Last night when I was walking home from the station, I passed a car in the neighborhood that was pulled over, emergency lights flashing, and no driver or passenger inside. It was a little odd – our neighborhood is pretty hard to find. As I unlocked the house and started to go inside, a guy came out of the darkness and introduced himself. I was ready to blow him off, because he had “sales” written all over him, but he instead explained that his company had bought the field behind our house.

Oh no! We always figured that sooner or later somebody would buy up the farmland, but finally it happened.

The company is building a two-story retirement home there, and he gave me the plans to the place, as well as information about construction and contact info. He tried to give me a gift, but I said no thanks, and went inside to check out the plans. The place will be built starting next year, and should be finished around June 2012. The good news is that it is kind of an assisted-living place, so it should be pretty quiet over there. Unfortunately the parking lot will be right below our backyard. According to the plan they’ll be planting some trees, though, so with the right blend of trees the building shouldn’t be too visible. Unfortunately for our other neighbors, they’ll be right up against the retirement home. I guess we are lucky in that respect.

We knew it would happen sooner or later, so I guess it isn’t a big surprise. Still, it could be a lot worse!

Yesterday was a day for everyone to pile the work on. Not only did I have the normal seven classes, but an extra one after work, and some help with editing an English document for the US immigration service. I was able to do that during my lunch hour, though. That meant that the day flew by, and it felt pretty good to get back to work after four days off.

Most of my students are starting to relax and get into the swing of speaking only English during the class, but there are a few exceptions, especially in the group classes. I’m really happy with most of the students, but there are two “problem children” that I’ve got to deal with in the near future. One is so nervous about speaking English that he avoids speaking altogether. The other is so exuberant that he talks over his classmates and doesn’t give them a chance to speak. If I could only blend these two guys together I’d have two regular students.

It looks like I’m on the hot seat for dinner this week. Much more of the students in Kuniko’s class passed a big English test than anyone expected, so she’s got to coach them after work for an English interview as the second stage of the test. She’s expecting to get home between 8-9 pm this week, but she really wants her kids to do well. So, what should I cook…

This weekend I joined the wedding party of Mr. and Mrs. Minamimoto. Mr. Minamimoto is one of my former students, and he invited me along with some other former students to attend both the reception and the second party in Osaka. The wedding ceremony itself was held Japanese style, which means that it was a private event with just a few family members. Afterwards, the much larger group of guests met for a reception inside the temple grounds.

The reception was very nice – there was a barrel of sake opened with a huge hammer, plenty of delicious foods, and we could get to know some new people, including meeting the bride and groom’s parents. They were very happy about marrying off their kids, and it showed in their faces.

After the reception we traveled by taxi over to the location of the second party – an Italian restaurant in the newly remodeled Osaka station. Apparently it was the first time they had hosted a second party, but they did a pretty good job. I made the “kanpai” speech, and everyone seemed to have a good time. I also had a chance to talk with a few new people who came up and introduced themselves. One was a guy who introduced himself in English, and we discussed language education at Kawasaki, another with a guy who introduced himself in Japanese and we talked about traveling overseas. Finally a beautiful young lady introduced herself in Japanese and asked me if I taught private English lessons.

After the second party wrapped up some of the group proceeded to a third party, however the bride and groom begged off to go home and rest up. I don’t blame them – it was a long day for them. We went down into the underground izakayas in western Osaka, which are always a pretty interesting experience. These places are designed for big groups of people and quick turnaround. I don’t often get a chance to go, but when I do things are always interesting. One of our group members was a drunken female lawyer who was pretty noisy. I could tell that if I was sitting at the next table I probably would have been annoyed, but since she was at our table there was nothing to do but roll with it. Luckily nobody got out of hand.

By the time I got back home it was nearly 11 pm, so it turned out to be a pretty long day. I was just glad to have helped out a little with the party and to be able to see the bride and groom happy on their wedding day.

Kuniko got home yesterday earlier than usual, and cooked up a delicious dinner – chikuzenni, rice, miso soup and sauteed pork and pumpkin in sesame oil. Some of my favorite dishes, and it was nice to come home to a hot meal. We drank some sake with dinner and talked about our plan for today. We’ve both got a very busy schedule at work, and when we get home tonight we’ll have to spring into action and clean up the house for guests for lunch on Thursday. Can we do it?

I’m filling up on coffee now to get ready for a massive lineup of 10 classes in one day – wow. Luckily it is a very rare case. The good news is that today is actually Friday for me…

I’ve reached the middle of my work week. Tomorrow I have no group classes as my students will be getting training elsewhere about communication skills, so that means I’ll add some one-on-one classes to fill out my day. Not a bad week, really.

Kuniko and I were both happy to see that Bangkok appears to have missed the worst of the flooding so far, but it was sad to see the areas around Bangkok getting hit so hard. Pictures like these are interesting to see after having visited some of these areas. One thing to notice are the smiles and looks of determination on the faces of the Thai people. We could really feel that part of their personality while we were there. And we’re looking forward to going back this December.

On Friday night I had a good cultural experience attending a meeting to plan the wedding second party for a friend. I was under the impression that it was already pretty much planned – I had a six page document outlining every minute of the festivities – and that this visit was just to look over the restaurant and get a lay of the land.

Ha, Ha. Wrong.

The first surprise was that we could actually meet the bride-to-be, and she was a very nice, friendly and organized. Very organized. We went line by line through the plan, discussed any potential problems, and after about an hour we called over the restaurant manager who had volunteered to answer any questions that we might have. We then went through the entire schedule with him (another hour) and talked about some questions that they had. The bride had some requests, and they did their best to try to take care of them, and then we went inside the restaurant and looked through it for another twenty minutes. Finally we declared that the party was planned, and we sat down for dinner and some wine at around 9 pm.

Whew – it was nice to eat and drink, and everyone lightened up after a couple bottles of wine. But I did learn a lot about how intensely this party was planned, and it made me remember my own wedding second party that was put together in about ten minutes. At the time our friend the Denya master had organized it, and it was a big help – as the bridge and groom we had plenty of other things to worry about. I would humbly suggest that the party will go much better if there are less planners (that means you, bridge and groom).

But the party was nice, and the food at the place was pretty good. The location is great, and I think that is the key selling point of this place. We’ll check it all out next Saturday.

It was a busy weekend for both of us, but one highlight was making homemade hamburger buns for the first time. They came out better than I expected, and besides the burgers I used some to make Bánh mì on Sunday night.

This week is a very short one – we’ve both got Thursday off, and I have Friday off as well. We’re hosting some friends on Thursday and then we’ll do some shopping together Friday night. Busy, busy…

After an especially full schedule of classes today I’ll head into Osaka to try to help plan a wedding “second party” for a friend. We’re meeting at Osaka station around 7 pm, and it’ll be a pretty tight run from Hyogo to get there in time. This will be my first time planning a wedding party, so I’m not sure exactly what it entails. Dancing? No. Singing? Possibly. Bad jokes? Of course.

Again we’ve got rain in the forecast for the weekend. This week has been clear and absolutely beautiful, just like the last three weeks. Unfortunately, the last three weekends have been rainy, like some sort of cosmic joke to keep me from hiking. There is a slight chance that at least Saturday will be OK, and if it is I’ll hit the trails near Takarazuka in the morning. Otherwise I’ve got plenty of other events to take care of – when exactly did I get so busy?

Yesterday I was reading a post about shoplifting and your rights if a store detains you. It reminded me of our trip to India, and how in every store you entered you had to check in any bags that you were carrying, and then check them out again when you left. If I recall correctly, it has happened before in some stores in the USA, and also in some of the European countries that we have visited.

The contrast to Japan is striking. Stores are less defined by walls and space – and it is perfectly OK to stray beyond the area of the store (especially grocery stores) with as yet unpaid for items. I still feel a little uncomfortable walking beyond the cash registers with stuff, but most people don’t really care, especially the store clerks. There is a lot more freedom to do what you want with the items, including walking around with alcohol, drinking it in public, having an open container, etc.

It’s just one of the small things that I enjoy about living here. They give you the chance (and they expect you) to do the right thing (i.e. not steal or act stupid) and the vast majority of people do it.

As the weather continues a steady cooling trend I’m getting pretty excited. Unlike Kuniko, I love the cold. The colder, the better as far as I’m concerned. I can sleep easily, enjoy hot coffee and tea, and forget about wiping away the sweat every few minutes. Last night we slept under the big blanket, and I’m guessing we’ll be using the electric blankets as soon as next month. Cold? Yes, please.

Yesterday at work I received a couple of visits from some VIPs as well as my regular students, and it seems like people are generally happy to see me teaching there. I’m starting to get comfortable working in my classroom, and I’m looking for ways to make the place my own, without making it look like I’m trying to make it my own. Anything I bring will have to be small, but I’m trying to figure out ways to personalize the classroom and office. Any ideas? I guess I’ll have to keep thinking on it…

Last night after work I was back at the tachinomi place, drinking with Bill, one of the inspectors at the factory. He is a regular at the place, so they seem to know what he will be drinking before he orders. Must be convenient. I had just a couple glasses of cheap Barolo that were pretty good, and spent most of the time catching up with Bill and his most recent news. It looks like he’ll be sticking around for at least another year or so, but right now his contract is up in the air and so he’s a little concerned. It must be hard not being able to settle down and relax – right now he’s kind of in limbo.

Since I have a security pass for the building where I work now, I can go in to work anytime I like. Previously I had to enter through the front entrance that opened at 8 am. Now, anytime I like I can enter and start work, so that gives me a lot more flexibility during the day. I just have to remember to wear the pass wherever I go. Yesterday I went in a little early to work on a lesson plan – and it was nice and quiet in my office.

During one of my group classes yesterday two members of the HR staff dropped in to watch me teaching the new students. This is pretty unusual, since I usually only teach one-on-one classes they never drop in because of the pressure on an individual student. But with a group of younger students I think they wanted to see how they are dealing with a class in all English. Luckily I was working on a quiet part of the lesson when they came in. It was good to know that they seemed to care about us, though. I hope we get more visits in the future.

I spent the majority of last weekend pretty much locked up at home, apparently on the road to recovery. I’m feeling a lot better today, and I think by Tuesday or Wednesday I should be back at 100%. Part of the decision to stay home had to do with heavy rain and thunderstorms on Saturday. The rain kept everything pretty much inside, and the thunder was the loudest I have ever heard in Japan or the U.S.

This week at work is another full week, but at the end I need to meet some friends and go to Osaka to start to plan a wedding party. It should be a busy weekend on top of that, so this week at work will probably be the slowest time of the week.

Tonight Kuniko is going out with a couple coworkers to check out a restaurant that they may use in December for a larger company party. The organizers of the party often go in advance to try out the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant. Called a 下見 (shitami), and I’m doing the same thing this Friday for the wedding party. As for my plans tonight, I’m torn between catching a beer at the tachinomi or coming home and working on leftovers. Hmm…

Can’t tell you how good it feels to pull into Friday. My body has somehow held together this week, thanks to Kuniko’s healthy dinners, and copious amounts of iodine gargle. Once I get through my classes today, I imagine I’ll go into total shutdown for the weekend. For the third weekend in a row, it’ll be raining, so I guess it is good timing.

For my birthday Kuniko got me a food processor, so last night I played around with it a little bit. I’m hoping that I can start making some salsas coming up soon. First I’ve got to figure out how to do it without losing a finger. I’m wondering whether it will be the kind of kitchen appliance you use all the time or just once or twice a year…

OK – checking out for now. Hopefully I’ll be back above 50% for next week.

Despite my precautions yesterday I still feel like I’m catching a cold. I don’t actually have a cold, just feeling like it will happen soon. I think all the stuff I’m doing (gargling, vitamins, juice, etc) is just putting off the inevitable. If I can get through two more days, then the wheels can go ahead and fall off the wagon, and I’ll be a mess this weekend. Ugh. Luckily the weather is helping out – this week has been sunny and warm, and this weekend should be rainy. So I’ll have no problems laying around in bed.

Since October 1st I have been working in a new office at work – moving from the second floor to the fourth floor. Until the last minute I wasn’t sure I would move, but finally I made the transition, and now I’m sitting pretty in a very spacious and clean classroom. Unfortunately, the two American inspectors that I occasionally drink with didn’t get the message, so they thought I had flat out disappeared. By chance I passed one on the street on the way home last night, and he was happy to hear that I’m still around. We’re going to try to get out for a beer or two next week when I’m feeling better.

That’s about it – I gotta get my stuff together and head out the door. At least it is a nice walk to work…

I was just talking to my dad the other day on the phone and I mentioned that I hadn’t had a cold in a long time.

Yeah, I know.

Starting from yesterday I started to get a tingle in my throat, so I got all over that with some iodine gargling, vitamin C, and I went to bed around 8:30. This morning I’m in pretty much the same condition – not better, not worse. I’m hoping I can survive today at work and fight this one off – now that I am teaching group lessons again I have to speak a little more often and a little louder in class.

So today I’ll be staying warm and staying rested, with my fingers firmly crossed. Teach me to put the whammy on.

Last night Kuniko killed a bunch of leftovers in one fell swoop – and I think it might be a household record for us. She turned half a gigantic eggplant, a head of broccoli, half a pound of ground beef, carmelized onions, an avocado, an a bottle of tomato sauce into a hamburg dish that was delicious. I watched most of the process, and I think the secret ingredient may be nutmeg. Now our refrigerator has been tamed, and we’ll start from (nearly) scratch tonight.

This week is pretty much just a full work week. I have no parties, no special events, and just a lunch on the weekend. I’m using the extra time to get work done for my classes, but it does feel nice to not have to go out drinking (and spending money) so much this week. I’ve got to save my money (and lose all my free time) once Skyrim comes out next month. I’m not so much into games, but when the right one comes along – it’s all over.