Sunday August 23, 1:34 a.m.
Yesterday was truly a day that has been surprisingly rare this season...a truly blistering hot and humid day, typical of a normal summer in the Kanto. I was feeling pretty drippy by the time I got to Jiyugaoka. The station was packed nearly to dangerous levels with folks, apparently heading to one of the last fireworks festivals this season. I still managed to get to MB's place OK, though.
As usual, MB has been enjoying the world of computer games. He showed me the surprisingly good "Ghostbusters" game....in fact, the game was so good that I think this should've been the sequel made instead of the 1989 "Ghostbusters II". Almost all of the original actors are back on voiceover duty...except for Sigourney Weaver (who later said in an interview that she actually regretted not helping the boys out).
Then, MB, his wife and I made our way to dinner....to a ramen shop that MB and I had gone to about a year ago when I'd first visited him in his new neighbourhood. At that time, we'd gone for lunch so the full menu hadn't been available. Well, the dinner menu definitely had a lot more going for it. Some really fine piitan, gyoza, fried chicken wings and BBQ pork made our way to our stomachs before we all finished off with some savory ramen. I know a ramen shop is really good when the slices of char-siu are thick, tender and juicy.
The movies for tonight were Jason Statham's "Death Race" and that "Clone Wars" movie. The former had the ol' Transporter racing through psychotics-in-Mad-Max cars and plot holes the size of grottos; didn't make much sense at all but it was worth it just to see an incongruously cast Joan Allen being evil and profane.
As for "Clone Wars"....the film had come out last year here in the theatres. I'm glad that I didn't fork out the 1800 yen for what was basically little more than a Saturday morning cartoon with fancier special effects. It seems as if the more "Star Wars" movies come out, the worse its reputation gets. MB and I marveled at the fact that the last decent movie in the series had come out almost 30 years ago.
In any case, it's time to call it a night....luckily, I've got nothing until I meet The Jyuppies for dinner in Chuo-Rinkan.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Saturday August 22, 12:03 p.m.
Once again hot and humid out there. Just after boarding the subway at the station, my undershirt was already fit to be considered a life form. It may rain a little later on today; it would be the first time for precipitation in almost a week. I don't think we've had such a long stretch of dryness in this odd summer.
I've only got The Publicity Assistant and The Intellectual today. The Intellectual is on his final lesson with us, and I'm not sure whether he'll be re-upping. And The PA is just a few lessons away from her day of reckoning herself. Not sure if my Saturdays are gonna be a whole lot emptier from now on.
The session at the juku was pretty cut-and-dry last night. The juku boss started making noises about not having had any time to study for her half-hour with me but she did show up. The Ace was fine...he's probably my best student in the entire group I have. The Restauranteur was a few minutes late since she had some latecoming customers but no problems.
Once again hot and humid out there. Just after boarding the subway at the station, my undershirt was already fit to be considered a life form. It may rain a little later on today; it would be the first time for precipitation in almost a week. I don't think we've had such a long stretch of dryness in this odd summer.
I've only got The Publicity Assistant and The Intellectual today. The Intellectual is on his final lesson with us, and I'm not sure whether he'll be re-upping. And The PA is just a few lessons away from her day of reckoning herself. Not sure if my Saturdays are gonna be a whole lot emptier from now on.
The session at the juku was pretty cut-and-dry last night. The juku boss started making noises about not having had any time to study for her half-hour with me but she did show up. The Ace was fine...he's probably my best student in the entire group I have. The Restauranteur was a few minutes late since she had some latecoming customers but no problems.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday August 21, 12:02 p.m.
Well, last night I saw some rather dramatic stuff on the news. That Lockerbie bomber got released from Scottish prison and has now headed home to Libya to a hero's welcome. Saw the actual announcement from Scotland's Minister of Justice and then after having caught the last several minutes of "A Few Good Men" on cable, I saw the plane taking off from Glasgow Airport.
What are my thoughts? Well, I first couldn't believe that the Minister actually let the guy go...after several years of bringing al-Magrahi to justice and then finally incarcerating him in 2001, only to see him get popped out in a few short hours. I guess that physics law is true...it's always been easier to destroy than to create. The minister pounded the message into all of our heads that though this terrorist had shown no mercy to the 270 people he'd killed in December 1988, he wouldn't stoop to his level and not show any mercy to his request to be released on compassionate grounds and head home to Libya to die within the next 3 months from prostate cancer. He said that he would follow the law and show the world that Scotland is a just and moral land by giving this man leniency.
Of course, the media went nuts. Wolf and Jack on "The Situation Room" could barely contain their shock and awe towards the minister at his decision. I could just see the thought bubbles above their heads...."WTF WERE YOU THINKING?" I could only imagine how the folks at FOX took the news....they probably declared war on Scotland. The BBC newscaster at the time of the press conference also seemed about to burst a blood vessel.
Then, there are the families of those who were killed on Pan Am 103...a number of them American. I can only imagine how they must've felt when they saw footage of al-Magrahi coming down those steps in Tripoli to a large group of celebrating well-wishers....most likely extremists themselves. I'm sure the moderates were at home cringing in their houses wondering what this could mean about traveling overseas. But back to the families...to see all their years of efforts of getting him into jail, only to see this one man unlock the cell and send him off home for what little time he has left. I'm sure a lot of them would like to head over to Scotland right now and say some very unkind words to the minister. I wouldn't blame them.
But then....this brings up the question about whether there is a price cap on forgiveness and compassion. The United States is probably the most religious country on the planet...with the majority believing in Christianity. I haven't read my King James in many a decade but isn't there a phrase that Jesus Christ espoused about forgiving all sins? Of any of the sins that have been perpetrated this year....isn't allowing a mass murderer to go back to his homeland to die the perfect opportunity to show how forgiving, how compassionate, how wonderful The Lord is? Or is forgiveness just for taking care of marital spats and forgetting anniversaries? For me, if I'd had a loved one on that Pan Am plane when it went down in flames, it would've been a no-brainer...I would've cursed the minister for the rest of our days (and in fact, my brother's old elementary school classmate was on that plane); but then again, I'm not religious....I don't believe in ultimate forgiveness. I am not divine...I am human...I err....and sometimes, I err gladly and without remorse. So, as for the Obama government's official response to the release as being a tragic mistake, and I'm considering America's status as a religious country, its supposedly official policy of separating church and state, and Obama's pronouncement that he is a Christian, my counterresponse would be, "Don't you think you're being a tad hypocritical?"
Just as the line between genius and madness is microns-thick, I think a similar line exists between bravery and foolishness. Although there are many out there who will think the Scottish Minister of Justice took the latter side in his decision for the rest of their lives, perhaps over the years, decades, and even centuries, there may be some (even now) who feel that he made the bravest decision of his career...and perhaps his life....to prove that even an evil man is deserving of the good policy of mercy....that evil will not necessarily beget evil....and I'm referencing the phrase of "the banality of evil" when I write this.
Well, last night I saw some rather dramatic stuff on the news. That Lockerbie bomber got released from Scottish prison and has now headed home to Libya to a hero's welcome. Saw the actual announcement from Scotland's Minister of Justice and then after having caught the last several minutes of "A Few Good Men" on cable, I saw the plane taking off from Glasgow Airport.
What are my thoughts? Well, I first couldn't believe that the Minister actually let the guy go...after several years of bringing al-Magrahi to justice and then finally incarcerating him in 2001, only to see him get popped out in a few short hours. I guess that physics law is true...it's always been easier to destroy than to create. The minister pounded the message into all of our heads that though this terrorist had shown no mercy to the 270 people he'd killed in December 1988, he wouldn't stoop to his level and not show any mercy to his request to be released on compassionate grounds and head home to Libya to die within the next 3 months from prostate cancer. He said that he would follow the law and show the world that Scotland is a just and moral land by giving this man leniency.
Of course, the media went nuts. Wolf and Jack on "The Situation Room" could barely contain their shock and awe towards the minister at his decision. I could just see the thought bubbles above their heads...."WTF WERE YOU THINKING?" I could only imagine how the folks at FOX took the news....they probably declared war on Scotland. The BBC newscaster at the time of the press conference also seemed about to burst a blood vessel.
Then, there are the families of those who were killed on Pan Am 103...a number of them American. I can only imagine how they must've felt when they saw footage of al-Magrahi coming down those steps in Tripoli to a large group of celebrating well-wishers....most likely extremists themselves. I'm sure the moderates were at home cringing in their houses wondering what this could mean about traveling overseas. But back to the families...to see all their years of efforts of getting him into jail, only to see this one man unlock the cell and send him off home for what little time he has left. I'm sure a lot of them would like to head over to Scotland right now and say some very unkind words to the minister. I wouldn't blame them.
But then....this brings up the question about whether there is a price cap on forgiveness and compassion. The United States is probably the most religious country on the planet...with the majority believing in Christianity. I haven't read my King James in many a decade but isn't there a phrase that Jesus Christ espoused about forgiving all sins? Of any of the sins that have been perpetrated this year....isn't allowing a mass murderer to go back to his homeland to die the perfect opportunity to show how forgiving, how compassionate, how wonderful The Lord is? Or is forgiveness just for taking care of marital spats and forgetting anniversaries? For me, if I'd had a loved one on that Pan Am plane when it went down in flames, it would've been a no-brainer...I would've cursed the minister for the rest of our days (and in fact, my brother's old elementary school classmate was on that plane); but then again, I'm not religious....I don't believe in ultimate forgiveness. I am not divine...I am human...I err....and sometimes, I err gladly and without remorse. So, as for the Obama government's official response to the release as being a tragic mistake, and I'm considering America's status as a religious country, its supposedly official policy of separating church and state, and Obama's pronouncement that he is a Christian, my counterresponse would be, "Don't you think you're being a tad hypocritical?"
Just as the line between genius and madness is microns-thick, I think a similar line exists between bravery and foolishness. Although there are many out there who will think the Scottish Minister of Justice took the latter side in his decision for the rest of their lives, perhaps over the years, decades, and even centuries, there may be some (even now) who feel that he made the bravest decision of his career...and perhaps his life....to prove that even an evil man is deserving of the good policy of mercy....that evil will not necessarily beget evil....and I'm referencing the phrase of "the banality of evil" when I write this.
Thursday August 20, 4:39 p.m.
Finished with The Nurse. She had only gotten a couple of hours of sleep after her last shift, so she was doing a lot of yawning in class....which is why she's scheduled her next lesson to come a bit earlier in the day when her energies aren't flagging so much.
Well, off for home. I have a sudden craving for ramen....kinda weird in this weather.
Finished with The Nurse. She had only gotten a couple of hours of sleep after her last shift, so she was doing a lot of yawning in class....which is why she's scheduled her next lesson to come a bit earlier in the day when her energies aren't flagging so much.
Well, off for home. I have a sudden craving for ramen....kinda weird in this weather.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Thursday August 20, 2:49 p.m.
Well, it's been a while since I made my last NorikoGate entry, so apparently the police have found trace amounts of amphetamine in hair samples. More ammunition.
Overseas voting has begun for the August 30th General Elections here in Japan. The pundits are still calling it overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party of Japan. I'm still doubtful whether the change in name will mean an actual change for the better. Hatoyama reminds me of a Japanese Joe Clark.
The Nurse should be here any minute.
Well, it's been a while since I made my last NorikoGate entry, so apparently the police have found trace amounts of amphetamine in hair samples. More ammunition.
Overseas voting has begun for the August 30th General Elections here in Japan. The pundits are still calling it overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party of Japan. I'm still doubtful whether the change in name will mean an actual change for the better. Hatoyama reminds me of a Japanese Joe Clark.
The Nurse should be here any minute.
Thursday August 20, 11:35 a.m.
Well, got through the first lesson pretty well. Miss Prissy managed to pass the role-plays on restaurants and shopping. Just needs to pick up the pace, though. Perhaps the service industry in Guam is pretty patient, but I know folks in the continental U.S. of A won't be as generous.
Got a surprise e-mail from Cozy. He was hoping that he, the juku boss and I would be able to get together sometime in the near future for dinner once again. Hopefully, the boss will be up to the challenge.
Speaking of food, I'll see if that bento place is open or if it has indeed shut down for good. I can't imagine it doing so; I think they were doing a brisk business selling their 500-yen lunches.
Well, got through the first lesson pretty well. Miss Prissy managed to pass the role-plays on restaurants and shopping. Just needs to pick up the pace, though. Perhaps the service industry in Guam is pretty patient, but I know folks in the continental U.S. of A won't be as generous.
Got a surprise e-mail from Cozy. He was hoping that he, the juku boss and I would be able to get together sometime in the near future for dinner once again. Hopefully, the boss will be up to the challenge.
Speaking of food, I'll see if that bento place is open or if it has indeed shut down for good. I can't imagine it doing so; I think they were doing a brisk business selling their 500-yen lunches.
Thursday August 20, 8:58 a.m.
Back for another round. I was able to down a vitamin drink so I'm a bit peppier than I have any right to be right now. The McBreakfast helped, too. I've been reading the oh-so-serious "The Official CTU Training Manual" based on "24"; always enjoy reading manuals based on various spy/sci-fi shows (see "Star Trek"). Jack Bauer gives the foreword...I could imagine him screaming it out in any audiobook format. Kinda too bad that I've only seen the first 2 seasons, and that was several years ago. With my life, I just can't spare the time or the desire to shuck out the yen to buy the DVD box sets. That's kinda the same with shows like "Battlestar Galactica", "Lost" and "Heroes". I think I'll be in my retirement before I finally get to see any of them in their entirety. Still going through the manual but I'm pretty sure there isn't a section referring to any CTU agents involved in bar fights or alcoholism...although there should be (et tu, Kiefer).
Referring to "Modern Times", the Charlie Chaplin classic that I'd caught on cable yesterday, I was also surprised at some of the daring stuff that got passed the censors. For example, when Sir Charles accidentally ingested that heroin...innocently referred to as "nose-powder". And then there was the scene in which he tried to screw those well-placed buttons on the portly woman's coat.
Well, I just have Miss Prissy and then The Nurse later this afternoon. I'm still working with Miss Prissy on her Travel English for her upcoming trip to Guam in a couple of weeks. Then, I have the night off. Not too bad...knock on wood.
Back for another round. I was able to down a vitamin drink so I'm a bit peppier than I have any right to be right now. The McBreakfast helped, too. I've been reading the oh-so-serious "The Official CTU Training Manual" based on "24"; always enjoy reading manuals based on various spy/sci-fi shows (see "Star Trek"). Jack Bauer gives the foreword...I could imagine him screaming it out in any audiobook format. Kinda too bad that I've only seen the first 2 seasons, and that was several years ago. With my life, I just can't spare the time or the desire to shuck out the yen to buy the DVD box sets. That's kinda the same with shows like "Battlestar Galactica", "Lost" and "Heroes". I think I'll be in my retirement before I finally get to see any of them in their entirety. Still going through the manual but I'm pretty sure there isn't a section referring to any CTU agents involved in bar fights or alcoholism...although there should be (et tu, Kiefer).
Referring to "Modern Times", the Charlie Chaplin classic that I'd caught on cable yesterday, I was also surprised at some of the daring stuff that got passed the censors. For example, when Sir Charles accidentally ingested that heroin...innocently referred to as "nose-powder". And then there was the scene in which he tried to screw those well-placed buttons on the portly woman's coat.
Well, I just have Miss Prissy and then The Nurse later this afternoon. I'm still working with Miss Prissy on her Travel English for her upcoming trip to Guam in a couple of weeks. Then, I have the night off. Not too bad...knock on wood.
Wednesday August 19, 9:21 p.m.
Got the news from La Fille that Grandma Dynamite will be holding off on her umpteenth return to Speedy tomorrow due to health issues. Still, I'll have to make the early arrival since I have Miss Prissy. However, although I am worried about the Grandma, I'm also a bit relieved since I really don't know how to approach her anymore. Her memory isn't what it used to be.
So, I gather that tomorrow will also be a 2-lesson day.
The Fashion Designer ought to be here any minute.
Got the news from La Fille that Grandma Dynamite will be holding off on her umpteenth return to Speedy tomorrow due to health issues. Still, I'll have to make the early arrival since I have Miss Prissy. However, although I am worried about the Grandma, I'm also a bit relieved since I really don't know how to approach her anymore. Her memory isn't what it used to be.
So, I gather that tomorrow will also be a 2-lesson day.
The Fashion Designer ought to be here any minute.
Wednesday August 19, 5:47 p.m.
It's been quiet here lately...not just today. As it is, our staff here at Speedy's have never been all that raucous. Everyone does their own thing. Perhaps during BC's tenure of manic depression here, there was somewhat more tension, but overall it's been serene. However, with the Sword of Damocles hanging over us in terms of our survival over the next few months, the quietness has been somewhat wistful, especially while I was having my dinner in a sunset-glazed kitchen. Not sure what my pay packet next week will look like; I'll just be grateful that I've got that payoff from translating to be put into my account.
Not sure, either, about what will happen if the school does decide to move elsewhere to get a fresh start. If it's somewhere by the Yamanote Line or even within it, I should be OK. However, if Speedy decides to move it ever farther west...or if he decides to make it into a kids' school, well I think I may have to move on somewhere else. And I'm not sure what will happen with the remaining students. 001 still has quite a few lessons left with us, along with The Patent Attorney. The Fashion Designer has all of two left, and I'm pretty sure she won't be re-signing.
It's been quiet here lately...not just today. As it is, our staff here at Speedy's have never been all that raucous. Everyone does their own thing. Perhaps during BC's tenure of manic depression here, there was somewhat more tension, but overall it's been serene. However, with the Sword of Damocles hanging over us in terms of our survival over the next few months, the quietness has been somewhat wistful, especially while I was having my dinner in a sunset-glazed kitchen. Not sure what my pay packet next week will look like; I'll just be grateful that I've got that payoff from translating to be put into my account.
Not sure, either, about what will happen if the school does decide to move elsewhere to get a fresh start. If it's somewhere by the Yamanote Line or even within it, I should be OK. However, if Speedy decides to move it ever farther west...or if he decides to make it into a kids' school, well I think I may have to move on somewhere else. And I'm not sure what will happen with the remaining students. 001 still has quite a few lessons left with us, along with The Patent Attorney. The Fashion Designer has all of two left, and I'm pretty sure she won't be re-signing.
Wednesday August 19, 4:29 p.m.
Since I seemed to have had a pretty quiet week of few classes, I've been able to catch a few movies on cable. Well, two, to be exact. Both of them are absolutely different from each other but they both have made their mark in cinematic history. The first one was "Blue Velvet", the one with Isabella Rossellini, Kyle McLachlan and Dennis "Mommy" Harper. Very Lynchian although the plot was easy enough to understand. I can see where "Twin Peaks" came from. The other I just saw earlier this morning: "Modern Times", what could arguably be considered to be Charlie Chaplin's magnum opus. I'd heard of both over the decades, but it was "Modern Times" that made the bigger impression on me. Considering that it was made in 1936...well into the "talkies"...Chaplin insisted that it be kept silent, and yet, he still allowed for some sounds and speech to be added although there was a purpose to this. There was the iconic scene of Chaplin traveling through the cogs of a machine, but the two scenes that popped out at me were the one in which Chaplin's character was victimized by the automatic feeding machine and the one in which he was rollerskating blindfolded perilously close to the edge of an unprotected floor in a department store. I was also struck by how similar his co-star and then-wife Paulette Goddard resembled a young Maria Shriver (1st Lady of California) and Monica from "Friends", and the fact that despite the typically Chaplinesque bittersweet ending, both Chaplin and The Gamin walked away into the sunset together; usually the femme would be taken away from The Little Tramp for whatever reason. And it was nice to know that the classic jazz ballad, "Smile" originated from the movie. May consider picking up the DVD someday.
It'll be another Humpless Wednesday. I've only got 001 and The Fashion Designer tonight. Although it's about 30 degrees right now, I still wouldn't consider today to be a typically blazing Tokyo summer day.
This will be an entertaining weekend. After my classes at Speedy's on Saturday, it'll be another DVD night with MB, followed by dinner with The Jyuppies on Sunday, and I sent my change-of-mind notice to my old student, The Jazz Singer, and said that I would attend her gig in Roppongi since she'll be starting late and since I've got nothing again on Monday until Medicine Man. The Jazz Singer is a contemporary of SR from the ol' school. The last time I met her was at that year-end dinner that The Carolinan had planned in Ebisu last year. I listened to The Jazz Singer's rendition of "Lullaby of Birdland" and said that I gotta check her out.
My few months of getting back into the swing of things on Mixi has had me periodically swapping messages with various folks. Looks like right now, a fellow "Doctor Who" fan, Romana, and I are trading time tales.
Since I seemed to have had a pretty quiet week of few classes, I've been able to catch a few movies on cable. Well, two, to be exact. Both of them are absolutely different from each other but they both have made their mark in cinematic history. The first one was "Blue Velvet", the one with Isabella Rossellini, Kyle McLachlan and Dennis "Mommy" Harper. Very Lynchian although the plot was easy enough to understand. I can see where "Twin Peaks" came from. The other I just saw earlier this morning: "Modern Times", what could arguably be considered to be Charlie Chaplin's magnum opus. I'd heard of both over the decades, but it was "Modern Times" that made the bigger impression on me. Considering that it was made in 1936...well into the "talkies"...Chaplin insisted that it be kept silent, and yet, he still allowed for some sounds and speech to be added although there was a purpose to this. There was the iconic scene of Chaplin traveling through the cogs of a machine, but the two scenes that popped out at me were the one in which Chaplin's character was victimized by the automatic feeding machine and the one in which he was rollerskating blindfolded perilously close to the edge of an unprotected floor in a department store. I was also struck by how similar his co-star and then-wife Paulette Goddard resembled a young Maria Shriver (1st Lady of California) and Monica from "Friends", and the fact that despite the typically Chaplinesque bittersweet ending, both Chaplin and The Gamin walked away into the sunset together; usually the femme would be taken away from The Little Tramp for whatever reason. And it was nice to know that the classic jazz ballad, "Smile" originated from the movie. May consider picking up the DVD someday.
It'll be another Humpless Wednesday. I've only got 001 and The Fashion Designer tonight. Although it's about 30 degrees right now, I still wouldn't consider today to be a typically blazing Tokyo summer day.
This will be an entertaining weekend. After my classes at Speedy's on Saturday, it'll be another DVD night with MB, followed by dinner with The Jyuppies on Sunday, and I sent my change-of-mind notice to my old student, The Jazz Singer, and said that I would attend her gig in Roppongi since she'll be starting late and since I've got nothing again on Monday until Medicine Man. The Jazz Singer is a contemporary of SR from the ol' school. The last time I met her was at that year-end dinner that The Carolinan had planned in Ebisu last year. I listened to The Jazz Singer's rendition of "Lullaby of Birdland" and said that I gotta check her out.
My few months of getting back into the swing of things on Mixi has had me periodically swapping messages with various folks. Looks like right now, a fellow "Doctor Who" fan, Romana, and I are trading time tales.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tuesday August 18, 12:59 p.m.
Yup, I'd say that this season is definitely a reika (cool summer). Came home last night in very comfortable air; didn't even need the fan during my sleep time...just opened the window. In fact, that's been a common occurrence for me over the past several weeks. Usually a Tokyo summer without a fan on overnight is tantamount to suicide by heatstroke. Even coming to the I-Cafe today wasn't too bad at all. We're only going up to 29 C today.
Well, I got that letter from The Corner. Yup, my money will be heading my way at the end of the month. But I also got that hint that not all was well between his company and the client for that ceramics job. I think that the assignment was frankly over my punching weight in retrospect, but I wouldn't have found that out without doing it, so I'll have to slot the whole experience in as a learning one. Still, he was generous enough in saying that there may be more translation assignments in the near future....which is a relief for me, especially with business so down at both Speedy's and the juku.
Got another invite from MB about another DVD Night this Saturday. I'll be coming over a little later since I've got classes at Speedy's til 5 then. Strangely enough, the next night I've got that sushi dinner with The Jyuppies.
The Medicine Man was back to his unimaginative ways. The hour passed by rather quickly since he took so much time trying to formulate his answers.
Yup, I'd say that this season is definitely a reika (cool summer). Came home last night in very comfortable air; didn't even need the fan during my sleep time...just opened the window. In fact, that's been a common occurrence for me over the past several weeks. Usually a Tokyo summer without a fan on overnight is tantamount to suicide by heatstroke. Even coming to the I-Cafe today wasn't too bad at all. We're only going up to 29 C today.
Well, I got that letter from The Corner. Yup, my money will be heading my way at the end of the month. But I also got that hint that not all was well between his company and the client for that ceramics job. I think that the assignment was frankly over my punching weight in retrospect, but I wouldn't have found that out without doing it, so I'll have to slot the whole experience in as a learning one. Still, he was generous enough in saying that there may be more translation assignments in the near future....which is a relief for me, especially with business so down at both Speedy's and the juku.
Got another invite from MB about another DVD Night this Saturday. I'll be coming over a little later since I've got classes at Speedy's til 5 then. Strangely enough, the next night I've got that sushi dinner with The Jyuppies.
The Medicine Man was back to his unimaginative ways. The hour passed by rather quickly since he took so much time trying to formulate his answers.
Monday August 17, 7:08 p.m.
Had a very full weekend. With only The Nurse on Friday and just Medicine Man here tonight, I felt like I had more than 3 days off. My weekend was spent at home, catching up on a lot of movies via cable. It was kind of the weekend for sequels....and not the greatest sequels, at that. I watched "Back to the Future II", "Matrix Reloaded", and "Ocean's 12" amongst others. Yes, they were pretty mediocre efforts. Well, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh with the first one. "BTTF 2" was OK, but the tone just seemed to be yanked a little too far from the swashbuckling & lighthearted one of the original to the heartcrashing darkness of this one. I finally figured out the plot of "Ocean's 12" and just concluded the execution was bad. For the rather intriguing reason that it's now 64 years since the end of WWII, Super Drama TV has been putting on several episodes of a show called "12 O'Clock High" starring blandly handsome Paul Burke and a very young Chris Robinson (he would later be known as not only one of the cast of "General Hospital", but also as the infamous "I'm not a real doctor, but I play one on TV" guy) as bomber pilots in the war. Always kinda liked the old school TV shows.
NorikoGate seems to have finally gone on to the back burner. But it seems like the former aidoru has started to fess up that her history with drugs goes back a bit further than originally reported...a good 4 years earlier. May explain not only that Farrah Fawcett-like interview last year but also her hyperactive dancing as a DJ back in 2006.
Although I've got the juku back from tomorrow, it's still gonna be just that. Way open week. Even my dependably busy Thursdays look mighty hole-y this Thursday. Just two classes before I get to home for dinner early.
Looks like I'll be having dinner with The Jyuppies this Sunday instead of the regular lessons. Last lesson, Mr. Jyuppie was telling me about this great sushi restaurant at the end of the Den'en Toshi Line...pretty much in Kanagawa Prefecture. And so, he threw me the proposal of meeting there for dinner. Hmmm....kinda wonder if the end is near when it comes to me and them. I'm having a purposeful time with Mrs. Jyuppie but Mr. Jyuppie, since his midlife crisis began last month, hasn't been as forthcoming. Usually when my time with a certain student is ending its half-life, I get the invitation-to-a-meal notice in lieu of a regular lesson. It was true with that couple in Jiyugaoka early in my freelance career (for that one, they showed interest in my bartender's guide and wanted to make cocktails in English...yup, that was a most interesting lesson). Soon after, it was bye-bye for me. While I was still at the ol' school, I had been assigned a corporate class at a company in Osaki for which every other class involved me and the few students who would show up having dinner at a buffet place in the JR station plaza. While I enjoyed the free food, I knew my days were numbered.
Speaking of The Jyuppies, they live near Komazawa Park. After that one lesson at the end of last month, I was walking back to the station when I saw a whole cadre of TV trucks and cops across from the park. I overheard some folks talking about a jiken, an incident in the university. It wasn't until just recently that I'd heard that some young psycho, feeling jilted from not being able to participate in the university festival, decided to take his frustration out on some folks via a knife...or attempted to, anyways, before he was handily subdued.
Today, since I had a lot of time, I stopped by Kinokuniya's annual discount English-language book sale on the 11th floor of Takashimaya at Times Square. It was the last day but there were still plenty of books of all genres and sizes. I actually got three of them: last year's edition of "What Color is Your Parachute?", "Living With Star Trek"....a dissertation on the American cultural implications of one of my favourite shows, and "The Official CTU Operations Manual"; that last one just seemed so over-the-top in its earnestness over the universe that houses "24" that I just had to get it. It comes in its own hardcover case, too.
Had a very full weekend. With only The Nurse on Friday and just Medicine Man here tonight, I felt like I had more than 3 days off. My weekend was spent at home, catching up on a lot of movies via cable. It was kind of the weekend for sequels....and not the greatest sequels, at that. I watched "Back to the Future II", "Matrix Reloaded", and "Ocean's 12" amongst others. Yes, they were pretty mediocre efforts. Well, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh with the first one. "BTTF 2" was OK, but the tone just seemed to be yanked a little too far from the swashbuckling & lighthearted one of the original to the heartcrashing darkness of this one. I finally figured out the plot of "Ocean's 12" and just concluded the execution was bad. For the rather intriguing reason that it's now 64 years since the end of WWII, Super Drama TV has been putting on several episodes of a show called "12 O'Clock High" starring blandly handsome Paul Burke and a very young Chris Robinson (he would later be known as not only one of the cast of "General Hospital", but also as the infamous "I'm not a real doctor, but I play one on TV" guy) as bomber pilots in the war. Always kinda liked the old school TV shows.
NorikoGate seems to have finally gone on to the back burner. But it seems like the former aidoru has started to fess up that her history with drugs goes back a bit further than originally reported...a good 4 years earlier. May explain not only that Farrah Fawcett-like interview last year but also her hyperactive dancing as a DJ back in 2006.
Although I've got the juku back from tomorrow, it's still gonna be just that. Way open week. Even my dependably busy Thursdays look mighty hole-y this Thursday. Just two classes before I get to home for dinner early.
Looks like I'll be having dinner with The Jyuppies this Sunday instead of the regular lessons. Last lesson, Mr. Jyuppie was telling me about this great sushi restaurant at the end of the Den'en Toshi Line...pretty much in Kanagawa Prefecture. And so, he threw me the proposal of meeting there for dinner. Hmmm....kinda wonder if the end is near when it comes to me and them. I'm having a purposeful time with Mrs. Jyuppie but Mr. Jyuppie, since his midlife crisis began last month, hasn't been as forthcoming. Usually when my time with a certain student is ending its half-life, I get the invitation-to-a-meal notice in lieu of a regular lesson. It was true with that couple in Jiyugaoka early in my freelance career (for that one, they showed interest in my bartender's guide and wanted to make cocktails in English...yup, that was a most interesting lesson). Soon after, it was bye-bye for me. While I was still at the ol' school, I had been assigned a corporate class at a company in Osaki for which every other class involved me and the few students who would show up having dinner at a buffet place in the JR station plaza. While I enjoyed the free food, I knew my days were numbered.
Speaking of The Jyuppies, they live near Komazawa Park. After that one lesson at the end of last month, I was walking back to the station when I saw a whole cadre of TV trucks and cops across from the park. I overheard some folks talking about a jiken, an incident in the university. It wasn't until just recently that I'd heard that some young psycho, feeling jilted from not being able to participate in the university festival, decided to take his frustration out on some folks via a knife...or attempted to, anyways, before he was handily subdued.
Today, since I had a lot of time, I stopped by Kinokuniya's annual discount English-language book sale on the 11th floor of Takashimaya at Times Square. It was the last day but there were still plenty of books of all genres and sizes. I actually got three of them: last year's edition of "What Color is Your Parachute?", "Living With Star Trek"....a dissertation on the American cultural implications of one of my favourite shows, and "The Official CTU Operations Manual"; that last one just seemed so over-the-top in its earnestness over the universe that houses "24" that I just had to get it. It comes in its own hardcover case, too.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Friday August 14, 12:21 p.m.
Pretty darn quiet. Only had The Nurse. She'd just come back from a bit of an O-Bon holiday in Ishikawa Prefecture with her mother. Ishikawa is a remote province on the other side, the Japan Sea side, of the country. I don't really know what happens out there, but the school did get a souvenir in the form of some soft rice cake covered in bean paste called ankoro. It is, despite the description, quite good.
This past week hasn't been quiet seismologically in Japan. There was the Shindo 4 on Sunday night, then the biggie on Tuesday morning which rocked me from my sleep in my Yokohama hotel room, and a couple of more last night. So talk of The Big One has come up once more in the media, although it still hasn't bested the darkening story of NorikoGate. But are we ready for either The Great Tokai Earthquake I or The Great Kanto Earthquake II? It would seem not. The Japan Times just wrote up an article that the government hasn't printed nearly enough evacuation maps for the citizens just in case The Big One does happen. I think frankly that the Japanese have a rather fatalistic view toward quakes....if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. People talk about home earthquake kits (canned bread, bottled water, flashlights, etc) but how good would such things be when everyone is out at school or work? Plus, luxury apartments keep getting higher and higher on reclaimed land in Tsukiji and Odaiba when there are signs on the street openly warning that in a major quake, the land will liquefy. Those apartments will certainly get lower and lower in mere seconds. So, perhaps the government is taking a rather lackadaiscal attitude....but it seems to do that with a number of issues....except, of course, for its own election later this month.
I'll probably be headed home in the next half hour or so. There's a discount book sale in Takashimaya Times Square. I may head on over there, but still waiting for that translation income from The Cornerette, I'm not sure it'll be worth going over if I'm just gonna watch.
Pretty darn quiet. Only had The Nurse. She'd just come back from a bit of an O-Bon holiday in Ishikawa Prefecture with her mother. Ishikawa is a remote province on the other side, the Japan Sea side, of the country. I don't really know what happens out there, but the school did get a souvenir in the form of some soft rice cake covered in bean paste called ankoro. It is, despite the description, quite good.
This past week hasn't been quiet seismologically in Japan. There was the Shindo 4 on Sunday night, then the biggie on Tuesday morning which rocked me from my sleep in my Yokohama hotel room, and a couple of more last night. So talk of The Big One has come up once more in the media, although it still hasn't bested the darkening story of NorikoGate. But are we ready for either The Great Tokai Earthquake I or The Great Kanto Earthquake II? It would seem not. The Japan Times just wrote up an article that the government hasn't printed nearly enough evacuation maps for the citizens just in case The Big One does happen. I think frankly that the Japanese have a rather fatalistic view toward quakes....if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. People talk about home earthquake kits (canned bread, bottled water, flashlights, etc) but how good would such things be when everyone is out at school or work? Plus, luxury apartments keep getting higher and higher on reclaimed land in Tsukiji and Odaiba when there are signs on the street openly warning that in a major quake, the land will liquefy. Those apartments will certainly get lower and lower in mere seconds. So, perhaps the government is taking a rather lackadaiscal attitude....but it seems to do that with a number of issues....except, of course, for its own election later this month.
I'll probably be headed home in the next half hour or so. There's a discount book sale in Takashimaya Times Square. I may head on over there, but still waiting for that translation income from The Cornerette, I'm not sure it'll be worth going over if I'm just gonna watch.
Friday August 14, 8:28 a.m.
It's one of those in-and-out transitions today. Both Speedy and I had left the office at 11 last night and I was back in by before 8. The steamy Tokyo nights are back as well....I was peeling off my clothes to take a well-needed shower. To try and get some decent sleep despite the heat and humidity, I followed some methods that I'd seen on that TBS info show, "Hanamaru Market" yesterday morning; the theme was on just that....how to survive the night without sweating to death. I put my fan near my feet (I did take a shower so there wouldn't be any risk of death by foot odor) and had the flow bounce off the closet so that there would be forced air circulation, and I didn't bother to drink anything cold since that would effectively turn off the sweating mechanism. It worked pretty well; despite the fact that I only got 5 hours of sleep, I don't feel too badly.
However, Speedy may not be feeling too good right now. He all but conceded that perhaps our days are numbered here at our current location. The school has been suffering financially....a lot of it due to the current financial malaise. Students are simply not renewing. Although he hasn't officially started yet, he's now thinking about alternate locations such as on a major train line which would mean higher rents. It would be a pity, but frankly I can't see us staying in the Nakano area either. The neighbourhood is pretty much dead at night, and heck, we lost one of the cheapest and nicest Chinese restaurants a couple of years ago. The bossman is also considering drastically changing direction, including even becoming a kids' school (gulp). If so, adios.
Sad sign of the times....apparently, there was an actual mugging in my city of Ichikawa, and not too, too far away from my neck of the woods. Some psycho with a metal bat managed to break a kid's arm and run off with about 15,000 yen last night. Times are tough, and so the especially weak-minded will take the easy way out...on someone else's head. Back in Toronto, every time I came home at midnight, I always kept a good eye on my surroundings for anything bad. I may have to do that now here as well.
Despite my early arrival, I've only got The Nurse in about an hour and that will be all she wrote for me for the entire weekend. Yep, real quiet week.
Finally got through the "Verified by Visa" process. I kept getting rejected by the computer for some reason when it came to my information to the extent that I was wondering if the name should be "Harassed by Visa" instead. However, after three phone calls, last night's operator came through for me.
It's one of those in-and-out transitions today. Both Speedy and I had left the office at 11 last night and I was back in by before 8. The steamy Tokyo nights are back as well....I was peeling off my clothes to take a well-needed shower. To try and get some decent sleep despite the heat and humidity, I followed some methods that I'd seen on that TBS info show, "Hanamaru Market" yesterday morning; the theme was on just that....how to survive the night without sweating to death. I put my fan near my feet (I did take a shower so there wouldn't be any risk of death by foot odor) and had the flow bounce off the closet so that there would be forced air circulation, and I didn't bother to drink anything cold since that would effectively turn off the sweating mechanism. It worked pretty well; despite the fact that I only got 5 hours of sleep, I don't feel too badly.
However, Speedy may not be feeling too good right now. He all but conceded that perhaps our days are numbered here at our current location. The school has been suffering financially....a lot of it due to the current financial malaise. Students are simply not renewing. Although he hasn't officially started yet, he's now thinking about alternate locations such as on a major train line which would mean higher rents. It would be a pity, but frankly I can't see us staying in the Nakano area either. The neighbourhood is pretty much dead at night, and heck, we lost one of the cheapest and nicest Chinese restaurants a couple of years ago. The bossman is also considering drastically changing direction, including even becoming a kids' school (gulp). If so, adios.
Sad sign of the times....apparently, there was an actual mugging in my city of Ichikawa, and not too, too far away from my neck of the woods. Some psycho with a metal bat managed to break a kid's arm and run off with about 15,000 yen last night. Times are tough, and so the especially weak-minded will take the easy way out...on someone else's head. Back in Toronto, every time I came home at midnight, I always kept a good eye on my surroundings for anything bad. I may have to do that now here as well.
Despite my early arrival, I've only got The Nurse in about an hour and that will be all she wrote for me for the entire weekend. Yep, real quiet week.
Finally got through the "Verified by Visa" process. I kept getting rejected by the computer for some reason when it came to my information to the extent that I was wondering if the name should be "Harassed by Visa" instead. However, after three phone calls, last night's operator came through for me.
Thursday August 13, 8:51 p.m.
Nearly finished my lone busy day of the week. Got through Miss Sedona, The Bow, Mr. TOEIC and The Carolinan. Now it'll just be The Music Man in 20 minutes. We're approaching the end of Miss Sedona's time with us. She only has about 4 more lessons and she hasn't given any indication whether she'll bother hanging on for the next few months before she takes off for The Great White North. She has been with us for over a year...kinda hard to believe that this was the shy pharmacist who was itching to visit San Francisco and Sedona, Arizona.
The Bow has been doing OK at her new job although she's been complaining that there has been a war of sorts amongst staff who want and don't want the AC on. As for Mr. TOEIC, he had a nice time resting up in his home prefecture of Fukushima; definitely came in today looking all summery instead of his usual suit. And the good news with The Carolinan is that she's secured a position with the company that's gonna take over her old one...well, at least it's OK news for her. She has some second thoughts whether she wants to continue there for much longer.
The O-Bon holidays officially started today, and the highways look it. 54 km-long traffic jams have certainly contributed to the parking lot-like atmosphere of holiday commuting.
Nearly finished my lone busy day of the week. Got through Miss Sedona, The Bow, Mr. TOEIC and The Carolinan. Now it'll just be The Music Man in 20 minutes. We're approaching the end of Miss Sedona's time with us. She only has about 4 more lessons and she hasn't given any indication whether she'll bother hanging on for the next few months before she takes off for The Great White North. She has been with us for over a year...kinda hard to believe that this was the shy pharmacist who was itching to visit San Francisco and Sedona, Arizona.
The Bow has been doing OK at her new job although she's been complaining that there has been a war of sorts amongst staff who want and don't want the AC on. As for Mr. TOEIC, he had a nice time resting up in his home prefecture of Fukushima; definitely came in today looking all summery instead of his usual suit. And the good news with The Carolinan is that she's secured a position with the company that's gonna take over her old one...well, at least it's OK news for her. She has some second thoughts whether she wants to continue there for much longer.
The O-Bon holidays officially started today, and the highways look it. 54 km-long traffic jams have certainly contributed to the parking lot-like atmosphere of holiday commuting.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Thursday August 13, 12:26 p.m.
May not be too easy to see, but there are several small jellyfish swimming around in the waters surrounding the vessel "Nippon Maru" in the Minato Mirai harbour of Yokohama. Just caught them with my eye while I was taking a walk around the vessel. There was a bit of an ethereal beauty to them but I don't particularly want to find out if someone falls into the water.
We've been having a problem with jellyfish. There have been some humoungous ones playing havoc with fishermen's nets recently. These things look like Portuguese Man O' Wars...these jellies look like the Spacedock from the "Star Trek" movies and are probably a whole lot more lethal. I'm kinda wondering if the fishermen should just switch from catching plain bluefin tuna and go for the jellyfish...which make a fine appetizer at Chinese buffets and courses.
I've got Miss Sedona in about 15 minutes. She's had to do two tests before she goes onto the next text. I hope she did pretty well. Then, I gotta rush out to the Shinjuku Starbucks to see The Bow and then rush on back for back-to-back lessons with Mr. TOEIC and The Carolinan. The only real respite I'll have is after The Carolinan and before The Music Man.
Wednesday August 12, 8:37 p.m.
To the left of me is the quake report map from early Tuesday morning when that M6.6 came rumbling by. Honshu looked like it had a skin condition. I showed this to 001 during the break; she pointed out that the bottom right hand corner bunch of kanji was her city, Sagamihara. The other three are areas in Yokohama.
The person in charge of earthquakes for the government gave his press conference as he usually does after a major temblor. He insisted that yesterday's rumble was not a sign of the approaching Tokai Earthquake, the Big One that is supposed to be crashing into the area....which only makes one wonder: if the quake on Tuesday wasn't the sign, then how much stronger is the next one going to be?
Over the weekend, I actually caught an oldie of sorts: the original "Back to the Future". It still holds up remarkably aware despite the very 80s references to Huey Lewis & The News, the DeLorean time machine and Pepsi Free. It's just too bad that its 2 sequels didn't quite make the cut. In a way, it was a precursor of the fate for "The Matrix": great original, so-so sequels.
Wednesday August 12, 8:21 p.m.
Well, 001 has come and gone. And The Fashion Designer has cancelled her lesson for tonight. So, I'm basically done. I'll head on home in about an hour...just want to let those rush hour commuters go home ahead of me. But then I hear that the O-Bon holidays have started so there may not be too big a rush tonight.
Getting back to NorikoGate...I think the biggest image of the week concerning this sad story will be the one taken a few years ago in which Noriko Sakai was in natty dreads and other assorted DJ wear including the mandatory huge earphones around her neck, just dancing about like a reject from EXILE on speed. Then again, maybe she was. Or so the media would like to have us believe. The assorted talking heads on the wide shows have been building up their own case to indict the singer way before she ever sees a courtroom. No surprise there....gotta rake in the ratings, y'know. They've even gone into overdrive over the fact that she's had some tattoos emblazoned on her ankle and ring finger. To hear them describe it, it would sound that the tattoos automatically label her as a mass murderer. The New Yorker has far larger tattoos all over her person, and she's one of the mildest-mannered students I've ever known. Having said that, though, this is a country where, despite the slowly growing acceptance of tattoos as a fashion accessory, tattoos are still frequently seen as a bad news signal of yakuza and teen gangs. Still, I'd hardly mistake Nori-P as a thugette.
Well, 001 has come and gone. And The Fashion Designer has cancelled her lesson for tonight. So, I'm basically done. I'll head on home in about an hour...just want to let those rush hour commuters go home ahead of me. But then I hear that the O-Bon holidays have started so there may not be too big a rush tonight.
Getting back to NorikoGate...I think the biggest image of the week concerning this sad story will be the one taken a few years ago in which Noriko Sakai was in natty dreads and other assorted DJ wear including the mandatory huge earphones around her neck, just dancing about like a reject from EXILE on speed. Then again, maybe she was. Or so the media would like to have us believe. The assorted talking heads on the wide shows have been building up their own case to indict the singer way before she ever sees a courtroom. No surprise there....gotta rake in the ratings, y'know. They've even gone into overdrive over the fact that she's had some tattoos emblazoned on her ankle and ring finger. To hear them describe it, it would sound that the tattoos automatically label her as a mass murderer. The New Yorker has far larger tattoos all over her person, and she's one of the mildest-mannered students I've ever known. Having said that, though, this is a country where, despite the slowly growing acceptance of tattoos as a fashion accessory, tattoos are still frequently seen as a bad news signal of yakuza and teen gangs. Still, I'd hardly mistake Nori-P as a thugette.
Wednesday August 12, 5:50 p.m.
Ahhh...the mess that is NorikoGate. There's been quite some movement since last week. Noriko Sakai, aidoru, actress....drug addict, has gone from poor missing person to crystal meth celeb gone haywire in just a few days.
The hyperactive mass media just went into warp drive late last week when the police suddenly threw out that arrest warrant for a person who had once been the top aidoru in J-Pop on a Hello, Kitty scale. Especially on Saturday night, when even the usually near-Vulcan-like newscasters of NHK, announced breathlessly...twice...about her turning herself in at a Tokyo police station. There was an even larger crowd in front of Shibuya Police Station, consisting of rubberneckers and journalists, than the usual hordes at JR Shinjuku at midnight. And of course, there was the de rigueur snapshot of the guilty party in the police van just looking straight down. I was just wondering about if this were the same Noriko Sakai who had come up with her own cute Nori-P diabetes-inducing dialect 20 years ago.
In the last few days, the J-Pop equivalent of "The Fugitive" has turned into a mix of "Kramer Vs. Kramer" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde". There has been a "he said/she said" quality injected into the ugliness between Sakai and her separated husband, Yuichi Takaso about when and how often she had started sniffing the weird stuff. And just as often as her old teen footage has been popping up on the screens, there has also been film footage of her in a totally different light, especially one 10-second shot of her at at disco, just going absolutely nuts as a guest DJ. Nope, kinda hard to believe that this was the same girl who had looked like a human character for "Hello, Kitty" but then again, she debuted over 20 years ago.
More analysis later....
Wednesday August 12, 5:21 p.m.
Well, I did make that mini-trip to Yokohama a couple of days ago. It was actually more of a day trip with a night stay at a hotel. My mini-trip became a mini mini-trip thanks to a couple of uninvited guests: Typhoon 9 and a M6.6 temblor just off the coast of Shizuoka.
When I got to JR Sakuragicho Station at about noon on Monday, the rains were pouring down like the 40 days, 40 nights Noah's Ark type of thing. Ended up spending about an hour at a Starbucks right under the Sakuragicho Washington Hotel before taking a recce around Minato Mirai for another hour. Then, I checked in...the Washington was as it had been advertised: small, but clean and convenient. No frills at all unlike the Pan Pacific where I'd stayed some years before. But after having stayed there, then the Hyatt in Seoul and the Mandarin in Hong Kong, I think I'm no longer in thrall toward high-end accomodations anymore. A businesss hotel suits me just fine.
Took a walk down the main street from Sakuragicho towards Chinatown about a couple of kilometres away. I'm not sure if it's because I've become totally accustomed to Tokyo, but I got the impression that the streets of Yokohama have a crisper feel in terms of urban planning...kinda like Sapporo. It made for a nice walk while gaining an appetite.
I ended up going to the same Chinese buffet restaurant that I'd gone to a few years ago. Strangely enough, I was once again the very first customer in the place when it opened at 5. It was eerie...and slightly pathetic...being the only one in the place for at least 15 minutes picking up dishes with the waitresses looking on ("OMG! It's that fat guy from 3 years ago....doesn't he know anything about being fashionably late!"). The food was fine with me, but it just strikes me as being a bit odd that during my 90 minutes there, there would only be a grand total of 10 customers including me. A bit sad....so I figured that the next time I'll try some other place.
I walked back up to my hotel from Chinatown via Yamashita Park in the evening. Took some good shots of Chinatown but for some reason, I just couldn't take any good ones of the nightscape of Minato Mirai. All of the pictures came out looking like all the buildings were heading off at warp speed.
Had a good night's sleep but then at 5:07 a.m. on Tuesday morning, I was "gently" awakened by a Shindo 4 quake. There was a Shindo 6 Minus (M6.6 in magnitude) temblor off of Shizuoka. So, Norikogate had competition with Shizuoka Quake for the rest of that day on the news channels. No particular damage to me or the surroundings in my hotel, but I remarked rather ruefully that that was probably the only time I'll ever experience any bed shaking in my hotel room...ahem. The breakfast buffet, by the way, was OK but not spectacular.
Because of the quake and Typhoon 9, I actually headed straight home after checking out. A bit premature about my decision, as it turned out, since when I reached back to Chiba, the sun was back out brilliantly. Ah, well. In any case, I'll just consider that mini mini-trip a Part 1 with Part 2 to follow in either the fall or early next year. I still have to visit Motomachi, the Ramen Museum and take one of those bay cruises.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Saturday August 8, 3:37 p.m.
Finished my Saturday rounds with The Intellectual, The Publicity Assistant and Mr. TOEIC. With the first two, I did broach the topic of NorikoGate with them. The PA, who is kinda sorta in the know about these sorts of things, started weaving a story of intrigue about the background of Ms. Sakai. It was all kinda hard to believe considering Noriko's public persona but I'm waiting to see if any of her claims can be verified. The PA's kinda hoping that there will be an O.J. Simpson-like car chase, although the thought of a former aidoru trying to race down the opposite lanes of the Kan-Etsu like in the final scenes of "Ronin" are rather hard to imagine.
Feeling pretty beat so I'll make my way home in about 20 minutes before the rains start coming down on my laundry.
Finished my Saturday rounds with The Intellectual, The Publicity Assistant and Mr. TOEIC. With the first two, I did broach the topic of NorikoGate with them. The PA, who is kinda sorta in the know about these sorts of things, started weaving a story of intrigue about the background of Ms. Sakai. It was all kinda hard to believe considering Noriko's public persona but I'm waiting to see if any of her claims can be verified. The PA's kinda hoping that there will be an O.J. Simpson-like car chase, although the thought of a former aidoru trying to race down the opposite lanes of the Kan-Etsu like in the final scenes of "Ronin" are rather hard to imagine.
Feeling pretty beat so I'll make my way home in about 20 minutes before the rains start coming down on my laundry.
Saturday August 8, 10:27 a.m.
WHAT?!
That was my initial reaction yesterday afternoon, after having returned from my lesson with The Bass, and catching the news on what used to be known as Noriko Watch Day 4 and what is now known as NorikoGate.
At about 11 a.m., the police announced that former aidoru-turned-actress Noriko "Nori-P" Sakai was no longer just a missing person but was now a suspect in the case involving her separated husband, Yuichi Takaso, who'd been nabbed on Sunday in Shibuya (where else?) for drug possession. Apparently Nori-P has been into the stuff as well, and police found paraphernalia in her condo in Minami-Aoyama. As the local media has been saying ad nauseum from yesterday, the poor wife has now become the target. And the newspapers haven't been shy in their headlines. I've seen tabloids like Tokyo Sports screaming "Nori-P! Fugitive!" I can just hear the theme song from the David Janssen show right now.
Pretty much every station, even NHK, has used the trials and tribulations of Noriko Sakai to lead off their news. As I was channel-switching at one point yesterday afternoon and early evening, just about everywhere I tuned in to had the image of the pretty young woman sashaying girlishly while the pundits were talking about drug abuse and escape from justice. As the media would put it, this story has the legs of a marathon runner. Sakai is obviously not the first J-celeb to have been caught smoking the weed, but the fact that she has cultivated an image of a squeaky clean and cute performer for over 20 years, only to be found that she's not only on the stuff but on the lam has gotten everyone in this country talking. And beyond, too. Sakai is also popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. As a typhoon was pummelling into Taiwan, the newscaster was breathlessly talking about NorikoGate. It'll definitely be a stop-the-presses moment if and when she's caught.
Could be quite the topic for discussion with the students today.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Thursday August 6, 5:14 p.m.
Very much an anti-Hump Day today since I've only got Music Man in the last slot tonight. Woke up late at 9 a.m. (and for me on a weekday, that is very late) and just lounged about. However, I did see half of "Basic Instinct"; strangely enough, I'd never seen Sharon Stone's magnum opus before. Paul Verhoeven certainly pulls in the violence of "Total Recall" and the sex from "Showgirls" into this one with tons of profanity.
Spent the interlude between 001 and The Fashion Designer last night to research and then finally book the hotel for Yokohama. I cruised through the Rakuten site and found the Yokohama Sakuragicho Washington Hotel for an inexpensive 8,000 yen. Compared to the last place in Yokohama I'd stayed at a few years ago, the Pan Pacific, the cost is just a fraction and the amenities are pretty slim (the Washington chain is basically a business hotel), but then again I'm close to all points that I would like to see again, such as Chinatown and Minato Mirai 21, and I don't really need all those frills. The reviews by foreign guests have been pretty praiseworthy of it: simple, clean and convenient....and with a decent breakfast buffet. All I need.
The Fashion Designer has signed up for another 4 lessons...for the past year she's been with us, she's always bought her lessons at 4 per. As Speedy would say, not the most economically sensible payment plan for someone who's been studying for several months. However, she did manage to intimate through her oft-garbled speech (she was especially sleepy last night) that this would be the last batch she does before she decides to finish with us. So, probably another student biting the dust in another month. However, as for me, the bossman has said that some of the students of that departing teacher may be put into my field.
Well, NHK was on the case on the very first trial done with lay judges. Looks like the verdict came in at 2:30, and the defendant got 15 years for murder.
Noriko Sakai and her son are still missing. Apparently, a cellphone signal had been picked up in Yamanashi Prefecture before the phone was turned off. In a somewhat ominous tone that the tabloids here haven't failed to notice is that the prefecture is also home to a group of woods infamous as an ideal haven for suicides.
Very much an anti-Hump Day today since I've only got Music Man in the last slot tonight. Woke up late at 9 a.m. (and for me on a weekday, that is very late) and just lounged about. However, I did see half of "Basic Instinct"; strangely enough, I'd never seen Sharon Stone's magnum opus before. Paul Verhoeven certainly pulls in the violence of "Total Recall" and the sex from "Showgirls" into this one with tons of profanity.
Spent the interlude between 001 and The Fashion Designer last night to research and then finally book the hotel for Yokohama. I cruised through the Rakuten site and found the Yokohama Sakuragicho Washington Hotel for an inexpensive 8,000 yen. Compared to the last place in Yokohama I'd stayed at a few years ago, the Pan Pacific, the cost is just a fraction and the amenities are pretty slim (the Washington chain is basically a business hotel), but then again I'm close to all points that I would like to see again, such as Chinatown and Minato Mirai 21, and I don't really need all those frills. The reviews by foreign guests have been pretty praiseworthy of it: simple, clean and convenient....and with a decent breakfast buffet. All I need.
The Fashion Designer has signed up for another 4 lessons...for the past year she's been with us, she's always bought her lessons at 4 per. As Speedy would say, not the most economically sensible payment plan for someone who's been studying for several months. However, she did manage to intimate through her oft-garbled speech (she was especially sleepy last night) that this would be the last batch she does before she decides to finish with us. So, probably another student biting the dust in another month. However, as for me, the bossman has said that some of the students of that departing teacher may be put into my field.
Well, NHK was on the case on the very first trial done with lay judges. Looks like the verdict came in at 2:30, and the defendant got 15 years for murder.
Noriko Sakai and her son are still missing. Apparently, a cellphone signal had been picked up in Yamanashi Prefecture before the phone was turned off. In a somewhat ominous tone that the tabloids here haven't failed to notice is that the prefecture is also home to a group of woods infamous as an ideal haven for suicides.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Wednesday August 5, 4:55 p.m.The photo on the left was taken in the plaza bracketed by JR Yurakucho Station and the new Itocia Mall. If you look at the centre of the picture, you may see some woman with a microphone trying to ask a gaggle of women a question. Yep, even in this country, there are always reporters trying to get some sort of opinion from the hoi polloi. However, unlike in the States or Canada, where such reporters risk being berated or worse by the approached, a lot of the folks here will just suddenly walk away at an increased rate of speed or immediately hide their faces...in an ostrich's head-in-the-sand sort of way...and spurt off. The lady nearest the female journo apparently was trying to use her paper fan in that manner.
Apparently, the missing Noriko Sakai has been tracked down...or up...in the wilds of Yamanashi Prefecture. Film at 11, no doubt...or if you're a TV Asahi watcher...at 10.
Amidst all this entertainment-based hoopla concerning the fates of Noriko Sakai and Manabu Oshio, there actually has been coverage of the first trial held in Japan with laymen judges. Yes, since Monday, six regular citizens have been bracketing the three professional judges with a few more behind as reservists to hear a murder case. Well, it's definitely interesting....unlike the jurors in the American justice system, the lay judges can actually pose questions to witness and defendant alike.
Well, I've popped the question to the bossman about possibly getting the night off on Monday for Yokohama. Medicine Man has decided to have his next lesson on the 17th, and The Full-Timer will probably won't be available for a few weeks at least, and since the juku is on holidays next week, I thought I would take advantage of the lull. And according to the Rakuten website, there are still quite a few rooms amongst the hotels in Yokohama.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Wednesday August 5, 12:44 p.m.
I've been getting a few compliments on this photo so I decided to post it up here as well. Kinda cheated on it by using the "sunset" option on my digital camera but taking some poetic license is never a bad thing. It's just a shot of the Cocoon and some other skyscrapers from in front of JR Shinjuku Station. I was heading back from The Bow's class when I saw the opportunity and took it. Maybe if I even sent it into METROPOLIS...
Looks like Slick Willie still has it...the former US President just flew into North Korea and got those journalists out of Kim Jong Il's labour camps faster than he could usher Monica Lewinsky out the back door of the White House. Supposedly this was done as a "private mission", but if anyone believed that, they would be eligible for all that wonderful land in the Everglades.
There may be an opportunity to get that one night in Yokohama sooner than expected. Next Tuesday, the juku is on O-Bon holidays and Medicine Man has decided to eschew his usual slot on Monday night, and with The Full-Timer burning the midnight oil at work, I may just have a very long weekend coming up. But I've gotta check my account. The Cornerette has said that the money is on the way, but...
Wednesday August 5, 8:16 a.m.
The somewhat different summer continues in The Big Sushi. Usually a Tokyo August day starts off with a lot of brilliant sun and me futilely plugging up the leaks in my pores with a drenched handkerchief. Not today...it's been the seemingly 2009 default of gloomy sky and no such attempt to take out my square of cloth. It's not exactly cool out there but neither is it hot. Just enough warmth to let us know that...yes, it is officially summer.
Last night at the juku, the boss told me that The Hungarian could pass muster in his debut on Saturday, and in fact, the mother of the kid he'd taught was quite enamored with him...or I should say...his ability. However, the boss also reported that she got internally aghast when he proclaimed in front of both mother and boss that he would be happy to just teach for free if need be. Ahhh...the idealism of the 20s. I reassured the boss that that would give way slowly to the practicality, realism and bitter cynicism of the 30s and 40s. Kinda ironic since I'd always thought that the juku boss was more of that up-with-people type of personality. However, since the operation last year, she's become a bit more down-to-earth.
My Hump Day isn't nearly as bad as was originally scheduled. Got word from The Admin that she has to cancel today's lesson due to a business trip. So, instead of the 2-cafe day, it'll just be the 1 cafe with The New Yorker. I still drank down a Ripobitan D just in case. BTW, I also received word from The Full-Timer that she would like to have my lessons but it looks like her search for work was rewarded a bit too well....she told me that she's had to work until 10:30 at night since she started last week. Join the club...we have jackets.
Ahhhh....those poor Nori-P fans must be praying right now. After the news broke yesterday that her surfer dude husband got nailed for drug possession, it was then revealed that Noriko Sakai, the former aidoru-turned-actress, has now gone missing. Her tarento agency has been trying to contact her without success. I don't get the feeling that anything bad has happened to her; she's probably just gone to ground at her family's place or with friends so that she can absorb what's happened and then come up with a plan of action...such as rolling up that really thick newspaper to whack her spouse with.
I finally got word from The Cornerette that everything in the invoice is now OK and that The Corner will send over the money. So, that's one hurdle overcome. I'm still thinking about whether I will actually spend a night in Yokohama as a bit of a break this month. Still, seeing that things at Speedy's could be a bit lean not just for this month but for the foreseeable future, it may be more financially prudent to keep everything in the account. Still, there's a lot to be said about taking that overnight trip, and thanks to agencies such as Rakuten and Expedia, it's quite a bit cheaper to get a room even at some of the more expensive hotels.
The somewhat different summer continues in The Big Sushi. Usually a Tokyo August day starts off with a lot of brilliant sun and me futilely plugging up the leaks in my pores with a drenched handkerchief. Not today...it's been the seemingly 2009 default of gloomy sky and no such attempt to take out my square of cloth. It's not exactly cool out there but neither is it hot. Just enough warmth to let us know that...yes, it is officially summer.
Last night at the juku, the boss told me that The Hungarian could pass muster in his debut on Saturday, and in fact, the mother of the kid he'd taught was quite enamored with him...or I should say...his ability. However, the boss also reported that she got internally aghast when he proclaimed in front of both mother and boss that he would be happy to just teach for free if need be. Ahhh...the idealism of the 20s. I reassured the boss that that would give way slowly to the practicality, realism and bitter cynicism of the 30s and 40s. Kinda ironic since I'd always thought that the juku boss was more of that up-with-people type of personality. However, since the operation last year, she's become a bit more down-to-earth.
My Hump Day isn't nearly as bad as was originally scheduled. Got word from The Admin that she has to cancel today's lesson due to a business trip. So, instead of the 2-cafe day, it'll just be the 1 cafe with The New Yorker. I still drank down a Ripobitan D just in case. BTW, I also received word from The Full-Timer that she would like to have my lessons but it looks like her search for work was rewarded a bit too well....she told me that she's had to work until 10:30 at night since she started last week. Join the club...we have jackets.
Ahhhh....those poor Nori-P fans must be praying right now. After the news broke yesterday that her surfer dude husband got nailed for drug possession, it was then revealed that Noriko Sakai, the former aidoru-turned-actress, has now gone missing. Her tarento agency has been trying to contact her without success. I don't get the feeling that anything bad has happened to her; she's probably just gone to ground at her family's place or with friends so that she can absorb what's happened and then come up with a plan of action...such as rolling up that really thick newspaper to whack her spouse with.
I finally got word from The Cornerette that everything in the invoice is now OK and that The Corner will send over the money. So, that's one hurdle overcome. I'm still thinking about whether I will actually spend a night in Yokohama as a bit of a break this month. Still, seeing that things at Speedy's could be a bit lean not just for this month but for the foreseeable future, it may be more financially prudent to keep everything in the account. Still, there's a lot to be said about taking that overnight trip, and thanks to agencies such as Rakuten and Expedia, it's quite a bit cheaper to get a room even at some of the more expensive hotels.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Tuesday August 4, 1:22 p.m.
Humid as usual but the temps are only up to 27 C today...about as usual as a blizzard in Tokyo in winter. Still, I've got that pervasive sheen of humidity all over my body as would be expected on a summer day here.
Just got some errands out of the way. Mailed off the birthday card and present to my brother. I sent him "The Otaku Encyclopedia". Not that he's a plaid shirt-wearing, bespectacled anime geek but he watches the stuff occasionally when he can get some time off...which is very occasionally. I also sent off a belated birthday wish and happy housewarming card to The Entrepreneur.
The big news here in Japan has been the arrest of a young handsome actor who I'd never heard of before, although he's been in the biz apparently for the past decade (tells you how miha I've been lately). Manabu Oshio was nabbed for drug possession; nothing too exciting about that since that sort of news pops up now and then. However, police found a discovery of a decomposing nude female body in the same apartment that they had nabbed Oshio. Now, that's Fatty Arbuckle territory. He's been married (probably soon to be not married) to former flavor-of-the-early-part-of-the-decade actress Akiko Yada who hasn't been seen all that much. I can only imagine what she's going through right now...."I was dumped for a rotting corpse?!"
Then, for all those old Nori-P fans....Noriko Sakai's surfer dude husband also got nailed for drugs. No corpse there, though.
Well, luckily, the only excitement I'll have (knock on wood) tonight is just my usual juku classes. I gotta find out from the boss how The Hungarian did last weekend.
Humid as usual but the temps are only up to 27 C today...about as usual as a blizzard in Tokyo in winter. Still, I've got that pervasive sheen of humidity all over my body as would be expected on a summer day here.
Just got some errands out of the way. Mailed off the birthday card and present to my brother. I sent him "The Otaku Encyclopedia". Not that he's a plaid shirt-wearing, bespectacled anime geek but he watches the stuff occasionally when he can get some time off...which is very occasionally. I also sent off a belated birthday wish and happy housewarming card to The Entrepreneur.
The big news here in Japan has been the arrest of a young handsome actor who I'd never heard of before, although he's been in the biz apparently for the past decade (tells you how miha I've been lately). Manabu Oshio was nabbed for drug possession; nothing too exciting about that since that sort of news pops up now and then. However, police found a discovery of a decomposing nude female body in the same apartment that they had nabbed Oshio. Now, that's Fatty Arbuckle territory. He's been married (probably soon to be not married) to former flavor-of-the-early-part-of-the-decade actress Akiko Yada who hasn't been seen all that much. I can only imagine what she's going through right now...."I was dumped for a rotting corpse?!"
Then, for all those old Nori-P fans....Noriko Sakai's surfer dude husband also got nailed for drugs. No corpse there, though.
Well, luckily, the only excitement I'll have (knock on wood) tonight is just my usual juku classes. I gotta find out from the boss how The Hungarian did last weekend.
Monday August 3, 8:45 p.m.
Just found out through conversation that our other nighttime teacher will be heading Stateside permanently next week. It's been quite like the TARDIS recently here at Speedy's and at the juku. That is, at the end of a season. People stay awhile and then they're gone off somewhere else. Bay herself will be heading over to the States in a few months once her visa comes through to join her husband. And then I'm sure Ray and La Fille will probably head off on their own tracks while Speedy, the juku boss and I stay to mind the store.
Just found out through conversation that our other nighttime teacher will be heading Stateside permanently next week. It's been quite like the TARDIS recently here at Speedy's and at the juku. That is, at the end of a season. People stay awhile and then they're gone off somewhere else. Bay herself will be heading over to the States in a few months once her visa comes through to join her husband. And then I'm sure Ray and La Fille will probably head off on their own tracks while Speedy, the juku boss and I stay to mind the store.
Monday August 3, 7:13 p.m.
Yup, I'm such a glutton for punishment. That's another pickled grasshopper ready to be devoured by yours truly. You can see what remains of its legs towards the upper right hand corner. Feel free to barf anytime! The package still remains quite full in my fridge. I still maintain that they're not difficult to eat but they just don't go with anything during dinner. I mean, have you ever tried eating the stuff with your favourite wine? Pretend to be that snooty French waiter..."Would Monsieur prefer to have his locust with Chateau Neuf De Pap or Beaujolais Nouveau?" I guess sake would be the closest thing since it seems to be sold as an o-tsumami (snack food). But the only sake I can afford or get easily is of the rotgut variety...i.e. One Cup Ozeki. Selling for about 150~200 yen from the vending machines, Japan's equivalent of Chez Thunderbird will either put hair on your chest or have it fall out altogether...and hit you with a massive hangover if you're not careful. And as a throwback to the 70s, instead of the screwcap of Chez Thunderbird, One Cup Ozeki has an old-fashioned pull tab cap...just so that you can have that extra feeling of pain in your hand to help dull the pain that you'll feel later on.
I've been reading those two books by the Ferguson Bros; I finished "How To Be A Canadian" last weekend which was co-written by the boys, and I'm on the one that came before, "Why I Hate Canadians" written by Will Ferguson. While the sequel definitely has that absurdist humour flair, Will's solo effort comes off as being more dryly-humoured. If I were to use a CNN feature analogy, "Why I Hate Canadians" is the Jeanne Moos feature before the boys' version of "The Daily Show" via "How To Be A Canadian". Interesting reading.
Bay just came in with the latest gimmicky product in soft drinks. It's shiso-flavoured Pepsi. Yep, that leaf which pops up in Japanese cuisine like a cameo appearance with that strangely minty scent and taste. In my 20-year-old English-language Japanese cookbook, shiso has been just as strangely translated as "beefsteak plant", I guess because the myriad lines on the leaves reminded the author of the various perforations on a typical piece of beef. Frankly, I could've just said "the back of my hand" as a better translation.
Monday August 3, 4:27 p.m.
Midsummer is here. It's warm and humid, and the cicadas are hissing on schedule. However, gosh darn it, it just doesn't feel like a typically fiery Tokyo summer. For one thing, although I still sweat up like a fountain, it's merely warm and humid, not hot and humid. For another, the nights are still quite pleasant to sleep in. And the rain has been coming every other day. Nope, definitely not the same ol' Tokyo summer.
Since I just have the one lesson tonight with Medicine Man (yep, my only lesson starts at 9:30 p.m.), I decided to give my feet a workout and went down to Ginza. I had to buy a couple of birthday cards for both my brother and The Entrepreneur at Ito-Ya. I had my first and last buffet lunch in a while at that Hong Kong place in Ginza INZS. Filled myself up nice and tight. The reason I decided to take the gastronomic plunge was that I'd gotten the annual warning from Ichikawa City Hall that my checkup would soon be arriving. Luckily, they recommended that I take it in the month of my birth and not in August...which means I have a chance of getting my weight down so that at least I could give some sort of semblance that I actually tried.
After I devoured my share of sho ron po and chow mein, I waddled out and made a first stop in the INZS branch of HMV. I guess for those guys, the Michael Jackson tribute is still continuing. "We Are The World" was playing on the speakers and video screens. Ray Charles still brings shivers up my spine but can you actually imagine having to listen to it all day if you were staff there? By the end of the shift, one would probably want to emigrate to Neptune.
Took a lot of photos of Ginza...very photogenic. The one above is from the Yurakucho and Marunouchi border. I thought it was one of the major hotels, but it was actually the HQ of The Tokyo-Mitsubishi MUFG Bank. I wonder how much of our accounts went into its construction.
It's gonna be a really lean week. As I said, I only have Medicine Man. The Full-Timer never got back to me about whether she would be showing up so I'm assuming that she won't and may never will again. However, just so that she doesn't completely disappear, I sent a missive asking for confirmation that that was indeed the fact. Of course, since The Beehive is off for the summer, I've got nothing until the evening juku classes tomorrow. Wednesday, however, is gonna be a real Hump Day since I've got no less than Miss Prissy, Grandma Enka, The Admin, The New Yorker, 001 and finally The Fashion Designer on tap. Then it's back to virtually nothing on Thursday with only The Music Man in the last slot, and finally Friday is gonna be just The Bass followed by the 90 minutes with the juku boss, The Ace and The Restauranteur. I was a bit surprised to see that there has been no e-mail from The Cornerette although an entire weekend has passed by. Still no money from that translation exercise. Considering that I've lost a number of students and that it'll be a low-paying month, any money I get from The Cornerette will have to go into savings. Too bad...I was hoping to spend at least a night in Yokohama.
Back on Friday, that big dinner party at The Restauranteur's place happened with the juku bunch. It basically wasn't really a celebration of my 5th year at the juku, and I'm glad that the onus wasn't on that. Instead, it was just a getting-to-know-you party. Before the dinner, I finally met The Hungarian, the newest hire by the juku boss. He's all of 25 and looks like he just got demobbed from the army with his short haircut. Pretty amiable guy and fluent in Japanese and has a major love for cats, so you can imagine he just loves Toonces the Juku Cat to death, despite being majorly bitten and clawed. I guess he's kinda into masochism then. Anyways, when the three of us got there, The Milds and Mr. White had already arrived. Strangely, the couple and Mr. White kept apart...but then again without formal introductions, they may have well as been at separate tables...'tis a Japanese thing. The Ace showed up some minutes later, and of course, The Restauranteur got busy with our group and two other parties. It was a mellow event...just what I wanted. The juku boss threatened to confuse it a bit with her usual scatterbrainedness, and she cheerfully pleaded with us to tell her straight about any nuttiness on her part. I just kept quiet...usually the confusion just manages to flow over us like a wave and then everything smooths out. I had told everyone beforehand that we would do this izakaya style....that is, everyone shares dishes. And after all was said and done, the price came out to just 1,600 per head...the same price I usually pay when I go there. The juku boss, The Hungarian and I had a brief cup of coffee over at the school before we all parted ways. The Hungarian was supposed to have had his first lessons on Saturday with some kids and an adult student who could only come on the weekends, so I'm hoping that he passed muster.
I had my first full weekend off in a few weeks. So, after finishing off with The Nurse and before the juku party, I'd stopped off, as I occasionally do, in Nakano to take a look for some old CDs. Nothing at Otokichi but I managed to scrounge up 5 CDs for a hundred yen per disc. I actually saw one of those discs at Yamano Music selling for 30 times more, so I'm glad that I could get the bargain. I did see a number of French nationals cruising through the dingy hallways...they're so big on anime. On Saturday, I went over to Akihabara. The maids were there...amazing how they could keep their composure in the heat. Had what has become the local food in Akiba...the doner kebab. Now, there's a corner on the main drag which has three trucks selling kebab. Had my usual Big Boy with can of pop.
On Sunday, since I didn't have The Jyuppies, I was at home all day. I actually caught that old movie, "Sphere" based on the Michael Crichton novel. I'd never seen it when it came out a decade ago, and I'm kinda glad I didn't. I think the advertising was wrong...it wasn't a sci-fi adventure but just a haunted house mystery several fathoms below. A lot of plot holes there, too.
Well, with no Full-Timer and no word from The Cornerette, I really don't have all that much to do until Medicine Man comes in 4 hours. May just work on that project to save our company.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Friday July 31, 2:38 p.m.
In a holding pattern right now after having taught The Nurse. She was in good spirits today. Apparently, she'd met The Admin at the local supermarket. I don't think I particularly revealed anything by telling her that I teach her regularly on Wednesdays, although I'm not sure how many lessons The Nurse has left. But, as they say, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I'll probably head on out in about 15 minutes. Since the dinner is at 7, I've got lots of time so I'll hit Nakano Broadway and see if they have any more cheap discs on display. Miss Sedona told me yesterday that she'd gone there to see her dentist whose offices are right in Otaku Central. She said that she felt rather uncomfortable; on a weekday afternoon, too. I could only imagine how she would feel if she ever had to go there on a weekend. Still not quite sure how this shindig is gonna turn out.
The Cornerette has yet to respond to my latest missive to her. I figure that she's on her weekend right now. Not to worry, though. I'd rather go into my long weekend with very little on my mind.
In a holding pattern right now after having taught The Nurse. She was in good spirits today. Apparently, she'd met The Admin at the local supermarket. I don't think I particularly revealed anything by telling her that I teach her regularly on Wednesdays, although I'm not sure how many lessons The Nurse has left. But, as they say, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I'll probably head on out in about 15 minutes. Since the dinner is at 7, I've got lots of time so I'll hit Nakano Broadway and see if they have any more cheap discs on display. Miss Sedona told me yesterday that she'd gone there to see her dentist whose offices are right in Otaku Central. She said that she felt rather uncomfortable; on a weekday afternoon, too. I could only imagine how she would feel if she ever had to go there on a weekend. Still not quite sure how this shindig is gonna turn out.
The Cornerette has yet to respond to my latest missive to her. I figure that she's on her weekend right now. Not to worry, though. I'd rather go into my long weekend with very little on my mind.
Friday July 31, 11:59 a.m.
It was just a few entries ago that I'd mentioned that this month only saw a quarter of its days considered as sunny. Well, as I was heading home last night, I was accosted by something that I would never have expected at the end of July....refreshing cool mist belted at me by the usual winds in Nakano-Sakaue. The term "air conditioner" never entered my mind as I went to bed and opened the window, and then when I woke up this morning. It felt more like May or October than mid-summer. The weather folks are now openly considering whether this summer will be known as a reika, or cold summer. Can't be too good for the farmers.
I just have The Nurse in about half an hour. And then that'll be it for nearly 4 days. However, I did have that talk with the bossman considering our current cash crunch. So we threw out some ideas and now I have to think about coming up with some seminar ideas for those clients planning to head on out to Canada on study-abroad programs.
Tonight's the night for the juku students to get together at The Restauranteur's restaurant for that dinner. Hope all goes well.
It was just a few entries ago that I'd mentioned that this month only saw a quarter of its days considered as sunny. Well, as I was heading home last night, I was accosted by something that I would never have expected at the end of July....refreshing cool mist belted at me by the usual winds in Nakano-Sakaue. The term "air conditioner" never entered my mind as I went to bed and opened the window, and then when I woke up this morning. It felt more like May or October than mid-summer. The weather folks are now openly considering whether this summer will be known as a reika, or cold summer. Can't be too good for the farmers.
I just have The Nurse in about half an hour. And then that'll be it for nearly 4 days. However, I did have that talk with the bossman considering our current cash crunch. So we threw out some ideas and now I have to think about coming up with some seminar ideas for those clients planning to head on out to Canada on study-abroad programs.
Tonight's the night for the juku students to get together at The Restauranteur's restaurant for that dinner. Hope all goes well.
Thursday July 30, 5:57 p.m.
I haven't had one in a long time, but I ended up having a nicely empty afternoon of nothing but surfing through Facebook and Mixi. I haven't had one because I'd been grinding through that long translation project. Still getting through the negotiations about how much I should be making from it, but I'm not fretting too much. Ended up joining two more communities on Mixi, 80s New Wave and Early Miki Imai.
The bossman is having a discussion with the troops (aka Ray and La Fille). I decided to be Santa Claus again and bought a box of ice cream for the folks. I think after a hot day like this, and the ladies were still fanning themselves in the air-conditioned office, it is time for a treat.
I'm looking at a very long weekend. I just have The Nurse here tomorrow and then it's the dinner party at The Restauranteur's with the juku bunch. Then I have two full days of weekend, and then nothing on Monday until The Medicine Man at 9:30 p.m. It's looking like a pretty sparse month in August. I'd been thinking of using that translation money for perhaps a weekend in Yokohama, but I'm now thinking that it might be wiser to hold onto that cash for as long as possible.
I haven't had one in a long time, but I ended up having a nicely empty afternoon of nothing but surfing through Facebook and Mixi. I haven't had one because I'd been grinding through that long translation project. Still getting through the negotiations about how much I should be making from it, but I'm not fretting too much. Ended up joining two more communities on Mixi, 80s New Wave and Early Miki Imai.
The bossman is having a discussion with the troops (aka Ray and La Fille). I decided to be Santa Claus again and bought a box of ice cream for the folks. I think after a hot day like this, and the ladies were still fanning themselves in the air-conditioned office, it is time for a treat.
I'm looking at a very long weekend. I just have The Nurse here tomorrow and then it's the dinner party at The Restauranteur's with the juku bunch. Then I have two full days of weekend, and then nothing on Monday until The Medicine Man at 9:30 p.m. It's looking like a pretty sparse month in August. I'd been thinking of using that translation money for perhaps a weekend in Yokohama, but I'm now thinking that it might be wiser to hold onto that cash for as long as possible.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday July 30, 2:10 p.m.
It's been a very quiet week. Case in point, I only had my first Speedy lesson of the week this morning with Miss Sedona. I'd been in Monday and yesterday but in both cases, I only stopped in to check on the latest negotiation between me and The Cornerette before I headed off on my private lessons. On Wednesday, I only had The Admin and then The New Yorker in Ichigaya. I saw a campaign wagon for the Japan Communist Party drive up in front of the local koban there, and a candidate with a couple of folks jumped on top to give out their campaign rhetoric. It's truly one of the saddest sights to see when old folks wave frantically away while giving out their hopes for the future of Japan, only to be greeted by disinterest. Mind you, they are Communists and they have as much hope to get into the driver's seat as a Neo-Nazi Party.
In any case, I had a very rare Wednesday night off since 001 decided to cancel once more. Looks like she'll be preferring biweekly sessions although she hasn't come out and said so directly to the bossman. I was able to actually catch some prime time television (and managed to survive with most of my brain cells intact). Found out that the World Cup of Rugby will be heading over here to Japan in a decade. I do wonder what that will mean for Tokyo's Olympic chances.
After Miss Sedona, I'll be waiting for the next several hours until The Music Man has his lesson here at 9:15. During my holdover, I'll be waiting for the next missive from The Cornerette, and probably a talk with Speedy about what to do to bring in more students on pain of bankruptcy.
My suspicions were confirmed during the weather forecast last night. July 2009 will go down as one of the gloomiest Julys in history. Only a quarter of the month had any sort of sun which will raise havoc with the crops this Fall. I did notice that there has been a lot more rain than usual.
Ray told me that Grandma Dynamite has asked for two lessons in the last two weeks of August. Hopefully, her attitude has brightened considerably.
It's been a very quiet week. Case in point, I only had my first Speedy lesson of the week this morning with Miss Sedona. I'd been in Monday and yesterday but in both cases, I only stopped in to check on the latest negotiation between me and The Cornerette before I headed off on my private lessons. On Wednesday, I only had The Admin and then The New Yorker in Ichigaya. I saw a campaign wagon for the Japan Communist Party drive up in front of the local koban there, and a candidate with a couple of folks jumped on top to give out their campaign rhetoric. It's truly one of the saddest sights to see when old folks wave frantically away while giving out their hopes for the future of Japan, only to be greeted by disinterest. Mind you, they are Communists and they have as much hope to get into the driver's seat as a Neo-Nazi Party.
In any case, I had a very rare Wednesday night off since 001 decided to cancel once more. Looks like she'll be preferring biweekly sessions although she hasn't come out and said so directly to the bossman. I was able to actually catch some prime time television (and managed to survive with most of my brain cells intact). Found out that the World Cup of Rugby will be heading over here to Japan in a decade. I do wonder what that will mean for Tokyo's Olympic chances.
After Miss Sedona, I'll be waiting for the next several hours until The Music Man has his lesson here at 9:15. During my holdover, I'll be waiting for the next missive from The Cornerette, and probably a talk with Speedy about what to do to bring in more students on pain of bankruptcy.
My suspicions were confirmed during the weather forecast last night. July 2009 will go down as one of the gloomiest Julys in history. Only a quarter of the month had any sort of sun which will raise havoc with the crops this Fall. I did notice that there has been a lot more rain than usual.
Ray told me that Grandma Dynamite has asked for two lessons in the last two weeks of August. Hopefully, her attitude has brightened considerably.
Thursday July 30, 1:48 p.m.It's been quite The Summer of Celebrity Deaths. Yesterday was no different. Woke up early on Wednesday morning to find out that Japanese pop singer, Kaori Kawamura, had passed away at the youthful age of 38.
In my own little world, I've started to make comparisons between her untimely death with that of the much more famous Michael Jackson. Not to diminish The King of Pop's passing, but even the man himself admitted to his first wife that he wouldn't be long for this world and that the news of his death would be one for the record books. And that's what it was. Pure pop spectacle...right from those early reports of him being sent to hospital right to the performance funeral service in an arena which could hold tens of thousands.
On the other hand, Kawamura's passing was truly sad and poignant. Some years ago, she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer which necessitated a single mastectomy. Unfortunately, the cancer came back and finally did her in on Tuesday. She'd had her last hurrah in early May with a concert. But it was just yesterday that a video log of the hell that she'd had to go through to get back onto that stage was released to Fuji-TV. In it, she told of the horrors of chemo but also her defiance in ensuring that the show would go on. She looked truly different from that teenage girl with the pale beauty (she was half-Russian) and punkish hairdo which seemed to make up half of the female demographic's choice in cuts back in the late 80s. Kawamura not only had that slightly rumpled look of a mother, but also a haggard look of someone who's aged a lot faster than would be considered fair.
I was surprised to find out that she'd been the original singer of "Zoo", her debut single in 1988; I'd thought that the tune was made many years later and sung by actress Miho Kanno and one other pro singer during the airing of one of her dramas. I first knew about her during my days on the JET Programme when she provided a couple of tunes for a popular variety show 20 years ago. One is being shown in the picture, "Tsubasa wo Kudasai" (Give Me Wings). That song was one of those hoary tunes which had to be sung at those annual high school singing contests. Kawamura gave it a rock twist which got it a bit more respect.
However, unlike some of her contemporaries, she never became a huge superstar and she quickly faded into the obscurity of late 80s J-Pop history. I caught her once several years ago on late-night TV while she was doing a stint as a DJ at some dance club but that was about it. Then came the news a few days ago. What made it even more poignant was not just the vlog of her truly suffering for her art but her authoring of a book written for her little daughter...notes about her life and wisdom that her daughter won't truly understand until later.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tuesday July 28, 2:05 p.m.
A transition is coming into place on a number of fronts. August is just around the corner so of course, the number of students coming into my view has been decreasing steadily. The Beehive is off for the summer, as is SIL. Also, before I got my latest pay pack, Speedy brought me into the office and told me that things aren't looking too good for the school right now. There haven't been any new students for the past few months; I've noticed I haven't been getting any model lesson requests. Not that I've been complaining....I treat model lessons like I treat medical checkups....they may be necessary but I try avoiding them if I can. In any case, the bossman has once again asked me for any ideas to keep the school up and running. He's done this before over the past five years I've been associated with Speedy. Back then, it was the usual wailing of "Woe is me"...just the bossman letting off steam. But this time, he looked pretty serious. Still, I have to admit that we've been lucky that we'd been able to stave off recession this far into the year. I'd thought I would be breadsticks as soon as I got back home from Canada back in January.
It hasn't just been the Speedy students either. The Smile has left the building, and then last night, I met up with The Full-Timer. She'd literally gotten back into the country in the same day after a 4-day trip in Seoul. She did have that rather fragrant smell of garlic on her. I got a nice box of sweets from Korea as an omiyage. And I also got the message that she may not be able to see me anymore because of her new job at some start-up medical supplies company in Hamamatsucho. She has really become a full-timer....pretty darn lucky on her part in this economy. So, amongst my friends introduced to me via SR, The Carolinan is being let go at the end of September while The Full-Timer is heading the other way.
Since The Beehive is off for the summer, I have most of the day off. The keyman came in to install the chain lock at the request of the owner of the apartment building. Apparently, she was concerned about safety in my area. I'm knocking on wood pretty heavily as I say this but in my 15 years in my neighbourhood, I haven't experienced or witnessed a major incident. And this is a guy who regularly comes home past midnight. Of course, the guy who murdered English teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker back a few years ago had lived in the next area over, but I still think he's now lying at the bottom of Tokyo Bay. The keyman was a folksy fellow, not surprising considering that he hails from Osaka. Since my family is from the same area, we had a good talk for the 45 minutes he was there at my doorway checking, drilling and installing my chain lock. True to Kansai hospitality, he even fixed my sticky doorknob and gave me advice on how to keep things from squeaking. Always nice to meet a true professional.
The other day, I caught the latest "Harry Potter" movie with MB, The Sylph and Skippy at the Picadilly in Shinjuku. Basically, it ended up as a 3-hour prelude to the finale. None of us liked it too much, and I knew we were in trouble when MB started putting his head into his hands and started shifting in his seat. "The Half-Blood Prince" should've been released an extra-special made-for-TV event, not as a blockbuster motion picture. This could only have appealed to the die-hard fans who would swoon even if Harry strangled a cat. I'd never read any of the books so it was with some surprise that I found out from MB that there was a major battle sequence in the original book. But instead in the movie, it was just the bad guys up on the belltower with that final quiet assasssination of Professor Dumbledore by Professor Snape. The director, David Yates, left in all that "Beverly Hills 90120" stuff with Harry, Ginny, Hermione (please, do grow up, girl!) and Ron, and decided to take out a key battle sequence from a blockbuster franchise instead. OoooooK....and what is even more mystifying is that Yates is the same guy who whipped up that crackin' battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the last movie. I mean, that fight scene was even better than anything Yoda and the Sith could bring up in the "Star Wars" prequels. Just disappointing....
A transition is coming into place on a number of fronts. August is just around the corner so of course, the number of students coming into my view has been decreasing steadily. The Beehive is off for the summer, as is SIL. Also, before I got my latest pay pack, Speedy brought me into the office and told me that things aren't looking too good for the school right now. There haven't been any new students for the past few months; I've noticed I haven't been getting any model lesson requests. Not that I've been complaining....I treat model lessons like I treat medical checkups....they may be necessary but I try avoiding them if I can. In any case, the bossman has once again asked me for any ideas to keep the school up and running. He's done this before over the past five years I've been associated with Speedy. Back then, it was the usual wailing of "Woe is me"...just the bossman letting off steam. But this time, he looked pretty serious. Still, I have to admit that we've been lucky that we'd been able to stave off recession this far into the year. I'd thought I would be breadsticks as soon as I got back home from Canada back in January.
It hasn't just been the Speedy students either. The Smile has left the building, and then last night, I met up with The Full-Timer. She'd literally gotten back into the country in the same day after a 4-day trip in Seoul. She did have that rather fragrant smell of garlic on her. I got a nice box of sweets from Korea as an omiyage. And I also got the message that she may not be able to see me anymore because of her new job at some start-up medical supplies company in Hamamatsucho. She has really become a full-timer....pretty darn lucky on her part in this economy. So, amongst my friends introduced to me via SR, The Carolinan is being let go at the end of September while The Full-Timer is heading the other way.
Since The Beehive is off for the summer, I have most of the day off. The keyman came in to install the chain lock at the request of the owner of the apartment building. Apparently, she was concerned about safety in my area. I'm knocking on wood pretty heavily as I say this but in my 15 years in my neighbourhood, I haven't experienced or witnessed a major incident. And this is a guy who regularly comes home past midnight. Of course, the guy who murdered English teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker back a few years ago had lived in the next area over, but I still think he's now lying at the bottom of Tokyo Bay. The keyman was a folksy fellow, not surprising considering that he hails from Osaka. Since my family is from the same area, we had a good talk for the 45 minutes he was there at my doorway checking, drilling and installing my chain lock. True to Kansai hospitality, he even fixed my sticky doorknob and gave me advice on how to keep things from squeaking. Always nice to meet a true professional.
The other day, I caught the latest "Harry Potter" movie with MB, The Sylph and Skippy at the Picadilly in Shinjuku. Basically, it ended up as a 3-hour prelude to the finale. None of us liked it too much, and I knew we were in trouble when MB started putting his head into his hands and started shifting in his seat. "The Half-Blood Prince" should've been released an extra-special made-for-TV event, not as a blockbuster motion picture. This could only have appealed to the die-hard fans who would swoon even if Harry strangled a cat. I'd never read any of the books so it was with some surprise that I found out from MB that there was a major battle sequence in the original book. But instead in the movie, it was just the bad guys up on the belltower with that final quiet assasssination of Professor Dumbledore by Professor Snape. The director, David Yates, left in all that "Beverly Hills 90120" stuff with Harry, Ginny, Hermione (please, do grow up, girl!) and Ron, and decided to take out a key battle sequence from a blockbuster franchise instead. OoooooK....and what is even more mystifying is that Yates is the same guy who whipped up that crackin' battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the last movie. I mean, that fight scene was even better than anything Yoda and the Sith could bring up in the "Star Wars" prequels. Just disappointing....
Friday, July 24, 2009
Saturday July 25, 3:22 p.m.
Well, got a bit of a disappointment in that The Smile decided not to renew her contract with us. But she's one of those rare students who came up front and told me flat, which I do respect. I have a feeling that Suzanne from the juku will take the other tact and just not show up anymore. In The Smile's case, it's just that the money was a tad too much for her, although Speedy will insist that our school is the most inexpensive. Still, conversation schools by nature will never be known as being particularly cheap. The other disappointing thing is that she was a fun, hard-working student.
Just have The Intellectual in about 30 minutes, then I'm finished.
Well, got a bit of a disappointment in that The Smile decided not to renew her contract with us. But she's one of those rare students who came up front and told me flat, which I do respect. I have a feeling that Suzanne from the juku will take the other tact and just not show up anymore. In The Smile's case, it's just that the money was a tad too much for her, although Speedy will insist that our school is the most inexpensive. Still, conversation schools by nature will never be known as being particularly cheap. The other disappointing thing is that she was a fun, hard-working student.
Just have The Intellectual in about 30 minutes, then I'm finished.
Saturday July 25, 11:30 a.m.
To your left, may I proudly introduce Kirin Cola? For those people who may be scratching their heads, yup, one of Japan's preeminent beer companies has decided to release their own version of Coke. I came across this one at a vending machine in Tokyo Station, and since it was a broiling day outside, I plunked in my 120 yen. As I guzzled it down like any mug of suds, it did seem to have that tinge of hops. Maybe it was a subliminal thing.
Got that party thing cleared up with both the juku boss and The Restauranteur. I even had dinner at The Restauranteur's place. I had my usual Chicken Saute. The only thing different was that it was a full house. Usually when I've dined there, I was the only one or one of two people; The Restauranteur figured that since we're officially on summer holiday time, the restaurant managed to haul in some holidaymakers from Tokyo Disneyland.
I had Mr. TOEIC for the first time in a couple of weeks. In the interim, he had gone with his family to Okinawa and so, as an omiyage, the school got some beni imo tarts. Beni imo happens to be red potatoes. Just imagine purple potato pie and you've got the right image.
It's a hot one out there...perfect beginning to the annual fireworks festival season. The Sumida River Fireworks Festival...arguably the biggest one in the country will be launching tonight...which means that close to a million guys and girls dressed in sloppily arranged yukata will be amassing in Asakusa from about 4 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start. There are also the Urayasu and Matsudo Festivals in Chiba at the same time. I've never been a huge purveyor of fireworks, despite the fact that the festivities here far outstrip anything we have back in Canada. Folks here ooh and aah over each explosion, but I'm kinda the opinion that once you've seen one festival, you've seen them all. I had my live viewings of the Sumida River Festival years ago and then had to contend with the worst commute home in my 15 years here. So, now I'm rather content to watch it on TV Tokyo in air-conditioned comfort. And since this is Eel Day No. 2, I may do it over an una-don.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Friday July 24, 9:05 a.m.
I was mugged by a squall this morning. When I was walking over to the subway station at the bleary-eyed time of 6:30, it was overcast but with nary a drop. However, I come out the other side, it looked like monsoon season. My umbrella was pretty much useless against the onslaught of wind and rain but I managed to get my McBreakfast.
Saw the Fuji-TV headlines that stated that President Obama may be making his first trip to Japan in November. Well, I can just imagine the media here having 3 months' worth of wet dreams before his arrival. Of course, the TV crews will be again heading toward the town of Obama in Western Japan where the mayor will be pleading with Nagatacho to put his town on the presidential schedule. The commercial networks, like the aforementioned Fuji-TV, will be breathlessly showing off his hotel suite and restaurants that he and perhaps Michelle and the kids will be going to in Tokyo. I suspect that Ten-Ichi, the famed and overpriced tempura restaurant, will be a must go-to
As for Speedy's, I just have Miss Prissy in about 90 minutes. And then a film crew will be doing a feature with the bossman. If I'm lucky, I'll avoid all that coverage and make my way home.
I was mugged by a squall this morning. When I was walking over to the subway station at the bleary-eyed time of 6:30, it was overcast but with nary a drop. However, I come out the other side, it looked like monsoon season. My umbrella was pretty much useless against the onslaught of wind and rain but I managed to get my McBreakfast.
Saw the Fuji-TV headlines that stated that President Obama may be making his first trip to Japan in November. Well, I can just imagine the media here having 3 months' worth of wet dreams before his arrival. Of course, the TV crews will be again heading toward the town of Obama in Western Japan where the mayor will be pleading with Nagatacho to put his town on the presidential schedule. The commercial networks, like the aforementioned Fuji-TV, will be breathlessly showing off his hotel suite and restaurants that he and perhaps Michelle and the kids will be going to in Tokyo. I suspect that Ten-Ichi, the famed and overpriced tempura restaurant, will be a must go-to
As for Speedy's, I just have Miss Prissy in about 90 minutes. And then a film crew will be doing a feature with the bossman. If I'm lucky, I'll avoid all that coverage and make my way home.
Thursday July 23, 10:46 p.m.
Just about to get out of here...only to come back here in about 8 hours. The Music Man was fine; found out that not only is he a big fan of Kylie Minogue, but he's also a follower of Formula 1. He gave out a lot of info about how the late Gilles Villeneuve was basically made a pariah in this country, but I'll explain all that tomorrow.
Apparently, one of the morning shows has taken an interest in Speedy. So, a film crew will be here in the morning after I'm done with Miss Prissy to do a small feature. I'll be hiding out in the kitchen but I'll make sure I get back home pretty soon since I've got laundry to do.
Just about to get out of here...only to come back here in about 8 hours. The Music Man was fine; found out that not only is he a big fan of Kylie Minogue, but he's also a follower of Formula 1. He gave out a lot of info about how the late Gilles Villeneuve was basically made a pariah in this country, but I'll explain all that tomorrow.
Apparently, one of the morning shows has taken an interest in Speedy. So, a film crew will be here in the morning after I'm done with Miss Prissy to do a small feature. I'll be hiding out in the kitchen but I'll make sure I get back home pretty soon since I've got laundry to do.
Thursday July 23, 8:58 p.m.
Well, there he is. The 11th Doctor Who by 26-year-old Matt Smith. The pressures the actor must be having...I bet even Peter Davison didn't face this level of minute analysis and criticism when he took over for Tom Baker 28 years ago. The folks online have already started squabbling over his new costume. However, I'm sure the tweed sellers must be celebrating their lot right now. Hmm...I guess he looks sufficiently different from David Tennant's geek chic...definitely more geek than chic. He's got more of the Ivy League professorial tonsorial mixed in with a floppy hairdo and cheekbones you could cut bread on. However, I'll be looking out for what kind of personality he will be exhibiting. Hopefully, it'll be a little less manic than that of his last two predecessors. We could use a bit more Obama-like calm from this new Time Lord. And hopefully, the powers-that-be won't have me killed for using this image.
Thursday July 23, 7:13 p.m.I'm not sure what causes these psychedelic trip-ups in my photo uploads but sometimes the results aren't too bad. This is indeed a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts from about a month ago. Ray and La Fille were quite happy.
The Carolinan showed up as scheduled at 6 tonight. I had been initially worried about her after she got word of her company going out of business at the end of September. However, true to her O-type blood, she's taking things in stride. The sounds of Hello Work are now ringing once more. Hello Work happens to be the most famous employment placement agency in the country. Kinda like Manpower back in Canada.
Now that I've gotten that mammoth translation assignment out of the way, I've been getting back into Mixi again. I made my open diary entries concerning those tsukudani grasshoppers I've been munching on along with pictures. And I've already been getting comments. There's nothing like sensationalism to bring in the masses. Speaking of which, someone from Nagoya took a look at my profile and has struck up an e-mail friendship of sorts since we both have connections with studying in Canada and jazz.
Well, time for dinner...Chip Star and soumen.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Thursday July 23, 2:28 p.m.
I do hope wherever you are taking a look at this, you haven't just eaten a meal. If you look closely at this pic, you'll find that these are finely roasted grasshoppers in soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Mmm-mmmm....dem's good eatin'. Called inago in Japanese, they've been given the tsukudani technique which refers to the stewing in the above ingredients.
Actually, they aren't bad at all. Quite chewy and the sauce pretty much obliterates any authentic grasshopper taste that may have come through. I got the package from Grandma Fado a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, inago tsukudani are quite the delicacy in some of the more far-flung prefectures. And Mom has told me that eating locusts was quite the necessity in the war years since protein was rather hard to come by. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to munch on some antennae...
It's been a fairly quiet day so far. I've only had Miss Sedona. She's been getting pretty hyped over her trip to Canada in a few months. Speedy has been counselling her for the past few weeks now. I should be seeing The Carolinan later this evening, and then it'll be The Music Man to wrap things up. The Carolinan has fallen on some hard times...actually, she and the rest of her company staff have known for a while that the axe was gonna come down, but the unfortunate announcement came a couple of weeks ago that her company will be shutting its doors at the end of September. Not sure how the lesson's gonna be like today. May have to get the tissue ready.
I've done the accounting for that huge translation project for The Cornerette. Well, if she's still willing to pay the full amount, I may be in for a pretty winfall at the end of this month. But that's still a big if. And strangely enough, Paddy, the friend who had first introduced me to The Corner over a year ago, got back to me about another possible project involving 100 pages! I sent him the immediate caveat that I would need to find out what the material involved and what the deadline was. After having to deal with pages of ceramics, I'm not quite sure if I'm gonna be up for hundreds of pages.
I checked my machine and got a rather breathless message from the juku boss last night concerning this little dinner next Friday night I had first proposed a couple of months ago for all of my students at The Restauranteur's. Unfortunately, it seems like The Restauranteur and Mr. White called her up about a number of things involving the "party". I never gave too many details to the boss since, for one thing, I never intended this thing to be nothing bigger than a few students and me having a little din-din together. However, forgetting to realize that anything called a party in this country automatically demands planning on a NASA-like level, I had the juku boss talking my ear off about how she's arranged things. I couldn't really even get half of what the boss was babbling about. And at that time, The Fashion Designer was coming into Speedy's for her lesson. I told the boss that I had a student coming right up but she just kept nattering away like a jackhammer so I just finally had to tell her that the student was here and clicked off. I was annoyed that my little get-together got bumped up higher in social status and the fact that the scatterbrain wouldn't let go, regrettably made it easy for me to hang up on her. Hopefully, she won't be ticked off at me on Friday night.
Wednesday July 22, 8:55 p.m.
There was supposed to be one of the biggest solar eclipses in human history, and Tokyo was completely overcast. Bad, Tokyo, bad! Looks like we'll have to take it on the road for the next big one. 001 told me that it would be on Easter Island. I've got a feeling that the Moai Statues will not feel so lonely in the not-so-distant future.
I had just tallied up the cost of those 6 weeks of translation when The Cornerette came back with some corrections I had to do to the original drafts. So, it's not quite over yet.
Saw the new 11th Doctor Who in his new getup. Not too, too bad although I was kinda hoping for something a bit more different than the slight variation on the theme of geek chic that David Tennant had brought in. Still, the tweed and bow tie with folded trousers makes Matt Smith a Doctor.
There was supposed to be one of the biggest solar eclipses in human history, and Tokyo was completely overcast. Bad, Tokyo, bad! Looks like we'll have to take it on the road for the next big one. 001 told me that it would be on Easter Island. I've got a feeling that the Moai Statues will not feel so lonely in the not-so-distant future.
I had just tallied up the cost of those 6 weeks of translation when The Cornerette came back with some corrections I had to do to the original drafts. So, it's not quite over yet.
Saw the new 11th Doctor Who in his new getup. Not too, too bad although I was kinda hoping for something a bit more different than the slight variation on the theme of geek chic that David Tennant had brought in. Still, the tweed and bow tie with folded trousers makes Matt Smith a Doctor.