Sunday, December 31, 2006 Cloudy

　Today is New Year's Eve, so we ate toshikosi-soba ( buckwheat noodles ). Watched a Korean drama on video all night. The title is "Sodonyo." Also watched the last few episodes of "Green Rose", another Korean drama. Both are worth watching. Our second son has quit his present job to create a company with his best friend. Our first son goes back tonight. He plans to pay his first visit to a shrine with his best friend.

Saturday, December 30, 2006 Cloudy, occasionally fair.

　Did no cleaning today. All the family got together and ate lunch, sukiyaki. Our second son went to work. Our first son stayed, relaxing in his room. I overate myself and is now being overweight. My wife is happy because her first-born son is back home.Tomorrow I will clean the closet. I will do the rest next year.

Friday, December 29, 2006 Cloudy

　Cleaned the small room a little bit. Decided to discard the back numbers of Taishukan's English Education, for we can do searches on the Internet nowadays. Our first-born son is coming back home tonight, so we bought takoyaki for him. I ate some over a can of beer, too, and so did my wife.

Thursday, December 28, 20006 Cloudy and very cold.

　A Washlet has been installed in our toilet today. It is comfortable but uses a lot of water. Today I did not do any cleaning. I am a bit tired. On the 8th of next month, I am thinking of disposing of the bulky trash by transporting it to the recycling center by car. Now it is not for free any longer.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006 Cloudy

　Cleaned the front door toady and got rid of two of the three cat toilets. Drove to Konan with my wife and did some shopping. For lunch ordered some pizzas. Our second son felt like eating pizza. Tomorrow I think I will pick up the so-called "free room." There still remain some other places to clean, such as the drawers, the space under the desk, the bookshelves, the storage cabinet on the balcony, the closet, etc. At the mere thought of them, I feel tired.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 Cloudy and then rainy.

　Just cleaned the plastic screen doors roughly, not thoroughly. During the holidays, I am supposed to study at home instead of going to work, and this takes time. I try to listen to English online via the Internet and also watch a Korean drama on TV, taking memos, and later I make a clean copy.

Monday, December 25, 2006 Fair

　Today we cleaned the windows. I washed the big plastic container on the balcony. Listened to the radio online and watched a KBS serial drama on TV. Took a walk at night with my wife. The house is still a mess although we have cleaned it for these three days.

Sunday, December 24, 2006 Fair

　Pruned the bushes in the backyard and also did some weeding. Took me about four hours. As a result I got six garbage bags of cut branches and twigs, leaves, and weeds. I got really tired out. Late in the afternoon went shopping at Joshin and Konan. Ordered a Washlet. My wife got a Sony CD player. On the way home, we ate out.

Saturday, December 23, 2006 Cloudy

　Did only a little cleaning around the desk at home and went shopping with my wife. Got the stuff necessary for this year-end general cleaning. I am aging and getting bald on the top of my head. It is something genetic, too. My father was bald my age, too. I am thinking of getting rid of those hundreds of books I now possess. Sooner or later I will have to do that.

Friday, December 22, 2006 Cloudy

　I am now a little overweight. There are some reasons why I must lose weight. First, it is not good for health. Hypertension, high cholesterol level, etc. are likely to be aggravated. Second, if you lose weight, it will a lot easier to move around and walk. Third, it will improve your looks. Fourth, if you go on the way you are now, you will find the wait of your pants tight eventually-more money for new pairs of pants. Finally, if you try to control your weight, you will be able to bolster your willpower. So, losing weight is very beneficial to you. And better to do it with someone else so that you can keep it up.

Thursday, December 21, 2006 Cloudy

　Aoshima Yukio died yesterday at 76, and so did Kishida Kyoko at 74. Both had been so familiar to me ever since I was a little boy. Every time such a person dies, I realize that man is mortal. To us, birth, aging, sickness and death are inevitable. This evening I had such a delicious Korean dinner with some friends I overate myself.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Cloudy

　Took care of some more students, giving a makeup or a retest and helping out with their assignments. Just called one serious student who did not seem to know about the deadline because I informed all my students about the deadline etc. beforehand this time. Throughout the working hours these students came one after another.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Fair

　Too tired this morning to go to the sign language circle's weekly meeting. In the afternoon attended this year's last Korean class. We gave our teacher a year-end gift as a token of our thanks. Just taken out the garbage as usual after doing the dishes and a little cleaning. Tomorrow's going to be a long day, I guess.

Monday, December 18, 2006 Cloudy

　Handed in the overall statement of accounts for the school festival to the office. The figures added up all right.. There were some makeups and retests to take care of. For about five hours students came to see me one after another. I kind of expect a bunch of procrastinators to come the day after tomorrow, the very deadline.

Sunday, December 17, 2006 Fair, occasionally cloudy and rainy.

　I had the English interview room on the fifth floor all to myself in the morning. It was relaxing. Helped several students with their assignments. Took care of one makeup and one retest. Still waiting for the remaining statements of accounts for the school festival.

Saturday, December 16, 2006 Cloudy

　The last English conversation school session this year. There was a new comer. Ate takoyaki for lunch as if is often the case with us. One telephone call from a homeroom class student. Even a holiday students sometimes call me. The government is going to change the Fundamental Law of Education-a step in the wrong direction. This country is no longer a democracy.

Friday, December 15, 2006 Cloudy

　Two students to take their makeup and some others who handed in their reports at the last minute. Statements of accounts for the school festivals were due today, but not everyone handed in their statement of accounts. I am in charge.

Thursday, December 14, 2006 Cloudy and then rainy.

　One English teachers' conference which lasted for an hour or so. Then came two students who had not taken their second-term English exams or finished their reports yet. Took over four hours to help them out. I am afraid there will be more to come at the very last minute.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Cloudy, occasionally rainy.

　One makeup to take care of. Actually two, but the other did not show up at the appointed time. This was the fourth or fifth time he broke his promise. He came a full hour late. This time I admonished him that he should keep his word. He said he was having a hard time with English alone, which was not true, as it turned out later.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 Rainy and then cloudy.

　Went to the sign language circle in the morning and to the Korean language school in the afternoon. Sent dozens of Christmas cards, some via email, to those who sent me a New Year's card at the beginning of this year to say that I would refrain from exchanging New Year's greetings because my father-in-law died in January this year.

Monday, December 11, 2006 Fair

　One Korean study meeting in the morning. Ate out for lunch at a shopping street restaurant for a change. Not too good. Just I expected. Helped three students with their reports for two hours and also gave a student one makeup. There still remain dozens of students who will have to take their makeup and/or finish their 2nd-term 'reports.

Sunday, December 10, 2006 Cloudy

　For today's school festival I did a little research about a human rights museum in Sakai City and reported about it by exhibiting some photos and writing some explanation on four big sheets of paper. I tried a little bit of most of the dishes of the stalls in the morning and enjoyed watch the stage performances in the afternoon.
　

Saturday, December 9, 2006 Rainy

　Prepared for tomorrow's school festival and also there was a geography makeup to take care of. The Noro virus is raging now. My Korean teacher colleague seems to have contracted it. He is having severe diarrhea now. These days I try to wash my hands well with soap as often as possible.

Friday, December 8, 2006 Fair

　The sky had cleared up this morning, which made me feel good. I am part of nature, so it is natural. At work one piece of work after another came to me all the time until I called it a day. Tomorrow I will have to go to work, too. I will have to prepare for the school festival, and also I will have to give a makeup to some student for the teacher in charge.

Thursday, December 7, 2006 Rainy

　Today's weather has been really dreary. I felt gloomy, too. It is said that there is nothing new under the sun, and today I felt as though there was nothing good under the dark sky. A big earthquake is impending. The so-called "working poor" are all over the world. People are killing each other every day somewhere in the world. Oh, this gloomy weather made me look on the dark side of things...

Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Fair

　The way I read Korean is still awkward, I know. It will be long before I can read it all right. Today I was made to realize how terrible my ability to read Korean is! I got a Korean grammar book from a gentleman with whom I studied Korean this past summer at the university. However, I do not have his email address. I will have to find a way to thank him for that.

Tuesday, December 5, 2006 Fair

　Bought take-out noodles for the two of us for lunch.. In the Korean classroom made some mistakes speaking Korean. The right words just did not come to me. Need to practice speaking. In the evening took out the garbage as usual. Did a little shopping at Daiei and got disposable plastic kitchen tidy nets at an all-100-yen shop.

Monday, December 4, 2006 Fair

　One Korean language study meeting in the morning. Then lunch at the usual restaurant. Still in the process of straightening up the mess at work while moving up to the fifth floor, where it is a lot quieter than on the second floor. One English �T class to teach in the third period.

Sunday, December 3, 2006 Fair but cold at night.

　Around midnight, on his way home from work, hit from behind, our son's car was damaged badly. His condition is not good, either, so he went to the hospital for a medical checkup. The other person was totally to blame because our son's car was stopping. To him, today was no holiday because of that. It is necessary to maintain a safe distance from the car ahead when you drive.

Saturday, December 2, 2006 Cloudy, occasionally rainy.

　Two hours' English conversation in the morning. Ate okonomi for lunch. Today, being a holiday, was a take-it-easy day. Just relaxed, watching TV and resting. Must go to bed early, for tomorrow will be a full workday. The living room still remains a mess. Will have to pick it up soon.

Friday, December 1, 2006 Fair

　I am not good at putting things in order. I tend to do things by following my nose. At work I have so many sheets to sort out I am at a loss what to do with them. Come to think of it, those who are dressed tidily seem to keep their stuff tidy. I am almost always casually dressed.