Sunday July 18, 10:17 a.m.

It was another scorcher yesterday. No hope of rain. After my morning lessons, I just headed out to Foo Foo again for another savory lunch set there and then I spent the next 6 hours just browsing the bookstores and CD shops. I did pick up a couple of old ones. Then I met The Engineer, Shrek, the Chipmunk and a few others for dinner at that same place we'd gone to last time The Engineer was in town. When we got there, we nervously asked if they had a table for 8 since it was a Saturday night and things looked fairly crowded. We were then pleasantly surprised when the waiter had no problem securing a table for us. The restaurant was a lot bigger than we'd initially thought.

The Engineer noted that it was basically a eating session more than a drinking one. I've got no complaints here...the food was good. I kept ordering this Mango Smoothie which was listed in the cocktail section of the menu. It kinda struck me as odd since I couldn't taste a single atom of alcohol in it. I downed three of the Smoothies and the fever was catching. A couple of others followed my lead and ordered the same cocktail. However, I guess there must've been something in it since I developed a bit of a throbbing headache by the time I got home.

Well, I've got Chip Guy coming back for a short business trip in the middle of this upcoming week so hopefully I'll be able to meet up with him. Then, next week will be that yakiniku fest with The OL and BB. I decided to make it Toraji in the big Parco Department Store in Shibuya. The place that the Prez took me to in Shin-Okubo was definitely more in the Korean vein, but I thought it was better to go with what I knew in terms of price.

It looks like Sgt. Jenkins will be arriving tonight from Jakarta. It should be another round of wall-to-wall live coverage by the local media. I'm wondering how the US is going to handle this situation.

Today, since I'll be at home all day. I'll spend a good part of it just cleaning up the place with notable emphasis on the bathroom and the kitchen. Then, if I still have the stamina, I may just head out and buy myself another pair of shoes. I've got three pairs (not exactly in Imelda's league) at home of which my sneakers are the only undamaged pair.

Friday July 16, 9:02 p.m.

9 months and 2 protest letters to Thunder Bay later, that little piece of stiff paper which has prevented me from traveling outside of Japan for almost 2 years finally arrived. My birth certificate, this thin 3x5 slip, came in this huge Purolator envelope literally stuffing my mailbox tonight.

Now that unnecessary odyssey is over, now I've got to start up the process for renewing my passport, so I have to look over my dusty pile of instructions from the Embassy and then try to find some time next week to head over there. I think most likely it'll be Wednesday or Thursday.

Also on the bureaucratic angle, this time from this country, I received my payment schedule for my National Health Insurance. The only thing is that I never got the card to go with it. It usually comes in at the end of March but when it never arrived, I just assumed that being just a part-timer meant that my coverage had been abruptly cut off. Well, obviously that's not true. My premiums are quite a lot smaller now since I'm no longer earning that much money. I'm not too worried if I don't get a card, though, since the last time I really needed the card was 5 years ago when I busted my ankle, and that had happened during work so my school actually paid the medical fees out of the company policy.

My lesson with The Teacher went quite well since we were on more friendly ground with a movie article...An Interview With A Vampire. And the lesson with SR was also quite smooth. This past week has been a good one compared to the somewhat off-kilter one last week. In between classes, I had a chance to have lunch at my neighbourhood kaiten sushi place. Not too good today. The fish seemed rather dry on the edges...not a good sign at all. Then I went downtown to the Ginza to check out the CDs and see if there were any Michael Buble CDs which contained the Spiderman theme. Apparently in Japan, Buble's discography only goes as far as late last year. His take on Spiderman came out all the way back in 2002.

We had a small squall when I came out of the station. but that quickly passed. It was still so hot that the rain and resulting humidity made the outside feel like a sauna.

During my lesson with SR, we touched upon the Jenkins story. It's starting to look more probable that the deserter will be taking up Koizumi's offer to come to Japan for that medical treatment. However, I'm still suspecting that there is a certain "spider-to-the-fly" ominousness to the invitation. Of course, the US has warned that it will ask for their old citizen back. To be honest, I'm happy that at least the State Department has been upfront about their request.SR and I thought that Jenkins would already be on his way up here but since I haven't seen any major bulletins on NHK, I gather that he is still thinking about it.

Well, I got a message from Arwen stating that she'll be taking up DTE's invitation to head out to Yokohama on Sunday to catch the fireworks. Power to her. But not surprisingly she won't be asking me to teach that lesson to her after all tomorrow. So I've got 6 hours to while away between my lesson with the kid and her father and the dinner with the Engineer. What to do? Well, I guess I can always head down to Shibuya and continue my search for the Buble CD. There are a few places there which may contain some imported discs. I also sent off a missive to Jazz Buddy to see if we're still up for Monday. JB isn't one of those people who answers on the first ring, so to speak.

Gotta get ready for the little one's lesson tomorrow.

Friday July 16, 9:00 a.m.

Well, that threatening thunderstorm never came to pass last night...thank heavens. However, the Curry Master wasn't exactly on full power due to her intense classes during the day. But we managed to get through the class. SE was his usual diligent self.

It'll be another hot one here. Nothing too different today. I've just got the Teacher and then SR later on today. The Engineer set up a time and place to meet for Saturday but I've sent in my regrets to DTE for the Yokohama Fireworks Festival. The meeting time has even been put one hour later to 7 p.m. Now, there's absolutely no way that I can do that and be lucid for Jazz Buddy's class on Monday.

I see that the Martha will be sentenced later today. Well, whichever prison she goes to, I'm sure that it'll be left looking far better and more tasteful.

Thursday July 15, 3:42 p.m.

Looks like we've got a major thunderstorm coming our way out there. It was a furnace outside; probably the hottest I've felt this year. Hopefully, the downpour cools things a bit. Strangely, while we've been baking here in the Big Sushi, it seems like everywhere else has been getting majorly flooded. The news has even managed to register a blip on CNN.

Well, on the good side, I managed to save quite a bit the past month but on the flip side, I only got a pittance from the school this month so things may be a bit lean going into August since several of the students will be going off on their usual travels next month.

The Biologist was quite good yesterday if a bit nervous. I have to remember that for all her maturity, she's still very young. She gave her brief presentations and I just advised her on delivery and structure.

DTE sent me a change in plans for the upcoming get-together on Sunday, much to my chagrin. They've decided to catch the annual Yokohama Fireworks Festival and then head out to drink. I almost forgot that it was once again the season to fire off those things. Well, I'll probably skip that; I'm not really into broiling outside with thousands of others while watching a mere hour of pyrotechnics only to spend the next two or three squishing myself in a train. I've gone through that Hell enough times. There have also been a fair share of crushing accidents in the past during the rush home. Wouldn't be surprised if there were instances of "road rage" as well.

I got the Curry Master in a few hours plus the SE. Hopefully, if there are any pyrotechnics of the natural kind, they'll sweep by in the next hour. I have no desire to get drenched on the way over to her place.

Wednesday July 14, 8:50 a.m.

It's amazing how temperatures can change within a few hours. On the way to the juku, I was sweating a fountain's worth of water. Four hours later, it felt like an early spring evening.

The Engineer has contacted a whole bunch of us for dinner on Saturday. It looks like it'll be in his usual haunt of Ikebukuro. I invited Arwen and indirectly 77, but I kinda doubt that they'll take the bait. After that slight fiasco the last time he met them and because there is that party for DTE the next day, I think they'll probably be just happy with the lesson. In fact, I'm not even sure if Arwen will even make it at all for anything this weekend considering her job from Hell.

As the baseball All-Star Games are getting underway on both sides of the Pacific, there may be a crisis brewing here. Last week, the group of baseball team owners got together and decided that there may be another merger between two teams to go with the probable one between the now-Ichiro-less Orix Blue Wave and another team. Well, the players and the public didn't take that too well and so the players' union have not only asked the owners to reconsider their decision but they even hinted at going on strike.

Tuesday July 13, 9:32 a.m.

It's gonna be another scorcher today. Back to 35 degrees! Ugh!

Well, I did actually get a reply from Arwen. It looks like that stupid rule of leaving only after the boss leaves is pretty much the rule there at her new company. As a result, she's not too sure about whether she can make it for DTE's party which is a shame. However, she and 77 have asked whether I'm available for a lesson on Saturday. It's possible, but I thought she said that she wouldn't be sure about her plans until the weekend. Hmmm...

Still haven't gotten any reply from the Scheduler about any classes this week, so I take it as a given that I'm gonna be free all day until juku time. One thing about the Scheduler...a lot of the teachers over the years have complained about her iciness which thaws only briefly when she needs something. However, at least her sociopathic tendencies are dependable.

Not too sure about what I'm gonna make for early dinner. I've got some odds and ends in the fridge that I need to take care of.

Monday July 12, 10:28 p.m.

Looks like the week has gotten off to a good start, knock on wood. I only had one of my Monday morning students (the other had to attend to some family business. But they both got me some summer presents (we do have that summer and winter gift giving season). The one who couldn't make it today gave me a bottle of Italian wine; knowing her, she probably got me something that I would have to pay on the installment plan. And then, my other student got me some jellies to go with my yogurt. She also tipped me about this old restaurant in Nishi-Ogikubo which has very cheap and very filling Western food. I doubt that I'll ever be in the area but I passed on the info to Skippy who so loved the Outback last night.

Then it was off to the Andersens in Shinjuku to meet up with Jazz Buddy. Happily, I think it was the first class with her that was actually quite successful. I managed to copy a whole bunch of telephone dialogues so we pretty much spent the two hours on that. We'll probably be making next week's class a bit of a special one in terms of venue since next Monday is Marine Day. Perhaps, it may be the Keio Plaza buffet.

The class with the company went well enough. It was the first time in a month that everyone was present. The performance wasn't too bad but it's still a low crowd

But boy, three classes and lugging around the wine and the jellies along with my usual bag of books in the hot summer took its toll on me. I'm pretty exhausted right now. I'm just glad that the coordinator didn't call me in for tomorrow so that I have absolutely nothing until the juku classes tomorrow night. The last e-mail call was her last chance to get me to come in. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not called in at all this week since I heard from DTE that there is a new full-timer who just started which probably means that he'll be getting the year course students as part of his training.

Speaking of DTE, it looks like her party is being set up by two of the receptionists at the school. I've tried to relay the message to Arwen and 77 since DTE can't seem to get her messages to go across to their servers. Well, it looks like my attempts have failed, too. But the addresses I've got for them were their cellphone ones so I've sent another one to Arwen's home computer.

So what shall I do for most of tomorrow? Well, I wish I could just lay around the apartment but I do have to do a bit of prep work for my newest student, The Biologist, which means another trip to Maruzen. And I'm gonna that rubdown at the clinic. Lugging those two bags have pretty much ossified my shoulders.

I had a bit of a small debate with The Doctor over the e-mail today concerning Spidey 2 and the Sgt. Jenkins situation. Doc wasn't too impressed with the first Spidey but I held up my end. He also felt that Sgt. Jenkins should be keelhauled before a Military Court of Inquiry. I agreed with him that the 64-year-old deserter has to face up to his crime but before we drop the Sword of Damocles upon him, we should consider about his family. No, they weren't involved with him when he defected to North Korea, but they are part and parcel of his life and he is also of theirs. It will be a lot more complicated. One part of me wishes that the US will grant him amnesty or some other way for him to pay his penalty without forcing him to be separated from his family.

The Engineer called me 20 minutes after the deadline I had set for him. He got my message concerning my schedule so I'll leave it to him about his whereabouts on Saturday. Also, the Big Guy contacted me to see if I could make it out for his buddy's birthday party. Well, I've already got DTE's shindig to go to so I had to decline.

Sunday July 11, 11:30 p.m.

I recall over a year ago writing a diatribe against Matrix:Unloaded. Well, I'm happy to say that a year later, I'm once again writing about a much-anticipated sequel to a blockbuster movie and it's a good review this time.

Yup, caught Spiderman 2 today down in Odaiba with Movie Buddy. Pretty much since Chris Reeve's Superman back in 1978, we've been getting these big-budget, symphonically-scored superhero epics especially within the last decade. I can probably say that S2 is arguably the best one I've seen so far. For me, the acid test was being able to root for Peter Parker the regular nebbish and not just for his alter ego. As much as I enjoyed X2 and despite the fact that the X-Men was the Marvel Comic that I had collected the most, I couldn't really connect with the mutants as much as I could with the Webhead. I felt sorry for him in the first several minutes of the film when he got all sorts of abuse heaped upon him from all sides including Mary Jane. I felt happy for him when he had that brief giddy freedom from being Spiderman. And I felt for him..period...when he admitted to Aunt May the events that led to Uncle Ben's murder. I really wasn't sure how she was going to react.

But the big money shot for me wasn't the spectacular battle on the subway although that was great. It was seeing Mary Jane's face when she finally discovered what Peter Parker had been really doing for the past two years. She could've melted the heart of Mr. Spock with that look.

I thought Spiderman 2 was also superior to the first outing in that it just came out more evenly. The first half of the first movie which dealt with the origin was handled expertly but the second half didn't hold things as well since it was hard to take the Green Goblin's outfit too seriously as a US Army battle prototype although Willem DaFoe made a great villain. This time, all of the main characters came out on top. Doc Ock was a tragic villain born out of one simple moment of arrogance while the future villain, Harry Osborn, has gone down a more gradual path of self-destruction.

There was just that one moment of hokiness back on the subway where the passengers took care of their unmasked hero and promised not to tell anyone. Uh,yeah, right...I would've expected such promises from any midwestern village whose name ended in "-ville", not the Big Apple.

All in all, a great movie and it basically foreshadowed the entire premise for Spiderman 3. The ending also looked suitably enigmatic as would befit a middle movie.

Since I'm also somewhat interested in the soundtrack, I enjoyed the familiar Danny Elfman suite and even the strange insertion of B.J. Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head". And it was only just 30 seconds' worth at the tail end of the closing credits but Michael Buble put out a fun big band version of the Spiderman theme. I will definitely be on the lookout for that although it wasn't on the official soundtrack CD.

Well, after all that, Movie Buddy and I headed out to Shinagawa where we spent an hour at Anna Millers, that Mecca for the otaku who love their short-skirted uniforms. I told MB about it but he didn't seem too perked up by that. In fact, the two of us spend most of that hour just perusing reading material: I was looking through his edition of the Japan Times and he was reading through my EMPIRE magazine. It all seemed so domestic.

Then, we met up with Skippy, The Maid, DTE and The Kid just under Anna Millers to head up to the Outback. It's safe to say that everyone had a pretty good time there. Skippy was just going through a major orgasm delighting in the tastes of her steak and her dessert. Gabby joined us a bit later although she was suffering from a toothache. After dinner, The Kid had to take off but the rest of us went down to the front of the Wing Mall for a bit of coffee outside. It looks like Skippy is looking forward to the next outing. It looks possible that we may be trying out that Grand Central Station oyster bar in Shinagawa Station next month.

During the events of tonight, Movie Buddy informed me about the Hawaiian, my former private student of several months ago. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, her father did pass away. She and the rest of the family seem to be taking things pretty well considering, though.

When I got home, I got a message from The Engineer. He is indeed here so I did send him a message but I won't be able to see him for his two days here. He's headed out to the boonies on business for the rest of the week but I did tell him that I'd be able to catch him on Saturday.

Sunday July 11, 8:31 a.m.

It's the first time in a number of days that I didn't rush to put on the air conditioner in the morning. In fact, there was no need for me to put on the fan all night. It is a good sign. Tokyo was basically saved from yet another deluge which washed across a lot of the country yesterday. It was surreal to see massive rivers flushing through the streets of the countryside while Tokyo remained relatively dry.

Well, in about 90 minutes, I'll be out to Odaiba to catch Spiderman 2 with Movie Buddy. So far, I haven't received any messages of cancellations or requests for additions from the others for the Outback, something that's pretty rare.

The Engineer contacted me with his schedule about his next business trip. Apparently, he'll be here today but there's no way that I'll be able to catch him until the next weekend. Chip Guy is also coming here the week of the 19th; it'll also be a bit tight in terms of scheduling.

Saturday July 10, 7:09 p.m.

It's still warm but at least it's bearable today unlike the past week. Clouds have even made an appearance and a bit of rain started spitting from earlier this afternoon.

I just had that one class at my morning students' place. The older sister had a volleyball game to support so I really only needed to plan for the younger one. However, I did have to make a quick stop at Maruzen to get that I SPY book which was a big hit with the little sister's friend, The Little Owl. Luckily, the race against the clock was worth it. We managed to kill a good half-hour of her lesson going through the first four puzzles of this pictorial scavenger hunt.

Since the older sister was off, I had the mother instead as a proxy. It's always good with her since she's rather avid about speaking and picking up new vocabulary. We did a Japan Times article on the late great and majorly flawed Marlon Brando. She learned a lot of movie words as well as about the eccentricities of last century's arguably best actor.

I wasn't in any particular hurry to get home. I figure that all I was gonna do at home was just waste money and energy on the air conditioner so I spent a few hours looking through Tower Records. All I picked up was an EMPIRE movie mag. Then I was thinking about heading back but I ended up going to FOO FOO for the first time in a few months since I was starting to get hungry. To be honest, I didn't think I would be dropping by the ramen shop since it is the summer. However, I relented to my stomach's more strident needs and tucked myself into a set of a small bowl of ramen, a bowl of rice with seasoned ground beef and a dish of gyoza...all just for 980 yen, a good bargain. I think I not only saved myself some money but also some time and ingredients and sweat since otherwise I would've had to buy some fixins for dinner tonight. I did buy some supermarket spaghetti and salad but that's easy enough to prep without having to slave several minutes over the gas range.

Well, tomorrow while a bunch of us catch Spiderman 2 and dine on steak, the Upper House elections will be taking place. The pols did their best to blow some hot air into the atmosphere in a last-ditch effort to get their message across.

I haven't heard anything from the school scheduler about the next week's classes. They may not have anything for me but then again, the scheduler sometimes doesn't get back to me until Monday.

Friday July 9, 7:52 p.m.

Well, I missed it by 10 minutes but all of the local media got what they were waiting for weeks, and a former abductee got what she had been waiting for for almost 2 years. I got home about half an hour ago to find out that at 7:10, Hitomi Soga had that long-awaited reunion with her family. There was so much diplomatic square dancing to get this family back together due to the fact that her hubby is a former US soldier who defected to North Korea over 40 years ago. Colin Powell recently stressed that he's still wanted for desertion; a point that made Jenkins refuse to head to Japan for fear that he would be thrown to the US as soon as he lands here. So began a lot of multilateral diplomacy to find out where the family could have their reunion. China was bandied about and soon rejected because of its proximity to North Korea. Finally, Indonesia was chosen because of its "just right" distance and because it doesn't have an extradition treaty with the States.

Well, the family is back together again. Now, the big question is how long the reunion will be. Will the States relent and give Jenkins a pass? Doubt it...a deserter is pretty much on the level of Osama or Saddam as a hated person..at least to the US government. There's no way that Uncle Sam will swallow its pride on that point. Looks like the diplomats aren't finished yet.

Another long hot day. Luckily, things will be cooling down somewhat starting from tonight. That's not the only reason that I'm happy this week is over. With the exception of the school classes, most of my privates have been off for some reason. The Teacher's latest report on some historical fact just didn't grab me.

In between classes, I made a run to Odaiba to buy a couple of advance tickets for Spiderman 2 on Sunday. It proved to be no problem as I could pick the time and the seats. There's no way I'll head back to those ancient theatres in Yurakucho with the dreaded lineups. Luckily enough, Movie Buddy dropped by the Tea Room during my lesson with SR to pick up that ticket.

Well, I've just got that one class tomorrow with the little sister and then her Mom so the planning won't be too arduous. Mom is such an avid English student. All I gotta do is just make up some dinner. It'll be the cold noodles again which I don't mind, especially in this heat, and then some minced raw tuna on rice from the supermarket. My third batch of yogurt looked pretty darn solid today. I wouldn't be surprised if the thing gelled five minutes after I'd left this morning.

In any case, I gotta make that reservation for the Outback now.

Friday July 9, 8:40 a.m.

Another ridiculously torrid day coming up, but at least the forecasters say that this should be the last day of the really hot temps. From tomorrow, we should just merely be hot. A lot of the concrete in the Kanto was buckling because of the heat; considering that Tokyo is the largest concrete jungle in the world, that should raise some cause for concern.

My lesson with the Jazz Buddy wasn't too satisfying for me...and perhaps not for her although she did say that she enjoyed it. She's a bit of the more emotionally unreactive type so I couldn't be sure how she felt about the lesson. I tried going for the "simple is best" approach concerning her telephone practice but she wasn't biting. "Simple is best" is only best when the student is pretty avid; she doesn't fit that description. Well, I'll have to find some concrete material for next time.

At least, I've got my two solid students today. In between classes, I'll be checking out Odaiba Mediage to see if I can pick up a couple of tickets for Spidey 2 on Sunday. The Ballerina sent in her regrets about not coming out on Sunday; no surprise there. But Arwen has virtually disappeared from the ether. I guess her job is really getting her.

Sounds like there's some sort of Cameron Diaz S&M video out on the Net. Non-news to me...

Well, happily my Internet "diet" has reaped a small dividend. My phone bill was 1000 yen less than that of last month. However, I think my time in Hokkaido helped a bit there.

Thursday July 8, 7:38 a.m.

Well, I put on my electric fan all night in my bedroom. It made a world of difference for my sleeping comfort. Still, I've woken up to a 26-degree C morning. I sent off word to the Jazz Buddy that I'll meet her INSIDE the cafe. No use melting outside. In another development, I've shut all the energy to my audio-visual systems since my satellite tuner is acting like an oven. I'll have to be careful about how I use that if I don't want to have any unnecessary fireworks in my apartment.

I sent off a courtesy call to Chip Guy back in Toronto just to see how he's doing. I also got mail from The Entrepreneur; he gave a rave review to Spidey 2. Definitely looking forward to that...if I can score the tickets.

Wednesday July 7, 11:05 p.m.

35 stinkin' degrees today! And much the same for tomorrow. I'm gonna need the deodorant in mass quantities. NHK's telling people to get the hats and loose clothing on. I get to go casual. The latest issue of METROPOLIS also talked of the mechanics of sweating in a humid atmosphere. Now, at least I know how I'm dying.

Well, I got to meet the newest student, the Biologist. I took her to the Tea Room. She's pretty quiet and reserved but amiable enough. She told me right off the bat what she wanted to do which is to assess her weekly presentations in terms of grammar, vocabulary and overall structure. Can do. The rest of the time was just spent getting to know each other. Some awkwardness but her English is pretty good. She's definitely not one to pussyfoot around, though. I'm not quite sure how she felt about our meeting but the fact that she faxed a whole sheaf of pages over to me probably means that I've passed muster for now.

Afterwards, I checked the school. Sure enough, the kids put up their wishes for Tanabata as did I. I also checked with the coordinator about this thing concerning Halloween. She assured me that the rumours were just rumours and the show will go on come late October.

Then, I did a pit stop at Maruzen to check out for some possible material for the Jazz Buddy and SR. Nothing there but I picked up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Next, I made it to Starbucks where I hauled my ragged carcass and imbibed two drinks and a cinnamon roll to recuperate from the heat. The Office Lady did her class and I was off for home.

Looks like things shaped up for Sunday. I finally got replies from Movie Buddy and Skippy. We may have about 7 people for steak, excluding Arwen and the Ballerina who are still straddling the fence. MB's also asking about Spidey 2. I suggested the Mediage Cineplex in Odaiba.

Well, blast from the past. The top news on NHK tonight was the arrest of three Aum Shinrikyo followers for the attempted murder of a Tokyo police commissioner nine years ago just a few days after the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subways. I remember that story very well. I'd just barely been in the country for 6 months.

I really am holding off heading for bed since I'm enjoying air-conditioned comfort only in my living room. I will most definitely be activating my electric fan for the bedroom. I'm not quite sure how the lesson for Jazz Buddy will turn out tomorrow. I won't be doing it outside, that's for sure.

Wednesday July 7, 8:52 a.m.

Barely 9 a.m., and it's already hot as all Hades. I think I lost a litre of sweat just putting up the laundry. The laundry should be dry as a bone within an hour.

The Wild Guy contacted me. Looks like he had one of those alcoholic binges this past weekend. Ended up channeling the climax from The Exorcist. Reminded me of some of my ill-advised benders. One was due to foolishly ingesting 4 Screwdrivers in 2 hours in four different bars one December night in the mid-80s. By our fifth stop, an all-night Chinese diner, I think I was seeing things in 13 different dimensions. By the time Automan was driving me home, I was feeling the Dimension of Pain. It was just by the skin of my teeth (which I probably did develop through the hangover) that I didn't manage to erupt my own version of lava all over the interior of his car. I staggered home and slithered into bed, and didn't bother to wake up until mid-afternoon. Mom wasn't too pleased.

Well, I've yet to hear anything from the folks about Sunday. If I don't hear anything by tonight, I'm gonna assume that it'll be basically a teachers' outing.

I see that John Kerry finally announced his running mate in what had to have been the most overrated secret this election year. One joke that will never see the light of day at the Democratic Convention: imagine if Kerry and Edwards get into the White House and imagine if a Clinton-like scandal erupts there. The intern/tart can just tell her buddies that she saw a couple of Johns. (rimshot!)

Tuesday July 6, 11:32 p.m.

Gahhh...I hate Tokyo summers. I feel like I've been dunked in a thin film of Vaseline...or at least I felt like it before my shower of desperation. That, and the fact that I've got my air conditioner on right now is making me feel much drier. It was another scorcher out there. Still, I've gotta face my bedroom which feels like a sauna and smells like a gym changeroom. I'm gonna have to replenish my stock of Lysol. Plus, I'm suffering from some prickly heat. I'm getting rashes on my lower legs where my socks would be. I don't recall griping so much about the heat this time last year. At least, I can be sure that the rice crop this year will be excellent.

My 8.5-hour day of teaching went off without a hitch. On the way from Tsudanuma to the school, though, there was a crazy old lady screaming epithets about how stupid Tokyo is. Hmmm...and I thought that sort was pretty much just a New York phenomenon. Anyways, she just lasted a few stations before she either got off or was dragged off by station personnel; I'm not sure which but I'm glad that she got off.

My four hours at the school went by smoothly thanks to the Dancing Bear act. Especially in my latter two hours with a reading class, there was one cute little student who was just collapsing into a pile of tears and giggles. Nice to be appreciated. However, I may have heard something disturbing about one of my prize events. I'd heard rumours that the annual Halloween party may be shelved. I have a feeling it may be because that there isn't enough of a budget available this year for it to be held. Well, that I can resolve...I'd be willing to foot the bill completely for that, but the show will go on. However, I'm first waiting for confirmation from the coordinator before I offer anything.

Between classes, the Ballerina made a surprise visit. Well, I shouldn't say surprise anymore since I think she'll be making a regular habit of dropping by the school during her brief furloughs in Tokyo. She was giving some advice to a current student about the wonderful world of stewardessing. When she does finish her term of duty in about 3 years, she'll probably make an excellent counselor for the in-house programme.

My juku classes had no problems per se. The air conditioner in my room, though, was working far more powerfully than the one in my apartment. All of my students initially welcomed the blast of the Arctic but by the end of their lessons, they were quite grateful for the heat wave that awaited them when they left the room. Being the Canadian, I was quite happy to stay in my little enclave of frigidity. But I did have to get home and here I am.

This week, there's been a dearth of useful e-mail for me that's frankly galling me. I haven't heard much about the upcoming Outback outing although I realize people like Arwen and Skippy have been busy of late. Well, in any case, I did get a confirmation from DTE at the school that she'll be coming out on Sunday. In any case, I took a more proactive role by sending out assignments to SR and then giving some info to that new student I'll be meeting tomorrow for her first lesson.

Speaking of tomorrow, it's supposed to be Tanabata Day or the Star Festival. Every July 7th, the festival of star-crossed lovers is celebrated. However, the only place that really takes it seriously is the northern city of Sendai. But over here in Tokyo, we recognize it by writing our wishes on pieces of paper and then tying them to the branches of a bamboo tree. The classes at the school will be doing that as well but I'll have to miss a good part of it because of that meeting with that new person. It may be a blessing in disguise, though, since I've heard that the coordinator may be forcing the kids to sing "When You Wish Upon A Star". I'll gladly avoid that. Besides, I need to make another stop at Maruzen to look for some possible materials to help SR with her Eiken Test.

I've yet to hear from either one of those prospective students concerning lessons. Perhaps my time limitations have scared them off. I'm not complaining too much here.

Tuesday July 6, 11:32 p.m.

Gahhh...I hate Tokyo summers. I feel like I've been dunked in a thin film of Vaseline...or at least I felt like it before my shower of desperation. That, and the fact that I've got my air conditioner on right now is making me feel much drier. It was another scorcher out there. Still, I've gotta face my bedroom which feels like a sauna and smells like a gym changeroom. I'm gonna have to replenish my stock of Lysol. Plus, I'm suffering from some prickly heat. I'm getting rashes on my lower legs where my socks would be. I don't recall griping so much about the heat this time last year. At least, I can be sure that the rice crop this year will be excellent.

My 8.5-hour day of teaching went off without a hitch. On the way from Tsudanuma to the school, though, there was a crazy old lady screaming epithets about how stupid Tokyo is. Hmmm...and I thought that sort was pretty much just a New York phenomenon. Anyways, she just lasted a few stations before she either got off or was dragged off by station personnel; I'm not sure which but I'm glad that she got off.

My four hours at the school went by smoothly thanks to the Dancing Bear act. Especially in my latter two hours with a reading class, there was one cute little student who was just collapsing into a pile of tears and giggles. Nice to be appreciated. However, I may have heard something disturbing about one of my prize events. I'd heard rumours that the annual Halloween party may be shelved. I have a feeling it may be because that there isn't enough of a budget available this year for it to be held. Well, that I can resolve...I'd be willing to foot the bill completely for that, but the show will go on. However, I'm first waiting for confirmation from the coordinator before I offer anything.

Between classes, the Ballerina made a surprise visit. Well, I shouldn't say surprise anymore since I think she'll be making a regular habit of dropping by the school during her brief furloughs in Tokyo. She was giving some advice to a current student about the wonderful world of stewardessing. When she does finish her term of duty in about 3 years, she'll probably make an excellent counselor for the in-house programme.

My juku classes had no problems per se. The air conditioner in my room, though, was working far more powerfully than the one in my apartment. All of my students initially welcomed the blast of the Arctic but by the end of their lessons, they were quite grateful for the heat wave that awaited them when they left the room. Being the Canadian, I was quite happy to stay in my little enclave of frigidity. But I did have to get home and here I am.

This week, there's been a dearth of useful e-mail for me that's frankly galling me. I haven't heard much about the upcoming Outback outing although I realize people like Arwen and Skippy have been busy of late. Well, in any case, I did get a confirmation from DTE at the school that she'll be coming out on Sunday. In any case, I took a more proactive role by sending out assignments to SR and then giving some info to that new student I'll be meeting tomorrow for her first lesson.

Speaking of tomorrow, it's supposed to be Tanabata Day or the Star Festival. Every July 7th, the festival of star-crossed lovers is celebrated. However, the only place that really takes it seriously is the northern city of Sendai. But over here in Tokyo, we recognize it by writing our wishes on pieces of paper and then tying them to the branches of a bamboo tree. The classes at the school will be doing that as well but I'll have to miss a good part of it because of that meeting with that new person. It may be a blessing in disguise, though, since I've heard that the coordinator may be forcing the kids to sing "When You Wish Upon A Star". I'll gladly avoid that. Besides, I need to make another stop at Maruzen to look for some possible materials to help SR with her Eiken Test.

I've yet to hear from either one of those prospective students concerning lessons. Perhaps my time limitations have scared them off. I'm not complaining too much here.

Tuesday July 6, 7:33 a.m.

Got squalled earlier this morning...as in 4:15 this morning. I had to do a quick but groggy pull-in of some of the clothing on the line. I managed to save most of them. I think I'll be doing a lot of sleeping on the Sobu Line today.

Over in the States, the presidential campaign has been front and centre in the media with production values approaching that of a pretty big movie. Over here, with the Upper House elections on the 11th, it's just been the usual suspects with their white gloves in their megaphone vans. That, and the daily NHK offerings of air time to candidates.

Monday July 5, 9:34 p.m.

Well, I hope that this entry gets through. It doesn't really matter that much anyways. I don't write this blog especially to have people read it; it's just something for me to exercise my writing muscles and get my ya-yas out.

Just when I thought I was facing another quiet summer, I've got people asking me about my availability. I've already had to turn someone who was recommended to me by the mother of those two Saturday kids because I'm simply not available on Wednesday nights. I gave one fellow whom I met briefly at the Maple Leaf a few weeks back a bit of hope with that lone space evacuated by The Salaryman. He does work out all the way in Ikebukuro; I don't want to have to end up doing that retrospectively ridiculous late-night gig again like I did last year so I put in the limitation that I work until 9 p.m.

This Wednesday afternoon, I meet up with Party Hearty's friend's daughter for her first meeting with me. I know that it'll be a temp gig since she'll be heading back to university outside the country.

Looks like the Ballerina is back in town. She left a message on the machine. She sounds a whole lot more mature. I guess that high-flying life has made an impact on her. Otherwise, the rest of my day was a lesson-less day...quite a rare phenomenon these days, although I know that the 11th will be class-free. I just used the time to make up another one of my compilation tapes. Yes, I know...I still use primitive audio tapes. And they are getting more difficult to find. I may be forced into CD burning by the end of the year.

It was a scorcher today. And tomorrow should be just as torrid. Some of the more inland areas will be heading into dangerous territory, into the very high 30s. Well, I figure that the rainy season will be ending officially this week. And I've got a lot of hours of teaching on Tuesday.

Monday July 5, 10:11 a.m.

Hey, Blog Lords! Some service please. What happened to my last two entries?