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.