Friday May 9, 9:47 p.m.

Finished up with Miss Disney and The Ace. She said that she went to TDL at least once a week. I asked her if she would ever consider working there and she gave a most adamant NO. I'm not surprised since Mild Jr. who is now working there has said that working there has rather spoiled the illusion. It was good timing that The Ace has returned to half-hour lessons since we only needed to wrap up things with one chapter. Since he's a tennis player, I asked him about the re-birth of Kimiko Date's career. He said that he was amazed at how she almost pulled off a championship considering her age and how long she'd been away from the game.

Well, I'm off for the weekend since everything has to be in readiness for the arrival of Mom. Not exactly gonna be easy though with all of the cleanup involved.

Looks like another couple of superdelegates have jumped ship from Clinton over to Obama. One of the guys is named Payne, and I'm sure Hillary is feeling his name right now. I think the end is nigh now. Heck, even this week's TIME has pretty much blurted it out in big white letters.

Friday May 9, 7:01 p.m.

Back at the juku. Apparently, all of the boss' students are off on shuugaku ryokou or the annual school trips to Kyoto. It's another one of those rites that all third-year junior high school students go through. Here in the Kanto, the kids and teachers all hop on Bullets and head over to Kyoto or Nara...or if their schools are really doing financially well, they may even hop across the ocean to Hong Kong. If the kids are from the Kansai, well, they probably head over here to The Big Sushi or head off to Hokkaido. Of course, the kids are more sussed than a 3-Coke (that's cola) head trip, since it's their first big trip without their family and, more importantly, with their friends. I remember when I participated with one trip back on the JET Programme almost 2 decades ago. We were walking through Kyoto, all the kids were in their uniforms and some guy handed out tissues with ads for sex clubs. Even back then, kids could learn pretty quickly. They also gotta kick out of seeing a bunch of abekku on the concrete bank on the other side of a river. Abekku is the katakana-ization of the French word avec meaning "with". However, over here abekku refers to a couple making out. I assumed that the teachers didn't mention any of this in their after-action report to the PTA.

Unfortunate segue, but speaking of kids and sex clubs, the police busted some place in Tokyo called The Peach Club, a kyabakura or cabaret club, for employing 14-year-old girls as the hostesses. The manager feigned innocence about their age. Uh huh... In any case, the employees were apparently raking in thousands of dollars per month....somewhat better than the usual McDonalds part-timer.

Just have Miss Disney and then The Ace...back to his half-hour format since he managed to catch up in terms of his lessons.

Friday May 9, 3:54 p.m.

Had another slight jolt this morning. But the epicenter was so close to home that it just felt like a seismic kick and an especially loud slam of a door. No wits were damaged. When I was teaching The Yogist and The Carolinan yesterday, they were pretty ho-hum about the M6.8. Heck, The New Yorker was basically near ground zero and her sister told me that she'd suffered no hiccups. But I did get some concerned e-mail from a few of the other guys back home.

Started Phase 1...more like Phase .5...of Operation Cleanup for Ma this morning. Managed to clean the kitchen mats and hose down the floor before giving the new vacuum its first assignment in the bedroom. The big job starts tomorrow morning. Not exactly spic and span yet but at least a lot of detritus from my living room is now in the garbage where it will be picked up the next day.

Caught the latest trailers for both "The Dark Knight" and "Ironman". Dang, I can hardly wait to see those two flicks.

I've been continuing to read through Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink". There was the chapter concerning the error of electing Warren G. Harding as the US President in 1921. Basically, it was the adage of "You can't judge a book by its cover". Gladwell labeled him as the worst president in American history....that label changed hands a week ago. But the intriguing part was where the author cited the national mistake of falling for Harding's tall, dark and handsome look....and I started thinking of a current presidential candidate. As much as I like Barack Obama, there is a part of me inside which wonders how much of him is substance and how much is actually just oratorial style. Still, barring any major miracles, he's headed for the Democratic nomination.

We've been having a spate of very sad murders in the last several days. Last week, a girl who had just started high school was slain in Aichi Prefecture through strangulation and her knapsack's contents were strewn everywhere except for one item which is now curiously missing. And then yesterday morning, another girl was found murdered and buried in a deserted area near Kyoto. A misogynistic pedophobe?

Then there is the truly ridiculous. A deluxe restaurant chain which last year had been cited as one of the corporate entities found guilty of serving food that had gone past its "best-by" date got nailed again for serving uneaten leftovers to its patrons. The head of the chain, an old woman dressed in a kimono rather whined at the media for using such a harsh word as "leftovers". This was the same woman who openly and literally put words into her imbecile son's (the former president) mouth during the last apologetic press conference.

Speedy contacted me this morning. Looks like I've got another student on next week's schedule. It's The Dentist, a lady whom I haven't seen in a few months. The bossman also told me that although BC has decided to not come to work, she has decided to make the visit to a doctor today. Not sure if my message to her had anything to do with it but as long as she's going, I'm happy enough. SIL also cancelled her next lesson so I've got a bit of a respite in what will still be a loaded Monday.

I was watching NHK news last night and saw that Okinawa has been trying to put back the 2,000-yen bill back into circulation in commemoration of the last time that the G8 Summit was in Japan in 2000...this year, it's at the other end of the nation...up in Hokkaido. I've seen my share of the bill thanks to The Beehive's habit of paying me with them.

Thursday May 8, 12:50 p.m.

Just sent BC an e-mail of concern and a bit of a chewout for continuing to stay sick and not seek any medical help. This was triggered when the bossman lamented (as he is wont to do from time to time) about how the office is going to run when he goes off on his long business trip. He has asked me to come in as much as possible...which frankly isn't going to be possible, especially with Mom in town. Therefore, the letter. Sobbing and caterwauling about being sick while there have been ample opportunities to get to a doctor doesn't get much sympathy from me.

Thursday May 8, 12:28 p.m.

Ahhhh....BC...she was Guilt personified for the brief time she was in the office. She was also Death warmed over...still ailing from that mystery disease and feeling darn bad about letting people down and having to cancel her class with me tonight. She's started to get into one of her sobbing jags again before Speedy gave her the day off. But she refuses to go to the doctor since she hates them....you can check my last entry about the possible reasons, and I could understand since I have the same reluctance as well. So, it's just the boss and me again.

Thursday May 8, 11:35 a.m.

Well, rock me Amadeus! I thought my long day at work would end quietly but the entire Kanto got a roller coaster ride, courtesy of a Shindo 3 after 11:30 last night and then the biggie, a Shindo 5- (M6.8), at 1:45 a.m. And here I thought that they usually decrease in intensity. No supreme worries...a picture fell off a wall along with some CDs and the remaining contents of my air freshener got dumped onto the tatami, and of course, NHK was on the ball although this supposedly new-fangled early warning detection system failed once again. Not sure if this is the beginning of another seismic cluster headache.

I've been reading Malcolm Gladwell's 2nd book, "Blink", which is a diverting read on what is basically the art of sizing people and situations up and making snap decisions well. I'm pretty sure it isn't the first and last of this type of theorizing. And though it is engrossing, I know that one chapter wouldn't work...at least for now...in this country. Gladwell talks about the probability of dissatisfied patients suing their doctors being dependent on their bedside manner; the relationship is an inverse one in America. And in one of the most litigious nations on the planet, I could see that theory having legs there. Over here, though, lawsuits are rare against the doctors...good bedside manner or not. For one thing, the average case takes far longer and more money than the average fellow can afford thereby discouraging a lot of people from taking on the bad guys, and doctors' ivory towers are still pretty massive (though, those towers have gotten some significant cracks recently). Plus, the MDs got that sensei label, a tag that still (deservedly or not) carries a lot of weight. So, even if the doctor is one of those arrogant sons (or daughters) of bitches with a lordly manner, the patients will usually accept them. Heck, even getting a second opinion is a major, major decision.

BC has yet to show up so Speedy has been off his feet answering phones. I just hope that she's well enough for the lesson tonight.

Wednesday May 7, 10:42 p.m.

Ahhhh....and another Hump Day comes to an end. It was the usual...001 was lots of fun, The Diver had her usual grammatical angst (she can find so much turmoil in things that others just glide through) and Medicine Man and I had a very nice slide through the half-chapter. However, next Monday is gonna be a wringer. I've got 7 lessons that night. Will make a good pile of money but at the possible expense of my sanity. Hopefully, Medicine Man will have a good bedside manner since he'll also be coming in as cleanup that night.

001 told me that she's started watching "Heroes" via one of the commercial channels, NTV. She's lucky that she won't need to shuck out the 20,000 yen to buy the 1st-season DVD set. She had quite a few questions about Hiro and the gang; plus, she expressed some shock at some of the gruesome nature of some of the deaths, and she's only seen Episode 2. I warned her that there was quite a bit more to come, especially when Sylar finally makes himself known.

Gonna have to talk with BC tomorrow during her lesson since it'll just be the two of us in about a couple of weeks when the bossman takes off for his business trip.

Anyways, I'll be taking off soon with a good book in hand...Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink".

Wednesday May 7, 2:10 p.m.

Currently in the holding pattern between The Nurse and 001. I'm slightly worried about BC, as is Speedy. She's been ill and I was wondering during her last washroom break if she were heaving. I asked her and she says she's surviving. Not exactly the best of segues, but the bossman is asking me indirectly about McD's for lunch....and I had my McBreakfast. Well, I've done an all-Golden Arches Day once before; once more unto the breech.

The bossman also informed me that Mr. TOEIC wants to come back to the fold since he's been transferred to a section which will require English. Unfortunately, my nights have gotten quite packed since his last lesson all the way back in January. On the same note, The Manhattanite is finding the same pattern.

I see, as expected, Barack Obama has gotten North Carolina as the latest of his Primary trophies, but Indiana is still too close to call. Another nailbiter under way...and I'm sure the CNN folks are just frothing at the mouth. But frankly, even if the junior senator from Illinois gets this state, Hillary will not roll over and die.

I've been looking over the Wiki entries for the new (and supposedly) improved "Battlestar Galactica". It has been running here for its first time in Japan on Super Drama TV for the past few months. Not sure how it's been faring but generally Western sci-fi shows don't really hit a chord with the public here...plenty of the domestic fare to keep the otakus busy. As for me, I've seen the pilot and the final episode of the 1st season; I always seem to follow that pattern with these shows...I have done the same with "Heroes". Anyways, from what I've read on Wiki, I don't think I'll be all that enthused to catch up with the intervening eps or the next few seasons. This re-imagined series just seems too grim...almost like the Mirror Universe version of the original series, though I don't particularly look upon Lorne Greene's "Galactica" with any particular nostalgia either. If I were writing the series finale, I would probably end it like "Blake's Seven" from the UK....everyone dies trying to grab their own agenda only a few light-years from Earth with the guys at SETI none the wiser.

Speaking of TV imports, "Ugly Betty" has also made its way onto the satellite channel. We've had the original Columbian version on repeats here for some years now. I hear that Lindsay Lohan is slated to be a mean girl on the 2nd season back Stateside. Good casting.

Wednesday May 7, 12:05 p.m.

Things are back to normal in The Big Sushi. When I got onto the subway, there was the plethora of suits and pantsuits with a smattering of school uniforms. And the McDonalds near Speedy's was filled a bit more with the customers; I guess there were a lot of corporate types who had to catch up on paperwork there.

Just finished up with The Nurse. She's been having some problems with adverbs. For her Golden Week, she took a workshop in making sandals at Japan's mecca for DIY, Tokyu Hands. Now, I've got several hours to kill before 001 comes in later tonight. It'll be a filled evening, though. After 001 comes The Diver and then Medicine Man.

Last night, The Milds came in. Mrs. Mild looked like she was going through a bout of pinkeye. She just said that it was fatigue. Meanwhile, Mr. Mild informed me that he had enjoyed his trial lesson of yoga in Kudanshita but will probably be joining a yoga program within Urayasu since it is far cheaper....in the neighbourhood of 500 yen for 8 weeks. Let me say that again, 500 yen for 8 weeks. Man, that teacher must be really doing it as a labour of love. I gave the couple a heads-up about a model lesson student who'll be sitting in on their class since he requested a group lesson. Not sure how that's gonna go...their last addition happened to be The Ace whom Mrs Mild found intimidating. Not surprisingly, both Milds are feeling a little trepidatious about this next potential classmate.

The Chinese President has indeed gotten a "welcoming committee" of pro-Tibetan protestors following him. They even trailed him to a French restaurant where he and his host, PM Fukuda were dining at last night. I think he met the Emperor either this morning or last night.

Facebook is indeed the site to meet up with old friends. In the past couple of days, thanks to California Girl, I've been hooked up with a couple of fellow teachers from the ol' school, Slowhand and The Lawyer. The Lawyer even sent regards from The Captain.

Well, gotta be prepping for the rest of the day.

Tuesday May 6, 7:28 p.m.

Finished off with Jolly and Suzanne. Jolly was definitely more like his name; not only did he arrive at a more decent time, he has also just come off some R&R in Kyushu where he partook in the area's various hot springs and had some of their delicacies. He even visited Miyazaki Prefecture currently ruled by one of the most recognizable and popular governors in recent history, former comedian Hideo Higashikokubaru. Jolly had the famous chicken there and even tried the (overpriced) mango for the grand price of 2,500 yen (that's $25 CDN per fruit). Mind you, the mango was indeed super juicy and sweet so I guess for a vacation, the price wasn't too painful.

Suzanne's trek for her upcoming homestay in Australia is perhaps hitting a snag. Her homestay father, a friend of her relative, has said that things could get a bit dicey since his wife is just going through the first trimester of pregnancy...which means morning sickness. So, he suggested having her stay in a separate apartment alone, which would probably negate any meaning of homestay. She has yet to tell her folks about the situation for obvious reasons; heck, if I were her father I would be bristling to tell my relative off for screwing up the timing so badly. Hopefully, things will resolve themselves.

Obviously, I'm typing this at this time since Mild Jr. pulled out, probably due to work. So it'll just be his parents.

Tuesday May 6, 3:21 p.m.

Well, Spring has already started making some major noises about morphing into Summer. One sign of this is that when I put out my wet laundry out on the line, it went bone dry in about a couple of hours instead of the usual daylong wait. It certainly felt very stuffy here in the juku when I came in a half-hour ago. Yup, it may still be officially Golden Week for another several hours but I'm working today. Actually, I'd almost forgotten that it was a national holiday today except that there was not all that much traffic on the streets (although I'm sure on the highways, JR tracks and at the airports, it's been another U-turn nightmare) and there was hardly a necktie or briefcase to be seen.

Strangely enough, Jolly will be the first in the batting order. He'll be coming here right at 5 since it is a holiday after all. It may be an interesting lesson since the two of us will actually be lucid. Then, it'll be Suzanne, perhaps Mild Jr. and then The Milds to wrap up. The early start helps me since I'll be teaching The Nurse early as usual tomorrow.

Even though the media has said that this has been a somewhat truncated Golden Week, I've been fine with the three whole days off. The new microwave has been working out well. I noticed that for such an inexpensive model, it seems to have a lot more capability than my old one; then I realized that my old one was truly an ancient one since it was produced in 1991. A lot of functions have been added since then. I've yet to turn on the new vacuum full throttle since I'm waiting for the big clean on Friday and Saturday before Mom comes to town.

I've basically been coccooning at home for the long weekend. But I did give "The Bourne Ultimatum" another look-see on DVD, with and without commentary. It's definitely one of the best thrillers I've seen although what keeps it from being classic is that the final car crash in New York is a bit too similar to the one in Moscow in "The Bourne Supremacy".

And I listened to the Best of M-Flo on CD. Y'know, listening to Verbal, Taku and their harem just reflects how the Japanese can adopt various cultural trends such as in music and twist them to make them their own. I think Namie Amuro said it best in one of her titles, "The Queen of Hip-Pop". M-Flo's oeuvre takes on the hip-hop/R&B/rap trappings but I couldn't really see the boys (dare) opening up for any of the hardcore equivalents in the US. J-Hip-Pop seems to be the happy-go-luckiest take on black music when compared to the much more aggressive versions Stateside. I mean, I could invite Verbal to my family's place for dinner.

Well, the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, has arrived for 5 days of goodwill posturing in Japan. A lot to do for him and Prime Minister Fukuda. Still, it's a major achievement since nothing like this could've been envisioned while Junichiro Koizumi was still in power. At the same time, I'm not gonna expect the Governor of Tokyo, rabid Sinophobe Shintaro Ishihara to come within five metres of Hu. And I'm sure the ultra-right wing will be giving him a welcome of a different sort via their black trucks.

Friday May 2, 6:30 p.m.

At the juku...it's just spritzing right now. Although the umbrellas are up, I haven't put up mine. In my hemisphere, we don't bother with the brolleys when it's merely spritzing. It's simply not Canadian.

Well, the boss told me to expect a new student with The Milds come the 13th. This, considering that Mrs. Mild is pretty skittish about newcomers and that they're well into the 2nd half of the text. At least, I can warn The Milds about the new guy next Tuesday. Speaking of them, I wonder how Mr. Mild did at his trial yoga lesson on Tuesday.

Friday May 2, 3:40 p.m.

It's fairly warm out there but overcast and some dribs and drabs of precip. May need to bring out the brolley by the time the juku comes about. I've got 2 classes tonight...Miss Disney and then The Ace who has come back from Australia. He should have some interesting stories for me tonight.

Yesterday I pulled the trigger and bought the new microwave and vacuum from Yamada Denki. The oven was just a bit over 10,000 yen ($100 CDN). Unlike my old one, it doesn't have a clock but it promises a bit more flexibility in what it can do. The new vacuum cleaner is a standup number with a collapsible handle and cyclone-like pickup system. And it doesn't smell whenever it's in operation. Unfortunately, with the old vacuum which I'd had for well over a decade, the last time I watered down the filters, a permanent stink was left with them. I had the new oven delivered this morning, and they kindly took away the old oven. No major recipes are in store for today and tomorrow but I may try something out on Sunday....provided I have the funds.

I watched the DVD of "The Bourne Ultimatum" last night. Although I did see it at the theatre last year, it still packs quite a thrill on the small screen. I checked out the deleted scenes as well. Yup, I can see why they were taken out. I also listened to my other purchase, Jane Monheit's "Surrender". Very soothing music....good for the dinner table with a glass of wine.

Not too soothing out there, though. The gas rates went up and apparently, there was quite a hew and cry in The Diet over the bill to pass it. There was the usual literal scrum in chambers, although the Japanese will never come close to the major fisticuffs in Korea and Taiwan. However, some news coming out is that the former Minister of Defense in the defunct Abe Cabinet, Yuriko Koike, may be getting groomed to take over for politically ailing PM Fukuda by LDP sage, Hidenao Nakagawa. We may yet see the first female summit between the United States and Japan in the near future.

"The Prisoner", that weird countercultural British sci-fi series from the late 60s with the notoriously cranky Patrick McGoohan, is back on SkyPerfect. I saw the pilot ep yesteday. It was one of the first TV shows that I remember seeing as a child...a mere tot, actually. Of course, I had no idea what it was all about back then, but I knew I was pretty scared by the big white bouncing ball, Rover. Rover, along with Balok from "Star Trek" (who always popped up as the final freeze frame during the end credits), were the two images that would have me scurrying into the sofa. It's a bit eerie now as well since I'd made a reference to the show a few days ago in an entry without knowing of its return.

And speaking of weird, I can now understand why many a Japanophile author always refer to their adored adopted land as one of paradoxes. I was having lunch in a Japanese-style family restaurant having Japanized western food of Tatsuta-fried chicken and croquettes while the theme song from "Dallas" was playing as the Muzak. One piece of rumoured trivia about that show when it came to Japan. Apparently, one of the most popular dramas in the 80s back Stateside, it never managed to do well here just because Charlene Tilton's character always laughed out loud without covering her mouth....very crude manners...back then. Nowadays, a girl would be seen as a fossil if she did cover her mouth while laughing.

Well, officially, we'll be entering Golden Week from tomorrow although some lucky ones started from the beginning of the week. For me, I've got three whole days of nada. Just gonna cocoon but I do have the juku classes on Tuesday although it is a national holiday.

Thursday May 1, 11:48 a.m.

I see that May Day has arrived. Still very pleasant out there. Apparently, back in the Big Smoke, The Anime King reports that the temps there dropped below zero. In a city where I've seen it snow in May, nothing surprises me there meterologically.

Apparently, those supposedly hard-to-unload Mogu dolls have gone like hotcakes. Speedy was somewhat surprised to say that the whole litter of them may be given away by nightfall. I'll probably give California Girl my doll if she really wants one. She's been busy over there on the West Coast whipping a soundtrack for some indie movie. Amazing where some folks' careers go.

Did the books last night just before bedtime. Was a bit disappointed that I didn't save nearly as much as I did last month, but last month was a bit of a fluke in any case. However, message received...will have to be more austere this time. As I usually do, I am dreading the arrival of the premium schedules for NHI and City Tax.

The blockbuster season starts up in America today. "Iron Man" gets its launch; I've been hearing that it's a good, not great, superhero flick. What makes it good is Robert Downey Jr. The Little Tramp becomes Shellhead. I've been reading my issue of "Total Film" with the cover story of the return of Indiana Jones. Should be a great summer...Indy's coming over here on June 21st.

And Ja-a-a-a-a-ck Nicholson made his presence known yesterday here to campaign for his movie with Morgan Freeman. He was his usual smirking self.

Well, I'll be heading home in a few minutes to get some household stuff such as buying a microwave and picking up the cleaning. It'll be a nice switch from teaching.

Wednesday April 30, 9:43 p.m.

Finished up with The Diver about half an hour ago. She was her slightly timid self but did pretty well with the Simple Present. She's off for a bit of diving off of Izu-Oshima during the Golden Week weekend. That's what she lives for. I wasn't quite able to foist one of our dolls on her but Speedy was able to get two onto his student, and Skippy has shown interest. I've sent over pics as a courtesy.

I have gotten yet another Facebook friend in the form of California Girl from the ol' school. I've only seen her sporadically in the past number of years since obviously she's put up stakes in The Golden State. She's an old compadre of SR who introduced me to The Carolinan who introduced me to The New Yorker and BC. And SR also introduced The Full-Timer as well, so I'm quite indebted to her. In any case, California Girl has become the 2nd one from the old school to join the harem of Facebook friends. I've even asked her if she would like a doll from Polygons.

Well, I'll be heading home in about 10 minutes since I'll be back here in less than 12 hours to teach The Nurse. Looks like my May will be even busier since I'll be taking over some of Speedy's students during his long business trip. The money will be nice to have although Mom might be wondering what my students are putting me through.

Wednesday April 30, 7:27 p.m.

Well, I just read off the CNN homepage that the entire family that had been under the domination by that psychopath in Austria finally met all together. Man, that must've been one awkward Brady Bunch moment.

Just finished my dinner of salad, apple/mango juice and fruit-n'-whipped cream filled cake. Not all that nutritious but I'm sure I'll be paying for my culinary sins shortly. A combination isn't ingested without consequences but they should be happening before The Diver comes in about an hour. Speaking of students, Slim has just come in to sign his contract with us here at the school. Very well turned out and polite. I don't see too many like him nowadays but I'm starting to talk like an old man.

During my dinner, Speedy, BC and I were just gabbing about where all the Canadian-themed restaurants in Tokyo have gone. Not that they were like McDonalds in terms of omnipresence but I do remember The Maple Leaf (finally found out from sources that it was the classic case of a rogue partner taking off with the funds) which met its demise a year ago. There is Homeworks which is a place owned/founded by a Canuck which is located somewhere in the Ebisu/Hiroo area. And Fujimamas, the joint in the midst of Omotesando, is run by a Canadian but the fare there is about as Canadian as a pinata. Mind you, Homeworks does have the Canadian Thanksgiving stuff. Still, it would be nice to have a bit of the Yukon in Tokyo again along with NHL games and poutine. But if possible, I would prefer not to have Labatts at 1,000 yen a head.

We were also comparing McDonalds and Burger King. I found out that the bossman is a regular at BK while I seem to be the resident champion for The Golden Arches....although I will be happy to get my share of Whoppers. The two of us educated young BC on the differences between plain frying and flame-broiling. And BC got her acceptance at that Vancouver college starting in September. Most likely, then, the lass will head off to The Great White North in early July. So, in 2 months, we'll have to be searching for yet another new assistant. This is starting to look like the running gag from "Murphy Brown"....or perhaps, "The Prisoner" ("Who are you?....I'm the new Number 2.").

Looks like another one-gag tarento has been hitting the airwaves pretty hard. And this one is a complete fruit loops. Her name is Miyuki Torii and her schtick is to come out in her pyjamas and start flailing away like a maniac scarecrow while screaming some sort of nonsense. I did see her once over the Holidays on one of the comedy specials; luckily, I haven't been exposed to her since then...until this morning on a TV wide show. Apparently, the woman is married...can't really qualify it more than that.

Wednesday April 30, 4:51 p.m.

The last day of the month has taken on very summery tendencies. It's the first day for me to go out without a jacket, the first day that the subways have turned on the fans, and the first day that I've actually built up a sweat walking in the city. It should stay that way for the rest of Golden Week.

Yesterday, I actually didn't purchase the microwave. I did a bit of comparison shopping so I'll do the nasty tomorrow instead. I also have to get a vacuum cleaner as well. However, Yamada Denki does sell a stand-up one for a mere 3,000 yen. Actually, some pretty decent deals can be had if you're not looking for appliances that could do everything but mate with you.

Basically, took it easy yesterday on Showa Day which was the birthday of the previous venerable Japanese Emperor, Hirohito. It should've been renamed Gas Day since that seemed to have been the most popular commodity since the taxes will be going up as of tomorrow. I just watched "Goldmember" on DVD, the last of the three Austin Powers movies. Pretty good although the end kinda sagged a bit. And it is notable for showing a couple of future "Heroes" actors...Masi Oka and Greg Grunberg. I regret not having seen the opening credits with a movie audience. I also caught the 2nd-last episode of Season 4 of "The West Wing" where the last few seconds showed Leo McGarry atypically running to breathlessly tell President Bartlett that Zoe has been kidnapped. Somewhere up there, Mrs. Landingham must've been pouting, "He never ran to the President when I died two seasons ago." Next week, we get to see Jed activate the 25th Amendment and hand the keys to Roseanne's hubby.

Today being the last day of the month, I went for broke and paid off all the bills. And I decided to give myself a little treat by activating the HMV Gold Card and making quite a few purchases such as the latest issue of "Total Film", "The Bourne Ultimatum" and a couple of CDs from different genres...one is of the dance music consortium, M-Flo, and their best-of disc, and the other is of jazz chanteuse, Jane Monheit.

I bought the HMV stuff at the Sukibayashi branch just across from Yurakucho Mullion so I had lunch in the neighbourhood. I tried out "The Siam" on the 2nd floor of Ginza Inz 1, not to be mistaken for Bali Hai, the place that I had lunch with the Teahouse Ladies a couple of weeks back. I'm not sure if this "Siam" was the same, recently closed "Siam" formerly on the southwest corner of Ginza 4-chome. It probably wasn't since I wasn't too thrilled with the setup inside. The food was OK but I had to slip off my shoes and share my place with others. For a guy my size, trying to sit down in a pit between other customers is kinda like parallel parking a semi between a Lincoln Continental and a Ferrari....it has to be done carefully. And then since I'm not a real meet-n'-greet guy, I had to keep my eyes down since just within breathing distance across from me, there was a woman munching away. I just knew she was a woman; didn't know if she were old, young, middle-aged, pretty, pretty homely...nothing. Just did my three rounds at the buffet table and then got out of there...not exactly conducive to solo eating. Couples or trios would enjoy it better.

I tried to walk off some of the calories by walking around the Itocia complex in Yurakucho. Krispy Kreme No. 2 in the basement still had a lengthy lineup but not nearly as ridiculous as when it opened up about a year ago. Then I saw one of those campaign vans in front of the Mullion Clock, one of Tokyo's famous landmarks. There was a familiar face in the form of a female pol exhorting the audience about the soundness of the Japan Socialist Party's platform. I could recognize her but couldn't come up with the name. Just walked over to the other major CD outlet, Yamano Music. The store had one of its frequent jazz disc sales out in front and I took a listen to some of the old PSY-S discs from 20 years ago at the listening post before listening to Mami "Chaka" Yasunori (the lead singer of the band) in her current job as jazz singer. There is a definite change in her voice to go with the obvious change in genre. Chaka used to have this powerful chipmunk sound to go with her partner's techno music. Now, she's taken on the usual huskiness of a chanteuse.

Made it back here to Speedy's. I just have The Diver tonight and then I gotta rush back here for the lone class in the morning with The Nurse. Then, it's to give away my hard-earned yen for the microwave and vacuum. 002 finally sent a message over...looks like I'll be able to see her at the regular time on Tuesdays after all...for May at least.

Monday April 28, 10:37 p.m.

Finished up with Medicine Man just now. Surprisingly, he did accept one of the many dolls we have in that huge cardboard box. I think this is the first time I've ever made a referral on this blog, but if you wanna look at the samples of what Speedy and I are in possession of, you can check out www.polygons.tv . You'll see the cuter dolls there, not the ones that we got saddled with. But the dolls we have...known as MegaMi...aren't that bad-looking. And they have that sand in them which makes them eminently huggable....even though they've been compared to Japanese comedic duo, OgiYahagi, known for their wearing of horn-rimmed glasses; perhaps the two could be a fusion of Hiro Nakamura and Noah Bennett on "Heroes". Well, I'll be taking my MegaMi home tonight where he'll become my bedmate in lieu of anyone cuddlier and more female.

Nighty-night....

Monday April 28, 7:53 p.m.

My 2,222th entry. I wonder if I should become one of The Knights of Ni (that's a Monty Python joke and a pun on the Japanese word for "2" at the same time...anything for good Anglo-Japanese relations).

Despite dousing my person with the bottle of Febreeze in the school lobby, I still smell of smoke from Doutors after teaching The Full-Timer. Looks like she's been through the wringer yet again due to the strangeness of her section's manager. She's been checking out the want ads for a future position. I did mention to her about our need here at Speedy's for some night staff but she politely didn't address the issue and just said that she'll try and pass the request along. Skippy did the same thing yesterday. The Full-Timer told me that she and her mother would try for a small trip to Korea sometime this week for a bit of the fine cuisine there as well as bringing back a bit of sanity into her life.

Speedy apparently got a huge box of these free MOGU dolls, courtesy of Polygons Inc. These dolls are filled with some sort of artificial sand which convey a certain pleasant feeling while holding them...hopefully in a platonic sense. I've already sent word to Skippy who seems to be one of those cheerfully in thrall to her pop culture. I'll be taking one home and I'll probably send one over to my niece.

I've only got Medicine Man before I finish the day, and he's 90 minutes away. I'll have plenty of time to munch down on my dinner and do a bit more surfing on the Net. I've been reading about that real-life horror tale in Austria concerning that psychopath who managed to keep his daughter penned up in his basement for nearly a quarter-century. He has confessed to this most horrible of sins. The one child who did die from his grotesque mating between him and his girl was burned in an oven. I would say that after his trial, he ought to be thrown into a giant microwave.

Over here, it's...luckily, I guess...the more mundane matter of realizing that gas prices will finally be going up on May 1st. So, the pundits say that tomorrow, April 30th, will see the mothers of all lineups at the gas stations nationwide since it is the last national holiday before the turn of the month. I wonder if the gas station beside my Daiei will have a queue longer than the one at Krispy Kreme. I am so happy that I don't own a car in this country.

Monday April 28, 5:27 p.m.

During the commutes to and from work, my current book has been Joseph Heller's "Closing Time". It's basically the sequel to "Catch-22" and has a few of the characters from the original such as Yossarian and Minderbender. I do remember seeing a bit of the movie version of "Catch-22" on TV once with Alan Arkin and Tony Perkins. The guy who gave me the book, a former teacher at the ol' school, told me that it wasn't easy to get into but that it should get pretty satisfying as I go through the pages. Well, so far so not. It just seems to echo Eugene Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" in zaniness and at one point it not only reminded me of "Dr. Strangelove" but it actually used the man's name. Not exactly light reading.

Over the weekend, I did listen to a couple of discs that I hadn't listened to in some time. One was Swingout Sister's "It's Better to Travel", the trio's inaugural album. A few of the tunes have that dated 80s synth sound but the disc still does have that classic "Breakout" which was used in one of the Softbank phone commercials with Cameron Diaz. Then it was Billy Joel's "The Nylon Curtain", also from the 80s. Kinda reminded me of David Bowie's "Let's Dance" in setup; all of the album's big hits are in the first half. "Pressure" and "Allentown" are classics with the latter being a particular karaoke favourite...well, to me anyways. And it seems that Billy was doing his monomane bit again...this time with The Beatles being their target in "Laura" and "Where's the Orchestra?", compared when he was mimicking The Rolling Stones in "It's All Rock N' Roll To Me" in "Glass Houses" a couple of years back. "The Nylon Curtain" is also notable in that Joel talks about some of the handwringing issues of those days such as Vietnam; in the same year, Donald Fagin released another timeless classic, "The Nightfly", a slightly ironic but hopeful theme album about a utopian America in the late 50s.