Thursday October 16, 7:46 a.m.
And thus it begins....the Mother of All Hump Days. Woke up this morning at the eye-blearingly early hour of 5 and was out by 5:50. Even at 6 a.m., the Tozai Line's seats are fully occupied although there is still plenty of space for standing. The Japanese as a population are morning people...although more by duty than choice. Even the suiciders get their ultimate acts done pretty early. There was already a "jinshin jiko" by the time I got to the Oedo Line.
Had my brekkie almost a full hour earlier than usual at McDonalds, so I'm pretty juiced up now. My lineup is as follows: The Smile, a double with Grandma Dynamite (I'll definitely be in need of sustenance by the end of that one), The Yogist, Miss Sedona, The Singer, The Carolinan, a guest cameo by a model lesson student for 15 minutes and then...finally...Medicine Man to wrap up this English conversation school version of "A Night of A Thousand Stars". Speedy kindly offered to take over The Singer's class if I get overwhelmed, but that was more of a token gesture than anything since he very much doubts that he'll get back from his outside business by the time I need to leave here. In any case, it'll be one for the record books. However, it is nice to know that all of the students are good folk.
Last night, 001 was her usual genki self. In fact, she was probably more genki than usual so I gather that 002 may not have filled her in on the little problem last week. She'll be there at 002's shindig on Saturday. And since I haven't heard from my soon-to-be former student, I guess I'm still on the invite list. Means that I'll be heading back to National Azabu Supermarket tomorrow afternoon to pick up that pumpkin for carving.
The Diver let go of a small bombshell last night. She's quit her job as a nurse. Didn't divulge her reasons (and I didn't press) but I gather that there was a conflict of personalities somewhere. May not be great for us since our renewals here depend on our students being gainfully employed.
My birthday was merely just a footnote but I did get my share of birthday wishes via the good platform of Facebook.
Just a place to deposit my thoughts on life here in the Kanto and about anything else that sticks to my walls.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Wednesday October 15, 5:31 p.m.
Should be expecting 001 in about half an hour. Wonder if 002 had told her about last week's kerfuffle. Should know soon enough...001 doesn't exactly hide her feelings.
Taught The Magician earlier. Not exactly the most stable structure but she tries hard.
Looks like Stephen Harper got his minority government once more. McCain is probably wondering how a parliamentary form of government would work.
Should be expecting 001 in about half an hour. Wonder if 002 had told her about last week's kerfuffle. Should know soon enough...001 doesn't exactly hide her feelings.
Taught The Magician earlier. Not exactly the most stable structure but she tries hard.
Looks like Stephen Harper got his minority government once more. McCain is probably wondering how a parliamentary form of government would work.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Wednesday October 15, 12:30 p.m.
Well, I've been given the round of birthday wishes from all sorts of folks: everyone from The Entrepreneur to The Ballerina. Don't think the age of 43 is particularly anything to celebrate about. And today is Hump Day 1. Not too bad, especially that The Fashion Designer cancelled tonight so I can try to get some shuteye before coming back here for The Mother of All Hump Days on Thursday.
Speaking of cancellations, Jolly did it again by not showing up last night. The juku boss and I were tsk-tsking about what to do with this guy. If he wants to quit, he should tell us soon.
Finished with Miss Honolulu...she's officially my student but I've only had her second lesson this morning since she usually comes in on Tuesdays, which are strictly my only-in-Chiba days. She's good and conversant but not too quick in terms of fluency.
It looks like the Conservatives will continue to take charge of Canada, according to early results. So, it'll still be Prime Minister Harper. Meanwhile, all that news about an early snap election announcement from PM Aso here has pretty much evaporated until things get settled financially.
The Trekkie left a little note concerning my own love for all things Trek. Of course, "Live long and prosper!" and "Resistance is futile!" all figured prominently in the message. I wasn't sure if this was because of my birthday. I may lend her my Brent Spiner CD. Ray has absolutely no idea what's being communicated between us.
Well, I've been given the round of birthday wishes from all sorts of folks: everyone from The Entrepreneur to The Ballerina. Don't think the age of 43 is particularly anything to celebrate about. And today is Hump Day 1. Not too bad, especially that The Fashion Designer cancelled tonight so I can try to get some shuteye before coming back here for The Mother of All Hump Days on Thursday.
Speaking of cancellations, Jolly did it again by not showing up last night. The juku boss and I were tsk-tsking about what to do with this guy. If he wants to quit, he should tell us soon.
Finished with Miss Honolulu...she's officially my student but I've only had her second lesson this morning since she usually comes in on Tuesdays, which are strictly my only-in-Chiba days. She's good and conversant but not too quick in terms of fluency.
It looks like the Conservatives will continue to take charge of Canada, according to early results. So, it'll still be Prime Minister Harper. Meanwhile, all that news about an early snap election announcement from PM Aso here has pretty much evaporated until things get settled financially.
The Trekkie left a little note concerning my own love for all things Trek. Of course, "Live long and prosper!" and "Resistance is futile!" all figured prominently in the message. I wasn't sure if this was because of my birthday. I may lend her my Brent Spiner CD. Ray has absolutely no idea what's being communicated between us.
Tuesday October 14, 9:21 p.m.
Finished off The Milds today. Actually, The Traveler couldn't make it due to cold...sign of the times. So, it was back to the old days again. We also got a surprise in the form of the juku boss bringing some imo yokan (sweet potato bean jelly...don't knock it til you try it) and barley tea for dessert. Mr. Mild has been having a good time in his retirement by taking some DIY classes; today, he was practicing installing plastic tiles on the floor.
Mrs. Mild will be off next on a trip to southern France with her buddies next week. When I remarked that Mr. Mild might be somewhat lonely, he just said that he may actually be lucky instead. I could see that knife being thrown by his wife any moment now.
As for that model lesson student, the kid didn't resemble anything like Seven or any typical Shibuya gyaru. In fact, she looked like a sweet little countryside girl...I'd say she looked like she belonged to the panoply of cute Disney characters, which is actually appropo since she works in one of the restaurants in Tokyo Disneyland Hotel as a waitress. The Milds were surprised at the coincidence since Mild Jr. is one of the security guys there. She's a bit on the shy side but has some latent ability. Looks like the lesson went pretty well for her, but she says she has to consult with her parents first...hmmm, as usual, being the cynic I am, it could be a hedge, but in her case, I wouldn't be surprised if she did check with the parentals for every little decision.
Well, waiting for Jolly since he hasn't called to dotakyan. But then he did no-show a couple of weeks back without making any sort of call.
The next couple of days may be the busiest of my entire time at Speedy's. I hope I don't end up thinking of homicide if he asks me to teach any more lessons.
Finished off The Milds today. Actually, The Traveler couldn't make it due to cold...sign of the times. So, it was back to the old days again. We also got a surprise in the form of the juku boss bringing some imo yokan (sweet potato bean jelly...don't knock it til you try it) and barley tea for dessert. Mr. Mild has been having a good time in his retirement by taking some DIY classes; today, he was practicing installing plastic tiles on the floor.
Mrs. Mild will be off next on a trip to southern France with her buddies next week. When I remarked that Mr. Mild might be somewhat lonely, he just said that he may actually be lucky instead. I could see that knife being thrown by his wife any moment now.
As for that model lesson student, the kid didn't resemble anything like Seven or any typical Shibuya gyaru. In fact, she looked like a sweet little countryside girl...I'd say she looked like she belonged to the panoply of cute Disney characters, which is actually appropo since she works in one of the restaurants in Tokyo Disneyland Hotel as a waitress. The Milds were surprised at the coincidence since Mild Jr. is one of the security guys there. She's a bit on the shy side but has some latent ability. Looks like the lesson went pretty well for her, but she says she has to consult with her parents first...hmmm, as usual, being the cynic I am, it could be a hedge, but in her case, I wouldn't be surprised if she did check with the parentals for every little decision.
Well, waiting for Jolly since he hasn't called to dotakyan. But then he did no-show a couple of weeks back without making any sort of call.
The next couple of days may be the busiest of my entire time at Speedy's. I hope I don't end up thinking of homicide if he asks me to teach any more lessons.
Tuesday October 14, 6:51 p.m.
Just finished with Suzanne. Looks like she couldn't forget her summertime pal during her escapade in Australia earlier this year. She may be taking a little tour of Oz again in December...just has to figure out a way to tell the parentals gently. Now, I'm just waiting for this sudden model lesson student. The boss tells me that she may be like Seven...well, that's not too bad. Seven was a good egg.
Suzanne works in a supermarket. And occasionally, the odd foreigner does come in to ask questions. Today, she got one who was looking for a carton of egg whites. The lass was a bit flabbergasted. Even I hadn't been aware that cartons of just egg whites could exist, but I'm not surprised that such a thing could be sold in America. They probably would be bestsellers as well.
Just finished with Suzanne. Looks like she couldn't forget her summertime pal during her escapade in Australia earlier this year. She may be taking a little tour of Oz again in December...just has to figure out a way to tell the parentals gently. Now, I'm just waiting for this sudden model lesson student. The boss tells me that she may be like Seven...well, that's not too bad. Seven was a good egg.
Suzanne works in a supermarket. And occasionally, the odd foreigner does come in to ask questions. Today, she got one who was looking for a carton of egg whites. The lass was a bit flabbergasted. Even I hadn't been aware that cartons of just egg whites could exist, but I'm not surprised that such a thing could be sold in America. They probably would be bestsellers as well.
Tuesday October 14, 4:36 p.m.
Well, just looked up that guy who dissed the METROPOLIS Batman wannabe. The Hairy White Prince (couldn't make up that codename if I tried) definitely comes off as someone who's been in this country too long and has become really embittered with it all. His current page has pics of drunks and dweebs sleeping it off in all sorts of positions all over Tokyo with very disparaging captions. He doesn't even hold off on the women, either. To be honest, I think he's my id. Did also come across another site quoting him that his former English student, who was supposed to be in New York learning to become an actress, was outed as an S&M mistress who almost choked a university professor to death. A little beyond Sumiko Nishioka, I guess.
In somewhat more mundane news, CNN's been showing some happy pics of stockbrokers since in what is taking on Phoenix-like proportions, the stock market has been hitting the highs compared to the hellish lows it was plummeting to a week ago. Cue the "Star Wars" Coronation Scene music by John Williams. Oh, and by the way, oil just dropped to $98...
Well, just looked up that guy who dissed the METROPOLIS Batman wannabe. The Hairy White Prince (couldn't make up that codename if I tried) definitely comes off as someone who's been in this country too long and has become really embittered with it all. His current page has pics of drunks and dweebs sleeping it off in all sorts of positions all over Tokyo with very disparaging captions. He doesn't even hold off on the women, either. To be honest, I think he's my id. Did also come across another site quoting him that his former English student, who was supposed to be in New York learning to become an actress, was outed as an S&M mistress who almost choked a university professor to death. A little beyond Sumiko Nishioka, I guess.
In somewhat more mundane news, CNN's been showing some happy pics of stockbrokers since in what is taking on Phoenix-like proportions, the stock market has been hitting the highs compared to the hellish lows it was plummeting to a week ago. Cue the "Star Wars" Coronation Scene music by John Williams. Oh, and by the way, oil just dropped to $98...
Tuesday October 14, 4:09 p.m.
Well, one of those things I do not really like. I got into the juku where the boss told me that I've got a model lesson right after Suzanne's lesson. I reacted levelheadedly but she knew I was a bit annoyed and offered to call the prospective student up to re-schedule. But I just waived it off and said to go ahead since according to the boss, the student is a 19-year-old who claims to be a lowbie. Man...a teen again...y'know, I want to be charitable but if I just blindly accepted everything that got thrown at me, the boss wouldn't know my limits. Anyways, she's gone back downstairs to practice her koto.
It'll be the usual clan otherwise. Suzanne, then The Milds & The Traveler. And again, I'll be on tenterhooks about Jolly. He said that he would be coming tonight when he'd called last Tuesday to cancel. We'll see. If he does come, it'll be another 90. Grrrrr....
A few weeks ago, there was The Last Word column in the weekly METROPOLIS in which the contributor just about verbally announced his intention to be The Dark Knight and go after all of the scummy pedophiles in Japan. Well, his manifesto of vigilantism got a couple of responses: one who called him a moron and told him to lower the paranoia dial (he even left his website address so he's more than willing to take him on in a flame war) while the other somewhat lauded him but pushed him exactly for details. As for me, the fellow struck me as someone who may have written the article after having drunk a few too many Red Bulls and watching the "Dirty Harry" DVD collection. Nice to know that he's righteously infuriated but y'know, going on the soapbox and promising to bash anyone who comes within 2 cm of molesting any child on the street doesn't exactly strike me as having the most normal behaviour. But I'll have to check out that website of that responder who cut the guy down to size.
Well, one of those things I do not really like. I got into the juku where the boss told me that I've got a model lesson right after Suzanne's lesson. I reacted levelheadedly but she knew I was a bit annoyed and offered to call the prospective student up to re-schedule. But I just waived it off and said to go ahead since according to the boss, the student is a 19-year-old who claims to be a lowbie. Man...a teen again...y'know, I want to be charitable but if I just blindly accepted everything that got thrown at me, the boss wouldn't know my limits. Anyways, she's gone back downstairs to practice her koto.
It'll be the usual clan otherwise. Suzanne, then The Milds & The Traveler. And again, I'll be on tenterhooks about Jolly. He said that he would be coming tonight when he'd called last Tuesday to cancel. We'll see. If he does come, it'll be another 90. Grrrrr....
A few weeks ago, there was The Last Word column in the weekly METROPOLIS in which the contributor just about verbally announced his intention to be The Dark Knight and go after all of the scummy pedophiles in Japan. Well, his manifesto of vigilantism got a couple of responses: one who called him a moron and told him to lower the paranoia dial (he even left his website address so he's more than willing to take him on in a flame war) while the other somewhat lauded him but pushed him exactly for details. As for me, the fellow struck me as someone who may have written the article after having drunk a few too many Red Bulls and watching the "Dirty Harry" DVD collection. Nice to know that he's righteously infuriated but y'know, going on the soapbox and promising to bash anyone who comes within 2 cm of molesting any child on the street doesn't exactly strike me as having the most normal behaviour. But I'll have to check out that website of that responder who cut the guy down to size.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tuesday October 13, 1:39 p.m.
It's been a cloudy but rainless day so far, but we're expecting some precip tonight. Met up with The Beehive this morning. Mrs. Tee showed up for the first time in a few weeks. We went down to town on the local political vocab.
Yesterday, I headed down to the tony, embassy-ridden neighbourhood of Hiroo, just a couple of stations down from Roppongi on the Hibiya Line. It isn't exactly an entertainment area but I think the ex-pats who live down there like it that way. It comes off as nice residential area not too far from downtown. I wanted to check out National Azabu Supermarket, one of the most famous international supermarkets in Tokyo since I'm on the pumpkin hunt for this Saturday for 002's party (that is, if I'm still invited...I think things are perhaps a bit tense between us since that unpleasantness last week). Yup, the future Jack O'Lanterns were there selling for about 1400 yen. I also checked out the cosmetics section; they also had decent roll-on deodorant sticks. For some reason, most drugstores here still adhere to the old Ban spray or some really dinky-looking roll-ons with liquid. The Mennen Speed Sticks cost twice as much as they do back home. National Azabu did feel like going through a Canadian Loblaws. A lot of the foreign element were nattering back and forth. I'll probably be heading back on Friday to pick up a gourd.
Then it was off to Shibuya...on foot. It actually only took me a half-hour to get there from Hiroo. The walk was nice but there really wasn't anything spectacular on the way. I could've easily switched the view between Shibuya and Hiroo with a similar experience between Ichigaya and Shinjuku a few weeks ago. I met up with MB and The Satyr there to catch "Wanted". I remember reading an article about a guy who goes around pointing around illogical examples of physics in movies; well, he would have a field day with this one. I don't think I've seen so many bendy bullets and disaster-resistant cars in my life. I guess since it's been about a decade since the first "Matrix" movie, it was about time for another crazed special-effects extravaganza. However, since all of us are now totally inured to the various effects such as "Bullet Time", "Wanted" didn't exactly push any envelopes; it was just summer blockbuster mayhem that was worth its 1300 yen. MB, of course, poked all the holes in the writing logic.
We discovered that that mysterious Krispy Kreme #5 was located in the theatre lobby. It did have a sizable lineup since it was a holiday yesterday, but it was probably still nothing compared to the snake outside of #1. However, after the movie, the three of us didn't go for doughnuts. Instead, we just crossed the street and went to that all-chicken izakaya. I'd been there a number of times with Chip Guy in the past, and since MB is on a perpetual chicken-free existence due to his chicken-hating wife, I thought that was as good a place as any for dinner. There, we indulged in the Japanese-style chicken wings known as tebasaki, along with cheese-filled chicken fritters (a very Homer Simpson dish) and some other poultry-themed stuff. Meanwhile, we got into this discussion...or basically a ranting about the cookie-cutter approach to the local dramas on TV, and also about the most annoying talking heads. We all agreed that The Kabira Bros, foreign tarento Dave Spector and former tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka take the proverbial cake. Looks like next Sunday will also be a movie day for us since that's the day for "Iron Man". Strangely enough, Skippy is eager to catch that one with us; we'd always thought she had little interest in American superheroes. But I haven't seen her in over a month so it'll be good to see her once again.
The news has been continuing to fill up with the latest drama concering The Global Economic Crisis of 2008. However, Japan has also been occupied with a crime drama that reached a rather sudden and jarring end over the weekend. A fellow by the name of Kazu Miura (no connection to the soccer player of the same name) had been involved in the shooting death of his wife in Los Angeles over a quarter-century ago in 1981. He was later arrested some years later as a suspect but was found not guilty. Then, earlier this year, when Miura was in Saipan, the US cops got him there since he was in an American territory. After some back-and-forth in the courts concerning extradition, the news came last week that he could be taken back to LA for a court hearing. He was taken to a detention centre and then was found hanged with his T-shirt around his neck. He is dead and 27 years of mystery are finished. My question is if this guy was of so much importance even nearly after 3 decades, why was he allowed to commit suicide so easily?
Back to more mundane news, those two new apartment buildings in my neighbourhood are all ready to go. Well, one of them just across from an elementary school is virtually all filled up now with residents.
I've still been going through the oeuvre of Mariya Takeuchi's pop career via her "Expressions" 4-CD pack. I have even latched onto a new song that's already gotten a good amount of play from me. It's called "Plastic Love" from 1984. Had never heard it before, and what struck me about it was how atypical it is from her stuff at the time which was kinda along the lines of 50s bubblegum pop. At first, I thought it sounded more like someone else's tune...someone familiar. Then, I came to the realization, this was more Anri's type of tune: urban 80s R&B. In any case, it's been good listening.
It's been a cloudy but rainless day so far, but we're expecting some precip tonight. Met up with The Beehive this morning. Mrs. Tee showed up for the first time in a few weeks. We went down to town on the local political vocab.
Yesterday, I headed down to the tony, embassy-ridden neighbourhood of Hiroo, just a couple of stations down from Roppongi on the Hibiya Line. It isn't exactly an entertainment area but I think the ex-pats who live down there like it that way. It comes off as nice residential area not too far from downtown. I wanted to check out National Azabu Supermarket, one of the most famous international supermarkets in Tokyo since I'm on the pumpkin hunt for this Saturday for 002's party (that is, if I'm still invited...I think things are perhaps a bit tense between us since that unpleasantness last week). Yup, the future Jack O'Lanterns were there selling for about 1400 yen. I also checked out the cosmetics section; they also had decent roll-on deodorant sticks. For some reason, most drugstores here still adhere to the old Ban spray or some really dinky-looking roll-ons with liquid. The Mennen Speed Sticks cost twice as much as they do back home. National Azabu did feel like going through a Canadian Loblaws. A lot of the foreign element were nattering back and forth. I'll probably be heading back on Friday to pick up a gourd.
Then it was off to Shibuya...on foot. It actually only took me a half-hour to get there from Hiroo. The walk was nice but there really wasn't anything spectacular on the way. I could've easily switched the view between Shibuya and Hiroo with a similar experience between Ichigaya and Shinjuku a few weeks ago. I met up with MB and The Satyr there to catch "Wanted". I remember reading an article about a guy who goes around pointing around illogical examples of physics in movies; well, he would have a field day with this one. I don't think I've seen so many bendy bullets and disaster-resistant cars in my life. I guess since it's been about a decade since the first "Matrix" movie, it was about time for another crazed special-effects extravaganza. However, since all of us are now totally inured to the various effects such as "Bullet Time", "Wanted" didn't exactly push any envelopes; it was just summer blockbuster mayhem that was worth its 1300 yen. MB, of course, poked all the holes in the writing logic.
We discovered that that mysterious Krispy Kreme #5 was located in the theatre lobby. It did have a sizable lineup since it was a holiday yesterday, but it was probably still nothing compared to the snake outside of #1. However, after the movie, the three of us didn't go for doughnuts. Instead, we just crossed the street and went to that all-chicken izakaya. I'd been there a number of times with Chip Guy in the past, and since MB is on a perpetual chicken-free existence due to his chicken-hating wife, I thought that was as good a place as any for dinner. There, we indulged in the Japanese-style chicken wings known as tebasaki, along with cheese-filled chicken fritters (a very Homer Simpson dish) and some other poultry-themed stuff. Meanwhile, we got into this discussion...or basically a ranting about the cookie-cutter approach to the local dramas on TV, and also about the most annoying talking heads. We all agreed that The Kabira Bros, foreign tarento Dave Spector and former tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka take the proverbial cake. Looks like next Sunday will also be a movie day for us since that's the day for "Iron Man". Strangely enough, Skippy is eager to catch that one with us; we'd always thought she had little interest in American superheroes. But I haven't seen her in over a month so it'll be good to see her once again.
The news has been continuing to fill up with the latest drama concering The Global Economic Crisis of 2008. However, Japan has also been occupied with a crime drama that reached a rather sudden and jarring end over the weekend. A fellow by the name of Kazu Miura (no connection to the soccer player of the same name) had been involved in the shooting death of his wife in Los Angeles over a quarter-century ago in 1981. He was later arrested some years later as a suspect but was found not guilty. Then, earlier this year, when Miura was in Saipan, the US cops got him there since he was in an American territory. After some back-and-forth in the courts concerning extradition, the news came last week that he could be taken back to LA for a court hearing. He was taken to a detention centre and then was found hanged with his T-shirt around his neck. He is dead and 27 years of mystery are finished. My question is if this guy was of so much importance even nearly after 3 decades, why was he allowed to commit suicide so easily?
Back to more mundane news, those two new apartment buildings in my neighbourhood are all ready to go. Well, one of them just across from an elementary school is virtually all filled up now with residents.
I've still been going through the oeuvre of Mariya Takeuchi's pop career via her "Expressions" 4-CD pack. I have even latched onto a new song that's already gotten a good amount of play from me. It's called "Plastic Love" from 1984. Had never heard it before, and what struck me about it was how atypical it is from her stuff at the time which was kinda along the lines of 50s bubblegum pop. At first, I thought it sounded more like someone else's tune...someone familiar. Then, I came to the realization, this was more Anri's type of tune: urban 80s R&B. In any case, it's been good listening.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Saturday October 11, 5:08 p.m.
Well, finished for the day. Mr. TOEIC and The Smile were fine. I just found out that my Thursday will be The Mother of All Hump Days, though. I've got 8 hours of lessons...the vast majority taking place at Speedy's. I'm probably gonna have an even earlier start to my Thursdays now since The Smile requested the 8:15 a.m. slot just before she heads off to work. I may be needing that straitjacket after all.
I got word from 002. Her message was understanding about the whole messy affair about taking her on as a private student, but I did detect some annoyance about me fessing up to the bossman himself. But I countered that I just couldn't hold something like that in for long; Speedy may be a bit too anal but he's been a good boss and friend.
In any case, I'm off for the next couple of days. Just want to de-pressurize before the next week comes about.
Well, finished for the day. Mr. TOEIC and The Smile were fine. I just found out that my Thursday will be The Mother of All Hump Days, though. I've got 8 hours of lessons...the vast majority taking place at Speedy's. I'm probably gonna have an even earlier start to my Thursdays now since The Smile requested the 8:15 a.m. slot just before she heads off to work. I may be needing that straitjacket after all.
I got word from 002. Her message was understanding about the whole messy affair about taking her on as a private student, but I did detect some annoyance about me fessing up to the bossman himself. But I countered that I just couldn't hold something like that in for long; Speedy may be a bit too anal but he's been a good boss and friend.
In any case, I'm off for the next couple of days. Just want to de-pressurize before the next week comes about.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Saturday October 11, 9:53 a.m.
Back at Speedy's for two today: Mr. TOEIC and then The Smile. I see that my fax for The Singer's remaining lessons in October got to the school OK. I'm sure that the bossman was groaning a bit about having to teach her for her last two lessons; not that she doesn't like her or anything, but he's a pretty busy man and his other responsibilities for those study-abroad programmes are kicking into high gear later this month. I would be happy to teach her but she's asked for Tuesdays and I'm not in the neighbourhood on those days.
The lessons last night with The Ace and The Restauranteur went swimmingly, although The Ace was 5 minutes late which kinda squished things a bit near the end since The Restauranteur had already shown up near the usual end time. The Ace was pretty keen about the Halloween Pumpkin carving so that means at least 2 of the gourds to get for the 28th. The Restauranteur was somewhat more sanguine.
That unforecast spate of showers did do a number on my laundry but I managed to get them in to dry out inside. It's still pretty wet on the ground but it has stopped raining. Hopefully, the forecast will actually stay on schedule today and we get some sun later this afternoon.
The current global financial meltdown is finishing its second week. Stocktraders all over the world are probably thankful that the weekend is now here. In Japan, the Tokyo Stock Exchange folks are even more grateful that it's a long weekend. It's supposed to be Physical Education Day on Monday; dunno if too many of the guys from the bourses will be in any mood to get outside. US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson broke some news that the government will be buying stock in a number of banks to stem the tide; basically, the White House is taking control. I'm sure there are a number of extreme right-wingers who are starting to make like Chicken Little and screaming that America is going Communist. The survivalists in the northwest are checking their cave gear right now.
As for me, I'll just be happy for a little rest after my two today.
Back at Speedy's for two today: Mr. TOEIC and then The Smile. I see that my fax for The Singer's remaining lessons in October got to the school OK. I'm sure that the bossman was groaning a bit about having to teach her for her last two lessons; not that she doesn't like her or anything, but he's a pretty busy man and his other responsibilities for those study-abroad programmes are kicking into high gear later this month. I would be happy to teach her but she's asked for Tuesdays and I'm not in the neighbourhood on those days.
The lessons last night with The Ace and The Restauranteur went swimmingly, although The Ace was 5 minutes late which kinda squished things a bit near the end since The Restauranteur had already shown up near the usual end time. The Ace was pretty keen about the Halloween Pumpkin carving so that means at least 2 of the gourds to get for the 28th. The Restauranteur was somewhat more sanguine.
That unforecast spate of showers did do a number on my laundry but I managed to get them in to dry out inside. It's still pretty wet on the ground but it has stopped raining. Hopefully, the forecast will actually stay on schedule today and we get some sun later this afternoon.
The current global financial meltdown is finishing its second week. Stocktraders all over the world are probably thankful that the weekend is now here. In Japan, the Tokyo Stock Exchange folks are even more grateful that it's a long weekend. It's supposed to be Physical Education Day on Monday; dunno if too many of the guys from the bourses will be in any mood to get outside. US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson broke some news that the government will be buying stock in a number of banks to stem the tide; basically, the White House is taking control. I'm sure there are a number of extreme right-wingers who are starting to make like Chicken Little and screaming that America is going Communist. The survivalists in the northwest are checking their cave gear right now.
As for me, I'll just be happy for a little rest after my two today.
Friday October 10, 6:32 p.m.
Well, so much for my laundry being dry when I get home. Another reason for me to hate weather forecasters...it started spritzing just when I reached the juku. I hadn't expected anyone to be home since the boss had said that she would be visiting her student undergoing the heart operation and I thought it wouldn't be too bad if I had some downtime upstairs. But not only was her hubby watching TV in the living room but the boss was in the kitchen preparing supper. A bit embarrassed. However, it's all water down a duck's back for the boss. In any case, since I got to the juku way early, I was fortunate enough to get a sample of her home cooking.
I passed by the newspaper kiosk at Urayasu Station when I saw the banner read, "Akiko Wada--Hair Nude!" And I just groaned. Of all the female celebs that would be willing to expose herself completely in front of a camera, she's the one I least suspected...and least desired...to do so. For those who may not know who this person is, Akiko Wada is well into her 50s and is this relatively tall force-of-nature R&B singer from Osaka. She's also a fixture as a suffer-no-fools-gladly tarento all over the Japanese TV spectrum. One of the early running gags against her is that she was often mistaken for a man. As for the hair nude part, although Japanese mags and rags have had pinups of unclothed women for decades, until about 17 or 18 years ago, the censors always covered up women's nether regions with a big black dot. But then, in the early 90s, actress/singer (the latter part is in a very loose sense) Rie Miyazawa broke that mold completely with her nude pictorial, "Santa Fe" which actually did show the barely adult lass au naturel; most of the pics of her had her breasts hanging out there and her legs tastefully crossed, but then a couple of shots had the hair showing.
And the floodgates opened (uh...don't think too deeply about that one). Then it seemed that every actress or female tarento up or down the fame ladder had to completely expose herself. Pretty soon, these nude pictorials had very little difference with those Playboy centerfolds. And so, we come to Akiko Wada....singer, tarento, TV host, and centerfold. Ay ya! I would've said this had to have been an April Fool's joke but we are 6 months away from that, aren't we?
Well, so much for my laundry being dry when I get home. Another reason for me to hate weather forecasters...it started spritzing just when I reached the juku. I hadn't expected anyone to be home since the boss had said that she would be visiting her student undergoing the heart operation and I thought it wouldn't be too bad if I had some downtime upstairs. But not only was her hubby watching TV in the living room but the boss was in the kitchen preparing supper. A bit embarrassed. However, it's all water down a duck's back for the boss. In any case, since I got to the juku way early, I was fortunate enough to get a sample of her home cooking.
I passed by the newspaper kiosk at Urayasu Station when I saw the banner read, "Akiko Wada--Hair Nude!" And I just groaned. Of all the female celebs that would be willing to expose herself completely in front of a camera, she's the one I least suspected...and least desired...to do so. For those who may not know who this person is, Akiko Wada is well into her 50s and is this relatively tall force-of-nature R&B singer from Osaka. She's also a fixture as a suffer-no-fools-gladly tarento all over the Japanese TV spectrum. One of the early running gags against her is that she was often mistaken for a man. As for the hair nude part, although Japanese mags and rags have had pinups of unclothed women for decades, until about 17 or 18 years ago, the censors always covered up women's nether regions with a big black dot. But then, in the early 90s, actress/singer (the latter part is in a very loose sense) Rie Miyazawa broke that mold completely with her nude pictorial, "Santa Fe" which actually did show the barely adult lass au naturel; most of the pics of her had her breasts hanging out there and her legs tastefully crossed, but then a couple of shots had the hair showing.
And the floodgates opened (uh...don't think too deeply about that one). Then it seemed that every actress or female tarento up or down the fame ladder had to completely expose herself. Pretty soon, these nude pictorials had very little difference with those Playboy centerfolds. And so, we come to Akiko Wada....singer, tarento, TV host, and centerfold. Ay ya! I would've said this had to have been an April Fool's joke but we are 6 months away from that, aren't we?
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Friday October 10, 3:14 p.m.
I guess it's time for Pi(e)! Little physics joke there...and getting littler by the second, probably...
The Singer's class yesterday went pretty well although the lady herself admitted that she was feeling pretty sleepy...8 glasses of plum wine will do that to even the hardiest drinker, I suppose. We had to move from the empty air-conditioned lounge to the warm and cramped studio president's office just 5 minutes into the lesson due to other matters. Didn't make my student any more lucid but she hung in there.
Then I met my old students, The Flautist and Miss Prim, in front of Maruzen in the Oazo complex in Otemachi a few hours later. Time has flown since their days (and mine) at the ol' school. The Flautist, for one thing, is now married and preggers. And Miss Prim recently came back from a 9-month Canadian odyssey . We had dinner up on the 5th floor at a place called the Tsubame Grill, a salaryman's restaurant with a distinctly Germanic bent. They had their sausages and dark beer. We spent about 3 hours there. Miss Prim, who had always come off in class as a pretty soft-spoken but serious student, had quite a time in places like Vancouver and Calgary. She learned to be quite independent there...just traveling here and there by herself. She even had to multitask at a motel for a few months before getting fired by the harridan-like owner for not being born with enough arms and legs. She's now temping at a company in Otemachi. As for The Flautist, she'll be working for another few weeks before taking maternity leave in November. She and her hubby are fully in domestic mode.
This morning, I woke up to see that stock markets, including our Nikkei, were doing what a lot of stockbrokers and investors are thinking of doing...dropping off the face of the Earth. And the yen is appreciating like mad....98 of those suckers to the US dollar. Me, I'm not particularly all that panicky about it...just ended up watching one of my discs from the 6th season of TNG for the morning.
Got my b-day present from the parentals....Dockers pants, as usual. Only have the juku folks today. One hour and two students: The Ace and The Restauranteur. I called up the juku boss; she may be away from the house for a bit since she has to check on a student who's going in for some serious surgery.
The weekend should be pretty nice. I've only got a couple of students at Speedy's tomorrow: Mr. TOEIC and that model student conversion, The Smile. And then it's off for another long weekend. Monday should be the day that MB and I at least will catch "Iron Man". He and The Satyr were supposed to have seen "Wanted" last night at Roppongi Hills; wonder how that went.
I guess it's time for Pi(e)! Little physics joke there...and getting littler by the second, probably...
The Singer's class yesterday went pretty well although the lady herself admitted that she was feeling pretty sleepy...8 glasses of plum wine will do that to even the hardiest drinker, I suppose. We had to move from the empty air-conditioned lounge to the warm and cramped studio president's office just 5 minutes into the lesson due to other matters. Didn't make my student any more lucid but she hung in there.
Then I met my old students, The Flautist and Miss Prim, in front of Maruzen in the Oazo complex in Otemachi a few hours later. Time has flown since their days (and mine) at the ol' school. The Flautist, for one thing, is now married and preggers. And Miss Prim recently came back from a 9-month Canadian odyssey . We had dinner up on the 5th floor at a place called the Tsubame Grill, a salaryman's restaurant with a distinctly Germanic bent. They had their sausages and dark beer. We spent about 3 hours there. Miss Prim, who had always come off in class as a pretty soft-spoken but serious student, had quite a time in places like Vancouver and Calgary. She learned to be quite independent there...just traveling here and there by herself. She even had to multitask at a motel for a few months before getting fired by the harridan-like owner for not being born with enough arms and legs. She's now temping at a company in Otemachi. As for The Flautist, she'll be working for another few weeks before taking maternity leave in November. She and her hubby are fully in domestic mode.
This morning, I woke up to see that stock markets, including our Nikkei, were doing what a lot of stockbrokers and investors are thinking of doing...dropping off the face of the Earth. And the yen is appreciating like mad....98 of those suckers to the US dollar. Me, I'm not particularly all that panicky about it...just ended up watching one of my discs from the 6th season of TNG for the morning.
Got my b-day present from the parentals....Dockers pants, as usual. Only have the juku folks today. One hour and two students: The Ace and The Restauranteur. I called up the juku boss; she may be away from the house for a bit since she has to check on a student who's going in for some serious surgery.
The weekend should be pretty nice. I've only got a couple of students at Speedy's tomorrow: Mr. TOEIC and that model student conversion, The Smile. And then it's off for another long weekend. Monday should be the day that MB and I at least will catch "Iron Man". He and The Satyr were supposed to have seen "Wanted" last night at Roppongi Hills; wonder how that went.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Wednesday October 9, 1:03 p.m.
Looks like we've added to our grandmother contingent. Grandma Dynamite brought another friend of hers along with her usual enthusiasm. If Grandma Dynamite is analagous to the Klingons, then her buddy is definitely The Borg. In her little quiet way, Grandma Borg is relentless in asking questions and giving requests. I think this little lady managed to tucker all three of us (Speedy, me and Ray) out in a span of 5 minutes. Didn't go through the counselling and the model lesson, and she paid up-front. Luckily, we have some breathing space since she'll start officially from November.
Finished with Grandma Dynamite and The Yogist. The latter one was a bit drowsy due to some medicine that she'd taken for her allergies. She wasn't quite out of the woods yet according to her sniffling. Miss Sedona should be here in the next 5 minutes. Then I gotta get out of here to see The Singer. I don't think I'll have anytime to resume translation work today.
Looks like we've added to our grandmother contingent. Grandma Dynamite brought another friend of hers along with her usual enthusiasm. If Grandma Dynamite is analagous to the Klingons, then her buddy is definitely The Borg. In her little quiet way, Grandma Borg is relentless in asking questions and giving requests. I think this little lady managed to tucker all three of us (Speedy, me and Ray) out in a span of 5 minutes. Didn't go through the counselling and the model lesson, and she paid up-front. Luckily, we have some breathing space since she'll start officially from November.
Finished with Grandma Dynamite and The Yogist. The latter one was a bit drowsy due to some medicine that she'd taken for her allergies. She wasn't quite out of the woods yet according to her sniffling. Miss Sedona should be here in the next 5 minutes. Then I gotta get out of here to see The Singer. I don't think I'll have anytime to resume translation work today.
Thursday October 9, 8:27 a.m.
It's completely sunny today...usually a sign that it's gonna be a good day. As obvious as that reads, for me, it's quite appropriate considering the situation from a couple of days ago. It looks like that little crisis amongst Speedy, myself and 002 has abated. 002 sent me an e-mail telling me that she understood the situation but nothing really more than that. I'm sure she's disappointed and maybe there's a chance that that slight discomfort where the bossman is concerned has now grown into something a bit more malevolent...though that's hard to imagine with 002. But I did offer her the chance to get together for coffee once in a while and chat without remuneration.
Today is the only other day, aside from Tuesday that would be considered to be busy. I've got my usual lineup of Grandma Dynamite, The Yogist, Miss Sedona and then The Singer. However, I've got another Thursday night off for which I'll be meeting my former students from the ol' school in Otemachi. It's possible that we may hit Maru Biru for dinner. Luckily, I've got some funds with me.
It's completely sunny today...usually a sign that it's gonna be a good day. As obvious as that reads, for me, it's quite appropriate considering the situation from a couple of days ago. It looks like that little crisis amongst Speedy, myself and 002 has abated. 002 sent me an e-mail telling me that she understood the situation but nothing really more than that. I'm sure she's disappointed and maybe there's a chance that that slight discomfort where the bossman is concerned has now grown into something a bit more malevolent...though that's hard to imagine with 002. But I did offer her the chance to get together for coffee once in a while and chat without remuneration.
Today is the only other day, aside from Tuesday that would be considered to be busy. I've got my usual lineup of Grandma Dynamite, The Yogist, Miss Sedona and then The Singer. However, I've got another Thursday night off for which I'll be meeting my former students from the ol' school in Otemachi. It's possible that we may hit Maru Biru for dinner. Luckily, I've got some funds with me.
Wednesday October 8, 9:19 p.m.
Well, it looks like the small crisis between Speedy and me has sorted itself out. I receive yet another one of his epic e-mails but it was a much cheerier one with an apology for some of the harsher words. I returned my own little apology in turn. However, the loser in all this will be 002. I've yet to hear from her.
I finished up with The Diver. Still having numerous problems with singular/plural. Still, happy to have taught her since I was rather caught up in the drama over the past 24 hours. Just have The Fashion Designer and then I'll be done.
Well, it looks like the small crisis between Speedy and me has sorted itself out. I receive yet another one of his epic e-mails but it was a much cheerier one with an apology for some of the harsher words. I returned my own little apology in turn. However, the loser in all this will be 002. I've yet to hear from her.
I finished up with The Diver. Still having numerous problems with singular/plural. Still, happy to have taught her since I was rather caught up in the drama over the past 24 hours. Just have The Fashion Designer and then I'll be done.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Wednesday October 8, 3:05 p.m.
Had lunch over in Odaiba, the 2nd time this year I've gone over there...setting a precedent, I guess. Quite a contrast from 6 weeks ago when I'd gone there last time. I was just dying from the heat and was ingesting lots of fluids back then. Nowhere near as hot and humid but I was still sweating from under the rain jacket. Went over to a Chinese buffet restaurant at around 11:30; I did get what I paid for (1,050 yen)...pretty mediocre fare in great quantities and in a setting that reminded me of a faded hostess lounge from decades past. Not even an o-shibori. Still I'm pretty much set for the rest of the night.
Took the free Odaiba shuttle bus for a bit of a spin from Decks to Mirai-kan, a building exhibiting the future. Walked it over a bit to Telecom Centre, one of the stops along the Yurikamome Line...the area did remind me of the world surrounding James Caan's original "Rollerball"...should be even better at night. The Odaiba monorail had gone as far as Ariake, by the convention centre Tokyo Big Sight, but it now extends all the way back to the mainland to Toyosu on the Yurakucho Line. One of the stops along the way was called Shijo, but the other kanji reading for it is Ichiba (market) as in possibly the new location of the world-famous fish market that's been located in Tsukiji for decades. Governor Ishihara, who's been the only big cheerleader to bring the 2016 Olympics to Tokyo, has been thinking of transplanting the fish market to this big field in Odaiba. I guess Shijo must be it...the station itself is right beside a big barren field. The only problem is that the chemical readings in the soil there are enough to breed a whole new bunch of Godzillas.
After a few subway connections, I ended up in Shibuya's Tower Records where I kinda looked through some books, including a pretty gritty graphic novel up on the 7th floor based on another mutant group known as The Umbrella Academy. Actually bought the latest copy of "Total Film".
Now, I'm back at Speedy's. The bossman and I exchanged greetings but that's been it so far. I told him that I wouldn't broach him on the topic concerning 002 but that he would be free to ask me if necessary. Since Ray is here, I think he may wait until after I finish with The Fashion Designer tonight. Had a bit of a tremor some minutes ago but no particular problems. May want to check what my apartment looks like when I get home, though.
Checked on the second debate between McCain and Obama. Looks like Obama came out on top again...slightly. But McCain...if I'm to read the pundits correctly...really needed to land some knockout punches, and the polls look like Obama is ahead by some points now.
Had lunch over in Odaiba, the 2nd time this year I've gone over there...setting a precedent, I guess. Quite a contrast from 6 weeks ago when I'd gone there last time. I was just dying from the heat and was ingesting lots of fluids back then. Nowhere near as hot and humid but I was still sweating from under the rain jacket. Went over to a Chinese buffet restaurant at around 11:30; I did get what I paid for (1,050 yen)...pretty mediocre fare in great quantities and in a setting that reminded me of a faded hostess lounge from decades past. Not even an o-shibori. Still I'm pretty much set for the rest of the night.
Took the free Odaiba shuttle bus for a bit of a spin from Decks to Mirai-kan, a building exhibiting the future. Walked it over a bit to Telecom Centre, one of the stops along the Yurikamome Line...the area did remind me of the world surrounding James Caan's original "Rollerball"...should be even better at night. The Odaiba monorail had gone as far as Ariake, by the convention centre Tokyo Big Sight, but it now extends all the way back to the mainland to Toyosu on the Yurakucho Line. One of the stops along the way was called Shijo, but the other kanji reading for it is Ichiba (market) as in possibly the new location of the world-famous fish market that's been located in Tsukiji for decades. Governor Ishihara, who's been the only big cheerleader to bring the 2016 Olympics to Tokyo, has been thinking of transplanting the fish market to this big field in Odaiba. I guess Shijo must be it...the station itself is right beside a big barren field. The only problem is that the chemical readings in the soil there are enough to breed a whole new bunch of Godzillas.
After a few subway connections, I ended up in Shibuya's Tower Records where I kinda looked through some books, including a pretty gritty graphic novel up on the 7th floor based on another mutant group known as The Umbrella Academy. Actually bought the latest copy of "Total Film".
Now, I'm back at Speedy's. The bossman and I exchanged greetings but that's been it so far. I told him that I wouldn't broach him on the topic concerning 002 but that he would be free to ask me if necessary. Since Ray is here, I think he may wait until after I finish with The Fashion Designer tonight. Had a bit of a tremor some minutes ago but no particular problems. May want to check what my apartment looks like when I get home, though.
Checked on the second debate between McCain and Obama. Looks like Obama came out on top again...slightly. But McCain...if I'm to read the pundits correctly...really needed to land some knockout punches, and the polls look like Obama is ahead by some points now.
Wednesday October 8, 8:57 a.m.
Well, sent my response to Speedy about the kerfaffle over 002's future. Basically, she will have none with me...at least, in a professional capacity come November. I was somewhat less long-winded (yep, it still stings) than the bossman but I told him that I understood and will decline her offer. However, I couldn't help telling him that I was rather stung by the indirect insinuation that I had no sense of ethics. I also sent a letter of regret to 002 about the matter and asked her to keep things quiet. I hope the bossman does the same on his end of things.
As for last night, The Milds and The Traveler were all there for the lesson at the juku. And things went pretty well considering that I'd been feeling a bit down. The Traveler is doing quite well in her remedial grammar. That kid who'd been given the chewout by the boss 10 days ago was back and although the boss was giving some direct opinions on his answers, she was pretty unsteamed. Jolly cancelled again, although he did call this time. But again, it looks like I'll be facing a series of 90-minute classes with him.
The tributes are just flowing in about the late Ken Ogata all over the media. He may not have been known outside of Japan, but he's certainly getting the Paul Newman sendoff. Apparently, it wasn't his heart but his liver that finally got him...had the cancer there.
The rains have been coming in pretty hard overnight and this morning. Pretty unusual weather.
Well, sent my response to Speedy about the kerfaffle over 002's future. Basically, she will have none with me...at least, in a professional capacity come November. I was somewhat less long-winded (yep, it still stings) than the bossman but I told him that I understood and will decline her offer. However, I couldn't help telling him that I was rather stung by the indirect insinuation that I had no sense of ethics. I also sent a letter of regret to 002 about the matter and asked her to keep things quiet. I hope the bossman does the same on his end of things.
As for last night, The Milds and The Traveler were all there for the lesson at the juku. And things went pretty well considering that I'd been feeling a bit down. The Traveler is doing quite well in her remedial grammar. That kid who'd been given the chewout by the boss 10 days ago was back and although the boss was giving some direct opinions on his answers, she was pretty unsteamed. Jolly cancelled again, although he did call this time. But again, it looks like I'll be facing a series of 90-minute classes with him.
The tributes are just flowing in about the late Ken Ogata all over the media. He may not have been known outside of Japan, but he's certainly getting the Paul Newman sendoff. Apparently, it wasn't his heart but his liver that finally got him...had the cancer there.
The rains have been coming in pretty hard overnight and this morning. Pretty unusual weather.
Tuesday October 7, 7:07 p.m.
As I reported in my last entry, Mrs. London came by The Beehive...timely since she was the first one to greet me over a decade ago to introduce me to the ladies back in Tsudanuma. After our talk, we had lunch at the nearby sushi shop where she showed me some pictures of her recent trip to Los Angeles to see her daughter's family. She had quite a career as a dancer in all sorts of genres: ballet, interpretive, etc. And in fact, she had appeared as a regular dancer on an old NHK variety show back in the 60s. Very impressive.
Met 002 for the first time in a month. She was rather busy with a number of things such as going to the Maui Marathon over in Hawaii. Looks like that party she was planning for on the 18th will be a go. The problem is that my plans to teach her as a private student have probably been dashed by Speedy himself. I told the bossman as a courtesy that 002 approached me about teaching her privately after her official lessons with the school were over. I...probably quite naively...thought that it wouldn't be a huge deal. I got an e-mail in short order from him thanking me for my honesty, and then unloaded with a huge lecture on the nature of loyalty and the possibility of stealing students. Well...again as a show of my naivete....I'm feeling rather hurt right now, and as such, I will not answer him right now since I could end up saying something that I will regret later. From my view, though, I don't think it's stealing a student when 002 asked me to teach her instead of me recruiting her. But now it looks like the bossman and me will be having a rather huge talk tomorrow. I'm not gonna put up a pitched battle since I need the money I make at the school; I'll just say I will give my loyalty to him and will leave 002 to her own devices.
Before I got the bullet from Speedy, though, I did have a good lesson with Suzanne. She's really into "The O.C.". She watched the famous "Chrismukkah" episode and asked me all about it which got us talking about the various religions in the United States. Amazing what a TV show can do, huh? Looks like the annual pumpkin carving is on at the juku. Suzanne is up for it on the 28th. I'll see if some of the others as The Traveler and The Ace may be up for it, too.
Come to think of it, though, I may have told Speedy this news at probably a pretty bad time for him and the school....although by his reaction, anytime would've been bad to get this type of news. Recently, a year after the supposedly unsinkable NOVA collapsed, a study-abraod brokerage firm by the name of Gateway 21 has also gone by the wayside. It took in tons of advance payments from prospective students who had wanted to go overseas to study thing like English only to have the money somehow disappear...probably through payment of loans at high interest rates to consumer loan firms and some other nonsense. I'm not sure right now, but it seems as if the president of the company didn't spend the cash on redecorating his office in gold like NOVA's CEO, Nozomu Sahashi did. And the president, to his credit and his great humiliation, did face up to some furious customers and did the dogesa...prostrated himself on his knees and apologized. Sahashi hasn't done that and probably won't. For the customers, the demand for money will be an empty one...just a very big venting session since all that money is not coming back. Speedy also has a study-abraod service as well, and anytime one of these companies goes belly-up, it looks bad for all of us as a whole.
As I reported in my last entry, Mrs. London came by The Beehive...timely since she was the first one to greet me over a decade ago to introduce me to the ladies back in Tsudanuma. After our talk, we had lunch at the nearby sushi shop where she showed me some pictures of her recent trip to Los Angeles to see her daughter's family. She had quite a career as a dancer in all sorts of genres: ballet, interpretive, etc. And in fact, she had appeared as a regular dancer on an old NHK variety show back in the 60s. Very impressive.
Met 002 for the first time in a month. She was rather busy with a number of things such as going to the Maui Marathon over in Hawaii. Looks like that party she was planning for on the 18th will be a go. The problem is that my plans to teach her as a private student have probably been dashed by Speedy himself. I told the bossman as a courtesy that 002 approached me about teaching her privately after her official lessons with the school were over. I...probably quite naively...thought that it wouldn't be a huge deal. I got an e-mail in short order from him thanking me for my honesty, and then unloaded with a huge lecture on the nature of loyalty and the possibility of stealing students. Well...again as a show of my naivete....I'm feeling rather hurt right now, and as such, I will not answer him right now since I could end up saying something that I will regret later. From my view, though, I don't think it's stealing a student when 002 asked me to teach her instead of me recruiting her. But now it looks like the bossman and me will be having a rather huge talk tomorrow. I'm not gonna put up a pitched battle since I need the money I make at the school; I'll just say I will give my loyalty to him and will leave 002 to her own devices.
Before I got the bullet from Speedy, though, I did have a good lesson with Suzanne. She's really into "The O.C.". She watched the famous "Chrismukkah" episode and asked me all about it which got us talking about the various religions in the United States. Amazing what a TV show can do, huh? Looks like the annual pumpkin carving is on at the juku. Suzanne is up for it on the 28th. I'll see if some of the others as The Traveler and The Ace may be up for it, too.
Come to think of it, though, I may have told Speedy this news at probably a pretty bad time for him and the school....although by his reaction, anytime would've been bad to get this type of news. Recently, a year after the supposedly unsinkable NOVA collapsed, a study-abraod brokerage firm by the name of Gateway 21 has also gone by the wayside. It took in tons of advance payments from prospective students who had wanted to go overseas to study thing like English only to have the money somehow disappear...probably through payment of loans at high interest rates to consumer loan firms and some other nonsense. I'm not sure right now, but it seems as if the president of the company didn't spend the cash on redecorating his office in gold like NOVA's CEO, Nozomu Sahashi did. And the president, to his credit and his great humiliation, did face up to some furious customers and did the dogesa...prostrated himself on his knees and apologized. Sahashi hasn't done that and probably won't. For the customers, the demand for money will be an empty one...just a very big venting session since all that money is not coming back. Speedy also has a study-abraod service as well, and anytime one of these companies goes belly-up, it looks bad for all of us as a whole.
Tuesday October 7, 4:49 p.m.
I did meet up with The Beehive at the usual place this morning. Mrs. London, the one who had introduced me to all of them also came by for a rare appearance. It was timely since my association with the ladies had just passed the 10-year mark.
Ah, but the kid is here for the juku boss....gotta go...
I did meet up with The Beehive at the usual place this morning. Mrs. London, the one who had introduced me to all of them also came by for a rare appearance. It was timely since my association with the ladies had just passed the 10-year mark.
Ah, but the kid is here for the juku boss....gotta go...
Tuesday October 7, 4:15 p.m.
Shibui. When it's applied to fruit or vegetables, the word means "bitter". But it's also often applied to people. In that case, it doesn't mean "bitter" but is a bit more complicated. You can't really use one word to define it in that sense. Probably the closest word is "cool" as in James Dean cool, but for shibui, you need to have a qualifier. A qualifier such as "austere". "Austerely cool" would be the best. Clint Eastwood would be an example of shibui...so, maybe "craggy" could be another synonym for it. Tommy Lee Jones is another one, BOSS Coffee commercials aside. Maybe even Paul Newman in his later years.
Just like Newman, Japan has its own crowd of shibui actors. Ken Takakura, the guy who played the detective friend of Michael Douglas in "Black Rain" is probably the most shibui. And then there is Ken Ogata. Internationally, he was nowhere near as famous as Ken Takakura in the Ridley Scott movie (not to say that Takakura became a household name in Hollywood, and sorry, but Ken Watanabe doesn't particularly reach shibui in my eyes) but he did make an impression on me in his role as famed author Yukio Mishima in the biopic of the man over 20 years ago. Like Newman last week, Ken Ogata passed away over the weekend at the relatively young age of 71. Unlike Newman, who'd been known to be ill for some time, Ogata's passing was a bit of a shocker in the media this morning. He had just completed what was to be his final role as a country doctor in some drama and a lot of the wide show folks saw him to be well in his last appearance plugging the drama last week. However, his heart apparently had given out. In what was another surprise for the pundits, none of them found out until his older sister called them up...after the wake, usually a de rigueur media-covered event in Japan for departed celebs, had already been performed.
As I said, I first knew about Ken Ogata in the 1985 film, "Mishima". I'd caught with some university buddies back in my First Year in downtown Toronto. It was a fascinating movie about the man's life (filmed in black & white) intercut with dramatizations of some of his more famous novels such as "Kinkakuji" (The Golden Temple); the cinematography for that particular part of the movie was breathtaking. There was also a dramatization of one of his more kinkier books about a woman who would tie up his husband and make tiny cuts all over his body and licking his wounds, until she finally loses it and ends up killing him and herself. The husband was played by Kenji Sawada, a rocker who used to be known as the David Bowie of Japan. Of course, the scenes of Mishima's homosexuality and his turn to the extreme right wing were shown, including his death by seppuku in the Self-Defence Forces HQ in Ichigaya in the early 70s.
What was even more interesting about "Mishima" was about the furor about it offscreen. Yukio Mishima's widow has kept the movie outside of Japanese borders for the past 23 years. The Beehive ladies and I were discussing about Ken Ogata, and they were surprised that the movie had been made at all, and it was then that I realized why Mrs. Mishima kept it out of Japan. Mrs. Travel remarked that the widow is an extreme aesthete and she was very protective of her husband's legacy. I think that his latent homosexuality may have been one of the reasons for her banning it from these shores. Not that I think Japanese Customs has kept a standing rule to search all incoming luggage for "Mishima" DVDs. I think some folks in these have seen it. But certainly some of the more beautiful scenes deserve to be seen on the big screen. With Ogata's death and perhaps the widow's passing (she's probably in her late 80s by now), maybe the ban will be lifted. Ken Ogata was also an actor in "The Ballad of Narayama", another Japanese film that has had some fame amongst the cineastes. However, I think his performance as one of Japanese literature's most complicated members is something to be considered.
However, as shibui as Ogata was, he did have a sense of humour. Like Tommy Lee Jones, he did some commercials about 20 years ago for Kirin Beer with him drinking down the suds while "One" from "A Chorus Line" was playing in the background. And I remember seeing him do a parody of "Dracula" with the comedy team of The Tunnels on their Thursday night show. The last I'd seen of him on TV was as part of that hit game show from a few years ago on Fuji-TV, "The Fountain of Trivia" in which it was found out that the actor was a big fan of the famed cartoon character Doraemon. For a guy who's played Mishima, yakuza and other roughnecks, that would truly score a ton of points.
Shibui. When it's applied to fruit or vegetables, the word means "bitter". But it's also often applied to people. In that case, it doesn't mean "bitter" but is a bit more complicated. You can't really use one word to define it in that sense. Probably the closest word is "cool" as in James Dean cool, but for shibui, you need to have a qualifier. A qualifier such as "austere". "Austerely cool" would be the best. Clint Eastwood would be an example of shibui...so, maybe "craggy" could be another synonym for it. Tommy Lee Jones is another one, BOSS Coffee commercials aside. Maybe even Paul Newman in his later years.
Just like Newman, Japan has its own crowd of shibui actors. Ken Takakura, the guy who played the detective friend of Michael Douglas in "Black Rain" is probably the most shibui. And then there is Ken Ogata. Internationally, he was nowhere near as famous as Ken Takakura in the Ridley Scott movie (not to say that Takakura became a household name in Hollywood, and sorry, but Ken Watanabe doesn't particularly reach shibui in my eyes) but he did make an impression on me in his role as famed author Yukio Mishima in the biopic of the man over 20 years ago. Like Newman last week, Ken Ogata passed away over the weekend at the relatively young age of 71. Unlike Newman, who'd been known to be ill for some time, Ogata's passing was a bit of a shocker in the media this morning. He had just completed what was to be his final role as a country doctor in some drama and a lot of the wide show folks saw him to be well in his last appearance plugging the drama last week. However, his heart apparently had given out. In what was another surprise for the pundits, none of them found out until his older sister called them up...after the wake, usually a de rigueur media-covered event in Japan for departed celebs, had already been performed.
As I said, I first knew about Ken Ogata in the 1985 film, "Mishima". I'd caught with some university buddies back in my First Year in downtown Toronto. It was a fascinating movie about the man's life (filmed in black & white) intercut with dramatizations of some of his more famous novels such as "Kinkakuji" (The Golden Temple); the cinematography for that particular part of the movie was breathtaking. There was also a dramatization of one of his more kinkier books about a woman who would tie up his husband and make tiny cuts all over his body and licking his wounds, until she finally loses it and ends up killing him and herself. The husband was played by Kenji Sawada, a rocker who used to be known as the David Bowie of Japan. Of course, the scenes of Mishima's homosexuality and his turn to the extreme right wing were shown, including his death by seppuku in the Self-Defence Forces HQ in Ichigaya in the early 70s.
What was even more interesting about "Mishima" was about the furor about it offscreen. Yukio Mishima's widow has kept the movie outside of Japanese borders for the past 23 years. The Beehive ladies and I were discussing about Ken Ogata, and they were surprised that the movie had been made at all, and it was then that I realized why Mrs. Mishima kept it out of Japan. Mrs. Travel remarked that the widow is an extreme aesthete and she was very protective of her husband's legacy. I think that his latent homosexuality may have been one of the reasons for her banning it from these shores. Not that I think Japanese Customs has kept a standing rule to search all incoming luggage for "Mishima" DVDs. I think some folks in these have seen it. But certainly some of the more beautiful scenes deserve to be seen on the big screen. With Ogata's death and perhaps the widow's passing (she's probably in her late 80s by now), maybe the ban will be lifted. Ken Ogata was also an actor in "The Ballad of Narayama", another Japanese film that has had some fame amongst the cineastes. However, I think his performance as one of Japanese literature's most complicated members is something to be considered.
However, as shibui as Ogata was, he did have a sense of humour. Like Tommy Lee Jones, he did some commercials about 20 years ago for Kirin Beer with him drinking down the suds while "One" from "A Chorus Line" was playing in the background. And I remember seeing him do a parody of "Dracula" with the comedy team of The Tunnels on their Thursday night show. The last I'd seen of him on TV was as part of that hit game show from a few years ago on Fuji-TV, "The Fountain of Trivia" in which it was found out that the actor was a big fan of the famed cartoon character Doraemon. For a guy who's played Mishima, yakuza and other roughnecks, that would truly score a ton of points.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Monday October 6, 7:38 p.m.
The Full-Timer pulled another one of those mother-daughter trips outside of the country again over the weekend. This time, it was Saipan. Considering all the trips she's taken in the few years I've known her, I was a bit surprised that she'd never been there before. And from Japan, it's just a few hours on the plane. I got the usual tropical souvenir in the form of Macadamia Chocolates. Things seemed to have calmed a bit this past week for her and her section. Apparently, it's a section in her company that all of the other sections try to avoid with a passion due to the somewhat hysterical management there. I did teach her the expression "psychopath" last week.
Last night at the dinner with the juku boss and Cozy, we all spoke on the year 1981. That year was the one in which I came to Japan for the 2nd time and provided me with the biggest turning point of my life, and it was the one in which those first met at university. Once again, we all got nostalgic about the times. Strangely enough, in one of those coincidences that have peppered my life recently, when I got home and just happened to switch on MTV Japan, I found out that there was a 3-hour 80s Videos Marathon on the channel, so I just had to watch. Sure enough, it started with the video that started MTV off, The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star". And then, I got to see Madonna's "Borderline", The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" and even a small medley of glam metal vids with bands like Ratt and Quiet Riot. Of course, Duran Duran was represented by "Union of the Snake" (I would've thought "Girls on Film" was a better choice). A bit ironic on The Buggles video since that shiny suited guy with the mullet playing keyboards just happened to be the guy responsible for "The Dark Knight" soundtrack a quarter-century later.
With The Full-Timer tonight, our very last tidbit of conversation before wrapping things up was about her colleague's decision to go for the Lasix eye treatment to correct her vision. My student was mulling the possibility of undergoing the expensive laser (170,000 yen) since she's on contact lenses. No thanks for me...I won't even put soft contacts into my eyes. Although since she doesn't wear glasses, there would be no dramatic change for her from other folks' view. But I did mention that for we four-eyed types, the transition from glasses to no glasses would be like Jekyll and Hyde....I think that would be literally true for me. Sure enough, in yet another coincidence, I get back to the school and didn't recognize one of our own staffers since she didn't have her glasses on. She actually looks better with the lenses off.
The Full-Timer pulled another one of those mother-daughter trips outside of the country again over the weekend. This time, it was Saipan. Considering all the trips she's taken in the few years I've known her, I was a bit surprised that she'd never been there before. And from Japan, it's just a few hours on the plane. I got the usual tropical souvenir in the form of Macadamia Chocolates. Things seemed to have calmed a bit this past week for her and her section. Apparently, it's a section in her company that all of the other sections try to avoid with a passion due to the somewhat hysterical management there. I did teach her the expression "psychopath" last week.
Last night at the dinner with the juku boss and Cozy, we all spoke on the year 1981. That year was the one in which I came to Japan for the 2nd time and provided me with the biggest turning point of my life, and it was the one in which those first met at university. Once again, we all got nostalgic about the times. Strangely enough, in one of those coincidences that have peppered my life recently, when I got home and just happened to switch on MTV Japan, I found out that there was a 3-hour 80s Videos Marathon on the channel, so I just had to watch. Sure enough, it started with the video that started MTV off, The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star". And then, I got to see Madonna's "Borderline", The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" and even a small medley of glam metal vids with bands like Ratt and Quiet Riot. Of course, Duran Duran was represented by "Union of the Snake" (I would've thought "Girls on Film" was a better choice). A bit ironic on The Buggles video since that shiny suited guy with the mullet playing keyboards just happened to be the guy responsible for "The Dark Knight" soundtrack a quarter-century later.
With The Full-Timer tonight, our very last tidbit of conversation before wrapping things up was about her colleague's decision to go for the Lasix eye treatment to correct her vision. My student was mulling the possibility of undergoing the expensive laser (170,000 yen) since she's on contact lenses. No thanks for me...I won't even put soft contacts into my eyes. Although since she doesn't wear glasses, there would be no dramatic change for her from other folks' view. But I did mention that for we four-eyed types, the transition from glasses to no glasses would be like Jekyll and Hyde....I think that would be literally true for me. Sure enough, in yet another coincidence, I get back to the school and didn't recognize one of our own staffers since she didn't have her glasses on. She actually looks better with the lenses off.
Monday October 6, 4:08 p.m.
Did get my CD...and manga...fix on Saturday. Yep, looks like I've gotten fully into "Hikaru no Go". I bought Vols. 2 and 3 at Kinokuniya in Shinjuku. The pattern seems to follow that of "Nodame Cantabile"...that of schoolkids being obsessive over a certain subject; in "Nodame", it's classical music while in "Hikaru", it's the game of I-Go. My own interest in the game has cooled somewhat in the last several months. It is easy to learn but far from it to master or even become half-decent. One reason is that the books I've bought on the game give the basics but hardly scratch the surface. I'm hoping that the manga series will give some down-to-earth insights.
Then, it was the raid into HMV on the 12th floor of Takashimaya Times Square. I bought a potpourri of stuff. First off was the soundtrack to "The Dark Knight" by Hans Zimmer. Pretty much as I had expected it would be...lots of sturm und drang with synths, strings and some amazing Shostakovich timpani. The next CD was a 180-degree turn in the form of J-techno-ized unit, Perfume, and their first megahit album, "Game". There were a few songs with some catchy hooks but basically it struck me as "Alvin & The Chipmunks do YMO". Another sudden musical veering with my next purchase of Bird's "Free Soul". Bird is this marvelous singer who has the chops for jazz, R&B and bossa nova and has been demonstrating this ability for almost a decade. This new album seems to be a "Best Of" disc in terms of her more middle-of-the-road stuff; perfect for Sunday brunch listening.
And finally, I got "Expressions" by veteran J-popper chanteuse Mariya Takeuchi. This is a lady who's probably second only to The Queen of non-aidoru J-Pop, Yumi Matsutoya. However, unlike The Queen, Princess Mariya's voice has never really changed in her 30 years of performing...it still has that beseeching velvety quality. Also, Mariya has a better command of the English language...I guess 1 year of high school in America can reap a 3-decade-long career. Whereas Yuming's area of expertise started out in West Coast Pop, Mariya initially strutted her stuff sounding like a Japanese Connie Francis...going for an American 50s bubblegum kitschy pop sound in her early years ("Fushigi na Peach Pie" or "September" come to mind); heck, her early single covers have her looking like a teenybopper from "Happy Days". In recent years, though, like Matsutoya, Takeuchi has embraced all sorts of influences from jazz to Merseybeat. Still have another two discs to go in that megaalbum.
On Sunday, I met up with The New Yorker for a rare weekend lesson at the same Tully's shop. She was certainly a bit more conversant in English than is typical for her. Maybe that little exposure to her sister's buddy's visit from North Carolina was an inspiration. The Carolinan's old college roomie arrived on Saturday. The family took her to the city of Narita right from the airport where they had her try unagi...eel (!) That's kinda like having me go up against an I-Go 9-dan in a pick-up game. Not surprisingly, the roomie wasn't all that impressed...I think they should've just gone for something closer to Western tastes like tonkatsu or sushi.
Later, I met up with the juku boss and Cozy for dinner in Toyocho. All these years I had passed through the area via the Tozai Line but never stopped there except in the old days when the subway didn't last as long as it does now and I had to grab a taxi topside from the station (the last train only goes as far as Toyocho). I was surprised that I had to walk quite a ways to reach the meeting place in the Hotel East 21 but there was a pretty nice outdoor mall at the bottom of the hotel. For a hotel that's not exactly in the city centre, the place had a pretty sophisticated air about it. The three of us were meeting at Cozy's invitation; aside from our very first meeting earlier before Spring, our only communication between me and him was by e-mail. He took us to this classy Chinese restaurant in the hotel. It was definitely not a restaurant for the faint of finances but it served some very tasty fare, including the de rigueur dish for such a place, Shark's-Fin Soup. The three of us had some very good conversation about how Cozy and the boss had met a quarter-century ago, the state of raising children in Japan, and how I came to end up here for the past 14 years. We even got into a proposition about possibly going together for a trip up to Hokkaido early next year. The boss later asked me whether this was Cozy's true intention or if it had been the alcohol talking. Not sure myself but I would still be pretty interested in heading back up there. During the course of dinner, the boss informed me that my old student at the juku, The Siberian, had quit his job of about 18 months due to the various stresses on the job. Strangely enough, he was working for Dai Nippon Printing, a company that I've had lessons for over the past several years, and Mr. TOEIC is also gainfully employed there. The Siberian had been assigned all the way up in Saitama Prefecture...pretty distant for a guy who lives in Chiba. And frankly, sales isn't his forte. I think with his genius-level knowledge of languages, he should be taking the more academic route in his career.
Looks like it will be a quiet week for me. I still haven't had my first class today. That will be the Full-Timer from 6 p.m. followed by Medicine Man. Tuesday will probably be the busiest day with the usual Beehive and juku classes. However, 002 will be back in between; it's been over a month since I saw her last. Wednesday and Friday will just have evening classes and I might have an early Thursday night off. Right now, Speedy is off teaching The Singer.
I heard back from Miss Prim...another old student from my days at the ol' school. She'd just come back from a stint on the Working-Holiday programme in Canada. She had gotten together with The Flautist and talked about me and some of the old days. In any case, Prim wanted to know what my schedule was like for dinner sometime this month. I said that I could have this Thursday night off early. Of course, at the same time, MB sent a message right after asking what my schedule was like on the same night to catch "Wanted" at Roppongi Hills.
Also got word from my brother. Looks like he had a successful business trip in Korea. Loved the food but the stomach had a distinctly different reaction which resulted in some frequent trips to the washroom on the plane back. But he asked me if I would like the DVD set of Season 1 of "Get Smart" sent over for my b-day. Great timing since the movie with Steve Carell starts here this Saturday.
Still have yet to hear whether PM Aso is gonna pull the trigger and dissolve Parliament for that much-expected general election in November. His minions are starting to get a bit antsy about it.
Also heard about another fall from grace in the geinokai. Taishu Kase, a washed-up actor (at least in this country) who had his heyday back in the early 90s, got busted for marijuana possession and cultivation, and there quite a few syringes found at his place. He'd been the darling of a lot of office ladies everywhere with his appearances in trendy dramas and "Inamura Jane", a surfing-in-Shonan movie that was more remarkable for the Southern-All-Stars-heavy soundtrack. I remembered watching him in a fluffy Monday-at-9 Fuji-TV dramedy, "Let's Go To School", with Yuko Asano and a very young Nakai-kun from SMAP. He got married but divorced less than a decade later due to his womanizing and wife-beating. He then escaped to Taiwan where he found his second wind in dramas there. Looks like he should've stayed there.
Did get my CD...and manga...fix on Saturday. Yep, looks like I've gotten fully into "Hikaru no Go". I bought Vols. 2 and 3 at Kinokuniya in Shinjuku. The pattern seems to follow that of "Nodame Cantabile"...that of schoolkids being obsessive over a certain subject; in "Nodame", it's classical music while in "Hikaru", it's the game of I-Go. My own interest in the game has cooled somewhat in the last several months. It is easy to learn but far from it to master or even become half-decent. One reason is that the books I've bought on the game give the basics but hardly scratch the surface. I'm hoping that the manga series will give some down-to-earth insights.
Then, it was the raid into HMV on the 12th floor of Takashimaya Times Square. I bought a potpourri of stuff. First off was the soundtrack to "The Dark Knight" by Hans Zimmer. Pretty much as I had expected it would be...lots of sturm und drang with synths, strings and some amazing Shostakovich timpani. The next CD was a 180-degree turn in the form of J-techno-ized unit, Perfume, and their first megahit album, "Game". There were a few songs with some catchy hooks but basically it struck me as "Alvin & The Chipmunks do YMO". Another sudden musical veering with my next purchase of Bird's "Free Soul". Bird is this marvelous singer who has the chops for jazz, R&B and bossa nova and has been demonstrating this ability for almost a decade. This new album seems to be a "Best Of" disc in terms of her more middle-of-the-road stuff; perfect for Sunday brunch listening.
And finally, I got "Expressions" by veteran J-popper chanteuse Mariya Takeuchi. This is a lady who's probably second only to The Queen of non-aidoru J-Pop, Yumi Matsutoya. However, unlike The Queen, Princess Mariya's voice has never really changed in her 30 years of performing...it still has that beseeching velvety quality. Also, Mariya has a better command of the English language...I guess 1 year of high school in America can reap a 3-decade-long career. Whereas Yuming's area of expertise started out in West Coast Pop, Mariya initially strutted her stuff sounding like a Japanese Connie Francis...going for an American 50s bubblegum kitschy pop sound in her early years ("Fushigi na Peach Pie" or "September" come to mind); heck, her early single covers have her looking like a teenybopper from "Happy Days". In recent years, though, like Matsutoya, Takeuchi has embraced all sorts of influences from jazz to Merseybeat. Still have another two discs to go in that megaalbum.
On Sunday, I met up with The New Yorker for a rare weekend lesson at the same Tully's shop. She was certainly a bit more conversant in English than is typical for her. Maybe that little exposure to her sister's buddy's visit from North Carolina was an inspiration. The Carolinan's old college roomie arrived on Saturday. The family took her to the city of Narita right from the airport where they had her try unagi...eel (!) That's kinda like having me go up against an I-Go 9-dan in a pick-up game. Not surprisingly, the roomie wasn't all that impressed...I think they should've just gone for something closer to Western tastes like tonkatsu or sushi.
Later, I met up with the juku boss and Cozy for dinner in Toyocho. All these years I had passed through the area via the Tozai Line but never stopped there except in the old days when the subway didn't last as long as it does now and I had to grab a taxi topside from the station (the last train only goes as far as Toyocho). I was surprised that I had to walk quite a ways to reach the meeting place in the Hotel East 21 but there was a pretty nice outdoor mall at the bottom of the hotel. For a hotel that's not exactly in the city centre, the place had a pretty sophisticated air about it. The three of us were meeting at Cozy's invitation; aside from our very first meeting earlier before Spring, our only communication between me and him was by e-mail. He took us to this classy Chinese restaurant in the hotel. It was definitely not a restaurant for the faint of finances but it served some very tasty fare, including the de rigueur dish for such a place, Shark's-Fin Soup. The three of us had some very good conversation about how Cozy and the boss had met a quarter-century ago, the state of raising children in Japan, and how I came to end up here for the past 14 years. We even got into a proposition about possibly going together for a trip up to Hokkaido early next year. The boss later asked me whether this was Cozy's true intention or if it had been the alcohol talking. Not sure myself but I would still be pretty interested in heading back up there. During the course of dinner, the boss informed me that my old student at the juku, The Siberian, had quit his job of about 18 months due to the various stresses on the job. Strangely enough, he was working for Dai Nippon Printing, a company that I've had lessons for over the past several years, and Mr. TOEIC is also gainfully employed there. The Siberian had been assigned all the way up in Saitama Prefecture...pretty distant for a guy who lives in Chiba. And frankly, sales isn't his forte. I think with his genius-level knowledge of languages, he should be taking the more academic route in his career.
Looks like it will be a quiet week for me. I still haven't had my first class today. That will be the Full-Timer from 6 p.m. followed by Medicine Man. Tuesday will probably be the busiest day with the usual Beehive and juku classes. However, 002 will be back in between; it's been over a month since I saw her last. Wednesday and Friday will just have evening classes and I might have an early Thursday night off. Right now, Speedy is off teaching The Singer.
I heard back from Miss Prim...another old student from my days at the ol' school. She'd just come back from a stint on the Working-Holiday programme in Canada. She had gotten together with The Flautist and talked about me and some of the old days. In any case, Prim wanted to know what my schedule was like for dinner sometime this month. I said that I could have this Thursday night off early. Of course, at the same time, MB sent a message right after asking what my schedule was like on the same night to catch "Wanted" at Roppongi Hills.
Also got word from my brother. Looks like he had a successful business trip in Korea. Loved the food but the stomach had a distinctly different reaction which resulted in some frequent trips to the washroom on the plane back. But he asked me if I would like the DVD set of Season 1 of "Get Smart" sent over for my b-day. Great timing since the movie with Steve Carell starts here this Saturday.
Still have yet to hear whether PM Aso is gonna pull the trigger and dissolve Parliament for that much-expected general election in November. His minions are starting to get a bit antsy about it.
Also heard about another fall from grace in the geinokai. Taishu Kase, a washed-up actor (at least in this country) who had his heyday back in the early 90s, got busted for marijuana possession and cultivation, and there quite a few syringes found at his place. He'd been the darling of a lot of office ladies everywhere with his appearances in trendy dramas and "Inamura Jane", a surfing-in-Shonan movie that was more remarkable for the Southern-All-Stars-heavy soundtrack. I remembered watching him in a fluffy Monday-at-9 Fuji-TV dramedy, "Let's Go To School", with Yuko Asano and a very young Nakai-kun from SMAP. He got married but divorced less than a decade later due to his womanizing and wife-beating. He then escaped to Taiwan where he found his second wind in dramas there. Looks like he should've stayed there.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Saturday October 4, 3:32 p.m.
Well, the three lessons came off without a hitch...very pleasant, all of them, actually. That model lesson student did sign up...thereby breaking my winless streak. We connected quite well (cough, cough). The Intellectual was his usual level best, and the return of Mr. TOEIC had us talking about that trip to Taipei; he actually didn't need to give his English presentation since half of the audience couldn't speak English and all of them could understand kanji far better.
I see that O.J. Simpson got the book thrown at him pretty hard...this is what I call the most roundabout version of Al Capone's arrest for tax evasion. In any case, O.J. should've been fully charged with stupidity, more than anything else.
Despite my Mac Breakfast, my stomach was growling at me by the time Mr. TOEIC got in. I've managed to eat a piece of out-of-date white chocolate and a vitamin drink. Hopefully, that'll tide me over til dinner which will probably won't take place for another number of hours.
Well, the three lessons came off without a hitch...very pleasant, all of them, actually. That model lesson student did sign up...thereby breaking my winless streak. We connected quite well (cough, cough). The Intellectual was his usual level best, and the return of Mr. TOEIC had us talking about that trip to Taipei; he actually didn't need to give his English presentation since half of the audience couldn't speak English and all of them could understand kanji far better.
I see that O.J. Simpson got the book thrown at him pretty hard...this is what I call the most roundabout version of Al Capone's arrest for tax evasion. In any case, O.J. should've been fully charged with stupidity, more than anything else.
Despite my Mac Breakfast, my stomach was growling at me by the time Mr. TOEIC got in. I've managed to eat a piece of out-of-date white chocolate and a vitamin drink. Hopefully, that'll tide me over til dinner which will probably won't take place for another number of hours.
Saturday October 4, 11:20 a.m.
The full crew is here: me, Speedy and The Lab Tech. Plus, that model lesson student is now in the middle of her level check tests. Pretty good result on the first one, although there were a few silly mistakes for a person of her level. Could be nerves. I've got some myself...I even brought my blazer to make a full besuited teacher of myself...or a fool. So far, no cheerfully snarky remarks from the bossman. Actually, I'm gonna get the full support from him for this model lesson. He was supposed to have gone off to teach The Singer this morning, but she cancelled again last night. I'll probably buy one CD of hers during my spree at HMV later today.
Was basically going through the Wiki stuff on "Heroes" since the 3rd season has started. 001 finally made it through Season 1 via overnight showings on NTV. She wasn't too impressed with "How to Stop an Exploding Man"; I guess she was expecting an "X-Men" like super battle. I should've told her that even Hollywood studios have budgets to maintain. In any case, it seems like Tim Kring is pulling out some stops for "Villains". Over here, Super Drama TV has shown the first half of Season 2. It's heartening to find out that sci-fi may have a rosy future out there in TV land after all with "Heroes" and "Battlestar Galactica". Certainly, it helps that on the motion picture front, "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" have been keeping up the side for all of us nerds who'd always been sci-fi and comic book nuts.
Well, it looks like the model student has finished the e-mail writing test. Speedy has just raced into the room. Probably another 5-10 minutes and then I'm up.
The full crew is here: me, Speedy and The Lab Tech. Plus, that model lesson student is now in the middle of her level check tests. Pretty good result on the first one, although there were a few silly mistakes for a person of her level. Could be nerves. I've got some myself...I even brought my blazer to make a full besuited teacher of myself...or a fool. So far, no cheerfully snarky remarks from the bossman. Actually, I'm gonna get the full support from him for this model lesson. He was supposed to have gone off to teach The Singer this morning, but she cancelled again last night. I'll probably buy one CD of hers during my spree at HMV later today.
Was basically going through the Wiki stuff on "Heroes" since the 3rd season has started. 001 finally made it through Season 1 via overnight showings on NTV. She wasn't too impressed with "How to Stop an Exploding Man"; I guess she was expecting an "X-Men" like super battle. I should've told her that even Hollywood studios have budgets to maintain. In any case, it seems like Tim Kring is pulling out some stops for "Villains". Over here, Super Drama TV has shown the first half of Season 2. It's heartening to find out that sci-fi may have a rosy future out there in TV land after all with "Heroes" and "Battlestar Galactica". Certainly, it helps that on the motion picture front, "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" have been keeping up the side for all of us nerds who'd always been sci-fi and comic book nuts.
Well, it looks like the model student has finished the e-mail writing test. Speedy has just raced into the room. Probably another 5-10 minutes and then I'm up.
Saturday October 4, 9:00 a.m.
Yep, here on an early Saturday morning. I thought I might as well get here early since I've got a model lesson, and I haven't had much luck on my model lessons lately...get myself psyched up for it. Again, it's one of those higher-than-average folks who wants Business English. I always do better with those lower-than-average types who just want conversation.
I did catch that Palin-Biden debate yesterday morning on CNN. Folks had been expecting the equivalent of an especially crash-filled Indy 500, but instead we got a veteran senator who didn't spout verbal diarrhea and a neophyte Alaskan governor who didn't have verbal constipation. In fact, I would say that it was just about as close as possible to a debate in its purest form...one in which the two combatants gave out their opening statements and then looked for weaknesses in their arguments. It was downright Greek! Sarah Palin didn't screw up mightily which had the Republican Party sighing in relief, and Joe Biden didn't spout some horrible miscue which had the Democratic Party doing the same. Actually, the only real nastiness came from the partisan pundits going at each other post-debate about who had actually won. For me, it was Biden, and apparently more than of those polled afterwards agreed with me. He did come off sounding pretty presidential for a guy who was actually going after the 2nd-highest post in the land. However, kudos to Palin for holding her own, although I think she overdid it slightly on the folksy girl-next-door bit. Sounded a bit like amateurish dinner theatre at times....uber-Palin, if you will. The two things that struck me was that moment when Joe choked up when he brought up the topic of the loss of his first wife and daughter, and then right after the debate when not only did the two debaters actually showed how friendly they were with each other, but the two families got together in a near-"Mary Tyler Moore" finale hug. Quite a bit different from the tension of the first Obama-McCain debate.
After all that, the bailout bill finally got passed and I hear that George Bush has already signed it. I don't think I've ever seen a bill get passed into law quite that fast, but these are rather desperate times. I think it got passed faster than that ol' cartoon "I'm Just A Bill Sitting on Capitol Hill". The pen must still be smoking. I know that Lou Dobbs is.
Last night was an uncharacteristically busy night at the juku. Had three: Mild Jr. (who'll now come sporadically on Friday nights), The Ace and the new kid on the block (figuratively, since the lady is in her 50s), The Restauranteur. Actually earlier in the evening, the juku boss was feeling a mite peckish and so asked me out to go out for a bite to eat at The Restauranteur's establishment just around the corner. The place was one of those homey little establishments that come in the middle of the fast-food/family restaurants and the purely ethnocentric places. Those places are notable for the little lit-up sign outside the door which often has a sponsoring tag of Key Coffee. The Restauranteur was a bit surprised at our entrance but got us to our table. The boss was right...the portions were huge. I barely made it through my bowl of Meat Sauce Spaghetti...kinda reminded me of the large bowls at the chain known as Capricciosa. As for the lady's first lesson, she did well. Good student to have.
As for today, after that model lesson, I've got The Intellectual (who did sign up for more...the masochist) and then Mr. TOEIC; it'll be the first lesson with him after his trip to Taiwan. Must ask him how he did on his presentation. He's still not exactly the smoothest speaker in our school. I think after those three, I'll be ready to treat myself to some CD shopping. Never did buy anything at HMV on Thursday night since I discovered that it'll be Triple-Point Day today.
Instead, I ended up buying my first manga since I set foot in this country nearly 14 years ago at Kinokuniya on Thursday. Bought the translated version of "Hikaru no Go", a manga created by a high school student about a young lad destined to be an I-Go champion, thanks to the centuries-old spirit of an I-Go Master. Unsurprisingly, the I-Go Master is supposed to be a guy named Fujiwara-no-Sai but "he" looks and acts all effeminate...a typical manga characteristic. Pretty fun reading and there was even a cameo appearance of my old stomping grounds of Ichigaya. I may just end up getting a couple of more in the series.
Man, it's been so NOT fun for the Japan Sumo Association. Truly an annus horribilis for one of the oldest sports in the world. First, this year, there was the first ousting of a stablemaster in sumo's history because of beating one of his charges to death. Then, there was all that stuff about Asashoryu, the controversial yokozuna; then, the first ousting of active rikishi due to drug possession, and now a court case has begun about Asashoryu and others throwing games. The JSA has sued a non-fiction writer on charges of slander and defamation because he accused sumo of being tainted by corruption. Would love to see the proof of that. And my cynical side thinks that there may be a death or two before all this over. Seriously.
Yep, here on an early Saturday morning. I thought I might as well get here early since I've got a model lesson, and I haven't had much luck on my model lessons lately...get myself psyched up for it. Again, it's one of those higher-than-average folks who wants Business English. I always do better with those lower-than-average types who just want conversation.
I did catch that Palin-Biden debate yesterday morning on CNN. Folks had been expecting the equivalent of an especially crash-filled Indy 500, but instead we got a veteran senator who didn't spout verbal diarrhea and a neophyte Alaskan governor who didn't have verbal constipation. In fact, I would say that it was just about as close as possible to a debate in its purest form...one in which the two combatants gave out their opening statements and then looked for weaknesses in their arguments. It was downright Greek! Sarah Palin didn't screw up mightily which had the Republican Party sighing in relief, and Joe Biden didn't spout some horrible miscue which had the Democratic Party doing the same. Actually, the only real nastiness came from the partisan pundits going at each other post-debate about who had actually won. For me, it was Biden, and apparently more than of those polled afterwards agreed with me. He did come off sounding pretty presidential for a guy who was actually going after the 2nd-highest post in the land. However, kudos to Palin for holding her own, although I think she overdid it slightly on the folksy girl-next-door bit. Sounded a bit like amateurish dinner theatre at times....uber-Palin, if you will. The two things that struck me was that moment when Joe choked up when he brought up the topic of the loss of his first wife and daughter, and then right after the debate when not only did the two debaters actually showed how friendly they were with each other, but the two families got together in a near-"Mary Tyler Moore" finale hug. Quite a bit different from the tension of the first Obama-McCain debate.
After all that, the bailout bill finally got passed and I hear that George Bush has already signed it. I don't think I've ever seen a bill get passed into law quite that fast, but these are rather desperate times. I think it got passed faster than that ol' cartoon "I'm Just A Bill Sitting on Capitol Hill". The pen must still be smoking. I know that Lou Dobbs is.
Last night was an uncharacteristically busy night at the juku. Had three: Mild Jr. (who'll now come sporadically on Friday nights), The Ace and the new kid on the block (figuratively, since the lady is in her 50s), The Restauranteur. Actually earlier in the evening, the juku boss was feeling a mite peckish and so asked me out to go out for a bite to eat at The Restauranteur's establishment just around the corner. The place was one of those homey little establishments that come in the middle of the fast-food/family restaurants and the purely ethnocentric places. Those places are notable for the little lit-up sign outside the door which often has a sponsoring tag of Key Coffee. The Restauranteur was a bit surprised at our entrance but got us to our table. The boss was right...the portions were huge. I barely made it through my bowl of Meat Sauce Spaghetti...kinda reminded me of the large bowls at the chain known as Capricciosa. As for the lady's first lesson, she did well. Good student to have.
As for today, after that model lesson, I've got The Intellectual (who did sign up for more...the masochist) and then Mr. TOEIC; it'll be the first lesson with him after his trip to Taiwan. Must ask him how he did on his presentation. He's still not exactly the smoothest speaker in our school. I think after those three, I'll be ready to treat myself to some CD shopping. Never did buy anything at HMV on Thursday night since I discovered that it'll be Triple-Point Day today.
Instead, I ended up buying my first manga since I set foot in this country nearly 14 years ago at Kinokuniya on Thursday. Bought the translated version of "Hikaru no Go", a manga created by a high school student about a young lad destined to be an I-Go champion, thanks to the centuries-old spirit of an I-Go Master. Unsurprisingly, the I-Go Master is supposed to be a guy named Fujiwara-no-Sai but "he" looks and acts all effeminate...a typical manga characteristic. Pretty fun reading and there was even a cameo appearance of my old stomping grounds of Ichigaya. I may just end up getting a couple of more in the series.
Man, it's been so NOT fun for the Japan Sumo Association. Truly an annus horribilis for one of the oldest sports in the world. First, this year, there was the first ousting of a stablemaster in sumo's history because of beating one of his charges to death. Then, there was all that stuff about Asashoryu, the controversial yokozuna; then, the first ousting of active rikishi due to drug possession, and now a court case has begun about Asashoryu and others throwing games. The JSA has sued a non-fiction writer on charges of slander and defamation because he accused sumo of being tainted by corruption. Would love to see the proof of that. And my cynical side thinks that there may be a death or two before all this over. Seriously.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Thursday October 2, 2:43 p.m.
Wrapped up with The Big Lug and Miss Sedona. Pretty easy breezy to quote an unfortunate title from a Hikaru Utada song. Quite a bit of sidetracking with both students. The Big Lug is on an apartment search while I found out that Miss Sedona is a big fan of Crosby, Still, Nash & Young; she seems to have that 70s vibe about her. She even mentioned that retro group, Superfly.
Wrapped up with The Big Lug and Miss Sedona. Pretty easy breezy to quote an unfortunate title from a Hikaru Utada song. Quite a bit of sidetracking with both students. The Big Lug is on an apartment search while I found out that Miss Sedona is a big fan of Crosby, Still, Nash & Young; she seems to have that 70s vibe about her. She even mentioned that retro group, Superfly.
Thursday October 2, 10:58 a.m.
Pretty light day today...just two: The Big Lug and Miss Sedona. I may indulge...against my better judgement, of course...to go on my monthly spending spree and get a rash of discs at HMV, including the one by The Singer.
Looks like that bailout plan by the U.S. Congress passed the Senate, but just not sure how it's gonna be back on the floor of the House. Still, all the financial horrors of the past two weeks may have an impact on the Diet elections here in Japan. Now, the LDP is mulling holding things off until the economic picture gets a little rosier.
The bigger news here right now seems to be that fire in Osaka which killed 15 men in an adult video box theatre the other night. The culprit who had lit the fire has been caught...it's another one of those nutcases who finally decided to cash in his chips in a blaze of murderous glory. It's been interesting how certain Western media outlets have described the place where the fire took place as "a sex-shop". Images of heavy curtains and breathing, whips, chains and whipped cream; nope, nothing so sordid. Just a bunch of compartments, each with its own comfy recliner, DVD viewing area, and two-ply tissue. And a number of the customers are just salaried guys who need a cheap place (an all-nighter there costs just 1,500 yen...even the most inexpensive business hotels cost three times more) to flop for the night. I think some of them are now getting that eternal sleep.
Pretty light day today...just two: The Big Lug and Miss Sedona. I may indulge...against my better judgement, of course...to go on my monthly spending spree and get a rash of discs at HMV, including the one by The Singer.
Looks like that bailout plan by the U.S. Congress passed the Senate, but just not sure how it's gonna be back on the floor of the House. Still, all the financial horrors of the past two weeks may have an impact on the Diet elections here in Japan. Now, the LDP is mulling holding things off until the economic picture gets a little rosier.
The bigger news here right now seems to be that fire in Osaka which killed 15 men in an adult video box theatre the other night. The culprit who had lit the fire has been caught...it's another one of those nutcases who finally decided to cash in his chips in a blaze of murderous glory. It's been interesting how certain Western media outlets have described the place where the fire took place as "a sex-shop". Images of heavy curtains and breathing, whips, chains and whipped cream; nope, nothing so sordid. Just a bunch of compartments, each with its own comfy recliner, DVD viewing area, and two-ply tissue. And a number of the customers are just salaried guys who need a cheap place (an all-nighter there costs just 1,500 yen...even the most inexpensive business hotels cost three times more) to flop for the night. I think some of them are now getting that eternal sleep.
Wednesday October 1, 9:43 p.m.
Finished off my day here. 001 and I basically coasted again in the lesson...I think we'll have to get back to the text but she's off next week, so I figure we may have some more material for coasting on the 15th. The Diver was fine although the last half-hour became an Intensive on Pronounciation.
Had my schedule changes today. Got some more tomorrow. Grandma Dynamite has canned so I can actually come in at a decent time, and Mr. TOEIC also cancelled his class for the evening, so I'm gonna end up with yet another early Thursday night. He'll end up taking over the slot vacated by The Businesswoman on Saturday.
That Trekkie is definitely quite a different young lady from people like Ray and AK. Speedy was correct; she's always asking the questions. She'll be perfectly trained for cross-examination when she gets her day in court. I'll see if I can dig up those blueprints of the Enterprise.
Speedy and I ended up having the last of the goodies that Grandma Enka had kindly brought us this morning. We split the tonkatsu sandwich and the shrimp burger. We are always grateful to the grandmothers for their culinary contributions since the younger generations don't follow such customs.
Finished off my day here. 001 and I basically coasted again in the lesson...I think we'll have to get back to the text but she's off next week, so I figure we may have some more material for coasting on the 15th. The Diver was fine although the last half-hour became an Intensive on Pronounciation.
Had my schedule changes today. Got some more tomorrow. Grandma Dynamite has canned so I can actually come in at a decent time, and Mr. TOEIC also cancelled his class for the evening, so I'm gonna end up with yet another early Thursday night. He'll end up taking over the slot vacated by The Businesswoman on Saturday.
That Trekkie is definitely quite a different young lady from people like Ray and AK. Speedy was correct; she's always asking the questions. She'll be perfectly trained for cross-examination when she gets her day in court. I'll see if I can dig up those blueprints of the Enterprise.
Speedy and I ended up having the last of the goodies that Grandma Enka had kindly brought us this morning. We split the tonkatsu sandwich and the shrimp burger. We are always grateful to the grandmothers for their culinary contributions since the younger generations don't follow such customs.
Wednesday October 1, 5:11 p.m.
Been a pretty quiet day of translation efforts. Got my assignments off to Cozy and The Corner. And looks like Cozy's wish will come true; he, me and the juku boss will be getting together in Toyocho on Sunday for a Chinese dinner at the East 21 Hotel.
The Yogist came by for her atypical Wednesday lesson. She was suffering mightily from a ragweed allergy. Had to bring over the wastepaper basket and two boxes of Kleenex. By the time class was over, the basket could've been called The Yogist's Used Tissue basket.
The Trekkie has actually come over to do a night shift. It's the first time I've seen her at the school. She returned my "The Definitive Star Trek Trivia Book". I'm currently reading the 10th anniversary coffee table book for TNG which she quickly swiped up and started doing show and tell with Ray...who's nowhere near a Trekkie. I could be talking with her right now, but it seems like she's a pretty diligent worker so I'll just stay quiet.
001 should be here in another 45 minutes.
Been a pretty quiet day of translation efforts. Got my assignments off to Cozy and The Corner. And looks like Cozy's wish will come true; he, me and the juku boss will be getting together in Toyocho on Sunday for a Chinese dinner at the East 21 Hotel.
The Yogist came by for her atypical Wednesday lesson. She was suffering mightily from a ragweed allergy. Had to bring over the wastepaper basket and two boxes of Kleenex. By the time class was over, the basket could've been called The Yogist's Used Tissue basket.
The Trekkie has actually come over to do a night shift. It's the first time I've seen her at the school. She returned my "The Definitive Star Trek Trivia Book". I'm currently reading the 10th anniversary coffee table book for TNG which she quickly swiped up and started doing show and tell with Ray...who's nowhere near a Trekkie. I could be talking with her right now, but it seems like she's a pretty diligent worker so I'll just stay quiet.
001 should be here in another 45 minutes.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday October 1, 10:52 a.m.
We're into October now...nice and cool and not rainy. I could use more of this kind of weather.
Some more changes in store for me...instead of seeing The Businesswoman this Saturday, I won't be seeing her until November. But 002 is coming back into the fold for a couple of lessons this month starting from next Tuesday.
The latest chapter in the most politically crazy saga in America in recent history is gonna be another vote on this bailout plan. Lou Dobbs, who we no longer get on CNN, was doing one of his populist rants whose transcript I read on the website. After this gets done, it'll be that showdown debate between VP candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. Man, what a story about Palin...coming into enormous cheers a month ago and now, folks in her own party are thinking about ousting her because of some of those interviews she's had. I've got most of Friday off so I'll be able to catch the debate. Just wonder if viewers will be watching this version of The Indy 500 for excellence in debate racing or just plain tragic crashing.
We're into October now...nice and cool and not rainy. I could use more of this kind of weather.
Some more changes in store for me...instead of seeing The Businesswoman this Saturday, I won't be seeing her until November. But 002 is coming back into the fold for a couple of lessons this month starting from next Tuesday.
The latest chapter in the most politically crazy saga in America in recent history is gonna be another vote on this bailout plan. Lou Dobbs, who we no longer get on CNN, was doing one of his populist rants whose transcript I read on the website. After this gets done, it'll be that showdown debate between VP candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. Man, what a story about Palin...coming into enormous cheers a month ago and now, folks in her own party are thinking about ousting her because of some of those interviews she's had. I've got most of Friday off so I'll be able to catch the debate. Just wonder if viewers will be watching this version of The Indy 500 for excellence in debate racing or just plain tragic crashing.
Tuesday September 30, 10:19 p.m.
Well, it looks like this month is ending with a few cancellations and a no-show. Jolly once again pulled the latter off. No call, no show, no money. Will love to hear his excuse next week. Then, I found out that The Fashion Designer has canned her lesson at Speedy's tomorrow night. And The Lady called up to say that she'll be cancelling The Class Act's session for Monday. Means it'll be one sparse Monday next week.
Well, it looks like this month is ending with a few cancellations and a no-show. Jolly once again pulled the latter off. No call, no show, no money. Will love to hear his excuse next week. Then, I found out that The Fashion Designer has canned her lesson at Speedy's tomorrow night. And The Lady called up to say that she'll be cancelling The Class Act's session for Monday. Means it'll be one sparse Monday next week.
Tuesday September 30, 9:13 p.m.
Well, a few changes to my predictions about tonight's juku session. The Milds came back from Kyushu but The Traveler couldn't make it due to the rigours of work. So, basically we just jammed about their trip, and also about their 18 km walk all the way from Hibiya Park in the heart of Tokyo to Shin-Urayasu which is close to Tokyo Disneyland. The 5-hour march was a test run of sorts for over 3,000 participants just in case a major earthquake struck the capital. I got a souvenir from them in the form of satsuma-age...fried fish paste which goes well with hot pot, ramen and just with a dab of gingered soy sauce. I think my breakfast tomorrow will be a savory Japanese one.
As for Mild Jr., it looks like he'll be permanently on the Friday shift along with The Ace and the new student, The Restauranteur. Suzanne was her usual cuddly self. Still on that "The O.C." kick. The juku boss informed me about that high-flying TOEIC student I did a model lesson with all the way back in early summer, and her supposed return in October. Well, I'll believe her when I see her. But at this point, my Fridays here may become almost as busy as my Tuesdays. Good for business.
Didn't bother having dinner since I basically engorged myself on a tonkatsu lunch earlier today before my weekly run at the I-cafe. I even had seconds of rice and tonjiru (pork soup), something that I never do.
Halloween is here in another month, and maybe it'll be time to whip out the pumpkins for the newbies here such as Suzanne and Jolly. Speaking of whom, it looks like he'll be coming by after all. Maybe the Traveler might be interested as well. Can't believe it's October tomorrow.
It'll be another Hump Day on Wednesday, although not nearly as riotous as last week. I do have five, though. Looks like Grandma Enka is now part of my schedule, although only on a monthly basis. She'll be doing the same thing as her sister, Grandma Dynamite is doing. Then, it's an atypical appearance by The Yogist, one of her last ones until her 4-month hiatus (maybe permanent) followed by some open time before the usual nighttime trio of 001, The Diver and The Fashion Designer come by.
Well, a few changes to my predictions about tonight's juku session. The Milds came back from Kyushu but The Traveler couldn't make it due to the rigours of work. So, basically we just jammed about their trip, and also about their 18 km walk all the way from Hibiya Park in the heart of Tokyo to Shin-Urayasu which is close to Tokyo Disneyland. The 5-hour march was a test run of sorts for over 3,000 participants just in case a major earthquake struck the capital. I got a souvenir from them in the form of satsuma-age...fried fish paste which goes well with hot pot, ramen and just with a dab of gingered soy sauce. I think my breakfast tomorrow will be a savory Japanese one.
As for Mild Jr., it looks like he'll be permanently on the Friday shift along with The Ace and the new student, The Restauranteur. Suzanne was her usual cuddly self. Still on that "The O.C." kick. The juku boss informed me about that high-flying TOEIC student I did a model lesson with all the way back in early summer, and her supposed return in October. Well, I'll believe her when I see her. But at this point, my Fridays here may become almost as busy as my Tuesdays. Good for business.
Didn't bother having dinner since I basically engorged myself on a tonkatsu lunch earlier today before my weekly run at the I-cafe. I even had seconds of rice and tonjiru (pork soup), something that I never do.
Halloween is here in another month, and maybe it'll be time to whip out the pumpkins for the newbies here such as Suzanne and Jolly. Speaking of whom, it looks like he'll be coming by after all. Maybe the Traveler might be interested as well. Can't believe it's October tomorrow.
It'll be another Hump Day on Wednesday, although not nearly as riotous as last week. I do have five, though. Looks like Grandma Enka is now part of my schedule, although only on a monthly basis. She'll be doing the same thing as her sister, Grandma Dynamite is doing. Then, it's an atypical appearance by The Yogist, one of her last ones until her 4-month hiatus (maybe permanent) followed by some open time before the usual nighttime trio of 001, The Diver and The Fashion Designer come by.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tuesday September 30, 2:37 p.m.
Another rainy one out there. Had The Beehive...it was just Mrs. Travel, Mrs. Alp and Mrs. Jade. Travel had just come back from Hokkaido to visit Mrs. Perth in Sapporo. I showed her and the others some of those Hokkaido translations I'd been doing for the past few weeks. They showed their knowledge of Japan's northernmost prefecture...probably putting the original publishers to shame. The ladies will be going off on some sort of hot spring and trekking tour from Thursday somewhere in Gunma.
I've got the usual gang at the juku tonight. The Milds will be back from a trip of their own. This time, it was purely domestic...just a journey to Kyushu. I have a feeling that there'll be a lot of photos and back-and-forth between The Traveler and The Milds. Not sure if Mild Jr. will be here...or for that matter, Jolly.
Looks like this annus horribilis for sumo may be reaching a breaking point. One of the disgraced Russian sumo wrestlers (for possessing a spliff in his wallet) has threatened to testify against all of his former sport about all of the corruption going on. It sounds like a case of "If you take me down, I'll take you all down with me". However, I'm just kinda wondering if this guy now has a bounty on his head via the underworld. I wouldn't be surprised if I hear of some sort of death threat against the fellow. But before that, I'm sure that the Japan Sumo Association will try to "mediate some sort of deal".
Prime Minister Aso may have lost a minister but I'm wondering if the U.S. Republicans may be losing the election. That big bailout plan got KO'ed in Congress this morning....all stock markets plummeted like huge rocks. John McCain is looking more and more clueless, despite all the spin, for his little tactic last week. And the honeymoon with Sarah Palin seems to be completely over...at least where the media is concerned. Now the big question is whether Palin is truly worthy to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. That debate between her and Joe Biden...another person prone to verbal mile-high pileups...may become the Must-See TV of the Fall.
Another rainy one out there. Had The Beehive...it was just Mrs. Travel, Mrs. Alp and Mrs. Jade. Travel had just come back from Hokkaido to visit Mrs. Perth in Sapporo. I showed her and the others some of those Hokkaido translations I'd been doing for the past few weeks. They showed their knowledge of Japan's northernmost prefecture...probably putting the original publishers to shame. The ladies will be going off on some sort of hot spring and trekking tour from Thursday somewhere in Gunma.
I've got the usual gang at the juku tonight. The Milds will be back from a trip of their own. This time, it was purely domestic...just a journey to Kyushu. I have a feeling that there'll be a lot of photos and back-and-forth between The Traveler and The Milds. Not sure if Mild Jr. will be here...or for that matter, Jolly.
Looks like this annus horribilis for sumo may be reaching a breaking point. One of the disgraced Russian sumo wrestlers (for possessing a spliff in his wallet) has threatened to testify against all of his former sport about all of the corruption going on. It sounds like a case of "If you take me down, I'll take you all down with me". However, I'm just kinda wondering if this guy now has a bounty on his head via the underworld. I wouldn't be surprised if I hear of some sort of death threat against the fellow. But before that, I'm sure that the Japan Sumo Association will try to "mediate some sort of deal".
Prime Minister Aso may have lost a minister but I'm wondering if the U.S. Republicans may be losing the election. That big bailout plan got KO'ed in Congress this morning....all stock markets plummeted like huge rocks. John McCain is looking more and more clueless, despite all the spin, for his little tactic last week. And the honeymoon with Sarah Palin seems to be completely over...at least where the media is concerned. Now the big question is whether Palin is truly worthy to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. That debate between her and Joe Biden...another person prone to verbal mile-high pileups...may become the Must-See TV of the Fall.
Monday September 29, 9:14 p.m.
Managed to get through half of the current translation. Have to admit that I've gotten my routine down to brass tacks. If I'd had another hour, I would've been able to finish it off but I needed the breathing time to psych up for Medicine Man.
Not sure what it is, but I'm getting hungry again...can't imagine that I've used that many calories in a few hours, especially since I chowed down a salad, a hot dog and a glazed donut before coffee with The Full-Timer. And I even ate a couple of those chocolates I got from 001 last week.
Boys all around the world are mourning the loss of Scarlett Johannsen's single-dom. The woman got married with Ryan Reynolds...at least, she married Canadian. Got taste.
I asked MB and The Satyr about Sunday for "Iron Man", but looks like the two of them (with their significant other, I assume) are headed for a Radiohead concert.
Managed to get through half of the current translation. Have to admit that I've gotten my routine down to brass tacks. If I'd had another hour, I would've been able to finish it off but I needed the breathing time to psych up for Medicine Man.
Not sure what it is, but I'm getting hungry again...can't imagine that I've used that many calories in a few hours, especially since I chowed down a salad, a hot dog and a glazed donut before coffee with The Full-Timer. And I even ate a couple of those chocolates I got from 001 last week.
Boys all around the world are mourning the loss of Scarlett Johannsen's single-dom. The woman got married with Ryan Reynolds...at least, she married Canadian. Got taste.
I asked MB and The Satyr about Sunday for "Iron Man", but looks like the two of them (with their significant other, I assume) are headed for a Radiohead concert.
Monday September 29, 7:13 p.m.
Well, if the rest of my week goes like my first three classes have gone, I should be feeling pretty good. Actually, The Full-Timer has been ailing pretty badly because of her mercurial supervisor. I think a revolt may be in order, but this being Japan, she'll probably gaman for another few months and then fly the coop...of course, after leaving a proper letter of resignation. Yup, I feel for her....I've had my fair share of lousy bosses, Speedy being a remarkable exception.
Well, if the rest of my week goes like my first three classes have gone, I should be feeling pretty good. Actually, The Full-Timer has been ailing pretty badly because of her mercurial supervisor. I think a revolt may be in order, but this being Japan, she'll probably gaman for another few months and then fly the coop...of course, after leaving a proper letter of resignation. Yup, I feel for her....I've had my fair share of lousy bosses, Speedy being a remarkable exception.
Monday September 29, 5:26 p.m.
Would be remiss if I didn't mention the passing of Paul Newman...maybe one of the last folks from the Golden Age of Hollywood. I have to say with some embarrassment that the very first Paul Newman movie I'd seen was "Slapshot", his atypical movie with him playing the captain of a minor-league ice hockey team. I did get to see "The Sting" and "The Towering Inferno" but I've yet to see his classics such as "Hud" and "The Hustler". SIL definitely recommended "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with him and Elizabeth Taylor.
Strange thing about passings of legendary stars these days. They always seem to have their swan songs in some very odd...or bad...films. Paul Newman's very last role was as a speaking car in the Pixar "Cars". Then, the late Raul Julia's final movie was as a character in the movie version of "Street Fighter". And I distinctly remember Fred Astaire ending up in a colonial Viper (in the hangar, mind you) shooting down some bad guys while saving his son, Starbuck, in the original "Battlestar Galactica".
Would be remiss if I didn't mention the passing of Paul Newman...maybe one of the last folks from the Golden Age of Hollywood. I have to say with some embarrassment that the very first Paul Newman movie I'd seen was "Slapshot", his atypical movie with him playing the captain of a minor-league ice hockey team. I did get to see "The Sting" and "The Towering Inferno" but I've yet to see his classics such as "Hud" and "The Hustler". SIL definitely recommended "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with him and Elizabeth Taylor.
Strange thing about passings of legendary stars these days. They always seem to have their swan songs in some very odd...or bad...films. Paul Newman's very last role was as a speaking car in the Pixar "Cars". Then, the late Raul Julia's final movie was as a character in the movie version of "Street Fighter". And I distinctly remember Fred Astaire ending up in a colonial Viper (in the hangar, mind you) shooting down some bad guys while saving his son, Starbuck, in the original "Battlestar Galactica".
Monday September 29, 4:53 p.m.
Summer may have come in and gone out slowly but Fall has definitely made its presence known in a hurry. A few weeks back...the last time I taught the Class Act...I was dying for air conditioning as I made my way up to The Lady's house; even took a pit stop at the nearest vending machine for some juice. Today, I was fighting rain and cool temps in my raingear.
As for The Class Act, nothing too exciting for them...well, outside of the fact that The Matron has been enjoying her new status as a grandmother. The Matron also enjoyed The Lady's kindness by taking advantage of The Lady's reservation at Quintessence, the swanky French-Japanese restaurant in ritzy Shirogane. Reservations are about as easy to get there as mortgage loans now from the U.S government (topical humour alert); The Lady had been supposed to go there with her hubby for dinner but had to cancel at the last moment but decided to give the opportunity to The Matron and her family. The Matron and company were suitably happy for the 4-hour experience of dining on such things as duck.
With both The Class Act and SIL, the topic was about the current economic situation and that Transport Minister who decided to cut his throat...politically speaking. Yup, I'm sure PM Taro Aso did a major double take on hearing that someone else beat him to the punch in spewing forth verbal diarrhea. Aso came home from New York to hear that Nariaki Nakayama threw out some red meat at the expense of the Ainu and the left-wing Japan Teachers' Union. The new Prime Minister thought he would've been the first one to throw the stuff out, but nope, it was one of his ministers. It's gonna go down as the shortest tenure of any minister in postwar history....a grand total of 5 days. Nakayama did resign, but he made it clear that he wouldn't take back anything he said. Interesting thing about him...his wife happens to be one of the kidnapping victims in North Korea who had been taken from him in the mid-70s.
Now, I'm kinda wondering how the LDP is gonna handle this vis-a-vis its call for a general election and dissolution of Parliament. The pundits are saying that the Nakayama resignation wouldn't affect the supposed announcement on October 6th; still, I'm sure PM Aso would've liked to have been in a stronger position...not that he was in a good position to begin with. His Cabinet has started out with a less-than-50% approval rating...second from the bottom with only PM Mori (just before the 5 years of Koizumi) lining the litter box. Perhaps people would like to vote in the DPJ, but is there really anyone there who would make for a positive change? I think not.
The Lady told me that before taking the top job, Taro Aso could be seen running by himself in her neighbourhood. Now, she tells me that he's still running there but with a security detail of 7 folks.
I've just got a couple of more students before wrapping up today. The Full-Timer will be heading to Doutor's in less than 45 minutes. I was wondering if she would be coming today as well since it's the end of the month, but since I've gotten no cancellation notice from her, I'm assuming we're still a go. And of course, there is Medicine Man in the last slot tonight.
I was talking with AK just now. She'll be taking off for New York tomorrow for a 10-day vacation in The Big Apple. I introduced her to the concept of the egg cream. Not surprisingly, she was somewhat intrigued and disgusted at the same time.
Got word from The Corner. That one sentence in the translations on Saturday which caused all sorts of conniptions for me turned out to be a wrongly-written statement. Ahhh....I should've demanded hazard pay. Still, I should have a tidy sum for that work in my account by tomorrow evening.
Summer may have come in and gone out slowly but Fall has definitely made its presence known in a hurry. A few weeks back...the last time I taught the Class Act...I was dying for air conditioning as I made my way up to The Lady's house; even took a pit stop at the nearest vending machine for some juice. Today, I was fighting rain and cool temps in my raingear.
As for The Class Act, nothing too exciting for them...well, outside of the fact that The Matron has been enjoying her new status as a grandmother. The Matron also enjoyed The Lady's kindness by taking advantage of The Lady's reservation at Quintessence, the swanky French-Japanese restaurant in ritzy Shirogane. Reservations are about as easy to get there as mortgage loans now from the U.S government (topical humour alert); The Lady had been supposed to go there with her hubby for dinner but had to cancel at the last moment but decided to give the opportunity to The Matron and her family. The Matron and company were suitably happy for the 4-hour experience of dining on such things as duck.
With both The Class Act and SIL, the topic was about the current economic situation and that Transport Minister who decided to cut his throat...politically speaking. Yup, I'm sure PM Taro Aso did a major double take on hearing that someone else beat him to the punch in spewing forth verbal diarrhea. Aso came home from New York to hear that Nariaki Nakayama threw out some red meat at the expense of the Ainu and the left-wing Japan Teachers' Union. The new Prime Minister thought he would've been the first one to throw the stuff out, but nope, it was one of his ministers. It's gonna go down as the shortest tenure of any minister in postwar history....a grand total of 5 days. Nakayama did resign, but he made it clear that he wouldn't take back anything he said. Interesting thing about him...his wife happens to be one of the kidnapping victims in North Korea who had been taken from him in the mid-70s.
Now, I'm kinda wondering how the LDP is gonna handle this vis-a-vis its call for a general election and dissolution of Parliament. The pundits are saying that the Nakayama resignation wouldn't affect the supposed announcement on October 6th; still, I'm sure PM Aso would've liked to have been in a stronger position...not that he was in a good position to begin with. His Cabinet has started out with a less-than-50% approval rating...second from the bottom with only PM Mori (just before the 5 years of Koizumi) lining the litter box. Perhaps people would like to vote in the DPJ, but is there really anyone there who would make for a positive change? I think not.
The Lady told me that before taking the top job, Taro Aso could be seen running by himself in her neighbourhood. Now, she tells me that he's still running there but with a security detail of 7 folks.
I've just got a couple of more students before wrapping up today. The Full-Timer will be heading to Doutor's in less than 45 minutes. I was wondering if she would be coming today as well since it's the end of the month, but since I've gotten no cancellation notice from her, I'm assuming we're still a go. And of course, there is Medicine Man in the last slot tonight.
I was talking with AK just now. She'll be taking off for New York tomorrow for a 10-day vacation in The Big Apple. I introduced her to the concept of the egg cream. Not surprisingly, she was somewhat intrigued and disgusted at the same time.
Got word from The Corner. That one sentence in the translations on Saturday which caused all sorts of conniptions for me turned out to be a wrongly-written statement. Ahhh....I should've demanded hazard pay. Still, I should have a tidy sum for that work in my account by tomorrow evening.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Saturday September 27, 5:26 p.m.
Well, after more than 3.5 hours, I finally got everything translated. Those disclaimers were murder! I had to send a couple of disclaimers of my own to The Corner when I sent the completed document over since I'm still not sure about a couple of parts. In any case, I'm done.
I took another look at a rather entertaining video on YouTube. Just look up World's Greatest Head Massage and you'll know. If only I had such a barber in my neighbourhood...the customer was just soft butter in his hands.
Looking forward to dinner, although most likely I won't be having it until close to 7:30 tonight.
Well, after more than 3.5 hours, I finally got everything translated. Those disclaimers were murder! I had to send a couple of disclaimers of my own to The Corner when I sent the completed document over since I'm still not sure about a couple of parts. In any case, I'm done.
I took another look at a rather entertaining video on YouTube. Just look up World's Greatest Head Massage and you'll know. If only I had such a barber in my neighbourhood...the customer was just soft butter in his hands.
Looking forward to dinner, although most likely I won't be having it until close to 7:30 tonight.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Saturday September 27, 3:41 p.m.
Definitely feels and looks like Fall is on the way, if not here already. It's overcast but dry and cool. I can only hope that it now stays that way for the next little while.
Just here at Speedy's by myself, plowing through the translations. Ugh! I'll have to send The Corner some alarm bells about the quality of a couple of paragraphs...cannot make heads or tails about how to structure them. I'll probably be here for at least another hour or so just to compile the stuff and send them over. I really don't want to continue doing this one on Monday night.
Had Tully and The Coffeemaker this morning. They really like those light questionnaires and quizzes. The Coffeemaker definitely has little interest in politics. Tully was looking like he was on his way to a dance club. He could've just put his finger up in the air and the "Saturday Night Live" look would've been perfect. Both have friends' weddings to attend. For the junior Tully, it will be his first one not involving friends of the family but just plain friends, so he was asking about appropriate presents. Ahhh...so young. I'm sure he may be fretting about how much money he has to give.
Last night, the juku boss was giving one of her rare chewouts to a big lunk of a boy for not having his homework done. She's usually so la-di-dah about life, but when it comes to doing her job, she will let any errant kids have it with both barrels.
Well, the first long-awaited debate between Barack Obama and John McCain finally did come off, and McCain did show up despite all that sturm und drang about him suspending his campaign to help solve the current financial crisis. If that had been a tactic to get in good with the electorate, McCain is now looking like he got whapped with an omelette. And according to a pundit on CNN, he didn't exactly look like he won Debate One. The pundit also mentioned that if Obama had two more performances like this one, the winner on November 4 will be a lot clearer. All I can say is that there has been a cross-circuiting of messages on The House That Ted Turner Built when it comes to the effectiveness of presidential debate performances. Various reporters have commented that debates don't necessarily make a president, and yet there was a documentary showing how debates could sink a candidate (re: Nixon's 5 o'clock shadow and fever). In other words, it ain't over til it's over. Still, Jon Stewart will have tons of ammunition for his show this week.
Well, back to the salt mines...
Definitely feels and looks like Fall is on the way, if not here already. It's overcast but dry and cool. I can only hope that it now stays that way for the next little while.
Just here at Speedy's by myself, plowing through the translations. Ugh! I'll have to send The Corner some alarm bells about the quality of a couple of paragraphs...cannot make heads or tails about how to structure them. I'll probably be here for at least another hour or so just to compile the stuff and send them over. I really don't want to continue doing this one on Monday night.
Had Tully and The Coffeemaker this morning. They really like those light questionnaires and quizzes. The Coffeemaker definitely has little interest in politics. Tully was looking like he was on his way to a dance club. He could've just put his finger up in the air and the "Saturday Night Live" look would've been perfect. Both have friends' weddings to attend. For the junior Tully, it will be his first one not involving friends of the family but just plain friends, so he was asking about appropriate presents. Ahhh...so young. I'm sure he may be fretting about how much money he has to give.
Last night, the juku boss was giving one of her rare chewouts to a big lunk of a boy for not having his homework done. She's usually so la-di-dah about life, but when it comes to doing her job, she will let any errant kids have it with both barrels.
Well, the first long-awaited debate between Barack Obama and John McCain finally did come off, and McCain did show up despite all that sturm und drang about him suspending his campaign to help solve the current financial crisis. If that had been a tactic to get in good with the electorate, McCain is now looking like he got whapped with an omelette. And according to a pundit on CNN, he didn't exactly look like he won Debate One. The pundit also mentioned that if Obama had two more performances like this one, the winner on November 4 will be a lot clearer. All I can say is that there has been a cross-circuiting of messages on The House That Ted Turner Built when it comes to the effectiveness of presidential debate performances. Various reporters have commented that debates don't necessarily make a president, and yet there was a documentary showing how debates could sink a candidate (re: Nixon's 5 o'clock shadow and fever). In other words, it ain't over til it's over. Still, Jon Stewart will have tons of ammunition for his show this week.
Well, back to the salt mines...
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Friday September 26, 3:09 p.m.
Both Speedy and I did get out of the school by 8:30 last night...an hour later than expected, but still a major achievement considering our usual schedules. Because of the cancellation of that model lesson tomorrow, I won't have to go back to the school until Monday (really could stand to not have any more model lessons for a while). Passed by China Quick; it was closed at such an early time which pricked up my attention. Read the sign saying that it was now China Gone...that is to say, the restaurant has closed its doors for good. Kind of a pity, although I didn't really go there all that often. The place did have some nice dishes for just 500 yen.
Man, this year has gotta be The Year of Political Intrigue. I could only imagine that a secret cabal of Steven Spielberg and the ghost of Akira Kurosawa must be behind some of the goings-on in Washington and in Nagatacho. First, John McCain pulls a fast one on everyone and says that he's "suspending" his campaign to help resolve this humongous financial mess that's sucking in the United States, and by association, the rest of the planet. Then, President "Lame Duck" Bush summons both McCain and Obama to the White House along with the leadership of both parties for a big powwow to head off The Great Depression II.
McCain says he won't participate in that first debate tomorrow unless the problem is solved. Not sure what he's trying to do; it's not as if he's absolutely vital to end the castatrophe. And he certainly got slammed by Harry Reid after the rather vicious meeting. To be insulted by Harry Reid for not saying anything productive is like being called slow by a sloth. The next cliffhanger is whether this debate is gonna come off or Obama is gonna end up doing a Town Hall.
Then, over here in Japan, just when not only is Taro Aso is coming off the glow of becoming Prime Minister but also addressing the U.N. General Assembly in fairly decent English, the carpet gets pulled right out from under him by Junichiro Koizumi. Lionhead announced his retirement from politics proper last night, and the media was more than happy to indulge him. The various news shows have shown retrospectives of his five years in office and showed some of the acts that got him called the "Henjin" or "weirdo" by former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka including that swan song tour of Graceland where he channeled Elvis in front of the bemused Presley family and President Bush. Anyone who thinks Koizumi's sudden announcement last night was a random act must be rather naive. He's always loved the drama; at the very least, he just wanted to signal that the era of Lionhead is over. At the most, it was a broadside at Aso who has a distinctly different approach to governance. And for the LDP, at worst, Koizumi is now an outsider. No knowing what he can do now.
Both Speedy and I did get out of the school by 8:30 last night...an hour later than expected, but still a major achievement considering our usual schedules. Because of the cancellation of that model lesson tomorrow, I won't have to go back to the school until Monday (really could stand to not have any more model lessons for a while). Passed by China Quick; it was closed at such an early time which pricked up my attention. Read the sign saying that it was now China Gone...that is to say, the restaurant has closed its doors for good. Kind of a pity, although I didn't really go there all that often. The place did have some nice dishes for just 500 yen.
Man, this year has gotta be The Year of Political Intrigue. I could only imagine that a secret cabal of Steven Spielberg and the ghost of Akira Kurosawa must be behind some of the goings-on in Washington and in Nagatacho. First, John McCain pulls a fast one on everyone and says that he's "suspending" his campaign to help resolve this humongous financial mess that's sucking in the United States, and by association, the rest of the planet. Then, President "Lame Duck" Bush summons both McCain and Obama to the White House along with the leadership of both parties for a big powwow to head off The Great Depression II.
McCain says he won't participate in that first debate tomorrow unless the problem is solved. Not sure what he's trying to do; it's not as if he's absolutely vital to end the castatrophe. And he certainly got slammed by Harry Reid after the rather vicious meeting. To be insulted by Harry Reid for not saying anything productive is like being called slow by a sloth. The next cliffhanger is whether this debate is gonna come off or Obama is gonna end up doing a Town Hall.
Then, over here in Japan, just when not only is Taro Aso is coming off the glow of becoming Prime Minister but also addressing the U.N. General Assembly in fairly decent English, the carpet gets pulled right out from under him by Junichiro Koizumi. Lionhead announced his retirement from politics proper last night, and the media was more than happy to indulge him. The various news shows have shown retrospectives of his five years in office and showed some of the acts that got him called the "Henjin" or "weirdo" by former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka including that swan song tour of Graceland where he channeled Elvis in front of the bemused Presley family and President Bush. Anyone who thinks Koizumi's sudden announcement last night was a random act must be rather naive. He's always loved the drama; at the very least, he just wanted to signal that the era of Lionhead is over. At the most, it was a broadside at Aso who has a distinctly different approach to governance. And for the LDP, at worst, Koizumi is now an outsider. No knowing what he can do now.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Thursday September 25, 2:08 p.m.
Well, gone through 75% of the classes today. Grandma Dynamite had me practicing giving and taking directions with her. Let's say this....if you ever need her services, bring a good book. Meanwhile, Miss Sedona basically had our little counseling session about her future lessons. The Yogist was a lot of fun...nice to see her again after a few weeks away. She was probably more bouncy than usual since her boyfriend had bought that cappucino machine; she's been going absolutely gaga over it...no doubt, it's been getting heavy usage. Unfortunately, she'll be taking a hiatus for some months after October since she's got a rash of things to do such as travel to Hawaii and Bali and take over an extra yoga class.
Miss Sedona related to me that some guy had tried to pick her up in the aisles of Kinokuniya a couple of weeks ago. She was leafing through the TOEFL books when the geriatric tried to make the moves on my student with an offer of help at first...and then the offer of companionship. She even gave me his business card...he's apparently an English teacher although his card had quite a few spelling errors. The way it looked he probably came by his English in the Ozarks.
Well, it's just The Carolinan. I'm feeling pretty beat but I still got those translations to take care of.
Well, gone through 75% of the classes today. Grandma Dynamite had me practicing giving and taking directions with her. Let's say this....if you ever need her services, bring a good book. Meanwhile, Miss Sedona basically had our little counseling session about her future lessons. The Yogist was a lot of fun...nice to see her again after a few weeks away. She was probably more bouncy than usual since her boyfriend had bought that cappucino machine; she's been going absolutely gaga over it...no doubt, it's been getting heavy usage. Unfortunately, she'll be taking a hiatus for some months after October since she's got a rash of things to do such as travel to Hawaii and Bali and take over an extra yoga class.
Miss Sedona related to me that some guy had tried to pick her up in the aisles of Kinokuniya a couple of weeks ago. She was leafing through the TOEFL books when the geriatric tried to make the moves on my student with an offer of help at first...and then the offer of companionship. She even gave me his business card...he's apparently an English teacher although his card had quite a few spelling errors. The way it looked he probably came by his English in the Ozarks.
Well, it's just The Carolinan. I'm feeling pretty beat but I still got those translations to take care of.
Thursday September 25, 8:07 a.m.
Three more months before Xmas...yeah, whatever.
Yesterday was a true Hump Day...6 lessons, including two 90-minute sessions with The Magician and 001. All 6 students are good folks but I was still quite happy to head on home (for 5 hours of sleep) last night. I was stifling some major yawning action in front of The Diver which didn't go unnoticed but she was a good sport about it. 001 said that she'd had a good time with her buddies going through Syria, Dubai and Jordan but she'll never be a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine. Got some nice Patchi chocolate wafers as a souvenir.
Today will be relatively easier on my sanity...just 4 lessons with Grandma Dynamite, Miss Sedona, The Yogist (been a while since she's been in) and finally The Carolinan. Both Speedy and I are fervently hoping that we'll all be out of here by the nearly obscenely early time of 7:30 tonight. I'm more than willing to hold my end of the bargain.
New PM Aso swore in his Cabinet yesterday (I think China and Korea just plain swore). Usually that would be the job of the No. 2 man, Chief Cabinet Secretary, but Aso decided to do the honours. Looks like a mix of the old with some family connections here and there. For one thing, the new Foreign Minister is Hirofumi Nakasone, the son of that other charismatic Prime Minister in the last 25 years, Yasuhiro Nakasone. And in a bit of a Sarah Palin, Aso apparently called on 34-year-old Yuko Obuchi, the daughter of the late PM Keizo Obuchi, to be a State Minister, the youngest person ever to be appointed in the postwar era. Now, whether this will be a permanent Cabinet or merely a caretaker Cabinet before the Democratic Party of Japan comes into power remains to be seen. There should be a general election called within the next several days.
Looks like Nomura Holdings has started pecking away at the carcass of Lehman Bros. They bought the European and Middle Eastern operations. When I was over at Roppongi Hills, there were some girls taking pictures beside the small marble post with Lehman's name. How cute...in a vulture sort of way.
Three more months before Xmas...yeah, whatever.
Yesterday was a true Hump Day...6 lessons, including two 90-minute sessions with The Magician and 001. All 6 students are good folks but I was still quite happy to head on home (for 5 hours of sleep) last night. I was stifling some major yawning action in front of The Diver which didn't go unnoticed but she was a good sport about it. 001 said that she'd had a good time with her buddies going through Syria, Dubai and Jordan but she'll never be a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine. Got some nice Patchi chocolate wafers as a souvenir.
Today will be relatively easier on my sanity...just 4 lessons with Grandma Dynamite, Miss Sedona, The Yogist (been a while since she's been in) and finally The Carolinan. Both Speedy and I are fervently hoping that we'll all be out of here by the nearly obscenely early time of 7:30 tonight. I'm more than willing to hold my end of the bargain.
New PM Aso swore in his Cabinet yesterday (I think China and Korea just plain swore). Usually that would be the job of the No. 2 man, Chief Cabinet Secretary, but Aso decided to do the honours. Looks like a mix of the old with some family connections here and there. For one thing, the new Foreign Minister is Hirofumi Nakasone, the son of that other charismatic Prime Minister in the last 25 years, Yasuhiro Nakasone. And in a bit of a Sarah Palin, Aso apparently called on 34-year-old Yuko Obuchi, the daughter of the late PM Keizo Obuchi, to be a State Minister, the youngest person ever to be appointed in the postwar era. Now, whether this will be a permanent Cabinet or merely a caretaker Cabinet before the Democratic Party of Japan comes into power remains to be seen. There should be a general election called within the next several days.
Looks like Nomura Holdings has started pecking away at the carcass of Lehman Bros. They bought the European and Middle Eastern operations. When I was over at Roppongi Hills, there were some girls taking pictures beside the small marble post with Lehman's name. How cute...in a vulture sort of way.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Wednesday September 23, 10:57 a.m.
Always kinda disorienting whenever we have a national holiday that doesn't lie on a Friday or Monday. Tuesday had a distinctly Sunday feel to it, especially since MB and I went off to see "Hancock" at Roppongi Hills.
"Hancock" won't be one of Will Smith's highlights like the first "Men In Black" or "Ali", but I didn't think it was as risible as some of the critics were calling it. But it's one of those rare flicks that I liked better than MB did. For one thing, since I had read some of the pans of it beforehand, my expectations were about as low as a worm's belly, so I was somewhat pleasantly surprised that it was even OK. Basically, it struck me more as an expensive TV pilot more than a motion picture. There were some funny scenes such as Hancock actually fulfilling his promise to put a prisoner's head in a place where the sun don't shine while the theme from "Sanford & Son" was playing, and then the spiritual redemption at the bank robbery. However, the whole thing about Charlize Theron's connection with Will, and the nearly non-existent bad guy could've easily been excised for a sequel (which I doubt will happen now). Really, if the movie had just been kept to his slow redemption from an alcoholic jerk to reluctant superhero, things would've gone better for it. Well, at least Will Smith can say that he did get his superhero role....something that seems to be the mandatory duty for a lot of Hollywood actors these days.
Afterwards, MB and I had dinner at Tony Roma's where I found out that he and The Sylph finally made it official at the ward office about their marriage. They'd been common law for a few years so the transition was just all in the paperwork. They had to go through the usual bureaucratic crud...including a flimsy piece of paper from the Australian Embassy stating that there is no reason that MB shouldn't marry this woman; that waste of bark cost him 11,000 yen. No real honeymoon yet but they did spend a weekend at the Odawara Hilton...made the error of actually eating in a restaurant in the hotel...surprisingly bad service and overpriced food.
Today is truly a Hump Day. I got no less than 6 lessons between noon and 10:30 tonight. The Big Lug, The Magician, The New Yorker, 001, The Diver, and finally, The Fashion Designer. Could be ready for the funny farm by the time I get out of here. They're all really nice guys, but still... In any case, 001 is back from her Middle East jaunt, so there should be plenty of stories to be told tonight. Forget the text.
Found some new interesting points about the latest Prime Minister, Taro Aso. Along with his penchant for manga and his ability in English, he is a former Olympic skeetshooter and he will become as of this afternoon, the very first Roman Catholic Japanese Head of State. I never thought I could actually associate him with John F. Kennedy or The Pope. Still, depending on how a general election develops, it could be a very short stint for him. But he's made a lot of snide remarks about his Asian neighbours, so he could actually get quite popular here.
Those child murders are starting to catch on again. That boy in Fukuoka who had been strangled to death over a week ago has been solved. His mother has been arrested for the murder; apparently, she finally snapped when her kid started mouthing off at her. Now, there is an investigation going on in my prefecture of Chiba about the discovery of the nude body of a 5-year-old girl in an isolated area.
Always kinda disorienting whenever we have a national holiday that doesn't lie on a Friday or Monday. Tuesday had a distinctly Sunday feel to it, especially since MB and I went off to see "Hancock" at Roppongi Hills.
"Hancock" won't be one of Will Smith's highlights like the first "Men In Black" or "Ali", but I didn't think it was as risible as some of the critics were calling it. But it's one of those rare flicks that I liked better than MB did. For one thing, since I had read some of the pans of it beforehand, my expectations were about as low as a worm's belly, so I was somewhat pleasantly surprised that it was even OK. Basically, it struck me more as an expensive TV pilot more than a motion picture. There were some funny scenes such as Hancock actually fulfilling his promise to put a prisoner's head in a place where the sun don't shine while the theme from "Sanford & Son" was playing, and then the spiritual redemption at the bank robbery. However, the whole thing about Charlize Theron's connection with Will, and the nearly non-existent bad guy could've easily been excised for a sequel (which I doubt will happen now). Really, if the movie had just been kept to his slow redemption from an alcoholic jerk to reluctant superhero, things would've gone better for it. Well, at least Will Smith can say that he did get his superhero role....something that seems to be the mandatory duty for a lot of Hollywood actors these days.
Afterwards, MB and I had dinner at Tony Roma's where I found out that he and The Sylph finally made it official at the ward office about their marriage. They'd been common law for a few years so the transition was just all in the paperwork. They had to go through the usual bureaucratic crud...including a flimsy piece of paper from the Australian Embassy stating that there is no reason that MB shouldn't marry this woman; that waste of bark cost him 11,000 yen. No real honeymoon yet but they did spend a weekend at the Odawara Hilton...made the error of actually eating in a restaurant in the hotel...surprisingly bad service and overpriced food.
Today is truly a Hump Day. I got no less than 6 lessons between noon and 10:30 tonight. The Big Lug, The Magician, The New Yorker, 001, The Diver, and finally, The Fashion Designer. Could be ready for the funny farm by the time I get out of here. They're all really nice guys, but still... In any case, 001 is back from her Middle East jaunt, so there should be plenty of stories to be told tonight. Forget the text.
Found some new interesting points about the latest Prime Minister, Taro Aso. Along with his penchant for manga and his ability in English, he is a former Olympic skeetshooter and he will become as of this afternoon, the very first Roman Catholic Japanese Head of State. I never thought I could actually associate him with John F. Kennedy or The Pope. Still, depending on how a general election develops, it could be a very short stint for him. But he's made a lot of snide remarks about his Asian neighbours, so he could actually get quite popular here.
Those child murders are starting to catch on again. That boy in Fukuoka who had been strangled to death over a week ago has been solved. His mother has been arrested for the murder; apparently, she finally snapped when her kid started mouthing off at her. Now, there is an investigation going on in my prefecture of Chiba about the discovery of the nude body of a 5-year-old girl in an isolated area.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday September 22, 6:46 p.m.
Back from the lesson with The Singer. She's a good student...pretty low but good. Not sure if we can really make any miracles in four lessons since after that she's off abroad to study English for a few months. I don't really think she should have our regular text but should actually be focusing on Travel English just to be able to get by there.
Earlier, I had SIL. Looks like her crazy neighbour got her involved in a nasty version of Punk'd. The psycho called in an emergency to SIL's house which brought in police, ambulance and fire department officials with all of the vehicles. Rather embarrassing to say the least.
To no one's surprise, Taro Aso became the new LDP President....which means on Wednesday, he becomes the latest Prime Minister. Just wonder if it'll be a month's stint if a general election is called.
Since The Full-Timer cancelled tonight, I'm just waiting for Medicine Man to finish up the day.
Back from the lesson with The Singer. She's a good student...pretty low but good. Not sure if we can really make any miracles in four lessons since after that she's off abroad to study English for a few months. I don't really think she should have our regular text but should actually be focusing on Travel English just to be able to get by there.
Earlier, I had SIL. Looks like her crazy neighbour got her involved in a nasty version of Punk'd. The psycho called in an emergency to SIL's house which brought in police, ambulance and fire department officials with all of the vehicles. Rather embarrassing to say the least.
To no one's surprise, Taro Aso became the new LDP President....which means on Wednesday, he becomes the latest Prime Minister. Just wonder if it'll be a month's stint if a general election is called.
Since The Full-Timer cancelled tonight, I'm just waiting for Medicine Man to finish up the day.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Monday September 22, 9:35 a.m.
Well, today is the day that the Liberal Democratic Party (which is anything but liberal and democratic) decide who their President and our Prime Minister will be. The odds are that manga-loving Taro Aso will get it. The only woman in the running, Yuriko Koike, is just there for decorative purposes. Hillary Clinton may have put a ton of cracks in that glass ceiling, and Sarah Palin may be itching to smash it totally, but over here, that ceiling still has merely a few scratches. There was a BBC feature talking about how skittish the people are about changing to a new government party; it failed to state that the main Opposition party is hardly a desirable alternate choice. The Democratic Party of Japan just voted in for a third term, Ichiro Ozawa, a man who's hardly in the pink physically and has a 2nd-in-command who's a bit of a twit. Well, maybe there will be a surprise.
It's been quite the weekend for political changeovers. South Africa just ousted President Mbeki, Israel is losing Ehud Olmert and then this little thing here in Japan. Plus, we've got general elections in the States and Canada coming up, and Gordon Brown is fighting for his political life in the UK.
In my little world, my Monday schedule finally got sorted out. I finally managed to get in contact with SIL about seeing her an hour ahead of schedule since I gotta teach The Singer. With my luck, The Singer will suddenly dotakyan. The Full-Timer has done just that due to the rigours of her work...and her slightly wiggy boss who's now taken medical leave...finally.
It was a pretty quiet weekend. Had no lessons at all yesterday...managed to do some cooking and eating. Almost seeing it all once again after I gorged "one tiny little wafer" too much. Those were some rather tense 30 minutes but after downing some bicarb, I was back on the mend. Talked with Mom...looks like my brother will be doing another business trip to Korea this week. Gonna be a long flight for him. Too bad that he can't drop in on Tokyo. Also got things wrapped up for my niece's birthday present.
MB contacted me about catching "Hancock" tomorrow at Roppongi Hills. Another national holiday...the First Day of Autumn. Yes, they celebrate that here. Getting cooler but hardly Fall.
Well, today is the day that the Liberal Democratic Party (which is anything but liberal and democratic) decide who their President and our Prime Minister will be. The odds are that manga-loving Taro Aso will get it. The only woman in the running, Yuriko Koike, is just there for decorative purposes. Hillary Clinton may have put a ton of cracks in that glass ceiling, and Sarah Palin may be itching to smash it totally, but over here, that ceiling still has merely a few scratches. There was a BBC feature talking about how skittish the people are about changing to a new government party; it failed to state that the main Opposition party is hardly a desirable alternate choice. The Democratic Party of Japan just voted in for a third term, Ichiro Ozawa, a man who's hardly in the pink physically and has a 2nd-in-command who's a bit of a twit. Well, maybe there will be a surprise.
It's been quite the weekend for political changeovers. South Africa just ousted President Mbeki, Israel is losing Ehud Olmert and then this little thing here in Japan. Plus, we've got general elections in the States and Canada coming up, and Gordon Brown is fighting for his political life in the UK.
In my little world, my Monday schedule finally got sorted out. I finally managed to get in contact with SIL about seeing her an hour ahead of schedule since I gotta teach The Singer. With my luck, The Singer will suddenly dotakyan. The Full-Timer has done just that due to the rigours of her work...and her slightly wiggy boss who's now taken medical leave...finally.
It was a pretty quiet weekend. Had no lessons at all yesterday...managed to do some cooking and eating. Almost seeing it all once again after I gorged "one tiny little wafer" too much. Those were some rather tense 30 minutes but after downing some bicarb, I was back on the mend. Talked with Mom...looks like my brother will be doing another business trip to Korea this week. Gonna be a long flight for him. Too bad that he can't drop in on Tokyo. Also got things wrapped up for my niece's birthday present.
MB contacted me about catching "Hancock" tomorrow at Roppongi Hills. Another national holiday...the First Day of Autumn. Yes, they celebrate that here. Getting cooler but hardly Fall.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Saturday September 20, 3:02 p.m.
Well, got through the classes with little problem. Nice to have a good day. And The Intellectual and The Publicist have signed up for more. Found out that The Publicist is a self-confessed otaku who's into the stuff in Nakano's Mandarake emporium. She even knows about Otokichi. Go fig.
Still gotta go to work on the remaining translations for The Corner. I probably only have time to decipher the difficult kanji before Speedy gets done with his counseling. But I also have to head over to Kinokuniya to see if I can find some translated manga for my brother.
Well, got through the classes with little problem. Nice to have a good day. And The Intellectual and The Publicist have signed up for more. Found out that The Publicist is a self-confessed otaku who's into the stuff in Nakano's Mandarake emporium. She even knows about Otokichi. Go fig.
Still gotta go to work on the remaining translations for The Corner. I probably only have time to decipher the difficult kanji before Speedy gets done with his counseling. But I also have to head over to Kinokuniya to see if I can find some translated manga for my brother.