Friday Sept. 14, 4:06 p.m.

Met up with Galahad yesterday in Suitengumae, an area most notable for being right where TCAT (Tokyo City Air Terminal) is. He and his wife are staying at the Royal Park Hotel. Apparently, it's quite popular with the foreign guests due to its proximity to the terminal. While Guinivere was off to meet her new minders, Galahad and I walked up the main road and very promptly entered Ningyocho, the somewhat inner-city neighbourhood where Brozer's, that hamburger eatery I'd been to...thanks to Skippy...is located. As usual, we caught up on old times and friends. We first had some coffee on his dime at the local Excelsiors coffee shop; Galahad remarked how the Japanese chain is kinda ripping off Starbucks with its similar font and colour scheme. I gave him a laugh by telling him that Starbucks actually did threaten legal action several years ago when Excelsior's font was even closer in design to its Seattle rival.
Then, we spent several minutes looking for some place to eat lunch. Galahad mentioned that his aunt had informed him of some sort of oyakodon eatery in the neighbourhood which is supposed to popular with the lunch crowd. Sure enough, it wasn't even noon but there was a phenomenal Krispy-Kreme-in-Shinjuku level lineup snaking its way around the corner. It must've gotten some airplay on one of the myriad food variety shows on TV. Being well-disguised Canadians, we refused to line up just for food. Instead, we ended up having lunch at a ramen shop...it always seems that Galahad and I end up eating ramen whenever he and wife come into town. Lunch was on my dime this time. We also came across a taiyaki bakery which already had a sizable lineup even before the baker fired up his brazier. Taiyaki is a sweet delicacy made with mashed azuki beans stuffed into a fish-shaped cake.
We hopped on board the Hibiya Line and just went over to Ginza to stretch our legs a bit. We took a look at some camera lenses at the corner Nikon store. It was intriguing to see that even in this day and age of the digital camera that these huge lenses costing several months' rent were still in demand. Galahad also expressed some interest in some eye drop medicine and even some of those energy drinks which are pretty much part of the salaryman's regimen here, so we crossed the street over to the local branch of Matsumoto Kiyoshi, a major drug store chain. I showed him the drinks, including the special brand of Yunker which contains a ton of royal jelly and costs a stratospheric 3,000 yen. Also, those MatsuKiyo staffers should consider selling cars...they were doing some major pushing of somewhat more expensive fare on us; Galahad was a pretty kind tourist...he ended up buying a few boxes of that more expensive eye drop solution.
Another item on Galahad's to-do list was to find a sporting goods store along the lines of The Sports Authority back in The Great White North. I asked a cop at the corner koban at Ginza 4-chome. He said that there was no such animal but there was an Asics shoe store near Shimbashi. We took a look inside Ginza Matsuya, the department store which was probably the closest to being more middle-class than the regal Mitsukoshi or Matsuzakaya stores. Still, its sporting goods department should've been re-named as merely the golfing goods department. Galahad remarked that the other department stores also had the same deal. I think he would have more luck in finding the real thing in Kanda.
We walked down the street to Shimbashi and then stopped at Hakuhinkan, the Japanese equivalent of FAO Schwarz in Manhattan. There was just some really weird stuff being sold there. For instance, there were some rather sedate versions of that old trendy thing, tamagotchi or whatever it was called. There was also a tiny computerized block with a screen display in which it asks you 50 questions to decide your personality. Sumiko Nishioka, the S&M tarento, was hawking that one with her whip. And there was a plastic guitar neck with a sensor for all those air guitarists...for those with too much time on their string-calloused hands.
Coming back to Ginza 4, Galahad took some shots of the Hermes glass palace. I told him that all of the blocks were specially imported from Italy which got him to whip out the camera. Then we spent several minutes inside of the Sony Building looking at the newest little gadgets for Xmas. Walking through Yurakucho Station and then Tokyo International Forum, my feet were starting to balloon so it was lucky that we could hit the subway finally to head back to the hotel. Mind you, we got in at Otemachi Station at the wrong end so we had to walk half a kilometre before finally popping on the Hanzomon Line. Not surprisingly, I conked out in the lobby armchair with my copy of The Daily Yomiuri like some old geezer after dinner. I was awakened by Guinivere a half hour later. She'd just gotten a new lucrative position in which she would be coming over to Japan quarterly so I may be seeing her a bit more often than usual.

I was still feeling pretty tired when we finally parted company on the Hanzomon. But I had to teach The Carolinan and BC at the Tully's. The Carolinan was fine but BC still seemed to be lacking in energy. I kinda wonder if I'm gonna have to do the thinking for the both of us. Still, she was kind enough to refer a potential new student to me. It was about 10 when I finally hit home last night but I broke my cardinal rule of not snacking past 9 and hit the McDonalds. I figured that I've been a pretty good boy by not touching a Big Mac set for a couple of weeks.

Unlike the rest of this week, today has been mainly sunny and warm. Spent most of the day at home. The news was mostly on the Prime Ministerial Sweepstakes since Shinzo Abe decided to leave the farm on Monday. Apparently, Abe had to check himself into the nearest hospital for gastrointestinal distress, supposedly due to the stresses of his former job. The Wild Thing told me that Abe may actually not be suffering ulcers but just hiding out from the media, a conspiracy theory that may hold some water. But the Cigarstore Indian looked pretty haggard up to the time that he stepped down. In any case, now that Abe is persona non grata....the race for who'll become the President of the Liberal Democratic Party (and therefore the Prime Minister) started up in earnest yesterday. Hordes of media hovered around each possible candidate like flies around dung. Their persistence finally paid off this morning when former Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda threw his hat into the ring. Like Abe, Fukuda has some family connections; his own dad was a prime minister decades ago. Then, Taro Aso finally made his press conference confirming that he'll be going for the position as well. Since he's an avowed manga fan, he may be trying to get the geek vote in Akiba.

Before I came here to the I-cafe, I had lunch at Subways. I tried out one of the new sandwiches, a smoked salmon-and-taramosalata concoction. Not too bad but I still prefer plain ol' tuna. I've just got The Ace tonight. Tomorrow is the start of a long weekend, one of two consecutive weekends. I wouldn't mind that at all except that Mondays are usually one of my most money-earning days. Luckily, SIL and Mr. TOEIC have kindly shifted to Wednesdays.

I'll be meeting The Wild Thing tomorrow for dinner at Shinjuku. We may hit Foo Foo at the station for that spicy pai ko tan tan men. He said that he may bring his new wife...although I rather doubt The Enigma will come. I'll probably be looking forward to his analysis of the Abe situation.

Wednesday September 12, 9:45 p.m.

Well, another long Hump Day has come to a close, although somewhat sooner than usual. The Judge would be in this slot right now for my final class but he cancelled last night. So, the closer tonight was The Manhattanite. She's a pretty low student but has plenty of heart. 001 was even gabbier than usual so that we didn't even approach the next chapter in the text. She's only got a couple of more lessons on her current contract. There was talk between Speedy and me earlier today about her chances of re-signing (instead of resigning); 001 reassured the boss by saying that she'd like to hang on for at least another year.

The weather is no longer the downpours of this morning. It's been replaced by a rather pleasant coolness which should fit Autumn nicely. It's here a week early but after this blistering summer, who's really complaining?

I'll be outta here in the next ten minutes since most likely I'll be getting another call from The Wild Thing at around midnight. I got a heads-up from a mutual friend back in the ol' hometown stating that he may be thinking of asking me to be a witness for the official marriage ceremony between him and The Enigma. Well, he hasn't asked me yet and I think he would've done so last night, so unless I get ambushed tonight, I'll be meeting up with Galahad instead for lunch tomorrow before I meet up with The Carolinan and BC later. It'll be BC's first lesson with me since that little breakdown way back in July. I hope she's up to it now.

Wednesday Sept. 12, 2:42 p.m.

Well, that's quite a political broadside. I knew his days were numbered but I didn't know that Shinzo Abe would pull the trigger on his head that quickly. I just found out over the Net that the Prime Minister has thrown in the towel and will resign...just a week or so after forming his 2nd Cabinet. Apparently, according to a Fuji-TV poll, a majority of the pollees said that he's resigning too early. I think he should've resigned as soon as he lost that Upper House election but now I'm wondering why he even bothered forming a new Cabinet when all he was gonna do was leave after a fortnight. Not quite sure who's gonna be the interim leader...Taro Aso? And are we gonna have snap Lower House elections?

In totally different news, I think I've found another new drink to compare with my much-beloved Calpis Water and Coca-Cola. It's called Max Coffee, and for some strange reason, it doesn't seem to be sold in Tokyo, only east of the metropolis in Chiba and maybe even Ibaraki Prefectures (The New Yorker who lives there knows about it, much to her chagrin). It basically tastes like liquid chocolate popsicles which probably explains The New Yorker's dislike of it (she's more of the serious alcohol lover) and my love for it (having a sweet tooth as large as a T-Rex's incisor). To be honest, drinking it too fast has resulted in my real teeth shriveling at the high sugar content...it's not something that doctors would recommended for diabetics. Not sure why it isn't sold in The Big Sushi, unless Governor Ishihara has rammed through a bill banning ingested WMDs. I told 001 about it last week and her face just puckered up...she's also more of an alky. Well, anyways, I just restrict myself to a weekly treatment.

Wednesday Sept. 12, 11:51 a.m.

Even though Typhoon Fitow has long gone, it still feels like its presence is very much with us. There has been some major rain just drenching the Kanto over the past several hours. I think this month will go down as one of the rainiest Septembers on record, if not the rainiest. I'm sure that the reservoirs are plenty full now. Just wonder what the rest of this Fall is gonna shape up as.

It's certainly been feeling rather nomadic with The Beehive. I only had the two former high school classmates, Mrs. Travel and Mrs. Alp at a new temporary venue, far from the station yesterday morning. I've yet to see Mrs Tee since summer hiatus came and went. As with last week, the Bees and I ended up having lunch together but this time, instead of the flash and style of a veggie buffet in Makuhari Messe, we had a simple pasta lunch at a chain called Tapas Tapas near Tsudanuma Station. One of the topics that came up was the revelation that all of Chiba would probably end up underwater if global warming went to the extremes. Considering the weather the past few days, that wasn't a particularly reassuring thought.

After the regular 002 home visit, I had my juku students once again. And once again, it was another dissipated showing. I only had the one kid, Chip, since his comrade, Dale, was under the weather. Then, Mrs. Mild showed up without her husband, followed by Jolly. All throughout, the lightning and thunder and rain dominated the atmosphere.

It's been another early morning for me since I had The Nurse for the first time in a couple of weeks. She and her hubby had done a few days of R&R up in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture...not too far away from Tokyo. Nasu is kinda like a resort area with plenty of onsen and ryokan. They've also been to Hong Kong a couple of times so I plied her with questions near the end of our rollicking hour about the place. It looks like Victoria Peak is the must-see. She is definitely a fan of the place.

It'll be several hours before 001 comes in. And then it'll just be The Manhattanite...provided that she doesn't dotakyan. The Judge has unusually cancelled his lesson tonight, so I may head home a bit earlier than usual. Not a bad thing since I'm feeling fairly tired already. However, I'm probably gonna be contacted by The Wild Thing near midnight for some reason. He came in last night with his wife, The Enigma, and contacted me by phone. Apparently, his past communiques with me have been through Skype, that supposedly hip computer-assisted phone transmission technology. Well, I'm not too impressed with it. Skype is pretty unstable and his voice kept dropping out often enough to annoy me; in fact, the entire line cut off at one point. Skype?...I think it's more hype than hip.

I managed to contact my old university friend, Guinevere, after my lunch with what remains of The Beehive. She'll be too busy with her lawyerly activities to meet me during the day but I'll be meeting up with her husband, Galahad, at their hotel near Tokyo Station tomorrow morning. It may be a bit of a walk, but I might take him to Genkatsu, that tonkatsu restaurant in Ginza which specializes in that mille-feuille katsu.

I read the latest opinion piece in METROPOLIS last week in which the author talks about the extreme dumbing-down of Japanese popular culture. Well, he won't get much of an argument from me. Last Saturday, I saw one of the most obnoxious tarento anywhere, Lou Oshiba (whose sole claim to fame is that he high-falutingly peppers his native speech with English words), on a variety show that featured him searching for a McDonalds in Egypt. This morning, the big news on the entertainment beat was the oh-so-nailbiting saga of a potential divorce between a Mama Boy traditional entertainer and his much put-upon wife, a former tarento whose mother-in-law could be a Mommie Dearest. Believe me, I wouldn't mind it if this family just disappeared into the Black Hole of Calcutta. With stories like these, and the usual pin geinin infesting the airwaves, it's no wonder that Western celebrities look so bewildered whenever they show up on one of these programs. I distinctly remember many, many years ago when Puffy Amiyumi (during their heyday in Japan and before Puff Daddy made the girls stick on the "Amiyumi" under threat of legal action) interviewed Harrison Ford when he came to Japan to promote "Air Force One". His rather bemused "O......K..." look was priceless as he contended with these kimono-wearing trollops.
But allow me to posit a theory behind all of this determined mindlessness behind Japan's TV pop culture. Sometimes, a society that has all these pressures of modern life and industry may actually need to check their collective brains at the door and depressurize via scampering comedians in tight Speedos or wacked-out tarento overly praising the dishes of some obscure restaurant in The Big Sushi. What better way to completely forget the verbal thrashing from your boss than to watch Ken Shimura with his umpteenth plastic turd on his head? How more relaxing it is to recover from seeing those gas prices and yen rise by watching the remnants of Morning Musume in cat ears dragging along a doll and exploring the bygone alleys of inner city Tokyo (personally at that time, I'm watching I-go Day in Japan on NHK Educational)? Yup, it's all Duhsville on the level of Homer Simpson but perhaps there is an anthropological method to the madness. Frankly, there should be a new equation made for this field in which there is an inverse relationship between the intelligence quotient of a country's popular culture and the power of that nation's economy. It could certainly explain the United States' love affair with so-called "reality" TV...and the ability for dimbulbs/borderline psychos like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton to keep coming back like bad pennies.

Monday Sept. 10, 5:23 p.m.

It was a quiet weekend. I spent Saturday re-watching the DVD of "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow". It's an underrated flick although some of the writing and performances (I'm looking at you, Ms Paltrow) were even more hackneyed than the lines from the original 30s movies. Still, despite some of the summer stock vibe, it was definitely more satisfying than "Transformers"...yes, I am still harping on that one. Sunday was even more sedate. Since the mother of the Younger had cancelled her daughter's lesson, I was able to catch "I-go Day in Japan" for the 3rd week in a row; not exactly as fiery as "Hockey Night in Canada" but did have its gripping moments.

Did get some updates from a number of folks. It looks like The Wild Thing will be holding off on his reservation at my place by about a week. It seems as if his enigma of a wife managed to convince him to stay at a hotel. At least, I'll get a full weekend to prepare for his arrival. Also, I received a bit of a surprise from a friend of my brother's, Galahad. He and his wife (also a good friend from university days) are in town, so I may be able to catch them for lunch sometime this week.
It would seem that my Fall could be quite full. Aside from the folks above, I've got members of The Anime King's court coming in next month and then my own trip to Hong Kong.

It's another busy Monday. I had The Class Act today...more talk on that trip to Hong Kong. In fact, for the regular eats that accompany our lessons, we had some Thousand-Year-Old Eggs (pitan, as it's known here; pidan in Cantonese) as the snack du jour. The green jellied ovules are admittedly an acquired taste but the three of us like them. Usually when I've had other brands of the eggs, they were fairly hard like hard-boiled eggs but these ones which come from this supposedly acclaimed shop in HK Central which is only open for 2 hours everyday were as velvety as butter. The Lady swears by them. In any case, one of our targets there will be this shop and to see if we are lucky enough to grab a case of them.
My time with SIL was the usual rollicking time. I found out from her that she's never been to an Internet cafe or a karaoke box. The I-cafe was no real surprise but it was a revelation to hear that she'd never visited a SHIDAX or a Big Echo for karaoke. So, just like updating Rip Van Winkle, I gave her the lowdown on the 21st-century entertainment emporium: how we no longer need to write requests on a slip of paper and that we could use tricorder-like handhelds to order songs. She was sufficiently impressed that she may see if any of her friends may try a box out. I suggested the Big Echo in Yurakucho.

Well, I've got The Full-Timer in about 15, followed by Mr. TOEIC for his 60.

I did forget to mention that I did receive two surprise messages on Saturday from a couple of old faces: SR and The Beach Girl. Apparently, the two former classmates tried to contact me since the latter was back in town. They invited me to dinner but I couldn't understand anything Beach Girl was saying when I accessed the messages from a public phone (damn her Californian fluency), and I didn't hear SR's message until I got home. I gave them my apologies.

Well, the gauntlet has been thrown down. PM Abe has said that he would step down as leader if the bill for extending the SDF's time helping out the Allies in Iraq weren't passed. Not exactly a balls-to-the-wall risk since his party has a solid majority in the Lower House but I wouldn't quite say it was a no-brainer either. However, the Democratic Party of Japan is smelling blood in the water.

Saturday Sept. 8, 2:53 p.m.

I did forget...today's also the huge premiere of "HERO", the latest Takuya Kimura movie based on the hit TV drama series all the way back in 2001. Fuji-TV's been touting the movie for months now with all the force of its bombastic theme tune. In fact, on that Friday night music show, on Fuji-TV of course, "Bokura no Ongaku"(Our Music), the star himself chatted it up with his co-star, Takako Matsu, before a 52-piece orchestra played the theme...I think it's the first time in the show's 4-year run that the only piece of music played was a purely instrumental theme song. Certainly, the movie is top-heavy with all sorts of stars: the face of Japanese TV, Tamori; Takako Matsu's thespian father, Soichiro Matsumoto; and of course, tribute had to be made to the current hanryu boom by not only filming part of the movie in Korea but also having one of its big actors, Byeong Hong Li, have a cameo.
Am I gonna catch it? Not on your life...I think KimuTaku is only capable of two emotions as an actor: furious and surly. The movie will make oodles of yen, I'm sure, but for me it's just a very special version of a trendy drama....which means it isn't.

Saturday Sept. 8, 1:51 p.m.

Typhoon Fitow is now just a memory. Not only has it been downgraded to a tropical storm but Tokyo is back to steamy and sunny. I've got the AC on timer once again.

It was just The Ace last night at the juku. He's doing his usual tennis thing with his buddies today. Recently, I learned that he's also quite the coffee lover. I think I should've given him the Kona coffee beans instead of 002. In fact, he's even done one of those barista seminars at a local chain called SegaFredo. Well, at least I know what kinda souvenir I'll be getting him, although I don't know what kinda cachet a bag of coffee beans from Canada would merit.
The boss also told me that she'd contacted either Seven or her family about her big operation, the reason is that she's now inactive as a student. Apparently, she said that the nearby hospital could only guarantee a spot right on Halloween (never a great day to have an operation). Based on my years of experience, my eyes immediately narrowed and tongue went straight to cheek. The boss didn't pick up on that but I remedied that situation by throwing out the possibility that perhaps Seven may have decided to fly the coop permanently. To my mild surprise, she didn't react in horror but just looked thoughtful and said that she didn't believe that would be the case. And to be honest, using the line of a much-needed operation is a new one for me, and pretty heavy-handed as an excuse. So, we'll just see.....yup, I've become very jaded in my middle age.

Just had Tully & The Coffeemaker for their biweekly at Tully the shop. Man, for the last few times I've been there with those two and the Sisters of State, the flies have been swarming over us. That cafe desperately needs a number of Vapona strips hanging there. In about an hour, I'll have The Dentist and then I'll be off for home.

Friday September 7, 3:19 p.m.

Well, Typhoon No. 9, aka Fitow in Western nomenclature, pretty much took over all of Thursday in all things that matter. It started barreling in from yesterday morning, really shook us up by the evening and kept howling throughout the night before leaving a trail of floods and detritus...kinda like your typical Japanese salaryman on a bonenkai binge. All of the stations covered the massive storm like flypaper with the usual shots of the poor commuters who had to spend the night in the cold hallways of stations or wrestle with the elements outside.
I had the best of timing, though. I had the entire day off yesterday and most of today off as well. So I could see all the storm und drang from the comfort of my little decrepit apartment. I did go out to the neighbourhood conbini for a few minutes, though, to grab some supplies. It was pretty humid, though not as hot as it was in August. I also brought in the lighter of the two laundry poles and my broken screen door, just in case, the winds got a little too aggressive.
However, between Wednesday night and now, I now have a couple of packages sitting on my tatami room floor. Both are for The Anime King. One package is this behemoth containing three giant female figures from this game that he and his otaku cronies just love called "The Idomaker". When I saw these dolls in their packages, I just had to roll my eyes and remark rhetorically about when these guys were ever going to grow up. The Anime King did contact me and said that The Anime Chamberlain will be coming over to take care of the shipping of the huge package. I should hope so...but until then, I know have a huge cardboard box blocking my access to the bookshelf. I'm sure when The Wild Thing arrives next week, he'll probably have some strong opinions about the latest shipment...as he usually does.

Speaking of which, yep, The Wild Thing is definitely a-coming next week. And I'll have him at my little hotel for the next fortnight. He apparently spent most of the last couple of days convincing his enigma of a wife that he wouldn't be imposing on me too much. He also asked me for reassurance that he wouldn't be imposing on me....I lied and said that, no, he wouldn't. (I'm sorry but 11 days with a guy with such an excess of personality is simply not gonna be that easy to live with....20 years of friendship or not).

I've only got The Ace tonight followed by tomorrow's biweekly sessions with Tully & The Coffeemaker, and then The Dentist at Speedy's. The mother of the Younger sent me e-mail cancelling the upcoming lesson on Sunday since the Younger has one of those volleyball games. Well, 4,000 yen down the drain but at least I won't need to go anywhere on Sunday.

Since I was safely esconced in my apartment last night, I was able to watch some other stuff aside from all those typhoon reports. On "Utaban", that music show with Takaaki ("Major League 2") Ishibashi and Nakai-kun of SMAP, I got to see two famous but disparate elements of Japanese pop culture meet. A slightly heavier-looking Hikaru Utada, the former pop sensation of turn-of-the-century Japan, got to meet the current comedic flavour-of-the-year, the prancin'-and-dancin' Yoshio Kojima, the fruit loops comedian from Okinawa who's apparently occupying the 5th spot in the YouTube popularity rankings worldwide. I'm pretty sure he'll be showing up on Anderson Cooper sometime soon. Kojima may even replace Cooper's fave "Seamanship" video. As for the fateful meeting, Utada just dissoved into giggles before she had her arms broken by an overly aggressive palmistry expert...you can probably catch her on YouTube for that as well.

I've been catching the tributes to the recently departed Luciano Pavarotti on CNN. He may also have a special place in the hearts of Japanese since he sang that excerpt from "Turandot" at the 2006 Olympics last year....the same song that helped get Shizuka Arakawa, the Japanese figure skater, her country's lone and gold medal. Thanks to that performance, CDs of "Turandot" sold like hotcakes for the next few months. Ironically, it was that same song which finished off the visual tribute to him on Anderson Cooper today.

Wednesday Sept. 5, 4:37 p.m.

Typhoon 9 isn't supposed to be hitting us until early Friday morning, but we've already gotten a few smacks today. I was walking to the station today with my little umbrella over my head and my bag in one hand (kinda like Hayao Miyazaki's Totoro in one scene) when the skies suddenly opened up like rapids in the air and my entire left side got soaked. Unfortunately, a number of my texts also got their edges nice and wet. Ironically, as my half-drenched body tried to dry out in the local Subway, the rain just as promptly stopped, and to add insult to injury, the sun came on out.

Yesterday, I had my first session with The Beehive at our new home at a nearby community centre. Mrs. Travel also teaches Japanese to some of the foreigners there. Instead of our old dusty meeting room with the blackboard and long tables, we now inhabit a tatami room with low tables and seats. However, Year 9 is definitely looking to be a transition year. I just have Travel, Mrs. Jade, Mrs. Tee and Mrs Alp as regulars, and Travel told me that until some more ladies can be recruited into the hive, we'll only be able to meet 3 times a month. I'm not particularly dismayed by that turn of events since I've always been accustomed to the 3 on, 1 off system with them. Still, it does feel a bit emptier now since Potter, Tulip and, most recently, Perth have flown the coop.
After the first session, all of us hopped on a bus to Makuhari Messe for one of those occasional lunches I'm invited to. This time, we went to a place called Na no Ha, a restaurant which, according to Travel, specializes in a veggie buffet. She saw the slightly skeptical expression on my face since I'm still passionately an omnivore. However, she reassured me that I would be quite happy with the results. The bus ride only took 5 minutes and the restaurant itself was just across the street from Carrefour, that French supermarket.
We had to wait about 15 minutes since we came in right during the heart of the lunch rush but when we got settled in, I was indeed quite happy with the buffet. Unlike my initial impression of tables just topped with baskets of raw rabbit food, there were some nice examples of wabi-sabi dishes such as chawanmushi (steamed savory egg custard) and stewed vegetables. But some of the meat family was represented via fried chicken and sanma fish. There was even some savory pots of curry and platters of pizza. I actually did get quite stuffed on the fare there. Not exactly one of the cheapest buffets at 1,600 yen but I got my money's worth. Didn't really need any dinner after that.

It was a pretty direct beeline over to 002's place since we were all in Chiba that day. She was fine as usual. The trip over to the juku took a bit longer than expected due to some jinshin jiko at Waseda Station...it couldn't have been a jumper since Waseda is a local underground station. Most likely, it was some person who collapsed or something. Anyways, I got to the juku a half-hour later than usual. No problems, though.
Just like the Beehive, the juku is currently in transition mode. Seven is on the disabled list and The Siberian will be missing for a couple of weeks. So, it was just Chip N' Dale, The Milds and Jolly with an hour to hour-and-a-half breaks in between. The boss felt very badly for me about that despite reassuring her that I didn't mind. In fact, I think she was being a little too adamant on poor Jolly that he should try to come for the 9 o'clock slot instead of his usual 10 o'clock, since he is the customer after all. We're serving him, not vice versa.

When I got home last night, I was on the can when my phone rang at two separate times. The caller didn't bother to leave a message so I just assumed it was Mom who usually does that. So I gave her a call this morning...apparently, it wasn't her last night so I'm kinda wondering who would do such a thing at 11:30 p.m.
I found out from Mom that a family friend of many decades had passed on last week from cancer. Our two families lived very close to each other...maybe just 15 minutes walk. And all during my childhood, it would be rather common for us to go to each other's houses. I hadn't seen her in many years though since I decided to put down roots in Japan. This news plus the fact that my old friend of also many years' standing, The Entrepreneur, got hitched on the same day made me realize that the times were indeed flying by.

Talking about old friends, The Wild Guy called up out of the blue. Apparently, he will be coming back to these shores from the 10th to look up some more possibilities for securing a job. And he asked me if he could stay with me for "a while" as he does some interviews. I couldn't really say no to him but part of me isn't too eager since I'm quite happy with my privacy. Well, he told me that he wasn't sure about the accomodations quite yet and that his enigmatic wife wasn't too happy about him imposing on me (it's the Japanese custom of not making trouble). We'll just see what happens. But it may mean that I'll have to spend part of Sunday overhauling my steadily deteriorating apartment, cockroaches and all. I did hear from him, though, that The Egg and his wife finally got themselves a condo at Yonge and Eglinton from 2009.

I dried out sufficiently to teach The New Yorker today. Initially, I was wondering whether to change venues to the Starbucks just above Ichigaya Station so as not to get surprised by ambush precipitation but the rains kindly held off during our walk to and from the Tullys. Actually, The New Yorker was pretty good today since the usual amount of raucous ambient noise was much lower (we were sitting beside some Buddhist monk type).

Tonight, I've got my Wednesday night lineup of 001 and The Judge. I haven't seen his honour in a couple of weeks because he had taken his family to Fukuoka for a bit of vacation. The Manhattanite, a girl I haven't seen in many weeks, was poked into the schedule between 001 and The Judge. It'll be a packed night but all of the folks are good ones so the hours should pass by fairly swimmingly.

Tomorrow, I've got bupkiss on the schedule so I may pull off another hikikomori-like recluse day like I did on Saturday. Plus, with that typhoon coming in, outdoor conditions may not be too nice anyways. I'm gonna feel sorry for that delivery guy who has to bring over the latest package for The Anime King. I will probably fill up on food and drink on my way home tonight so that I don't have to step out of the apartment.

Monday September 3, 5:12 p.m.

A little back to the heat wave of last month, although it doesn't feel all that searing out there. It was a pretty glorious weekend, weatherwise, though. But we do have a potential typhoon headed our way mid-week.

As for my weekend...well, Saturday was certainly interesting. It was the first time in nearly a decade (since I had broken my ankle in a fall) that I didn't take a single step outside my door for more than 24 hours. Getting into a funk after paying all that money for health insurance premiums, rent and Citizen's Tax on Friday night can definitely induce one to become somewhat reclusive. I didn't even go out for food...I was afraid to go out for food. Basically, aside from yogurt, juice, coffee and a little cake I'd gotten from The Ace as a souvenir (namely, breakfast), I fasted. Actually, it wasn't all that bad. I was only being a couch potato so my stomach didn't register any pangs. The experience didn't give my any epiphanies although I'm happy to realize that I can go without any sustenance for a period of time. Really, I came to the conclusion that most of the time I eat not for survival but for the good taste. Maybe, if anything, it will lead to a bit better self-control.

I did manage to catch "300" on DVD, thanks to the Anime King's gift. It was more soul-satisfying than "Transformers" so it was a pity to hear that its theatrical release had underwhelmed whereas "Transformers" is pretty much guaranteed of a sequel or two.
I'd never caught "Sin City" when it came out so "300" was my first exposure to a Frank Miller film (I don't consider "Batman" or "Batman Begins" or "Daredevil" as Milleresque films...they're solidly the work of their directors). The use of greenscreen was obvious but not overwhelming...luckily, the heart and acting of folks like Gerard Butler kept the balance. And the story was simple enough, and more importantly, the battle scenes were easy to recognize.
Watching "300" though reminded me of Klingons. All throughout the reign of the Trek sequels (TNG and DS9), Klingons were often compared to the Japanese samurai with their code of honour and other facets of battle philosophy. However, I couldn't help but think that the Spartans, an entire society seemingly developed to be violent sociopaths, were more influential on the formation of Klingons. David Wenham's raspy narration reminded me of corrupt Chancellor Gowron, and even the guy who played Xerxes sounded more like Commander Worf. I half-expected him to order his Immortals to fire photon torpedoes.
In any case, I liked "300" more than I had expected to...but after watching the mind-numbing "Transformers", anything would've been an improvement. I kinda wonder if there will be a sequel to this movie. Considering the final scene, it will probably be called "40,000".

Sunday was another day at home, but I did step out to get some food. The only major highlight was seeing Eiko Koike make yet another congratulatory appearance on a variety program. Who she, you say? Well, she's probably the most successful member of the group known loosely as "Yellow Cab", a bunch of young ladies known for their breast sizes, at least initially. The amalgam included current tarento like MEGUMI, Waka Inoue and Eriko Sato. All of the ladies had already broken out of their gravia idol photobooks and gone into the tarento world of variety shows, quiz programs, and serial dramas. But Koike seems to be the one with the greatest exposure...ahem.
Well, last week, her standing exploded when she announced her marriage to her wrestler boyfriend. Basically, every variety show that she appeared in got the round of applause and congratulatory statements for her.

On the government front, Prime Minister Abe must be feeling like the entire weight of the world wasn't just only on his shoulders but as if Atlas himself was stomping on the world at the same time. Yet another Agriculture Minister fell on his sword again just this morning for some rather dubious financial dealings. And this, just a week after his Cabinet re-shuffle. I figure that if another major scandal erupts in the next month, there will be snap elections coming so fast that it'll probably blow back any typhoon headed our way. BTW, there is one on the way for midweek, apparently.

Today, I found out how long people can dwell and hold grudges. I had The Class Act for the first time in a few weeks. We were talking about our trip to Hong Kong when the ladies reminded me (and to me at least, not so jokingly) about what a washout I was as a communicator during the Korea trip last year. Nope, I admit, I let the side down when I couldn't really do anything about my lack of Korean skills there but I just wish they wouldn't hit me over the head with it. And to add insult to injury, The Lady seemed rather brusque when she told me to fax my flight details over to her and The Matron. I kinda wonder if I will really enjoy this trip, now that I've got this pressure on me.

Well, in any case, I've got to head out to teach The Full-Timer.

Friday August 31, 11:50 a.m.

Feeling somewhat less grumpy now since I had another pleasant lesson with The Nurse. It also helped that she'd aced her test. And since Speedy has completely forgotten the incident this morning, I'll also do the same...just chalk it up to one of those pet peeve issues that often plague married couples.

Just two weeks after the 30th anniversary of the death of an iconic pop cultural figure, there will be similar observations for the 10th anniversary of an arguably even larger larger-than-life figure. A decade ago, I was between my stint at NOVA and my longer time with the ol' school; at the time, I was teaching a private student I'd picked up thanks to a connection of Paddy. On Sunday August 31, 1997, I was watching TV when a bulletin came in about a car crash involving Princess Diana in Paris. Then regular programming had resumed for a short while before the jaw-dropping news came in that the princess had indeed died. My private student for whom I had been making house calls just happened to be the daughter of a geino reporter, so on the next day when I came to her house, her father was frantically packing his bags and handling fevered faxes concerning his sudden assignment to London to handle the upcoming funeral. Not surprisingly, I spent most of my time there that day talking about the tragedy with both the girl and her mother. They said that they'd spent most of the night watching BBC News.
Several days later on the following Saturday, the funeral was aired live at 1800 JST. By that time, all of the vilification of the Queen and the paparazzi had been in full force along with Tony Blair's tribute to The People's Princess. Then, Elton John immortalized Diana by making her the theme of "Candle in the Wind" instead of Marilyn.
Man, what a difference a decade makes. Blair is gone in disgrace, the Queen is firmly back in the good graces of the people and there's been a much more complex legacy built about Diana...and for that matter, Charles and Camilla.

Friday August 31, 9:28 a.m.

Pretty rainy out there. A bit stormy here...unfortunately, for several months now, the shoe cupboard has been acting up with a oft-jammed sliding door. Speedy told me how to avoid the problem which I followed and yet it still jammed this morning...Speedy kinda gave me this sigh and this "I told you..." look and I gave him a bit of a snide retort so things are off to a grrrr-eat start...

In any case, I've got The Nurse in half an hour followed by The Chef. I've gotta get the rest of that proofreading done in the next couple of hours for her. Then, it's just The Ace tonight at the juku. Looks like Jolly is too busy this week.

Just spent last night watching that Osaka Track & Field Meet on TBS. It seems that the Japanese delegation is very much like the one for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin...just can't muster anything. At least, Shizuka Arakawa pulled one off for the side by getting the lone medal last year, but there doesn't seem to be anyone like that right now. You just gotta feel sorry for them....working so hard but just getting ditched in the dust right in front of the hometown fans.

Well, my weekend is looking nice and empty....could use with a bit of R&R, especially if boss-employee relationships are gonna be like how they started this morning...

Thursday August 30, 1:10 p.m.

Not exactly cool but then again, we're not in a heat wave either. In fact, we've had a bit of rain on and off for the past couple of days...nice way to wash out the humidity. Just saw 002 for my lone class of the day. She and her hubby had gone off last week for a little trip to Taiwan; they were able to get to famed sho ron po eatery, Din Dai Fon for an early breakfast. She described it as a mix between the famed dumplings with Japanese shabu shabu...can't really see it for myself but I can take that as a further incentive to make another trip there someday. I did get a souvenir from 002 in the form of a box of tea sweets. I may give The Madame a call to see if she'd actually make the beeline over here for some tea.

Asashoryu, the beleaguered sumo yokozuna, finally went off for his home country of Mongolia yesterday to supposedly get better again. He steeled himself from responding (or retorting) to the throngs of reporters despite their best efforts and took off from Narita. Some are hoping that all comes around for him and he comes back in better condition, while others are glad to see the back of him for tarnishing the sport.

CNN has been reporting on that wayward senator from Idaho, Larry Craig. Just looking at him, his "Huh?!" press conference, and his George Michael situation, I can't help but feel that he reminds me of another Larry...Larry David from "Whose Life Is It Anyway?". I can always hear that tinkly theme song whenever they play back Craig.

I've been reading about the growing number of I-cafe refugees in Japan. Apparently, with the arrival of these Internet cafes with multiple facilities such as showers, lounge chairs and oodles of games & manga...plus, the low, low prices of using them...1,500 yen per night...the young and homeless have found a haven to call their own. And indeed, the largest concentration of users are in their 20s but also folks in their 50s have been making up a pretty big chunk as well....perhaps the guys are hubbies who've been kicked out of the house. As a user myself, I can understand the appeal though I'm not a permanent resident. And the I-cafes are probably quite happy (at the moment) for the business. Plus, the homeless can probably stay safe from the depredations of homicidal teenagers.

Wednesday August 29, 8:32 p.m.

Yup, 001 was the tonic. Always good to be speaking with someone on a happier note, although I did give a brief harangue on "Transformers" at the beginning of the lesson. Even Speedy remarked that he wouldn't pay 1800 yen for a movie based on toys. I was somewhat surprised that the movie actually did get some good reviews.

Well, my clone finally appeared yesterday morning on Fuji-TV's "Mezamashi Terebi". Masi Oka from "Heroes" was dressed like a regular salaryman, a fact that didn't escape notice from the giggly announcers and my other clone, Mr. Karube, the entertaiment reporter. I was impressed that he could speak Japanese very well although it was slightly accented. I also picked up on his catchphrase from the show, "Yatta!". There had been thoughts about using "Banzai!" but he rightfully felt that would bring a whole ton of negative memories even some 60 years after the war. Anyways, the show itself is ready to be seen on SkyPerfect satellite TV on SuperDrama TV this Sunday with the regular season launching in a month's time.

Yesterday's stint at the juku was still on diminished status. However, Chip came back to join his bosom buddy, Dale for the first lesson. The little lad was pretty darn tan and he looked like he lost weight to a near dangerous level. Since Seven is now on inactive status, I had to wait another 90 minutes before The Milds came by. And then The Siberian returned after his stint singing at that Beijing contest last week. Amazingly, he and his partner came in 4th. He said that he'd enjoyed his time there although he did catch Beijing Lung due to the high pollution. He noticed that the sun was completely missing.

Well, tomorrow will just be 002 in the morning. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday.

Wednesday August 29, 5:39 p.m.

Well, my day turned out to be rather mediocre in a couple of ways. Movie Buddy called me up this morning about catching "Transformers" since he's still on summer vacation. I was planning to head to that buffet restaurant in Toyosu, a few stations down from Ginza on the Yurakucho Line since I'd seen it on that TV Tokyo variety program "Admatic Tengoku" on Saturday. It ended up that we could do both in one afternoon.

When we got to this new neighbourhood, it just looked so un-Tokyo-like. Wide streets with huge stretches of concrete and tall condos poking up here and there like bamboo shoots. I remarked to MB that it looked like something from sterile Missisauga. And sure enough, there was the sprawling shopping mall, Lalaport Two (as opposed to Lalaport One in Minami-Funabashi in Chiba). Inside, it just looked like any American shopping mall. Our main target was this Grand Buffet, but it was right across from a United Cinemas. Well, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. We got our tickets for Optimus Prime.

The mediocre time started with the buffet. Nothing particularly wrong with the buffet itself, although it was pretty conventional....just the usual pasta, burgers and fried chicken with the drink machines. The bad stuff happened when three of the most obnoxious mothers in the country with their brats (sorry, the only way to describe them) sat beside us. Basically the rest of our time there was fairly grating since the mothers' only way to discipline the little ogres seemed to be just yelling at them at the top of their lungs. Apparently, any Japanese custom of polite reservedness was lost on them. Both MB and I thanked our stars that we had no plans to ever, ever raise kids. Note to self: don't go to The Grand Buffet.

Now, the second part of our mediocrity was the movie itself. As a child, I remember watching the original animated "Transformers". I mean, it was an OK way to waste 30 minutes every Sunday....certainly more interesting than watching "Lamp Unto My Feet". But it was certainly no classic. It was basically just the Autobots and the Decepticons just punching the mechanical crap out of each other.
Well, a quarter of a century later....I see Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay couldn't really pull off anything here either. I heard critics saying that the first third of the movie was pretty slow but then the jams get majorly kicked for some POW! kick-bang action. I'm gonna have to be contrarian here and say that the first third was more promising than what followed. There actually was some backbone of a story in the first half-hour or so....but then, that lame bit of comedy with the Autobots trying to hide around the Witwicky house started up, followed by John Tuturro's Sector 7 happened....all bets were off. John Tuturro and Jon Voigt must be enjoying their paycheques enormously. It was obvious that John was just playing his sinister G-man with tongue firmly impaling cheek, while Jon will now be famous for his usual Voigt Hunch (see Shouty Pacino for an analogy).
The special effects were truly special in the first half of the film but when the usual Bay elements of jittery cameras and explosive mayhem hijacked the last part, they just left me feeling shellshocked. By that point, I couldn't tell or care who was doing what to whom. And of course, the script brought writing back to the early days of talkies. Both MB and I just walked away from the theatre feeling like Shia LaBoeuf did after one of Bay's chewouts.

Well, here I am getting ready for 001. I'll be looking forward to the brief existential respite...

Monday August 27, 9:37 p.m.

Finished my day today. The Full-Timer came in and did her stint and then Mr. TOEIC finally arrived...20 minutes late, as usual. However, unlike my earlier premature assessment, I did notice that he actually improved his fluency a little bit after his week in Toronto. There may yet be hope. His appetite certainly has been running at high speed. As soon as I invited him to have a Krispy Kreme donut (he had the apricot-filled one), he just tore to the kitchen.

I'll probably be heading out in the next 20 minutes for home. I guess things are starting to wind down for the summer. The days are still pretty torrid but the nights are starting to cool down to more acceptable levels. The next few days may even see some rain and even cooler temps. All the better for us.

Today was notable in that Shinzo Abe's embattled Cabinet was getting a re-shuffle. All of the morning wide shows were devoting their 60-90 minutes to the gripping drama of seeing old guys (and one woman) entering, leaving or shifting. So far, the big move was Foreign Minister Taro Aso get the big job of LDP Secretary-General...perhaps a step closer to the Prime Ministership himself. And then there was the other event playing out in Osaka, the International Track and Field Championships. Tyson Gay unsurprisingly got his win in the 100-m dash.

Monday August 27, 5:32 p.m.

Just finished off my dinner of soumen. For the uninitiated, soumen are thin white noodles that are often eaten ice-cold dipped in a small bowl of sauce with chopped leeks and minced ginger. Very refreshing for summer and it still provides those fast-acting carbs (all apologies to those folks still on the Atkins Diet).

I've got The Full-Timer in the next half-hour. Thankfully, Speedy's given me the green light to bring her here to the school for her lesson. Nice to escape smoke and noise once in a while. And my student will be lucky to indulge in one of the KK donuts. Then, Mr. TOEIC will be back for his first since returning from Toronto a couple of weeks ago. It'll be interesting to see if he's improved any...I doubt it...he's a bit on the obtuse side but miracles can always happen.

I've been getting some work-related e-memos here and there. B2 sent me one stating that she's done the corrections to her covering letter and that she's sent it off to the airline company for perusal. And then I got word from Ms. Travel reminding me about the return of the Beehive next Tuesday at what will probably be the new Hive. The Chef sent me her usual long sheaf of fax this morning for this Friday's upcoming proofreading lesson. BC even sent me e-mail thanking me for last night. I, in turn, sent her the web address for the best Doctor Who site.

This week will actually be a fairly light one. In fact, I think today and Friday may be my only truly busy days with 3 or 4 lessons. I only have the juku tomorrow but only the kid and The Milds are confirmed. Seven is out of the picture indefinitely until she's out of the woods after her operation, Jolly told me he couldn't make it for tomorrow night and I always wonder about the Siberian. Wednesday is only 001, and Thursday only has 002.

I think the newest breakout comedy star has arrived on Japanese TV screens. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Yoshio Kojima? This guy has become quite the presence on that variety show showcasing new tarento on Saturday nights, "Enta no Kamisama" (The Gods of Entertainment). This is a nutcase who just gallivants all over the stage in only a tight Speedo with a manic grin on his face spouting out stream-of-consciousness stuff to a techno beat while he intersperses his stuff by suddenly punching the floor with his fist as he states his mantra "Sore wa kankei nai" (That doesn't have anything to do with it!") I know he's gotten his 15 minutes of fame (or 1 year in Japan) since he actually appeared for the first time on "Waratte Ii Tomo", Tamori's flagship show. There must be something to these folks who hit it big with just their real names. The past few months we've had another breakout star in the form of Sumiko Nishioka, the comedic S&M Queen; and of course, there's the veteran Sayaka Aoki, the Lucy Van Pelt of Japanese comedy.

Monday August 27, 5:01 p.m.

I've had a couple of surprises in the past 24 hours. For one thing, The Maple Leaf is gone. Yup, Tokyo's vaunted Canadian pub in the heart of Shibuya up and went some 3 months ago. And unfortunately, The Carolinan and I found that out the hard way. Last night, I had been expecting to take her, her sister and BC for some of that poutine but when I didn't see that big Canadian flag emblazoned on the 4th floor of that building, I knew something was up.
Mind you, in retrospect, I can't say that I'm that surprised at the closing. I'd never thought that The Maple Leaf was all that hopping a place. Plus, I was rather miffed at the fact that they charged 1,000 yen for one can of Labatts and served some of the lamest poutine. However, they also served the spiciest Buffalo Wings the Kanto has ever seen and some pretty decent burgers.

Well, as they say here in Tokyo, sho ga nai. And as they say in "Peanuts", "AAUGH!" However, The Carolinan and I were able to find alternate digs not too far away up on at the top of the PARCO 1 Department Store. We made a beeline to The Saigon up on 8. Nope, about as far away from Ottawa as one can get in terms of cuisine but the food there was very good, and the local beer was great to quench one's thirst....and it didn't cost 1,000 yen. The Carolinan sent word out to her sister and BC about the change in venue.
And some 20 minutes later, BC showed up followed by The New Yorker an hour after that. I felt very badly about the error so I treated everyone to the first round. Still, the dinner was fine. It was the usual orders of pho, Spring Rolls, etc...anything that's good from Vietnam. Plus, the Vietnamese Coffee was good and strong (although I still slept like a baby last night).
I realized that it was the first time that I'd ever had The Sisters of State in the same place at the same time in the years that I've been teaching them. Obviously, the usually-much-quieter New Yorker was a bit more ebullient in the presence of her sister. BC got along quite well with The New Yorker in their first meeting. In fact, BC was doing much better since her sudden waterworks more than a month back. She's still quite the Canuck-o-phile; she said that she regularly went to the CBC website, and wanted to know about this Doctor Who fellow. Well, it's the first time any Japanese citizen ever asked me that question.
It ended up being more expensive at The Saigon, especially for me since I treated everyone to the first drink but it was well worth the outing. Good food and companionship.

And then less than 24 hours later, I saw The New Yorker again for her regular lesson. Last night, I had remarked that I wished I had my own little room to teach the ladies since Tully's has recently been the target of insect swarms and has always been a noise magnet as well. Well, the noise was in full bloom there today and that isn't too good, especially when I have a student as shy and reserved as The New Yorker. It seemed like I was giving her the ultimate test in listening comprehension. Now, I'm gonna have to see if there are any places like the ol Tea Room.
But I did get a nice final surprise today in the form of a box of Krispy Kreme donuts from The New Yorker. She and her sister bought it last night after dinner. I figure that they wanted to "get me back" for the round of drinks. Whatever the case, I'm mightily grateful. It just falls in with the Japanese custom of escalating the gift exchanges here.

Saturday August 25, 6:34 p.m.

And thus we come to the end of another teaching day. And a pretty frenetic pace we kept as well. The EIC student's last lesson came off pretty well; I think she'll fight the good fight tomorrow at her debut. Then the Dentist came in. Pretty steady job there...problem was that I suddenly got a major demand from my bowels to discharge so the last few minutes were rather clenched, not to put a fine point on it. Luckily, the DVD miracle student is also a peach of a lady so that she gave me those vital minutes to head to porcelain Valhalla. Yup, she's a keeper but unfortunately, she won't be able to come out next time so we'll have to see late in September.

Glad I'm off now. I just have that Maple Leaf outing tomorrow with The Sisters of State and BC. Just kinda wonder how crowded the place will be at 6 p.m.

Saturday August 25, 1:35 p.m.

Well, here I was yesterday wishing for rain when the entire Kanto area got deluged by supersqualls around midnight. Thank heavens I got home early enough. Not sure if that will be good enough to keep the reservoirs happy but every bit helps. We're back to hot and humid today, though.

Last night, I gave Jolly quite a bit of inspiration. During the lesson last night, I showed him my copy of METROPOLIS, the free weekly English-language magazine. In it, there was a review on some non-descript pub in the bowels of Kabukicho which had an interesting challenge for all the pubcrawlers. For 10,000 yen, a group of tipplers can try drinking a gallon of Guinness with a Bailey's Irish Cream chaser. The giant cocktail is known as the "Irish Car Bomb". I think it is named aptly if politically incorrectly. In any case, Jolly became quite like his name when he saw the challenge, and there's a good chance that he and his buddies will make a beeline to Shinjuku tonight. I, of course, gave him the issue.

As for me, nothing so extraordinary. I had Tully and The Coffeemaker at the usual Tully's Coffee Shop this morning. Unfortunately, we all had to concentrate on beating back the flies as much as going through the lesson. In about 15 minutes, I've got the final round with that EIC student before The Dentist shows up and then that miracle DVD student. With my luck, she may not show up at all.

Mr. TOEIC is coming back on Monday. Nice to supplement the income although he's a hard student to teach with his slow-as-molasses processing time. I'm not sure if his brief time in Toronto helped his fluency any.

Yesterday, I had lunch at Maharajah in the Shinjuku Southern Tower Building, home of Microsoft Japan just across from Takashimaya Times Square. They had the usual curry buffet for 1,000 yen. I certainly indulged in that one...almost overindulging myself on the pots of Chicken Saag, Vegetable Curry and all the naan & saffron rice I could get my jaws on. It's certainly a good deal, though. And I even had cherry Jello for dessert. It's been years since I had that stuff. In any case, I didn't need dinner at all after that Indian feast.