Monday December 1, 4:52 p.m.

Yes, the final month of the year has arrived...which means Xmas music. I've already listened to a couple of albums: one a compilation of jazz stuff (Duke Ellington's treatment of "Jingle Bells" is a must for anyone wanting to know the basics of jazz) and The Manhattan Transfer's Xmas CD from 1992. On the first track is "Snowfall" which sounds suspiciously as if the lyrics were written by a haiku master.

I only had The Coffeemaker yesterday for the lesson; Tully was out with a cold. The coffee shop Tully's where I teach the two has already gotten into the Yuletide spirit by offering coffees that walk like desserts...tons of whipped cream and cinnamon on those babies. For the diabetic in all of us. I also told The Coffeemaker about my prospective plan for taking the two out for the annual brunch. I'm thinking about Beacon, that rather classy place next to the UN University in Omotesando that Speedy had brought the staff for lunch a couple of months ago. It used to be Lunchan, the only place in Tokyo that had advertised Meat Loaf. Anyways, their responses are pending.

I got started on the Xmas shopping in earnest after the lesson. Headed out to Shinjuku to Times Square where I maxed out on the calendars for a lot of the folks back home, and a DVD of "Innocence", the sequel to the anime classic, "Ghost in the Shell" for my brother. Got a bit selfish as well and bought two more volumes of "Hikaru no Go" at Kinokuniya. Despite the parting of the cash, I still have a bit more to go before I can say that I've gotten everyone everything. May get a chance to do it on Wednesday since I've got a bit of a patch of time between Grandma Enka and 001.

I even exchanged my yen for Canadian bucks so that I could take advantage of the favourable rates. I figure that I got a few hundred more dollars than I had the last time I was back in Toronto. Shibuya was the branch to go.

Had The Class Act. The Matron was suffering a bit from a root canal due to anaesthetic that just couldn't take. Major Ouch there. I received a bottle of special sauce from The Lady which apparently does wonders for stir-fry. Always appreciate handouts. We also got into a bit of conspiracy theorizing about that psychopath Takeshi Koizumi, who had offed a former Vice Minister and his wife a couple of weeks ago. They feel that Koizumi is just a patsy covering for the real killer...who may or may not be the Mob or an ultra-rightwing group or even some sort of secret Star Chamber in the government. Wouldn't really surprise me.

Went to Wendy's afterwards for lunch and found out that the fast-food chain is fighting fire with fire when it comes to its burgers. McDonalds launched the Quarter Pounder...yes, that Quarter Pounder which has been in North America for years and years...in Japan for the very first time last month. There has even been a restaurant which was set up in the main intersection of Harajuku/Omotesando without any sign that it was a Golden Arches franchise introducing the big burger as the unofficial launching pad. But now, the QP is now all across all of the branches and there were quite a few folks buying the more expensive meal on Saturday when I went to pick up a couple of Big Mac sets for Speedy and me. In any case, Wendy's has launched the even bigger Over One Pound burger...seriously. It looks like a Quarter Pounder on steroids...whether or not it'll entice customers or disgust them is another matter.

The Full-Timer has canned her lessons for the next couple of weeks since she'll be heading for Paris for an end-of-year trip. For her, anytime she can get away from her company is gratefully accepted. So, I've just got Medicine Man much later tonight.

Saturday November 29, 4:49 p.m.

Finished the gauntlet. No big problems with the four, but it looks like next Saturday just before the bonenkai is gonna be packed. I'm gonna be working for my dinner that night...and I still have to pay 5,500 yen.

Saturday November 29, 9:35 a.m.

It took a while but someone finally realized that I had been wrapping a rubber band around my left pant leg last night. I was wearing some slacks for which the stitching on the left leg had broken completely and so had to fasten with the ring of rubber...I can handle sock darning or button sewing but cuff stitching is totally out of my league. It was The Restauranteur who found me out...and it figures...she's the salt-of-the-earth type who's amassed a life's experience of making quick observations from her work. The juku boss had a big laugh about it and it was just like her to just drop everything and forced me to sit down, put my left leg on the piano bench and set forth on taping the cuff with Scotch tape...despite the fact that she had a very close encounter with my well-worn and therefore probably malodourous foot. She even demanded that I bring in the slacks on Tuesday for her to sew up. And who am I to refuse the boss?

It'll be another long day. Basically it'll be a full day with four lessons...one being a double with Mr. TOEIC. Good guy, though.

CNN and BBC have been showing nothing but the carnage from the Mumbai attacks for the 3rd straight day. I'm not going to go as far as actually throw out the conspiracy theory, but I think it's very interesting that the attacks did occur...in the country's financial capital...just as CNN was doing its "India Means Business" series. I mean, there is something purely O. Henry about this, and it's been known that terrorists also have time to watch Wolf, Christiane and the folks. I think the series could be re-named "India's Terrorists Mean Business." No, not particularly funny, but I wasn't trying to be. What has also been ironic is that just a few days ago, me and MB and The Sylph were enjoying an Indian dinner with Bollywood music videos playing happily in the background.

I just found out that The Diver will actually join the party next Saturday. This, considering that she's admitted that she's far from a partygoer, is a heavy smoker and hates party games and is terrified of speaking English. Well, I guess I'll really have to be Dancing Bear.

Tomorrow, once I finish with Tully & The Coffeemaker, I'll be making my big purge to get ready for the trip home by buying up all those Xmas goodies. I'll have to make plans tonight once I get home. No rest for the weary.

I read in the paper that even permanent residents like me and TC will be eligible to get that government handout in this period of world economic crisis. I don't know what the exact amount will be, but I've got a feeling that it'll be just worth a nice dinner...and not even in Ginza. And adages like "The check's in the mail" and "I'll believe it when I see it" are playing around in my mind like schoolboys.

And in the "'Oh, Wow! Big Surprise!' Said Sarcastically" department, that Russian wrestler Wakanoho has retracted all of his accusations about match-fixing in his former world of sumo and tearfully asked for his old job back at a press conference. To be honest, I'm surprised that it just took this long for the mobsters to get to him. He refused to give any details saying that he and his family may be harmed if he squealed. And thus, crisis averted.

Friday November 28, 6:04 p.m.

Today was a fairly good day. The New Yorker was pretty much out of her league, though, in the lesson. Some of the most basic questions were unformable for her...how many years have I taught her now? However, I had much better luck with Swank. I used the entire Listening section of a downloaded Eiken 1 test to help her out. Now, it's just that the Eiken people are very stingy about releasing stuff out on the Net, so I gotta see if I can cobble something together for next week.

I later got a message from Speedy stating that my newest student, Mrs Cute, has now officially signed up and will have her first lesson on the morning of the 12th. It would've been the 5th but I asked for that morning since I needed to get my haircut. I'm not sure if the bossman is even aware of it, but he has a pretty understated but sneaky way of trying to put the guilt trip on me. For Mrs. Cute, he slid in that she would have her first lesson in December but then would have to wait a whole month before her second lesson.. He also did earlier this week when he was asking me about whether I could teach Swank on January 9th, less than a day after I get back from Canada. I declined since from hard experience, I need the extra day to decompress, but so again came out the trip about it being the last lesson before her big Eiken test and that her lessons were only for the test and yadda, yadda, yadda. Guilt trips don't work too well on me any more...they just slide right off. However, I had sent him an e-mail asking about my December pay packet before I got the call. I wonder if that may have sharpened his blade a bit. Bad timing.

Got a call last night from Mom...it's a bit unusual for her to call on a weeknight since I'm hardly home at a decent hour at that time, but she was lucky...she got me just as I stepped through the door. Dad apparently had to head back to the hospital for some prostate problems; ended up staying a week there, but no problems since OHIP covers everything. Still, it was a bit unnerving to hear her say that despite all of the medical problems Dad has had recently, he was still good to go. I sometimes wonder about the family genes. Were we descended from Titans? In any case, Mom also informed me that he's lost some weight since he was on a strict non-bulk diet so there was one good side effect.

The juku boss gave me my usual pay packet along with an advance packet for December. That will definitely help in terms of Xmas shopping and the like. Not sure if Mild Jr. is gonna show up; the boss lists him as pending. He called in to say that he's got a cold so he's not sure whether he'll show up or not. Not that I have to prepare anything....he usually has his own materials for me to peruse. And then, I've got the usual tandem of The Ace and The Restauranteur.

At this point, there has been just one Japanese casualty from the Mumbai attacks. The odds of him/her being someone I knew were astronomically low, I know, but still, it was a relief to hear that it hadn't been one of mine, although I feel sorry for the man's family. The Yogist was perhaps planning a trip there, and I knew my now-erstwhile student, Jolly, had to make a business trip there.

Prime Minister Aso may become known as the George W. Bush of Japanese rulers in terms of his own Bushisms. Apparently, while much of the population has come down with colds, he's come down with a bad case of foot-in-mouth. But it has nothing to do with his grammar but just the content. Earlier this week, he basically accused the medical profession of being a bunch of quacks which had him quickly backtracking. Then yesterday, he got "caught" lambasting unhealthy slobs and the infirm for inflating medical insurance premiums. Mind you, I put the word caught in quotations since, even though I'm one of the guys he's probably targeted, he does have a point about complaining about why he has to foot the bill to take care of future heart attack cases since they refuse to take care of their bodies. The problem is that, frankly, fried chicken and hamburg steaks taste a whole hell of a lot better than raw veggies. So sorry but that's my opinion.

Tomorrow, I've got my Saturday round of a double with Mr. TOEIC, The Intellectual, The Publicity Assistant and Mr. Pronunciation.

Thursday November 27, 5:19 p.m.

It's been a pretty quiet day. My lessons with both Grandma Dynamite and Miss Sedona went well. Since then there's been nothing. Ray and the new staffer have been gabbing it up since Speedy went off to teach The Singer. During all that time, Tokyo got doused in a chilly and chilling rain although it's let up now.

Just have The Carolinan in about 40 minutes followed by Mr. Pronunciation at 8. I've gotten the stuff done for Swank tomorrow...keeping my fingers crossed.

Heard about the attacks in Mumbai. Pretty scary when I consider a number of my students and friends including The Yogist, The Milds and The Satyr have been there. And there has been one Japanese death along with an injured party as well.

Thursday November 27, 9:28 a.m.

The one good thing about a cold is its end...rather pithy thing to say so early in the morning, and it does lift from a more important adage, but it is true. After 2 weeks, I've finally come out from the general malaise and symptoms that a cold inflicts, and feel a whole lot more energized, even though I had to get out of the apartment by 6:20 this morning. However, it could also be the meds along with a cup of McCoffee and an especially astringent cup of tea I had with The Smile for her lesson. But I am definitely feeling much better.

A good thing, too, since we have gotten off to a busy start. I had The Smile for her early Thursday morning, plus The Patent Attorney came in and then Grandma Dynamite. Because of the vacated slots by The Nurse and Grandma FON, I've got a few hours to prepare for Swank's lesson tomorrow before Miss Sedona drops by.

Wednesday November 26, 5:37 p.m.

Managed to get the class planned out for Swank's Friday lesson. Speedy's approached me on whether I can come in on Friday Jan. 9 to teach her since that would be her final lesson before the big test and he's unavailable. I told him I wasn't too sure if I would be in good enough shape less than 24 hours after coming back from The Great White North.

Looks like my Thursday is getting less humpy. Not only has The Nurse pulled out but Grandma FON has also cancelled since he has to attend a memorial for her late husband. So, I've got 2.5 hours of downtime between Grandma Dynamite and Miss Sedona. Now, if only The Fashion Designer cancels tonight, it would be perfect. I like her fine as a student but it's also nice to get home at a decent hour since I've gotta teach The Smile tomorrow morning first thing which means a 6 a.m. departure from home.

Wednesday November 26, 1:18 p.m.

First truly decent day this week, and probably the only one. I took advantage and put the laundry out on the line. My cold has made a resurgence so my nasal passages were plenty swollen...shucked out the money for medicine.

I don't have any lessons until 001 this evening but I ended up getting up at around 7 since my mind perked up at the possibility that I could have had a lesson with Miss Honolulu this morning, and I didn't get any message on it. Sent in the phone call to Speedy Central. Luckily, Speedy called back a few hours later to confirm 001 was the first. However, I've gotten some more changes to the schedule; The Nurse has canned her lesson tomorrow between Grandma FON and Miss Sedona due to a cold while The Manhattanite, another student who hasn't poked her head here in several months, will be showing up next Saturday. Then, I got another call from the juku boss stating that Mild Jr. may also be skipping his lesson this Friday due to his own battle with a cold. Ah, by the way, that model lesson student decided to cancel. The boss tried to re-schedule but it looks like this guy will slip between the cracks.

I came in early since I've gotta get some work done for Swank's double lesson. Looks like my Wednesdays may be like that until I head off for Canada.

Apparently, Koizumi the Psychopath links his murderous rage last week to the putting down of his beloved pet dog decades ago by The Ministry of Labour and Health, and not to the pension screw-ups. At first, I thought this guy wasn't just a cold-blooded killer but also a bit of a jokester, but being a psycho, I gather he could've kept this resentment within over the years like a grain of sand and just built of layers of anger like nacre to create this pearl of madness. How's that for an analogy?

I know that the end of the year is truly near when the media announces the lineup and the hosts for the annual Kohaku Utagassen (The Red and White Song Festival). Once again, it is SMAP leader Nakai-kun and actress Yukie Kazama as the celeb hosts...not a bad setup since they would be walking ads for that movie they're in that's out in theatres right now. Jero, the African-American hip-hop enka singer, is not surprisingly in the lineup; good thing for him since he hasn't been all that much in the spotlight since that big start much earlier in the year.

Tuesday November 25, 1:15 p.m.

"Blades of Glory" ended up being the best of the 3 DVDs that Movie Buddy, The Sylph and I enjoyed the most. "Ghostbusters" back nearly 25 years ago was supposed to have been THE "Saturday Night Live" and "Second City" comic opus, but I didn't really laugh at it too much. However, this contribution from three of the SNL'ers and Napoleon Dynamite did have a number of laugh-worthy gags and lines. Certainly guffawed at the flaming Olympic mascot and the initial North Korean attempt at the Iron Lotus. Will Farrell, like Jim Carrey, does far better as the comedian than as the straight man ("Bewitched").

Unfortunately, I had to head on out into a steady cold rain over to Shibuya. MB was mulling the prospect of coming out with me for a bit of shopping himself, but the lousy weather outside made up his mind for him. Smart decision, too. It was pretty miserable as I suffered from soaked shoes and feet for 6 hours. Got to Shibuya to make a purchase of a huge envelope for one of my first Xmas present deliveries at Tokyu Hands. I'd also been thinking of getting some sort of packaging to send The Entrepreneur's presents over by mail, but just decided to take the things with me on the plane.

Met The Bohemian in front of Hachiko at 6. Even in the foulest of weather, there was a huge crowd in front of the dog. Luckily, The Bohemian was already there so there was no need to wait. He was back in his "serious" fashion mode: plain jacket, short hair and briefcase. Over the years, he has alternated his look between serious and "hippie". We ended up going to an Okinawan restaurant in a side street famous for its sex shops. Since the weather was so bad, I gathered that the proprietors took in the leather whips and bondage gear. The two of us went for an all-you-can-drink + 5 dishes for 3,300 yen. Not too bad considering that the individual dishes weren't exactly super cheap....especially for an izakaya.

The surprising thing about The Bohemian was that his serious mode wasn't strictly limited to his attire. He actually did behave...no lame attempts to pick up women and he kept the raunchy talk and inadvertent insults to a minimum...although near the end, his 10 mugs of beer were starting to talk when he went into a soliloquy about his observations of sex shops in Europe. Perhaps, his current unemployed status may have put him into a more sober state of mind. The Sylph, though still gainfully employed, also stated that the situation with her current company isn't too good, either...it just happens to be an American company with dealings in real estate. As you know, the words "America" and "real estate" are akin to "nitro" and "glycerin" right now.

I had The Beehive for their 3rd last time for the year. It was Mrs. Jade, Mrs. Alp and even Mrs. Tee. Mrs. Tee has been pretty much limited to a cameo for the past several months due to her other committments. The other surprising thing was that Mrs. Travel didn't show up; apparently, she had to take her grandson to the hospital for those innoculations.

The sun is shining out there but the rains may be coming back again tonight. I've got the regular juku crowd today including that model lesson student.

Monday November 24, 1:58 a.m.

A very early entry on Labour Thanksgiving Day...just another excuse for a holiday here, not the Norman Rockwell re-enactments of carving turkeys and watching NFL games that are in the American equivalent. I'm currently typing this in MB's apartment in Jiyugaoka which would explain the lateness of the hour...MB and The Sylph have retired.

Earlier in the day...or I should say, yesterday...a second cable guy came in to finish up the work that the first guy did a couple of weeks ago. That first guy took care of the digitalization of my TV broadcasts as well as add some more stations; the second guy meshed the phone line in. Took him about 40 minutes to get the job done.

Afterwards, I headed on out to Jiyugaoka. We picked up the DVDs for the night, and actually The Sylph became our third...The Satyr wouldn't show so I'll have to think about alternate ways to get his very belated birthday present out to him. We had dinner at an Indian restaurant, the Taj Mahal, near the station. For 1980 yen, I could get the special dinner, which consisted of very generous helpings of kebab, tandoori chicken, naan, veggie curry, saffron butter rice and salad. My hosts warned me that the special dinner could be a bit much for me...but I actually could plow through the meal without feeling too much like an overstuffed beanbag. There was a big-screen TV showing Bollywood song-n'-dance routines...reminded me of my Sunday mornings back in Toronto when I would see CFMT-TV showing the same thing during my pancake breakfasts. Interesting fashion observation: the same tight striped sleeveless shirts which these macho guys would wear unabashedly in India would probably get these same guys escorted to Shinjuku 2-chome....the gay quarter of Tokyo.

It was back to the apartment to view 2 of the 3 DVDs. First up was "Jumper", the other Hayden Christensen movie that everyone will probably know him for. Speedy and his missus had seen it some months ago, and the bossman was quick to give thumbs down, as did many critics. Maybe it was because I saw it for basically free that I didn't find it too bad, then. However, I thought it was really 80% of an OK movie...it just ended a bit too anti-climactically. The idea was interesting and that jumping battle between Hayden and Jamie Bell was fun to watch, but all in all, the sequel...if there is one...will probably be a straight-to-DVD one.

Then, it was "Hitman" with Timothy Olyphant (not quite sure how the actor feels having a name that sounds like the one for a Tolkien creature) and Dougray Scott...two guys who are better known for having played arch villains in blockbusters were playing two sorta protagonists. Didn't particularly make much sense but No. 47 sure sounded a heck like Keanu Reaves.

Tomorrow morning will be "Blades of Glory", the "Saturday Night Live" tribute to all that's figure skating.

Well, the cops finally got their man. After last week's murder of a former parliamentary vice minister of the Health and Labour Ministry along with his wife, and an attempted one of the wife of another former vice minister, the Japanese police nabbed the perpetrator almost 24 hours ago in Saitama, where the first murders had taken place. A few days previously, one of the so-called experts predicted that the killer would be some guy who had decided to take on this mission in a twisted display of justice against the injustices of the scandal-ridden ministry, the psychopath has indicated that he had a grievance against the ministry. He's definitely one guy who hasn't shown much remorse...unlike other suspects who have the jacket over their heads, this guy just kept his head up high looking defiantly indignant. And he actually has the name of Koizumi....just like the former star Prime Minister. He apparently was quite the terror in any of the apartments he had lived in...screamed at anyone making noise and threatened to use a cleaver.

Super Drama TV has been showing off the original "Star Trek" with all of those re-done space shots of the Enterprise. Yep, looks real pristine but to take a line from the recent U.S. election campaign, it's like putting lipstick on a pig. Not particularly necessary, but I guess it was a labour of love for one well-financed Trekkie.

Saturday November 22, 5:21 p.m.

Done my 4. The Businesswoman and I had a pleasant down-to-earth conversation, compared to my stand-up comedy act with The Bostonian and The Smile earlier in the day. So, now I'm off for the next couple of days. But I do have the cable guy to finish off the change to my new way of viewing TV.

Saturday November 22, 3:52 p.m.

Just finished with The Smile. Always good to have someone who'll laugh at every one of your gags. And yet, we can actually make progress in the text. She'll be back bright and early on Thursday morning....at 8:15...which means that the 27th will be the Mother of All Hump Days again with 6 classes ending with Mr. Pronunciation's at 8 p.m. I asked her whether she'd be interested in coming out to the bonenkai on the 6th, but she and her colleagues are involved in a half-marathon on the 7 out in Chiba. And I wouldn't think she would really want to run while filled with beer and nabe from the night before....could lead to some nastiness on the path.

Saturday November 22, 2:19 p.m.

I hadn't seen the Bostonian in just about 5 months. She came in rather half-giddy and half-frazzled. Apparently, she was decompressing in front of me after nearly a half-year of hard, harrowing work. At one point, I thought she was going to break out the waterworks. Her English suffered a bit from the layoff but she was always kinda inaccurate. But the good news is that she's renewing her contract with us, and she leapt at the chance to come to the bonenkai in a couple of weeks.

Mr. Pronunciation was fine as well. He's a lot more level of temperament.

I wonder if The Smile will be just as zany as The Bostonian. She's kinda similar to her in personality.

Saturday November 22, 9:52 p.m.

Back at Speedy's this morning to teach another round...man, I am looking forward to that vacation, although not the flight itself. I'm hoping by the time I reach 50, I won't have to pull these morning stints.

Got The Bostonian, Mr. Pronunciation, The Smile and finally The Businesswoman. It'll just be the new staffer and myself today. Looks like she's working out pretty well, somewhat more talkative than The Lab Rat. Speedy is getting a well-deserved day off and heading out to the hot springs with his wife...he's been groaning about how much she's been on his back lately about not doing more things together.

Got the call from The Bohemian late last night. We've decided to meet in Shibuya on the holiday Monday for a drink and dinner. Once again, he's between jobs...in a sign of the economic times, his last company decided not to renew his contract so he's hitting the bricks although I think it won't be until next year when he finds one. In his brief 5-month stint, though, he certainly made more money than I do in an entire year.

Friday November 21, 6:48 p.m.

Not exactly a crash n' burn but my first official lesson with Swank wasn't exactly a hit. I figured that it would be a bit of a challenge for both of us, but it was indeed pretty hard to stuff in all of the aspects of an Eiken 1 test in 2 hours. And since it was also the first time that had ever taught someone trying to go for an Eiken 1, there was a bit of disorganization in the way. Plus it never helps when the student is pretty tired from a day of interpreting in court and the teacher is pretty keyed up about trying to do a good job and not totally succeeding. And I wasn't too happy that I had to re-schedule The New Yorker for the second time in a row for Swank, even if Swank is a decent sort. My private students are also my priority, too.

Luckily, it was good that I had dinner at The Restauranteur's spaghetti house. Now, there's one grateful lady. It was just me and a family in the place so things were relaxed in there. She used her learned English with me very proudly. However, she informed me about her worries concerning the juku boss' medical situation. Apparently, the boss had told her the night before...surprisingly...about the cancer, and was quite aghast at how lustfully the boss was downing her sauteed chicken. Well, when I got back to the juku, the boss laughingly told me that she'd thought she would be called into surgery tomorrow so she treated the dinner as The Last Supper. Actually, the boss told me that she would be going into hospital sometime in early December.

The boss also told me that I've got another model student coming in on Tuesday evening, again between Suzanne and The Milds. He's some university dude who has been in Toronto and plainly told her that he doesn't really need grammar. He also asked about group lessons but there is no way that I would put a guy who doesn't need grammar with those two since they still need grammar. I've got a feeling that this guy is gonna be a write-off.

Anyways, I've got another 2 hours before The Ace comes in.

Friday November 21, 12:16 p.m.

Finished the hour and change with the model student. Seems like a lock. She was a sweet-natured type...very easy to talk to and cooperative. Cheerfully underconfident. In any case, we're keeping our fingers crossed. Now, the next on the gauntlet is Swank. If I can get through that, I should be OK for the rest of the day with the juku classes.

Friday November 21, 10:36 a.m.

Well, the model student has come in. She made the usual mock pouty faces of a person who's not too confident about her ability. I just gave her the placement test...not quite sure yet how low she is.

Caught that Britney Spears video "Womanizer" on MTV the other night. Uh....yep, she's back...all in oil and a smile. And to think, a year ago a lot of us were giving out pre-death obituaries on her. Still, not sure what she's like mentally.

Five more minutes on the test...

Friday November 21, 9:47 a.m.

It seems like the entire country is bombing down the road toward Winter a lot faster than usual. Much of the country has seen its first snow this week, and even Tokyo apparently got a bit of a dusting of the white stuff the other night, according to those who were up late enough. I don't think I've seen it get quite this cold (relatively speaking, of course...I think Tokyo is balmy compared to the ol' hometown) in my years here. It's certainly not helping a lot of folks' metabolisms in The Big Sushi...Ray has just come in sniffling away, and I'm still not out of the woods yet.

Looks like it'll be a bit of a reunion for tomorrow's classes. Except for the new kid, Mr. Pronunciation, the other three students are all ladies whom I haven't seen in a while. The Bostonian is first up for the first time since late July...wonder what she's been up to. Then, The Smile is in after a month's absence. And the very last person is The Businesswoman who's pretty sporadic in the first place.

There'll be a sad milestone encountered next week for those train otaku. The original set of Bullet Trains, the "Zero" series, is finally being put out to pasture at the end of the month. Those are the snub-nosed high-speed Shinkansen that debuted all the way back in 1964...the ones that I'd used to ride occasionally. Nowadays, the profile of the newer generations has been getting increasingly streamlined to the extent that they can probably skewer rather than mow someone down.

As for the psycho killer who offed a former Vice Minister and his wife the other day, the police have been getting various clues. They think that the killer was right-handed and wore sneakers which probably narrows the choices down to just 50 million people. The media has been doing its open profiling by talking to various authors and behavioural analysts.

Friday November 21, 8:48 a.m.

It was a nice quick end to my day. The Singer had dotakyan'ed so I was out of Speedy's by 4:30 and back home by just before 6. And so I was able to enjoy a rare evening at home eating dinner, watching TV and reading the latest contribution from the Peanuts ethos. In other words, I vegged. I did calls from both Speedy and the juku boss...the former for a Mr. TOEIC double class next Saturday and the latter for a model lesson next Tuesday with a kid who's been to Toronto.

The Big Lug had just come back from Guam with some souvenirs for me in the form of a SPAM single slice and a can of Campbell's Clam Chowder...don't laugh, over here, such things can be as good as gold. Looks like he and a friend will be coming to the bonenkai a couple of weeks from now.

As for Miss Sedona, she told that yesterday was the 1st anniversary since the death of the beloved family dog. She even showed me a few pictures of the pooch as a pup and as a full-grown dog...looked like a mix of a huskie and something. She'd found her tossed in a garbage can as a junior high school student back when she was 13. The dog then lived a good life up to the ripe ol' age of 17...that would be 119 in human years. I was afraid that she was gonna break out in the waterworks but she was able to hold it in.

I've just two lessons here today, but the first one is a model lesson with a possible Nervous Nellie (kinda like how The Diver was when she first started) and then it's the double with someone from the other end of the spectrum, Swank, the student going for her Eiken 1. They'll have me working out today.

Thursday November 20, 9:53 a.m.

Well, isn't that a kick in the pants? Just found out The Singer has cancelled her lesson for today. So I get an even earlier end to my day. Not a bad thing considering that I will have a third early morning in a row.

Thursday November 20, 8:05 a.m.

Back in the salt mines again. It'll definitely feel like Hump Day although I have the night off. I've got a traffic jam of five lessons in my headlights: Grandmas Dynamite and FON, Miss Sedona, The Big Lug and finally The Singer. Plus, I still gotta get the prep work done for Swank's double lesson. Speedy informed me last night that she actually wanted a triple lesson tomorrow; well, I put a quick stop to that. I'm out of here by 3:30 tomorrow for the juku.

I felt rather badly for The Diver and The Fashion Designer last night since I was coughing up furballs during their lessons. Unfortunately, what I had to do (speak) clashed with what I should have done (rest my voice). This morning, at the bleary-eyed hour of 6, I gargled with salt water, drank down some medicine, sucked on a lozenge and then drank down the Ripobitan D (vitamin drink) to give myself a fighting chance.

Got the word from MB that Sunday night was a go for DVD night...the last of the year. I was hoping that I could get that Richard Donner cut of "Superman 2" but most likely, it's sold out for the year.

Wednesday November 19, 7:26 p.m.

Showed The Trekkie, our young impressionable staffer here, the new trailer for J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" via YouTube. For whatever reason, the sound was very muted even though the volume control was way up. However, that was more than enough for the lass. She was slack-jawed throughout, and finally slowly screamed out "Ka-kooooo-iiiii!" (C--O--O--L!). Speedy came out several minutes later after his lesson to goodnaturedly admonish me for unleashing the trailer on her during her shift; her squeals easily penetrated into the classroom like Type X phasers through butter. The Trekkie breathlessly jotted down the YouTube address for the video and aimed to tell her mother, the original Trekkie of the family. I informed her that the movie would be hitting these shores on May 30 2009, some 3 weeks after its American debut. She's got the date jotted down, and said that it would make a fine present after her Bar exam.

Well, earlier in the day, I took the bus down to NHK Centre in Shibuya to see if I could find something for my niece and her cousin. There was the Studio Friend souvenir shop in the basement, and after a bit of looking, I purchased a couple of DVDs of singing and bopping happy people singing kids' songs. I also ended up having lunch in their commissary. It was the prototypical hambaagu with demiglasse sauce set. Not bad although the sauce was a bit too fruity.

I walked down into the heart of Shibuya and over to Tokyu Hands to see if I could find a belated wedding present for The Entrepreneur and his bride. Of course, for a guy on a very fixed income, I don't think names like Noritake or Hermes will be on my list. But I found a couple of cute rice bowl-and-miso soup-bowl combinations which fit into the shape of happy mushrooms (remember, this is Japan). So, my little trek paid off in some dividends.

Mr. Pronunciation had called in earlier in the day to say that his lesson may most likely be a wash tonight due to work. And it's already 40 minutes into his scheduled time and no sign of him, so I assume that he will not be coming out tonight. So, it's just The Diver and then The Fashion Designer. I've already started work on Swank's big double lesson on Friday. Not as difficult as I thought it would be but it's always good to be on top of things as soon as possible.

Wednesday November 19, 9:42 a.m.

I've been reading the various comments on the Star Trek forums about this new trailer; initially, I'd read that the non-fans were far more enthused than the die-hard Trekkies. I guess then that those reports must've just been looking at my blog. So far, it seems that the other Trekkies have been jumping higher than mugatos on cordrazine about this trailer for the MTV generation. Meanwhile, some of the milder, casual observers of Trek have been far more damning....that would sound normal.

Speaking of which, our Trekkie is coming in tonight to staff the desk. Would be interesting to check what she thinks but Speedy gave me a half-joking warning not to stimulate her too much; it's distracting her from her work. I'm rather surprised that this young lady is already qualified to be a full-time lawyer and she's even going towards judge. I kinda wonder if she got her inspiration from Samuel T. Cogley.

Wednesday November 19, 8:09 a.m.

I had the rather natsukashii feeling of being rather bloated early this morning when I woke up. The night before I'd decided to polish off that guilt tempura (sounds like a concept for a Japanese Charlie Brown) that the juku boss had whipped up for me. Nope, not the wisest move gastrointestinally speaking but I didn't think the stuff would really last that much longer, so I took the sacrifice. However, even after the weekly McBreakfast, I'm still OK. It was a decade ago or so when I would nightly buy a conbini bento after my shift at the late, unlamented NOVA and chow down before heading off to dreamless land. After a number of years of that, I finally decided not to go through the process of feeling semi-digested chyme inflating in my stomach anymore.

I guess the payback time had to come. I'm talking about the sudden lightning-fast attacks on the houses of a couple of former Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry (I use the full name for a reason which will soon become evident) bureaucrats yesterday. The year before, the newspapers and other media were consumed by the news of the systematic disappearance of millions of citizens' pension benefits into a red tape black hole over literally decades of incompetence and neglect. Obviously, the various people at the helm have been blamed for the epic kerfuffle. And so, yesterday, a former Vice Minister and his wife were found dead after having been stabbed several times in their house, and the wife of another former Vice Minister was also stabbed by a fellow disguised as a delivery man, although she's still alive. The fact that a disguise was used may indicate that this wasn't a sudden decision of pique. And it's also interesting that these were Vice Ministers who were attacked and not the Ministers. It's pretty much open knowledge here that it is the Vice Ministers who are the day-to-day managers of their realms whilst the titular heads are just figureheads. In any case, the folks working at the Ministry of HL&W are walking to their office a little more warily, although I think it probably should be the retired second-in-commands who are worried. I guess that word "vice" minister has quite a few meanings now.

More domestically, MB sent me a message for the first time in nearly a month about getting together for another DVD night in his neck of the woods. Unfortunately, I've got the cable guy coming in this Sunday so I sent him word asking him if he could have me over on Sunday night. Not sure how that'll fly even if Monday is a holiday.

Just by chance, I came across that "Jump the Shark" episode in Suzanne's favourite show "The O.C." last night while I was chowing down on the juku boss' tempura. I mean the finale of Season 3 where Marissa heads off to that pool party or Christmukkah festival in the sky. Apparently, Season 4 is basically a throwaway year of retribution and tribute to the broken doll that was Marissa. Well, I have something for an opener for next week's chat with Suzanne.

I've got a fairly busy day today with five on the pipe. I've got The Nurse and Miss Honolulu in quick succession in the morning. Then, I've got a break for a few hours before Mr. Pronunication The Diver and The Fashion Designer take hold of my evening. I gotta get some more Xmas shopping done in Shibuya (specifically NHK studios for some kiddie DVDs for my niece and her cousin). At the same time, I've gotta get started on that prep for Swank's first official lesson on Friday. Never a dull moment.

I asked Speedy if he knew any dependable teachers to take care of Mrs. Travel's woes in her other class' search for a good teacher. The bossman pretty much echoed my cynical feelings that good trustworthy teachers are few and far between.

Tuesday November 18, 4:51 p.m.

Well, got my jollies off the Net today since I was busy with the translation yesterday and will be busy with planning for Swank's inaugural double lesson on Friday. Basically, it consisted of seeing some old 80s videos. I also caught the video clip for Ego-Wrappin's latest tune, "Go Action". Well, it is original.

Here at the juku. The boss handed me some vegetable and shrimp tempura. I gather that it's an apology of sorts for the screw-up on Friday concerning The Artist. Very kind of her...now I do feel kinda bad for snapping at her, although she had said she never noticed. Not sure when I'm gonna eat it since I gotta hit bed as soon as I get home....even if Jolly doesn't show up. Basically, the boss said that I could pretty much head home as soon as I'm finished with The Milds...she figures that Jolly hasn't called or made any attempt to reassure us about his intentions, so why should I stay for him? Hmmm....she's got a point.

Watched the "Star Trek" trailer through official channels. Apparently, the non-fans are going "Heyyyyy.....!" most positively, while the Trekkies like me are going "Uhhhhhhh....hmmm.."
We Trekkies are a most demanding bunch.

Anyways, gotta prep...

Tuesday November 18, 1:12 p.m.

Still pretty warm here despite the warnings about it cooling down in a hurry....another demerit for the weathermen. No Beehive today and 002 is a sad wistful memory so had time to get some household stuff done like send a couple of things to the cleaners. I also managed to drain almost all of the homemade miso soup I concocted on Sunday; feeling pretty bloated right now but I can still walk.

Happily, no telephone calls from either Speedy or the juku boss about schedule changes, although for the latter, the return or non-return of Jolly will always be a factor. The juku computer, by the way, is just about useless. Can't even highlight anything without the threat of a complete crash. And accessing e-mail is now impossible.

We've got a new staffer at Speedy's. Marcie replaces the nearly mute Lab Tech for Saturdays and maybe even some of the weekdays. The Lab Tech has gotten saddled with tons of stuff at her day job and the fact is that she was only meant to be here til Xmas anyways, so I think she's gone like the wind. As for the new kid, she's also kinda quiet but somewhat more talkative than The Tech. As for the school bonenkai, so far we've got Mr. TOEIC, Miss Honolulu and probably the grandmothers aboard. The venue itself only holds 26, so with them and we staff, it won't take much to fill things up.

Got word from Cozy...looks like the translation is OK so far although he says that he needs to look at it some more.

Monday November 17, 9:11 p.m.

Have to congratulate TC...he got his Permanent Residency in this country. He said that it wasn't nearly as long as he thought...and he's not descended from Japanese. Maybe things are getting a little easier.

Looks like "Quantum of Solace" got tons more money than "Casino Royale" last weekend. I bet MB, the biggest 007 fan in this land, is just chomping at the bit to see that one. Too bad it ain't coming to these shores until January.

Almost forgot that Jolly is supposedly coming back to the juku tomorrow night, but even the boss, ever the cheerful one, has her doubts about him now. I would be happy just to let him go, if only for the reason that I can get home early tomorrow night so that I can get my rest since I have to leave home at 6:30 a.m. for the next three days. Speedy asked me if I were available Thursday night after The Singer's lesson to teach Mr. TOEIC. I really like the guy but I gave a flat-out NO to the bossman. If I have to leave the apartment 3 bleary-eyed mornings in a row, I gotta have compensation...an early night off falls quite nicely into that category. It'll be somewhat busy after Tuesday. I even have Mr. Pronunciation in 001's slot on Wednesday since 001 herself will still be away.

The Class Act and I were going over next year...forgot what the reason was...when we came across the fact that next September may actually contain a 2nd Golden Week. For whatever reason, both Respect-for-the-Aged Day and the Autumnal Equinox are lined up in the same week along with another mysterious holiday. And then, I read about some MP trying to have a bill passed which would have November 12, 2009 as a one-off national holiday celebrating the current Emperor's 20th anniversary since he ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne and the 50th anniversary of his wedding to Empress Michiko. Got no problem with that. I would also like a bill passed inserting two more national holidays into June and August, the only 2 months that have no holidays.

Monday November 17, 8:27 p.m.

Unseasonably warm today at 18 C. However, cold reality comes in literally tomorrow as the temps plummet to 5 C as a low. I can imagine that a lot of cold sufferers will be coming out of the woodwork over the next couple of days.

The weekend was pleasant. Didn't have to worry about speaking English for a full 2 days. Got that frame for my ol' pal Obama; he's now looking handsomely from behind the glass. And I got started on my Xmas shopping via Takashimaya in Nihombashi yesterday. The Xmas season was in full swing there. Heard "Christmas Time is Here" playing over the speakers on the greeting cards floor. Got a couple of calendars for The Dancer in London and The Doctor in Maryland...plus the annual New Year's cards for the folks over here.

Today was about as close to a regular Monday as I've had in the past month. I had The Class Act for the only time this month followed by SIL and then The Full-Timer. And I've got Medicine Man to wrap up tonight. Happily, I've got nothing until tomorrow night at the juku. So, some more errands such as taking down the satellite dish...not sure if I can considering that metal plate is just about all rust.

Cozy had a bit of bad timing by sending a translation request on a weekend that I wasn't at Speedy's, but I apologized and got it done in about a couple of hours. It's off for perusal by him; hopefully, it's OK although there were a couple of spots I'm not totally certain about.

I caught a bootleg version of the trailer for "Star Trek"...in other words, some guy with a pretty hi-res camera caught it from a movie screen. I noticed that the silence was deafening in that theatre during the unfurling. I couldn't blame them....I was kinda going "Huh?" myself. During the first 30 seconds, I thought I was watching some sort of commercial for a new RVR before the kid yells that he's James T. Kirk.

Going through the latest of the Peanuts series....1969-1970. Some interesting strips I'd never seen before....Peppermint Patty looking distinctly un-Peppermint Patty-like in a skating outfit with Snoopy as her partner. However, the next book to come out states that Rerun Van Pelt is coming our way along with Marcie...I think this is where Peanuts starts jumping the shark.

Anyways, time to get ready for Medicine Man. I've also gotta get stuff done for the new juku student, The Artist...a nervous one who makes The Restauranteur and The Diver seem positively cocky by comparison.

Friday November 14, 10:18 p.m.

And I'm finished at last. Managed to survive two model lessons with two wins, and a nearly ruptured temper. I found out that it was The Restauranteur who had introduced The Artist to the juku...bless her little heart. The Artist is apparently part of twins; the other is working part-time at the restaurant.

After a busy two days, I'm ready to enjoy my two free ones. Will be sticking close to home tomorrow since I need to dismantle my satellite dish from the railing and then go shopping for a frame to house that commemorative TIME issue of Barack Obama....the supposed man with the plan. But before all that, I need to get some sleep.

Friday November 14, 8:22 p.m.

Well, this seems to be a banner day for me. Not only did I get Swank from the Speedy model lesson, but my juku model lesson also produced a new regular to the Tuesday night lineup. She's an artist by trade, thus dubbed The Artist, and not surprisingly, she's a bit of a Chihuahua by nature...kinda nervous and waifish (makes The Restauranteur a veritable Auntie Mame in comparison). Things got off to a rocky start, though; earlier in the day, the boss had left me a message with the impression that the model lesson had been cancelled so I would just start out with Mild Jr. However, The Artist did show up as scheduled at 6:30, and when the boss ran upstairs to tell me about it, there I was without anything planned. I wasn't a happy camper to say the least and had thought I was quite cross with the boss, but apparently later on she told me that she hadn't even noticed I was mad. I'm relieved and disturbed at the same time. Still, I was able to concoct something out of a couple of decades of experience and thin air, and so The Artist will be coming in between Suzanne and The Milds.

As for Mild Jr., he's been busy of late. Halloween Night at Tokyo Disneyland Hotel was undesirably raucous due to some rowdy costumed types but he and his staff took care of things professionally. We actually translated some stuff he'd written about one of the Saints, Saint Matthew, the patron saint of butchers, blacksmiths and tailors. Always brings something interesting to the table, Mild Jr. does.

Miss Honolulu and I also got into a rather deep conversation away from the text (never a bad thing) about our singlehood. Well, she's not really single anymore, she's living in sin with her beau of 18 months. She said that she had felt like I do now about settling down. But she came across some computer dating website and she was able to find her soulmate. Well, good for her, but enh for me. Got too many demons that I would rather not share with anybody.

Friday November 14, 2:43 p.m.

Got through the biggest hurdle of the week which was that model lesson for the Eiken 1 student. Looks like all that stress and planning were worth it...she's coming in for her first lesson next Friday. Tis Miller Time! She's pretty high although not quite as high as I'd thought. Nice lady...has a passing resemblance to Hillary Swank, so I dub her Swank....as gay as that sounds.

Now, I've just got that other model lesson student for tonight at the juku. Hopefully, I'm as successful with her as I was with Swank. Man, I'm ready for a meal now. I guessed I burned through those calories, eh?

The Sisters of State turned me down on Speedy's party due to other plans. Didn't they think they would be able to make it in any case.

Apparently, scientists finally got their first few images of actual planets in other solar systems. Cue that "Star Trek" music.

Friday November 14, 8:14 a.m.

Another late night getting home, another early morning getting in. Luckily, I've got the Saturday off tomorrow. Had a McBreakfast for the second day in a row...that just can't be good for the cholesterol count.

Speedy was magnanimous enough to have me invite The Sisters of State and The Full-Timer to the school Xmas party in early December since the three of them can be considered to be honourary members of the establishment. Apparently, the party will be held at that celeb-owned restaurant nearby. As bonenkai go, the cost will be appropriate at 5500 yen per head which includes the 2-hour all-you-can-drink.

Fairly busy day...I got Miss Honolulu and then that Eiken 1 model lesson student is in. Still not sure whether I can pull this one off; even the ever-cheerful Speedy isn't sure either. I hope she's a lot like The Smile...the type that can hit it off with anyone. Really, any student who even thinks he/she can attempt Level 1 tests should love the gift of gab, and if this student is a raconteur, then my life is made for the next little while.

I amused The Patent Attorney just now for the past several minutes before Speedy came in to take over. He's a good guy...loves to talk on just about anything and is very curious about the world...the ideal student.

I've also got the Friday juku bunch, including yet another model lesson student. This one is far down the ladder in terms of ability...just wants to know how to get around in a foreign country. And then, I've got the usual Mild Jr., The Ace and The Restauranteur.

Thursday November 13, 10:08 p.m.

Still waiting for Speedy to come out from an initial powwow with a potential EIC student to get my schedule down pat for her. Mr. Pronunciation had a pretty good inaugural session; he's gonna get Speedy as his teacher this Saturday since I will be having the day off. The bossman wasn't too enthused about that since he's gotta go back into training mode for a new staffer that day...a fairly button-down type of person to probably replace The Lab Tech who's now gotten saddled with a couple of projects from her day job and may not be able to come back.

AK and I had an atypically long chat...I don't really talk with the staffers too much; not that I'm snobbish or anything, but I just don't talk all that much outside of classes. She doesn't live too far away from here...she should be so lucky. She's also got her own translation gigs...one of them happens to be "Life on Mars", that BBC show.

Thursday November 13, 7:15 p.m.

Almost finished here. Got through the first five. Had The Sisters of State. The Carolinan and I talked about the return of our mutual friend, California Girl in mid-December. The Carolinan will be setting up the restaurant. Apparently for her birthday last week, a friend of hers took her to the storied New York Grill up in the Hyatt...the same one used for "Lost in Translation". Some people have got it made.

Still not quite sure how that model lesson will go tomorrow. I've got some stuff made up but it's the first time I'll be trying to sell a person on helping her pass the Eiken 1 test.

Haven't even had lunch yet...just gonna gaman and make it through Mr. Pronunciation's inaugural lesson, and perhaps I'll grab something on the way home. It may end up being another trip to McD's; don't really wanna have to do that but their meals are the only ones that seem to digest quickly and I gotta hit the hay as soon as I get home since I gotta do another early one tomorrow morning.

Thursday November 13, 8:48 a.m.

And thus another Hump Day begins. Got out of the office at 11 p.m. last night...I would've left earlier but I'd received some sort of urgent message from Mrs. Travel that I had to respond to. At first thought, I believed I was gonna be given my pink slip by The Beehive. But Mrs. Travel informed me that her other English conversation class was in desperate need to find a new teacher on Wednesday afternoons. Apparently, their last three teachers came and left in short order. Either the teachers were the worst kind of fly-by-nighters or something's wrong in that class. In any case, I had to decline regretfully since I've got my responsibilities here at Speedy's and I'm no longer willing to do the boomerang commute.

I've got quite the loaded plate on my schedule today. It will be the usual morning session of Grandmas Dynamite and FON followed by Miss Sedona. Then, I've got the Sisters of State thrown into the mix and finally the newest student in my flock...Mr. Pronunciation....no relation to Miss Pronunciation except in curriculum.

Still gotta figure out how I'm going to give a model lesson to a lady who wants to try the Eiken 1 test...it's known as the Standardized Test for English Proficiency or STEP, and is just one of the many language tests that the locals here go for so that they can put it on their resume. Level 1 is the best of the best...basically, such students are just about native English speakers. Kinda makes me wonder why they even want to bother coming to a conversation school if they're that good.

Wednesday November 12, 7:17 p.m.

Saw the new U.S.S. Enterprise along with some new shots from J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek"; hmmm....looks intriguing. I still kinda wonder about that Apple store-like bridge, though. Supposedly, the new trailer comes out in a couple of days. I'll be looking forward to that on YouTube. The only other thing is how Michael Giacchino will handle the timeless theme song.

Speaking of Trek stuff, I lent The Trekkie my discs of "Star Trek: The New Voyages" along with that disc of "UFO". I did warn her about the summer stock acting but at least the gang there have a lot of heart.

I received some sort of message from Mrs. Travel but she only said that she would only call me back later. She may have a hard time doing that for the next couple of days since I'll be leaving early and coming home late. Not by choice. Saturday may be her best chance.

Wednesday November 12, 5:48 p.m.

Came back from my shopping spree from Kinokuniya. I was actually going there just to search for that textbook but, fortunately or unfortunately, I came across the latest "The Complete Peanuts" and "Hikaru no Go 4 and 6" which I just couldn't let go. I didn't find what I was supposed to look for at the Times Square branch but had to find it at the original location of Kinokuniya near Studio Alta, one of Shinjuku's big landmarks.

Now it'll be a couple of hours before The Diver and The Fashion Designer come in. 001 is off for the next couple of weeks.

Wednesday November 12, 11:33 a.m.

Looks like the juku computer is pretty much on its last legs as far as I am concerned. I can't access Hotmail from there since the upgrade on their part last week, and if I even highlight one thing on CNN.com, it sends me its "I give up" sign.

My time with The Milds mostly consisted of Mrs. Mild (she's still ailing from her cold, which means that poor Mr. Mild was bracketed between two virus-ridden folks) showing me her trip through southern France.

Got a surprise call from The Lady this morning...at first, I thought she was calling to cancel yet another lesson but she wanted to see if I were free tomorrow morning (yeah, fat chance) to go out to lunch with her and The Matron in Ginza. I had to decline since Thursdays have now become the new Hump Day.

The Bohemian also sent word saying that he's pretty much available only on weeknights so our meeting is pretty much out. And I sent word to The California Girl that the 16th will be open for any dinner.

I've got The Nurse in about an hour before I head on out to go on a textbook hunt for that model lesson on Friday. I bought a minipak of Pringles with the new flavour of Honey Roasted Chicken; not too bad at all.

Tuesday November 11, 4:21 p.m.

Back at the juku. Noone's home...not sure what happened to the boss. Considering her potential medical situation, I'm gonna be a bit worried.

Back in Washington, it seems that Barack Obama's in-box is getting piled up higher and higer with worse and worse news. Now, DHL will be joining the various banks and auto factories which are dying. I wonder if the President-elect can have a cooling-off period in which he can change his mind.

On my Facebook, one of my "friends" put up on his status bar something to the effect that his chest was feeling rather tight. I asked him about his situation...I can only hope that it was juts a tasteless joke on his part.

I sent in a message to The Bohemian whether if he was still interested in meeting on Sunday for dinner. I'm being pretty generous here...he always has a penchant of floating some sort of vague invitation for which I send a response and then he doesn't say anything.

Tuesday November 11, 12:49 p.m.

Typical November day...overcast and cool. Just had The Beehive...Mrs Travel was back from her latest foray into Italy...she did hear dribs and drabs about Obama's win there but she was too busy traveling around to turn on a TV.

Had lunch at my favourite tonkatsu-ya. The shogayaki and hirekatsu platter went down really well. Also got some medicine to try to vanquish my nagging cough. Just the two lessons at the juku tonight...Suzanne and The Milds. Not too much income but at least I can rest up a bit.

Monday November 10, 10:42 p.m.

Both Medicine Man and I were going through our colds tonight. So, it was rather amusing to TM, our Monday night staffer, when she came in with the tea to see the two of us wearing our masks like a couple of surgeons. MM was a bit luckier in that he was only suffering from a scratchy throat. Still, he was more lucid than he was last week. He was asking me about that cold sore which has been infesting my lower lip for almost a week. I wasn't quite sure if he were making an observation or a billable diagnosis.

Anyways, Speedy is still entertaining his counseling client but I'm just about ready to take off. I may try the salaryman's technique of hot shower, two bottles of extra-strength vitamin drink and heavy blankets to sweat my cold out.

Monday November 10, 7:18 p.m.

Kinda ironic...The Full-Timer and I talking about the evils of smoking in the lesson while we're in Doutor's...a veritable den of nicotine-filled iniquity. Had to deodorize myself with the Febreeze here at the school before making my entrance. The Full-Timer had a small vacation in Korea and got me some chocolate-covered rice cakes...she was a bit alarmed at my chocolate-influenced cold sore (a periodic event as predictable as the seasons) but I assured her that I would be happy to accept her souvenir. With all that smoke, the talk turned to the recent passing of a veteran newscaster, Tetsuya Chikushi, last week from lung cancer. He was 73...not exactly a spring chicken but I'm sure that there were better ways to go. Reminds me of the death of Peter Jennings a few years back.

The gang here seems to be discussing about the plans for the annual bonenkai for the school. Looks like they're going for December 6, a bit early on the year-end party calendar but not unheard of. It may be Japanese cuisine and I know Speedy is looking for a more group-friendly place than last year's venue in West Shinjuku...nice Continental fare but not really a place for Xmas parties.

Monday November 10, 5:09 p.m.

It was only Tully yesterday morning at his namesake coffeehouse. The Coffeemaker got stuck out in Shizuoka on Saturday night so couldn't make it in. Looks like Tully has passed his first experience of attending a wedding all by himself. Even hosted the reception. I told him that he can look forward to losing oodles of money in wedding money envelopes for the next 3-5 years. I also posited the idea of having the three of us do the end-of-year brunch once again after last year's little do at Din Dai Fong, the soup dumpling place from Taiwan that we went to in Times Square.

Then, I got that visit from The Cable Guy. And within a couple of hours, I was no longer with Sky Perfect and I was with Ichikawa City Cable. I'd only been expecting to get some dinky slate of community channels, but I actually retained pretty much all of the channels that I'd been watching with my former provider (CNNj, BBC, Super Drama TV!, etc.) and got a whole slew more. All in all, it'll cost me about 800 yen more a month but it was worth it...especially when I consider that I'm now hooked up for that digital land line that will render most TV sets obsolete by 2011. I can now check out tons of useless information from the regular channels. The only thing is that I now have an inactive old SkyPerfect converter and a useless dish still mounted outside. Well, I guess I'll be doing some handiwork on Saturday.

"Superman Returns" made its network premiere on TV Asahi last night. However, I should say "Superman Partially Returns" since the station once again hacked out chunks to be able fit it into its tight schedule. Yeah, some great scenes but all in all, kinda blah return for The Man of Steel.

The weather is getting colder and I'm just getting through a cold plus a cold sore that tends to suddenly bleed on me...somewhat embarrasing in front of a student. I did pick up that commemorative issue of TIME with President-elect Barack Obama on the cover. I'll be picking up that frame. Since I was at Maruzen, I made another visit to Com Pho and had a great bowl of Spicy Pho...really hit the spot, especially with the cold.

Pretty light schedule today, thankfully. I only had SIL so far....talked about the election, of course, along with the trials and tribulations of defrocked music producer Tetsuya Komuro. I've got The Full-Timer in about half an hour, and then it'll be Medicine Man to wrap up tonight. I hope Medicine Man is a bit more voluble in his answers tonight. He was back in teeth-pulling form last time.

Saturday November 8, 5:39 p.m.

Got through the gamut of model lesson, two regular lessons and a double feature with Mr. TOEIC. All this with a sore throat...at one point, I thought I was going to become the first active duty mute to teach English. Still, I've survived the ordeal and will be ready to head on home. Speedy was nice enough to get me a box of Chicken McNuggets in between Mr. TOEIC and The PA. Apparently, the PA has gotten a look-see at "Frost Vs. Nixon", that famous interview between the legendary journalist and the notorious president. It won't come out here in general release until next March.

Found out that "Ghostbusters 3" is a go. I think Ray, Pete, Egon and Zeddemore will be packing on quite a few kilos and perhaps even Depends along with their proton packs. Still, it'll be amazing to see such a large cast still kicking in the mortal world almost 20 years after the last movie.

Saturday November 8, 9:57 a.m.

The Ace was horking up a storm last night; the cold has been spreading through these parts like wildfire. Of course, the subways are often a sea of masks but even with the preventative measures, they're a breeding ground for all of the winter viruses. I did catch a bit of it but the juku boss' wonder medicine has been doing the trick.

As for that model lesson student, she was a lot better than she'd been describing...of course, that typical modesty and reserve that often frustrates me as a teacher. Not sure if it did translate into regular lessons but she did hang out talking with the boss for several minutes after the lesson; I assume it may have been more about her daughter.

I've got the lion's share of lessons today; first that model lesson student for pronunciation for the first two hours, and then The Intellectual followed by a double with Mr. TOEIC and finally The PA. It's gonna be quite the wringer. Not to overly stress the demands of being a teacher, but it's more than just gabbing over tea.

Friday November 7, 5:28 p.m.

Couldn't find the TIME Commemorative...it wasn't the case that it had already sold out; it just hasn't come yet. Ended up getting another issue of "Hikaru no Go" instead. Well, there's always next week.

Had dinner at the CASA family restaurant by Urayasu Station. I had something called a Chopper Steak...no particular connection with helicopters or Harleys. Going with that old steak sauce commercial with Dick Cavett in which he referred to hamburgers as chopped steak, I thought the folks there were getting a little too imaginative with their English. But actually, what I got was something that approximated the middle between a steak and a hamburger. It looked like a hamburger but it held together somewhat more tightly than the usual crumbly patty...interesting consistency, and it was juicy.

That model lesson student I've got in an hour is apparently the mother of one of the juku boss' young charges. The mother works at Tokyo Disneyland and sometimes has to handle questions from foreigners...most likely just directions. Not sure if that will actually translate into a long foray into English learning, but I'll see what I can do. Just glad that it's for the half-hour only instead of the nearly 2 hours with other model student at Speedy's tomorrow morning.

A bit disturbed by the events of the last few days surrounding the juku boss. She'd recently had a medical check-up at St. Luke's and found out that she has esophageal cancer. I wasn't overtly alarmed although the boss repeatedly told me that I didn't need to worry. Today, I found out that she may need to rush on the potential operation which could be a fairly long affair. The boss, as she usually does, has kept a very cheerful demeanor...which may help in any recovery. However I am worried that she may be hiding a more serious diagnosis. But the next couple of weeks should reveal more.

Friday November 7, 2:14 p.m.

Had a brief talk with The Big Lug about the US elections and how Obama's election may influence US-Japan relations. We also referred to an article in today's "International Herald Tribune" where Tokyo's attempts to get the 2016 Olympics may be permanently derailed if Obama decides to endorse Chicago, his soon-to-be former base of operations...that would, of course, all depend on whether he's still popular by that time. The both of us agreed that we would be very happy to hand over The Games to The Windy City and Murder Capital, USA.

In the lesson, we were covering adjectives to describe attractiveness of men and women. We ended up talking on the Japanese concepts of the "shoyu" (soy sauce) face and the "sauce" (as in thick Worcestershire sauce) face. Translating them into English, the soy sauce face refers to those faces with delicate features...a pretty boy, if you like. Keanu Reaves fits that profile. On the other hand, the sauce face refers to craggy, leathery, rugged visages such as the ones on Tommy Lee Jones and Clint Eastwood.

Friday November 7, 12:11 p.m.

Pretty promising day out there meterologically speaking. And I actually got a fair night's sleep last night for the first time in about a couple of days. Just have The Big Lug in less than an hour; last week, we had this rather intriguing lesson of me deciphering John McCain's jokes from that formal dinner a few weeks ago for my student. We finished things off by saying that things in the US may be quite different this time; it, of course, turned out to be true...could be an interesting class.

I gotta go over that big model lesson for tomorrow morning. It's gonna be a with a fellow who also wants to improve his delivery and pronunciation, so we'll be taking a page out of that playbook for Miss Pronunciation. Gonna be a battery of tests for the lad, though. Also, I've got another model lesson at the juku tonight for a far more basic lass. I've sent a request out to the juku boss asking if I could have the night before departure to The Great White North off since The California Girl would like to meet me before I go.

I'll drop by Kinokuniya on the way to Urayasu, though. Gotta see if I can pick up that commemorative issue of TIME with the face of Barack Obama plastered on the cover.

Thursday November 6, 7:47 p.m.

Yes, I did promise no more Obama stories, but I did forget about some of the more humourous consequences of his election in this country. Obama City, Fukui Prefecture...yes, (State of) Virginia, there is an Obama City...it's the one that has been mentioned in bits and bytes over CNN in the days approaching November 4. Well, they did celebrate their namesake's win with parties and a hula dance commemorating his birthplace. I'm pretty sure the Obama manju won't be too far away, along with the Hello, Kitty version of Barack...and even an anime of the life and times of the 44th President can't be written off. An anime of Princess Diana was once done years ago. There was also a mock election held at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo in which Obama won there as well by a whopping margin. Y'know, I would love to go there and see what's really up with that place. By the way, obama in Japanese means "small beach"; you can put that notorious picture of Obama in his bathing trunks aside that definition to get that connection.

Mr. TOEIC called up to say that he would be 20 minutes late. Ay, ya.

Thursday November 6, 6:23 p.m.

Had my lesson with The Singer a couple of hours ago. I was left waiting in the hall for 10 minutes before her minder finally picked me up. I was...paranoid, yes, as usual...wondering if the staff was trying to get back at us for that kerfuffle on Tuesday. But it seems like everything was hunky dory. I mixed in my Dancing Bear side with the regular lesson which brought some laughter from her...always good to have the humour; she even asked me about a lyric in some song she's writing.

Back here, I'm now just waiting for that final lesson of the day...that being Medicine Man's class at 9:30. Miss Pronounciation did cancel, but maybe I'll get Mr. TOEIC's lesson back...not quite sure.

I promise...my last report on the U.S. elections...and the aftermath. Looks like Obamamania is continuing apace. Front pages of newspapers have been selling out like pancakes...of course, the inevitable scalping has begun. Even I haven't been immune...I actually printed out the front page of "The Los Angeles Times" for a possible frame.

The other observation some 24 hours after the election has been the venomous vitriol from disgruntled Republicans about Obama's victory. I shouldn't be surprised since that was probably repeated by disgruntled Democrats back in 2004 when Bush was re-elected. Still, it is somewhat disheartening to see that this extreme polarization of political views will continue into the future. However, perhaps those disappointed folks may take solace in the fact that Barack Obama will be facing a huge learning curve the size of the slope that John McCain tried to scale and slid upon during his attempts at the Presidency...and most likely, Obama will fail in a number of his initiatives. Even the slightest error or faux pas will probably even get the moderate GOP'ers...let alone the rabid reactionaries, to yell out the largest "I TOLD YOU SO!" to anyone who listens. And the constant knives and attacks will start to rub down on the man over the next 4 years.

On a lighter note, what was up with that hologram of Jessica Yellin on CNN? I was watching some of the comments about it...and the vast majority was very snarkworthy. Yes, I thought it was rather gimmicky...I think having a live reporter on camera is good enough for us. There were a lot of comments like "Wolf Blitzer, you're my only hope!". However, I guess being the ever-faithful Trekkie, my first comment was, "Please state the nature of the political emergency." Mind you, Ms. Yellin is a whole lot better on the eyes than The Doctor of the U.S.S. Voyager. Ahhh...to be at home when all of this was going on.

Thursday November 6, 2:34 p.m.

Finished off the first three students in short order. Grandma Dynamite was her usual feisty self while the new kid on the block, Grandma FON, conducted herself very well. She's definitely a talker...didn't need to use the text at all. Miss Sedona was great as usual. However, halfway through her lesson, I suddenly came down an urgent need to go to the washroom...20 years of teaching, though, had me able to hold on for the remaining 30 minutes and conduct myself as professionally as I could before making a quick dash after the young lady left the premises.

I'll be heading out in about 15 minutes to teach The Singer once again. I may be doing some deep bowing due to some scheduling fiasco on Tuesday involving her...well, I don't think it's as bad as a fiasco but the bossman feels that apologies may be in order.

Thursday November 6, 9:47 a.m.

Rushed start to the day. Went home exhausted after The Fashion Designer (she was pretty sleepy herself in the lesson). My body took over and decided that it would refuse to let me wake up until I had at least 6 hours of sleep...which meant that I woke up almost an hour later than scheduled....and 20 minutes after I was supposed to have left the apartment. I was out the door in 10 minutes. I was lucky to have been able to get on the subway and get a middle space instead of breaking several laws of physics near the doorways.

The Patent Attorney isn't my student but traditionally since I'm in early...usually...I greet him and keep him talking for about 5 minutes before the bossman gets in. Therefore I took a chance of getting there before he did by taking the subway all the way to Nakano Station and then seeing if I had better luck with the bus. The gamble failed...I got to the school 5 minutes late. Luckily, The PA is an infinitely patient and friendly fellow, and he was just gabbing away on the cell with his office. He even asked about my welfare since I was wearing the mask. I was just lucky that it wasn't The Smile who had to wait for me.

I've got Grandma Dynamite in about 20 minutes. Then, I have that new Grandma...FON (Force of Nature)...right after Dynamite. Grandma FON is that whirlwind of chatter whom Dynamite had brought in several weeks ago suddenly. Everybody on staff, including the usually unflappable bossman, was taken aback at this Yoda of an elderly woman. So much so that I really don't know what text I could use with her....or even if she should have a text. Judging from that first talk with her...she can just go on automatic, and I can just nod and smile.

Then, it's Miss Sedona, The Singer and Medicine Man to wrap up. Miss Pronounciation was sandwiched somewhere in there but she canned her lesson tonight last night. She's a good student but I'm somewhat grateful for the little break. However, I'm getting saddled with a couple of more model lessons tomorrow and Saturday morning here and at the juku. Two more reasons to lose weight and sleep through stress.

But none of my troubles merit even a shallow breath next to what the next American President is and will go through. After all the cheering and crying and celebrating were done, the world is still left with two wars and a financial crisis...and one future leader of the free world to somehow sort everything out. It's kinda amazing how the nutso atmosphere of the night before quickly dissipated to a "OK....let's get back to work" feel, although I'm sure that a lot of people around the world may still carry that grin on their faces. One thing, though....Barack Obama has hit the ground running...he's already offered The Chief of Staff job to Rahm Emmanuel. Best of luck, sir.

Wednesday November 5, 4:05 p.m.

On Monday September 11, 2001, I had just back home from Canada to witness one of the most horrific acts ever committed in American history on live TV. Probably billions of other people watched this with me. Now, over 7 years later, on Tuesday November 4, 2008 (US time), I have just seen the antithesis with probably billions of other people....I've become witness to one of the most incredible scenes in American history. Unfortunately, I couldn't see it live but for the past several minutes, I've been going through the various American media outlets and YouTube, and watching the various videos showing the moment when Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. I've only gotten interested in watching politics recently but I can say confidently that I don't think there has ever been this much outpouring of joy in a very long time, and most likely I don't think I'll ever see anything like this ever again. To see millions of people celebrating a political win like this is just impossible to believe. I've seen Reverend Jesse Jackson cry like a baby, the usually cool and collected Oprah Winfrey almost lose it, and a couple of CNN commentators get a little verklempt on camera. I can only imagine that Wolf, Tom and some of the other anchors out there must've dug down really deep not to show a lack of professionalism when making the historic announcement.

Having said that, I also have some sympathy for John McCain...how does it feel to lose an election of this nature? To have millions of people celebrating your rival's victory in an unprecedented manner? Pretty humbling...but John is made of stern stuff as he proved very well during his 5 years at The Hanoi Hilton.

I think people will be looking at November 4, 2008 for a very long time and analyzing it...and the path that began in Springfield, Ohio almost 2 years ago. I guess the next biggest day will be January 20, 2009. I'll definitely be interested in seeing who Barack will be seeding his Cabinet with. Any place for Hillary?

Time for dinner...

Wednesday November 4, 1:37 p.m.

YES, HE COULD! That'll probably be one of the pithy headlines in the papers tomorrow as Barack Obama gets the presidency. I've been going through some of the videos over the Net; looks like there's gonna be some major celebrating in Chicago, Kenya and maybe even Obama City, Japan. Just saw the McCain concession speech, classy way to go considering that was probably his final stab at the brass ring. Now, it might be time for Sarah Palin to go to school. I have to admit that I was getting chills when I saw the headlines on CNN. I wish I had been home to see all of the hoopla. I guess a new dawn may be coming to America.

Wednesday November 5, 12:46 p.m.

Well, they're still tallying things up in the elections but it's starting to look like Obama is pulling away from McCain. He's got 207 electoral votes so far and that's without California and the other West Coast states, and they've usually been Democratic strongholds. Getting California would mean another 55 votes and he would only be 8 away from getting the Presidency. Plus, Obama is on track to get Ohio in his pocket, and Ohio was a must-win for McCain. Regrettably, I can't see any of this live since this computer refuses to let me see!

The Grandmas were fine. Grandma Tango and I managed to muddle our way through the mixed Japanese and English. It was pretty much the same deal between Grandma Enka and me. Now I have about 5 hours of down time until 001 comes in.

Wednesday November 5, 9:51 a.m.

Well, the first votes are in...apparently, McCain got Kentucky with 11 electoral votes and Obama got Vermont with 3 votes. No surprises there; they were both expected to grab those states. The battleground states are looking pretty nailbiting, though.

The phone's been ringing a few times. I generally tend to stay away from phones since my telephone Japanese is not up to speed in terms of business. The callers don't leave any messages which is a bit frustrating.

Grandma Tango should be coming in sometime in the next 15-20 minutes.

Wednesday November 5, 8:09 a.m.

Back here early since I gotta take over for the bossman who's out on business this morning and teach Grandmas Tango and Enka. I woke up at 5 a.m. just to see how the U.S. elections are going; people were lining up and voting away. I've been trying to see live coverage from the Internet but it seems that my access to that part of CNN and international channels are blocked. Crud! So far, Obama still has the lead. The polls should've closed in some states already.

Feels like that Pablon that the juku boss gave me last night has been doing the trick. I've been drip-free so far.

I got a message from California Girl stating that she would like to see me if there's time before I take off on the 17th for home. Well, she said that she'd be leaving the West Coast on the 15th...so frankly, I kinda doubt it.

Well, back to CNN...

Tuesday November 4, 9:27 p.m.

Finished for the night...and I'm just feeling finished. That cold has started to germinate inside of me. I was doing some major sniffling during Mr. Mild's lesson. Yep, just Mr. Mild...the missus is also going through her own battle with the cold as well. Meanwhile, in the next room, the juku boss was having her first meeting with a new student and his mother. Fresh-faced and eager boy...wonder how long that'll last. I give him 6 months before the sulleness kicks in. Didn't feel too good about having to make greetings while wearing a mask. Luckily, the boss was kind enough to get me some cold medicine called Pablon. Apparently, it should kick in in about 30 minutes. Good enough for me.

Gotta get home and get some shuteye before the early exodus tomorrow. Meanwhile, half a world away, a pivotal election gets under way.

Tuesday November 4, 7:01 p.m.

As I've said before, Suzanne is a tonic. She might look like a gyaru and act 10 years younger than she is, but she's got a sponge-like curiosity for all things great and small. Today ended up being a seminar on the sub-prime rate disaster in the US and why it caused the financial meltdown and how it could affect the results of the US elections. However, during the lesson, it became increasingly evident that I may be coming down with a cold.

Took a listen to that compilation double album of Ego-Wrappin's best hits: "Best Wrappin'". I hadn't been aware that the band's been about for 12 years. Ego-Wrappin' is this Osaka-based duo consisting of Yoshie Nakano (vocal) and Masaki Mori (guitarist) who's been often categorized as a retro-jazz unit. But that would be kinda like saying The Manhattan Transfer is a retro-jazz unit. Ego-Wrappin' seems to be incorporate various muscial influences from bebop to cool jazz to techno to rockabilly and maybe even psychobilly. And Nakano comes off as a hybrid J-Bjork and Yuki with a voice that sometimes reminds me of Janis Joplin doing standards. Really interesting music.

Speaking of music here, I turned on the telly this morning and saw the face of Tetsuya Komuro, the former Svengali of J-Pop in the 90s when he was behind various bands such as TRF, Globe, and dos...and behind the early careers of Namie Amuro and Tomomi Kahala. Perhaps in the West, he may have been recognized as the guy who came up with the techno version of the "Speed" theme for "Speed 2". Man, what a fall from grace. He was arrested last night on fraud charges based on some sort of copyright. Apparently, he'd been strapped for money and his heyday has been long over.

Well, not sure about the rest of Japan, but there is one city by the name of Obama here in one of the prefectures that's rooting for a certain Senator right now. May even be worth a visit someday.

Tuesday November 4, 4:30 p.m.

Well, it's Election Day in America. I gather that if this day were a movie, it would be an epic costing millions of dollars with plenty of twists and turns and a John Williams soundtrack. Basically, all of these things did happen, sans the soundtrack. And there was even a note of pathos this morning on hearing that Barack Obama's grandmother had passed away yesterday. It was sad to see Obama talk about the "rock" in his life and then tearing up a bit at the podium. However, starting from tonight Japan Standard Time, the final craziness begins, the American political equivalent of The Battle Over The Death Star. Is it gonna be tough-as-nails war hero John McCain, or the agent of change Barack Obama? The first exit polls shold be known tomorrow morning...again JST...at around 10 a.m. That's 15 minutes before I have to teach Grandma Tango. I have a feeling that I'll be checking CNN.com ad nauseum throughout the day. It's kinda too bad that I'll be missing out on watching Wolf, J.D., Anderson and John King with The Wall but it's just as well....I won't be able to catch any TV at home tomorrow anyways, since the cable guys will be installing their product....good grief...14 years to the day that I arrived in this country and now they're installing cable?! Go fig on that one...plus, the guys have to enter my apartment to make sure the plug-ins are holding.

Yesterday was Culture Day in Japan...a national holiday...which means that kendo was actually televised live on NHK. Otherwise, most folks here wouldn't remember what the holiday is. I made my way out into the city and bought a new text at Maruzen to keep Tully & The Coffeemaker occupied before heading over to Tower Records in Shibuya to contribute my money to Japanese culture and buying an enka DVD for my father.

I also was able to cook my minestrone soup...well, stew, actually...again it was a case of putting way too much starch in the form of pasta and potatoes...for the first time in 2 years. Rather surprised at how cheap I can get all the fixins for the soup...just 840 yen for all the veggies, including the whole tomatoes.

Today, I met up with The Beehive. Mrs. Perth was the first one there. She was back here from Sapporo for about a week. Sapporo is supposed to be getting its first snowfall today. Mrs. Jade and Mrs. Alp joined in. I brought in an article about Obama vs. McCain which provided lots of talk. I was glad that things went well today considering some of the moaning and groaning about how the class was going two weeks ago.

And it was my final lesson with 002. No particular emotional jags there. Some laughter and that was all she wrote. We wished each other well, and perhaps next year there'll be another nabe party at her place.

I've just got the two lessons at the juku tonight...Suzanne and then The Milds. I think The Traveler is gone for good. I'm still not quite sure if The Traveler's news of her manic depression is true or not, but she's not coming here. At least, I can get home early since I gotta leave early tomorrow morning.