Sunday, April 30, 2006 Fair

　With my wife went to see my parents. My wife gave them some medical advice as she is a registered nurse. I got tired from driving a long distance for the first time in many days. These days our second son uses the family car to commute. We filled the car up on the way and on the way back we did some shopping at Joshin and Kohnan. Also bought some takoyaki at the usual shop. Today was a nice day to go out. The backyard is rather weedy now. Got to weed it.

Satruday, April 29, 2006 Cloudy

　There was a condo meeting this evening where new members of the board of directors were summoned. At first the codo management company's advisor said that the same person could not be the chief of the board of directors again because there had been no such case as far as he knew and that who does what would be decided by lottery, but I suggested that the present chief do it again as long as he did not care and if it was not a problem. This was approved.

Friday, April 28, 2006 Fair

　Tonight I taught two classes in a row in the same classroom. Because I conducted both classes by using a lot of English, I found some things I could have done better, reflecting on what I did in class. On the way home, the trains really make good connections to each other, but I get tired because I have to walk fast or run a little. There was an English teachers' meeting. This year's English departpent rep almost calculated each English teacher's workload.

Thursday, April 27, 2006 Cloudy

　Three conferences today-a Student Council Depratment meeting, a teachers' meeting, and a Human Rignts Committee meeting. My circadian clock is no good these days. I often wake up before dawn. Is it because I am getting on in years? After a while, I go back to bed, and when I get up again, I feel tired. A bad cycle. I need to correct this.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 Cloudy

　Another Korean study meeting started today. This one is for us to practice reading Korean out loud. Today eight suspects of the "earthquake-resistant structure fraud" case have been arrested. The now famous architect's wife committed suicide the other day maybe because he said he had done it for her, who was very invalid, when he was summoned to the Diet. This architect was talking on TV as if somebody else had done all that.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 Fair

　Around twenty people present at today's sign language circle's meeting. Studied Korean a little and went to the Korean language school. There was a quiz, and I got full marks, but later on I found out one mistake. Doing household chores, I got a bit tired. Although a substitute holiday, a full day.

Monday, April 24, 2006 Fair

　A Korean study meeting in the morning, two meetings to attend, and two classes to teach. Taught today's Oral Communication �Tby using a lot of English. Easier than I thought and comfortable with English. I will try to improve the way I do it, never being content with the status quo. Dissatisfied Socrates.

Sunday, April 23, 2006 Cloudy

　The last day for new students to buy textbooks at school. Tomorrow is the first day of this academic year, and I have two classes to teach. Today I was busy all day at work preparing for tomorrow. On my way back the late-blooming cherry blossoms in the neighborhood were beautiful against the cloudy evening sky.

Saturday, April 22, 2006 Cloudy

　In the morning went to the convenience store to get the Korean textbook I had ordered. It turned out to be a good textbook to use. It has a CD, too. Good. My wife is having trouble shaking off her cold. She quit her job last month and has no social security now. She has to apply for health insurance a.s.a.p. Busy studying Korean these days. Have to make teaching plans, too.

Friday, April 21, 2006 Cloudy

　It was too cold for spring today. I wore the usual winter jacket. At work took a double-check on the subjects each of my homeroom students is taking this year. Also sorted the school records for the new homeroom class. Another Korean study meeting will be held on the evening of next Wednesday. The bosses seem to be too busy to check our online red tape. My application for today's study at home had not been processed yet.

Thursday, April 20, 2006 Cloudy

　A teachers' meeting and a Student Council meeting today. We will have to be on 'car watch', for now another school building is under construction and trucks come in and out often, and parking spaces are limited, too. My wife is under the weather. Maybe caught cold or something. She went to our son's apartment in Kobe with some daily necessities.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 Cloudy

　A Korean study meeting in the morning for 90 minutes as usual. Ate okonomiyaki for lunch. Began preparing for Monday's homeroom class, checking the number of times each of my homeroom kids who are to graduate next year has attended homeroom classes, school events, or club activities. While doing that, I was told to correct some of the school records of my ex-students who have been expelled from school. They did not tell me what to do with their school records beforehand, though. It was not explained. At this place of work this kind of thing often happens. Quite weird.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006 Cloudy

　Absented myself from the sign language circle because I had a lot of homework to do for today's Korean class. In class some other students complained because the material was so difficult but covered so fast, but I wonder if their complaints stand to reason.

Monday, April 17, 2006 Fair

　Today after handing in future career survey statistics, I put unnecessary papers through a shredder and put the papers of my new homeroom class students in order. Also put the old English handouts in order because I may possibly use them again this year.

Sunday, April 16, 2006 Rainy and then cloudy.

　Busy all day from early in the morning. Another entrance ceremony, this time for the nighttime section of my school. Around 11:30 a.m. began the sign-up procedure and it ended around 2:30 p.m. for me. I took care of nine new students. Then I inputted their subjects into the computer. At the end of the day I was quite exhausted.

Saturday, April 15, 2006 Rainy

　In the morning went to the English club and spoke a lot of English. In the evening went to an Osaka Korean junior and high school Korean concert and a professional comic storyteller was there, too. He told the rakugo story of Toki Udon in Korean. Worked on the super crossword until very late at night, but still in the dark about a couple of clues.

Friday, April 14, 2006 Cloudy and cold.

　The entrance ceremony for the daytime section of our high school was held today. I was on duty at the school gate. It was so cold while I was standing in front of the school gate. Helped one of my fellow teachers prepare for the sign-up procedure the day after tomorrow. He was very organized. I was surprised. Ate supper at the usual Chinese restaurant on the way home.

Thursday, April 13, 2006 Cloudy

　Prepared the gym for tomorrow's entrance ceremony. After that, there was a meeting of the human rights committee, and the work was divided among us. Then came an extra teachers' meeting, and the principal said what he had to say. It took a little over one hour when we teachers were really busy preparing for tomorrow's sign-up procedure. This meeting was just tiring.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 Cloudy

　There was a meeting of the Student Council Department all of a sudden today instead of tomorrow. Prepared for Friday's sign-up procedure. Promised my Korean teacher to practice reading Korean for ten minutes a day, starting from tomorrow on. I will do the same thing about English, too. This has long been on my mind.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 Cloudy, occasionally rainy.

　The usual weekly meeting of the sign language circle in the morning and the first class of the intermediate Korean class for the first term. Two new comers joined our Korean class. They are very good at Korean. Today is a substitute holiday for the day before yesterday.

Monday, April 10, 2006 Rainy and then cloudy.

　Ordered an English teaching related book online. In the morning a Korean language study meeting. In the afternoon, a meeting to explain the sign-up procedure for new students, and a conference for next month's school outing. There were a lot of other odds and ends to take care of, too, like calling a nearby cellphone shop and typing out the school outing pamphlet. Prepared yesterday's business trip report, too. Also handed in the school records for those who are to be expelled from school. Too busy to eat lunch after all.

Sunday, April 9, 2006 Fair

　Went to Nara to do a dry run of the school outing. The weather was nice. Walked to the sightseeing center to get such necessary information as where the rest rooms for the physically handicapped are, the phone numbers and locations of the nearest emergency hospital, the area maps, etc. I got tired from walking here and there.

Saturday, April 8, 2006 Fair and windy.

　It was very windy all day today. By bicycle I went all the way to an all-100-yen shop some distance away. I wanted a good plastic container for cassettes, but there was nothing good enough. But on the way there, the usual takoyaki shop was open, so I ordered 1000 yen's worth. of takoyaki. Spent some time reading. Our first-born son is going back to his graduate school.

Friday, April 7, 2006 Cloudy

　Came back home so late my bicycle was left parked in the bike parking lot near the station because the entrance was locked when I got there. I will have to go get my bike. I hope it is still there where I parked it. The sign-up period is over. All the students of my former homeroom class finished the procedure. It was a relief. At work new chairpersons were elected.-those of us who often have the floor.

Thursday, April 6, 2006 Fair

　There were three meetings today. One was for the human rights committee. Another was a regular teachers' meeting. And the other was for the soccer club advisers. It took about seven hours altogether. The teachers' meeting took four hours or so. I got tired jut being there. This is not good for your sanity, either. No joy at all. I would rather teach English to my students than be at this kind of meeting.

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Rainy and then cloudy.

　Studied Korean under our Korean teacher in the morning. Too busy to eat lunch. First the three of us, in charge of this year's outing, talked about what to do with it. Then I typed a draft of the plan. Put into the pigeonholes slips saying that there would be a meeting for the human rights committee and also slips telling this year's soccer club advisers to get together tomorrow. Made phone calls to two students who were not done with the sign-up procedure as of today, but neither of them answered the phone.

Tuesday, April 4, 2006 Cloudy and then rainy.

　Went to the sign language circle. Paid the annual fee. Ate lunch together for the first time in many days. since there was no Korean class in the afternoon. With a prescription went to a different pharmacy. They were short of the medicine I needed, so I will go there again to get the balance.

Monday, April 3, 2006 Fair

　At 1:00 p.m. was held a joint staff meeting in the AV Room on the 8th floor-just introduction of all the new comers. Then came a usual teachers' meeting of the correspondence section. At 2:00 p.m. the first English teachers' meeting for this academic year began and who teaches what was decided. At 3:30 p.m. the student council department's meeting started and decided who does what. Again I am on the human rights committee. Also have to plan this year's school outing. Then budgeting comes. A hectic day!

Sunday, April 2, 2006 Rainy

　The social studies teacher who has been transferred to our school has turned out to be someone I know. Today I was on 'report' duty from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. the busiest hour, handing reports to students. At work I have a new chair, a good one given by a retiree, now ,but today I fell backward and landed on my rear because the seat of the chair was too high for me and it moved so smoothly compared with my old one. Later I adjusted its height. I had two souvenirs form two of my colleagues who traveled to Seoul at the end of March.

Saturday, April 1, 2006 Cloudy

　Weeded the backyard a bit. It quickly gets weedy. Our second son has gone to Tokyo by Shinkansen to attend the company entrance ceremony, right after which he will be going to Chinen, Kagoshima, by plane to participate in a new employees' training course which will last until April 5. A Kanagawa man who killed a little boy by throwing him from a high condo complex has been arrested.. He did it with intent to kill. How could anyone do such a thing?