Monday February 4, 7:22 p.m.

Looks like I'm in the middle of some employee-employer pains. I taught The Full-Timer just now, and apparently she's come to the end of her tether concerning her eccentric manager. She and her mother will be heading to Guam this Thursday for some R&R...hopefully, she'll be able to vent somewhat. And a few hours ago, The Admin informed me that BC and Speedy haven't been getting on too well...clash of personalities. Speedy is a bit anal at times but BC is also a bit hypersensitive. And The Admin has been planning to head back home to work there in early Spring. Could be an interesting February...

I sent off a missive over to my old friend in Nagano, The Cat, asking if I could come and visit her family later on this month. Can't believe it's been a decade since I ended up cooped up in my apartment for nearly 3 weeks with a busted ankle while watching the 1998 Games in that prefecture. I still have a banner that my friend had given me after it had fallen down from one of the poles in the Olympic Village.

The big news still surrounds that poisoned frozen gyoza that has affected hundreds of Japanese nationwide. It's still too early to state how the dumplings got that way, but already the tabloids are screaming conspiracy theories of a bio-terrorist attack. It's been amazing how quickly the Chinese government have tried to stem the tide...just as amazing as how much an Olympic torch can act as an incentive.

Anyone who thinks that Tommy Lee Jones is devoid of a sense of humour can probably check out the latest in his series of canned coffee commercials for BOSS Coffee. For the past couple of years, he's portrayed this mute alien...just Tommy Lee Jones....no costume or makeup (try to persuade that guy to put on any funny prosthetics) observing everyday Japanese behaviour. This time, he's the lighting guy for an Akihabara aidoru who ends up as a customer in a Maid Cafe. You can probably catch it on YouTube.

Anyways, back to work. Gotta lot of it now.

Monday February 5, 5:38 p.m.

Man, had a couple of downpours over the past two days. One was purely meterological. Some 5 weeks late, but we finally got that Hallmark-level Christmas Winter Wonderland yesterday. The Kanto got dumped on with about 3-5 cm of the white stuff. Not exactly anything to shiver about in Toronto (especially when my hometown got assaulted with 20 cm the other day), but basically we can compare Toronto and Tokyo in terms of scale. The panic button gets pressed here at 1/10th the level of snow as it does in Toronto. I was lucky in that I had the day off on Sunday; just managed to go and come back from the supermarket with supplies...only needed to be careful with my steps on some of the more slippery sections of the pavement. This morning, most of the sidewalks were scraped off and the thaw has gotten rid of most of the stuff aside from some small piles, and those will be gone by tomorrow.

The other downpour was professional. Just in the last few hours, I've found out that 002 and my old student, The OL, are back online. And Cozy has sent me my first translation assignment. So, it's not really a downpour but still, the three came in in pretty short order.

It's been the regular Monday lineup so far with The Class Act and SIL. SIL has enjoyed the Elvis calendar that she'd gotten from The Matron via Hawaii. She was wondering how The Matron had found out about her hobby...I just whistled a lot. And I've got The Full-Timer in about 10 minutes. Both The Diver and Mr. TOEIC have cancelled their lessons for tonight, but I still have Medicine Man in the last slot tonight.

Man, that Super Bowl must've been something special. I read the upset victory by the Giants on CNN just now. I bet a lot of folks must've lost theirs a few hours ago.

Saturday February 2, 2:59 p.m.

Oops, she did it again! Couldn't resist...Britney Spears is back on that 72-hour mandatory hospital watch. Over here, the kiosks have had headlines blaring out, "Britney Attempts Suicide!"...which is of course false since the tabloids back Stateside haven't blared any similar lies in the past 24 hours.

Another American who supposedly has gotten Japan in its thrall...according to CNN (yeah, right)...none other than that smoovy Barack Obama. Apparently, the way the report goes is that the senator from Illinois is just wowing the Japanese population. Well, it's true that his books have been on large display at the bookstores; I was at Maruzen today and there is a section with his books prominently displayed, but so are Hillary's tomes. And despite the shots of busy Ginza, I'm not getting any indication that the oh-so-pronounceable name here has become so popular that he's getting his own T-shirts. We shall see in November...or sooner.

Saturday February 2, 1:54 p.m.

Well, it's the Binational Observed Holiday Weekend. Today is Groundhog Day in the West, so I expect that Punxatawney Pete...Phil...Pat?...will be making his appearance in the next 24 hours to see whether or not Winter will be continuing. From what I've heard from The Anime King and my sister-in-law, it could be a while yet. Apparently, Toronto is getting pounded yet again by 20 cm of the white stuff. And even over here, Tokyo may once again be threatened by another dreaded dusting. Luckily, I'm at home all day tomorrow watching I-go. The other half of the BOHW is the 3rd which is the annual Setsubun where beans are thrown at the devil to drive him out...kinda like getting rid of Osama Bin Laden with bad language.

As I said, The Anime King contacted me about the snowstorm. And then he talked about he's been starting to listen to some of the J-Pop hits of yesteryear. He mentioned the doll-like duo of Wink as an example...that was way back in 1988. The girls made their reputation as the Pink Lady of the late 80s with their stilted moves and their takes on Eurobeat songs. One has largely disappeared into the ether...popping up occasionally in risque photo shoots (the final tether of desperate tarento) while the other, Shoko Aida, has found some success as an atypically quiet TV personality.
I mentioned to him about my latest purchase of the Kanako Wada CD since she's an 80s artist and she was behind the theme songs of that famous anime series of that time, "Kimagure Orange Road". I actually came across it by accident last night while I was channel surfing over SkyPerfect.

My sister-in-law and my niece finally came across that ritual that every parent and child go through....the kid vomiting in the car. It didn't help that my brother was off at a conference Stateside. I tried to be the big brother and told her about my own passage of that ritual here in Japan decades ago. She seemed a bit more cheerful in her response.

Well, I've got The Dentist and then The Manhattanite in less than an hour. We've got a new getabako (shoe cabinet) in the entrance hall...this time, with proper hinged doors instead of the hellish sliding ones which didn't slide. BC was telling me that the bossman was showing his more anal ways by verbally wringing his hands at which way the doors should swing. That's the boss for you.

Friday February 1, 4:32 p.m.

January has already gone into history. At this rate, I should be looking forward to my cremation in no time.

Since I only had The Yogist yesterday, I was able to have an early night at home. I was finally able to peruse "The Maltese Falcon". Very grateful to have gotten the North American version from my brother since the Japanese have been selling the cut-rate models for just 500 yen with very little in the way of extras. The one I got is chock filled with stuff: along with the commentary and trailers, I also got the previous two inferior versions of "The Maltese Falcon", along with a blooper reel (yep...neither Dick Clark nor "Star Trek" weren't the ones who came up with the concept of bloopers) of various actors in the Warner Bros. universe screwing lines up and swearing (a debonair James Stewart whispering "Son of a bitch!"...classic), a documentary on the movie itself, and a TNT special about Humphrey Bogart's movie trailers. And it was pretty nifty of the DVD producers to arrange things so that it felt like the original movie experience at a theatre of the 40s with the trailers, a 15-minute musical short, old Bugs Bunny cartoons and even a newsreel highlight.
As for the Bogie classic itself, I'd never seen "The Maltese Falcon" before although its reputation, of course, preceded it for years. After seeing it last night, it made for an interesting comparison piece with the other movie that Humphrey is famous for, "Casablanca". The latter movie's Rick Blaine is a hard-bitten cynic who finds redemption at the end. In "Falcon", Sam Spade isn't just a cynic but he's an ice-cold son-of-a-bitch leading around other ruthless characters; and Spade doesn't find redemption at the end. Everyone gets sent up the river but Spade ends up in his own emotional prison...a lifetime sentence. Film noir, indeed.
But for the movie that started the film noir genre, I was struck by how light and comic some of the scenes came off. Even the music sounded sitcom-ish at times. It definitely deserves further viewing...with the commentary.

The other media piece I explored was the other present from my brother, the Chaz Jankel compilation, "My Occupation". It's definitely one for all those who love the disco/new wave stuff from the 70s/80s. Still kinda disappointed that the original version of "Questionnaire" wasn't included...just "Reve de Chevre" which is the stripped-down sliver version. Well, there's always the Japan-only release.

Just have The Ace for his half-hour tonight. Kinda wish that the boss would just have him come twice a month for an hour each, instead of the 4 half-hour lessons.

The big news last night was about the food poisoning cases that have been rolling through Japan over the last month due to tainted packages of frozen siu mai and gyoza dumplings....imported from China. Incredibly, the Chinese government has flown out of the starting gate to resolve things PDQ (considering the other major problem of moving all those citizens trapped in blizzards). Perhaps, the fact that the Beijing Olympics is on the slate this year may have been an incentive.

And that supposed mano-a-womano smackdown at The Kodak Theatre in LA between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton never happened. The debate was so cordial and sedate, all it was missing was a silver tea set and a string quartet. Still, history was indeed made with the first African-American and the first woman to be in such a forum to be nominated for President from the Democratic side. Should be interesting come Super Tuesday.

Thursday January 31, 12:42 p.m.

It's Bill Day...so had to pay off a few of them, including the biannual one for home insurance. Plus, I still gotta pay off the premiums for NHI and City Tax. Not feeling too financially stable right now.

Came to work seeing what looked like Speedy and The Admin having an argument. Actually, the two were having a mutual venting session over an unreasonable customer...happens from time to time. I just politely ignored them and had lunch. Those Hokkaido sausages I got from Ms. Travel the other day certainly hit the stop. She and two others from The Beehive had gone up north to the island to visit Ms. Perth. They had a good time playing in the snow and noshing on the local delicacies.

002 is back in from the cold. She confirmed her lessons for her regular Tuesday afternoon slots. She should have some stories to tell next week.

Those debating stages in California must be looking pretty empty right now, now that a couple of more folks have bitten the dust. Rudy Giuliani with his WTF? campaign strategy quickly threw in the towel after that embarrassing defeat in Florida and I just heard that John Edwards has also left the race. So, that Democratic debate tomorrow will be quite the arena for a smackdown between Hillary and Barack...mano a womano. Meanwhile, the Republican debate looked a bit like the ESPN newsdesk with four guys still in there. However, John McCain must be riding high in the saddle right now, although he still has to get those conservatives.

Anyways, The Yogist should be here any minute....

Wednesday January 30, 10:49 p.m.

Finished up with Medicine Man's first official lesson. Man, he's a shy, reticent one. The bossman took his Polaroid (as we usually do with all of our students)...he looked like he had just gone to a family funeral. We gotta get this guy some major social activity. But we also found out that MM hails from my family's neck of the woods in Wakayama Prefecture...hope he remembers that when it comes to renewal time.

Speaking of MM, I actually got e-mail from one half of M+M...I'd almost forgotten about those two ladies. It's been several months since I heard from them. Looks like they want to resume our conversation again. Well, now that I've been drafted for active Saturday service at Speedy's, it's gonna be a bit difficult to schedule...but I did suggest February 23.

That talk about Kanako Wada got me looking for the original singer of "I Should Be So Lucky" (finally got the title right)...namely Kylie Minogue. Reading up on the Wiki on this song brought out some party-trivia worthy nuggets such as that it was apparently written from the foundation of Pachelbel's "Canon"...sure doesn't sound like it to me. Also, the boys Stock, Aitken and Waterman whipped it up in about 20 minutes based on how unlucky Minogue seemed to be waiting outside their studio.

Then, I discovered from the Japanese-language Wiki on Wada herself that she's been pretty much retired from the biz for the past 17 years since marrying another old folkie, Michael Maki, who was responsible for the hit "Bara ga Saita" (A Rose Has Bloomed) decades ago. So, now this singer has another link with the Australian chanteuse: same pop song, same initials.

Wednesday January 30, 8:29 p.m.

Well, I guess I'm not the only one who appreciates the qualities of one Kanako Wada. I just checked out a few homepages and YouTube. Apparently, there's quite a rabid following for the lass...all of them through her contributions to the anime "Kimagure Orange Road". But it seems as if none of the comments mention the compilation album that I just got a few days ago. So, if any of them are reading this, I'll let them know that it does exist. Just check out Amazon or even come out here. Plus, they'll be happy to know that the KOR ballad is the very first track.

Nice to know that she's loved somewhere...

Wednesday January 30, 7:54 p.m.

Just have that model lesson student-turned-regular student for the 9:30 lesson. Yep, a bit of a drag to have to come out here for just one night class but that's the nature of my occupation. I've already got a friend who's been tagged as The Doctor, so I'm naming this guy Medicine Man. He's a nice enough bloke but he's also as quiet as a church mouse; willing to learn, though.

It was one of those crosstown commutes that I have to do occasionally yesterday. I had The Beehive for their usual at Beckers yesterday morning before having to come here to Speedy's to teach The Nurse for one of her rare Tuesday afternoon classes. Then it was back to Chiba for the juku classes. Both Mild Jr. and The Bohemian were absent. I got that belated Xmas present from my brother. It had what I was hoping for...that Chaz Jankel CD "My Occupation" and a 3-disc Special Edition of Bogey's "The Maltese Falcon". This DVD is definitely a keeper. It not only has the definitive effort of Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet, but also the first two versions including the more comedic version with Bette Davis titled "Satan Met A Lady".
As for the Best of Jankel, it has his hits of "Glad to Know You", a funky disco hit with some of the most Dadaist lyrics ever put to paper, along with the original "Ai No Corrida" and a chopped version of "Am I Honest With Myself, Really?"...and that still rates 8:34. I've got the extended version from his first album which spans 15 minutes. I knew that "Questionnaire" wouldn't be on the disc but I'm still a bit disappointed that it isn't present. But there's always the Japan release (if it ever gets over here) which always seems to include a bit more. And perhaps "Questionnaire" the album will be remastered.
I did listen to that Kanako Wada album during the afternoon. Very 80s...down to the cheesy synths. Recently, there has been a flood of these remastered discs featuring artists from 20-30 years ago. I've got a fraction of them in my nostalgia haze: PSY*S, Ruiko Kurahashi, Yoshie Kashiwabara. I guess the studios needed to let the ol' dogs out for accounting purposes, perhaps, since these discs have very little in the way of liner notes and the pics are just copies from previous albums. Still, I was surprised to hear that Kanako's cover of "So Lucky In Love" was given a bit more oomph.

I got e-mail from Skippy. Looks like she wants to undertake another burger trip. This time, the target is in Komazawa...west of Shibuya. It'll be great for Movie Buddy since he's virtually in the neighbourhood. Most likely, the latest invasion for ground beef will be during the next long weekend in February.

Monday January 28, 3:35 p.m.

Had my first lesson of the year with The Class Act this morning. Got a bit of a winfall as well via souvenirs. The Lady gave me a bit of tea from her latest foray into Hong Kong, and The Matron gave me a New York Times Crossword Calendar along with a bar of Lindt Chocolate with Cherry and Chili (!)...70% cacao...from Hawaii. Actually, The Lady gave us samples from her bar since she's not huge on sweets. I could only pick up the faintest hint of heat on my tongue, but then again I've been eating so much spicy food over the years that my tongue has gotten be part asbestos by now. The Matron even had an Elvis Calendar for SIL; I guess after all my talk on her about her love for The Pelvis, The Matron decided to pick something up for her. Ironically, I couldn't see SIL today due to some sort of doctor's appointment.

Since I had the extra time, I just did my first lunch at Wendy's in Shibuya before hitting Tower Records. Despite my financial conundrums, I did fire the gun and picked up a disc; it happens to be one of those 80s J-Pop artists who never really hit the big time (I seem to have a soft soft for these has-been and never-was chanteuses from 2 decades ago). The lady's name here is Kanako Wada, and the disc is a compilation of her hits. She had a minor hit almost 20 years ago with a jingle for some instant soup spaghetti called "Dreamin' Lady"; but otherwise, most of her fame came from theme tunes for anime, notably for "Kimagure Orange Road", or KOR as otaku like my friends in The Anime Court would say. Her voice is somewhere between the smokiness of a Kahori Kohiruimaki and the etherealness of a Reimy or Ruiko Kurahashi, other singers who didn't really hit the ranks of Seiko Matsuda or Akina Nakamori...but that's not exactly a slam against them. Wada also happens to be the first J-Pop singer to do a cover version of Kylie Minogue's first big hit, "I'm So Lucky In Love"; something to mention since current popsters Mihimaru GT have come out with their own version of the song.

Another cancellation to lessen my load. Mr. TOEIC, to noone's surprise, had to dotakyan tonight due to a sudden business trip. So basically, I've got The Full-Timer, The Diver and that model lesson with that doctor later on. At least I'll have a little breather before the doctor comes in. Pored over some of those Medical English books that Speedy had lent me on Saturday. Can't say that any of them are particularly all that friendly. I may have to adapt or concoct something totally on my own.

The Chipmunk contacted me about a possible new home for me. It's gonna be farther out...20 minutes instead of the current 10 minutes I have to walk from the station to my home but if it means cheaper rent and bigger digs, well...I'll be willing to take a look at it. I've also asked her for some more help when it comes to negotiations.

Saw Barack Obama do a royal smackdown on both Edwards and Clinton (figuratively, although I do wonder, considering last week's two-way abuse, if Michelle Obama hadn't considered something more physical against the junior senator from New York) yesterday on CNN. He gave a pretty stirring near-Kennedyesque victory speech. The Class Act and I touched upon the US elections briefly...after massive gossip on the latest amazing restaurants in Tokyo and Hong Kong. The Lady feels that it's still a bit early for Obama to take centre stage just yet. We both think that Hillary Clinton will still get the Democratic Brass Ring later this summer and may eventually become the first female President. But we also worry that if the senator from Illinois actually becomes President, he may achieve Kennedyesque status in a more dubious way...as a possible assassin's target. I'm still not totally convinced that all Americans would accept an African-American President. Still, we're months away.

In the sumo world, there was a smackdown of a far more physical sort between the two Mongolian yokozuna, Hakuho and Asashoryu. This was the equivalent of the dream Super Bowl of loincloths: one is a fallen champion seeking (I think) redemption, the other is a champion seeking to continue his domination of the sport. And boy, everyone is buzzing over the fact that the final match of the first tournament of the year was one to remember for years. It was 47 seconds (an eternity in sumo terms) with the two behemoths struggling titanically (each rikishi looking like they had one up on the other) until Hakuho finally throwing Asashoryu to the ground. The dohyo was littered with ecstatically thrown zabuton. I think the right man won.

And Osaka got another celeb governor. His name is Toru Hashimoto, a 38-year-old lawyer who's also become the charismatic TV personality. Now, he's head of the second-largest metropolis in the country. The Class Act also gave their opinions...basically calling him a fame-hogging question mark. I kinda wonder myself. Some have said that the Prime Ministership may not be too far away. Considering that Yasuo Fukuda isn't exactly holding a lot of support right now, there may be some approach by the LDP mandarins. Hashimoto also has another interesting trait...he's the father of 7, count 'em 7, kids. If he ever does get the big job, that's gonna be one noisy Prime Minister's mansion in downtown Tokyo.

Saturday January 26, 12:53 p.m.

I've just taught The Manhattanite about an hour ago. In fine fettle as usual. And I've got The Doctor later this afternoon. So far, it's just BC and me in the school since the bossman is taking a rare opportunity to partake in a process called sleeping in. The weather is cold and sunny...just like a typical Tokyo winter day.

I had that three-in-a-row with The Sisters of State and BC on Thursday night. The aforementioned sisters will be heading for Bali in mid-March. Must be nice being siblings who can actually be like traveling buddies. As for BC, she and I had a bit of a talk on our mutual boss, Speedy. Nothing too conspiratorial...but we both agreed that his personality can be a bit intimidating for some students. Could possibly explain why 001 and 002 usually demur whenever I have to be absent from their classes and suggest that Speedy take my place.

I just had The Ace last night at the juku. Jolly tried to get in under the wire by asking to come in just a half-hour before The Ace's lesson. The boss took one look at my face and made the call to decline his request. Jolly's a great guy and has been a good student and even if he couldn't find out until last night whether or not he could come in, I really didn't want to set the precedent that he could just come in on the turn of a dime. Luckily, he was understanding about it. And besides, I'm sure he would probably enjoy a night out in Shimbashi with the guys anyways.

Newswise, it was the tragic case of Mrs. Hatakeyama that took up the reports last night. Mrs. Hatakeyama is the tortured woman responsible for killing not only her own daughter but also the little boy of a neighbour. Her appearance and her case history kinda strike me as being similar to that Charlize Theron character in "Monster". In any case, I think the gallows will be her final destination.

SIL cancelled her lesson for this Monday. Not too bad since I'm pretty loaded down with classes on the 28th. I could use with the 6-hour space between The Class Act and The Full-Timer.

Wednesday January 24, 12:48 p.m.

I've been reading through Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" as my latest commuting book. It's been an absorbing read so far. Basically, it comes across as a "how-to" manual for creating epidemics or fads. And in his theories about Connectors, Mavens, Salesmen along with his various laws, he weaves in everything from Paul Revere's Midnight Ride to Sesame Street to Bernard Goetz to apply his teachings. I haven't taken in everything at face value...his Power of Context, for example, is more illustration than illumination of something seen and heard before. However, having said that, some of his earlier stuff on the different types of people needed to get a fad started is worthy of thought. Perhaps, I may try something with those Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that I get as tribute from some of the ol' gang from home.

In any case, The Yogist should be here shortly.

Thursday January 24, 12:11 p.m.

It's back to a normal Kanto Winter day....sunny but cold. But we also have some pretty arctic winds blowing through the megalopolis. Not exactly helping the Wind Chill. I've got a quad today on the schedule. The Yogist is first at bat in less than an hour, and then I have the whole gang at Tully's tonight: The New Yorker, The Carolinan and BC. It'll definitely be a busy one on Monday. The entire Monday crew will be back to normal: The Class Act, SIL, The Full-Timer, the new kid on the block...The Diver, Mr. TOEIC...and yet another model lesson with this doctor to wrap up.

I haven't been paying too much attention to the domestic news over the past few days due to all the WWF-style wrestling between the two frontrunning Democratic candidates in the US. However, there is one piece of news that's been festering in my craw since it broke yesterday morning. It's a sad addendum to what has already been a tragic case.
Several days ago, a scumbag managed to rob an apartment by not only tying up a young woman immobile to the fridge but also by slapping on some masking tape over the nose and mouth of her 18-day-old baby so that the tyke wouldn't scream. The money he took was the gift money for the baby from various wellwishers. The baby died.
Now, just a few days after the funeral, the family will now have to hold another one. The helpless 22-year-old mother committed suicide by jumping from a bridge. If there's anything that proves that there is no God...

Wednesday January 23, 8:04 p.m.

Looks like 001 will be making another one of her skiing pilgrimages next week up to Hokkaido. So, it'll be another 2 weeks before her next lesson although she promises that she'll be here for all the Wednesdays in February. Still, she'll be heading to Hokkaido one more time then before she takes off for an aurora tour in Alaska on Leap Day.
I envy folks like 001 and Jolly who head up to the lodge for skiing. Despite my Canadian-ness, I never learned how to get down the slopes. I had done cross-country skiing in Ontario back in the 6th Grade, and tried doing the snowplow during one of the special Ski Days up in Gunma-ken during my JET days but never really acquired the taste or skill for the sport. And over here, skiing is just as much as a lifestyle as it is in Switzerland. 001 is getting together with a couple of buddies on Sunday at Haneda Airport, sending her skis and equipment ahead by courier, and then they'll board the JAL flight to Hokkaido to Shin-Chitose Airport where a shuttle bus will drive them over the next couple of hours to Kiroro Resort. They'll then partake in a few hours of early evening skiing before having a nice dinner at the lodge, a bath and then some well-earned sleep before hitting the buffet, slopes, brunch and dinner...in that order. Nice but pricey lifestyle...way out of my reach. Sometimes I wish that things had turned out a little differently for me.

Just waiting for the EIC student who'll be coming here in about 45 minutes. The snow has stopped but it's still spitting precipitation out there.

Wednesday January 23, 5:12 p.m.

Well, the snows finally came en masse onto the Kanto from late last night. Still, there are only a few centimetres (if that) on the ground. And in my neighbourhood, it's only been cold rain that's fallen...I guess that heat shield has been in good condition. Of course, the morning news shows have been covering the atypical weather like any other major typhoon.

The last 24 hours have seen the world economy teetering on the brink of recession, and the aftermath of the latest Hillary n' Barack fisticuffs (I just don't see these two ever getting together as running mates). However, the other big news was the surprise demise of actor Heath Ledger. I was just watching CNN's "Lou Dobbs" when the scroll just showed the headline "Heath Ledger dies". I was never a fan of his although he had been coming up through the thespian ranks as a full-fledged actor...not just a movie star. Still, it is a pity that he has left this mortal coil so soon. However, I will finally see him on the big screen, if posthumously as The Joker on "The Dark Knight".

Last night, I had just the usual juku night. Chip N' Dale showed up and it was just them. Those model students from last week never called back. The boss asked Dale about them, and she just replied that their parents were kangaechu (still thinking). Otherwise, it was Mild Jr., The Milds and The Siberian to wrap up. Jolly dotakyan'ed again due to a cold he probably suffered while skiing in Naeba last weekend.

Just have 001 and that EIC student tonight. Kinda wonder if that rain outside is gonna convert into snow once more. Not too much fun commuting in that kind of weather.

Tuesday January 22, 4:37 p.m.

Well, the forecasts still keep showing that snowman icon over the Kanto....but I still haven't seen a blessed snowflake.

Managed to survive the loaded night last night at Speedy's. As I said, I had The Diver for her model lesson. She was a lock but she'll be a lowbie for sure. Then, I had Mr. TOEIC for the first time in over a month. Not too bad considering how low he is. And then, I had my final student for EIC. Quite a bit higher than the previous two, but she's pretty soft-spoken.

Met that friend of the juku boss this morning at the station. He kinda looks and talks like a comedian by the name of Cozy Kubo...so I'll just tag him Cozy. Despite the nickname, he's a pretty sobersided if congenial fellow. We went to the nearest coffee shop to discuss business. For one thing, his request isn't a one-shot but an off-on thing involving translation of various documents from his office. He gave me a couple of samples. Fairly technical stuff but he gave me about a week to peruse them before he actually starts sending me the work. So, I'll be looking forward to the extra income, although I don't know what a professional translator would earn on a couple of pages of technical details. The boss told me that I shouldn't go for the low wages she has to pay me but I'll have to consult some folks about what to charge. We shall see.

In any case, I caught the highlights from that debate version of The Thrilla from Manila involving Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. John Edwards seemed to be a trumped-up bystander with his own dais. Man, it is getting nasty out there.

Got another long night ahead of me...

Monday January 21, 8:35 p.m.

Well, got through the first two fingers of the gauntlet. The Full-Timer was no problem, of course. Apparently, her bizarro supervisor has become somewhat more normal after a bit of counseling by powers above. She even went out for coffee with him...I asked her if she'd brought a knife, just in case. She also informed me that her father had to go in for some elective surgery which brought up the topic of tonsils. Over here, the extraction of tonsils is rare, to say the least...while in the West, it's pretty much a rite of childhood passage.
Then, there is my model student-turned-newest regular....ahhh, how shall I christen her? Ah, The Diver. She's actually a nurse but since someone already has that tag, I'll go with her hobby. Anyways, she's not a complete tabula rasa but pretty close to it. However, she is a trooper so that's good enough for me.
Of course, Mr. TOEIC has just called in to say that he'll be 10 minutes late. A pity since I won't be able to extend due to the fact that I still have that EIC student to take care of after his class. Anyways, he's just buzzed in.

Monday January 21, 5:21 p.m.

Supposedly, according to the CNN website, today...January 21...is the year's most depressing day. And we haven't even reached Income Tax Day. Hopefully, we don't have too many fluent readers of English in this country...otherwise, we may have to look up in the sky a lot to make sure sure we don't get smooshed by falling bodies. Suicide happens to be one of the leading causes of death here.

Bought a new text for Jolly...something that's specific to his job as a salesman. Then, I had lunch at my usual place of Com Pho underneath Oazo at Otemachi Station. Went for the Sesame Pho which is just clogged with sesame seed paste. I heard somewhere that sesame has a lot of curative properties. If so, I should be Adonis. Speaking of Jolly, he and his girlfriend went off to Naeba Ski Resort this past weekend. He should have a pretty interesting report...provided that he doesn't cancel out tomorrow night. Naeba is the most famous ski slope in the Kanto area, and the singer Yumi Matsutoya are pretty much bonded at the hip with this place due to a number of her songs being used as commercial jingles.
I've yet to hear from the juku boss about those two boys who'd come in for the model lesson last week. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided not to sign and it would relieve me of some extra headaches.

The juku boss actually set me up with this tax accountant friend of hers in terms of some translation job. I'm supposed to meet this fellow, who I'd spoken with briefly over the phone during our viewing of "Blood Diamond" yesterday, tomorrow morning for a meet-&-greet at the station.

I saw the teaser trailer for the upcoming "Star Trek" movie (still basically a year away) on YouTube this morning. It apparently got laughed and sneered at by the audiences back home and Stateside. I'm a Trekkie but I'm also not surprised by the cold reception that it got, considering the poor showings of the last two films and the not-so-warm feelings toward the last Star Trek series. I think the franchise could still use a bit of rest.

Well, I've got The Full-Timer in about 20 minutes followed by a model lesson, then Mr. TOEIC and finally an EIC student. If I don't go mad tonight, I should be OK for that tax accountant tomorrow morning. SIL was her usual self earlier this afternoon.

No hint of snow yet.

Monday January 21, 9:35 a.m.

An intriguing DVD/movie weekend, to say the least. It would seem that the overriding unintentional theme amongst 3 of the 4 movies I saw over the past couple of days have dealt with doomed vengeful sociopaths. And amazingly...Movie Buddy, The Satyr and I played absolute contrarians.

First off, and you folks who actually read my ramblings can see it here. And I will even bold it for you. The Reader's Digest version of my feelings for "Sweeney Todd" is: IT SUCKS! Yep, you read it right...you may be seeing what could be the only negative comments for Tim and Johnny's latest collaboration since it would seem that just about everyone else such as TIME, Internet Movie Database and even the usually garrulous reviewer for Tokyo METROPOLIS loved it. Heck, MB even said that if it hadn't been for the fact that he was trapped in the middle of the row, he would've walked right on out and gone to the solace of his PSP.
As for me, I just couldn't get into the musical. Not that I hate musicals...or even dark musicals (heck, I've got the original London soundtrack of "Phantom of the Opera"...without having seen the play). I enjoyed "Chicago" although it has had its share of detractors over the years since it won the Oscar for Best Movie. And "Sweeney Todd" has actually won 2 Golden Globes already....which is astounding. The songs all sounded the same (ironically like Tim Burton's usual go-to-guy for music, Danny Elfman, when he did "Nightmare Before Christmas"; another overrated Burton production which also had overly similar songs) and there wasn't a hummable one in the bunch. 10 minutes into the movie, I was already starting to fidget and wishing...oh, how I wished....that the throat-slitting could get started. In that respect, "Sweeney" failed to disappoint...it was truly a horror-musical. It is also a horrible musical. I knew that MB was despising the movie since he usually gets fidgety and sigh-y on seeing a waste of hard-earned yen and time...the final clue was seeing him finally put his head in his hands. The only other time I'd seen him do that was for "Revenge of the Sith".
I couldn't really blame the cast...they did try hard. Perhaps, Johnny Depp did merit his Golden Globe and kudos to the other actors. It was just that it was wall-to-wall music of the lousiest kind. Y'know...if "Sweeney Todd" had been just a straight drama, I would've enjoyed far more than I did. As it is, though, I am now fervently rooting for "Atonement" or "Jesse James" to get the Oscar for Best Movie. Perhaps the other title for this one should've been a twist on the aforementioned Star Wars sequel but anagram the final word.

Strangely enough, it was the one of the DVDs on Saturday that the three of us had seen...a flick that didn't get anywhere near the adulation, the advertisement or the cash flow of the abomination that is "Sweeney Todd", but also dealt with a doomed psycho...that provided a good chunk of entertainment. We actually caught "Crank"....90 minutes of pure hilarious mayhem with a juiced-up Jason Statham (we had approached this one with some trepidation at first because of the disappointing "Transporter 2")...it was just a nutso over-the-top action flick. And that scene between Amy Smart and Statham in the plaza was definitely a highlight.
Also, caught "Smokin' Aces"...a flick that tried to emulate the vibe of "The Usual Suspects" and "Lucky Number Slevin". Basically, it was a movie to see which contract killer would survive to the end. Actually saw Chris Pine (the future Captain Kirk redux) as one of the neo-Nazi Tremor brothers.
Finally, MB and I saw the odd picture out of the theme of doomed psycho..."Blood Diamond". We enjoyed it for the most part although we also thought that DiCaprio was trying to be a little too earnest to get his Oscar. For that matter, the movie was just screaming to be nominated.

Well, in one of those coincidences...we went to Tony Roma's for a hearty meal in Roppongi (we'd caught "Sweeney Todd" at Roppongi Hills). We did the same thing after we'd seen "Revenge of the Sith"...another flick that met with withering criticism from MB. Skippy and Miss Ivory were also part of the movie "experience". The only one who actually enjoyed it was Miss Ivory. Even Skippy said that she wasn't all that impressed.

It was supposed to be wall-to-wall teaching today. However, The Lady of The Class Act had called up a few nights ago to cancel today's lesson since her buddy, The Matron, had to pull out. Still, it'll be a busy one with SIL's first of the year followed by The Full-Timer, an EIC student, Mr. TOEIC and a model lesson student.

I'm currently borrowing a book from The Satyr called "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell; it talks about that important period of time when something goes from nothing to a huge phenomenon. Maybe it'll explain the inexplicable popularity of Crocs...good heavens, they look like those plastic shoes worn in Japanese bathrooms during cleaning with holes punched into them.

Well, the weather guys are still warning about snow and have been for the past few days although I've yet to see a single flake. The skies look fairly threatening but they still haven't put out...yet.

Friday January 18, 6:30 p.m.

It was the coldest day of the year today in the Kanto...maybe for the past few years. I don't think I've ever felt this cold...I actually threw on the longjohns for my solo with Jolly tonight. I may have to flip on the air conditioner/heater tomorrow night when MB and The Satyr come over.