on my own. She's a huge "Heroes" fan, so there may be an idea there.
I'll probably be taking off in about 45 minutes but I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning. Today may not have been much of a Hump Day, but Thursday will be more than compensating for it. I've got no less than 3 model lessons along with the three regular lessons of Grandma Dynamite, The Yogist and Slim. It'll be a fairly killer day although I'll be earning the yen.
GC and I have been having a running dialogue on this cliffhanger for Season 4 of "Doctor Who". My old friend was able to catch the ep and thought that surprise ending was the only thing going for it; otherwise, it was just a mediocre show with some old-style bad special effects. There has been a lot of commiserating on the Facebook "Doctor Who" fansite about what is to become of David Tennant. One woman from northern Ontario has told everyone to take a powder and just calmly told everyone what will happen...David will be back. Not quite sure how she knows this so well since BBC has been virtually crowing about how it was able to pull the wool over everyone's eyes in this Net-infested society and keeping an iron seal on letting any information out about what is to happen for the finale this Saturday. Obviously I'm merely speculating myself but I've got a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Tennant will be back healthy and unregenerated. But whatever the case may be, the cast and crew of the show must be reveling in the publicity.
I'm officially off now that The Diver has cancelled her lesson tonight. Good thing, too...I'm bushed. 001 and I are kinda slowing down in our long educational relationship. A bit of a slog. The reading assignment didn't exactly enthrall her and the current text isn't all that much of a win for her, either. I'm kinda considering creating something on my own. She's a huge "Heroes" fan, so there may be an idea there.
I'll probably be taking off in about 45 minutes but I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning. Today may not have been much of a Hump Day, but Thursday will be more than compensating for it. I've got no less than 3 model lessons along with the three regular lessons of Grandma Dynamite, The Yogist and Slim. It'll be a fairly killer day although I'll be earning the yen.
GC and I have been having a running dialogue on this cliffhanger for Season 4 of "Doctor Who". My old friend was able to catch the ep and thought that surprise ending was the only thing going for it; otherwise, it was just a mediocre show with some old-style bad special effects. There has been a lot of commiserating on the Facebook "Doctor Who" fansite about what is to become of David Tennant. One woman from northern Ontario has told everyone to take a powder and just calmly told everyone what will happen...David will be back. Not quite sure how she knows this so well since BBC has been virtually crowing about how it was able to pull the wool over everyone's eyes in this Net-infested society and keeping an iron seal on letting any information out about what is to happen for the finale this Saturday. Obviously I'm merely speculating myself but I've got a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Tennant will be back healthy and unregenerated. But whatever the case may be, the cast and crew of the show must be reveling in the publicity.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Wednesday July 2, 3:42 p.m.
My first lesson with The Pessimist went as well as could be expected for a fairly low-key type of guy. He's currently on a leave of absence from his company to hone his accounting and English skills. Looks like my days are definitely gonna be filling up since he wants to come twice a week, and then I have those three model lessons tomorrow, and Speedy has been assuring me that they'll be locks.
I'll be trying to grab something for dinner before 001 shows up in a couple of hours.
My first lesson with The Pessimist went as well as could be expected for a fairly low-key type of guy. He's currently on a leave of absence from his company to hone his accounting and English skills. Looks like my days are definitely gonna be filling up since he wants to come twice a week, and then I have those three model lessons tomorrow, and Speedy has been assuring me that they'll be locks.
I'll be trying to grab something for dinner before 001 shows up in a couple of hours.
Wednesday July 2, 11:51 a.m.
I should be getting a retainer for services rendered for psych counselling. The Nurse came in 10 minutes late...which is no problem with me, of course. However, as soon as I brought in the tea for her, she broke out in tears. She didn't really elaborate and I didn't pry but she said that she'd gone through a short crisis, so basically the waterworks were ones of relief. I dutifully pulled out the box of tissues. After that, we had the usual lesson.
Looks like "Doctor Who" has truly hit the pop culture zenith of its long history. The Internet has been abuzz about the penultimate episode of the 4th season which apparently has David Tennant's Doctor mortally wounded and regenerating once more in the final scene. So, the fans have been speculating like mad about what the Time Lord's fate will be. I gather that this episode is to Whovians as the TNG episode "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1" was to all Trekkies. Everyone goes nuts whenever a regeneration takes place...who'll play the new Doctor? Probably the most high-profile name that's been bandied about so far is Robert Carlyle from "Trainspotting" and "28 Weeks Later" fame. Of course, all this is moot for me since I won't be seeing any tapes from The Entrepreneur for several months since CBC usually doesn't get the new season for almost a year after the BBC's initial showing.
Speaking of The Entrepreneur, he, me and The Dancer have been having a talk on Gmail about the wonders of Swiss Chalet Chicken Sauce. As I may have said previously, all Canadians can be split into two groups: those who think SCCS is a wonder garnish for the rotisserie chicken and those who think the sauce is little better than brown-coloured dishwater. Ah, to elaborate, Swiss Chalet is this Canadian chain restaurant serving BBQ chicken that is practically a culinary institution in our 141-year-old nation. The chicken comes with this sauce for dipping. The Entrepreneur and I are devoted fans while The Dancer and The Egg are definitely anti-sauce. For me, the tradition is whenever I get back home, the first thing on the dinner table is Swiss Chalet takeout for which I sloppingly dip all the chicken, fries and roll into the cup of heavenly sauce. The Dancer has also admitted that she cannot stand ramen, especially Sapporo Ichiban. If there were ever a reason to bring back CNN's "Crossfire"...
I now have an open window until 2 before The Pessimist has his very first official lesson with me. I'm hoping that despite his code name he'll be up for the class.
I should be getting a retainer for services rendered for psych counselling. The Nurse came in 10 minutes late...which is no problem with me, of course. However, as soon as I brought in the tea for her, she broke out in tears. She didn't really elaborate and I didn't pry but she said that she'd gone through a short crisis, so basically the waterworks were ones of relief. I dutifully pulled out the box of tissues. After that, we had the usual lesson.
Looks like "Doctor Who" has truly hit the pop culture zenith of its long history. The Internet has been abuzz about the penultimate episode of the 4th season which apparently has David Tennant's Doctor mortally wounded and regenerating once more in the final scene. So, the fans have been speculating like mad about what the Time Lord's fate will be. I gather that this episode is to Whovians as the TNG episode "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1" was to all Trekkies. Everyone goes nuts whenever a regeneration takes place...who'll play the new Doctor? Probably the most high-profile name that's been bandied about so far is Robert Carlyle from "Trainspotting" and "28 Weeks Later" fame. Of course, all this is moot for me since I won't be seeing any tapes from The Entrepreneur for several months since CBC usually doesn't get the new season for almost a year after the BBC's initial showing.
Speaking of The Entrepreneur, he, me and The Dancer have been having a talk on Gmail about the wonders of Swiss Chalet Chicken Sauce. As I may have said previously, all Canadians can be split into two groups: those who think SCCS is a wonder garnish for the rotisserie chicken and those who think the sauce is little better than brown-coloured dishwater. Ah, to elaborate, Swiss Chalet is this Canadian chain restaurant serving BBQ chicken that is practically a culinary institution in our 141-year-old nation. The chicken comes with this sauce for dipping. The Entrepreneur and I are devoted fans while The Dancer and The Egg are definitely anti-sauce. For me, the tradition is whenever I get back home, the first thing on the dinner table is Swiss Chalet takeout for which I sloppingly dip all the chicken, fries and roll into the cup of heavenly sauce. The Dancer has also admitted that she cannot stand ramen, especially Sapporo Ichiban. If there were ever a reason to bring back CNN's "Crossfire"...
I now have an open window until 2 before The Pessimist has his very first official lesson with me. I'm hoping that despite his code name he'll be up for the class.
Wednesday July 2, 9:30 a.m.
As expected (and hoped for, though I like him), Jolly did dotakyan last night, so I could get home at a relatively decent hour. The Milds wrapped everything up for me. Mr. Mild is certainly earning his new label as a Renaissance Man. He'll be going up Mt. Fuji with a few of his friends next month...he has actually done the climb three times before, which means, according to local folklore, he's a bit of a baka for doing so. You only get the respect if you do it once.
However, I gave up my extra hour of sleep to catch that Tuesday night variety program, Pussuma, starring loudmouth tarento Yusuke Santamaria and SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi. I've found it to be pretty fun watching with some of their little mind games. The surprising thing was seeing (former?) heartthrob Takashi Sorimachi on the program taking part in the hijinks. Usually there is a bit of a glass barrier when it comes to "real" thespians appearing on the oft-Keystone Koppish variety programs. In his case, he was trying to plug his new drama on TV Asahi...which is a bit of a sign that his star is starting to decline.
Since I've got The Nurse early today, it was breakfast out but this time it was at the nearby Jonathan's instead of McDonalds. Compared to the relatively raucous atmosphere at the Big M, Jonathan's is a bit of a church....barely anybody and no music piping over the airwaves.
Looks like I've gotten lucky tonight as well when it comes to early nights. Speedy got the call that The Diver has cancelled her lesson. I'm outta here as of 8:00 since the bossman is still under the weather.
As expected (and hoped for, though I like him), Jolly did dotakyan last night, so I could get home at a relatively decent hour. The Milds wrapped everything up for me. Mr. Mild is certainly earning his new label as a Renaissance Man. He'll be going up Mt. Fuji with a few of his friends next month...he has actually done the climb three times before, which means, according to local folklore, he's a bit of a baka for doing so. You only get the respect if you do it once.
However, I gave up my extra hour of sleep to catch that Tuesday night variety program, Pussuma, starring loudmouth tarento Yusuke Santamaria and SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi. I've found it to be pretty fun watching with some of their little mind games. The surprising thing was seeing (former?) heartthrob Takashi Sorimachi on the program taking part in the hijinks. Usually there is a bit of a glass barrier when it comes to "real" thespians appearing on the oft-Keystone Koppish variety programs. In his case, he was trying to plug his new drama on TV Asahi...which is a bit of a sign that his star is starting to decline.
Since I've got The Nurse early today, it was breakfast out but this time it was at the nearby Jonathan's instead of McDonalds. Compared to the relatively raucous atmosphere at the Big M, Jonathan's is a bit of a church....barely anybody and no music piping over the airwaves.
Looks like I've gotten lucky tonight as well when it comes to early nights. Speedy got the call that The Diver has cancelled her lesson. I'm outta here as of 8:00 since the bossman is still under the weather.
Tuesday July 1, 4:22 p.m.
A Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canucks out there, although the only celebrating I've done so far is just to mention it to The Beehive this morning.
We finished up at Speedy's pretty early last night since the bossman was ailing due to a cold. Not sure what his situation is today, although the fact that I have yet to receive any sort of SOS on my answering machine bodes well for the schedule tomorrow. Can't say that he would have recovered...not the way he was feeling yesterday.
It was Mrs Travel, Mrs Jade and Mrs Alp in Tsudanuma for the weekly session this morning. We spoke on this book that Travel had just finished about this true-life bureaucrat spy in the Japanese government who ended up getting burned by the media and political enemies. Of course, Travel lent the book to Alp, who's a huge espionage fan.
For lunch, I just went by myself to this tonkatsu restaurant in Funabashi. I had been there once before and recalled that I wasn't too, too impressed with it. But the regular ten-don place was already uncharacteristically full (it was before noon) so I decided to try the tonkatsu again. Not a huge mistake but now I've convinced myself not to go there again. I ordered the cheapo chicken katsu set and got an overly fried piece of really webby chicken meat...it certainly wasn't breast and I wasn't even sure that it was thigh meat, either. The breading looked like it had soaked up a good deal of oil. Man, the tonkatsu joint at my station could teach these guys a thing or two. Afterwards, I just headed up to the rooftop garden in the department store and just vegged for an hour. It was warm and sunny but thankfully drier.
002 was her usual fun self. I mentioned to her 001's assertion that 002 looked like model/actress Saki Aibu, the current flavour of the month in commercials and dramas. She, of course, demurred. Ironically, she said that her hubby did like her.
So I believe I've got a full slate here at the juku tonight. Suzanne, Mild Jr, The Milds and Jolly. Again, Jolly is always a question mark up until the 8:30 mark.
The cops have started swarming all over Chiba as well in the run up to the G-8 Summit. Mrs. Alp mentioned that there were several of them patrolling Makuhari Messe, that convention centre complex in Chiba City, and I saw a few of them at JR Funabashi and even near Urayasu Station. I can't even imagine why anyone would try anything at that corner. Still, I think we'll feel very safe for the next couple of weeks at least.
A Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canucks out there, although the only celebrating I've done so far is just to mention it to The Beehive this morning.
We finished up at Speedy's pretty early last night since the bossman was ailing due to a cold. Not sure what his situation is today, although the fact that I have yet to receive any sort of SOS on my answering machine bodes well for the schedule tomorrow. Can't say that he would have recovered...not the way he was feeling yesterday.
It was Mrs Travel, Mrs Jade and Mrs Alp in Tsudanuma for the weekly session this morning. We spoke on this book that Travel had just finished about this true-life bureaucrat spy in the Japanese government who ended up getting burned by the media and political enemies. Of course, Travel lent the book to Alp, who's a huge espionage fan.
For lunch, I just went by myself to this tonkatsu restaurant in Funabashi. I had been there once before and recalled that I wasn't too, too impressed with it. But the regular ten-don place was already uncharacteristically full (it was before noon) so I decided to try the tonkatsu again. Not a huge mistake but now I've convinced myself not to go there again. I ordered the cheapo chicken katsu set and got an overly fried piece of really webby chicken meat...it certainly wasn't breast and I wasn't even sure that it was thigh meat, either. The breading looked like it had soaked up a good deal of oil. Man, the tonkatsu joint at my station could teach these guys a thing or two. Afterwards, I just headed up to the rooftop garden in the department store and just vegged for an hour. It was warm and sunny but thankfully drier.
002 was her usual fun self. I mentioned to her 001's assertion that 002 looked like model/actress Saki Aibu, the current flavour of the month in commercials and dramas. She, of course, demurred. Ironically, she said that her hubby did like her.
So I believe I've got a full slate here at the juku tonight. Suzanne, Mild Jr, The Milds and Jolly. Again, Jolly is always a question mark up until the 8:30 mark.
The cops have started swarming all over Chiba as well in the run up to the G-8 Summit. Mrs. Alp mentioned that there were several of them patrolling Makuhari Messe, that convention centre complex in Chiba City, and I saw a few of them at JR Funabashi and even near Urayasu Station. I can't even imagine why anyone would try anything at that corner. Still, I think we'll feel very safe for the next couple of weeks at least.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Monday June 30, 8:56 p.m.
Looks like I kinda blew Slim out of the water again. We tried out a game which is your typical Snakes N' Ladders version of reviewing the main points of the textbook he's been using over the past few weeks. Man, I should've told him to review the chapters a bit more since he went into quiet panic mode. All that confidence just drained out of his face at warp speed. Ah, well. In any case, his next lesson will have training general getting-to-know-you conversation since he'll be meeting up with German clients on the 4th of July.
It also seems like California Girl, my old student, has been rubbing shoulders with some of the prestige in the music field. Just saw a pic of her with none other than Ms. "She's So Unusual" herself: Cyndi Lauper. Maybe they talked about Cyndi's old job in the Japanese restaurant.
Anyways, I got Medicine man in about half an hour.
Looks like I kinda blew Slim out of the water again. We tried out a game which is your typical Snakes N' Ladders version of reviewing the main points of the textbook he's been using over the past few weeks. Man, I should've told him to review the chapters a bit more since he went into quiet panic mode. All that confidence just drained out of his face at warp speed. Ah, well. In any case, his next lesson will have training general getting-to-know-you conversation since he'll be meeting up with German clients on the 4th of July.
It also seems like California Girl, my old student, has been rubbing shoulders with some of the prestige in the music field. Just saw a pic of her with none other than Ms. "She's So Unusual" herself: Cyndi Lauper. Maybe they talked about Cyndi's old job in the Japanese restaurant.
Anyways, I got Medicine man in about half an hour.
Monday June 30, 7:13 p.m.
Just finished up with The Full-Timer. Speedy was kind enough to let me use the other room here to teach her instead of smoky ol' Doutors...I think part of the reason was that I spelled for him with that other student. He's still ailing which might explain the presence of Mrs. Speedy. In about 15 minutes, I've got Slim. He's finishing up with his text today so I gotta play the role of used car salesman and show him some of our other texts. Then, an hour after he finishes, it'll be Medicine Man to wrap up.
Looks like The Full-Timer and her section have been having trouble with the supervisor who's been this extremely high-strung type with pendulum-like mood swings. Apparently, the supervisor had a major meltdown on Friday due to some little conflict with the higher-ups. For that reason, my student may be escaping to Singapore for a bit of decompression next week.
Just finished up with The Full-Timer. Speedy was kind enough to let me use the other room here to teach her instead of smoky ol' Doutors...I think part of the reason was that I spelled for him with that other student. He's still ailing which might explain the presence of Mrs. Speedy. In about 15 minutes, I've got Slim. He's finishing up with his text today so I gotta play the role of used car salesman and show him some of our other texts. Then, an hour after he finishes, it'll be Medicine Man to wrap up.
Looks like The Full-Timer and her section have been having trouble with the supervisor who's been this extremely high-strung type with pendulum-like mood swings. Apparently, the supervisor had a major meltdown on Friday due to some little conflict with the higher-ups. For that reason, my student may be escaping to Singapore for a bit of decompression next week.
Monday June 30, 5:06 p.m.
Before the movie, I'd had a couple of hours so I decided to head up to Tower Records by Shinjuku Station. My timing couldn't have been more perfect. I got there just as tarento/pin-up model Yuko Ogura popped up to do a little talk. There was a fairly sizable scrum of men, women and cross-dressers there to cheer her on. As for the woman herself, she was truly the sprite-like girl with the helium voice. Her makeup was fairly caked on...she looked like a porcelain doll given life. I only stayed for a few minutes. She was there to promote her song which had been playing on the speakers before her appearance. I just needed to see that she was a real live flesh-and-blood person.
After the movie, the bunch of us headed once more to Mo-Yan, that Japanese curry place in West Shinjuku. Surprisingly, all 7 of us managed to get in within a few minutes. I ended up having the extra-large The Works Curry. I almost made it, too. I had to leave the last couple of spoonfuls lest there was a major accident. Still, I seem to have been able to down a sugar doughnut and a latte at Starbucks later on.
I was back in Shinjuku today to see if I could pick up a new textbook for either Jolly or Suzanne. I ended up deciding that Suzanne may be able to make it through Communication Strategies, a text that I've had for several years and currently use with folks like The Ace and The Full-Timer. As for Jolly, I may try excerpts from some of the business texts we have here. I noticed that Krispy Kreme #1's lineup is getting ever smaller. Now it's just a 15-minute wait there. Still, that queue will need to go down another 10 minutes for me to line up there. Skippy told me that yet KK #5 opened up in Shibuya the other day, which means that the craziness may finally be disappearing.
I had to do an emergency lesson with one of Speedy's students just now since the bossman has been feeling under the weather today. Well, another 3,500 yen for me. I just paid my bills including that first premium for this year's Citizen's Tax so I'm gonna have to scrounge for every coin.
There's definitely been a bigger presence of the cops on the streets of Tokyo these past few days since The Lake Toya G-8 Summit up in Hokkaido is close approaching. It certainly gives some comfort for the citizens here although some psycho still managed to bite one cop on the arm the other day while he was trying to get away with some ill-gotten goods. Luckily, the man was finally arrested. Ironically, it happened in Akihabara.
Before the movie, I'd had a couple of hours so I decided to head up to Tower Records by Shinjuku Station. My timing couldn't have been more perfect. I got there just as tarento/pin-up model Yuko Ogura popped up to do a little talk. There was a fairly sizable scrum of men, women and cross-dressers there to cheer her on. As for the woman herself, she was truly the sprite-like girl with the helium voice. Her makeup was fairly caked on...she looked like a porcelain doll given life. I only stayed for a few minutes. She was there to promote her song which had been playing on the speakers before her appearance. I just needed to see that she was a real live flesh-and-blood person.
After the movie, the bunch of us headed once more to Mo-Yan, that Japanese curry place in West Shinjuku. Surprisingly, all 7 of us managed to get in within a few minutes. I ended up having the extra-large The Works Curry. I almost made it, too. I had to leave the last couple of spoonfuls lest there was a major accident. Still, I seem to have been able to down a sugar doughnut and a latte at Starbucks later on.
I was back in Shinjuku today to see if I could pick up a new textbook for either Jolly or Suzanne. I ended up deciding that Suzanne may be able to make it through Communication Strategies, a text that I've had for several years and currently use with folks like The Ace and The Full-Timer. As for Jolly, I may try excerpts from some of the business texts we have here. I noticed that Krispy Kreme #1's lineup is getting ever smaller. Now it's just a 15-minute wait there. Still, that queue will need to go down another 10 minutes for me to line up there. Skippy told me that yet KK #5 opened up in Shibuya the other day, which means that the craziness may finally be disappearing.
I had to do an emergency lesson with one of Speedy's students just now since the bossman has been feeling under the weather today. Well, another 3,500 yen for me. I just paid my bills including that first premium for this year's Citizen's Tax so I'm gonna have to scrounge for every coin.
There's definitely been a bigger presence of the cops on the streets of Tokyo these past few days since The Lake Toya G-8 Summit up in Hokkaido is close approaching. It certainly gives some comfort for the citizens here although some psycho still managed to bite one cop on the arm the other day while he was trying to get away with some ill-gotten goods. Luckily, the man was finally arrested. Ironically, it happened in Akihabara.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Monday June 30, 3:44 p.m.
The end of the month but I can't really say it's all that summery out there. But it is humid..I've been through a few mentholated wipes already.
"Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"....hmmm, well we did catch it at The Shinjuku Plaza yesterday. It was a pretty good turnout: Movie Buddy, The Sylph, The Satyr, Miss Ivory, The Wedding Planner, me and of course, Skippy. Gotta say that Harrison's latest flick has guaranteed probably his first $100 million plus movie in several years. Just don't think it's worth all that much merit, though. It just struck me as being an extra-special episode of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles". In other words, this was probably good for television but as a motion-picture-worthy movie...nahh.
The basic premise behind Indiana Jones is that this was Steven Spielberg's tribute to the swashbuckling adventures of the 30s. Note that I did emphasize that decade there. This movie takes place in the late 50s. I thought ol' Professor (Colonel) Jones looked awfully out of place in the middle of a nuclear testing field right at the beginning of the movie. I could see where Spielberg was going with this, though...have Indy confront the famed dangers of that decade: atomic testing, UFOs, Commies, leather-bound punk kids.
There was a definite funereal feeling with this latest (and hopefully, last) entry in the Indiana Jones series. Indiana was feeling (and looking) his age and his mileage, and there were glimpses of the late Henry Jones Sr and Marcus Brody along with accompanying musical cues. Plus, Indiana spending several minutes with his son just going through endless exposition basically slowed the whole thing down for the first half. The movie just felt old. Not a good sign for a franchise that's supposed to be all about the action and smart banter....I was so glad that Karen Allen popped in, even though the dialogue between Marion and Indy became somewhat more domesticated.
Generally, I think "Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" comes down with the rest of those recent unearthings of old 80s franchises such as "Die Hard" and "Rambo". It's one of those cinematic reactions to mid-life crisis.
The end of the month but I can't really say it's all that summery out there. But it is humid..I've been through a few mentholated wipes already.
"Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"....hmmm, well we did catch it at The Shinjuku Plaza yesterday. It was a pretty good turnout: Movie Buddy, The Sylph, The Satyr, Miss Ivory, The Wedding Planner, me and of course, Skippy. Gotta say that Harrison's latest flick has guaranteed probably his first $100 million plus movie in several years. Just don't think it's worth all that much merit, though. It just struck me as being an extra-special episode of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles". In other words, this was probably good for television but as a motion-picture-worthy movie...nahh.
The basic premise behind Indiana Jones is that this was Steven Spielberg's tribute to the swashbuckling adventures of the 30s. Note that I did emphasize that decade there. This movie takes place in the late 50s. I thought ol' Professor (Colonel) Jones looked awfully out of place in the middle of a nuclear testing field right at the beginning of the movie. I could see where Spielberg was going with this, though...have Indy confront the famed dangers of that decade: atomic testing, UFOs, Commies, leather-bound punk kids.
There was a definite funereal feeling with this latest (and hopefully, last) entry in the Indiana Jones series. Indiana was feeling (and looking) his age and his mileage, and there were glimpses of the late Henry Jones Sr and Marcus Brody along with accompanying musical cues. Plus, Indiana spending several minutes with his son just going through endless exposition basically slowed the whole thing down for the first half. The movie just felt old. Not a good sign for a franchise that's supposed to be all about the action and smart banter....I was so glad that Karen Allen popped in, even though the dialogue between Marion and Indy became somewhat more domesticated.
Generally, I think "Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" comes down with the rest of those recent unearthings of old 80s franchises such as "Die Hard" and "Rambo". It's one of those cinematic reactions to mid-life crisis.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Saturday June 28, 4:58 p.m.
Finished up with my three students today. But it looks like my schedule is gonna get pretty busy...and in the summer, too. I've got a few more model lessons to try out, including two back-to-back next Thursday.
And I just heard a collision outside of the building. Some motor scooter did a back-end collision with a van. From my vantage point, the poor kid riding the scooter looks to be in excruciating pain right now. I gather that getting thrown headfirst into a van at something over 10 km/h can do that to one. BC was able to hail an ambulance and the paramedics are taking care of him now.
Looks like I've got an eternal fan in the form of The Bostonian. She needed some help on some sort of announcement that has to be made for the foreign employees. Nothing too serious but she took it like I had just defused a nuclear bomb on her leg. She said she would show her PowerPoint printout to me next time in gratitude. I offered to sign it.
Then, I got that model student with that huge TOEIC score of 950...virtually perfect. He's quite a talker, too. Well, I guess I impressed him enough too. He's become another new addition to the flock. And henceforth, he'll be known...as The Talker.
I hadn't seen The Dentist in a few weeks. Still jolly as always. Her daughter apparently has an account on Facebook. I'll have to take a look.
I was briefly introduced to yet another model lesson student. She's a friend of The Dentist who handles makeup and hair for a lot of location shoots. So, she's pretty connected to show business. Speedy swooned half-jokingly about getting some of her celeb friends as potential students. I thought I would've been the miha one.
Well, it looks like the ambulance has gone, and now the police are interviewing the poor guy who was driving the van.
Tomorrow is Indy!
Finished up with my three students today. But it looks like my schedule is gonna get pretty busy...and in the summer, too. I've got a few more model lessons to try out, including two back-to-back next Thursday.
And I just heard a collision outside of the building. Some motor scooter did a back-end collision with a van. From my vantage point, the poor kid riding the scooter looks to be in excruciating pain right now. I gather that getting thrown headfirst into a van at something over 10 km/h can do that to one. BC was able to hail an ambulance and the paramedics are taking care of him now.
Looks like I've got an eternal fan in the form of The Bostonian. She needed some help on some sort of announcement that has to be made for the foreign employees. Nothing too serious but she took it like I had just defused a nuclear bomb on her leg. She said she would show her PowerPoint printout to me next time in gratitude. I offered to sign it.
Then, I got that model student with that huge TOEIC score of 950...virtually perfect. He's quite a talker, too. Well, I guess I impressed him enough too. He's become another new addition to the flock. And henceforth, he'll be known...as The Talker.
I hadn't seen The Dentist in a few weeks. Still jolly as always. Her daughter apparently has an account on Facebook. I'll have to take a look.
I was briefly introduced to yet another model lesson student. She's a friend of The Dentist who handles makeup and hair for a lot of location shoots. So, she's pretty connected to show business. Speedy swooned half-jokingly about getting some of her celeb friends as potential students. I thought I would've been the miha one.
Well, it looks like the ambulance has gone, and now the police are interviewing the poor guy who was driving the van.
Tomorrow is Indy!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Saturday June 28, 11:47 a.m.
Back at Speedy's. I thought I would beat everyone to the punch and be the first one in, but BC had actually gotten in before me. When I remarked about it to her, she just gave a nonchalant "Ah, so?" Whatever...anyways, I shared a doughnut with her from La Vie Du France. Why even mention it? Well, since it was yeast-raised. Until the invasion of Krispy Kreme almost 2 years ago, doughnuts in Japan were all of the Mister Donuts variety: cake donuts. Not that I have anything against cake donuts: a sweet is a sweet, after all. But yeast-raised donuts have become one of the biggest culinary revelations in this pop-culture-obsessed country since the coming of tiramisu 17 years ago. Now, with KK firmly taking hold, at least in the Kanto area, some of the other bakeries are probably getting into the act. And hopefully that will mean somewhat saner lineups at the 4 branches of Krispy Kreme.
I've got The Bostonian in about 25 minutes and then things will go pretty quickly. I've got another model lesson about 15 minutes after The Bostonian's done, and then The Dentist comes in some 45 minutes after that lesson. Luckily, The Businesswoman and Slim did cancel. Otherwise, I would've been ready for that stretcher.
I tried to give the juku boss' line-ridden monitor a bit of a quick fix-it, thanks to GC's suggestions. But the active screensaver didn't do anything. I asked the boss to unplug everything for the night, including the connection between the monitor and the hard drive. Maybe that could do the trick, but I've got a feeling that it probably won't mean a thing. She did say that her computer is 8 years old. In human years, that would put it firmly in geriatric status..
Back at Speedy's. I thought I would beat everyone to the punch and be the first one in, but BC had actually gotten in before me. When I remarked about it to her, she just gave a nonchalant "Ah, so?" Whatever...anyways, I shared a doughnut with her from La Vie Du France. Why even mention it? Well, since it was yeast-raised. Until the invasion of Krispy Kreme almost 2 years ago, doughnuts in Japan were all of the Mister Donuts variety: cake donuts. Not that I have anything against cake donuts: a sweet is a sweet, after all. But yeast-raised donuts have become one of the biggest culinary revelations in this pop-culture-obsessed country since the coming of tiramisu 17 years ago. Now, with KK firmly taking hold, at least in the Kanto area, some of the other bakeries are probably getting into the act. And hopefully that will mean somewhat saner lineups at the 4 branches of Krispy Kreme.
I've got The Bostonian in about 25 minutes and then things will go pretty quickly. I've got another model lesson about 15 minutes after The Bostonian's done, and then The Dentist comes in some 45 minutes after that lesson. Luckily, The Businesswoman and Slim did cancel. Otherwise, I would've been ready for that stretcher.
I tried to give the juku boss' line-ridden monitor a bit of a quick fix-it, thanks to GC's suggestions. But the active screensaver didn't do anything. I asked the boss to unplug everything for the night, including the connection between the monitor and the hard drive. Maybe that could do the trick, but I've got a feeling that it probably won't mean a thing. She did say that her computer is 8 years old. In human years, that would put it firmly in geriatric status..
Friday June 27, 8:32 p.m.
Pretty easy day today since I only have a couple of classes. I had The New Yorker up in Ichigaya. She had a great time in Okinawa. I got the usual chinsuko cookies as a souvenir. Her English is still pretty low, though. I've got The Ace in about 25 minutes. Over the past week, I've been showing the photos of my ordeal under the mikoshi from The Urayasu Festival almost a couple of weeks ago. Keep 'em laughing, I say.
Looks like that guy from the model lesson last week has decided to sign up after all. Hopefully, he'll be like The Yogist...pretty teeth-pulling model lesson, followed by some fine regular classes. He'll be labeled The Pessimist, since that is how he tagged himself last week. Not the best moniker for an English student but it's easy to remember. I don't know too many students who have admitted to being pessimistic. Anyways, he'll officially be starting with us from Wednesday. It looks like Hump Day will be back.
As I may have mentioned, the juku boss' computer has been getting annoying vertical lines cutting through the monitor. I sent out an SOS to GC who came back with some potential remedies which I'll try out as soon as I finish here.
We're approaching July now but the weather has been pretty comfortable, so far. Warm days and cool nights. Not sure how long that will last into the next month.
Pretty easy day today since I only have a couple of classes. I had The New Yorker up in Ichigaya. She had a great time in Okinawa. I got the usual chinsuko cookies as a souvenir. Her English is still pretty low, though. I've got The Ace in about 25 minutes. Over the past week, I've been showing the photos of my ordeal under the mikoshi from The Urayasu Festival almost a couple of weeks ago. Keep 'em laughing, I say.
Looks like that guy from the model lesson last week has decided to sign up after all. Hopefully, he'll be like The Yogist...pretty teeth-pulling model lesson, followed by some fine regular classes. He'll be labeled The Pessimist, since that is how he tagged himself last week. Not the best moniker for an English student but it's easy to remember. I don't know too many students who have admitted to being pessimistic. Anyways, he'll officially be starting with us from Wednesday. It looks like Hump Day will be back.
As I may have mentioned, the juku boss' computer has been getting annoying vertical lines cutting through the monitor. I sent out an SOS to GC who came back with some potential remedies which I'll try out as soon as I finish here.
We're approaching July now but the weather has been pretty comfortable, so far. Warm days and cool nights. Not sure how long that will last into the next month.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Thursday June 26, 10:04 p.m.
After a day that started 12 hours ago, I'm done like dinner. I finished up with Slim a half-hour ago. He'll be busy on Saturday presenting a new computer system so he won't be coming in.
I've just been going through the various Genkirockets videos on YouTube. I gotta admit that it's awfully hard for me to believe that Lumi is a virtual character. She's probably the most (photo)realistic person I've ever seen depicted on the screen. Even though her lone narration for one of the videos has some notes of artificiality, it's still pulled off jaw-droppingly well. If this is indeed the future, then we may see a real holodeck within the next few decades.
After a day that started 12 hours ago, I'm done like dinner. I finished up with Slim a half-hour ago. He'll be busy on Saturday presenting a new computer system so he won't be coming in.
I've just been going through the various Genkirockets videos on YouTube. I gotta admit that it's awfully hard for me to believe that Lumi is a virtual character. She's probably the most (photo)realistic person I've ever seen depicted on the screen. Even though her lone narration for one of the videos has some notes of artificiality, it's still pulled off jaw-droppingly well. If this is indeed the future, then we may see a real holodeck within the next few decades.
Thursday June 26, 8:01 p.m.
The lesson with The Carolinan was pretty laid back. Apparently, she and The New Yorker went to some Hawaiian festival at Roppongi Hills last week, and then off to an Okinawan place for dinner. The sisters do love their tropics.
BC's gone home, so it's just Speedy and myself. He's munching his own McMeal now since he didn't have time earlier in the day. Just waiting for Slim in about 30 minutes. It looks now like Saturday won't be the Hump Day of the week after all. The Businesswoman and Slim have canned their lessons for that day, so it'll just be The Bostonian, another model lesson, and The Dentist. Still, for a Saturday, it's pretty busy.
Skippy finally nailed down the time and place to catch the latest Indiana Jones movie. It won't be one of those newfangled theatres, although it'll still be in Shinjuku. I guess that she's gotten tired of playing concierge with us. Instead, it'll be one of the old-fashioned wait-in-line-to-buy-your-ticket places in Kabukicho. The review in METROPOLIS was pretty middling. He liked Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett but found the movie a case of over deja vu. I kinda figured that would have been the biggest slam against it...a Lucasfilm reaction to mid-life crisis. Just dipping for past glories from a couple of decades back. Well, I'll just have to check this line out.
The lesson with The Carolinan was pretty laid back. Apparently, she and The New Yorker went to some Hawaiian festival at Roppongi Hills last week, and then off to an Okinawan place for dinner. The sisters do love their tropics.
BC's gone home, so it's just Speedy and myself. He's munching his own McMeal now since he didn't have time earlier in the day. Just waiting for Slim in about 30 minutes. It looks now like Saturday won't be the Hump Day of the week after all. The Businesswoman and Slim have canned their lessons for that day, so it'll just be The Bostonian, another model lesson, and The Dentist. Still, for a Saturday, it's pretty busy.
Skippy finally nailed down the time and place to catch the latest Indiana Jones movie. It won't be one of those newfangled theatres, although it'll still be in Shinjuku. I guess that she's gotten tired of playing concierge with us. Instead, it'll be one of the old-fashioned wait-in-line-to-buy-your-ticket places in Kabukicho. The review in METROPOLIS was pretty middling. He liked Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett but found the movie a case of over deja vu. I kinda figured that would have been the biggest slam against it...a Lucasfilm reaction to mid-life crisis. Just dipping for past glories from a couple of decades back. Well, I'll just have to check this line out.
Thursday June 26, 5:11 p.m.
Currently digesting my coupon-bought Mac Cheeseburger set with McNuggets. Yes, my lifetime can now be counted in mere years rather than decades.
The Yogist was uncharacteristically late by a good 45 minutes. Apparently, the lass lost track of time trying to find a dress for her friend's wedding party in Shinjuku. She didn't lose any of her usual effervescence, though. And her loyalty is commendable; she's booked for the next 5 Thursdays. Then, an hour later, The Nurse came in for her 60. Not surprisingly, the topics tended to weave around food.
Speedy was gonna join me in the Mac coupon spree but he got bogged down with a counseling session. And then, there was another sudden buzz from the 1st floor enterphone, but it wasn't from a potential client but from the superintendant. Usually, he's a pretty mild button-down sort but I guess he got fed up of being the doorman for our school; recently, a lot of clients have been coming to the school (great for our business) asking him for directions. I was only privy to Speedy's side of the conversation but he told me that he'd gotten a bit of a chewout from the super and was asked to give clearer directions to students in the future. I don't think that's quite fair; even if students are given maps, they still tend to confirm their bearings and the super is the best source.
Found out from BC that that Gherkin Building in the heart of West Shinjuku is gonna be the HQ of a design school. I'd say considering the futuristic look of the place, the design school got it right. Speaking of our depressed employee, she and her friend will be heading for Korea for a bit of R&R next week. Hopefully, the trip will help her spirits somewhat. Even when I mentioned the small fact that both The Carolinan and I were a bit concerned for her, she started welling up. Man...
Well, got The Carolinan coming up here within the next 30 minutes and then it'll be Slim to wrap up. Hopefully, The Carolinan won't be asking the super for instructions.
Currently digesting my coupon-bought Mac Cheeseburger set with McNuggets. Yes, my lifetime can now be counted in mere years rather than decades.
The Yogist was uncharacteristically late by a good 45 minutes. Apparently, the lass lost track of time trying to find a dress for her friend's wedding party in Shinjuku. She didn't lose any of her usual effervescence, though. And her loyalty is commendable; she's booked for the next 5 Thursdays. Then, an hour later, The Nurse came in for her 60. Not surprisingly, the topics tended to weave around food.
Speedy was gonna join me in the Mac coupon spree but he got bogged down with a counseling session. And then, there was another sudden buzz from the 1st floor enterphone, but it wasn't from a potential client but from the superintendant. Usually, he's a pretty mild button-down sort but I guess he got fed up of being the doorman for our school; recently, a lot of clients have been coming to the school (great for our business) asking him for directions. I was only privy to Speedy's side of the conversation but he told me that he'd gotten a bit of a chewout from the super and was asked to give clearer directions to students in the future. I don't think that's quite fair; even if students are given maps, they still tend to confirm their bearings and the super is the best source.
Found out from BC that that Gherkin Building in the heart of West Shinjuku is gonna be the HQ of a design school. I'd say considering the futuristic look of the place, the design school got it right. Speaking of our depressed employee, she and her friend will be heading for Korea for a bit of R&R next week. Hopefully, the trip will help her spirits somewhat. Even when I mentioned the small fact that both The Carolinan and I were a bit concerned for her, she started welling up. Man...
Well, got The Carolinan coming up here within the next 30 minutes and then it'll be Slim to wrap up. Hopefully, The Carolinan won't be asking the super for instructions.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Thursday June 26, 11:54 a.m.
Luckily, Grandma Dynamite was full of her nickname today unlike last week. Speedy apparently warmed her up nicely by just gabbing with her...fine with me.
The bizarre crimes just keep popping up like a bad yen this year. A couple of days ago, a grandfather decided to pull off a first strike and exterminated his entire family up in Kashiwa, Chiba, just north of my little burg. It was incredible...this 77-year-old sociopath first hammered his wife to death, and then summoned his son and daughter-in-law separately to their deaths before taking care of his granddaughter. The media and police are pretty slow in giving out motives but Grandpa Psycho may have been triggered by his (late) wife's barb about him being a burden to the family.
And so it is with some surprise that I read that not only Fukuoka City got top marks as World's Most Livable City but Tokyo came up to 3rd place! And this is considering that 2008 will probably go down as the year of the spree killing in the world's biggest metropolis. I'll have to check the website for Fukuoka...but when I first read the news on The Japan Times website, I kinda blurted out the first three letters of the city.
Luckily, Grandma Dynamite was full of her nickname today unlike last week. Speedy apparently warmed her up nicely by just gabbing with her...fine with me.
The bizarre crimes just keep popping up like a bad yen this year. A couple of days ago, a grandfather decided to pull off a first strike and exterminated his entire family up in Kashiwa, Chiba, just north of my little burg. It was incredible...this 77-year-old sociopath first hammered his wife to death, and then summoned his son and daughter-in-law separately to their deaths before taking care of his granddaughter. The media and police are pretty slow in giving out motives but Grandpa Psycho may have been triggered by his (late) wife's barb about him being a burden to the family.
And so it is with some surprise that I read that not only Fukuoka City got top marks as World's Most Livable City but Tokyo came up to 3rd place! And this is considering that 2008 will probably go down as the year of the spree killing in the world's biggest metropolis. I'll have to check the website for Fukuoka...but when I first read the news on The Japan Times website, I kinda blurted out the first three letters of the city.
Thursday June 26, 10:11 a.m.
Not very much time to write this entry so it'll be short. Grandma Dynamite is cackling away in the next room with Speedy, so I assume she's over her attack of head and gas from last week. However, I'm feeling pretty tired since I only got 5 hours of sleep due to the late-running model lesson last night to wrap up. I'm gonna have to be wary of taking model lessons on Wednesday nights after The Diver. Both lessons are energy-sapping. But the lesson student looked promising although she said that she was looking at other English schools. She's a fashion designer of some experience in Aoyama, and she looks the part: smart-looking, whip-thin, manicured nails with a wool beret to top it all off. Plus, she has a passing resemblance to that lead singer from Shibuya-kei unit Pizzicato Five. Pretty fluent but there are a lot of holes to patch up in that cool mosaic.
It's raining again....as that ol' Supertramp song goes. Ended up spending nearly 2 hours in McDonalds since I no longer have the extra keys to the school, so it's back absorbing tons of smoke into my clothes. I did Febreeze myself off but smoke is pretty stubborn stuff.
The Big Lug did cancel his lesson for today but it'll still be a fairly busy day with five. Grandma Dynamite, The Yogist, The Nurse, The Carolinan coming in and Slim to wrap up. I haven't had time to prep for any of the lessons but today's lineup is pretty easy to get ready for, so I'm not panicking quite yet.
Speedy seems to be going a bit of overtime with Grandma Dynamite...maybe she came in late this morning.
Not very much time to write this entry so it'll be short. Grandma Dynamite is cackling away in the next room with Speedy, so I assume she's over her attack of head and gas from last week. However, I'm feeling pretty tired since I only got 5 hours of sleep due to the late-running model lesson last night to wrap up. I'm gonna have to be wary of taking model lessons on Wednesday nights after The Diver. Both lessons are energy-sapping. But the lesson student looked promising although she said that she was looking at other English schools. She's a fashion designer of some experience in Aoyama, and she looks the part: smart-looking, whip-thin, manicured nails with a wool beret to top it all off. Plus, she has a passing resemblance to that lead singer from Shibuya-kei unit Pizzicato Five. Pretty fluent but there are a lot of holes to patch up in that cool mosaic.
It's raining again....as that ol' Supertramp song goes. Ended up spending nearly 2 hours in McDonalds since I no longer have the extra keys to the school, so it's back absorbing tons of smoke into my clothes. I did Febreeze myself off but smoke is pretty stubborn stuff.
The Big Lug did cancel his lesson for today but it'll still be a fairly busy day with five. Grandma Dynamite, The Yogist, The Nurse, The Carolinan coming in and Slim to wrap up. I haven't had time to prep for any of the lessons but today's lineup is pretty easy to get ready for, so I'm not panicking quite yet.
Speedy seems to be going a bit of overtime with Grandma Dynamite...maybe she came in late this morning.
Wednesday June 25, 5:45 p.m.
Well, you can colour me shocked. Just found out that one of those bands I'd mentioned in the last entry, Genkirockets, is a CG concoction. The "lead singer", Lumi, whom I've seen in a video is an amalgam of a number of female singers. The names of these ladies have been kept more secret than a gold bar in Fort Knox.
I just read that some enterprising fellow in the States has cottoned on to the supposed insanity (or just plain inanity) of Japanese game shows and have brought his own take on them. The thing is that the contestants back Stateside are just regular folk while the victims in the original game shows are tarento....or professional pratfall targets. I have a bad feeling about this. So I guess "The Simpsons" won't have that Mexican bee guy to push around anymore.
Well, you can colour me shocked. Just found out that one of those bands I'd mentioned in the last entry, Genkirockets, is a CG concoction. The "lead singer", Lumi, whom I've seen in a video is an amalgam of a number of female singers. The names of these ladies have been kept more secret than a gold bar in Fort Knox.
I just read that some enterprising fellow in the States has cottoned on to the supposed insanity (or just plain inanity) of Japanese game shows and have brought his own take on them. The thing is that the contestants back Stateside are just regular folk while the victims in the original game shows are tarento....or professional pratfall targets. I have a bad feeling about this. So I guess "The Simpsons" won't have that Mexican bee guy to push around anymore.
Wednesday June 25, 4:21 p.m.
Well, 6 months before Xmas, and I've already started looking at Air Canada.com for tickets home in December. I was checking my Aeroplan points and was probably laughed at when I looked to see the chances of me getting some deduction in the inevitably huge cash outlay.
This morning, I finally got a chance to try out the newest and final subway line that Tokyo Metro will ever build, The Fukutoshin Line starting from Shibuya and ranging to Ikebukuro and beyond. It was set up to ease some of the burden on the local JR lines of Yamanote and Saikyo which are usually packed to the gills during rush hours. When I got off of the venerable Ginza Line, I made a long trek toward the west to get to this new line. I thought I was gonna end up in Daikanyama when I finally saw the lift heading deep underground for the Futokushin. Of course, there was a McDonalds sign just by the lift and I could catch a soupcon of the whiff of Le Mac Gros.
As I got to the Futokushin platform, I remembered last week's episode of Tamori Club, the late-night Friday program starring Japan's answer to Johnny Carson, Kazuyoshi "Tamori" Morita. He and a bunch of subway-loving comedians and members of an acapella group were given a tour of the line before it opened up on the 14th. Obviously back then, it was devoid of human activity. I could see that it was still pretty barren...surprising for anyplace in Shibuya. It had that new subway smell to it...the same went with the local train I got on. I got off a couple of stops later at Kitasando. The subway station there was virtually deserted...not surprising when I got topside. There was pretty much nothing except for Meiji Street between Shibuya and Shinjuku. I ended up just having lunch at the Subway across the street. The station looked brand-spanking new and untouched by human hands. Kitasando will probably remain devoid of life for the foreseeable future until the area itself gets more developed. METROPOLIS magazine did a feature on the line a few weeks ago and only noted for Kitasando that it was the location of the Japan Communist Party HQ. When that's the only remarkable landmark, you just know that the area won't be a real happening place.
I had much better luck when I got off a few stations later at Nishi-Waseda. It's ideally located by one of the campuses for Waseda University and is surrounded by the neighbourhoods of Korean-influenced Okubo and the student enclave of Takadanobaba. The "feel" of the area was neither traditional Japanese a la Asakusa or modern Japanese a la Odaiba. It seemed like an inner-city neighbourhood out of any Asian city such as Taipei or Hong Kong. There were blocky apartment buildings of varying heights and ages overlooking quite a plethora of Chinese and Indian restaurants, all selling various lunch specials for reasonable prices. Kinda regretted not having lunch there but I'll be back. There was even a Big Boy...maybe the only one in Japan. Of course, since it was around noon when I got there, I saw a lot of young'uns walking and sitting at the restaurants with Waseda University and Gakushuin Women's University situated nearby. I knew I wasn't too far away from Shinjuku since I could see the pearly green building that was Marui City off in the distance. I went as far south as Okubo before I made a U-turn and went off into the other direction toward Ikebukuro. Off in that direction, I could see the Sunshine 60 Building, one of that area's venerable landmarks.
Within about 10 minutes, I made my way to Takadanobaba. It was a very pleasant walk toward JR Takadanobaba and the Tozai Line. Again, a lot of restaurants suited for the poor student set, and I even went into a couple of secondhand CD stores. There were some full albums selling for just 700 yen...truly a bargain. I also noticed that there were a lot of real estate agencies renting 1K rooms for as little as 30,000 yen a month. Definitely student-oriented. If I weren't so poor and spoiled on 2K living, I would be very tempted to see about living there.
I popped back on the train after more than an hour of solid walking and ended up at Shinjuku San-chome station, deep in the heart of East Shinjuku. If there were true winners due to the construction of this line, they would be the folks working in this area. They can just hop onto the Fukutoshin and get into Shibuya within 4 minutes. Previously, they would've had to walk over to JR Shinjuku and fight the scrum that always populates the area around the ticket machines and gates to get onto the Yamanote Line. Other than that, it would've meant at least one transfer on the subways. Of course, walking through Tokyo Metro always means walking through long and wide corridors underground for several minutes. Such was the case at Shinjuku San-chome, although I could imagine that the underground corridors will be a cool refuge within a couple of months. I was pleasantly surprised that the corridors made it all the way to underneath Takashimaya Times Square. Ended up getting into Kinokuniya Supermarket in B1.
Takashimaya Times Square meant that I visited HMV on the 12th floor. Listened to a few of these new girl units that have fallen in love with the vocoder as a vital part of their performance. Of course, the biggest of these units is Perfume, a trio of vaguely Goth-Loli girls with the hit, "Polyrhythm". And then there were the other units known as Genkirockets and Plastic Love.
I continued my trek through Shinjuku by crossing the pedestrian bridge away from Times Square. I saw that Krispy Kreme #1 no longer had multi-hour wait times but there were still folks willing to wait 35 minutes for fried cholesterol. The last thing I wanted to see was that little brother to London's Gherkin Building. It turned out that it was still not completed. The main shell was done but there were still plenty of workmen and scaffolding at ground level.
Finally, I'm back here at Speedy's. I've got another model lesson later into July. Tonight, it's 001, The Diver and that model lesson. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Well, 6 months before Xmas, and I've already started looking at Air Canada.com for tickets home in December. I was checking my Aeroplan points and was probably laughed at when I looked to see the chances of me getting some deduction in the inevitably huge cash outlay.
This morning, I finally got a chance to try out the newest and final subway line that Tokyo Metro will ever build, The Fukutoshin Line starting from Shibuya and ranging to Ikebukuro and beyond. It was set up to ease some of the burden on the local JR lines of Yamanote and Saikyo which are usually packed to the gills during rush hours. When I got off of the venerable Ginza Line, I made a long trek toward the west to get to this new line. I thought I was gonna end up in Daikanyama when I finally saw the lift heading deep underground for the Futokushin. Of course, there was a McDonalds sign just by the lift and I could catch a soupcon of the whiff of Le Mac Gros.
As I got to the Futokushin platform, I remembered last week's episode of Tamori Club, the late-night Friday program starring Japan's answer to Johnny Carson, Kazuyoshi "Tamori" Morita. He and a bunch of subway-loving comedians and members of an acapella group were given a tour of the line before it opened up on the 14th. Obviously back then, it was devoid of human activity. I could see that it was still pretty barren...surprising for anyplace in Shibuya. It had that new subway smell to it...the same went with the local train I got on. I got off a couple of stops later at Kitasando. The subway station there was virtually deserted...not surprising when I got topside. There was pretty much nothing except for Meiji Street between Shibuya and Shinjuku. I ended up just having lunch at the Subway across the street. The station looked brand-spanking new and untouched by human hands. Kitasando will probably remain devoid of life for the foreseeable future until the area itself gets more developed. METROPOLIS magazine did a feature on the line a few weeks ago and only noted for Kitasando that it was the location of the Japan Communist Party HQ. When that's the only remarkable landmark, you just know that the area won't be a real happening place.
I had much better luck when I got off a few stations later at Nishi-Waseda. It's ideally located by one of the campuses for Waseda University and is surrounded by the neighbourhoods of Korean-influenced Okubo and the student enclave of Takadanobaba. The "feel" of the area was neither traditional Japanese a la Asakusa or modern Japanese a la Odaiba. It seemed like an inner-city neighbourhood out of any Asian city such as Taipei or Hong Kong. There were blocky apartment buildings of varying heights and ages overlooking quite a plethora of Chinese and Indian restaurants, all selling various lunch specials for reasonable prices. Kinda regretted not having lunch there but I'll be back. There was even a Big Boy...maybe the only one in Japan. Of course, since it was around noon when I got there, I saw a lot of young'uns walking and sitting at the restaurants with Waseda University and Gakushuin Women's University situated nearby. I knew I wasn't too far away from Shinjuku since I could see the pearly green building that was Marui City off in the distance. I went as far south as Okubo before I made a U-turn and went off into the other direction toward Ikebukuro. Off in that direction, I could see the Sunshine 60 Building, one of that area's venerable landmarks.
Within about 10 minutes, I made my way to Takadanobaba. It was a very pleasant walk toward JR Takadanobaba and the Tozai Line. Again, a lot of restaurants suited for the poor student set, and I even went into a couple of secondhand CD stores. There were some full albums selling for just 700 yen...truly a bargain. I also noticed that there were a lot of real estate agencies renting 1K rooms for as little as 30,000 yen a month. Definitely student-oriented. If I weren't so poor and spoiled on 2K living, I would be very tempted to see about living there.
I popped back on the train after more than an hour of solid walking and ended up at Shinjuku San-chome station, deep in the heart of East Shinjuku. If there were true winners due to the construction of this line, they would be the folks working in this area. They can just hop onto the Fukutoshin and get into Shibuya within 4 minutes. Previously, they would've had to walk over to JR Shinjuku and fight the scrum that always populates the area around the ticket machines and gates to get onto the Yamanote Line. Other than that, it would've meant at least one transfer on the subways. Of course, walking through Tokyo Metro always means walking through long and wide corridors underground for several minutes. Such was the case at Shinjuku San-chome, although I could imagine that the underground corridors will be a cool refuge within a couple of months. I was pleasantly surprised that the corridors made it all the way to underneath Takashimaya Times Square. Ended up getting into Kinokuniya Supermarket in B1.
Takashimaya Times Square meant that I visited HMV on the 12th floor. Listened to a few of these new girl units that have fallen in love with the vocoder as a vital part of their performance. Of course, the biggest of these units is Perfume, a trio of vaguely Goth-Loli girls with the hit, "Polyrhythm". And then there were the other units known as Genkirockets and Plastic Love.
I continued my trek through Shinjuku by crossing the pedestrian bridge away from Times Square. I saw that Krispy Kreme #1 no longer had multi-hour wait times but there were still folks willing to wait 35 minutes for fried cholesterol. The last thing I wanted to see was that little brother to London's Gherkin Building. It turned out that it was still not completed. The main shell was done but there were still plenty of workmen and scaffolding at ground level.
Finally, I'm back here at Speedy's. I've got another model lesson later into July. Tonight, it's 001, The Diver and that model lesson. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Tuesday June 24, 7:25 p.m.
Well, Suzanne is back in the house, and boy, did she have some drama to tell me after her 2 weeks in Oz.
For one thing, her host family was not much of one...pretty irresponsible, really. The man and his pregnant wife only saw her twice during her whole time there. But, Suzanne, with a laid-back aplomb, basically made lemonade from lemons and managed to fend for herself in a foreign land quite well. In fact, she may have done the thing that a lot of boyfriends are terrified of....she matured. Suzanne said that she used to be the dependent one on her boyfriend for everything from dinner plans to other things that couples do. Well, not anymore, and the result is that her boo is crying boo-hoo, and now she's at a crossroads about their relationship. To add a further dimension, she apparently met this rather comely young Australian during her time there who may have the hots for her. She's not quite sure what to make of the situation. Apparently, I seem to be the only one she could tell all this to; she hasn't told any of her family, boyfriend and even her female friends. I was definitely wearing the therapist's cap with her tonight.
I guess it's a foregone conclusion that Suzanne will be coming back for more from next week.
At the other end of the city, at Speedy's, Mr. TOEIC suddenly decided to book a lesson tonight there which had the bossman frantically calling me about what needed to be taught. I did get the green light to bring over The Carolinan once more to the school. And The Big Lug has re-scheduled for the 4th of July.
Still in a holding pattern concerning that model lesson student...The Londoner...from last Friday. In any case, whether she does sign up for lessons now or in 3 months, the juku boss has told me that the earliest she will start is in July.
In other news, NOVA ex-President, Nozomu Saruhashi, may be getting slapped with some further charges of non-payment of wages to teachers. Not sure where he's hiding out but his lawyers are doing the talking for him.
Well, it looks like I got most of Wednesday free, so I'll be taking a look at that new subway line, The Fukutoshin which ranges from Shibuya to Ikebukuro...provided that there aren't any more accidents there. It seems to have undergone the lion's share of growing pains in the first week of its existence. I might take a look at Kitasando and Nishi-Waseda and see what's out there.
Well, Suzanne is back in the house, and boy, did she have some drama to tell me after her 2 weeks in Oz.
For one thing, her host family was not much of one...pretty irresponsible, really. The man and his pregnant wife only saw her twice during her whole time there. But, Suzanne, with a laid-back aplomb, basically made lemonade from lemons and managed to fend for herself in a foreign land quite well. In fact, she may have done the thing that a lot of boyfriends are terrified of....she matured. Suzanne said that she used to be the dependent one on her boyfriend for everything from dinner plans to other things that couples do. Well, not anymore, and the result is that her boo is crying boo-hoo, and now she's at a crossroads about their relationship. To add a further dimension, she apparently met this rather comely young Australian during her time there who may have the hots for her. She's not quite sure what to make of the situation. Apparently, I seem to be the only one she could tell all this to; she hasn't told any of her family, boyfriend and even her female friends. I was definitely wearing the therapist's cap with her tonight.
I guess it's a foregone conclusion that Suzanne will be coming back for more from next week.
At the other end of the city, at Speedy's, Mr. TOEIC suddenly decided to book a lesson tonight there which had the bossman frantically calling me about what needed to be taught. I did get the green light to bring over The Carolinan once more to the school. And The Big Lug has re-scheduled for the 4th of July.
Still in a holding pattern concerning that model lesson student...The Londoner...from last Friday. In any case, whether she does sign up for lessons now or in 3 months, the juku boss has told me that the earliest she will start is in July.
In other news, NOVA ex-President, Nozomu Saruhashi, may be getting slapped with some further charges of non-payment of wages to teachers. Not sure where he's hiding out but his lawyers are doing the talking for him.
Well, it looks like I got most of Wednesday free, so I'll be taking a look at that new subway line, The Fukutoshin which ranges from Shibuya to Ikebukuro...provided that there aren't any more accidents there. It seems to have undergone the lion's share of growing pains in the first week of its existence. I might take a look at Kitasando and Nishi-Waseda and see what's out there.
Tuesday June 24, 4:09 p.m.
A hot one today...about 28 C; quite a contrast with yesterday's squalls and cool temps. This is probably the first truly summery day of the season.
Met up with The Beehive. Mrs. Tee finally showed up so I was able to unload my mother's present unto her, more than a month after Mom had given it to me. Mrs. Tee looked lighter but it was more from her hectic schedule than any intentional diet or exercise. As for Mrs. Travel, she came back from Sedona, Arizona with some great shots of the mesa-filled desert. Unfortunately, considering her status as a veteran traveler, she's yet to master the niceties of tipping.
Looks like The Big Lug has canned for Thursday which leaves some breathing room between The Nurse and The Carolinan. BC picked up the phone which I was a bit surprised about. When I asked her how she was, she replied with no great joy, "Surviving".
Supposedly, Suzanne will be here tonight followed by The Milds and then Jolly. Again, I always gotta be on my toes whether or not Jolly actually shows up or does a dotyakan.
There has been a similar attack to The Akihabara Massacre in Osaka over the weekend. However, luckily, three women were only slightly injured. Some psychotic woman apparently used a knife to slash them on the platform of a train station. She managed to escape but was hunted down by police after someone recognized her on TV. So far, she's been spouting gibberish. Straitjacket for one, please. Still, this does bring up the thought about when and where the next attack will take place in a crowded area.
A hot one today...about 28 C; quite a contrast with yesterday's squalls and cool temps. This is probably the first truly summery day of the season.
Met up with The Beehive. Mrs. Tee finally showed up so I was able to unload my mother's present unto her, more than a month after Mom had given it to me. Mrs. Tee looked lighter but it was more from her hectic schedule than any intentional diet or exercise. As for Mrs. Travel, she came back from Sedona, Arizona with some great shots of the mesa-filled desert. Unfortunately, considering her status as a veteran traveler, she's yet to master the niceties of tipping.
Looks like The Big Lug has canned for Thursday which leaves some breathing room between The Nurse and The Carolinan. BC picked up the phone which I was a bit surprised about. When I asked her how she was, she replied with no great joy, "Surviving".
Supposedly, Suzanne will be here tonight followed by The Milds and then Jolly. Again, I always gotta be on my toes whether or not Jolly actually shows up or does a dotyakan.
There has been a similar attack to The Akihabara Massacre in Osaka over the weekend. However, luckily, three women were only slightly injured. Some psychotic woman apparently used a knife to slash them on the platform of a train station. She managed to escape but was hunted down by police after someone recognized her on TV. So far, she's been spouting gibberish. Straitjacket for one, please. Still, this does bring up the thought about when and where the next attack will take place in a crowded area.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Monday June 23, 10:40 p.m.
And thus another programming day comes to an end. Just finished up with Medicine Man after his conference in Malaysia. Got a nice box of chocolate truffles as a souvenir...always better than, if not as healthy as, an apple. His mind is a bit sieve-like when it comes to movies; but I'm not one to lord it over him since my mind has definitely developed a few ozone holes in the past decade.
Looks like that new interview is a lock. But she'll just be covering a couple of nights. We still need that full-timer to take over for BC during the days...the major-domo to Speedy.
Gotta head home....
And thus another programming day comes to an end. Just finished up with Medicine Man after his conference in Malaysia. Got a nice box of chocolate truffles as a souvenir...always better than, if not as healthy as, an apple. His mind is a bit sieve-like when it comes to movies; but I'm not one to lord it over him since my mind has definitely developed a few ozone holes in the past decade.
Looks like that new interview is a lock. But she'll just be covering a couple of nights. We still need that full-timer to take over for BC during the days...the major-domo to Speedy.
Gotta head home....
Monday June 23, 8:58 p.m.
Just had Slim for his lesson. Really nice guy, that Slim. Helped him with his small talk for an upcoming international party he has to attend next Saturday. Plus, he's had to cancel his lesson for this upcoming Saturday because he has to oversee the cutting in of a new system that he personally knows that won't need his supervision. It's something that George Carlin probably has made hay of, and so I segue into his life and times. I remember seeing him hosting the very first episode of "Saturday Night Live" and some of his routines although I've yet to see his most famous (or notorious) routine of those 7 words you can't say on TV. Again, like the late Tim Russert, he probably has a share of his naysayers who don't regret his passing too much. Interestingly, a lot of them probably hail from Las Vegas.
Just had Slim for his lesson. Really nice guy, that Slim. Helped him with his small talk for an upcoming international party he has to attend next Saturday. Plus, he's had to cancel his lesson for this upcoming Saturday because he has to oversee the cutting in of a new system that he personally knows that won't need his supervision. It's something that George Carlin probably has made hay of, and so I segue into his life and times. I remember seeing him hosting the very first episode of "Saturday Night Live" and some of his routines although I've yet to see his most famous (or notorious) routine of those 7 words you can't say on TV. Again, like the late Tim Russert, he probably has a share of his naysayers who don't regret his passing too much. Interestingly, a lot of them probably hail from Las Vegas.
Monday June 23, 7:21 p.m.
Timing is everything...within and without an English lesson. About 10 minutes into The Full-Timer's lesson at the coffee shop, the clouds suddenly threw down buckets of precipitation in what was one of the most loaded squalls I'd ever seen. And as we were leaving, the rain had trickled into a more manageable steady sprinkle. Ordinarily, I would be worried about any other student heading this way, but since Slim is literally down the street, he'll be here in no time.
Looks like the era of BC is starting its close. The bossman is currently interviewing a potential young staffer. Sounds as if she's on the ball.
I'm not a huge Amy Winehouse fan...only know her from her ironically titled "Rehab". Why am I getting the feeling that she's heading the way of Janis Joplin and Elvis Presley? But then again, all of the media types were virtually reading obituaries for Britney Spears. And not only is she still alive, but she's just become an aunt...of a girl whose mother isn't even ready to vote.
Timing is everything...within and without an English lesson. About 10 minutes into The Full-Timer's lesson at the coffee shop, the clouds suddenly threw down buckets of precipitation in what was one of the most loaded squalls I'd ever seen. And as we were leaving, the rain had trickled into a more manageable steady sprinkle. Ordinarily, I would be worried about any other student heading this way, but since Slim is literally down the street, he'll be here in no time.
Looks like the era of BC is starting its close. The bossman is currently interviewing a potential young staffer. Sounds as if she's on the ball.
I'm not a huge Amy Winehouse fan...only know her from her ironically titled "Rehab". Why am I getting the feeling that she's heading the way of Janis Joplin and Elvis Presley? But then again, all of the media types were virtually reading obituaries for Britney Spears. And not only is she still alive, but she's just become an aunt...of a girl whose mother isn't even ready to vote.
Monday June 23, 5:27 p.m.
Kinda rushing through this since I see The Full-Timer in about half an hour...I've got everything prepped but the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup must be fueling the sugar rush.
In the past couple of days, I've been feasting on turtle jelly, that dessert delicacy from Hong Kong. I had been given it by The Lady last Monday after one of her frequent visits there. For a guy like me who won't get anywhere near natto (too slimy and smelly), tororo (looks and tastes like rabies spit) and uni (which planet is that from?), I'm oddly all right with this black jello created with powder from ground-up turtle shell that tastes like medicine. One reason is that I get a couple of small packs of liquid brown sugar to add to it which makes it quite tasty. No such luck with the noxious stuff I'd just mentioned.
The bossman is currently giving a model lesson to The Dentist's buddy...a person who, despite a fairly good comprehension, is still low on the level of the Grandmas. Speedy, of course, would like me to teach him. Oy vey!
GC sent me the latest excerpt from the 4th season of "Doctor Who" via Facebook. It pretty much ties up the Rose/Doctor love story in one big spoiler. Not miffed that I now know the ending since I'm not the type to get worked up about such things. But at least, I'm happy to know all that moping that David Tennant's Doctor will finally be rid of. I like my Doctors nice and asexual.
Just heard that George Carlin has passed on. He was one of the fathers of observational comedy.
Kinda rushing through this since I see The Full-Timer in about half an hour...I've got everything prepped but the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup must be fueling the sugar rush.
In the past couple of days, I've been feasting on turtle jelly, that dessert delicacy from Hong Kong. I had been given it by The Lady last Monday after one of her frequent visits there. For a guy like me who won't get anywhere near natto (too slimy and smelly), tororo (looks and tastes like rabies spit) and uni (which planet is that from?), I'm oddly all right with this black jello created with powder from ground-up turtle shell that tastes like medicine. One reason is that I get a couple of small packs of liquid brown sugar to add to it which makes it quite tasty. No such luck with the noxious stuff I'd just mentioned.
The bossman is currently giving a model lesson to The Dentist's buddy...a person who, despite a fairly good comprehension, is still low on the level of the Grandmas. Speedy, of course, would like me to teach him. Oy vey!
GC sent me the latest excerpt from the 4th season of "Doctor Who" via Facebook. It pretty much ties up the Rose/Doctor love story in one big spoiler. Not miffed that I now know the ending since I'm not the type to get worked up about such things. But at least, I'm happy to know all that moping that David Tennant's Doctor will finally be rid of. I like my Doctors nice and asexual.
Just heard that George Carlin has passed on. He was one of the fathers of observational comedy.
Monday June 23, 4:35 p.m.
Well, the dreaded continuation of yesterday's meterological cats and dogs has yet to show up, thankfully. I have the collapsible umbrella with me but fortunately, it's just been cloudy and slightly humid.
Just had The Class Act and SIL for their regulars but next week, they'll all be off which will mean a very leisurely Monday. Speaking of which, at this point, Hump Day will be largely humpless since I don't have anything til 001 on Wednesday night. Tomorrow will be the usual schedule with The Beehive, 002 and then the juku crowd. Suzanne may or may not be back at the leadoff spot.
In tribute to Saturday's arrival of the new "Indiana Jones" movie, the networks have been showing the previous three from a couple of decades ago. Yesterday was the original, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" which is, not surprisingly, the closest in tribute to the swashbuckling movies of the 30s.
Well, the dreaded continuation of yesterday's meterological cats and dogs has yet to show up, thankfully. I have the collapsible umbrella with me but fortunately, it's just been cloudy and slightly humid.
Just had The Class Act and SIL for their regulars but next week, they'll all be off which will mean a very leisurely Monday. Speaking of which, at this point, Hump Day will be largely humpless since I don't have anything til 001 on Wednesday night. Tomorrow will be the usual schedule with The Beehive, 002 and then the juku crowd. Suzanne may or may not be back at the leadoff spot.
In tribute to Saturday's arrival of the new "Indiana Jones" movie, the networks have been showing the previous three from a couple of decades ago. Yesterday was the original, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" which is, not surprisingly, the closest in tribute to the swashbuckling movies of the 30s.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sunday June 22, 3:11 p.m.
A week ago, I was getting my clock punched by eager beaver mikoshi maniacs in sunny and warm weather at The Urayasu Festival. Today, all of us in Japan are being drowned. It is raining a menagerie out there which could be going as long as tomorrow morning. Commuting to Shibuya will be interesting, to say the least. I actually did my laundry this morning, and it's all hanging inside my apartment which means it'll be drippy humid in there when I get back.
Yesterday, I met Tully & The Coffeemaker for the first time in about a month...the former one for the first time in 2 months since he skipped out in May. The lad was able to secure himself a job at some company called Tokyu Dentetsu where he'll be eventually involved in urban planning. As for the class itself, it sounds like the two would rather pick up vocabulary and discuss stuff instead of going for handouts. The Coffeemaker got slightly prickly when she saw yet another photocopy handed to her.
Then, I went to Sugamo, one of the few places in The Big Sushi that I'd yet to visit in all my years here. When I got out of the station from The Mita Line, the avenue was remarkably wide. As for the famed shopping street known as the Harajuku for Seniors, it was definitely a lot more sedate place than its teen-infested counterpart. There were certainly more older folk there than younger....a possible foreshadowing of the demographics to come in Japan. The restaurants lining the street were of the wafu variety: sushi, yakitori and senbe galore. There was a shop selling red clothing of all kinds. My thought was that its market were the middle-agers hitting 60, since that is the age of kanreki (something that Mr. Mild has just gone through) when they are supposed to be feted with a red cape. I also saw red negligees being sold, but I won't make any comments about them. And I did make a celeb sighting...former boxer-turned-tarento Wajima was ambling along the street with a TV crew. He did get noticed by a few people. Of course, with all that wafu-ness of Sugamo, I ended up having lunch in a most appropriate place...Burger King. Yep, at the very area where Hideki Tojo and his minions were jailed and executed after the Second World War, there are now BK and McDs. The Home of the Whopper seems to be making inroads here like wildfire.
I returned a call to Speedy. Apparently, there will be another model lesson on the way. I have had a bit of a skid with my model lessons...I don't think I was too successful with that shy guy at Speedy's the other day, and I'm still not sure about the fate of that gabby woman at the juku on Friday. In any case, I've got one next week. Plus, it looks like BC's relapsed into her depression again. The bossman told me that she started going into her crying jags on Friday which meant that she had to head home early...the 2nd jag was because she felt badly about having to leave the boss in a lurch. Not sure who I feel more sorry for....BC or the boss.
A week ago, I was getting my clock punched by eager beaver mikoshi maniacs in sunny and warm weather at The Urayasu Festival. Today, all of us in Japan are being drowned. It is raining a menagerie out there which could be going as long as tomorrow morning. Commuting to Shibuya will be interesting, to say the least. I actually did my laundry this morning, and it's all hanging inside my apartment which means it'll be drippy humid in there when I get back.
Yesterday, I met Tully & The Coffeemaker for the first time in about a month...the former one for the first time in 2 months since he skipped out in May. The lad was able to secure himself a job at some company called Tokyu Dentetsu where he'll be eventually involved in urban planning. As for the class itself, it sounds like the two would rather pick up vocabulary and discuss stuff instead of going for handouts. The Coffeemaker got slightly prickly when she saw yet another photocopy handed to her.
Then, I went to Sugamo, one of the few places in The Big Sushi that I'd yet to visit in all my years here. When I got out of the station from The Mita Line, the avenue was remarkably wide. As for the famed shopping street known as the Harajuku for Seniors, it was definitely a lot more sedate place than its teen-infested counterpart. There were certainly more older folk there than younger....a possible foreshadowing of the demographics to come in Japan. The restaurants lining the street were of the wafu variety: sushi, yakitori and senbe galore. There was a shop selling red clothing of all kinds. My thought was that its market were the middle-agers hitting 60, since that is the age of kanreki (something that Mr. Mild has just gone through) when they are supposed to be feted with a red cape. I also saw red negligees being sold, but I won't make any comments about them. And I did make a celeb sighting...former boxer-turned-tarento Wajima was ambling along the street with a TV crew. He did get noticed by a few people. Of course, with all that wafu-ness of Sugamo, I ended up having lunch in a most appropriate place...Burger King. Yep, at the very area where Hideki Tojo and his minions were jailed and executed after the Second World War, there are now BK and McDs. The Home of the Whopper seems to be making inroads here like wildfire.
I returned a call to Speedy. Apparently, there will be another model lesson on the way. I have had a bit of a skid with my model lessons...I don't think I was too successful with that shy guy at Speedy's the other day, and I'm still not sure about the fate of that gabby woman at the juku on Friday. In any case, I've got one next week. Plus, it looks like BC's relapsed into her depression again. The bossman told me that she started going into her crying jags on Friday which meant that she had to head home early...the 2nd jag was because she felt badly about having to leave the boss in a lurch. Not sure who I feel more sorry for....BC or the boss.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Friday June 20, 10:30 p.m.
The juku computer seems to be encroaching senescence. There was a thin white line breaking through the screen. Now not only has it thickened but it's gained a second, skinnier little brother.
Well, I met that mystery student today first thing. She's a gabby one...not at all the lowbie that the boss had made her out to be. She's good on the basics and can show a few of the higher-level grammar but she's got sizable holes which we'll need to work upon. However, she did say that she may have to head out to Osaka for a few months due to work. Being my cynical self, I could take it as a hedge to not be my student to save face. At the same time, she did say that she would come back to be my student either starting from next week or next season.
Mild Jr. was his usual intense self when it came to his pronunication. And it looks like he's been having some personality clashes with a colleague at work. I saw The Ace for the first time in 3 weeks. He's been pretty busy himself.
But it's time for me to sign off and get some shuteye before I see Tully & The Coffeemaker for the first time in a month tomorrow.
The juku computer seems to be encroaching senescence. There was a thin white line breaking through the screen. Now not only has it thickened but it's gained a second, skinnier little brother.
Well, I met that mystery student today first thing. She's a gabby one...not at all the lowbie that the boss had made her out to be. She's good on the basics and can show a few of the higher-level grammar but she's got sizable holes which we'll need to work upon. However, she did say that she may have to head out to Osaka for a few months due to work. Being my cynical self, I could take it as a hedge to not be my student to save face. At the same time, she did say that she would come back to be my student either starting from next week or next season.
Mild Jr. was his usual intense self when it came to his pronunication. And it looks like he's been having some personality clashes with a colleague at work. I saw The Ace for the first time in 3 weeks. He's been pretty busy himself.
But it's time for me to sign off and get some shuteye before I see Tully & The Coffeemaker for the first time in a month tomorrow.
Friday June 20, 5:50 p.m.
Basically twiddling my thumbs here at the juku waiting for that first student to come. I ended up getting something to eat at the conbini so I didn't end up sleeping on the table. I am feeling more alert now. Max Coffee works wonders.
Speaking of Max, I've been reading some of the early reviews for the cinematic version of "Get Smart" with Steve Carell. I was rather surprised that it hasn't been the bomb that I was suspecting it to be. So far, the reviews have been mixed and apparently the reviewers on IMDB are just raving about it...which does make me even more suspicious than Siegfried. Well, at this point, it doesn't really matter since I won't probably be able to see it for several months...if it comes here at all...the show isn't really known in Japan. I guess it'll be like the movie version of "Dragnet" with Dan Ackroyd and pre-"Big" Tom Hanks.
The juku boss informed me that this prospective TOEIC student coming in about an hour had dropped by on Wednesday night for an initial face-to-face. I was rather surprised to find out the boss' assessment of her. Apparently, she's not all that high-up in the conversational department. The student claims that she was able to get 600 points (which would put her solidly in the intermediate territory) solely on the Listening section which got an unbelieving snort out of me (I hardly ever snort, which will tell you how surprised I was). You don't get 600 points just out of completing half a TOEIC test, sister. Well, I guess things may have to be adjusted once she comes in. Still not sure if she'll be a convert since she lives so far away in Narita. For that matter, I kinda wonder if Suzanne will return after her Aussie homestay. She lives all the way out near Ikebukuro in west Tokyo...not as far out as Narita, but still not sure if she really thinks the juku classes have been worth enough to justify staying in Urayasu that much longer after her part-time job.
In any case, it's just a job...
Basically twiddling my thumbs here at the juku waiting for that first student to come. I ended up getting something to eat at the conbini so I didn't end up sleeping on the table. I am feeling more alert now. Max Coffee works wonders.
Speaking of Max, I've been reading some of the early reviews for the cinematic version of "Get Smart" with Steve Carell. I was rather surprised that it hasn't been the bomb that I was suspecting it to be. So far, the reviews have been mixed and apparently the reviewers on IMDB are just raving about it...which does make me even more suspicious than Siegfried. Well, at this point, it doesn't really matter since I won't probably be able to see it for several months...if it comes here at all...the show isn't really known in Japan. I guess it'll be like the movie version of "Dragnet" with Dan Ackroyd and pre-"Big" Tom Hanks.
The juku boss informed me that this prospective TOEIC student coming in about an hour had dropped by on Wednesday night for an initial face-to-face. I was rather surprised to find out the boss' assessment of her. Apparently, she's not all that high-up in the conversational department. The student claims that she was able to get 600 points (which would put her solidly in the intermediate territory) solely on the Listening section which got an unbelieving snort out of me (I hardly ever snort, which will tell you how surprised I was). You don't get 600 points just out of completing half a TOEIC test, sister. Well, I guess things may have to be adjusted once she comes in. Still not sure if she'll be a convert since she lives so far away in Narita. For that matter, I kinda wonder if Suzanne will return after her Aussie homestay. She lives all the way out near Ikebukuro in west Tokyo...not as far out as Narita, but still not sure if she really thinks the juku classes have been worth enough to justify staying in Urayasu that much longer after her part-time job.
In any case, it's just a job...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Friday June 20, 1:19 p.m.
Pretty unsettled out there. May or may not rain. Just had another tonkatsu meal. Ironically, as I was waiting for my meal to come out, I came across a comic strip in one of the cheap tomes that populate the shelf by the door which dealt with obese Japanese at a fat camp. I gather that its time has come. In a country where MegaMacs, Burger King Whoppers and eating contests reign supreme in Japanese pop culture, it's no surprise that I've come across folks who are even bigger than me. And did I forget to mention Krispy Kreme? I just heard that KK #4 will open up in Lalaport, the Funabashi mall?
I got the word from Skippy about catching "Indiana Jones". Looks like the date is set for the 29th. Luckily, I have no plans that day.
Just have the juku students tonight, including that model lesson with that intrepid TOEIC student. I've managed to cobble something together for a possible TOEIC-based lesson, but I'm not sure if the student would want a cobbler...a TOEIC teacher would be better. Afterwards, it'll be Mild Jr. and then The Ace.
Pretty unsettled out there. May or may not rain. Just had another tonkatsu meal. Ironically, as I was waiting for my meal to come out, I came across a comic strip in one of the cheap tomes that populate the shelf by the door which dealt with obese Japanese at a fat camp. I gather that its time has come. In a country where MegaMacs, Burger King Whoppers and eating contests reign supreme in Japanese pop culture, it's no surprise that I've come across folks who are even bigger than me. And did I forget to mention Krispy Kreme? I just heard that KK #4 will open up in Lalaport, the Funabashi mall?
I got the word from Skippy about catching "Indiana Jones". Looks like the date is set for the 29th. Luckily, I have no plans that day.
Just have the juku students tonight, including that model lesson with that intrepid TOEIC student. I've managed to cobble something together for a possible TOEIC-based lesson, but I'm not sure if the student would want a cobbler...a TOEIC teacher would be better. Afterwards, it'll be Mild Jr. and then The Ace.
Thursday June 19, 9:58 p.m.
I ended up teaching The Temp at that cafe where I'd been first introduced to her. Got there about a half-hour early so I indulged in a Keema Curry Sauce Pasta (pretty good) with a Caramel Milk (very good) before she arrived. If it weren't for the fact that her fluency was fairly low, I'd peg her as nearly an advanced student. We were lucky that it wasn't a busy night at the cafe...in fact, for the last 10 minutes, we were the only folks in there. And best of all, no crazed women.
Then, I got Slim. We had a good conversation in the last several minutes of the lesson which put us 1o minutes overtime about the somewhat progressive nature of his company. For one thing, his firm's sales staff don't need to fight against quotas in an industry which just loves them. Although sales will always be tough, a lot of pressure is taken off in his company because of the lack of quotas.
I'll have another leisurely Friday although I'll have to go to City Hall to find out about clinics or hospitals where I can get my checkup. Then, I'll have a threesome at the juku. There's that model lesson student for TOEIC (not sure how that's gonna go) and then Mild Jr. followed by The Ace.
I ended up teaching The Temp at that cafe where I'd been first introduced to her. Got there about a half-hour early so I indulged in a Keema Curry Sauce Pasta (pretty good) with a Caramel Milk (very good) before she arrived. If it weren't for the fact that her fluency was fairly low, I'd peg her as nearly an advanced student. We were lucky that it wasn't a busy night at the cafe...in fact, for the last 10 minutes, we were the only folks in there. And best of all, no crazed women.
Then, I got Slim. We had a good conversation in the last several minutes of the lesson which put us 1o minutes overtime about the somewhat progressive nature of his company. For one thing, his firm's sales staff don't need to fight against quotas in an industry which just loves them. Although sales will always be tough, a lot of pressure is taken off in his company because of the lack of quotas.
I'll have another leisurely Friday although I'll have to go to City Hall to find out about clinics or hospitals where I can get my checkup. Then, I'll have a threesome at the juku. There's that model lesson student for TOEIC (not sure how that's gonna go) and then Mild Jr. followed by The Ace.
Thursday June 19, 4:44 p.m.
The Nurse remarked that our lessons don't seem to make much progress in terms of text pages; it was another case of sidetracking again, not that she minded too much seemingly. Plus, she's observed that whenever she re-listens to our conversation on her recorder, the theme tends to hover around food a lot.
Which brings me to the confession that today has become a McD Day. Speedy was gently nudging me to take advantage of the coupons that have been hanging on our fridge door. I have to admit that it didn't take much arm-twisting to get in on the McMeal despite the fact that I'd had a McBreakfast this morning. This could be interesting when I head over to the cafe to teach The Temp.
Which brings me to yet another segue. It was a bit late in coming, but Speedy said that I could bring my newest student over to the school, if so desired. So I've sent over a better-late-than-never message to her about the bossman's offer.
I just saw the newest and last trailer for the cinematic version of "Get Smart"...the movie will open tomorrow in the States. I know that the movie will probably bomb worse than even....well, "The Nude Bomb" almost 30 years ago but I did enjoy the one scene in the trailer where 99 had to nudge something from Max's jacket with her bare foot....and I do mean in a humourous way. Aside from that scene, though, the humour looks pretty non-existent and the movie will probably end up being on the heap of failed TV show remakes.
The Nurse remarked that our lessons don't seem to make much progress in terms of text pages; it was another case of sidetracking again, not that she minded too much seemingly. Plus, she's observed that whenever she re-listens to our conversation on her recorder, the theme tends to hover around food a lot.
Which brings me to the confession that today has become a McD Day. Speedy was gently nudging me to take advantage of the coupons that have been hanging on our fridge door. I have to admit that it didn't take much arm-twisting to get in on the McMeal despite the fact that I'd had a McBreakfast this morning. This could be interesting when I head over to the cafe to teach The Temp.
Which brings me to yet another segue. It was a bit late in coming, but Speedy said that I could bring my newest student over to the school, if so desired. So I've sent over a better-late-than-never message to her about the bossman's offer.
I just saw the newest and last trailer for the cinematic version of "Get Smart"...the movie will open tomorrow in the States. I know that the movie will probably bomb worse than even....well, "The Nude Bomb" almost 30 years ago but I did enjoy the one scene in the trailer where 99 had to nudge something from Max's jacket with her bare foot....and I do mean in a humourous way. Aside from that scene, though, the humour looks pretty non-existent and the movie will probably end up being on the heap of failed TV show remakes.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Thursday June 19, 11:33 a.m.
Grandma Dynamite was anything but today. As Speedy passed her off onto me, he whispered that she wasn't firing on all cylinders...memory lapses, mumbling to herself, the whole schmear. She told me that she wasn't feeling too well; yep, I could see that...she was burping a bit during class. However, the yuzu jam tea helped her flagging energies somewhat. Maybe I could've used a cup of it as well, but I had to settle for ice water.
Well, I've got the first of two long breaks since The Nurse's lesson isn't til 3 p.m.
Grandma Dynamite was anything but today. As Speedy passed her off onto me, he whispered that she wasn't firing on all cylinders...memory lapses, mumbling to herself, the whole schmear. She told me that she wasn't feeling too well; yep, I could see that...she was burping a bit during class. However, the yuzu jam tea helped her flagging energies somewhat. Maybe I could've used a cup of it as well, but I had to settle for ice water.
Well, I've got the first of two long breaks since The Nurse's lesson isn't til 3 p.m.
Thursday June 19, 9:06 a.m.
Was looking for that Harrison Ford appearance on BISTRO SMAP via YouTube. Sure enough, it was there. He looked rather zoned out or befuddled, but when you're in the midst of Japanese pop culture, it can be easy to feel that way. I see that he's also paid his tribute to Japan by appearing in his first Kirin beer commercial in many years...this time, he's in a sauna.
Since it's another morning lesson here at Speedy's, it was another MacBreakfast. I gave the MegaMuffin another try after a somewhat underwhelming first try some weeks ago. This time, it went down a bit easier. Still, the slippage factor is of some concern. Forgive my anal nature, but I just don't like it when the contents of a sandwich threaten to vomit out the other side whenever I bite into it. The overall grease, ketchup and cheese act as a great example to hydroplaning. Overall, though, I think I'm pretty much filled up til dinner time when I meet The Temp for her 2nd lesson.
Was looking for that Harrison Ford appearance on BISTRO SMAP via YouTube. Sure enough, it was there. He looked rather zoned out or befuddled, but when you're in the midst of Japanese pop culture, it can be easy to feel that way. I see that he's also paid his tribute to Japan by appearing in his first Kirin beer commercial in many years...this time, he's in a sauna.
Since it's another morning lesson here at Speedy's, it was another MacBreakfast. I gave the MegaMuffin another try after a somewhat underwhelming first try some weeks ago. This time, it went down a bit easier. Still, the slippage factor is of some concern. Forgive my anal nature, but I just don't like it when the contents of a sandwich threaten to vomit out the other side whenever I bite into it. The overall grease, ketchup and cheese act as a great example to hydroplaning. Overall, though, I think I'm pretty much filled up til dinner time when I meet The Temp for her 2nd lesson.
Thursday June 19, 8:43 a.m.
Woke up later than I should have, but still managed to get out of the house within 15 minutes. That may not seem too impressive to you up-and-at-'ems, but for a guy like me who usually takes 3 hours between getting up and taking off, this is a matter for some celebration. So, it was with some irony that Speedy had overslept and had to rush on over here to see his very first student of the day. I'd first thought when I came in to an empty school that the student had cancelled, as he is prone to do from time to time due to the rigours of his work. So, when the student did arrive with no bossman around, I went into crisis mode. However, the student reassured me that he would be on his way....apparently, Speedy contacted his student on his cell while the student was en route.
I've only got 4 students today but my schedule is stretched out due to a combined total of 7 hours of downtime. A bit of a bummer but as they say here, sho ga nai.
Woke up later than I should have, but still managed to get out of the house within 15 minutes. That may not seem too impressive to you up-and-at-'ems, but for a guy like me who usually takes 3 hours between getting up and taking off, this is a matter for some celebration. So, it was with some irony that Speedy had overslept and had to rush on over here to see his very first student of the day. I'd first thought when I came in to an empty school that the student had cancelled, as he is prone to do from time to time due to the rigours of his work. So, when the student did arrive with no bossman around, I went into crisis mode. However, the student reassured me that he would be on his way....apparently, Speedy contacted his student on his cell while the student was en route.
I've only got 4 students today but my schedule is stretched out due to a combined total of 7 hours of downtime. A bit of a bummer but as they say here, sho ga nai.
Wednesday June 18, 9:37 p.m.
Well, it may have been a truncated Hump Day, but I still feel like I went through a wringer, thanks to that off-kilter model lesson and the usual roller-coaster ride with The Diver. 001 was fine, as long as we didn't stay too long on the text; she's not too thrilled with it anymore. She and The Diver did get their amusement from the pictures of me carrying the mikoshi.
Tomorrow, I've got another foursome starting with Grandma Dynamite followed by The Nurse, The Temp and then Slim.
Well, it may have been a truncated Hump Day, but I still feel like I went through a wringer, thanks to that off-kilter model lesson and the usual roller-coaster ride with The Diver. 001 was fine, as long as we didn't stay too long on the text; she's not too thrilled with it anymore. She and The Diver did get their amusement from the pictures of me carrying the mikoshi.
Tomorrow, I've got another foursome starting with Grandma Dynamite followed by The Nurse, The Temp and then Slim.
Wednesday June 18, 5:36 p.m.
Well, that model lesson was like an incomplete high school curriculum...no chemistry. The man's nice enough but he is apparently an extreme practitioner of that art of appreciating the silences between utterances. It was like pulling teeth. Not sure if I'm gonna make a convert out of him, but then again, I had no hope for The Yogist at her model lesson, and now she's a fan on the level of 001 or 002.
There's nothing like struggling through a model lesson to sap the energy out of you. I was ready for that conbini lunch. Fortunately, I have 001 up next before The Diver. If it had been the other way around, I would've needed an ambulance.
Well, that model lesson was like an incomplete high school curriculum...no chemistry. The man's nice enough but he is apparently an extreme practitioner of that art of appreciating the silences between utterances. It was like pulling teeth. Not sure if I'm gonna make a convert out of him, but then again, I had no hope for The Yogist at her model lesson, and now she's a fan on the level of 001 or 002.
There's nothing like struggling through a model lesson to sap the energy out of you. I was ready for that conbini lunch. Fortunately, I have 001 up next before The Diver. If it had been the other way around, I would've needed an ambulance.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Wednesday June 18, 12:38 p.m.
Another unsettled day....not particularly sunny but not too cloudy or rainy. And we're neither too hot or too cold, but it is humid. The morning wide shows have been analyzing the horribly mad world of the late Tsutomu Miyazaki. Miyazaki had once said about his killings that anyone would've been fine...dare demo yokatta. It would seem that this phrase may become a candidate for one of the annual catchphrases since it's been used by several of this year's psychos, including the one responsible for The Akihabara Massacre.
Looks like someone came a tad too early for my lesson. I just heard from BC and Speedy that The Big Lug made a mistake on his lesson day and arrived here 24 hours early instead of his time of 1:45 today. We would laugh but he lives quite a ways away. Also have a model lesson coming up right after him. And then it's 001 followed by The Diver.
Harrison Ford did the thing that a lot of Hollywood celebs do whenever they come into town to plug a picture...he showed up on the Fuji-TV morning news show, "Mezamashi Terebi". Well, the feature itself will be shown tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure he'll be considerably less bizarre than Mr. Karube's last foreign guest, Mariah Carey. And I'm sure Ford will find Mr. Karube considerably less bizarre than the sight of Puffy as interviewers when he had come over to plug "Air Force One" years ago.
Another unsettled day....not particularly sunny but not too cloudy or rainy. And we're neither too hot or too cold, but it is humid. The morning wide shows have been analyzing the horribly mad world of the late Tsutomu Miyazaki. Miyazaki had once said about his killings that anyone would've been fine...dare demo yokatta. It would seem that this phrase may become a candidate for one of the annual catchphrases since it's been used by several of this year's psychos, including the one responsible for The Akihabara Massacre.
Looks like someone came a tad too early for my lesson. I just heard from BC and Speedy that The Big Lug made a mistake on his lesson day and arrived here 24 hours early instead of his time of 1:45 today. We would laugh but he lives quite a ways away. Also have a model lesson coming up right after him. And then it's 001 followed by The Diver.
Harrison Ford did the thing that a lot of Hollywood celebs do whenever they come into town to plug a picture...he showed up on the Fuji-TV morning news show, "Mezamashi Terebi". Well, the feature itself will be shown tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure he'll be considerably less bizarre than Mr. Karube's last foreign guest, Mariah Carey. And I'm sure Ford will find Mr. Karube considerably less bizarre than the sight of Puffy as interviewers when he had come over to plug "Air Force One" years ago.
Tuesday June 17, 9:16 p.m.
I only had Mr. Mild today. Apparently, Mrs. Mild had a bout of dizziness due to fatigue. He gave me some of the shots from Sunday's hijinks. Man, I really DO NOT take good pictures. I looked like an exhausted Jabba Du Hutt carrying that mikoshi. Well, it'll be worth several minutes of laughs tomorrow at Speedy's. And as the saying goes, if you can get a minute's worth of laughter out of someone, that'll mean he'll listen to you an extra minute longer. I think I should coast through tomorrow's classes then.
Well, Jolly is indeed coming, albeit he'll be a few minutes late. However, since I have an afternoon start to Wednesday, I don't mind that much at all. It'll also be a slower Hump Day since I don't have The Nurse starting up in the morning and Medicine Man won't be coming in to wrap things up. I may be able to head home early yet again.
I only had Mr. Mild today. Apparently, Mrs. Mild had a bout of dizziness due to fatigue. He gave me some of the shots from Sunday's hijinks. Man, I really DO NOT take good pictures. I looked like an exhausted Jabba Du Hutt carrying that mikoshi. Well, it'll be worth several minutes of laughs tomorrow at Speedy's. And as the saying goes, if you can get a minute's worth of laughter out of someone, that'll mean he'll listen to you an extra minute longer. I think I should coast through tomorrow's classes then.
Well, Jolly is indeed coming, albeit he'll be a few minutes late. However, since I have an afternoon start to Wednesday, I don't mind that much at all. It'll also be a slower Hump Day since I don't have The Nurse starting up in the morning and Medicine Man won't be coming in to wrap things up. I may be able to head home early yet again.
Tuesday June 17, 4:54 p.m.
Well, after nearly 20 years, the government finally gave notorious serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki what everyone (including himself) had expected and hoped for...his chance at the noose. He was executed earlier today and the Justice Minister made the announcement around noon. I'm sure the news hit the stands via bulletin. I'd just come to Japan for my stint on JET when the news of this owlish man who had killed little girls, desecrated their bodies and ate a couple of them hit the screens and papers like a howitzer. Miyazaki became the poster boy for all that was supposedly wrong with the otaku of Akihabara (ironically, not too long after, a tarento named Hachiro Taku parodying a doll-obsessed otaku became a popular fellow on TV). The timing of the execution is interesting...it came just a week after another otaku, Tomohiro Kato, had attacked Akihabara itself in a stab-and-run massacre and just a couple of days after a slew of copycats threatened to follow Kato's lead. A warning?
In any case, unlike in the States where executions are publicly advertised on all of the networks, the Japanese justice system never announces its executions until after the deed has been done. The death-row inmates sometimes get less than 24 hours' notice although they may have been waiting for years and years. I'm sure as I type this, the TV stations are going over the history of this madman Miyazaki once more.
Well, The Beehive just had a couple of its members show up...Mrs. Alp and Mrs. Jade. There was more on the Croatian trip....I received another souvenir in the form of Croatian raisins, or perhaps they should be called sultanas instead. They're fairly big and juicy suckers although I could hardly call them dates. I'll probably share them with The Milds in partial thanks for Sunday. Mrs. Alp also informed us that Mrs. Perth's father had finally passed away last Tuesday which brought up the topic of Japanese funerals. However, by the end of the session, the two ladies were bursting at the seams at this possible new project of setting up a private party at a nearby hotel when Mrs. Tulip returns for a summer vacation late next month.
002 and I had another rollicking good time although I'm starting to wonder if we're just chatting a bit too much in these lessons.
When I got into Urayasu, the lanterns from last weekend's festival were still up. But it was basically back to normal business after all of the mikoshi-fueled madness of last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The welts on my right shoulder are healing quite nicely now, although I'm joking that they look like the aftereffects of a vigourous session at an S&M club in Roppongi. I'm still an hour away from seeing The Milds and perhaps Jolly. It'll be a short session tonight in any event. However, this Friday is looking atypically busy here. I've got Mild Jr. and The Ace, but before them, I may have a new student in the form of a lady who wants to up her TOEIC score from 600 to 800 points. That would be patently impossible but I'll see what I can do for her. I'm not sure if it would be worth the effort since she lives all the way out in Narita, but the lady says that the juku is on the way between her job in Tokyo and her home. Oooooookay. I did see The Brazilian...who was looking considerably less genki than she did when I'd first met her. She just went through 3/4 of a marathon grammar session with the boss before the boss herself cut things short due to her young charge's imminent collapse.
Well, I did try to hold off but the hunger is coming back again so time to grab a little something at the conbini.
Well, after nearly 20 years, the government finally gave notorious serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki what everyone (including himself) had expected and hoped for...his chance at the noose. He was executed earlier today and the Justice Minister made the announcement around noon. I'm sure the news hit the stands via bulletin. I'd just come to Japan for my stint on JET when the news of this owlish man who had killed little girls, desecrated their bodies and ate a couple of them hit the screens and papers like a howitzer. Miyazaki became the poster boy for all that was supposedly wrong with the otaku of Akihabara (ironically, not too long after, a tarento named Hachiro Taku parodying a doll-obsessed otaku became a popular fellow on TV). The timing of the execution is interesting...it came just a week after another otaku, Tomohiro Kato, had attacked Akihabara itself in a stab-and-run massacre and just a couple of days after a slew of copycats threatened to follow Kato's lead. A warning?
In any case, unlike in the States where executions are publicly advertised on all of the networks, the Japanese justice system never announces its executions until after the deed has been done. The death-row inmates sometimes get less than 24 hours' notice although they may have been waiting for years and years. I'm sure as I type this, the TV stations are going over the history of this madman Miyazaki once more.
Well, The Beehive just had a couple of its members show up...Mrs. Alp and Mrs. Jade. There was more on the Croatian trip....I received another souvenir in the form of Croatian raisins, or perhaps they should be called sultanas instead. They're fairly big and juicy suckers although I could hardly call them dates. I'll probably share them with The Milds in partial thanks for Sunday. Mrs. Alp also informed us that Mrs. Perth's father had finally passed away last Tuesday which brought up the topic of Japanese funerals. However, by the end of the session, the two ladies were bursting at the seams at this possible new project of setting up a private party at a nearby hotel when Mrs. Tulip returns for a summer vacation late next month.
002 and I had another rollicking good time although I'm starting to wonder if we're just chatting a bit too much in these lessons.
When I got into Urayasu, the lanterns from last weekend's festival were still up. But it was basically back to normal business after all of the mikoshi-fueled madness of last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The welts on my right shoulder are healing quite nicely now, although I'm joking that they look like the aftereffects of a vigourous session at an S&M club in Roppongi. I'm still an hour away from seeing The Milds and perhaps Jolly. It'll be a short session tonight in any event. However, this Friday is looking atypically busy here. I've got Mild Jr. and The Ace, but before them, I may have a new student in the form of a lady who wants to up her TOEIC score from 600 to 800 points. That would be patently impossible but I'll see what I can do for her. I'm not sure if it would be worth the effort since she lives all the way out in Narita, but the lady says that the juku is on the way between her job in Tokyo and her home. Oooooookay. I did see The Brazilian...who was looking considerably less genki than she did when I'd first met her. She just went through 3/4 of a marathon grammar session with the boss before the boss herself cut things short due to her young charge's imminent collapse.
Well, I did try to hold off but the hunger is coming back again so time to grab a little something at the conbini.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday June 16, 9:14 p.m.
Yes, as it turned out, Slim erred on the time so he literally dropped a rice ball and flew over here on a wave of sweat and embarrassment. He was profusely sorry but no worries here. He has established himself as a fine student.
Looks like Skippy's hopes for Harrison Ford to show up on the premiere day of the latest Indiana Jones flick will be dashed. The big man had already shown up for the Japan special premiere last week at Roppongi Hills and even did a Bistro SMAP. Kinda glad I missed that.
Anyways, I'm ready to get home at an insanely more reasonable time than I've had for a Monday in several months.
Yes, as it turned out, Slim erred on the time so he literally dropped a rice ball and flew over here on a wave of sweat and embarrassment. He was profusely sorry but no worries here. He has established himself as a fine student.
Looks like Skippy's hopes for Harrison Ford to show up on the premiere day of the latest Indiana Jones flick will be dashed. The big man had already shown up for the Japan special premiere last week at Roppongi Hills and even did a Bistro SMAP. Kinda glad I missed that.
Anyways, I'm ready to get home at an insanely more reasonable time than I've had for a Monday in several months.
Monday June 16, 7:42 p.m.
Uh-oh. Slim hasn't shown up yet, and he's usually punctual to the second. I've got a feeling he's misunderstood the time. We'll see...
Looks like the police have been keeping a very sharp eye for any copycat would-be killers after The Akihabara Massacre. The cops arrested a 17-year-old girl in one of the far-flung prefectures after they'd found out that she was "inspired" to do the same thing. Not sure if she had also been targeting Akiba, though.
Well, so far so good. BC seems to be in fairly good spirits. I asked Speedy quietly about her condition and she seems to be doing OK.
Tomorrow I've got The Beehive at the usual place. And I've still gotta give the last two presents from Mom for Mrs. Jade and Mrs. Tee. Then, it'll be 002 followed by the juku gang. Well, it'll be more like a trio...just The Milds and Jolly, although Jolly is always a maybe.
So I see that John Barrowman of "Torchwood" and "Doctor Who" fame will be showing up on CITY-TV's "Breakfast Television" in about an hour or so back in Toronto. I wonder if he'll be trying to pick up everyone in sight on Queen St.
Thought as much...Slim thought his class was for 8:30 p.m. He's coming around the mountain, as we speak.
Uh-oh. Slim hasn't shown up yet, and he's usually punctual to the second. I've got a feeling he's misunderstood the time. We'll see...
Looks like the police have been keeping a very sharp eye for any copycat would-be killers after The Akihabara Massacre. The cops arrested a 17-year-old girl in one of the far-flung prefectures after they'd found out that she was "inspired" to do the same thing. Not sure if she had also been targeting Akiba, though.
Well, so far so good. BC seems to be in fairly good spirits. I asked Speedy quietly about her condition and she seems to be doing OK.
Tomorrow I've got The Beehive at the usual place. And I've still gotta give the last two presents from Mom for Mrs. Jade and Mrs. Tee. Then, it'll be 002 followed by the juku gang. Well, it'll be more like a trio...just The Milds and Jolly, although Jolly is always a maybe.
So I see that John Barrowman of "Torchwood" and "Doctor Who" fame will be showing up on CITY-TV's "Breakfast Television" in about an hour or so back in Toronto. I wonder if he'll be trying to pick up everyone in sight on Queen St.
Thought as much...Slim thought his class was for 8:30 p.m. He's coming around the mountain, as we speak.
Monday June 16, 5:31 p.m.
Continuing on about The Urayasu Festival...Mr. Mild and I came back to his house for a little respite. We ended up playing his Wii Sports on the plasma TV. Well, mikoshi-carrying and Wii tennis may not be my forte, but I seemed to have been in the groove like Tiger Woods yesterday when it came to Wii bowling. Not sure what it was, but I was able to get 5 strikes in one game.
We made one more foray outside, but this time I changed back into J-Canuck, regular citizen. It was about 5 p.m. and our mikoshi had already reached "home" as it were and the young'uns were making one final tired toss of the shrine before finally calling it quits. Some congratulatory iced coffee and squid-on-a-stick, and then Mr. Mild and I were walking through the non-mikoshi festivities in old Urayasu. I keep mentioning old Urayasu, the reason being that Mr. Mild explained that The Urayasu Festival is only held in the original town, and not Shin (New) Urayasu which was built on reclaimed land. The main sidewalks were clogged with festivalgoers stopping at the various stands selling okonomiyaki, choco-bananas and yakisoba. One guy was even frying up chicken steaks. After a good long walk, we reached Seiryu Shrine, one of the three main shrines in Urayasu. We dutifully lined up and made our prayers. Also, the 38 mikoshi that were involved in all of the hijinks were to be brought majestically into the shrine grounds with all of the "Mae da!" that had been characteristic of the day. The schedule was running late, so I only saw the first huge mikoshi being brought in. That turned out to be the only really dangerous point in the festival as the exhausted bearers almost lost control of it and unfortunately there was a crowd surrounding the shrine. People ended up being slightly crushed and pushed as the guys struggled to get hold onto it. But that was about it. I gave my thanks to Mr. Mild and made my way home. Mr. Mild promised (threatened?) to show the prints from my stint under the mikoshi tomorrow at the juku. I'm sure much hilarity will ensue.
Today has been the usual Monday. I got to see The Class Act for the first time in a couple of weeks. I got a couple of small containers of turtle jelly from The Lady via her trip to Hong Kong last week. I'll probably give one container to the Milds in thanks for yesterday. I should warn them to put on lots of honey before eating the jelly. Then, I had SIL...again a lot of nostalgic talk. I'm having The Full-Timer in about 15 minutes followed by Slim to wrap up. It'll be an uncharacteristically early night since folks like The Tippler and Medicine Man won't be coming in tonight. I'll definitely head on back home once I'm finished with Slim.
That earthquake up in the Tohoku area has had deaths, missing and injuries regrettably. And the green hills look like whole slabs had been carved out from them. Although the loss of life is tragic, I still have to say that the consequences of that quake compared to the ones that have hit China and other countries in recent years have convinced me that Japan is the leading nation when it comes to earthquake prevention and emergency aid. Just wonder when The Big One is gonna hit the Kanto, though. It's like a geological game of Russian Roulette.
Continuing on about The Urayasu Festival...Mr. Mild and I came back to his house for a little respite. We ended up playing his Wii Sports on the plasma TV. Well, mikoshi-carrying and Wii tennis may not be my forte, but I seemed to have been in the groove like Tiger Woods yesterday when it came to Wii bowling. Not sure what it was, but I was able to get 5 strikes in one game.
We made one more foray outside, but this time I changed back into J-Canuck, regular citizen. It was about 5 p.m. and our mikoshi had already reached "home" as it were and the young'uns were making one final tired toss of the shrine before finally calling it quits. Some congratulatory iced coffee and squid-on-a-stick, and then Mr. Mild and I were walking through the non-mikoshi festivities in old Urayasu. I keep mentioning old Urayasu, the reason being that Mr. Mild explained that The Urayasu Festival is only held in the original town, and not Shin (New) Urayasu which was built on reclaimed land. The main sidewalks were clogged with festivalgoers stopping at the various stands selling okonomiyaki, choco-bananas and yakisoba. One guy was even frying up chicken steaks. After a good long walk, we reached Seiryu Shrine, one of the three main shrines in Urayasu. We dutifully lined up and made our prayers. Also, the 38 mikoshi that were involved in all of the hijinks were to be brought majestically into the shrine grounds with all of the "Mae da!" that had been characteristic of the day. The schedule was running late, so I only saw the first huge mikoshi being brought in. That turned out to be the only really dangerous point in the festival as the exhausted bearers almost lost control of it and unfortunately there was a crowd surrounding the shrine. People ended up being slightly crushed and pushed as the guys struggled to get hold onto it. But that was about it. I gave my thanks to Mr. Mild and made my way home. Mr. Mild promised (threatened?) to show the prints from my stint under the mikoshi tomorrow at the juku. I'm sure much hilarity will ensue.
Today has been the usual Monday. I got to see The Class Act for the first time in a couple of weeks. I got a couple of small containers of turtle jelly from The Lady via her trip to Hong Kong last week. I'll probably give one container to the Milds in thanks for yesterday. I should warn them to put on lots of honey before eating the jelly. Then, I had SIL...again a lot of nostalgic talk. I'm having The Full-Timer in about 15 minutes followed by Slim to wrap up. It'll be an uncharacteristically early night since folks like The Tippler and Medicine Man won't be coming in tonight. I'll definitely head on back home once I'm finished with Slim.
That earthquake up in the Tohoku area has had deaths, missing and injuries regrettably. And the green hills look like whole slabs had been carved out from them. Although the loss of life is tragic, I still have to say that the consequences of that quake compared to the ones that have hit China and other countries in recent years have convinced me that Japan is the leading nation when it comes to earthquake prevention and emergency aid. Just wonder when The Big One is gonna hit the Kanto, though. It's like a geological game of Russian Roulette.
Monday June 16, 4:40 p.m.
Well, we're past the halfway mark for this month again. It's getting warm out there...including my apartment which should reach oven levels in the next couple of weeks. I'm trying to toughen myself up from using my air conditioner so that I don't end up in hock to TEPCO.
Saturday night was once again DVD Night with Movie Buddy and The Satyr. First up was "The Kingdom", the action-thriller flick with Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner as an FBI team in Saudi Arabia. It was pretty much a connect-the-dots flick...not particularly imaginative or gripping but entertaining enough. The best movie of the night was "Superbad" which had teens with some unbelievably potty mouths. And the characters weren't the usual stereotypes...at least, not totally. Everyone, including McLovin, cussed each other out with equal measure. Then, there was "Apocalypto" which was 3/4 historical tragic epic and 1/4 "Rambo".
Strangely enough, while MB and I were watching "Apocalypto", I received a call from GC for the first time in years. It was almost as if there had been no grand silence between us. Unfortunately, the timing was rather bad since we were in mid-feature so I asked him to call me back the next night.
The next day had MB and I doing our usual post-DVD breakfast at the nearby Skylark's. While I was headed out for The Urayasu Festival, MB would be heading for Akihabara. He only realized it too late, but he was wearing a T-shirt which had what looked like blood spatters and some kanji which translated into "I'm sorry for cutting you into little pieces." Not particularly the right tee to wear, considering last week's bloodbath there.
As for The Urayasu Festival, I'd mentioned last entry about that frenzied scene in Classic Trek where the residents of Landru's planet always went completely nutso for about 12 hours. Well, this festival only comes around once every four years. And the residents of old Urayasu certainly acted as if they were members of Landru.
It all started when I got to the Milds' house. Mr. Mild had me decked out in happi coat, 27.5-cm tabi and sash. The weather was ideal for mikoshi-carrying...sunny but not too hot. At first, Mr. Mild and Mild Jr. took me to one of the main streets to see this huge parade of mikoshi, or portable shrines, each being carried by a dozen or so ever-so-happy folks in traditional gear. Finally, came our turn. Mild Jr. and I took our places under the wooden bars of our mikoshi. When it was time, we started strutting our stuff. We had to yell "Mae da! Mae da" (Ahead! Ahead!) which was the Urayasu version of what other festivalgoers usually say, which is "Wa shoi! Wa shoi!" I tell you...those 5 minutes were pretty much a roller coaster. The mikoshi itself wasn't too heavy since there was a good gross of hardier types carrying it along with me. But when it came to tossing the mikoshi up and down, my right shoulder ended up getting mugged worse than a tourist in Central Park. Mild Jr. would later tell me that I sounded as I had been slowly dying. That solid wooden bar just thwacked my shoulder several times.
It was a bit of break for lunch at the Milds' place where Mrs. Mild put out a pretty nice spread of food. Then, it was back to mikoshi-carrying again. The sun was far brighter and hotter in the afternoon, of course, and so I only lasted a few minutes, which probably didn't get much respect from the surrounding veterans. It was only a few minutes but I felt like I went through the wringer. However, to add to my internal humiliation, Mr. Mild, retired fellow, went under the shrine 3 times for some minutes each time, and a number of the younger ladies were literally shouldering the burden as well. Mr. Mild later told me that there were two types of people at The Urayasu Festival...those that were mikoshi maniacs and those who were mikoshi-phobic and preferred to watch. I think I became a convert to the latter. Mr. Mild and I noticed one guy walking in front of us...he was built like a sumotori and had a rather sizable hump on the back of his neck which looked like an angry red lava flow ready to blow...now he was a mikoshi maniac!
The majority of the time, the mikoshi carriers kept on doing their chants and moving along, but once in a while, they would stop and proceed to perform another action which involved bringing down the shrine to a low level and rotating it 360 degrees while the supporters yelled "Maware!" (Turn it!). That looked like backbreaking work. But the real craziness was when the dozen or so carriers would suddenly start tossing this huge heavy mikoshi up in the air three times....a bit risky but somehow they were able to steady the thing without having it crash onto automobile traffic (yep, there were some unfortunate motorists who had to negotiate through the strees of old Urayasu).
More later....
Well, we're past the halfway mark for this month again. It's getting warm out there...including my apartment which should reach oven levels in the next couple of weeks. I'm trying to toughen myself up from using my air conditioner so that I don't end up in hock to TEPCO.
Saturday night was once again DVD Night with Movie Buddy and The Satyr. First up was "The Kingdom", the action-thriller flick with Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner as an FBI team in Saudi Arabia. It was pretty much a connect-the-dots flick...not particularly imaginative or gripping but entertaining enough. The best movie of the night was "Superbad" which had teens with some unbelievably potty mouths. And the characters weren't the usual stereotypes...at least, not totally. Everyone, including McLovin, cussed each other out with equal measure. Then, there was "Apocalypto" which was 3/4 historical tragic epic and 1/4 "Rambo".
Strangely enough, while MB and I were watching "Apocalypto", I received a call from GC for the first time in years. It was almost as if there had been no grand silence between us. Unfortunately, the timing was rather bad since we were in mid-feature so I asked him to call me back the next night.
The next day had MB and I doing our usual post-DVD breakfast at the nearby Skylark's. While I was headed out for The Urayasu Festival, MB would be heading for Akihabara. He only realized it too late, but he was wearing a T-shirt which had what looked like blood spatters and some kanji which translated into "I'm sorry for cutting you into little pieces." Not particularly the right tee to wear, considering last week's bloodbath there.
As for The Urayasu Festival, I'd mentioned last entry about that frenzied scene in Classic Trek where the residents of Landru's planet always went completely nutso for about 12 hours. Well, this festival only comes around once every four years. And the residents of old Urayasu certainly acted as if they were members of Landru.
It all started when I got to the Milds' house. Mr. Mild had me decked out in happi coat, 27.5-cm tabi and sash. The weather was ideal for mikoshi-carrying...sunny but not too hot. At first, Mr. Mild and Mild Jr. took me to one of the main streets to see this huge parade of mikoshi, or portable shrines, each being carried by a dozen or so ever-so-happy folks in traditional gear. Finally, came our turn. Mild Jr. and I took our places under the wooden bars of our mikoshi. When it was time, we started strutting our stuff. We had to yell "Mae da! Mae da" (Ahead! Ahead!) which was the Urayasu version of what other festivalgoers usually say, which is "Wa shoi! Wa shoi!" I tell you...those 5 minutes were pretty much a roller coaster. The mikoshi itself wasn't too heavy since there was a good gross of hardier types carrying it along with me. But when it came to tossing the mikoshi up and down, my right shoulder ended up getting mugged worse than a tourist in Central Park. Mild Jr. would later tell me that I sounded as I had been slowly dying. That solid wooden bar just thwacked my shoulder several times.
It was a bit of break for lunch at the Milds' place where Mrs. Mild put out a pretty nice spread of food. Then, it was back to mikoshi-carrying again. The sun was far brighter and hotter in the afternoon, of course, and so I only lasted a few minutes, which probably didn't get much respect from the surrounding veterans. It was only a few minutes but I felt like I went through the wringer. However, to add to my internal humiliation, Mr. Mild, retired fellow, went under the shrine 3 times for some minutes each time, and a number of the younger ladies were literally shouldering the burden as well. Mr. Mild later told me that there were two types of people at The Urayasu Festival...those that were mikoshi maniacs and those who were mikoshi-phobic and preferred to watch. I think I became a convert to the latter. Mr. Mild and I noticed one guy walking in front of us...he was built like a sumotori and had a rather sizable hump on the back of his neck which looked like an angry red lava flow ready to blow...now he was a mikoshi maniac!
The majority of the time, the mikoshi carriers kept on doing their chants and moving along, but once in a while, they would stop and proceed to perform another action which involved bringing down the shrine to a low level and rotating it 360 degrees while the supporters yelled "Maware!" (Turn it!). That looked like backbreaking work. But the real craziness was when the dozen or so carriers would suddenly start tossing this huge heavy mikoshi up in the air three times....a bit risky but somehow they were able to steady the thing without having it crash onto automobile traffic (yep, there were some unfortunate motorists who had to negotiate through the strees of old Urayasu).
More later....