Wednesday, June 30, 2004 Fair
My wife had to absent herself from work
again today. It was for her father's nursing
care-all that red tape. Attended Osaka City's
sign language communication class from 2:00
p.m. till 4:00 p.m. Began to order supplies
for the English section. It is so hot and
humid tonight, too, that it is hard to do
without air conditioning.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004 Fair
Spent most of the day studying sign language
and having fun with the sign language circle
members. My wife was looking for a book,
but the bookstore didn't carry it, so I ordered
it for her when I took a walk at night. Our
younger son again went to Koshien to see
a game between the Tigers and the Giants.
The latter won. He must have been happy,
and so was my wife.
Monday, June 28, 2004 Cloudy
Today being the anniversary of the founding
of our school, I was supposed to do some
work at home. I could report for work, too.
My wife took a day off because she had some
urgent business to attend to all of a sudden.
Toward the evening, went out shopping for
cat food and daily necessities.
Sunday, June 27, 2004 Cloudy and hot and
humid
I did not feel like reading on my way to
and back from work. Have I gotten into a
rut? In the evening, drove over to Joshin
with my wife and my younger son for IBM's
Homepage Builder 8 and then ate out together
at the usual Japanese restaurant. At night
I took a walk and dropped by the usual bookstore
and bought a couple of books. The doctor
ordered me not to eat after 9:00 p.m. Tomorrow
I am going to have my stomach examined.
Saturday, June 26, Cloudy and humid.
Made a phone call to ZAQ because I forgot
my password again. I will need it when I
try Windows Me Setup again. Also I may buy
an IBM Homepage Builder by then. Around noon,
went to the hospital for my neck traction.
Picked up my wife and ate out as usual. Just
enjoy reading in the evening. Later on watch
a little TV.
Friday, June 25, 2004 Cloudy and muggy with
occasional rain.
The PC is still partially out of order.
I have little idea how to fix it. I will
take this opportunity to study more about
computers. Not only my PC but my body has
a problem. Tonight on my way back, the lower
half of my right leg, the calf down felt
strange. I wonder if it is due to my neck
ailment. Is it about time?
Thursday, June 24, 2004 Cloudy
Today the staff of our school had a medical
checkup. I only had my chest X-rayed and
my urine examined. Later on at my home doctor's
office I will have my stomach examined with
a gastrocamera, because I have a polyp. This
is my annual stomach checkup. My PC got into
trouble. It is dying.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Cloudy
My wife was calling the manager names when
she was watching the Hanshin Tigers' game
on TV last night. My younger son and she
were happy anyway because the team won. Attended
the second of Osaka City's sign language
class in a series of twenty sessions. Now
I am the only man in this class.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004 Fair
After the typhoon, the sky cleared up this
morning. Did the dubbing again for the listening
comprehension test because the noise worried
me. Shut myself up in the hot studio at school.
Hearing my own voice on the cassette deck
is always embarrassing. One of my bosses
pointed out that I had inadvertently forgotten
some important printout on the printer tray.
So much was on my mind then. No excuses were
accepted. I am held responsible, period.
Monday, June 21, 2004 Typhoon No.6, due to
which there was no school today.
Last night I was watching TV far into the
night. NHK's educational program, a series
of lectures by Itsuki Hiroyuki. Typhoon No.6
landed on Kochi Prefecture around 10:00 a.m.
Then hit the area where my older son lives.
He was about to have his new computer delivered
around that time. I got the listening comprehension
test ready, doing the dubbing and making
five copies in all. There was some noise
in the part where my voice was recorded.
All this was such a hassle.
Sunday, June 20, 2004 Cloudy
Making exams all day. Also did some work
I had brought home, related to the General
Affairs Department. Proofreading. Today is
Father's Day. My kids and wife bought me
a nice electric razor. This was a surprise
present. I was glad of it. It was so humid
all day. You perspire even when you are just
sitting still.
Saturday, June 19, 2004 Cloudy
Drove my wife to work in the morning. Then
went to the usual English conversation class.
After that ate lunch and went to the hospital
for the usual neck traction. Tomorrow is
Father's Day, so drove to my parents' home.
On the way, bought a gift. Toward the evening,
picked up my wife and ate out at the usual
restaurant. Typhoon No. 6 may be coming this
way soon.
Friday, June 18, 2004 Fair
When I came back home around ten thirty,
I found my older son at home. He came back
from Kobe. I can hear him laughing with his
kid brother. Home is relaxing. Today I had
a full day. Our younger son has a serious
heart disease. He has too much of an irregular
pulse. I am so worried about his health.
He needs to have a further checkup during
the summer vacation.
Thursday, June 17, 2004 Overcast
So sleepy this morning because I burned
the midnight oil, working on the Super Crossword.
But I was still clueless about one word.
Ate out at the usual Chinese restaurant.
Thinking I would read a bit in bed, eventually
I fell asleep. I will have to report to school
earlier than I planned, because something
urgent came up. No time to make exams.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004 Fair
My wife is worried about our firstborn
son, who mailed her, saying something was
wrong with his eyes. Me, too. I am afraid
he is studying so hard and at the same time
working part-time until very late, too. Young
people today, if they are serious, are trying
very hard to live while greedy old people
are so delinquent; some just play pachinko
every day, using their pension money.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004 Fair
Today was a make-up holiday. I went to
the sign language circle and did lunch together.
Took a short afternoon nap and went out to
pick up my wife. After eating out, went to
a Daiso 100-yen shop. She bought some book
ends, and I some rubber stamps to use at
school. Our younger son went to Koshien to
root for the Hanshin Tigers.
Monday, June 14, 2004 Fair
Before leaving home for work, I took in
the washing. When I came back, it was left
as it was. I complained a little tonight
to my wife, saying, "Why don't you just
fold it?" She began to fold it ,watching
TV. I ate my supper and did the dishes. I
am beginning to make tests in Oral Ⅰ and
English Ⅰ.
Sunday, June 13, 2004 Fair
There was an annual soft volleyball tournament
at our school. My homeroom class got defeated
in the first round. I did not know there
would be a little party later on at the school
cafeteria, so I went there very late and
joined them. Anyway I had fun talking with
some of my homeroom class kids. I am not
very well-informed about this school.
Saturday, June 12, 2004 Rainy
I cleaned my desk all day at home. However,
it seems impossible to straighten out the
mess. One of the cats, the while one, just
keeps following me about because she is now
in heat. She is so noisy and irritates me.
Our older son came back from Kobe last night,
staying overnight, relaxing and leaving this
evening. I must now prepare for tomorrow's
classes.
Friday, June 11, 2004 Rainy
Yesterday we began our subscription for
the Nikkei. Our younger son reads it. It
being rainy, the hospital was rather empty
of outpatients when I went there for my usual
neck traction. Typhoon No.4 changed into
a tropical low pressure system, but the platform
was windy while waiting for my train on the
way home.
Thursday, June 10, 2004 Fair, occasionally
cloudy.
After eating a delivery box lunch around
noon, began working. Doing this work and
that, at 2:00 p.m., the general affairs department
staff got together and worked together in
the printing room and the teachers' room.
Then placed a couple of phone calls to a
certain textbook publisher. These days I
am getting so forgetful. Let me compose a
haiku ( senryu ). forgetfulness, slip of
memory, I sure am aging.
Wednesday, June 9, 2004 Fair, occasionally
cloudy.
Late last night scrubbed the smeared sink
and did some other cleaning, too,－the table,
the entrance, and the kitchen floor. I sometimes
has this urge to clean. Attended the opening
ceremony for Osaka City's sign language communication
class. Later on, studied sign language a
little, Mine is the advanced class, and my
sign language did not work with the deaf
ladies. A long way to go.
Tuesday, June 8, 2004, Rainy
Went to the sign language circle after
an interval of two weeks and did lunch together
at a Japanese restaurant which had reopened
quite recently. The atmosphere was O.K. There
was a new member, too－a deaf gentleman.
Toward the evening, picked up my wife as
usual. After eating out together, drove to
the usual pet food shop and then to Konan.
A full holiday.
Monday, June 7, 2004 Cloudy with occasional
rain. Humid!
Went to the post office to send the Osaka
Deaf Center a postal money order for 24,000
yen. The form was different than before.
I was at a loss how to do it, and made some
boo-boos. It is so hot and humid the windows
must be left open to ventilate the rooms.Things
easily get mildewed in this season. Cleaned
the toilet. Got to hand in the budget for
the English department by Wednesday.
Sunday, June 6, 2004 Cloudy with occasional
rain.
The beginning of the rainy season has been
declared for the Kinki area, too. It was
very humid today－typical of the rainy season
.Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan died
today. He was the governor of California
when I was there in my early twenties. In
the morning I kept typing my report about
last week's seminar and then handed it in.
The human rights homeroom class was O.K.
Saturday, June 5, 2004 Fair
In the morning, I quickly swept the floor,
did the dishes, and hanged out the washing
Then went out for Day Two of Shitennoji's
counseling seminar. The first lecturer today
was Kawai Hayao-sensei. During lunch break,
I treated myself to a little expensive lunch
and drank beer. On the way home, I had a
haircut. The barber, being a fan of the Hanshin
Tigers, talked about baseball. Coming home,
picked up my wife and did dinner at the usual
place. Then went shopping for cat food etc.
Friday, June 4, 2004 Fair
Attended the 40th Shintennoji counseling
seminar. Today was the first day. There were
three lectures. The last one was boring enough
for me to drop off or drift away. I took
notes on the first two, which were worth
listening to. During lunch break, I ate ramen.
It tasted bad. My favorite ramen shop has
moved somewhere. I hurried to work after
today's seminar was over. There were two
conferences-one for the English department
budget and the other for the next year's
curriculum.
Thursday, June 3, 2004 Cloudy
There was a banquet for the teachers' union
teachers. I drank a lot and ate a lot. I
got back a bit late, a bit drunk. Tomorrow
I will have to get up early, so I did not
join some of the others in karaoke. And it
was too late. Before the banquet, there were
two long teachers' meetings. Maybe about
five hours in all. Sick and tired of conferences.
Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Fair
This morning when I passed the gas station
I frequent, I noticed that the gas price
for my car is now 125 yen per liter. How
expensive! I tried going to Tani Roku by
bike from the school, and got lost. Asking
strangers the way, I finally got there. I
have been a stranger around where I work.
Today I got a little idea about the neighborhood.
Hydrangeas were blooming here and there.
June sky－melancholy in roadside hydrangeas.
Tuesday, June 1, 2004 Fair
I was swamped with work all day today.
I had little time to catch my breath from
noon to nine o'clock. I kept writing in names,
addresses, birthdays, and so on for the school
records for over five hours. Penpushing all
day. I had to do it. Otherwise it is difficult
to do anything else. I am done and glad it
is over.