Monday November 10, 7:18 p.m.

Kinda ironic...The Full-Timer and I talking about the evils of smoking in the lesson while we're in Doutor's...a veritable den of nicotine-filled iniquity. Had to deodorize myself with the Febreeze here at the school before making my entrance. The Full-Timer had a small vacation in Korea and got me some chocolate-covered rice cakes...she was a bit alarmed at my chocolate-influenced cold sore (a periodic event as predictable as the seasons) but I assured her that I would be happy to accept her souvenir. With all that smoke, the talk turned to the recent passing of a veteran newscaster, Tetsuya Chikushi, last week from lung cancer. He was 73...not exactly a spring chicken but I'm sure that there were better ways to go. Reminds me of the death of Peter Jennings a few years back.

The gang here seems to be discussing about the plans for the annual bonenkai for the school. Looks like they're going for December 6, a bit early on the year-end party calendar but not unheard of. It may be Japanese cuisine and I know Speedy is looking for a more group-friendly place than last year's venue in West Shinjuku...nice Continental fare but not really a place for Xmas parties.

Monday November 10, 5:09 p.m.

It was only Tully yesterday morning at his namesake coffeehouse. The Coffeemaker got stuck out in Shizuoka on Saturday night so couldn't make it in. Looks like Tully has passed his first experience of attending a wedding all by himself. Even hosted the reception. I told him that he can look forward to losing oodles of money in wedding money envelopes for the next 3-5 years. I also posited the idea of having the three of us do the end-of-year brunch once again after last year's little do at Din Dai Fong, the soup dumpling place from Taiwan that we went to in Times Square.

Then, I got that visit from The Cable Guy. And within a couple of hours, I was no longer with Sky Perfect and I was with Ichikawa City Cable. I'd only been expecting to get some dinky slate of community channels, but I actually retained pretty much all of the channels that I'd been watching with my former provider (CNNj, BBC, Super Drama TV!, etc.) and got a whole slew more. All in all, it'll cost me about 800 yen more a month but it was worth it...especially when I consider that I'm now hooked up for that digital land line that will render most TV sets obsolete by 2011. I can now check out tons of useless information from the regular channels. The only thing is that I now have an inactive old SkyPerfect converter and a useless dish still mounted outside. Well, I guess I'll be doing some handiwork on Saturday.

"Superman Returns" made its network premiere on TV Asahi last night. However, I should say "Superman Partially Returns" since the station once again hacked out chunks to be able fit it into its tight schedule. Yeah, some great scenes but all in all, kinda blah return for The Man of Steel.

The weather is getting colder and I'm just getting through a cold plus a cold sore that tends to suddenly bleed on me...somewhat embarrasing in front of a student. I did pick up that commemorative issue of TIME with President-elect Barack Obama on the cover. I'll be picking up that frame. Since I was at Maruzen, I made another visit to Com Pho and had a great bowl of Spicy Pho...really hit the spot, especially with the cold.

Pretty light schedule today, thankfully. I only had SIL so far....talked about the election, of course, along with the trials and tribulations of defrocked music producer Tetsuya Komuro. I've got The Full-Timer in about half an hour, and then it'll be Medicine Man to wrap up tonight. I hope Medicine Man is a bit more voluble in his answers tonight. He was back in teeth-pulling form last time.

Saturday November 8, 5:39 p.m.

Got through the gamut of model lesson, two regular lessons and a double feature with Mr. TOEIC. All this with a sore throat...at one point, I thought I was going to become the first active duty mute to teach English. Still, I've survived the ordeal and will be ready to head on home. Speedy was nice enough to get me a box of Chicken McNuggets in between Mr. TOEIC and The PA. Apparently, the PA has gotten a look-see at "Frost Vs. Nixon", that famous interview between the legendary journalist and the notorious president. It won't come out here in general release until next March.

Found out that "Ghostbusters 3" is a go. I think Ray, Pete, Egon and Zeddemore will be packing on quite a few kilos and perhaps even Depends along with their proton packs. Still, it'll be amazing to see such a large cast still kicking in the mortal world almost 20 years after the last movie.

Saturday November 8, 9:57 a.m.

The Ace was horking up a storm last night; the cold has been spreading through these parts like wildfire. Of course, the subways are often a sea of masks but even with the preventative measures, they're a breeding ground for all of the winter viruses. I did catch a bit of it but the juku boss' wonder medicine has been doing the trick.

As for that model lesson student, she was a lot better than she'd been describing...of course, that typical modesty and reserve that often frustrates me as a teacher. Not sure if it did translate into regular lessons but she did hang out talking with the boss for several minutes after the lesson; I assume it may have been more about her daughter.

I've got the lion's share of lessons today; first that model lesson student for pronunciation for the first two hours, and then The Intellectual followed by a double with Mr. TOEIC and finally The PA. It's gonna be quite the wringer. Not to overly stress the demands of being a teacher, but it's more than just gabbing over tea.

Friday November 7, 5:28 p.m.

Couldn't find the TIME Commemorative...it wasn't the case that it had already sold out; it just hasn't come yet. Ended up getting another issue of "Hikaru no Go" instead. Well, there's always next week.

Had dinner at the CASA family restaurant by Urayasu Station. I had something called a Chopper Steak...no particular connection with helicopters or Harleys. Going with that old steak sauce commercial with Dick Cavett in which he referred to hamburgers as chopped steak, I thought the folks there were getting a little too imaginative with their English. But actually, what I got was something that approximated the middle between a steak and a hamburger. It looked like a hamburger but it held together somewhat more tightly than the usual crumbly patty...interesting consistency, and it was juicy.

That model lesson student I've got in an hour is apparently the mother of one of the juku boss' young charges. The mother works at Tokyo Disneyland and sometimes has to handle questions from foreigners...most likely just directions. Not sure if that will actually translate into a long foray into English learning, but I'll see what I can do. Just glad that it's for the half-hour only instead of the nearly 2 hours with other model student at Speedy's tomorrow morning.

A bit disturbed by the events of the last few days surrounding the juku boss. She'd recently had a medical check-up at St. Luke's and found out that she has esophageal cancer. I wasn't overtly alarmed although the boss repeatedly told me that I didn't need to worry. Today, I found out that she may need to rush on the potential operation which could be a fairly long affair. The boss, as she usually does, has kept a very cheerful demeanor...which may help in any recovery. However I am worried that she may be hiding a more serious diagnosis. But the next couple of weeks should reveal more.

Friday November 7, 2:14 p.m.

Had a brief talk with The Big Lug about the US elections and how Obama's election may influence US-Japan relations. We also referred to an article in today's "International Herald Tribune" where Tokyo's attempts to get the 2016 Olympics may be permanently derailed if Obama decides to endorse Chicago, his soon-to-be former base of operations...that would, of course, all depend on whether he's still popular by that time. The both of us agreed that we would be very happy to hand over The Games to The Windy City and Murder Capital, USA.

In the lesson, we were covering adjectives to describe attractiveness of men and women. We ended up talking on the Japanese concepts of the "shoyu" (soy sauce) face and the "sauce" (as in thick Worcestershire sauce) face. Translating them into English, the soy sauce face refers to those faces with delicate features...a pretty boy, if you like. Keanu Reaves fits that profile. On the other hand, the sauce face refers to craggy, leathery, rugged visages such as the ones on Tommy Lee Jones and Clint Eastwood.

Friday November 7, 12:11 p.m.

Pretty promising day out there meterologically speaking. And I actually got a fair night's sleep last night for the first time in about a couple of days. Just have The Big Lug in less than an hour; last week, we had this rather intriguing lesson of me deciphering John McCain's jokes from that formal dinner a few weeks ago for my student. We finished things off by saying that things in the US may be quite different this time; it, of course, turned out to be true...could be an interesting class.

I gotta go over that big model lesson for tomorrow morning. It's gonna be a with a fellow who also wants to improve his delivery and pronunciation, so we'll be taking a page out of that playbook for Miss Pronunciation. Gonna be a battery of tests for the lad, though. Also, I've got another model lesson at the juku tonight for a far more basic lass. I've sent a request out to the juku boss asking if I could have the night before departure to The Great White North off since The California Girl would like to meet me before I go.

I'll drop by Kinokuniya on the way to Urayasu, though. Gotta see if I can pick up that commemorative issue of TIME with the face of Barack Obama plastered on the cover.

Thursday November 6, 7:47 p.m.

Yes, I did promise no more Obama stories, but I did forget about some of the more humourous consequences of his election in this country. Obama City, Fukui Prefecture...yes, (State of) Virginia, there is an Obama City...it's the one that has been mentioned in bits and bytes over CNN in the days approaching November 4. Well, they did celebrate their namesake's win with parties and a hula dance commemorating his birthplace. I'm pretty sure the Obama manju won't be too far away, along with the Hello, Kitty version of Barack...and even an anime of the life and times of the 44th President can't be written off. An anime of Princess Diana was once done years ago. There was also a mock election held at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo in which Obama won there as well by a whopping margin. Y'know, I would love to go there and see what's really up with that place. By the way, obama in Japanese means "small beach"; you can put that notorious picture of Obama in his bathing trunks aside that definition to get that connection.

Mr. TOEIC called up to say that he would be 20 minutes late. Ay, ya.

Thursday November 6, 6:23 p.m.

Had my lesson with The Singer a couple of hours ago. I was left waiting in the hall for 10 minutes before her minder finally picked me up. I was...paranoid, yes, as usual...wondering if the staff was trying to get back at us for that kerfuffle on Tuesday. But it seems like everything was hunky dory. I mixed in my Dancing Bear side with the regular lesson which brought some laughter from her...always good to have the humour; she even asked me about a lyric in some song she's writing.

Back here, I'm now just waiting for that final lesson of the day...that being Medicine Man's class at 9:30. Miss Pronounciation did cancel, but maybe I'll get Mr. TOEIC's lesson back...not quite sure.

I promise...my last report on the U.S. elections...and the aftermath. Looks like Obamamania is continuing apace. Front pages of newspapers have been selling out like pancakes...of course, the inevitable scalping has begun. Even I haven't been immune...I actually printed out the front page of "The Los Angeles Times" for a possible frame.

The other observation some 24 hours after the election has been the venomous vitriol from disgruntled Republicans about Obama's victory. I shouldn't be surprised since that was probably repeated by disgruntled Democrats back in 2004 when Bush was re-elected. Still, it is somewhat disheartening to see that this extreme polarization of political views will continue into the future. However, perhaps those disappointed folks may take solace in the fact that Barack Obama will be facing a huge learning curve the size of the slope that John McCain tried to scale and slid upon during his attempts at the Presidency...and most likely, Obama will fail in a number of his initiatives. Even the slightest error or faux pas will probably even get the moderate GOP'ers...let alone the rabid reactionaries, to yell out the largest "I TOLD YOU SO!" to anyone who listens. And the constant knives and attacks will start to rub down on the man over the next 4 years.

On a lighter note, what was up with that hologram of Jessica Yellin on CNN? I was watching some of the comments about it...and the vast majority was very snarkworthy. Yes, I thought it was rather gimmicky...I think having a live reporter on camera is good enough for us. There were a lot of comments like "Wolf Blitzer, you're my only hope!". However, I guess being the ever-faithful Trekkie, my first comment was, "Please state the nature of the political emergency." Mind you, Ms. Yellin is a whole lot better on the eyes than The Doctor of the U.S.S. Voyager. Ahhh...to be at home when all of this was going on.

Thursday November 6, 2:34 p.m.

Finished off the first three students in short order. Grandma Dynamite was her usual feisty self while the new kid on the block, Grandma FON, conducted herself very well. She's definitely a talker...didn't need to use the text at all. Miss Sedona was great as usual. However, halfway through her lesson, I suddenly came down an urgent need to go to the washroom...20 years of teaching, though, had me able to hold on for the remaining 30 minutes and conduct myself as professionally as I could before making a quick dash after the young lady left the premises.

I'll be heading out in about 15 minutes to teach The Singer once again. I may be doing some deep bowing due to some scheduling fiasco on Tuesday involving her...well, I don't think it's as bad as a fiasco but the bossman feels that apologies may be in order.

Thursday November 6, 9:47 a.m.

Rushed start to the day. Went home exhausted after The Fashion Designer (she was pretty sleepy herself in the lesson). My body took over and decided that it would refuse to let me wake up until I had at least 6 hours of sleep...which meant that I woke up almost an hour later than scheduled....and 20 minutes after I was supposed to have left the apartment. I was out the door in 10 minutes. I was lucky to have been able to get on the subway and get a middle space instead of breaking several laws of physics near the doorways.

The Patent Attorney isn't my student but traditionally since I'm in early...usually...I greet him and keep him talking for about 5 minutes before the bossman gets in. Therefore I took a chance of getting there before he did by taking the subway all the way to Nakano Station and then seeing if I had better luck with the bus. The gamble failed...I got to the school 5 minutes late. Luckily, The PA is an infinitely patient and friendly fellow, and he was just gabbing away on the cell with his office. He even asked about my welfare since I was wearing the mask. I was just lucky that it wasn't The Smile who had to wait for me.

I've got Grandma Dynamite in about 20 minutes. Then, I have that new Grandma...FON (Force of Nature)...right after Dynamite. Grandma FON is that whirlwind of chatter whom Dynamite had brought in several weeks ago suddenly. Everybody on staff, including the usually unflappable bossman, was taken aback at this Yoda of an elderly woman. So much so that I really don't know what text I could use with her....or even if she should have a text. Judging from that first talk with her...she can just go on automatic, and I can just nod and smile.

Then, it's Miss Sedona, The Singer and Medicine Man to wrap up. Miss Pronounciation was sandwiched somewhere in there but she canned her lesson tonight last night. She's a good student but I'm somewhat grateful for the little break. However, I'm getting saddled with a couple of more model lessons tomorrow and Saturday morning here and at the juku. Two more reasons to lose weight and sleep through stress.

But none of my troubles merit even a shallow breath next to what the next American President is and will go through. After all the cheering and crying and celebrating were done, the world is still left with two wars and a financial crisis...and one future leader of the free world to somehow sort everything out. It's kinda amazing how the nutso atmosphere of the night before quickly dissipated to a "OK....let's get back to work" feel, although I'm sure that a lot of people around the world may still carry that grin on their faces. One thing, though....Barack Obama has hit the ground running...he's already offered The Chief of Staff job to Rahm Emmanuel. Best of luck, sir.

Wednesday November 5, 4:05 p.m.

On Monday September 11, 2001, I had just back home from Canada to witness one of the most horrific acts ever committed in American history on live TV. Probably billions of other people watched this with me. Now, over 7 years later, on Tuesday November 4, 2008 (US time), I have just seen the antithesis with probably billions of other people....I've become witness to one of the most incredible scenes in American history. Unfortunately, I couldn't see it live but for the past several minutes, I've been going through the various American media outlets and YouTube, and watching the various videos showing the moment when Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. I've only gotten interested in watching politics recently but I can say confidently that I don't think there has ever been this much outpouring of joy in a very long time, and most likely I don't think I'll ever see anything like this ever again. To see millions of people celebrating a political win like this is just impossible to believe. I've seen Reverend Jesse Jackson cry like a baby, the usually cool and collected Oprah Winfrey almost lose it, and a couple of CNN commentators get a little verklempt on camera. I can only imagine that Wolf, Tom and some of the other anchors out there must've dug down really deep not to show a lack of professionalism when making the historic announcement.

Having said that, I also have some sympathy for John McCain...how does it feel to lose an election of this nature? To have millions of people celebrating your rival's victory in an unprecedented manner? Pretty humbling...but John is made of stern stuff as he proved very well during his 5 years at The Hanoi Hilton.

I think people will be looking at November 4, 2008 for a very long time and analyzing it...and the path that began in Springfield, Ohio almost 2 years ago. I guess the next biggest day will be January 20, 2009. I'll definitely be interested in seeing who Barack will be seeding his Cabinet with. Any place for Hillary?

Time for dinner...

Wednesday November 4, 1:37 p.m.

YES, HE COULD! That'll probably be one of the pithy headlines in the papers tomorrow as Barack Obama gets the presidency. I've been going through some of the videos over the Net; looks like there's gonna be some major celebrating in Chicago, Kenya and maybe even Obama City, Japan. Just saw the McCain concession speech, classy way to go considering that was probably his final stab at the brass ring. Now, it might be time for Sarah Palin to go to school. I have to admit that I was getting chills when I saw the headlines on CNN. I wish I had been home to see all of the hoopla. I guess a new dawn may be coming to America.

Wednesday November 5, 12:46 p.m.

Well, they're still tallying things up in the elections but it's starting to look like Obama is pulling away from McCain. He's got 207 electoral votes so far and that's without California and the other West Coast states, and they've usually been Democratic strongholds. Getting California would mean another 55 votes and he would only be 8 away from getting the Presidency. Plus, Obama is on track to get Ohio in his pocket, and Ohio was a must-win for McCain. Regrettably, I can't see any of this live since this computer refuses to let me see!

The Grandmas were fine. Grandma Tango and I managed to muddle our way through the mixed Japanese and English. It was pretty much the same deal between Grandma Enka and me. Now I have about 5 hours of down time until 001 comes in.

Wednesday November 5, 9:51 a.m.

Well, the first votes are in...apparently, McCain got Kentucky with 11 electoral votes and Obama got Vermont with 3 votes. No surprises there; they were both expected to grab those states. The battleground states are looking pretty nailbiting, though.

The phone's been ringing a few times. I generally tend to stay away from phones since my telephone Japanese is not up to speed in terms of business. The callers don't leave any messages which is a bit frustrating.

Grandma Tango should be coming in sometime in the next 15-20 minutes.

Wednesday November 5, 8:09 a.m.

Back here early since I gotta take over for the bossman who's out on business this morning and teach Grandmas Tango and Enka. I woke up at 5 a.m. just to see how the U.S. elections are going; people were lining up and voting away. I've been trying to see live coverage from the Internet but it seems that my access to that part of CNN and international channels are blocked. Crud! So far, Obama still has the lead. The polls should've closed in some states already.

Feels like that Pablon that the juku boss gave me last night has been doing the trick. I've been drip-free so far.

I got a message from California Girl stating that she would like to see me if there's time before I take off on the 17th for home. Well, she said that she'd be leaving the West Coast on the 15th...so frankly, I kinda doubt it.

Well, back to CNN...

Tuesday November 4, 9:27 p.m.

Finished for the night...and I'm just feeling finished. That cold has started to germinate inside of me. I was doing some major sniffling during Mr. Mild's lesson. Yep, just Mr. Mild...the missus is also going through her own battle with the cold as well. Meanwhile, in the next room, the juku boss was having her first meeting with a new student and his mother. Fresh-faced and eager boy...wonder how long that'll last. I give him 6 months before the sulleness kicks in. Didn't feel too good about having to make greetings while wearing a mask. Luckily, the boss was kind enough to get me some cold medicine called Pablon. Apparently, it should kick in in about 30 minutes. Good enough for me.

Gotta get home and get some shuteye before the early exodus tomorrow. Meanwhile, half a world away, a pivotal election gets under way.

Tuesday November 4, 7:01 p.m.

As I've said before, Suzanne is a tonic. She might look like a gyaru and act 10 years younger than she is, but she's got a sponge-like curiosity for all things great and small. Today ended up being a seminar on the sub-prime rate disaster in the US and why it caused the financial meltdown and how it could affect the results of the US elections. However, during the lesson, it became increasingly evident that I may be coming down with a cold.

Took a listen to that compilation double album of Ego-Wrappin's best hits: "Best Wrappin'". I hadn't been aware that the band's been about for 12 years. Ego-Wrappin' is this Osaka-based duo consisting of Yoshie Nakano (vocal) and Masaki Mori (guitarist) who's been often categorized as a retro-jazz unit. But that would be kinda like saying The Manhattan Transfer is a retro-jazz unit. Ego-Wrappin' seems to be incorporate various muscial influences from bebop to cool jazz to techno to rockabilly and maybe even psychobilly. And Nakano comes off as a hybrid J-Bjork and Yuki with a voice that sometimes reminds me of Janis Joplin doing standards. Really interesting music.

Speaking of music here, I turned on the telly this morning and saw the face of Tetsuya Komuro, the former Svengali of J-Pop in the 90s when he was behind various bands such as TRF, Globe, and dos...and behind the early careers of Namie Amuro and Tomomi Kahala. Perhaps in the West, he may have been recognized as the guy who came up with the techno version of the "Speed" theme for "Speed 2". Man, what a fall from grace. He was arrested last night on fraud charges based on some sort of copyright. Apparently, he'd been strapped for money and his heyday has been long over.

Well, not sure about the rest of Japan, but there is one city by the name of Obama here in one of the prefectures that's rooting for a certain Senator right now. May even be worth a visit someday.

Tuesday November 4, 4:30 p.m.

Well, it's Election Day in America. I gather that if this day were a movie, it would be an epic costing millions of dollars with plenty of twists and turns and a John Williams soundtrack. Basically, all of these things did happen, sans the soundtrack. And there was even a note of pathos this morning on hearing that Barack Obama's grandmother had passed away yesterday. It was sad to see Obama talk about the "rock" in his life and then tearing up a bit at the podium. However, starting from tonight Japan Standard Time, the final craziness begins, the American political equivalent of The Battle Over The Death Star. Is it gonna be tough-as-nails war hero John McCain, or the agent of change Barack Obama? The first exit polls shold be known tomorrow morning...again JST...at around 10 a.m. That's 15 minutes before I have to teach Grandma Tango. I have a feeling that I'll be checking CNN.com ad nauseum throughout the day. It's kinda too bad that I'll be missing out on watching Wolf, J.D., Anderson and John King with The Wall but it's just as well....I won't be able to catch any TV at home tomorrow anyways, since the cable guys will be installing their product....good grief...14 years to the day that I arrived in this country and now they're installing cable?! Go fig on that one...plus, the guys have to enter my apartment to make sure the plug-ins are holding.

Yesterday was Culture Day in Japan...a national holiday...which means that kendo was actually televised live on NHK. Otherwise, most folks here wouldn't remember what the holiday is. I made my way out into the city and bought a new text at Maruzen to keep Tully & The Coffeemaker occupied before heading over to Tower Records in Shibuya to contribute my money to Japanese culture and buying an enka DVD for my father.

I also was able to cook my minestrone soup...well, stew, actually...again it was a case of putting way too much starch in the form of pasta and potatoes...for the first time in 2 years. Rather surprised at how cheap I can get all the fixins for the soup...just 840 yen for all the veggies, including the whole tomatoes.

Today, I met up with The Beehive. Mrs. Perth was the first one there. She was back here from Sapporo for about a week. Sapporo is supposed to be getting its first snowfall today. Mrs. Jade and Mrs. Alp joined in. I brought in an article about Obama vs. McCain which provided lots of talk. I was glad that things went well today considering some of the moaning and groaning about how the class was going two weeks ago.

And it was my final lesson with 002. No particular emotional jags there. Some laughter and that was all she wrote. We wished each other well, and perhaps next year there'll be another nabe party at her place.

I've just got the two lessons at the juku tonight...Suzanne and then The Milds. I think The Traveler is gone for good. I'm still not quite sure if The Traveler's news of her manic depression is true or not, but she's not coming here. At least, I can get home early since I gotta leave early tomorrow morning.

Saturday November 1, 5:27 p.m.

Finished my marathon of students. Mr. TOEIC was gabby on cooking of all things, The Businesswoman talked on her trip to Germany, The PA spoke on the changing face of Ginza, The Dentist described about her various trips to the spa and the new kid on the block, Miss Pronounciation, had a good start. This teacher is now tired and ready for the weekend. Luckily, it's a long one...we've got Culture Day on Monday. But my week next week will be fairly hellish; got a bit of a log jam on Thursday especially. I've even had to hand off Mr. TOEIC over to Speedy to fit Miss Pronounciation for her request on that night.

Saturday November 1, 9:51 a.m.

Well, Halloween is over...costumes are being put away...some of the costumed have probably been put away as well. Out come the Xmas decorations. Tokyu Hands was already way ahead of the curve as of Thursday night. The lit-up trees were already using up the electricity; there was even a Halloween tree to provide a smooth transition between holidays. I could imagine that Hands is probably thinking of a Thanksgiving tree.

The Ace came in last night and took the word "carving" literally to make his Jack O'Lantern. He was hacking at the interior like an axeman...was rather relieved that he was able to get it done within the hour. As for The Restauranteur, she has definitely become one of my fans; she has been very grateful for the expressions I've been able to teach her. In my line of work, I have a few fans, a few obvious detractors but most of the rest are solidly in the middle.

I'm feeling pretty tired right now, and I've got five lessons right in front of me...like a freight train coming from the wrong direction. I've bought some goodies from La Vie Du France to help tide me over during the half-hour between Mr. TOEIC and The Businesswoman. After those two, I've got The PA, The Dentist and then Miss Pronounciation for her first lesson. I'll be ready to be poured into a bucket by 5 today...just like Odo.

I don't know what the staff situation will be like today. Speedy hasn't contacted me about who will be coming in. I gather that no news means that The Lab Tech will be in for her regular Saturday shift. Just hope that I won't be going totally solo.

We're into the final weekend before the biggest election in U.S. history (sorry about the hyperbole). Saw The Terminator himself give a rousing speech touting John McCain in Ohio this morning...I'm sure McCain is ruing the fact that he didn't use him earlier. May be a different situation if that had been the case. Apparently, Joe the Plumber has now hired his own publicity team...uh-oh, I sense a rather big fall for this guy. Obama is still leading in the national polls, but I still say that it'll come down right to the exit polls.

Anyways, gotta get back into it.

Friday October 31, 6:45 p.m.

It just seems like Winter is knocking down the doors trying to get in. The past couple of days have seen the temps just plummet (or at least feel like it). Saw quite a few commuters wearing their cold masks on the subways. Ray was looking distinctly kazegimi today at the school, just sniffling away. I was feeling pretty diminished myself as I got myself on the Tozai over to the juku...the consequences of not having anything to eat since breakfast.

It was providence then that I decided to stop off at the juku, before I headed for The Restauranteur's place. The timing was pretty good...the boss couldn't make heads nor tails about something on my pay sheet; I just pressed one button and it was all fixed, and I don't consider myself a computer expert by any means. In any case, she had no students til 8:30 so it was an easy thing for us to head over to my student's restaurant for dinner. Obviously, The Restauranteur hadn't been expecting us but her hard studying paid off and she was able to greet me in English. The boss was pleasantly surprised. She had the doria while I went for the famed garlic chicken in demiglasse sauce. Very fine dish...I could understand why the boss usually chose that one. In any case, she will be coming by for her 4th lesson in a couple of hours. Meanwhile, I've got The Ace for his pumpkin carving.

Looks like the boss also has another cat to go with Toonces. This one is Blackie and she made the official introductions between me and him after we got back from dinner.

Friday October 31, 3:25 p.m.

Like checking my messages. Just found out that Mild Jr. has cancelled out. Well, I can be a bit more leisurely about my dinner tonight.

Friday October 31, 2:45 p.m.

The Big Lug and I had an interesting session today. Instead of the usual book, he wanted me to explain some jokes that John McCain made at some black tie dinner a couple of weeks ago. Basically, I ended up talking about stuff like swing states, ACORN and that kerfuffle about McCain suspending his campaign to get that economy right. He brought out his iPod and played the coverage via "Larry King Live"; always love those out-of-the-box classes.

That must've been some moment for Doctor Who fans and the assembled audience at that British TV awards show when David Tennant gave that semi-bombshell news about him leaving the titular role next year. I saw the YouTube of it...and was that Sylar/new Spock himself giving the award? All the comments were of screaming and mourning. Just a show, folks.

Well done here and so I'll be taking off in a few minutes for the juku. I'll probably have my next meal at The Restauranteur's establishment since I haven't had lunch yet and she always provides large portions. I don't want to unduly give her a heart attack but I was interested to see how she handles a "live-fire" exercise. I've got Mild Jr and then that lone pumpkin carving with The Ace before The Restauranteur comes in to wrap up.

Tonight is indeed the witching hour although it's been more like Halloween Week with the timing of this year's holiday. A lot of the clubs and pubs have been holding their big parties all over Tokyo since last Saturday. Probably tonight will have all of the freaks and geeks out in force in Roppongi and Shibuya. The Carolinan is going to some shindig with a friend at a reserved suite in The Ritz-Carlton in Roppongi's Tokyo Midtown. I told her that she should do some observing at the main intersection.

For me, today is also the day of horrors for another reason...got a ton of bills to pay.

Friday October 31, 11:37 a.m.

Got those CDs on my points at HMV...Toko Furuuchi's latest in 3 years, and the best hits of Ego-Wrappin'. Just had a chance to look at Toko's extra DVD with her video and live appearance. Only managed to get through the first 30 seconds of the live part to realize that she shouldn't give up her studio job...terribly off-tune. The Carolinan, strangely enough, gave me some commentary on my purchases...that Toko has changed a bit; I just told her that she's gained a few kilograms....that's not a slam...I always thought she seemed a bit too thin at times. As for the lead singer of Ego-Wrappin', Yoshie Nakano, my student told me that she'd lived in the States for a time which might give some insight in her choice of lyrics and musical genre.

As for The Carolinan, we met at that Excelsior Caffee in Nishi-Shinjuku 7. It actually still exists despite its seeming persona non grata status on its website. It wasn't particularly empty but at least it didn't feel like having a lesson in a rush hour train. She's got a birthday coming up right on Election Day in the States. As usual, she and her sister, The New Yorker, will be having dinner at their favourite restaurant, the Hard Rock Cafe.

Before the lesson and the CD shopping, I had a very late lunch at Foo Foo, my old ramen haunt in JR Shinjuku. My old pai ko tan tan men was still there to be eaten; the soup is much less kotteri, more asari now. Not quite a pity. It just means that there is a slightly less chance of my arteries hardening immediately.

Got home to watch those Charlie Brown discs. "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" are two of the three crown jewels amongst the Peanuts animated specials. I noticed that the discs have been distributed by a variety of studios: Paramount, Warner Bros and even Fuji. Paramount is the newest one with the remastered versions. The Thanksgiving special was the one given that treatment with a 15-minute making-of show and a throw-in of one of the "This is America, Charlie Brown" slots about the Peanuts gang on the Mayflower. Having been done in the late 80s, Vince Guaraldi was long gone (a minus there) and the drawing was a lot more scattershot. Still, it was pretty genius for an American pop culture icon to teach history in its way. On the other hand, it was a bit jarring to see Charlie, Peppermint Patty and Linus talking about dying rather nonchalantly and looking like they were about to spew while on the ship. I was half-expecting to see Snoopy in desperation being forced to eat Woodstock. And I couldn't quite figure out why Lucy always had muddy bare feet.

Also listened to those way-out CDs of sci-fi tunes that The Trekkie had loaned me back on Monday. There was one entry called "Extremis" by some techno outfit that had an assist by Gillian Anderson of "The X-Files"; she was basically droning some sort of nonsense. I think the recording session had a bit of some weed going around at the time. And there was Geoff Love and his orchestra giving their cheesy disco versions of "UFO" and "Logan's Run". It would've been perfect if the guy just had added a "Mc" and an "-in" to his name.

Anyways, I've got The Big Lug in an hour followed by the juku crew tonight. I got a message from the boss last night that apparently Jolly had been in China for the past several days on business and that he would be heading off to India for another business trip. But he would be back on November 18th. Kinda nice to have him back but I wish he would be more considerate about letting us know about these things.

Thursday October 30, 2:40 p.m.

Almost finished for the day with The Yogist and Miss Sedona done. The Yogist had her final lesson for the next little while, at least. It could be late March before she come back...if she comes back. Miss Sedona has been writing an English diary to improve her skills. I've been reading a fair share of drama in her life involving, I'm assuming, her boyfriend and the fact that her thighs are a bit too big for short skirts.

All I've got is now The Carolinan. Apparently her branch of Excelsior is missing in the Nishi-Shinjuku neighbourhood. I'll be investigating and see if there might be another place to try.

Just heard that David Tennant has finally decided to leave the TARDIS for good after the 2009 round of specials. Good for him...it's always nice to have that periodic regeneration. Now, the sweepstakes have begun once again about who's gonna be the new Doctor Who. We've got quite a few people on the forums crying in their beer, though.

Thursday October 30, 9:19 a.m.

A bit of a traffic jam at the door just now. I finished up with The Smile and had to contend with the meeting of The Patent Attorney who had just ended his lesson with the bossman and also Grandma Dynamite who came through the door. I think the bossman probably wished every day and every hour were like that.

I've got some more prep work to do but I am grateful for the hour's respite before my turn with Grandma Dynamite.

Jennifer Hudson is going through hell right now after having coming across her murdered family a few days ago. I couldn't imagine what she's experiencing and hope I never have to...the Sympatico news page...about as smarmy as anything that a reality show could bring up had the cojones to actually ask the question "What next for Jennifer Hudson?" As if the massacre of her mother, brother and nephew were the next stepping stone in her career....disgusting.

Thursday October 30, 7:43 a.m.

Back here somewhat bleary-eyed but I did get my McBreakfast in. Overcast...and actually quite chilly...looks like that transition to Winter is coming. Plus, I saw quite a few commuters wearing the masks. All we need is the Xmas decorations...and I'm sure they will be up on Saturday.

Looked up that Excelsior Caffe where The Carolinan and I are supposed to meet for the lesson tonight but it may not exist. I also missed a bullet when I checked with Shard about his requests; it looks like my imagination caught up with me...he never asked for a Jo Hisaishi album (the fellow that is often behind all those Studio Ghibli soundtracks). But he still would like to borrow that ol' Yen Town Band album from over a decade ago.

Listened to that sci-fi hits compilation that The Trekkie had lent me last night. "Doctor Who", "The Outer Limits", "Blake's 7"...they were all in there. It sounded a bit strange to hear the jaunty theme from "Thunderbirds" at midnight, though.

Anyways, the gang is all here...Speedy and Ray are in for the early shift just like me.

Wednesday October 29, 9:27 a.m.

I'm done for the day. 001 and The Diver were fine although the latter was rather jittery over some pronounciation exercises. Methinks she could use a bit of practice with the "Fuzzy Wuzzy" limerick. As for 001, we almost made it through without needing the text for a 3rd week in a row but finally we had to touch upon something. Along with a few other students, she's also expressed some interest in the US elections next Wednesday morning (our time). Could be a doozy.

Just heard from The Carolinan. Since I finish up with Miss Sedona tomorrow in the early afternoon, I won't need to hang out at the school so I'll be meeting The Carolinan at an Excelsiors not too far away for the next lesson. I really hope that it's a whole lot less noisy than that Starbucks above JR Ichigaya.

Kinda top-loaded in the morning with The Smile, Grandma Dynamite, The Yogist and Miss Sedona. It'll be The Yogist's final lesson for the next 4 months at least....maybe forever. But then I've got some down time before The Carolinan. I'll be headed straight out in a few minutes; I need that extra sleep since I'll be out the door at 6 a.m. Yep, you heard me correctly.

Wednesday October 29, 4:29 p.m.

Finally had that lesson with The Class Act this morning. The Matron is continuing to enjoy her status as grandmother. Her husband finally met the in-laws, including his daughter-in-law and granddaughter after having disagreed vociferously to the marriage. However, he was pretty much putty after picking up his son's little girl. Men usually are. So, chalk one crisis averted.

The Lady informed me that this year's Xmas party will be later in December so I won't be able to attend. But then again, I wasn't really sure that I wanted to go again...certainly, after feeling a bit moochy for basically taking some of my posse there and just having repeated gos at the buffet table. I'm kinda wondering if my time with The Class Act may also be doing the slow fadeout; I only had the ladies once this month and I won't be able to see them until late next month. It wouldn't surprise me since I've had them for close to 5 years.

After The Class Act, I decided to build up on my HMV points some more before I start my Xmas shopping in earnest. I had been thinking of actually getting the presents right from today, starting with Shard but I just wanted to make sure I got his requests right. I did build my points up to a good level...got a couple of more Charlie Brown DVDs and even a compilation CD of The Singer's greatest hits. Still, even including the points on my Tower Records cards, I still won't get much of a discount off of all of the Xmas shopping I have to do.

I took the bus from Shibuya Station up to Speedy's. I could take the subway up here in arguably shorter time and 40 yen cheaper but I get more enjoyment from the view from the bus. It kinda provides an oasis while I see all of the chaos outside in the world's largest metropolis. As my transport passed NHK Studios between Shibuya and Yoyogi, I saw some of the trees changing colour; it still doesn't feel crisp out there although it's far more pleasant than the summer. I noticed that the old Volks Steakhouse has been replaced by a trendy-looking coffee-and-donut shop. Speaking of which, The Class Act was remarking how much Shibuya and Ginza were changing recently. Britain's H&M stores are invading into both areas. The Ginza branch has already opened to huge lineups (the Japanese and their love of queues...sigh) while Shibuya's store won't be open for another year. It's taking over a huge block of space just across from the venerable Tokyu Department Store...that area used to house a chic Viron coffeeshop and a Book 1st branch...hmmm, I always prefer an area that has a variety of stores rather than one massive megastore.

Ginza may be one of the world's most famous shopping streets but the way The Class Act was talking about it, it's starting to sound like it's becoming one big tourist trap... et tu, Times Square and Niagara Falls? In decades past, the area had this rather posh image befitting its cost of real estate with folks dressed up a bit more better for the stroll. Still, a lot of the restaurants and stores there will only have me pressing my nose up against the glass rather than entering them.

When I got to Speedy's, I found out that The Trekkie had not only returned my Brent Spiner CD but also lent me something of her own....a compilation of various TV sci-fi themes, including "Doctor Who" and "Logan's Run"...I hope I have a bit of time tonight to listen. Doubt it since I've got that really early start with The Smile tomorrow morning.

Tuesday October 28, 9:03 p.m.

Well, I managed to get the 3rd annual juku Pumpkin Carving Night done successfully yet again. I was able to get a bit of overlap between Suzanne's and The Milds' sessions. The Ace actually couldn't make it in due to a cold. He'll have to do his carving on Friday...gonna be a bit tricky since he's in between Mild Jr. and The Restauranteur. Speaking of Mild Jr., he actually came in with his parents tonight to help out. He even baked a chocolate cake with a bit of olive oil, of all things. It lent a very nice buttery flavour to the cake...without the calories.

Suzanne had a rollicking good time with her little pumpkin. Hers wasn't quite as accomplished as The Milds' efforts (that family must have artistic genes) but it was cute. She also made a friend in the form of a regular foreign customer at her supermarket, notably when she found out that said customer hailed from Orange County, California...the O.C. itself, the show that Suzanne is in thrall to at the moment. As I said, there was some overlap between her and The Milds who decided to come in at 7, so I made the introductions between the two classes. A pity she missed out on the chocolate cake. As for Mrs. Mild, she thoroughly enjoyed her time touring through the south of France. I even got some chocolae and a bar of soap from Marseilles.

The completed Jack O'Lanterns should make for a nice backdrop at the kids' Halloween party at the juku tomorrow. If the numbers are what the boss is guessing, it should be total mayhem. Luckily, I'll be kilometres away in either Shibuya or at Speedy's.

Speaking of whom, I found out that that pronounciation model lesson student will now be a bona fide student from this Saturday. The 1st will be a truly busy day. But every little bit of income I make between then and Xmas will be vital. As a bit of a pun, I guess my newest student will be Miss Pronounciation. Of course, she will never know this.

Pretty much finished here for tonight since Jolly is now off the roster. He never said goodbye or thanks. Not that I'm particularly bitter or anything...it's just part of the culture. A few entries ago, I was making a comparison between my adopted country and the West via the popularity of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Back Stateside, Charlie Brown is beloved because people can empathize with his perpetual loser status, while here Snoopy is by far the most popular Peanuts character since he comes out as the perpetual winner. Well, another comparison can be made between the countries in terms of breaking off an informal business relationship. I emphasize informal since in formal situations, there are usually all sorts of written documents outlining the breakup. In any case, my image of the Western way of breaking off something is that the person who wants to leave the (student-teacher)relationship will be upfront and just say that this isn't working out. Usually, the other side will be a bit disappointed but will give the golden handshake and wish him/her well. All very honest. In fact, truth above all else...except honour. Over here, it seems like the big word in Japan is face above all else, including truth. Jolly has just ignored the phone calls from the juku boss and never called back...not a lie per se, but the message was pretty clear. In the past, The Temp, Seven and Miss Disney and some others have basically said that they've become "busy" of late and can no longer come for lessons....a pretty obvious lie that both parties can see right through but which is still stated. They don't want to be confrontational about the fact that the relationship is just not cutting it so they give in this reason to save face but still get out. It used to sting a lot for me since I resented the fact that they would "resort" to such bald subterfuge but the fact is that this is seen as probably the only correct way to go about it. It doesn't bother me as much now although my Western ways haven't been burned out of me quite yet.

In any case, I'm just about ready to head on back home with a considerably lighter bag since I no longer have to worry about pumpkins to lug. Not too busy tomorrow. Just the rescheduled Class Act, followed by 001 and The Diver at Speedy's. Thursday should be another Hump Day, though.

Basically another week before the longest campaign trail in world history, let alone American history, finally comes to its close. Obama still has a lead and perhaps McCain's window of last chances is closing fast, although I'm still thinking that a rabbit could be pulled out. In any case, over here, it's still Palin's Japanese-made glasses and the town called Obama that's probably creating the biggest effect from this election. Speaking of elections, PM Aso has still waffled on when he's gonna pull the trigger and dissolve Parliament. He wants to get the country out of this financial crisis so that his popularity rating can get out of the gutter but if he waits any longer, the decision may be taken out of his hands. In any case, it seems that the main Opposition in the form of the Japan Democratic Party may have started its putsch. On the way to the juku, there was a megaphone-laden car exhorting the masses to vote JDP. It would seem that the war has been declared.

Tuesday October 28, 4:30 p.m.

It's been a pretty decent day...cool but sunny. Had a bit of a meterological burp last night when the rains suddenly came on down with some thunder and lightning without any warning from the weatherfolks, so ended up with some damper than usual laundry on the line but by morning, they were all bone-dry.

Here at the juku, the pumpkins are ready to go...just waiting for the first of the carvers, Suzanne, to show up in 90 minutes. The Ace will be here and then The Milds. As for the rest of the roll call, it looks like my suspicions have been borne out. Jolly is now out of the picture; he hasn't called in for a few weeks and the boss has tried to make contact but to no avail. Not too badly put off by his defection since he was pretty faithful for a couple of years and at least I can go home a good 2 hours early now. The Traveler looks like she may be out as well, although again the cynic in me has me partially suspecting a little white lie here. The boss contacted her yesterday to find out that she's going through a cycle of depression. The Traveler in her short time at the juku was actually fitting in quite well with The Milds, something that I didn't think would happen. And I had no inkling that The Traveler was feeling so low. The boss told me that a lot of folks here in Japan are going through that, and I could believe it with all of those "personal emergencies" I hear on a daily basis on the JR and subways. Still, I have heard the sickness line from students who just were no longer interested in my services. I was a bit mystified when the boss said that she may or may not show up tonight. If she's that depressed, I would think that she wouldn't ever come back here.

The boss told me about her own little emergency. She went in for a checkup on Friday at St. Luke's and was told that she may have a bit of cancer in her stomach. She then wisely got a second opinion and that doctor told her it may just be an ulcer. Here's hoping that it's the latter.

In any case, the boss' student has come in annoyingly too early so I'm switching off for now.

Monday October 27, 7:21 p.m.

Managed to pick up The Full-Timer and teach her here at the school. There was a bit of a snafu on the schedule so Speedy has ended up teaching Mr. TOEIC instead of me. Not too bad...could use with a bit of a break.

Over the weekend, I did my Halloween purchases. After the session here at Speedy's on Saturday, I dropped by Omotesando and picked up some candy and Trick Or Treat bags. A ton of people massing the sidewalks and not a few of them were in costume mode. On Sunday, after the latest lesson with Tully & The Coffeemaker, I headed back down to Hiroo and picked up four orange pumpkins for carving at National Azabu Supermarket. There was also a distinctly Halloween atmosphere with a lot of bilingual kids in various costumes...there was also one adult in a Captain America outfit. Amongst the gourds, I picked up a can of Campbell's Chunky Soup...the marketers weren't kidding when they said that it ate like a meal...I'm sure my cholesterol count just hit the roof after ingesting that stuff.

I finally caught "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" in its entirety on Saturday night. In this age of stunning and CG-inspired animation (re: "WALL*E"), looking at Charlie's first foray into motion pictures was particularly retro and nostalgic. But the producers of this 39-year-old classic certainly tried to push the envelope in their presentation. Certain scenes looked like they were inspired by the folks behind "The Thomas Crown Affair", Expo 67 and even "2001: A Space Odyssey". That Schroeder tribute to Beethoven shouldn't be seen under the influence. The Rod McKuen songs were nothing really that special but Vince Guaraldi was the 10th player in the field with the score. For a movie that lasted under 90 minutes, it managed to bring out just about all of the characters' various tics...so it was probably a good hit for the Peanuts fans.

I did notice that the Japanese title was "Snoopy and Charlie". No real surprise there since the world's most anthropomorphic dog is also the most popular character in Peanuts here in Japan. The Japanese always prefer winners....the characters may have started out as losers and may have gone through the wringer (brutal coaches, spartan training, evil bullies) but as long as they come out on top, they'll always be loved. So, I couldn't really see Charlie and his human cohorts being all that popular. The Americans may love them as being reflections of themselves with all of their neuroses, but that philosophy doesn't fly here. They must finally win and Charlie Brown is the perpetual loser. On the other hand, Snoopy seems to be the most "with-it" of the gang.

I also went through the remastered edition of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (which is called "A Snoopy Christmas" here) and compared it with the addition of the far later "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown". 27 years separate the two specials and they reflect different stages in the Peanuts saga. Whilst the 1965 special had the overall plot arc of Charlie Brown lamenting the commercialization of Christmas with his pal, Linus, the 1992 special was basically a series of vignettes covering a lot more characters...notably Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Rerun. All of the veterans were basically acting as special guest appearances right down to Charlie and Linus just watching the stage play instead of being in it.

My relatively busy day is now coming to a close with just The Medicine Man to teach in less than 2 hours. Then, I'm basically off tomorrow except for the pumpkin carving at the juku. When I called up the juku boss to ask about whether or not The Traveler was coming (something that I'd mentioned to her last Tuesday), she of course had completely forgotten about it.

Monday October 27, 5:57 p.m.

The rains are coming down, and noone told me. I've got my laundry on the line...not that I'm particularly miffed since I've experienced an unscheduled wash a number of times before. I think I was more miffed at my phone, actually, this morning. Apparently, it refused to cut the last line I was on and The Lady spent a lot of the early morning trying to reach me to dotakyan the lesson. I ended up heading over to the house for nothing but I was lucky to run into the woman on the way back to the station and get some cancellation money. However we did decide to re-schedule for this Wednesday.

So I ran back home to reset my phone and just ended up having lunch there. I got back and slammed the phone a few times in revenge. Then I went to meet SIL for the first time in a few weeks before heading back here to see The Nurse.

Gotta head out and pick up The Full-Timer.

Saturday October 25, 4:17 p.m.

Well, just been playing those computer games I've been obsessing over for the past several months. The Intellectual and The Publicist were fine. I even got a special coupon from the latter for the special preview of "Hellboy" for next Thursday, but I've got The Carolinan at that time, so I'll see if Mrs. Speedy would like another grab at greatness and meet Guillermo Del Toro in Akiba.

I had been wondering what was taking The Lab Tech so long to take her shift here when I got a call from Speedy just before The Intellectual's arrival. Apparently, The Tech was ailing and en route to a hospital for some meds when she called the bossman to cancel out. So, an old friend of Speedy's came in to assist. Apparently, she hadn't been to the office for several months; she was noticing how much everything had changed in the office.

Well, running late but I have to get to Omotesando to get those goodies from Kiddyland and maybe even get some pumpkins as well. But I'm feeling a bit peckish...maybe a little visit to The Golden Arches might be in order.

Saturday October 25, 11:29 a.m.

Had quite the rains last night. Still, I headed into Tokyo in the afternoon to take a browse around before meeting Miss Prim for dinner. Checked out Maruzen before braving the wet and going down to the two HMVs in Yurakucho. Ended up grabbing a couple of Charlie Brown discs. One was my second purchase of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"...the first one was bare-bones, no specials but this one did have the 15-minute special on the making of it. Like a lot of classics, Charles Schulz and his compadres really didn't have any inkling whether it would do well or not; in fact, they were pretty pessimistic about its chances. History certainly and happily proved them wrong. The disc also has another much more recent Xmas special with the Peanuts gang. And I also got "A Boy Named Charlie Brown", the first motion-picture foray for the round-headed kid. This was especially special for me since even though I'd seen it on TV a few times decades ago, CBS felt compelled to basically tear parts of it out, I assume, to fit it into the schedule...this is a movie that doesn't even hit the 90-minute mark. What?...Coca-Cola and Dolly Madison needed that much ad time? I only took a look at a few scenes of the movie so far since it had gotten pretty late last night. Finally did get to see Lucy, Violet and Patty do "The Failure Face" number for the very first time in my life...well, I finally got to see it. That's about as much impression as I got from it. Hey, maybe CBS was doing something right.

Also came across that Ego-Wrappin' disc that I'm starting to get that itch for. And I took a listen to a new album by sylph-like Toko Furuuchi . She was a singer who I really liked back in the 90s with her AOR mellowness. She's not so sylph-like anymore although she's far from Rubenesque; the tunes still sound very mellow and appealing.

Even took a stroll through Yamano Music just down the road...saw some Donald Fagen stuff that I'm also thinking about, and that Natalie Cole revisitation of "Unforgettable" is also on my mind.

The rains once again came down like domestic animals around 5 p.m. but I still took the long way back up to the Yaesu Book Center near Tokyo Station. It's quite an eclectic place since the escalators only go up as far as the 4th floor before the stairs and elevators take over from there up to the 8th floor. Ended up picking up the latest TIME issue on Presidential Temperament; it was an interesting read. Being the latent Trekkie, I've come to the realization that John McCain is Kirk while Barack Obama is Spock.

The reason I got the magazine was that I still had a good 90 minutes before meeting up with Miss Prim. I looked for some cafe but being a Friday night, just about all of the places where one could get some sort of nourishment were already packed to the rafters, and the urban area of Yurakucho/Tokyo Station isn't particularly sparse in terms of restaurants and cafes. I just ended up back on the 4th floor of Maruzen to read; luckily, they've got tables and chairs there to read away.

Miss Prim met me at 7:15 and we made that search for an eatery. Instead of going up like we did when The Flautist and the two of us had met for dinner a couple of weeks earlier, we went down underground in the mistaken belief that B1 wasn't a Friday night hotspot. Well, the places there were pretty filled, too, but we could find a table in a Chinese place just beside Com Pho, my favourite Vietnamese place. Prim had said before that she wasn't crazy about crowds, so we just stayed long enough for us to have dinner. She had veggies and meat in cornstarch on top of rice while I went for the fiery tan tan men. Then we did a brief walk...by that time, the rains had thankfully stopped...over to her favourite Excelsior Cafe branch. Not too crowded there since Friday nights in Tokyo at that time always meant mass migrations to the izakayas and pubs and restaurants instead of coffeehouses. There, she showed me her photos of her 9 months traveling through Canada along with her homestays. Like me, she also likes taking pictures of her food. She has a special love for the New York style of cheesecake...rich and tough as a brick. I told her that she just has to try the Zacher Torte that Starbucks brings out every winter. She'll sleep like a baby.

One of her residences while in Canada just happened to be Vulcan, Alberta...that UFO-friendly place. She even took a picture of the local Star Trek museum there. No idea whether she experienced Pon Farr. I could only imagine how The Trekkie would react if she ever found out about Miss Prim. She has a good eye with her camera. A lot of the shots were postcard-class quality. One of her hosts just happened to be a Mennonite family...which was great for her. She's far from anything remotely gyaru, and prefers her acquaintances to be serious and considerate. Not surprisingly, she doesn't ever head to Shibuya.

We headed back home on the Tozai Line from Nihombashi Station. I was never too keen on taking the subway from there since my line always gets packed like sardines around the night hour...and don't even ask me about Friday nights. But Prim and I got lucky for some reason, we couldn't sit down of course, but we actually didn't feel like we were breaking laws of physics when we got on. It was a good night and hopefully, we'll have more like them in the weeks to come.

In less than an hour, I've got The Intellectual and The Publicist in short order and then I'm off to Omotesando to pick up some Halloween candy for Tuesday's pumpkin carving at the juku. If I'm lucky, I may be able to get some of the gourds themselves at that flower shop nearby Kinokuniya Supermarket without having to head back to National Azabu in Hiroo after Tully & The Coffeemaker tomorrow. In any case, Halloween this year falls rather nicely on a Friday next week, so basically the next 7 days will be perfect justification for all of the nightclubs and bars to hold their annual parties in Roppongi and Shibuya.

Thursday October 23, 10:16 p.m.

Got through the biggest hurdle today...the model lesson. Luckily, my student was very accomodating. We worked on her flat delivery and gave it a bit more bounce and body (sounds like I'm talking like a hairstylist describing his latest improvement on a customer). Speedy did a wrap-up and he sounds optimistic; however, I'll only be convinced once she's sitting in front of me as a bona fide student. Still, I'm glad that the day's over.

Man, that Shatner-Takei feud has finally hit a warp core breach. Just read that Shatner has delivered a major hissy fit via the 21st-century version of the open plaza, Youtube...he basically attacked George for not inviting him to George's wedding. Takei just said that the Shat never RSVP'ed. If I believed that, I would be getting those Ferengi ears right now. George Takei has never been shy about his hatred for William Shatner...dunno why he's being coy about it now. As for Bill...why did he ever think that he would be invited by a guy who openly hates him?

Tomorrow, I've got the day off since the juku boss and I decided that this Friday would be the odd Friday out. I've gotta remind her that The Restauranteur should not come tomorrow night. Instead, I'll be heading on out to meet Miss Prim for dinner in Otemachi again. Kinda wonder if we will be able to find a table on a Friday night in downtown Tokyo.

Thursday October 23, 7:12 p.m.

Had lunch at the Ringer Hut champon restaurant before I had The Singer's lesson. Some guy beside me was chewing out a foreign-born waitress on how she took the order. He insisted in his blowhard way that he wasn't being a racist but he was just straightening her out on how to conduct herself properly, so that she wouldn't get a worse reaction from a really nasty customer. I can imagine that he may not have had racist leanings, but he was being one of those unlikeable obnoxious blowhards that just has to let everyone in the restaurant know his feelings on something or another. My old second back at NOVA all those years ago fit the profile to a T...so this guy is probably not a bad sort...just gets on everyone's nerves. If a similar guy had tried to do the same thing at a coffee shop back home, in all likelihood he would've gotten an "extra ingredient" in his drink. Over here, the wait staff could only bow down repeatedly and utter "Moushiwakegozaimasen."

As for The Singer, she was OK although she was a bit down in the dumps initially since one of her longtime band members decided to leave the band. But she was better by the end of class.

Afterwards, I decided to hang out at the nearby La Vie Du France for half an hour for a coffee and danish before I picked up The New Yorker at the station and brought her up to the school. Looks like she had an interesting day with her two buddies by going all the way from her home in Ibaraki Prefecture (north of Chiba) to the absolute western boundaries of Tokyo...Mt. Takao, about as natural as any place could get in the megalopolis....to find this Taiwanese fortune teller. They found her and they spent an hour having their auras (or should that be aurae?) read. Apparently, my student may be an ex-student sometime in the next 18 months since she was told to find her fortune working in another country. Of course, that would be great for boosting her English ability but I do wonder about putting my future goals in the hands of the supernatural. In any case, she was suffering from a major cold during the lesson so she was hitting the Kleenex hard. But she's having dinner tonight with those same buddies at a motsu nabe restaurant in Ebisu.

It's all quiet here at the school, but I've got that final lesson tonight in the form of a demo with that girl with the flat-as-urine-in-a-petri-dish (that line, by the way, can be cited to Bob Berry, former coach of the Montreal Canadiens) delivery. Hopefully, I can set her on her way to pronounciation excellence.

Thursday October 23, 9:49 a.m.

Fully into the morning. Fairly busy day coming up. Saw the Patent Attorney for the first time in about 3 weeks. Jovial chap, as usual. And Grandma Dynamite is in the house with Speedy for her first hour. Nice lady but glad that I'm not pulling another double shift with her.

Wednesday October 22, 9:21 p.m.

75% of the way there. Got through with Speedy's student, 001 and The Diver. The first two were basically gab sessions since the former is so into movies and pop culture, and the latter just hates the text. I was literally by-the-book with The Diver since she needs the structure. Now, it's just The Fashion Designer. She's pretty much either way.

My schedule tomorrow has gotten a bit busier with the addition of The Singer. Somehow, despite her own schedule, she's been able to fit in 8 classes with us...which makes the bossman very happy. Let's see...I've got Grandma Dynamite, Miss Sedona, The Singer, The New Yorker and that model lesson student. Pretty busy but not like the chaos of last Thursday.

Wednesday October 22, 1:20 p.m.

Yup, looks like Jolly may be out of the loop for good. Waited the requisite 10 minutes for the guy but never showed, never called in. Not complaining too much since that means I can get home 90 minutes early.

Just went down to Shibuya and got a belated birthday present for The Satyr with those gift certificates he gave me...a nice little tome about designing Japanese interiors. He had some connection with architecture some years back, and I figure that the book may come in handy in the future if he and Miss Ivory decide to do some interior decorating. Was tempted to buy some other stuff but I'll wait to see how much I can spare after the next money pack comes in.

Ended up having lunch at the Wendy's near The Madam's home. Hundreds of eateries in Shibuya and I just go to a fast food joint. Still, I went for what was comfortable for me. Then, I took the bus up here to Speedy's.

I've got four in a row from late this afternoon. I've got one of Speedy's since he'll be busy with the other side of the operation, and then it's the usual Wednesday night triplet of 001, The Diver and The Fashion Designer. Also gotta do the invoice for the latest translation project and send it off to The Corner, plus fashion something for that model lesson tomorrow night.

Tuesday October 21, 9:24 p.m.

It turned out to be just Mr. Mild tonight; The Traveler was mysteriously incommunicado. The boss left a message but this sort of thing usually doesn't bode well for any return engagements. Still, I had a good time with the lad. Apparently, on the same Saturday that I was enjoying imoni nabe with 002 and her gang, Mr. Mild went off to a Noh drama and kyogen performance somewhere in Urayasu. Apparently, he has an interest in the art form. Unlike kabuki which goes on for a marathon 4 hours, Noh is thankfully light on the butt. Still, unless I got free tickets (Mild's ticket for the front row cost him 5,000 yen), I probably wouldn't head out to see it.

It does look like The Milds will be showing up next week for pumpkin carving; so we're looking at 2-3 pumpkins at least (The Milds, Suzanne and The Ace) for next Tuesday. Gonna be doing some shopping this weekend.

I've been continuing the Starfleet correspondence with The Trekkie back at Speedy's. I guess I'll be seeing The Nurse next Monday between SIL and The Full-Timer. Surprisingly, she hasn't seen the new pics for "Star Trek XI" quite yet.

Completely different topic but it seems like that initial glow that Sarah Palin brought to the campaign over a month ago has pretty much gotten tarnished into an ugly reddish-brown. Whether it has been her flubbed interviews with the media bigwigs or the excessive winking at the camera during that lone debate, she's been getting her share of trash thrown at her about not having nearly enough clout or experience to be placed a heartbeat away from the Big Chair. Now CNN has started wondering aloud whether those Tina Fey appearances on "Saturday Night Live" have also been putting the kibbutz on the real Palin's chances. Still, Sarah has got a good sense of humour about it all by appearing on the show with her doppelganger. She even showed some decent bust-a-moves on "Weekend Update".

Well, Jolly isn't here and I'm just 4 minutes from heading out the door. It means something when even the insanely optimistic juku boss doesn't sound too cheerful about his chances. I've got a feeling when this potential purge of students happens, Jolly will have already gone far from the exit.

Tuesday October 21, 7:14 p.m.

Looks like the Boston Red Sox couldn't pull one more rabbit out of the hat after all. After that miracle comeback on Thursday night, the Bosox ended up getting hammered and so the Tampa Bay Rays are headed for The World Series against the Phillies. The only other folks besides the population of Boston to lament the loss are the media outlets who won't be gaining too much advertising revenue with this lineup for The Fall Classic. Still, Japan cna be happy that although Matsuzaka won't be in there, Iwamura will be.

That crime odyssey known as Kazuyoshi Miura has taken a bizarre turn, post-mortem. A LA pathologist says that he can prove that the now-dead suspect in a quarter-century murder was not the victim of suicide...but of murder. Kinda wonder if this pathologist has been watching too many episodes of "Quincy, M.E."

Well, so far, I've only got Mr. Mild and The Traveler coming up.

Tuesday October 21, 7:03 p.m.

Suzanne is the tonic after a not-so-happy day. We made quite a transition conversationally; all the way from "The O.C." to "The U.S....elections", that is. Not sure how we were able to go from Seth and Marissa to Barack and John, but that's the wonder of my business. Just gave her a brief glossing...glad that I didn't have to explain the vagaries of The Electoral College, although that could be coming up. But next Tuesday is pumpkin carving day, so I don't have to worry about that for another 2 weeks.

Got word from The Trekkie that The Nurse has cancelled her 2nd class back from hiatus tomorrow, so I don't start until 5 p.m. And then, I've got The Dentist back on November 1 in her regular afternoon slot. She did get the Brent Spiner CD and stylized my response as if we were Starfleet officers...how gay can I get?

The juku boss came in and told me that even she now believes that Jolly probably will or has flown the coop. She hasn't received any sort of call from him about last week's no-show. She's given me the OK to just take off if he doesn't show up by 9:40 tonight. Kinda glad that I haven't overstayed my welcome here yet.

Tuesday October 21, 4:16 p.m.

It has been a bit of an awkward day so far. First off, Mrs. Travel and Mrs. Alp, the only ones to show up today for the weekly Beehive session, had a bit of a heart-to-heart with me about the classes at the Beckers...our home for the past 18 months. Ms. Alp was a lot less harsh with me than she was all the way back in February when I had that cash crunch of my own, but she basically told me that things were getting a bit stale in the sessions and that I should be better managing the talking time amongst the ladies. In other words, they think I've been coasting by letting her and Travel gab away while quieter ones like Mrs. Jade and Mrs. Tee just sit there. I took my medicine like a man.

Mrs. Jade was notable by her absence. After last week's session, apparently the ladies had a bit of a powwow about the direction of the chatfests, and although Mrs Travel said that things were cordial, there was a distinct split in opinion between Travel and Alp on one side, and Jade on the other. Mrs. Jade feels that the lessons should be more teacher-centered while Travel and Alp feel (as do I) that they should be student-centered...especially since we're not exactly in very conducive surroundings for a proper English lesson...two tables in an often crowded cafe. However, I was hearing a lot of contradictions from them. They would like me to be a lot stricter on the reins and yet they don't want to be obligated to come u pwith a set topic for presentation on a regular basis. They would like things to be back to the way they were at the bowling alley, our old hangout, but Alp especially said that she would prefer to stay at the Beckers although I really can't be that effective as an actual teacher outside of being a moderator and checking in on any major errors. I, for one, would like to get back to a private room but apparently Beckers is the only place that's convenient for everyone...and yet they would like to increase their numbers...that ain't happening as long as we stay at a coffee shop. I was frankly left a bit gobsmacked and somewhat down after that, although our lunch at a Korean place was cordial enough.

In a way, though, the softly, softly talking-to that I got this morning did jolt me out of my complacency...one that has been a decade in the making. I'm kinda wondering if it's time to finally end my long era with The Beehive. It's been fun but I'm thinking whether I've just gotten a little too close to them. Periodcially, I've gotten the same little lecture from them whenever they think I've slacked on some sort of teacher-related protocol, but I think this time, the lecture hit a bit closer to home. I believe that as long as the ladies insist on keeping things at the coffee shop, things are just gonna end up as a kaffeeklatsch even if I draw on the reins for a short while. Well, the next few months will be contemplative ones for me. I won't make any major moves during this year, but I think I may decide to end things early next year.

Then, it was my penultimate session with 002. Unlike the fun of the party, the first 15 minutes of the lesson were serious. Basically, it was a polite but frank discussion about the kerfuffle of two weeks ago. However, it just seemed like a verbal reiteration of the e-mails that we had exchanged. 002 was obviously discomfited but I kept things on an even keel. Still, what needed to be said was said and hopefully, the talk has gotten everything out of our systems and that the last class will end on a happier note. In any case, 002 admitted that she wasn't crazy about the new text and she even wasn't all that thrilled with the last one as well.

Back at the juku, the boss told me that she'll have to be going in on Friday for a wonderful session with the gastric camera. She has my sympathies. Well, I've got Suzanne as usual and then just Mr. Mild...and maybe The Traveler. Mrs. Mild is off in France right now. Will Jolly show up? I'm thinking about suggesting to the boss that we should tell our wayward student to call us each time if he can come, instead of when he can't come.

Monday October 20, 8:54 p.m.

Just myself in the outer office. Speedy's teaching his Monday night regular. I've been getting some stuff ready for the coming week, including going over that taped rendition from that potential pronounciation student last week. A lot of stuff that needs overhauling...lack of rhythm, emphasis, contrast...you name it, she doesn't have much of it.

I heard that the acerbic Mr. Blackwell, he of that dreaded and hated Worst Dressed List, finally went to that fashion house in the sky. It's said that he died of intestinal complications; probably inhaled some lint from one of the dresses that he had savaged. I can imagine that at the funeral, all of the women he dissed will show up wearing anything but black and tasteful....just out of spite.

General Colin Powell has officially endoresd Barack Obama. I guess the general is off of McCain's Xmas Card list for this year. His endorsement probably won't change any of the minds of the converted, but the independents and fence-straddlers are probably hmmmming at this moment. I still say it's early to declare victory for Obama but this endorsement cannot help McCain.

Monday October 20, 7:49 p.m.

Smelling of cigarettes and coffee once again after my latest lesson with The Full-Timer at the local Doutor's. Looks like things have settled down a bit between her and her somewhat manic-depressive boss, but not quite out of the woods as of yet.

The Magician cancelled her lesson for the 29th and has shipped over to mid-November. Her job often creates these large gaps in her education. Whoops...now found out that she wants to come in earlier but neither Speedy and I are around.

Not even a month since it began, but the Aso administration seems to be slipping even further in the polls. At this rate, PM Aso may have no choice but to dissolve the Lower House...before it dissolves by itself.

Just found out through some sort of brochure that Captain Picard is indeed a captain of sorts; Patrick Stewart's the Chancellor of Huddersfield College in the UK. Wonder if The Trekkie is aware of this.

Monday October 20, 4:21 p.m.

Pretty busy socially this past weekend, so let's get started.

On Saturday, there was the party at 002's. So, just to add that little bit of oomph to it, I decided to head over to LaLaPort, Japan's very first megamall in Minami-Funabashi to see if I could actually buy a box of Krispy Kreme donuts. I actually had to take a taxi from Funabashi Station to get the place since buses apparently take their sweet time on the weekends. My wallet wasn't too badly dented by the ride. I was delighted to find out that the lineup into LaLaPort's Krispy Kreme was only a microscopic 5 minutes. Tons of people head over to the main hub of Shinjuku but luckily not too many bother with a small Chiba city. Saw the famed conveyor belt processing the donuts including the sheet curtain of icing raining down on them. Also got the traditional free donut from the staff. Ended up getting a dozen assorted for about 1,800 yen.

So with a box of donuts in one hand, and a pumpkin in the other, I made it to 002's place an hour later. Happily, there was none of that tension involving 002, Speedy and myself the week before. 002's husband was his usual happy-go-lucky self. Soon after 001 and 002's friend, the one who had wanted the crack at carving a Jack O'Lantern, arrived. Got ourselves well stuffed on the imoni-nabe, a hot pot filled with beef, green onions and other veggies in a rich soy-sauce based stock. The rest of the evening turned out to be a show-and-tell night via the laptop since everyone except me had gone overseas for various reasons. First off was 001's digital photos of her time in the Middle East; she and her buddies had even taken a dunk...a very shallow one...in The Dead Sea. Then, 002 and her hubby showed off their pics from the Maui Marathon. Finally, 002's friend gave us a marathon picture showing of his trip to Beijing and Tsingtao. His job apparently has something to do with trend spotting, so there were a lot of shots of people walking and a lot of the native culinary fare. I was kinda fading out at one point since the imoni started to digest on me. However, by pumpkin carving time, I was back helping out. The friend and the others enjoyed making the first Jack O'Lantern (at least, in my purview) of the season. And a lot of cellphones and digital cameras got busy taking pictures of the finished product out on the balcony. For a party that 002 had hoped to keep a bit shorter since she was worried about 001's commute all the way back to Sagamihara in Kanagawa Prefecture, it actually lasted a good 8 hours.

On Sunday, The Satyr, MB and I got together in Shinjuku to catch "Ironman". Y'know...maybe I'd subconsicously had my expectations a bit too high for this one or I'd just bought too much into the reviewers' hype (although, admittedly, they were also guardedly praising at best about their feelings about the movie), but I was a bit disappointed about this one. MB liked it somewhat more than I and The Satyr did. But I just thought "Ironman" was surprisingly flat for a hi-mech action movie. And Robert Downey, Jr. may have lifted the material according to the critics, but his glib, throwaway one-liners seemed to have been delivered subvocally; I needed to read the subtitles to find out what he'd said. Movie Buddy also agreed with me on that point, remarking that sound engineers often ramped up the bass for better sounding explosions but at the expense of lost dialogue. Plus, for some reason, unlike the origin stories for some of the other Marvel franchises like "Spiderman", the actual leadup to the formation of the superhero was not all that interesting, and there were a few too many "meet cute" scenes between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts to my liking. And we got one of the most effeminate military officer performances in cinematic history in the form of Terrance Howard...truly bizarre. Maybe it was just as well that he won't be returning in the sequel. For basically these reasons, I didn't think it really quite lived up to the hype although the Ironman vs. fighter jets scenes were the one saving grace.

After the movie, we caught up with The Sylph, Miss Ivory and Skippy, whom I hadn't seen in over a month at the Wald 9 complex since they decided to go distinctly women-and-weepy by catching "P.S. I Love You" with Gerald Butler and Hilary Swank. The ladies said that it was a four-hanky flick. On the way over to El Torito, the culinary destination for the evening, Skippy had said that despite an initial worry over how her new job at a recording studio was going, she was now well settled.

We had dinner at El Torito at the bottom of the Microsoft Building across from Takashimaya Times Square. Had ourselves the gamut of the menu and a good time although the screaming kid at the next table didn't enhance the experience. Me and The Satyr got an embarrassing load of birthday riches from Skippy and The Sylph. Even The Satyr, a birthday boy himself today, got me something in the form of music store gift certificates. I felt badly that I didn't have anything for him but frankly I'm never very prepared for what to get as a birthday present for anyone. However, I did get some clues via MB's gift of a Frank Lloyd Wright calendar and The Sylph's gift of a strange picture book of various shots of Tokyo. I even got a PASMO card from MB and The Sylph so now I'm now part of the commuting masses who just slap the card on the ticket gate sensors.

Today, I didn't have any classes in the morning and early afternoon so I decided to catch my second movie in as many days in Shinjuku. Instead of the Kabukicho plaza, my destination was the new-and-improved Picadilly. I ended up adding another card to my stressed-out wallet; along with the new PASMO, I now have a card for the Picadilly in which every 7th film I see at the place gets me in free. For a guy who watches his fair share of flicks, it was a good deal.

I caught "Get Smart". I actually felt I got more bang out of the buck from watching this than I did with "Ironman". The reviews for this one were lukewarm, and maybe that lowering of expectations was what helped me. Plus, I was a fan of the original series with Don Adams and the tasty Barbara Feldon. There was plenty of homage to spread around right from the opening titles to the various props and even to a couple of cameos. It was also the 2nd movie with Terence Stamp that I'd seen within a week; don't think I've done that since catching "Superman 2" multiple times over a quarter-century ago. I'd have to agree that the casting of the two leads was pretty near perfect. Steve Carell is probably the only actor who can do Maxwell Smart right now, and Anne Hathaway did a number of scenes as 99 which nearly seemed to channel Feldon's take. Unlike "Ironman", I would look forward to a sequel with "Get Smart".

Ended up having lunch at that Chinese buffet place in the shopping complex over JR Shinjuku. So, I'm pretty much stuffed for the rest of the day. Couldn't find anything for The Satyr at the Tower Records by the south exit, so I'll have to wait until Wednesday for my next opportunity. I did see a best hits collection by sometime-swinging unit Ego-Wrappin' at HMV; may get that by the end of the week but my priority is getting the gift for The Satyr.

I've only got The Full-Timer and then Medicine Man tonight. This week shouldn't be too bad. My Hump Days aren't nearly as nuts as they were last week, and at this point, I've got all of Friday off. Only meeting up with Prim on that night for dinner. Still, I gotta plan for that specialized model lesson for that student late on Thursday night.