Tuesday, January 31, 2006 Cloudy, occasionally rainy.

　I have not kept a diary for so long, but I have to resume doing it. There has arisen a reason. Went to the dentist this morning. Paid 2.150 yen just for cleaning one third of the teeth. There were only 10 students in today's Korean language school class. Some are said to have caught cold. Went to the doctor this evening. As we get older, we tend to be ill, but these day you must have enough money to go see doctors. Poor people are not eligible. The poor are not blessed. Money makes the doctor to go.

Monday, January 30, 2006 Cloudy, occasionally rainy.

　Although I hung out the washing to dry this morning, the weather got worse. Studied Korean under our Korean teacher as usual. Sent future course survey sheets to graduating students. I took a half day off today and got back home. The toilet seems to be our of order again. Water must have kept running all day. What a waste! Maybe replacing the rubber ball will do. Tomorrow I will have to buy a new one first thing in the morning. On second thought, since there was our car available, I drove to Konan, bought a new rubber ball, and fixed the toilet.

Sunday, January 29, 2006 Fair

　A good day to do the washing. Did three washes in all. Our first son's personal computer seems to have broken down. Our second son and my wife are now driving over there. I wanted to give them a hand, but now I have diarrhea. What if I should need to go to the rest room while driving? So, I decided to stay at home. They came back home safe and sound after fixing the computer. Job well done!

Saturday, January 28, 2006 Cloudy

　Driving my wife to work this morning, found two animals dead and flat and unrecognizable on the road. Poor creatures! Then went to the dentist. The waiting room was full-no seat available, so just kept standing for 30 minutes or so. There was an old lady who left her coat where she was sitting when she was called. She looked well off and was nicely dressed, but never thought about others. My second son's room was an unthinkable mess, almost infested with ticks. My first son, who happened to be back home, and I cleaned the room together. I weeded the backyard, too, for the first time in many days. Three big plastic bags of grass and leaves.

Friday, January 27, 2006 Cloudy

　This morning I fixed the flat tire of my wife's bicycle. The tire rubber was so hard and unmanageable that I had much hassle. It took me about 40 minutes. I paid back the homeroom class money to the Student Council. I got the answers ready for the exams and put them in the pigeonholes of the teachers concerned. All the classes for this academic year are over. One of my colleagues is retiring this spring. He taught his very last classes today.

Thursday, January 26, 2006 Cloudy

　As soon as I got to work, I checked my pigeonhole and got some 'reports' from students. After correcting them I attended a regular teachers' meeting. After this conference all the teachers stuffed papers into envelopes to send to students. While doing this, I got a call from the office. The printer for the human rights pamphlet was coming. I did all the printing for the finals and got the exam sheets ready in place. It took over three hours. I worked on without a break.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 Cloudy

　After the usual Korean class in the morning, I ate out at the usual restaurant. Then I got the mail ready for "teitai-sei", those students who did not sign up last academic year. The third-term exams in English �T and Reading are almost ready. It is about time to check the past grades of the students who are signing up next school year.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 Cloudy

　Today was a substitute day off. This morning I had some household chores to take care of, so I was not able to go to the sign language circle. There was no Korean class this afternoon. In the evening I just picked up my wife at the hospital and went to the gas station. Gas is so expensive now, 132 yen per liter.

Monday, January 23, 2006 Cloudy

　Horie, Livedoor's president, has been arrested today. Livedoor will be soon gone. I did not know what his company was doing. After all, it was a sand castle. Money gamers made lots of money by deceiving the stock market. That is just not fair. When you play a game, you must observe the rules. At work I prepared two documents-one for the students who are to sign up and the other for graduating students.

Sunday, January 22, 2006 Cloudy and cold.

　It was chilling cold today, too-another raw winter day. It was cold in Seoul, but it was a different kind of coldness-dry and biting cold. Today we English teachers set the dates for makeups and retests. Little by little I am preparing for the sign-up assistance period. This evening at home all of a sudden the gas alarm went off. This sometimes happens when ventilation is not good enough.

Saturday, January 21, 2006 Cloudy and cold.

　Yesterday morning I had the old filling replaced with a new one at the dentist's. I was not comfortable with that all day yesterday, but now I have gotten used to it. This morning I went to the English conversation class. While speaking, I made a few basic mistakes. I lack practice these days, or I do not practice speaking English at all. This evening I saw a video, the title of which is " April Snow" starring Bei Jongjun. It was not much.

Friday, January 20, 2006 Cloudy

　Ours is a correspondence high school, and students are supposed to study on their own, too. They must work on their assignments called "report." Also there are classes to attend. In class I never just write on the blackboard the answers to the questions on the reports, but this year such a teacher seems to be teaching. Students just want the right answers. They do not try to think on their own. Easygoing or irresponsible teaching brings about students who will not think. These students help each other with their reports. Their reports are all the same. This wrecks our correspondence education. Nothing but corruption.

Thursday, January 19, 2006 Cloudy

　There was an explanatory meeting called "jukoushido setsumeikai," where how to help students sign up for the next academic year was explained. This took nearly two hours. Next came a human rights section meeting. This also lasted for two hours or so. Correspondence teachers are going to be super busy from February to April. I will have to brace myself for that.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006 Cloudy

　Our Korean teacher helped us study Korean this morning, too, but he was a bit in low spirits, for , as it turned out, not many are going on a trip to Korea this spring. For today's joint homeroom, a talk by a graduate about his war experiences, we members of the human rights committee did the necessary preparations.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 Cloudy

　In the morning I went to the sign language circle, and in the afternoon to the Korean language school. What is important is to go over what I learned today as soon as possible. I will do it before I go to bed. In the Korean classroom today I was asked to make a one-minute speech in Korean about what I experienced in Seoul. So I did, and I think my speech made sense.

Monday, January 16, 2006 cloudy and then rainy.

　While studying Korean under our Korean teacher, I felt my ability to read Korean had improved, too. I am still poor at reading Korean aloud, but it is getting better anyway. When I got home, there was so much to eat. I did not know why my wife cooked so much, but anyway I ate a lot. My left knee seems to ache again. Too bad.

Sunday, January 15, 2006 Cloudy

　I was pretty busy at work today-three classes in a row. During the lunch break I had little time to eat out, so I had noodles at a bit expensive noodle restaurant near by. A certain TV station has started televising the Korean dram " Hojun ". I saw the first two episodes tonight. The picture was so nice and clear.At midnight I worked on the usual crossword in the wee hours of morning. This time I may not be able to make it. It is so hard.

Saturday, January 14, 2006 Rainy

　This morning I drove to the dentist. The old filling no longer fits because the gums subside as I age, so the chasm between the teeth widens and food gets in there. Hence inflammation and discomfort. This afternoon again I drove to my parents' place to get them some souvenirs from Korea-iron chopsticks and seasoned dried laver.(nori). While in Seoul, I seems to have lost lots of hairs after I heard the news of my father-in-law's death.

Friday, January 13, 2006 Cloudy and a bit rainy occasionally.

　I went to the Korean language school for the first time this year. I had forgotten many words in the textbook. But I can understand what my teacher says. My listening comprehension seems to have improved. At work there was a conference. The atmosphere was rigid as usual. I am a misfit at school. I do not like the world of teachers. My wife is getting better, no longer running a temperature.

Thursday, January 12, 2006 Cloudy

　I bought one kilogram of ginseng roots in Korea. Tonight I washed them and dried with paper towel and a kitchen towel. Then my wife helped me do this, putting all of them into the 8-liter glass bottle I had already got from Konan this morning.. I then added one bag of rock sugar and poured three 1.8-liter bottles of white liquor. This will be ready to drink if nothing goes wrong. What a hassle! Today's teachers' meeting was over so soon. This usually never happens. I submitted my report about the two-week Korean language program to my boss.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006 Cloudy

　Yesterday evening I came back from Seoul, Korea. During my two-week stay there, my father-in-law passed away on January 5. This news came to me the next morning via email. I was not able to return home. Although my excitement had not subsided, I went to work. There was a get-together after hours, too. I sent some emails saying I am in mourning now. I also wrote some postcards to the same effect. I will have to hand in my report on this Korean study program shortly.