Monday November 16, 7:01 p.m.

Yes, Xmas is in the air...or in the retail areas of Tokyo, at least. This tree is in the Oazo Mall just across from Tokyo Station. Japan is very much into the Xmas spirit. The nighttime illumination is also out in force in Shinjuku.

Yesterday, I had the second half of one of my MB weekends in Jiyugaoka. MB, me and The Sylph had breakfast in a new place called Cafe Copenhagen. Nice breakfast set: coffee, bagel with butter, and homemade yogurt with honey and nuts. I also had one of their slices of apple pie to seal the deal. It would've been perfect if only The Sylph and MB didn't get into an argument in front of me (to be accurate, The Sylph sniffily chewed MB out about something stupidly silly...the usual couple idiocies...you can see my views on marriage have remained unchanged). But the storm quickly dissipated as soon as it had appeared.

While The Sylph went out to meet her friends for lunch, MB and I just doodled around on his latest game purchase, Marvel Alliance II. I don't get to play games much so it was nice getting out some stress by doing some whup-ass as Ironman and Daredevil. Then, the two of us went over one station to Den'en-Chofu to try out a new culinary discovery called Katsukyu, a tonkatsu restaurant. Not exactly cheap at 2,400 yen but the hirekatsu set was very tasty and plentiful. Usually hire katsu is pretty lean and therefore there is a possibility of getting something a little too dry, but this one came out pretty juicy for a hire...almost ranked in as a rosu. And the de rigueur miso soup was made with aka (red) miso, always a sign of class in such an establishment. The two of us basically waddled our way back to the apartment. It was then another round of Marvel Alliance before I headed back home.

It was another early wake-up call this morning since I had Cozy in Toyocho. At the end of the lesson, he was kind enough to give me some of his food analyst magazines. Yep, you heard me. There are such people around...people who undergo through seminar-based training and restaurant-based experience to get qualification as food analysts. According to one of the magazines, these folks can help out in anything from food design to cuisine blogs and secret supermarket inspections. TV personality tarento Kaoru Manabe is the celeb representative; I usually see her hawking zit cream on TV. If her food credentials include chocolate ingesting, then she truly is a shrewd operator. In any case, Cozy's contribution goes back to our dinner with the juku boss a couple of months ago when he noticed me taking pictures of the dishes. Frankly, though I do like cuisine, I'm not sure if I would go the lengths to become a food analyst to know that I like the stuff.

Now, on another topic, I went down to that huge post office across from Tokyo Station to see if I could get some questions answered about Japan Post being able to hold onto my mail during my absence over the Holidays...only to find out that the big building is under demolition. Well, I guess I'll have to do more investigating via Internet then. I did some further walking around Ginza and then lunch before I headed to see SIL. SIL and I had a bonanza of stuff to talk about since last week was chock-full of news: Obama, Ichihashi, Akihito, etc. I think amongst all of my students, SIL is probably the most in-tune when it comes to Japanese pop culture, quite something considering that she's in her mid-50s, but then again a lot of her knowledge is based in the 60s/70s/80s, also my era.

...which reminds me when I was browsing around in the DVD area of Yamano Music. Recently, the various TV stations have been releasing box sets of some of the old shows. I came across a new set of a variety show that I'd watched pretty religiously 20 years back. The program, "Yamada Katsutenai Terebi", featured Kuniko Yamada, back then the Queen of Variety. The lantern-jawed comedienne was basically the Carol Burnett of Japan, and every Wednesday night on Fuji-TV back during my Gunma days, I turned on the telly at 9 p.m. to watch her and her Vicki, Lyle, Tim and Harvey....otherwise known as tarento Toru Watanabe, Hiroko Moriguchi, Hikaru Nishida and Tsutomu Sekine (the last one still quite active and now with a daughter, Mari, becoming a familiar face on contemporary primetime), horse about and showcasing some of the now-natsukashii singers who were hitting the top of the pops: Kan and Mariko Nagai. I feel rather tempted in getting the box set but, of course, 10,000 yen has to give me pause.

After SIL, I went over to Shinjuku to pick up the latest issue of "Hikaru no Go" at Kinokuniya and then browse around for a potential replacement text for The Bass. When I made my purchase, I found out that the bookstore has finally gotten onto the point card bandwagon. Sure enough, outside, there was plenty of LED Xmas illumination all over South Shinjuku.

Got over to Speedy's. The bossman finally got the Xmas party set for December 6th, a rare Sunday at a place called Ken's Cafe in Shinjuku. He and the missus tried to get in to check the place out but it had already been rented out for a wedding party. Perhaps a good sign.

Also found out that the last weekend of the month will be a very social one. On the 28th, I'm heading to a nabe party at the house of my old university friend, The Socialite, and then the next day, I've been invited indirectly by a probably-former student, Ms. Honolulu, to her apartment in Shinagawa. Apparently, my reputation has preceded me...Mrs. Speedy told me that Ms. Honolulu wants me to come over as early as possible to entertain her friends with my comedic regaling. Ay, ya!

I've got Medicine Man in a couple of hours. I just don't know what to do with that guy. Told me last class, he really doesn't want to talk about himself in class. Sheesh...why bother learning English then?

Sunday November 15, 1:23 a.m.

Went down to Shinjuku to meet up with MB, The Sylph and Frodo at the Picadilly. It'd been a while since we all met for a movie. And the movie was "Push", an emo-"X-Men" with Chris Evans (formerly the Human Torch from "The Fantastic Four") and a snarly, sweary Dakota Fanning (I guess this is her debut into more mature roles...just wish it had been in a better movie). Afterwards, the four of us agreed that it was a nice try with an interesting idea, but the execution didn't quite take. Although I liked the fact that it was entirely filmed on location in Hong Kong, the movie didn't move so much as it shuffled along like a sullen teenage slacker going to detention. The end was just telegraphing sequel but most likely if there is one, it'll be straight to DVD and most likely without any of the major lead actors.

We ended up having dinner at Erewan, a Thai restaurant chain in Shinjuku. The food was great, including one searingly hot plate of ground chicken and spices. The service was a bit inept but I gather that the waitresses were new, and they looked like they were trying hard.

The commute over to MB's place was typically packed on both the Yamanote and Toyoko Lines, but it is a tribute to Japanese society that despite the sardine-like nature of the subways, getting on and off was very smooth.

Everyone seemed pretty beat tonight....I guess dealing with a mediocre movie and very spicy & filling food conked just about everyone out. I'm the only guy still up but I'll be getting my shower and hitting the hay within the hour.

Saturday November 14, 2:09 p.m.

Hard to believe that we've already reached the middle of the penultimate month of the year. It's starting to feel quite wintry with the drop in temperatures.

Just had The Publicity Assistant right now. She hasn't been too busy as of late. She's always quite a good conversationalist. Found out that she was once in the top 10 one year amongst all elementary school students in Japan for her calligraphy.

Well, the most famous African-American in the world arrived in Tokyo without a whole lot of fanfare, but then the weather last night just didn't make it too hospitable for the folks to come out and greet him. Then again, it was all business with Barack Obama...no handshaking lines, no dinner outings to Ten-Ichi. He is here for another 24 hours before he takes off for Singapore tomorrow. It's a bit weird since PM Hatoyama has already left for the APEC meetings there. But on the off chance that he may drop into Shinjuku tonight, I have my digital camera ready to go.

Yup, after my lesson with The Businesswoman in 45 minutes, I'll be meeting with MB later tonight to catch "Push", which would be the poor-man's "X-Men". The rather harsh reviewer for METROPOLIS actually gave the flick a guarded thumbs-up, so as long as I don't have any high expectations, I shouldn't be too disappointed. And it'll be another MB weekend at his place; it's been a while.

I listened to that "Christmas Portrait" with The Carpenters. I bought it since I'd heard one track of it, "Merry Christmas, Darling" on one of their best compilations. The album itself wasn't too bad, but I think I have to be even more into the Xmas spirit to really appreciate it. The arrangement just seemed a bit too treacly for me....a bit on the DeVol side of things.

Friday November 13, 1:24 p.m.

Well, the witching day is here. A ferry turns 45 degrees the wrong way off the Pacific coast, and I go nuts on the purchases. Hopefully, the President has no problems on Air Force One. He should be arriving within the next few hours.

I picked up my new gaijin card...or should I be more politically correct and say Alien Registration Card? I feel like an immigrant from off-planet at MIB HQ whenever I say that. I went over to the branch office and sure enough, the reject from GLAY was there to take care of me. My card is now off-white with a few holo-stamps on it; my photo still screams "Do not approach...extremely dangerous!"

As I headed down to Shibuya, I did notice the increased presence of cops there. There were two officers on the platform at Shibuya Station, one on that yellow block as is often the case, as if he were saying loudly "I'M ON DUTY NOW!" And as I was heading up to Tower Records, three cops were encircling an ordinary woman; looks like she was getting the 3rd degree since she was hurriedly unloading an orange duffel bag in front of them. I couldn't imagine what kind of offensive weapons she could've been carrying....used tampons?

At Tower Records, I'm sure the staff was quite happy with me. I bought a couple of discs there, which positively screamed "ARAFO!" which is the Japlish transcription of "Around 40". One was an old Mariya Takeuchi album "Variety" from 1984 which has one of my favourite J-AOR songs, "Plastic Love" (yeah, no snickering). The other one is The Carpenters' Xmas album since that mood is starting to drop in on me like Pon Farr onto a Vulcan. But what increased my bill was finding the latest in the "The Original Peanuts" series on the shelf on the 7th floor.

After grabbing lunch at The Golden Arches, I just got onto the bus from Shibuya Station and headed back up to here at Speedy's. I've only got Miss Prissy here today and then I'll be heading on home before the juku classes.

It's definitely feeling a whole lot more like Winter now. There is that overcast gloominess to the sky while everyone is putting on the coats and scarves. It looks like the clouds may just unload some of the dry, fluffy stuff right on us.

Thursday November 12, 10:47 p.m.

Opened the place up this morning and now I'll be closing everything up tonight. Long day. But I got The Music Man through his review more or less intact and I'll be out the door in about 5 minutes.

Gotta head to the City Hall branch office in Gyotoku tomorrow morning to pick up my new gaijin card. I kinda wonder if that GLAY band member will be handling me as well. I'll have to say hello to Mr. Ichihashi.

I don't know how the traffic will be like tomorrow with all that security roaming the city in preparation for Barack Obama's arrival into town. I'm sure the morning wide shows will be having their full court press on the visit.

Thursday November 12, 8:29 p.m.

Just digesting my dinner (which included a wedge of Camembert on a Cracotte...thank heavens for the generosity of our senior students) before The Music Man comes in about 45 minutes. I guess it's been another long whole day here at Speedy's. Won't be nearly as present here tomorrow since I only have Miss Prissy in the afternoon, but I do have the juku folks since it will be Friday.

I had The Carolinan a couple of hours earlier. She told me that there was a definite heightened presence of the police everywhere in Tokyo, so I guess things are now in preparation for President Obama's visit tomorrow. The official celebration for The Emperor's and Empress' anniversary was held earlier in the afternoon. As for Obama, The Carolinan and I were speculating on where he and Michelle would be staying. The venerable Hotel Okura is one option since it is literally next door to the fortress known as the U.S. Embassy; the other place is the Akasaka Palace which was designed after one of the palaces in France. Wherever they stay, there'll be another media scrum although nothing compared to the bedlam that surrounded the arrest of Tatsuya Ichihashi a couple of nights ago. It may be the only time in Obama's presidency that Barack would be upstaged by a 30-year-old sociopath.

Thursday November 12, 5:20 p.m.

May have encountered some controversy on the "Star Trek" Mixi community via a question I posted. I realize that it was a bit of a fantastical question and the answer that I got was skeptical but polite so I'm not too worried yet. Ironically, I thought that that community would be the most welcoming but it seems that I've been getting the cold shoulder there for some reason. Some of the other communities have been quite good to me. However, after over 6 months being active on Mixi, I have to realize that when on a social networking site, it won't always be goodness and light all the time. Hopefully, I won't be getting any Channel 2 flame wars.

Thursday November 12, 12:32 p.m.

Well, got the first half of my lessons today done. I had the double with Grandma Dynamite earlier...worked on vowel pronounciation and the Past Continuous. Then with Grandma FON, we basically just talked about her pilgrimage to her lodge up in Nagano Prefecture. She was supposed to have come last week but she got snowed in up there. It's amazing that at the age of 78, she can handle the roads in her car with aplomb.

Now, it's just The Carolinan and The Music Man later tonight.

The next couple of days could see a lot of nervous breakdowns amongst the security types here. President Obama and The First Lady are due here tomorrow on Friday the 13th, and then apparently, the official celebrations happen today for the Golden Anniversary of the Emperor and Empress's wedding. Heck, perhaps even the media types might be reaching for the Bufferin.

Thursday November 12, 11:21 a.m.

The sturm und drang from yesterday has gone off into the distance, and Grandma FON has just arrived. Ah, more later...

Wednesday November 11, 9:28 p.m.

Had my two lessons with The German and 001 today. Both of them went happily swimmingly. The German and I always end up sidetracking massively...perhaps even more so than with 001. Which is kinda why I'm happy that she's scheduled her next lesson on a Tuesday, a day that I'm not available here at Speedy's. I think some of the bossman's ministrations would be good for her. As for 001, we kept it going quite well since we got onto the topic of Xmas celebration.

Speaking of the Holidays, I've got a bit of a dilemma. I was going to ask The Milds again for their help during my absence in terms of mail collection. But then I got second thoughts since I really don't want to impose on them. I'd heard that the post office could hold onto the mail while I'm gone but I'm not 100% certain of this so I've once again sent the question to my Mixi friends. Hopefully, they'll come to the rescue.

Tomorrow ought to be a busy day since I've got Grandmas Dynamite and FON in the morning, followed by The Carolinan and The Music Man in the evening.

Wednesday November 11, 3:29 p.m.

See that fellow on the left? His name is Tatsuya Ichihashi. As you may have guessed, despite the kanji, this is a wanted poster. Well, he's wanted no more. In what had to have been one of the biggest media feeding frenzies in recent Japanese memory, this guy was finally caught after nearly 3 years on the run for having allegedly killed a female British NOVA teacher in his apartment...just near my neighbourhood. Yup, he was living perhaps a stone's throw away from my neck of the woods. For the past 2 years and 7 months, I had become accustomed to seeing his face on posters all over the neighbourhood. At the very least, he is being charged with abandonment of a body...Lindsay Ann Hawker was found barely buried in a bathtub (!) filled with sand on his balcony. Police had a chance to grab him right then and there back in the Spring of 2007, but the man was just too fast for them and took off.

To be frankly honest, I'd thought he had committed suicide and was now residing at the bottom of Tokyo Bay. But then came the news a week ago that Ichihashi had undergone plastic surgery in Nagoya after being rejected at a clinic in Fukuoka. It is truly ironic that the man's attempt to further conceal himself ended up getting him captured. I had a feeling that once the man's (new) face got onto the screens again, it wouldn't be long. I guess in a way that his emergence to refreshed eyes finally sealed his fate.

I'd gotten home from the juku when I caught the news on NHK that the punk got nabbed waiting for a ferry for Okinawa. He didn't put up a fuss when the police confirmed who he was. However, the media just went hog wild. I thought that the scrum at Shin-Osaka Station where he had been put onto the Shinkansen was pretty wild. But his arrival at Tokyo Station at midnight was the stuff of legend. It was as if Michael Jackson's ghost had come back onto this plane of existence via a train platform. The police and Ichihashi were nearly consumed by dozens of cameramen and reporters; it was looking downright dangerous right from the platform and to the front of the station where the van was waiting for him. I don't think I'd ever witnessed this much of a scrum in my 15 years here...not even with Noriko Sakai, and not even with the arrest of the guru of Aum Shinrikyo, Shoko Asahara.

I watched the journey of the police van and various media motorcycles via helicopter camera as it went from Tokyo and into Chiba and into Ichikawa...about a 20-minute ride considering that it was past midnight. And then there was the scrum again (although it was more orderly than the chaos at Tokyo Station) at Gyotoku Police Station, perhaps just 20 minutes' walk away from my apartment. I could hear the news choppers overhead. And then Ichihashi's odyssey finally came to an end as he was escorted into the station.

Much of the time, Ichihashi's head had been covered with a coat but as he was dragged into the van in front of Tokyo Station, the coat was taken off. He had that typically sullen look of a criminal, but there was also that expression of resignation to his fate. Perhaps he is relieved that the run is finally over. I can only hope that the killer of that university student in Shimane Prefecture can be caught a whole lot sooner.

Monday November 9, 11:09 a.m.

Did what has become my new Monday morning routine which is to teach Cozy at the bleary-eyed time of 8 a.m. in Toyocho. And since apparently I won't be seeing Swank for a little while, I have come back here to the I-Cafe to relax until SIL's lesson at 2.

Yesterday was over to The Jyuppies. They're getting close to their moving day; they'll be heading over to new digs in Futako-Tamagawa which is slightly further west of their soon-to-be former Komazawa Park townhouse. In a way, it's a bit of a pity that they're moving to the allegedly tonier neighbourhood since I think K Park seems much more family-friendly. Earlier in the day, I went to Gaienmae to search for that shop where The Admin and her husband had been holding their exhibition, but after walking and looking around for the place for close to an hour, I had to abandon the search due to lack of time. So, I just ended up having lunch at the Omotesando Wendy's. It was a nice walk through Aoyama Cemetery again.

Newswise, the stations have been keeping watch on that grisly case of that murdered girl in Hiroshima Prefecture. Her head had been found in the mountains, and then yesterday, the police managed to find her torso some 80 m away. The clues are slowly starting to build up....forensics are saying that she may have been strangled. I'm hoping that there will be an arrest sometime this week.

Probably around 15 minutes ago, the verdict on Noriko Sakai was given...and I'm sure to a very attentive press. Just like my checkup results, there's probably no need to check. Prosecutors were asking for an 18-month sentence which will probably mean that she'll get that suspended for 5 years just like Manabu Oshio. Not sure if there was any full court press on what she was wearing in the courtroom.

Ended up watching another Kevin Kline movie last night....a much more fun outing than "De-Lovely". I first saw "Dave" at the theatres back in the hometown nearly 20 years ago. It was a very enjoyable and poignant take on "The Prisoner of Zenda" done against the backdrop of the White House. There was definitely a very Capraesque feel to the proceedings. "Dave" was directed by "Ghostbusters" boss Ivan Reitman; not sure if he also did it, but around the same time, there was "Groundhog Day", another whimsical fantasy grounded in the present day. Ah, I think that was Harold Ramis.

I kinda feel like I'm in that transitional seasonal phase. We're beyond Halloween and all that media talk on the seasonal foods such as ayu and matsutake, but we're not into the Xmas mood, despite all of the department store frills. It just feels rather November-ish.

In any case, I have that rare non-holiday Monday off...after SIL, that'll be it for me since Medicine Man won't be coming in today. I will enjoy today.

Saturday November 7, 3:18 p.m.

Finished the classes. No big problems there. I decided to try purchasing my concert ticket online but that verdammt "Verified By Visa" program has screwed me over again. For some reason, whenever I tried to input my code, the numbers wouldn't show up. Looks like I'll have to do it analog and buy it in Kanda.

Well, I'm gonna get out of here before tickets totally sell out.

Saturday November 7, 9:10 a.m.

Well, I had my first dinner at my old neighbourhood tonkatsu restaurant in a few months since I'd boycotted the place due to what I thought was reneging on a coupon. It was nice to have a mouthful of hire katsu once again.

When I got to the juku, the boss was once again mewling about her computer illiteracy. This time, it was about some "dreaded" message from Norton Security. All it turned out to be was an offer to upgrade her current software; obviously since her computer is brand new...there's no urgent need right now. On a somewhat more serious note, since I'm now down to just The Milds for one hour on Tuesdays, the boss has broached the topic of perhaps moving The Milds to Fridays from next year. Hmmm....it may be possible although I'm not sure whether the couple may be doing stuff on that night.

Today is relatively busy at Speedy's. I've got Mr. TOEIC in about an hour, followed in quick succession by The Intellectual and The Publicity Agent...basically, the usual Saturday crew. But I'll be done by 2 o'clock. I'm hoping to pick up that ticket for the Ruiko Kurahashi concert next month at the Ticket Pia machine in my local conbini. I guess on that note, convenience stores truly are what they say.

Newswise, I'm sure Hideki Matsui is basking in the glow of not only his team's World Series win, but also for getting the MVP title. Once all of the confetti and champagne have been washed out of his hair, he'll be arriving in Japan to a hero's welcome. I can imagine that Ichiro is just biting his chin stubble in absolute envy.

Ichihashi...that name is an unfortunate blast from the past. He's the young punk who murdered that English teacher, Lindsay Ann Hawker, near my neighbourhood a few years ago. I'd always thought he had killed himself, but apparently the police are now saying that he has undergone plastic surgery in Nagoya, and have now shown possible new looks. My question is how Ichihashi could not have been noticed by staffers who are supposedly trained to look at faces critically.

Then, just this morning, we got word that the head of a missing co-ed from Shimane Prefecture was found in the forest near Hiroshima. We may not have a lot of crime in this country, but a lot of what we go through is pretty grisly.

20 years ago, a Wall came down. But 40 years ago, a Street went up. Sesame Street, that is. Apparently, they're having their anniversary from next Tuesday. I think I still have the original record album somewhere back home. I'm still not sure about that Bert & Ernie cohabitation thing.

Friday November 6, 4:27 p.m.

Pretty quiet couple of days...almost feels like a weekend, especially since I often work on them. Case in point, I saw The Bow as my only student of the day yesterday in Shinjuku. Looks like since the launch of Dyson's Air Multiplier, there has been some blowback of sorts. The London Telegraph has dug up some stuff from years back stating that Toshiba may have come up with the idea of a bladeless fan some 28 years ago. And apparently, some of those famed Dyson vacuum cleaners have been literally burning customers due to some poorly insulated cording.

I did pick up a couple of discs from HMV and Tower Records. The former had me pick up the 8th DVD of Ken Burns' "Jazz"...mostly focusing on the birth of Be-Bop and Charlie Bird Parker. Watching this series kinda feels like getting the university-level education on the genre.
Then at Tower's, I got "Star Trek". The official release is today but Tower Records often starts selling awaited goods a day ahead of schedule, bless its red-and-yellow heart. I did love the gag reel in which apparently between takes, the Bridge served as an impromptu disco. And who'da thought that Zachary Quinto would be such a cut-up?

Nothing today until the juku classes tonight. Looks like my Tuesdays there are just shrinking; a few years ago, I could look forward to 4.5 hours of classes, but now it looks like I'll only have The Milds for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, Mr. White is pulling out for November. After seeing him in his emotional state over a week ago, I just couldn't see myself teaching him until he gets some serious help.

MB is once again itching to have DVD Night, and Skippy is itching to catch "Inglorious Basterds" which will come out later this month.

Wednesday November 4, 10:48 p.m.

After nearly 15 hours here at the school, I'm about ready to go home. I never thought I would be pulling these hours after a decade and a half in Japan. But hey, it's a living. Didn't eat dinner but didn't really need to, after engorging myself on free sushi and chocolates. Not exactly a healthy diet but it was great on my wallet. However, I've got a sneaking suspicion that my stomach may give me some rumbles by the time I hit home.

Good night!

Wednesday November 4, 8:11 p.m.

It's been a lazy daisy type of evening. 001 came in, gave me a peace offering of sorts in the form of caramel corn from 002 since they had all met for hot pot a few weeks earlier, and we just caught up on the 3 weeks that she'd been absent from class. Meanwhile, Bay has dropped in and been chewing the fat with La Fille. Apparently, they're talking about the model-turned-tarento in Japanese showbiz. Get the swords out, will ya?

Wednesday November 4, 5:50 p.m.

I got plied with the goodies today...chocolates from Grandma Fado, sushi from Grandma Enka, and then Ray got generous by getting La Fille and me some chocolate eclairs. I haven't gotten dinner and I don't really feel like it right now.

Saw The Nurse for the first time in a few weeks. She was rather out of it today; only had 3 hours of sleep before coming here. She said that she was used to the inordinately small amount of shuteye, but considering her performance today, I would have to disagree. She was heading out to meet her hubby for dinner at some all-you-can-eat tempura place in Shinjuku. That was probably the most useful piece of information I got from her all hour. Afterwards, Ray, La Fille and I had some of that chitchat that has become rather commonplace among us, especially when the bossman is not around. Apparently, Ray has to update the company blog...the theme is supposed to be based on Xmas, so I had to come up with some seasonal vocabulary.

Tomorrow will be anything but Hump Day. Grandma FON called to cancel her lesson tomorrow morning since she's marooned out in snowy Nagano. So 50% of my lessons have gone by the wayside...just The Bow in Shinjuku.

001 should be here in another 5 minutes. I'm hoping that 001 will be her usual happy-go-lucky self.

Wednesday November 4, 2:15 p.m.

Well, on this 15th anniversary of my landing, I celebrated with some store-bought sushi that Grandma Enka had kindly given both Ray and me. She'd had no idea about the day, and strangely enough, an hour earlier, Grandma Fado had given us some chocolate. If The Nurse gets us something, we'll have hit the trifecta.

Both Grandmas were fine....it was all just gab in the lesson which suits me just fine. However, it'll be down to business with The Nurse since I gotta give her a test at the end of the lesson.

Wednesday November 4, 9:06 a.m.

15 years ago today....sounds like I'm giving The Gettysburg Address...but still, it is true. 15 years ago today, I arrived on these Pacific shores as a to-be-minted NOVA teacher. Well, 15 years later, I'm still here incredibly enough...and even more incredibly, NOVA is back, but in a much humbler capacity. I just remember getting off the airplane and being greeted by a British staffer from the former Harajuku regional office before getting whisked to an apartment building in Shibamata (the home of Tora-san) in which several units were being leased by the company. I was with an Aussie couple for a couple of weeks in that apartment in a 2LDK before I ended up getting my current place in Ichikawa. Pretty interesting days back then.

Yesterday, I just had a pleasant day at home since Tuesday was Culture Day. For most people, it was just Lucky Sleep-In Day, but some wizened Japanese got their Imperial Blue Ribbon for Culture at the Imperial Palace, including a rakugo storyteller and a kabuki actor. Somewhat younger guys got some awards as well....Jo Hisaishi, the composer behind all of the Hayao Miyazaki anime was one such person, and slightly eccentric but veteran singer/songwriter Miyuki Nakajima was another.

Caught the Cole Porter biopic "De-Lovely" on cable last night. I'd wanted to catch this flick on the big screen when it came out 5 years ago, but on hearing the scathing reviews from critics, I held off. And yes, though I think I still thought wisely about holding onto my 1800 yen, "De-Lovely" wasn't too bad at all....that is, as long as you're not too steeped in Porterlore. I think the problem just lay in the melding of musical and drama. I think the musical genre is just better suited with the lighter touch of comedy or farce, and though the talent on screen (Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce) was great, the very downbeat second half just seemed a bit too incongruous with the songs that Porter had composed....especially that jarring "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" at the end. Still, a noble failure. And it got me to listen to Jane Monheit's rendition of "In The Still of the Night", probably the best version of the Porter classic. I think I may just search for Ella's "The Cole Porter Songbook" soon.

From the (somewhat) sublime to the ridiculous...I also caught the last half of "Jason X". I guess after 9 sequels to the 1980 horror classic, "Friday the 13th", the producers just couldn't be that serious about cinema's favorite killer in a goalie mask. I mean, I don't think anyone was really trying hard anymore with Jason...it was more comedy than horror. But then I did see "Jason vs. Freddy", the next sequel...and that was basically done in "Looney Tunes" style.

I've got a pretty packed lineup today....so I guess it's Hump Day. I've got Grandmas Fado and Enka...the former because Speedy is away at a study-abroad fair. Then, it's The Nurse mid-afternoon, followed by 001 and The Music Man to finish. So, I'll be here virtually all day and night...or should I say, "Night and Day" ?(another Porter classic). Speaking of which, being the "Doctor Who" fan, I did see John "Captain Jack" Barrowman as one of Porter's paramours in "De-Lovely"...strangely enough, his character name's was also Jack. Along with Ashley Judd who will always be Ensign Robin Lefler from TNG, I guess there are a couple of sci-fi connections in there.

Monday November 2, 7:00 p.m.

Just the scene outside of Don Quixote, the Tokyo equivalent of a Wal-Mart or, if you're a Torontonian like me...Honest Ed's, back on Halloween night. A whole bunch of young'uns doing that last-minute Halloween costume shopping before heading off to their respective parties. Yep, went down to Roppongi to check out the action. Actually, did see a number of Japanese and foreigners decked out in various get-ups like witches and ghosts. Also saw a Lupin III fellow walking around. Kinda wished that I could've been involved in the action so that the pictures would've come more easily, but I just ended up having some smelly but tasty tonkotsu ramen in the passage between Roppongi Hills and Roppongi Station before heading home.

Sunday was even more insular...didn't leave the apartment at all. I just ended up ordering in some Domino's in my own version of hikikomori...I don't think I've had that experience since I was laid up in bed due to sickness. I guess, then, that Sunday was the very first time that I actually pulled the shut-in act healthy.

Today was back to work. Had Cozy for his early lesson before I just headed back home for a few hours. Then I got to see SIL for the first time in 3 months. Her mother is still ailing with her broken elbow...at her age, I guess it would be difficult for bones to heal quickly. Had lots to talk about with SIL due to the layoff. Of course, Noriko Sakai and Manabu Oshio were at the top of the list. By the way, Oshio got 1.5 years suspended for 5 years due to his drug use. I guess the authorities couldn't bear to see him his smooth features besmirched by becoming someone's bee-yotch in the big house. Then again, with his attitude, a little humbling wouldn't be too bad a punishment.

I've been here at Speedy's all alone since the staff are at some sort of job fair today. However, I've got Mr. TOEIC in about 20 minutes for the first time in a month, and then The Medicine Man later on. I was able to make a new friend on Mixi out of the blue by some lady who found me out and has a love for Canada and was born in Ichikawa.

Out of the strange news territory: Ai Haruna, everyone's favourite transsexual tarento, has now gotten elevated status in the geinokai. Even NHK was reporting that she won the International Transsexual Beauty Contest in Thailand over the weekend. Man, will he/she be getting the prime spots on variety programming for the next several weeks!

And right now, in crime news, all of the cameras have been focused laser-like on this Black Widow...this 34-year-old woman who may have offed 4 pathetically lonely guys through various means such as immolation and asphyxiation and taken their money. So far, her face has been obscured by the wonderful means of pixillation since she hasn't officially been charged quite yet, but she's been seeing the inside of a cell for the past week or so.

Saturday October 31, 11:57 a.m.

Yep, it's another Halloween. I'm pretty sure places like Roppongi and Shinjuku got a head start last night and maybe from earlier in the week with all of the partying. I've even done my own contributions with my own pumpkin carving as you can see in light and night modes. Didn't take too long...just a little under an hour before my pumpkin from National Azabu Supermarket was transformed into a Jack O'Lantern.

Conversations with the students this past week have touched upon on how Halloween has quickly insinuated itself into the Japanese festival season. Just within the last decade, the annual Witching Hour has gone from one of the many curious little things that gaijin celebrate (usually for one circuit on the Yamanote Line here in Tokyo) to this annual event that frenzies all of the major entertainment areas in the big cities. No big plans here for me, but I just plan to hit Roppongi at the right time tonight and see if I can take some pics of the hilarity that will ensue.

Yesterday, I just had one student at Speedy's...Miss Prissy, who had kindly given me a no-calorie chocolate cake for my birthday (gee, how did she ever pick up on my need for no-calorie?). She's also one of those students who has a molasses-like fluency but at least she makes an overtly gigantic effort while The Medicine Man just sits there with a perplexed look on his face for several seconds (perhaps even a minute?) before he gives up. Guess which one I'm more impressed with?

Only have The Publicity Assistant today. Not sure if she'll be attending any of the Halloween activities tonight. Afterwards, I'll probably be working on some more stuff for Eiken before I take off.

Thursday October 29, 12:02 p.m.

Finished with Grandma Dynamite. Again like the last time, the two hours went pretty smoothly more or less. Looks like she'll be going with the double-lesson format. Officially, I'm now off for the day, but I wanted to tackle a bit more of the Eiken 1 project before heading on off for National Azabu Supermarket.

Like Mr. Mild, Grandma Dynamite has taken up the slow, graceful hobby of tai chi. She's been going to a neighbourhood park, Zenpukuji Park, on Sunday mornings and practicing with 29 other folks. Unlike Mr. Mild, she's gotten into it. Mr. Mild told me on Tuesday night that he probably won't continue it himself since it just seems a bit too languid for his style. He's more into cycling all over the place, so just standing still and moving in slow motion would seem a bit out of league with him.

Thursday October 29, 8:12 a.m.

Ahhh...Tokyo truly has the plethora of cuisines. Burgers with Shrek at Brozer's and then pai ko tan tan men with The Carolinan at Foo Foo. It is no wonder that metabolic syndrome has taken permanent hold on the populace nowadays, yours truly included.

Found out via Mixi that The Bohemian is currently in Vietnam to meet a friend. Apparently, he has overindulged himself in Ho Chi Minh City...hopefully, just of the culinary variety. I really don't need to see him on TV.

Since Daddy's Girl has once again gone into hiding, I've only got Grandma Dynamite for the two hours this morning. I'll probably spend some time afterwards doing that Eiken 1 project, before I head on out to Hiroo to pick up a pumpkin. I'd entertained some second thoughts about going, since it seems rather frivolous to carve a pumpkin for oneself, but then I figured, it's my life and I can do whatever I want. Plus, National Azabu Supermarket has far more variety in its stock (no pun intended) of Campbell Soups than any other regular supermarket. And in addition, it'll be nice to be focused on something other than teaching on a Thursday night.

Wednesday October 28, 8:37 p.m.

Did forget to mention my night at the juku last night. It was perhaps the first time that I'd actually seen the boss look pretty frustrated. Apparently, she hasn't been having a good time with her new computer...I think she upgraded a little too high with that MS Vista, and she's nowhere near a computer expert. The last couple of times I've come over, she's sheepishly asked me to help her out on some rather simple tasks. She apparently got into a bit of a fight with an old friend who had come over to help out on Sunday because her friend thought the boss was getting herself too much of a tizzy about her new electronic monster. I would tend to agree to a certain point. I'm no expert myself but I at least know the meaning of the word "scan". The boss is a bit worried about her emotional state since pre-operation, she would have let such a thing just slide off her back. Now, she just gets herself into a lather about one simple operation on a computer.

Wednesday October 28, 7:58 p.m.

These two pictures are from my Saturday foray into Akiba at that festival. The one on the left is of the Tokyo Anime Centre. Since the government has officially cancelled the project to make that huge museum devoted to anime, it looks like the TAC will be it for the next while...or the next election. The one on the right is of that concert outside of the UDX Building where these two performers dressed like anime space pilots were plying their stuff while the rabid fans were literally throwing themselves all over...a lot of them looked a lot older than teenagers, too.

It's been a pretty nice day. Had a bit of a logistical nightmare earlier in the day, though, when I ran a bit overtime with The Magician and had to race to the station to pick up The New Yorker. Hopefully, The Magician wasn't too offended if I'd seemed to have been rushing things. Otherwise, The New Yorker was in fine fettle and then The German and I had a lot of things to gab about as usual. The Businesswoman came in for the first time in 4 months. Looks like she's coming back into the fold since she's started at a new position at a university. She's going away from the Business English and just wants to work on general fluency.

001 cancelled...no surprise there. And even Daddy's Girl has canned her lesson for tomorrow night, which means that after Grandma Dynamite tomorrow morning, I'm done. It looks like I can just head over to National Azabu and grab that pumpkin. Basically, I've been doing a lot of housekeeping on Mixi and here for the past few hours, but I should be headed on my way home in another hour.

Mao Asada, the world champion figure skater and national darling, seems to be in a tailspin instead of a triple axel. A sports columnist for "The Japan Times" wrote an article pleading with the skater to dump her current coach, a famed Russian woman who now seems to have lost her edge. If even the English media are starting to get worried, then I can only imagine how the Japanese media with their jerky knees must be feeling. They probably want to hang the Russian by her thumbs at this point, especially since it's Mao. I was struck by one comment by Jack Gallagher: "Mao is revered in Japan because she possesses the unique combination of beauty, ability and innocence that this country so loves." I can imagine that point for a lot of folks...including currently defrocked Noriko Sakai. That so-called unique combination goes a long way in explaining everything from aidoru to Maid Cafes. As for Ms. Asada, she's virtually a tarento with all of the appearances she's made on TV...mostly in commercials. For her to lose her place at the Olympics would send the sponsors into apoplexy. I think Gallagher also made an interesting point in that Mao is back here in Japan where she's got as much celeb clout and attention as Brad Pitt does in America. That would definitely distract the kid...better that she's out of the nation as a virtually unknown presence in either Canada or the States.

Monday October 26, 8:39 p.m.

It's been a long, soggy Monday. I guess that would be perfect for the Carpenters ditty "Rainy Days and Mondays". Typhoon 20 is supposed to be just grazing the Pacific Coast tomorrow morning, but it's been leaving quite the calling card so far. My shoes are gonna be properly waterlogged by the time I get home tonight.

I had Cozy for his regular early-morning lesson. Despite the bleary-eyed nature of his classes, he's been a fine student. Can't really complain. Afterwards, I just headed straight back home; it's saying something when I'm coming home from a lesson and the supermarket is still not open yet. I spent the next 6 hours just doing some household stuff.

Once again, fallen aidoru Noriko "Nori-P" Sakai has usurped the news cameras from PM Hatoyama. Our new "alien" leader launched the first day of an extraordinary session of Parliament with his policy speech. However, NHK was the only one to pick it up as the commercial networks en masse went with Nori-P's first appearance in court to face the music against those drug charges. Since this isn't America, cameras weren't allowed in the courtroom, so it was left to young athletic reporters to come charging out in relay teams to breathlessly spit out the goings-on inside. Hatoyama was talking about the future of Japan, the reporters for Nori-P were talking about her clothes and make-up. Such is the state of J-journalism. BTW, the prosecution is calling for 2 years in prison for Sakai, although most likely she's gonna get it suspended. All she has to do is to flash that cute smile of hers, and the judges are hers.

Well, I've got The Medicine Man in about 40 minutes. I'm hoping against hope that he'll be far more lucid than he was last week. I've got some more review with him before I give him the big test. I just heard from Speedy that The Businesswoman may be thinking of coming back into the fold again...after the paycheck I got today, any return by long-lost students would be very welcome.

Monday October 26, 8:24 p.m.

Sunday may have been the visit to Omotesando but the day before was something different altogether. After my session with The Intellectual, I decided to take the train over to Akihabara, as I am occasionally wont to do. Apparently, during the same time that The Tokyo International Film Festival was on, the Otaku Mecca had its own Entertainment Festival. I went there on the 2nd last day. Most of the festa (as the Japlish would have it) took place at the UDX Building, one of the two twin towers that now occupy like Akiba like two dismembered legs from a Gundam. There was a huge mass waiting for some sort of event while there were some stands selling anime stuff but otherwise, there wasn't a whole heck of a lot going on inside.

However, just outside of the UDX was another matter...and that refers to the upper-left hand picture. The 1st floor is occupied by a Chinese restaurant and a Tully's so the crowd is atypically (for Akiba) well-heeled showing some of the new Akihabara. However at the time I got there, some of the old Akiba showed its well-worn face. What looked like something that usually takes place in front of the @Home Cafe was happening in front of that Tully's. A couple of women in space-age outfits was strutting their stuff in front of an adoring (all male) mob. While the girls were wailing away in their mikes, the fan(atics) were just throwing themselves all over the place; I would say that they were just as entertaining as the girls on stage. It's become a custom for Akiba idols to have their cheering section throw their bodies around like interpretive dancers and spit out practiced lines and slogans like a bunch of hirsute cheerleaders. Of course, there were quite a lot of folks training their cellphone cameras on the sight of otaku going nuts. There were a number of uniformed teens looking on rather amusedly and bemusedly. I think a teen's biggest fear would be peering into that mass of black-shirted otakudom and then suddenly crying out "DAD?!"

Monday October 26, 6:31 p.m.

Rotten weather outside due to the effects of Typhoon No. 20. Must be Halloween Week. Went to Omotesando yesterday morning before my session with The Jyuppies to see if I could take some pics of the annual Halloween Parade there. The rain and gloom certainly added to the festive mood but I'd had doubts whether the event could come off. However, when I saw the steady stream of kids and parents come up from the subway, I don't think the organizers could've cancelled it if they had tried. Yup, the entire city has its fair share of orange-and-black decorations, including Jack O'Lanterns strewn all about.

It's amazing how Halloween has taken hold here...at least in Tokyo...in the past 15 years. When I came here in 1994, there was no sign of the Great Pumpkin anywhere. There was that custom of drunken foreigners hijacking one car of the Yamanote Line for one loop on the 31st, much to the bemusement of normal passengers and JR staff. That may have been nipped in the bud, but since then, Halloween parties have been popping up like mushrooms over the last decade-and-a-half.

When I was at the old school, I started up the tradition of carving pumpkins and getting the students in their Halloween finest. No such luck here at Speedy's since we don't have nearly the quantities of students. No new students to show my Jack O'Lantern abilities but I may still brave the elements tomorrow after my physical (provided that I can still walk after that and no breakfast) just to head over to National Azabu Supermarket in Hiroo and pick up a gourd to carve all by myself. I've already gotten into the spirit of things by watching "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown".

Saturday October 24, 1:30 p.m.

It was an interesting Thursday. I saw The Bow for the first time in about a month...she'd been working on the campaign for her soon-to-be former company, Dyson, to get the word out locally about James Dyson's latest revolutionary invention, the bladeless fan. The Bow spent half the hour on the schematics of the device...basically a large ring on top of a cylinder containing a powerful impeller sucking air in and throwing it out through a gap in the ring. The official launch came out in Omotesando Hills about a week ago with the man himself making an appearance, but sales in regular electronics shops won't be starting until early next year.

Then I took The Carolinan after her lesson to my favorite ramen joint, Foo Foo. Yup, she enjoyed the pai ko tan tan men...just slurped up the spicy broth right up.

I gloriously enjoyed my late Friday. Actually got 9 hours of sleep in bed since I decided to stave off the physical until Tuesday. The need for sleep and the ramen within me made the point rather moot. The juku boss seems to be still suffering from the effects of her operation nearly a year ago. She said her blood pressure was dangling quite low last night. The Ace and The Restauranteur were fine.

This morning, I got up early and headed down to the Shin-Takanawa Prince Hotel in Shinagawa to meet up with my old friend, Paddy. The Prince Hotel chain seems to really want to get that prize of Japanese Holiday Inn. The interior of this one, along with the very first one down in Shiba Park, seems to be stuck in the 60s. Years ago, it was pretty much known as the premier hotel chain in the country, but now it just seems to be hellbent on staying in faded mediocrity. In any case, Paddy was just here to get some family stuff done so we met up in the lobby before heading for one of the small restaurants for breakfast. We made the usual chat on catching up and finding out what's become with some of our old cronies. Since my old friend is now based in London and uses Virgin Airlines fairly often, I was wondering about introducing him to The Ballerina since she's now working in a supervisory position there at Heathrow.

Had my lone lesson with The Intellectual. I'll probably be heading out at 2 to go to Akiba. Apparently, it's the last day of some sort of festival over there. I just want to take some pictures since it's been a while.

Looks like this Monday will be a Donut Day. Both Swank and Daddy's Girl have re-scheduled their classes for later dates, so I'll just have Cozy for the early slot while Medicine Man will come in for his usual last slot.

Thursday October 22, 12:49 p.m.

Yup, Grandma FON was in the house, and true to her Force of Nature title, she was just off and running. Almost didn't need to refer to her text. She'd gone to the Basque region of Spain (not sure if she ran into any ETA types) over the summer, along with her frequent hops up to her house in Nagano Prefecture. She'll be heading there next week as well since she loves the countryside so.

Just gotta ingest some lunch and then I'll be headed out for Shinjuku. Feeling a bit weary from the lack of sleep, so it looks like it'll be a heavy coffee day. Thankfully, my remaining 2 lessons will be at Starbucks.

Thursday October 22, 11:14 a.m.

Another early wake-up call to teach Cozy. My shoulders are definitely getting that petrified forest quality. It's been a long time since I had a massage...ever since that financial gouging I got at the Lilac Forest, the massage clinic area in Ikebukuro's Sunshine City, earlier this year, I've been rather trepidatious about entering one. However, Cozy is one good student. Barely got through the one page but only because we were just riffin' on the conversation.

I've got Grandma FON for the first time since July. Wonder how she's gonna be. Most likely, we'll just be gabbing on her latest trips, so probably no need for any textbook but just in case, I've got it with me. Then, after lunch, I'm off to Shinjuku to teach The Bow and The Carolinan. And then good ol' Foo Foo for dinner. I'll be definitely holding off that physical til next Tuesday. When I've got the early wake-up call for a physical plus the requisite of not eating for 10 hours before the checkup versus a fine ramen tonight followed by several hours of good sleep, I think the choice is obvious.

Wednesday October 21, 8:00 p.m.

Basically got some stuff done: a bit of planning for that long-range project of devising an EIKEN 1 course, proofread the latest report from The Croatian, and looked at what I'll have to do with The Music Man. Yep, 001 is off for the 2nd week in a row...ostensibly for a workshop tonight, although I do wonder if there is any alcohol involved.

I've also been wondering if I ought to join the "NCIS" community on Mixi. Yep, even here in Japan, Mark Harmon's magnum opus has got an in-built fan club. Last year during my time in Canada over the Holidays, it was "CSI: Miami" that I was glued to on the tube. Well, thanks to the good folks at Fox Japan, I've been catching the funnier and more action-packed spinoff to "JAG" pretty regularly. And I guess in deference to both the Cate and Ziva fans, FJ has been showing eps from Seasons 2 and 4 (pre- and post- Cate's death) at different times of the day. Ironically, I think FJ will be showing the tragic season finale to Season 2 tomorrow morning. Tragically, I have to be out by 6:30 a.m. tomorrow to teach Cozy.

It's been interesting how "NCIS" has slowly come up through the ratings eclipsing its parent show, that had often been referred disdainfully as the program for retired folk just after Pablum time. "NCIS" just seems to be a different show altogether...it consistently has elements of "CSI" and "Moonlighting" and even, to a certain crazed extent, "Sailor Moon", just in its plotting. I don't think anyone has ever seen such a fusion of drama, thriller and comedy in one series, and I think the viewers have finally seen the light, judging from the Neilsen ratings.

Wednesday October 21, 5:06 p.m.

A rather Humpless Day with only The Music Man as my student of the day. However, I've kept it interesting. Went over to the Gyotoku annex of Ichikawa City Hall, just one station over and a 5-minute walk, to renew my Gaijin Card. I was apparently taken care of by a reject from the Japanese rock band, GLAY...fiery Dragonball hair, open shirt and a pimp moustache. Nice enough guy, though.

Then, I headed to Kanda/Jimbocho and took a long browse over at Sanseido Books, one of the most famous bookstores in Tokyo. I hadn't been there in years...not too many changes, and still doesn't have quite the English-language book section that Kinokuniya or Maruzen does. Still, my main mission was to meet The Carolinan at 1 for lunch since she works nearby. She took me to a soup curry restaurant (the Japanese seem to like to reverse their word order for compound word dishes) which apparently had been recommended on TV by the currently "in" comedy duo, Audrey. The restaurant itself was one of the usual places squeezed in between old buildings. It had quite the Showa Era air about it...a lot of wood, old 20th-century art and kayo kyoku from the 60s playing in the background...very natsukashii.

Soup curry is as it sounds: it's not the usual spicy and thick concoction poured over a mound of rice. The rice is set aside while the curry is much more watery though it still retains that spiciness. I took the hamburg set, so there was a thick patty doused in my soup, while The Carolinan had the veggie set with carrots, potatoes, and broccoli. It was quite a good lunch to have in such an appealingly old-fashioned environment. Definitely worth another visit. I told my lunch partner that I would have to take her out to Foo Foo to return the favour tomorrow night. Since I only have one lesson at Speedy's in the morning, I'll be teaching her at the Shinjuku Starbucks a couple of hours after I'm done with her friend, The Bow. It would just be short walk to get to my favourite ramen place afterwards.

I've been teaching for over 22 years now, and I've had my spectrum of students: angry, overly peppy, nearly mute, very engaging, etc. But last night at the juku, I had my very first morbidly depressed session. As I've mentioned before, Mr. White has been battling his depression, and he came right at the time where he must have been at rock bottom. He came in hunched over, shuffling and shaking, and as soon as he sat down, he just started breaking down, wracked in sobs. Oh, boy...I kept myself calm since I'd already been advised about his condition by the boss and just let him get it all out, before I asked the boss to get a glass of water and call his wife.

I'd thought that it was probably prudent to have Mrs. White come with the car and pick her husband up, but instead, the missus advised me to teach him as long as possible to help get his confidence up. Apparently, Mr. White has been battling depression for five years, so if anyone knows how to handle him, it would be his wife. So, there was no protest from me...I just set back to work. Used kid gloves on him, of course. And I managed to get him through the lesson. His mood lightened somewhat although he was still very down on himself and spoke in little more than an anguished whisper. I offered to walk him home, but he politely declined. I just hoped he can control himself. After that class, I gained a lot of perspective in terms of my own life.

After lunch with The Carolinan, I went over to Shinjuku and picked up the CD for Cozy's textbook at Kinokuniya. I noticed that the days of the snaky lineup at Krispy Kreme #1 are over. There was only a 15-minute lineup. Also to use up some of those soon-to-be deleted points on my HMV card and bought a couple of jazz discs, one of them being the legendary (and legendarily complicated) Miles Davis' "Steamin". Just don't think I'll be able to listen to it until Friday at least.

Tuesday October 20, 2:47 p.m.

Finally get to use the I-Cafe for a bit of recreational surfing other than the slog of translating as was the case last week. Haven't heard anything from The Cornerette yet so I can assume that she's making a long count to 10 before replying back.

Had The Beehive this morning. Mrs. Tee dropped in and was mostly mute for which she got a royal teasing from her friends. That's usually the case for her....not really much for conversing. She and The Medicine Man could make an Ingmar Bergman film just looking at each other. Yup, it was another teeth-pulling session with him last night.

I've got the usual juku crowd...or perhaps it would be more accurate to say just The Milds tonight. I'm not sure if Mr. White will be coming today on account of his depression. This could be the 3rd week running for him. I'll give the boss a call and see if he's indeed coming in.

Well, lunch is confirmed with The Carolinan for tomorrow in Jimbocho. I'll head over after I get the ball rolling on renewing the Gaijin Card. Yup, I didn't bother going after The Beehive session. I figure that I do have some time.

Monday October 19, 8:55 p.m.

I guess I really am making up for lost time. Daddy's Girl showed up...sign of the times...the reason she was absent for 5 months is that the entire temp staff got laid off so the permanent stuff, including her, had to pick up the slack. As it was, she was a bit more conversant than I remembered her back in her first two meetings.

It's just the Medicine Man now and then I'm done for the day.

Monday October 19, 6:06 p.m.

My second entry of the day...the first time I can boast that for a while. Daddy's Girl has delayed her arrival by an hour, so I'll be able to digitally twiddle my fingers for a bit longer.

La Fille and I shared the kitchen table for dinner. We had some of that cheese with those little peppers that Grandma Dynamite had given us last Thursday. Warmed up, it made for a fine topping on cracotte wafers. We also talked about the upcoming Halloween celebrations. La Fille and a friend were thinking about throwing a party on or near the day. She'd never carved out a Jack O'Lantern, so I gave her the basics. I think this might be the first year in a long time that I won't be pumpkin carving...kinda too bad since I now have a digital camera. I would've loved to have taken some photos, but then again, I can just bring home one for myself. There will be the annual Halloween parade down Omotesando...I may put my camera to good use there just before I head on over to The Jyuppies for their lesson on Sunday.

Had a level check last Friday with that high-powered lady Speedy had been talking to me about. She's the president of her own consulting company and used to be a journalist. She's quite the cheerful talker with a confidence not quite bordering on theh cocky. Pretty good English, too...kinda wonder why she would need lessons. It was almost like talking with a female Speedy. Not sure what she's gonna do and even if I would be able to squeeze her into my schedule.

Monday October 19, 4:23 p.m.

Man, what a week. Hardly blogged in since I was spending most of it tackling that supposed translation from The Cornerette, only to get the equivalent of a cease-and-desist order from her. Too late, I spent 10 hours over my weekend getting it done and sent over to her. It turned out that I misread her instructions, and that the assignment hadn't come in yet. I think this would be the point where that muted trumpet sound would start sounding. Well, I sent my apologies and just said that if the assignment does come in, she's lucky since it's already done. I was perhaps a bit cheeky about it, but that is a much preferable reaction from me compared to how I would have reacted a decade ago, when I would probably have sent every epithet imaginable at her.
But then again, it may be just as well that I did jump the gun since I'm not quite sure what the next few weeks are gonna bring in terms of teaching work. For some reason, I've started getting rather busy again with Cozy and Swank becoming regular students among other things.

It's another different scene now on Monday mornings. Up until the Spring this year, for the past decade, it was the sessions with The Class Act at The New Otani and then The Lady's palatial mansion. Now, it's meeting Swank at Roppongi Hills. I've just had her for the past month, but it's looking pretty good. She loves to absorb vocabulary, the more complex the better, and we usually start gabbing about our own personal situations. Today, it was on how much our mothers annoy us. So I get a psychology session AND money. Speaking of Roppongi Hills, the annual Tokyo International Film Festival has gotten under way, not that I'd heard much about it. However, I did notice an increase of well-suited foreigners in the plaza.

This week will be government stuff. Tomorrow, I gotta go to Ichikawa City Hall and renew my Gaijin Card (officially the Alien Registration Card). I got the ball rolling today by taking a few passport photos at the automatic machines...man, did I get old, and it looks like 5 years of orthodontics were largely wasted since it seems that my lower jaw has decided to move back a few degrees left of centre. The trip shouldn't be too painful, but then I've got my annual physical in Gyotoku on Friday. Oh, that should be a barrel of laughs...for the nurses. Ever seen what an E.T. body really looks like?

In the midst of all of the craziness surrounding that translation, I did manage to watch a couple of flicks on cable...both of them would probably be considered to be "No Cigar, but Nice Try" movies. One was "Spy Game", that flick with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt (two generations of heartthrobs) directed by Tony Scott. It was good enough to watch at home, but I think the marketing department had screwed up. It's really not that much of an action flick, more of a 70s-style intrigue with most of the movie being devoted to flashbacks and intra-Langley hijinks. It was almost pathetic how Redford's character managed to make his colleagues look like the Keystone Kops.

The second flick was "The Black Dahlia". The powers-that-be really turned on the 40s film noir for this one, maybe even more so than "L.A. Confidential". Still, I think the writers got a little too carried away with the de rigueur plot twists at the end. It turned out to be a ping pong game with Josh Hartnett as the white ball.

I have The Medicine Man tonight in the final slot, but before him, I've got a student who'd only been here twice before putting on a disappearing act in late Spring. I can't even remember if I even gave her a code name. I just remember her telling me that her father had given her a BMW. So I guess Daddy's Girl might be good for her.

Thursday October 15, 8:01 a.m.

Ah...the big 44...apparently, in Japanese culture, the age of 42 is the yakudoshi (the bad year) but I would have thought that this year was the Year of Hell (knocking on wood most loudly now), since the number 4 is considered a bad luck number on the same level as the number 13, and, heck, with "44", that's a pretty double-barreled numeral.

In any case, it's been about a week since my last entry since I've been away from Speedy's for about that long, and I've been hard at work trying to get The Cornerette's latest epic translation ready to go by tonight. Not sure if I'm gonna make it, but I'll certainly give it my best despite the first truly heavy schedule in some time here. I've got Grandma Dynamite for two hours (oh, boy), then The Nurse, The New Yorker, The German, and finally The Music Man.

In fact, this is all that I can afford to write right now since I'm gonna have to hit the translation for the next several minutes before Grandma comes in.

Saturday October 12, 10:27 a.m.

Last night for a couple of hours, CNN, FOX and all those alphabet media outlets could've been forgiven if they'd decided to change their call letters into "HUH?" or even "WTF?!" I was at home watching The Network That Ted Turner Built when the live news feed came in from the chairman of the Nobel Committee stating in his native Norwegian something about Barack Obama, followed by a major inhalation of air from the amassed journalists. Jonathan Mann of CNN probably echoed millions of viewers when he looked rather stunned when he had heard the most famous name this year. And then the chairman confirmed it a few minutes later in English when he declared that the US President has gotten the 2009 Peace Prize.

Well, after resetting my lower jaw, I echoed what a lot of the CNN and BBC folks were talking about...first and foremost, the question "WHY?" Or "Why now?" There were indeed a lot of folks who were trumpeting the accolades of the decision, but there were even more people, including myself, asking "What has he done?" and "Why does he deserve this?" I think even Obama himself was thinking that as he was told the news when he woke up. He probably thought one of his siblings was playing a practical joke on him.

The chairman of the Nobel Committee (sorry, can't be bothered to look up his name) stated soberly as he brushed off the near-incredulous questions from reporters that Barack was given the Nobel Prize for Peace because of his effect on the world, and apparently his gosh-darn great speeches. Pundits educated me that the Nobel Committee often roll the dice on winners in the hopes that the award can provide some existential nuclear fuel to do more of the right think. News to me...I always thought that that heavy medal was for deeds done, not for deeds to be done. I got pretty much the same reaction from the juku boss and The Restauranteur last night. Y'know....I like Barack Obama, I really do. But I just don't think this was particularly the right choice at this time. I think the slogan was "Yes, we can!", not "Perhaps, we could."

All I can say is that Sasha and Malia now have some pretty powerful bragging rights in the schoolyard. Their father has become the US President and a Nobel laureate in less than one year.

Thursday October 8, 7:21 p.m.

Saw The Carolinan for the first time in about a month since she couldn't make it for the latter half of September. For some reason, she was still rather blah or blase...although the Beard Papa cream puff I plied her with helped a bit. She's now getting used to her new circumstances in Jimbocho, and since I sometimes have a bit of a shopping trip there, she told me that if I'm ever in the area around noon on a weekday, I should look her up for a bit of lunch.

Ahhh...The Cornerette sent me an e-mail. Haven't heard from her since that little kerfuffle from the ceramics translation project. Can't say that I was too enthused about hearing from her, but she sent me her own personal thing to translate....all of 14 pages. Should be fun.

I was able to tunnel through The Croatian's sample of writing and get it off with remarks. So, basically, it's just working on The Corner's and The Cornerette's translations until The Music Man comes on in.

Thursday October 8, 4:44 p.m.

Well, Typhoon 18 has come and went. Looks like we got the 2-tiered deal. The sheets of rain last night followed by sun and warp-drive winds from this morning. In an O. Henry moment, all of the folks due to go to Speedy's earlier in the morning had no problems, but although I could sleep in, I ended up riding a morning rush hour peak train at 12:30 p.m. since the Tozai Line stopped due to lingering high winds. It was a distinctly uncomfortable experience breaking laws of physics with my fellow passengers on the subway...something that I hope to not repeat tomorrow morning when I go and see Cozy for his first lesson.

Luckily enough, I was able to meet Bay just in time at Nakano-Sakaue despite the turtle-like Tozai. Yes, she contacted me last night to say that she needed my signature for verification for some of those translations I did for her a few months ago. Bay is basically an ex-employee of Speedy's since she's now full time at another place, but she had a day off so she decided to come over with me to Speedy's with a ton of Beard Papa Puff Pastries for presents. The Japanese sure love their shuu kurimu. I'll have to remember to give one to The Carolinan. Yep, she finally replied to my summons...no explanation but she said that she'll be here by 6.

Only have The Music Man as the official Speedy student tonight. Perhaps he'll have some opinions on the Suzuka Grand Prix.

Wednesday October 7, 8:23 p.m.

Well, the day's done for me...001 has left the building, and will be gone for the next couple of weeks. She has her annual all-day barhopping tour in Suidobashi next week, and then has a meeting at work the week after that. Speedy and Ray are just talking logistics about the next big step to salvage the school.

I think Mixi has gotten rather dead when it comes to the communities I've joined. Even the Star Trek community has gone dark after what seemed to be interminable chatting amongst the local Trekkies for the past several months. Basically, the only one of my communities that has remained quite active is the one for jazz...and I haven't contributed anything to that yet.

The rain has stopped for now....not sure what it's gonna be like tomorrow morning, though. But as far as I'm concerned, I'm gonna enjoying lounging in my futon for a few extra hours.

Wednesday October 7, 4:16 p.m.

Well, I thought as much. We'd been expecting Grandma Dynamite's grand return to the fold tomorrow morning. However, there is also Typhoon 18 with its own grand entrance, and her sister, Grandma Enka, along with Speedy and I were wondering if the former would brave the latter. A few minutes ago, we got the answer. She canned and she'll be doing a double next week instead. So, instead of having to slog myself here early in the morning fighting sturm und drang, I can actually get a decent round of sleep and not show up until 6 p.m.

Speaking of which, I haven't heard anything from The Carolinan about confirming for her lesson tomorrow night. I did send a message to her a couple of days ago but have yet to hear back. Pretty unusual for her. Hope she's OK.

Got that translation done for Shrek...at least, I've sent it off for him to peruse. Hopefully, it passes muster. I've got that other one for The Corner but that one's considerably smaller than the one I've just done and it won't be due til Halloween. However, The Croatian sent me his first official assignment, so gotta get that copied out and analyzed by Friday.

At the juku last night, Mr. White dotakyan'ed due to his illness...which both the boss and I suspect is depression. He's almost 4 years younger than me, but his hair has gone stark white (hence the name). The two of us then had a brief but deep talk on the nature of depression. As for The Milds, the three of us basically devoted most of the class on talking about his performance on Sunday. Apparently, the leader and conductor of Mr. Mild's glee club was not too complimentary about the first part of the show...I have to admit that the early stuff did come out off-tune...but by the end, the group was humming like a well-oiled machine. Strangely enough, the talk turned to my Mixi experience, and they both got really interested. I may have created a couple of online monsters here.

It was Miss Sedona's final lesson with me before she heads off to Toronto for what could be her new life. Not too much studying...pretty laidback class and then the usual questions about my hometown.

I've only got 001 tonight and then I plan on getting the heck out of Dodge by 9 before Typhoon 18 pummels on in.

Tuesday October 6, 1:25 p.m.

A bit of a bummer....I wanted to use today's session at the I-Cafe to get some more translation done, but this computer won't download the file. Just a bit of a bummer, since I'm "resigned" to a bit of surfing instead.

This week may actually turn out to be the busiest week I've had since early summer. I've got 3 early wake-up calls, plus Shrek's translation, one small one from The Corner along with the regular student classes. Unfortunately, this will all occur with the backdrop of a major typhoon coming our way tomorrow. I just saw the icon on the weather map with a diagonal umbrella and driving rain to realize that it could be rather hard commuting on Wednesday.

David Letterman's being doing a lot of mea culpa over the past few days since it was revealed that he hadn't just been relying on certain members of his staff for jokes. I think "The Late Show"'s new slogan should be "Stay up for Dave. He certainly has." Of course, some of his fellow late night host have declared a feeding frenzy and jumped on his tribulation like a cat on juicy mice. A bit sad but the late night show host fraternity has been anything but....more like a fracternity. Plus, as one lady said on Jeanne Moos' report, "If he can dish it out, he should be able to take it." And certainly, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer is probably not crying too hard for ol' Dave.

Monday October 5, 10:45 p.m.

Finished off The Medicine Man tonight. Man, it was another slow one with him, but then again, the two of us were beat.

I received a great line from Mrs. Jyuppie just now. She couldn't do the test, not because the dog ate it, but her baby daughter did! Ahhh...my job just gets more and more interesting.

The news has been buzzing about the sudden mysterious death of ex-Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa. A couple of years, it was Agriculture Ministers who were falling by the wayside, but now it's the money men. Apparently, he was a real nice guy in the political world and in the world of constituents, but he regrettably lost it all earlier this year with his inadvertent Foster Brooks impression at the G-8 Finance Ministers meeting in Italy. Not sure what he died from...could've overdosed on medicine.

Cozy is now officially my newest student. And he wants to get the earliest slot on Friday. So it looks like I'm gonna have three consecutive early wake-up calls for the latter part of the week. But at least I'm gonna be making some money again after a lean couple of months, and Cozy told me straight out that my usual wage is too low and that he would give me a whopping 5,000 yen for 60. Gotta keep this guy.

Monday October 5, 8:33 p.m.

May have the prelude to a typhoon outside of these walls right now. It's been raining the proverbial cats and dogs for the past several hours.

However, yesterday was quite pleasant for Mr. Mild's debut as a basso profundo member of his chorus. The juku boss and I made our way to Urayasu Culture Hall in the afternoon and got to see my student in full James Bond tuxedo get up on the stage with a few dozen other middle-aged fellows to sing a number of Japanese folk tunes as well as UK ditties such as "Loch Lomond". Strangely enough, at the same time as this concert, there was indeed a festival held in Chiba City organized by the Japan-Scotland Friendship Society. Some cabers were thrown, some kilts were raised, but there were no panic-stricken starship engineers. In any case, both the boss and I were surprised to see Mr. White and his family show up as well. Mrs. White is quite the opposite of hubby...garrulous, opinionated and with a machine gun for a voice. I thought she came from the Kansai.

It's been a busy one today. Although two lessons are on the slate today (Swank and The Medicine Man), I finally got that meeting with The Romantic and his boss...seems that research project is indeed a research project looking for raw corporate data. Looks like I'm the newest unofficial member of their network. And I'm grinding through Shrek's translation of that rental contract. I'm halfway through, so it looks like I may be able to finish it tomorrow at the I-Cafe.

Anyways, would love to write more but still busy.