Thursday September 16, 7:58 a.m.
I guess this is Number 3,600. And a rainy entry it is, too. The skies are just carpetbombing us with precipitation right now. Not sure how long it's gonna last but it makes for a fine contrast with some of the last of those torrid and horrid days of Summer.
It'll be a long day. I've got The Patent Attorney in half an hour but then there'll be a huge temporal void until I have The German at 5 this afternoon. Then it'll be a relatively quick lineup of Mrs. Thursday and The Music Man. I'll probably be going out for lunch later on, though I'm not sure where quite yet. May try West Park Cafe in Times Square for the roast chicken.
Japan finally had to get in on the act and sit on the yen like a frustrated tourist on an overstuffed suitcase. It has gone up twice to the 82 yen mark to the dollar. Frustrated tourists from overseas but a lot of happy Japanese ones going the other way.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday September 15, 10:47 p.m.
Just about ready to pack up for home...only to come back here in several hours to teach The Patent Attorney (sigh). Nice guy, but it's starting to be a drag to have to leave late and come in early.
Miss Sony is always pleasant to talk with...not quite as crazily happy as 001 but still very good at conversing.
At least, I've got a huge donut hole between The PA and The German. So I'll just head on out and enjoy Tokyo.
Just about ready to pack up for home...only to come back here in several hours to teach The Patent Attorney (sigh). Nice guy, but it's starting to be a drag to have to leave late and come in early.
Miss Sony is always pleasant to talk with...not quite as crazily happy as 001 but still very good at conversing.
At least, I've got a huge donut hole between The PA and The German. So I'll just head on out and enjoy Tokyo.
Wednesday September 15, 8:23 p.m.
The class with 001 was, unsurprisingly, all about attending that big concert of Arashi almost a couple of weeks ago. She had a blast with her friend watching the likes of Aiba-kun and Ono-kun. She only has a few lessons left on her current contract and she's spreading them out. I won't see her for about a month due to work and a trip to Turkey later this month.
Well, Miss Sony's here...
The class with 001 was, unsurprisingly, all about attending that big concert of Arashi almost a couple of weeks ago. She had a blast with her friend watching the likes of Aiba-kun and Ono-kun. She only has a few lessons left on her current contract and she's spreading them out. I won't see her for about a month due to work and a trip to Turkey later this month.
Well, Miss Sony's here...
Wednesday September 15, 5:55 p.m.
Finished with The Overachiever an hour ago. Very good for conversation. He seems to have an interest in postwar American culture, if only for his GRE test. He may have given me some hooks for future lessons. Luckily, he has renewed.
It's cooler today although the warmth is still there. But the important thing is that Fall may finally be on its way.
001 should be here in a few minutes. She should have lots to talk about concerning her Arashi concert about a couple of weeks ago. With luck, it could last all class.
Finished with The Overachiever an hour ago. Very good for conversation. He seems to have an interest in postwar American culture, if only for his GRE test. He may have given me some hooks for future lessons. Luckily, he has renewed.
It's cooler today although the warmth is still there. But the important thing is that Fall may finally be on its way.
001 should be here in a few minutes. She should have lots to talk about concerning her Arashi concert about a couple of weeks ago. With luck, it could last all class.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday September 15, 3:45 p.m.
Looks like The Beehive actually hit a jackpot with a new place. From the next time we meet onwards, we will be meeting at a community centre near JR Tsudanuma. So, hopefully, we can have proper classes without having any irate old bitties telling us to be quiet because we're too loud (or Mrs. Alp, to be more accurate).
I'm starting to get that feeling of being slowly phased out at Speedy's. After getting that little talk from the bossman about giving priority to the female staff concering the computers, I'm now in his office typing this since the outer office is now fully occupied. I'm gonna have The Overachiever here in a few minutes, and then it'll be 001 and Miss Sony. I figure I'll have my Saturdays off from January and then in the Spring I'll let Speedy know that I'll be making my way out.
Looks like The Beehive actually hit a jackpot with a new place. From the next time we meet onwards, we will be meeting at a community centre near JR Tsudanuma. So, hopefully, we can have proper classes without having any irate old bitties telling us to be quiet because we're too loud (or Mrs. Alp, to be more accurate).
I'm starting to get that feeling of being slowly phased out at Speedy's. After getting that little talk from the bossman about giving priority to the female staff concering the computers, I'm now in his office typing this since the outer office is now fully occupied. I'm gonna have The Overachiever here in a few minutes, and then it'll be 001 and Miss Sony. I figure I'll have my Saturdays off from January and then in the Spring I'll let Speedy know that I'll be making my way out.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Monday September 13, 9:27 p.m.
Forgot to mention one thing...an obituary of sorts. A veteran fixture of local TV and movies passed away a few days ago. His name was Tani Kei...and I'm giving the name this time in the original Japanese way of family name first, first name last for reasons that will become evident later.
He was a member of an old 50s comedy group/band called The Krazy Kats, and Tani was the trombonist. He came across as a regular portly uncle that would be welcome anytime in anyone's abode and was famous for his catchphrase "Ga-chon!" which, I assume, is the way a 'bone blast would sound. In any case, even when his band broke up, he became a familiar face on television throughout the decades and the last time I saw him, he was doing a cute duet with J-Pop legend Yumi Matsutoya a few years ago.
As for the name, Tani Kei, the comedian formed his nom de plume by shaping it phonetically after US comedian/actor Danny Kaye who was a big thing back in the 50s. I also just found out that he had been the Japanese voice behind Charlie Brown, although I can't understand why they would choose a middle-aged man to voice the world's youngest loser.
Forgot to mention one thing...an obituary of sorts. A veteran fixture of local TV and movies passed away a few days ago. His name was Tani Kei...and I'm giving the name this time in the original Japanese way of family name first, first name last for reasons that will become evident later.
He was a member of an old 50s comedy group/band called The Krazy Kats, and Tani was the trombonist. He came across as a regular portly uncle that would be welcome anytime in anyone's abode and was famous for his catchphrase "Ga-chon!" which, I assume, is the way a 'bone blast would sound. In any case, even when his band broke up, he became a familiar face on television throughout the decades and the last time I saw him, he was doing a cute duet with J-Pop legend Yumi Matsutoya a few years ago.
As for the name, Tani Kei, the comedian formed his nom de plume by shaping it phonetically after US comedian/actor Danny Kaye who was a big thing back in the 50s. I also just found out that he had been the Japanese voice behind Charlie Brown, although I can't understand why they would choose a middle-aged man to voice the world's youngest loser.
Monday September 13, 9:14 p.m.
As it turned out, the e-mail came in from The Medicine Man that he will be AWOL for the duration of September. No reason given but I'm pretty sure that the current troubles with the Superbug at Teikyo University Hospital have something to do with it. In any case, next week is a national holiday so none of us will have to worry about it.
I should get going home. I have to take advantage of this early night off.
Tomorrow will be the election within the Democratic Party of Japan for leader. Will it be PM Kan or shadowmaster Ozawa? It's looking like Kan although this is pretty much a battle for the lesser of two evils.
As it turned out, the e-mail came in from The Medicine Man that he will be AWOL for the duration of September. No reason given but I'm pretty sure that the current troubles with the Superbug at Teikyo University Hospital have something to do with it. In any case, next week is a national holiday so none of us will have to worry about it.
I should get going home. I have to take advantage of this early night off.
Tomorrow will be the election within the Democratic Party of Japan for leader. Will it be PM Kan or shadowmaster Ozawa? It's looking like Kan although this is pretty much a battle for the lesser of two evils.
Monday September 13, 5:47 p.m.
Well, that was a bit of a surprise. All of us realized that after Medicine Man's sudden cancellation last week that he hadn't officially booked for his next lesson. Technically speaking, there is nothing for me after Miss Genki's lesson. Miss Efficiency has called him on his cell (no response, no surprise) and has just sent an e-mail message over to him. He may not be coming at all or he may have done the same as me and just assumed that he had made the reservation. In any case, I am waiting.
Supposedly, The Journo will finally be coming for his first lesson, over a month after his first meeting with me. No cancellation as of yet. But I've got 4 more days to go.
After that Mixi friend's defriending of me last week, I decided to also do a bit of housecleaning of my own as well. I got rid of some more friends that I haven't had any contact with on Facebook and Mixi. I kinda figured like my former friend that if we're not communicating, why are we still sticking around? Divorce, I say!
Well, that was a bit of a surprise. All of us realized that after Medicine Man's sudden cancellation last week that he hadn't officially booked for his next lesson. Technically speaking, there is nothing for me after Miss Genki's lesson. Miss Efficiency has called him on his cell (no response, no surprise) and has just sent an e-mail message over to him. He may not be coming at all or he may have done the same as me and just assumed that he had made the reservation. In any case, I am waiting.
Supposedly, The Journo will finally be coming for his first lesson, over a month after his first meeting with me. No cancellation as of yet. But I've got 4 more days to go.
After that Mixi friend's defriending of me last week, I decided to also do a bit of housecleaning of my own as well. I got rid of some more friends that I haven't had any contact with on Facebook and Mixi. I kinda figured like my former friend that if we're not communicating, why are we still sticking around? Divorce, I say!
Monday September 13, 4:50 p.m.
Well, Summer still won't let us go. Not exactly over 35 C, but definitely not below 30 C either. Needed the Gatsby wipes for sure today.
Strangely enough, the request to Speedy for Saturdays off from next January was given the OK. I had half-expected him to put his head in his hands and scream "WHY?!" However, he was cool with it although he did faintly hint at why I hadn't let go of Sundays. But the important thing is that I will have at least one day totally off from 2011, although I will have to sacrifice Miss Prissy, The Publicity Assistant and The Intellectual...all good students; a pity that they'll have to go off my schedule but I need my sanity still there for my remaining time on Earth.
My sessions with The Jyuppies went well. Unlike the last time, Mr. Jyuppie had a good time with me yesterday...whenever he says "Interesting...", it's always a good sign. As for Mrs. Jyuppie, she's starting to show with a little more than 2 months to go before she has her second child. I'm pretty sure that it might be hard to see them from the last half of November onwards, especially if I'm headed back for Toronto. The family invited me for a Sunday brunch on the 26th at a restaurant near their old place in Komazawa Park. It's called The Bowery and Mr. Jyuppie says that it's the probable birthplace of cafe culture in Tokyo, although Starbucks may want to rebut that.
Had my usual crowd so far for Mondays. Cozy was fine with the last test of his first textbook, so I've given him the big Final test before we start up with the next text. Swank and I had our usual kaffeeklatsch/lesson at Roppongi Hills. After that, it was just traipsing through Ginza, especially Yamano Music. There was one somewhat unhinged woman at one of the listening stations just dancing like the animated Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Of course over here, we just ignore her.
I've got Miss Genki and The Medicine Man...supposedly the latter will come, although with this problem of the Superbug killing patients at Teikyo University Hospital and his status as a doctor specializing in infectious diseases, he may just as easily dotakyan tonight.
Finally, Speedy also informed me that since things are getting a bit bigger and hopefully better at the school nowadays, I'll most likely be losing my Most Favored Nation status at my desk and computer since staff and future teachers will be fighting it out to work at it. Apparently, folks like Miss Prim and Miss Efficiency asked the bossman to delicately ask me to see if I could refrain from playing games and blogging so that they can get at it (I rather sinisterly like it when staffers are somewhat afraid of me) for work. Yup, no problems on that but I will take the change as a sign that perhaps my time at Speedy's is slowly coming to a close. I definitely got NOVA vibes when Speedy told me of the situation...and frankly, I'm never gonna enjoy working at a big place ever again.
Well, Summer still won't let us go. Not exactly over 35 C, but definitely not below 30 C either. Needed the Gatsby wipes for sure today.
Strangely enough, the request to Speedy for Saturdays off from next January was given the OK. I had half-expected him to put his head in his hands and scream "WHY?!" However, he was cool with it although he did faintly hint at why I hadn't let go of Sundays. But the important thing is that I will have at least one day totally off from 2011, although I will have to sacrifice Miss Prissy, The Publicity Assistant and The Intellectual...all good students; a pity that they'll have to go off my schedule but I need my sanity still there for my remaining time on Earth.
My sessions with The Jyuppies went well. Unlike the last time, Mr. Jyuppie had a good time with me yesterday...whenever he says "Interesting...", it's always a good sign. As for Mrs. Jyuppie, she's starting to show with a little more than 2 months to go before she has her second child. I'm pretty sure that it might be hard to see them from the last half of November onwards, especially if I'm headed back for Toronto. The family invited me for a Sunday brunch on the 26th at a restaurant near their old place in Komazawa Park. It's called The Bowery and Mr. Jyuppie says that it's the probable birthplace of cafe culture in Tokyo, although Starbucks may want to rebut that.
Had my usual crowd so far for Mondays. Cozy was fine with the last test of his first textbook, so I've given him the big Final test before we start up with the next text. Swank and I had our usual kaffeeklatsch/lesson at Roppongi Hills. After that, it was just traipsing through Ginza, especially Yamano Music. There was one somewhat unhinged woman at one of the listening stations just dancing like the animated Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Of course over here, we just ignore her.
I've got Miss Genki and The Medicine Man...supposedly the latter will come, although with this problem of the Superbug killing patients at Teikyo University Hospital and his status as a doctor specializing in infectious diseases, he may just as easily dotakyan tonight.
Finally, Speedy also informed me that since things are getting a bit bigger and hopefully better at the school nowadays, I'll most likely be losing my Most Favored Nation status at my desk and computer since staff and future teachers will be fighting it out to work at it. Apparently, folks like Miss Prim and Miss Efficiency asked the bossman to delicately ask me to see if I could refrain from playing games and blogging so that they can get at it (I rather sinisterly like it when staffers are somewhat afraid of me) for work. Yup, no problems on that but I will take the change as a sign that perhaps my time at Speedy's is slowly coming to a close. I definitely got NOVA vibes when Speedy told me of the situation...and frankly, I'm never gonna enjoy working at a big place ever again.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Saturday September 11, 1:52 p.m.
Hard to believe it's been 9 years since 9/11. Of course, there is always something going on to muck up with the works for reconciliation between Islam and Christianity. For example, that nutball Christian extremist in Florida who wants to burn Qu'rans today. But I think he's rather backed off that literally incendiary display of hate.
Was surprised to hear from The Bass that he'd suffered a motorcycle accident between his concert and yesterday's lesson. He showed me a picture of his cycle...looked pretty totaled. It was a miracle that he came out of it with just some pain all over.
Pretty much stayed within the neighbourhood yesterday. Did some domestic stuff before I went out to The Restauranteur's establishment for the usual Sauteed Chicken. I figure it could be the last time in a while since The Journo, supposedly, will be coming in for lessons from next Friday at 6:30. He's already cancelled twice...considering his job, I can't really be too churlish about it but I just wonder if he'll do another cancellation next week.
I have completed my two lessons with Miss Prissy and The Publicity Agent today. It's gonna be another steamy one out there despite the typhoon and the cool 2 days afterwards back on Wednesday night. We may be done with Summer but Summer is, apparently, not done with us just yet.
But apparently, one of my now-former Mixi friends is done with me. I got a polite letter from this lady who had initially requested my friendship some months ago, which I graciously accepted. However, she sent me a letter this morning stating that she'll be de-friending me since there really wasn't much going between us and that she prefers to have Mixi friends who want to keep up a steady dialogue. Perfectly understandable...I never really could comment on her entries and she only commented on mine a couple of times when I'd written about some food I'd had and stating that I should watch my weight. I kinda noticed then that perhaps the lady wouldn't be commenting too much longer. I have to say though, that she was very nice about cutting off ties with me by sending me that letter. I would've just cut any people I no longer wanted without saying a thing. In fact, I've already de-friended a number of people on Facebook in the same way.
I'll be heading off to National Azabu Supermarket just to get a Mennen's Speed Stick. Yes, I have to go all the way to Hiroo just to pick up a deodorant since the Japanese variety isn't anywhere strong enough. I may even pick up a big can of Campbell's Soup there for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow, I've just got The Jyuppies but Mr. Jyuppie is a concern since he didn't really like the lesson a couple of weeks ago. I'll have to take a look at what I've got.
And I'm about to send a letter to Speedy asking him to take me off of Saturday lessons once the new year starts. I'm just getting tired of doing 3-week stints without a single day off. I would definitely miss folks such as Miss Prissy but my mind could use the weekly break.
Hard to believe it's been 9 years since 9/11. Of course, there is always something going on to muck up with the works for reconciliation between Islam and Christianity. For example, that nutball Christian extremist in Florida who wants to burn Qu'rans today. But I think he's rather backed off that literally incendiary display of hate.
Was surprised to hear from The Bass that he'd suffered a motorcycle accident between his concert and yesterday's lesson. He showed me a picture of his cycle...looked pretty totaled. It was a miracle that he came out of it with just some pain all over.
Pretty much stayed within the neighbourhood yesterday. Did some domestic stuff before I went out to The Restauranteur's establishment for the usual Sauteed Chicken. I figure it could be the last time in a while since The Journo, supposedly, will be coming in for lessons from next Friday at 6:30. He's already cancelled twice...considering his job, I can't really be too churlish about it but I just wonder if he'll do another cancellation next week.
I have completed my two lessons with Miss Prissy and The Publicity Agent today. It's gonna be another steamy one out there despite the typhoon and the cool 2 days afterwards back on Wednesday night. We may be done with Summer but Summer is, apparently, not done with us just yet.
But apparently, one of my now-former Mixi friends is done with me. I got a polite letter from this lady who had initially requested my friendship some months ago, which I graciously accepted. However, she sent me a letter this morning stating that she'll be de-friending me since there really wasn't much going between us and that she prefers to have Mixi friends who want to keep up a steady dialogue. Perfectly understandable...I never really could comment on her entries and she only commented on mine a couple of times when I'd written about some food I'd had and stating that I should watch my weight. I kinda noticed then that perhaps the lady wouldn't be commenting too much longer. I have to say though, that she was very nice about cutting off ties with me by sending me that letter. I would've just cut any people I no longer wanted without saying a thing. In fact, I've already de-friended a number of people on Facebook in the same way.
I'll be heading off to National Azabu Supermarket just to get a Mennen's Speed Stick. Yes, I have to go all the way to Hiroo just to pick up a deodorant since the Japanese variety isn't anywhere strong enough. I may even pick up a big can of Campbell's Soup there for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow, I've just got The Jyuppies but Mr. Jyuppie is a concern since he didn't really like the lesson a couple of weeks ago. I'll have to take a look at what I've got.
And I'm about to send a letter to Speedy asking him to take me off of Saturday lessons once the new year starts. I'm just getting tired of doing 3-week stints without a single day off. I would definitely miss folks such as Miss Prissy but my mind could use the weekly break.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Thursday September 9, 2:10 p.m.
The Photog was his usual loosey-goosey self. Managed to go through a whole rigamarole of topics before I asked him whether he was satisfied with this stream-of-consciousness type of lesson. He said he was OK with it, although he did acknowledge that perhaps he was too OK with it. Miss Efficiency suggested some homework assignments although I'm not sure if the lad will have the energy, time or desire to complete it.
Then, Miss Efficiency and I had a talk on our grand poobah, the bossman. I, of 6 years' acquaintance, while she has known him for as many weeks. There was a bit of griping (and some praise) about him...the usual stuff: his anal-ity and his general stubborness. And Efficiency talked about how much happier her predecessor Ray felt after she finally finished her stint at Speedy's. Apparently, the bossman has been trying to contact her for several days just to make sure she was doing OK, while Ray has been trying to avoid contact with him so that she can completely decompress.
The Photog was his usual loosey-goosey self. Managed to go through a whole rigamarole of topics before I asked him whether he was satisfied with this stream-of-consciousness type of lesson. He said he was OK with it, although he did acknowledge that perhaps he was too OK with it. Miss Efficiency suggested some homework assignments although I'm not sure if the lad will have the energy, time or desire to complete it.
Then, Miss Efficiency and I had a talk on our grand poobah, the bossman. I, of 6 years' acquaintance, while she has known him for as many weeks. There was a bit of griping (and some praise) about him...the usual stuff: his anal-ity and his general stubborness. And Efficiency talked about how much happier her predecessor Ray felt after she finally finished her stint at Speedy's. Apparently, the bossman has been trying to contact her for several days just to make sure she was doing OK, while Ray has been trying to avoid contact with him so that she can completely decompress.
Thursday September 9, 11:31 a.m.
Since it's just Miss Efficiency and me in the school right now, she has been engaging me in conversation off-and-on over the course of the past hour. I found out that she's quite the spiritualist so words like "synchronicity" and "enneagrams" have been bandied about. The latter I'd never heard about, and the former I knew just as the title of a hit song by The Police. In any case, Miss Efficiency is somewhat mellower about her beliefs than that of my former friend, The Mademoiselle...a bit of a psycho, that one.
Since it's just Miss Efficiency and me in the school right now, she has been engaging me in conversation off-and-on over the course of the past hour. I found out that she's quite the spiritualist so words like "synchronicity" and "enneagrams" have been bandied about. The latter I'd never heard about, and the former I knew just as the title of a hit song by The Police. In any case, Miss Efficiency is somewhat mellower about her beliefs than that of my former friend, The Mademoiselle...a bit of a psycho, that one.
Thursday September 9, 10:03 a.m.
Well, it looks like we may have gotten our Fall. Heading home last night and coming into work this morning, it was actually pleasantly cool. Still didn't need a jacket but didn't have any need to pull out a handkerchief even once either.
That 24-hour transition period of tons of rain kinda felt as if Mother Nature finally got fed up with Heat Meister and just blasted him with the massive precip as punishment. Somewhere Heat Meister is pouting and reflecting on 6 weeks of tropical torture. In any case, I'm not complaining. I would be quite happy not to see him again for another several months. Apparently JR Chiba Station got very flooded last night. However, when I came out of the school last night, it was wet outside but very walkable and the same was true for my neighbourhood.
The Tiny Dancer and her family have made their homecoming back to Toronto after several years in England. I got word from her this morning that they've moved into their new digs. But they're planning to come back to Japan for one of her troupe's dance recitals, and she was interested in visiting The Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. Getting tickets there is somewhat akin to visiting The Pentagon...you can reserve tickets 3 months ahead and you can only go on a day designated by the museum; you have no choice in the matter. Plus, you're not allowed to bring any sort of camera equipment. The museum insists that the displays are to be recorded through the eyes (can I roll mine?) and the mind.
Well, it looks like we may have gotten our Fall. Heading home last night and coming into work this morning, it was actually pleasantly cool. Still didn't need a jacket but didn't have any need to pull out a handkerchief even once either.
That 24-hour transition period of tons of rain kinda felt as if Mother Nature finally got fed up with Heat Meister and just blasted him with the massive precip as punishment. Somewhere Heat Meister is pouting and reflecting on 6 weeks of tropical torture. In any case, I'm not complaining. I would be quite happy not to see him again for another several months. Apparently JR Chiba Station got very flooded last night. However, when I came out of the school last night, it was wet outside but very walkable and the same was true for my neighbourhood.
The Tiny Dancer and her family have made their homecoming back to Toronto after several years in England. I got word from her this morning that they've moved into their new digs. But they're planning to come back to Japan for one of her troupe's dance recitals, and she was interested in visiting The Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. Getting tickets there is somewhat akin to visiting The Pentagon...you can reserve tickets 3 months ahead and you can only go on a day designated by the museum; you have no choice in the matter. Plus, you're not allowed to bring any sort of camera equipment. The museum insists that the displays are to be recorded through the eyes (can I roll mine?) and the mind.
Wednesday September 8, 10:42 p.m.
Another long day has come to an end...a rather meterologically significant end. My day started out sweating over to the subway station...just like every day since late July. But between then and now, we had some major dumpings of rain on The Big Sushi as a result of former typhoon-turned-tropical storm 9 which finally brought down the temperature to a far more reasonable level, and turned several areas of the city into gigantic pools. Luckily, I was here dry and sound at Speedy's for the duration. It felt like a welcome blast of Fall, though we are still 2 weeks away from that heady day, when I went out to get dinner from the conbini. Not quite sure what tomorrow will bring, but I know that I will be looking forward to a far drier sleep tonight.
Gonna have just three lessons tomorrow. The Patent Attorney will be coming in....I think it's safe to say that there won't be any risk of disruption of commuting due to typhoon. And then I've got The Photog once more at noon, before I go off and see The Carolinan later in the evening. I also have to get Cozy's new text and CD ordered at Kinokuniya as well.
Anyways, time to go home in rather comfortable surroundings.
Another long day has come to an end...a rather meterologically significant end. My day started out sweating over to the subway station...just like every day since late July. But between then and now, we had some major dumpings of rain on The Big Sushi as a result of former typhoon-turned-tropical storm 9 which finally brought down the temperature to a far more reasonable level, and turned several areas of the city into gigantic pools. Luckily, I was here dry and sound at Speedy's for the duration. It felt like a welcome blast of Fall, though we are still 2 weeks away from that heady day, when I went out to get dinner from the conbini. Not quite sure what tomorrow will bring, but I know that I will be looking forward to a far drier sleep tonight.
Gonna have just three lessons tomorrow. The Patent Attorney will be coming in....I think it's safe to say that there won't be any risk of disruption of commuting due to typhoon. And then I've got The Photog once more at noon, before I go off and see The Carolinan later in the evening. I also have to get Cozy's new text and CD ordered at Kinokuniya as well.
Anyways, time to go home in rather comfortable surroundings.
Wednesday September 8, 7:18 p.m.
Just had my dinner of fried chicken and fried rice...yep, not healthy.
But the big thing is when I stepped out to head over to the convenience store....it was COOL! As in refreshingly cool...the wind hit me and I didn't automatically break out in a sweat. I haven't felt that way since early July. I hope that this is a harbinger of things to come meterologically.
As you can imagine from the time, 001 is not here. She's got some sort of work-related thingie. I was kinda hoping to hear how her Arashi concert was.
Just had my dinner of fried chicken and fried rice...yep, not healthy.
But the big thing is when I stepped out to head over to the convenience store....it was COOL! As in refreshingly cool...the wind hit me and I didn't automatically break out in a sweat. I haven't felt that way since early July. I hope that this is a harbinger of things to come meterologically.
As you can imagine from the time, 001 is not here. She's got some sort of work-related thingie. I was kinda hoping to hear how her Arashi concert was.
Wednesday September 8, 6:11 p.m.
It's certainly been quite a different Speedy's since Miss Efficiency came in last month. I have to admit that after a little bit of uncertainty in the first week or so, she's settled in just fine. I do miss Ray but Miss Efficiency has given the school quite a bit more push with her business know-how. She's even given people like Miss London and La Fille tips on tagging potential customers through cold calling, something that Ray (and me) would avoid like the plague. And she's definitely gotten along with some of the other new staff. We've got Miss Sussex who was also in the UK for a few years like Miss London (but doesn't have as much of a British accent as Miss London). There is also Miss Prim who at first appearance looks like a stern headmistress with her glasses and tied-back hair but she's actually quite friendly. And the bossman has brought yet another staffer for the future school...a young lady who looks like she's dressed for teaching kindergarten. I gather that the moniker Miss Kindergarten will have to do.
Still not sure what the weather is like outside...it sounds like the rain has stopped but there is still that 12-hour window in which Typhoon 9 will track across the Kanto.
Some happy news in the world of entertainment. One of my few favourite Japanese actresses, Eri Fukatsu, grabbed Top Actress honours at the Montreal Film Festival the night before for a movie that's gotten a lot of trailer play at the theatres and will finally be released this Saturday called "Akunin" ("Villain"). Scoring this prize is certainly not gonna hurt ticket sales this weekend. For me, though, she'll always be feisty, suffer-no-fools, Sgt. Sumire Onda from the "Odoru Dai Sosasen" series. Didn't really like the latest entry that I saw earlier in the summer, but it looks like Fukatsu has made for all that with this starring role. Kinda wonder if the movie itself may see some Oscar potential like "Okuribito" did a couple of years back.
It's certainly been quite a different Speedy's since Miss Efficiency came in last month. I have to admit that after a little bit of uncertainty in the first week or so, she's settled in just fine. I do miss Ray but Miss Efficiency has given the school quite a bit more push with her business know-how. She's even given people like Miss London and La Fille tips on tagging potential customers through cold calling, something that Ray (and me) would avoid like the plague. And she's definitely gotten along with some of the other new staff. We've got Miss Sussex who was also in the UK for a few years like Miss London (but doesn't have as much of a British accent as Miss London). There is also Miss Prim who at first appearance looks like a stern headmistress with her glasses and tied-back hair but she's actually quite friendly. And the bossman has brought yet another staffer for the future school...a young lady who looks like she's dressed for teaching kindergarten. I gather that the moniker Miss Kindergarten will have to do.
Still not sure what the weather is like outside...it sounds like the rain has stopped but there is still that 12-hour window in which Typhoon 9 will track across the Kanto.
Some happy news in the world of entertainment. One of my few favourite Japanese actresses, Eri Fukatsu, grabbed Top Actress honours at the Montreal Film Festival the night before for a movie that's gotten a lot of trailer play at the theatres and will finally be released this Saturday called "Akunin" ("Villain"). Scoring this prize is certainly not gonna hurt ticket sales this weekend. For me, though, she'll always be feisty, suffer-no-fools, Sgt. Sumire Onda from the "Odoru Dai Sosasen" series. Didn't really like the latest entry that I saw earlier in the summer, but it looks like Fukatsu has made for all that with this starring role. Kinda wonder if the movie itself may see some Oscar potential like "Okuribito" did a couple of years back.
Wednesday September 8, 4:38 p.m.
Managed to survive The Photog...he's a nice guy but his stream-of-consciousness approach to learning English is pretty wearying. The squalls due to Typhoon No. 9 have been coming in and out. Right now, we've got a respite but not quite sure what the rest of the night will bring. I now just have Miss Sony and that won't be for almost 4 hours. Speedy and I were discussing the possibility of having to cancel The Patent Attorney's lesson tomorrow morning just in case the Tozai Line decides to stop service due to high winds, but at this point, it looks like things should be OK.
I've been in contact with another blogger via Mixi, although her actual blog is on this site. She's kinda like the antipodean version of me in that she's a Japanese living in Toronto. Not sure if she'll respond positively since any schmo can contact her.
Managed to survive The Photog...he's a nice guy but his stream-of-consciousness approach to learning English is pretty wearying. The squalls due to Typhoon No. 9 have been coming in and out. Right now, we've got a respite but not quite sure what the rest of the night will bring. I now just have Miss Sony and that won't be for almost 4 hours. Speedy and I were discussing the possibility of having to cancel The Patent Attorney's lesson tomorrow morning just in case the Tozai Line decides to stop service due to high winds, but at this point, it looks like things should be OK.
I've been in contact with another blogger via Mixi, although her actual blog is on this site. She's kinda like the antipodean version of me in that she's a Japanese living in Toronto. Not sure if she'll respond positively since any schmo can contact her.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Wednesday September 8, 2:15 p.m.
Just a generic image of a typhoon wreaking havoc on East Asia, but it might as well be Typhoon No. 9, which is really entering Japan at this moment. For the first time in a month, we've actually gotten something that looks like precipitation...and it's coming down in buckets. For an area that bordered on desert conditions, this is quite the godsend. The eye should be coming over The Kanto overnight so I'm wondering what transportation will be like tomorrow since I have the early class with The Patent Attorney.
Met up with The Beehive, sans Mrs. Travel who's off in Switzerland. So, it was Mrs. Tee, Mrs. Alp and Mrs. Jade, whom we hadn't seen in almost 2 months since she's been a bit sensitive to the heat wave. Looks like that talk about moving venues is starting to gain steam. Mrs. Alp approached Mrs. Jade about having the lesson once a month at The Spring Hotel cafe in Makuhari-Messe, but Jade didn't look too enthused about that due to commuting reasons. So, Alp is now thinking about renting a room at Funabashi City Hall. I'm keeping my fingers crossed since it would be really nice if we could actually have real lessons again without worrying about ticking off some coffee drinker at the next table.
Now that Sugar N' Spice and Mr. Nice Guy have flown the coop, I have my veterans of The Milds and Mr. White as my Tuesday night core. The Milds took another road trip up into the wilds of Takayama over the weekend. They said that even there, temperatures were soaring into the high 30s. No respite for the weary.
I've gone through half of my lessons today already with Grandma Enka and The Businesswoman under my belt (no snickering). Grandma Enka had just come back from Singapore with her family, and got me the typical omiyage in the form of some cookies. Would love to go to Singapore someday. All that well-ordered urbanism holds some appeal to me.
The Photog should be here in about 15 minutes, and then it'll be a few hours before Miss Sony comes by for the final slot.
Monday, September 06, 2010
Monday September 6, 9:25 p.m.
Well, I gotta thank The Medicine Man. Called up with 9 minutes to spare before his lesson was to begin to cancel it. Got my money without so much as lifting a page. And Miss Genki and I had a grand old time chatting about extracting tonsils and Japanese girl groups of the present (hello, AKB 48) and past (hi there, Morning Musume and Onyanko Club); just cannot complain about this state of affairs. And for the past hour, Miss London and I have been exchanging YouTube videos of British comedians.
Well, I gotta thank The Medicine Man. Called up with 9 minutes to spare before his lesson was to begin to cancel it. Got my money without so much as lifting a page. And Miss Genki and I had a grand old time chatting about extracting tonsils and Japanese girl groups of the present (hello, AKB 48) and past (hi there, Morning Musume and Onyanko Club); just cannot complain about this state of affairs. And for the past hour, Miss London and I have been exchanging YouTube videos of British comedians.
Monday September 6, 6:23 p.m.
Finally had a listen to the "Inception" soundtrack last night about a week after I'd bought it at Tower Records. Hans Zimmer, who seems to have inherited the mantle of Master Movie Soundtrack Composer from John Williams, has made a slightly zippier contribution when compared to "The Dark Knight". Some critics have stated that it could also be an extension to the second Batman movie; but I think the music is sufficiently different that it is its own animal.
Then, it was to something completely different with my latest Miharu Koshi disc that I got from Recomints. "Boy Soprano" seems to be the third in the triumvirate of 80s techno CDs that she'd released after "Tutu" and "Parallelisme". "Boy Soprano" is well-titled since in some of the tracks, Koshi sounds like a castralto. And there seems to be a bit of transition that came into play since she sings German for a couple of the tracks...a pattern that got more pronounced in later discs such as "Father and the Pistol" in 1990.
Met Yajima for the first time in a month in Den'en-Chofu. He and his wife had a trip to Australia earlier last month. He definitely sounds more confident and assured in his delivery but for the meantime, my services are still needed.
It looks like the gang is coming back together. After my time with Cozy this morning, I saw Swank...also for the first time in a month at Roppongi Hills. A lot of the time, she was haranguing about the principal at her daughters' school in terms of how they're being educated. I don't know both sides of the story but I did try to sympathize with her. I think the fates may have decided that she had spoken enough since her drink then decided to spill itself all over her dress. I did receive those souvenirs via their month-long trip in Hawaii. I got an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt; Swank had the good observational powers to know that I was at least an XL.
Then, it was The New Yorker who had also been absent for about a month. She and her sister, The Carolinan, had gone to see "Inception" on The New Yorker's birthday. But The New Yorker slept through most of it since she'd had gone drinking the night before until about 5 a.m. And "Inception" is definitely a movie that needs a fully alert mind.
I've just got Miss Genki and then The Medicine Man tonight. I also a couple of cancellations for this week's worth of classes. First off, The Overachiever has canned his lesson this week. And I got a message from the juku boss stating that new student, The Journo, has once again put off his inaugural lesson this Friday. Well, at least, I can have dinner at The Restauranteur's later that evening.