Monday, November 30, 2009 Fair

　Went out for a walk for a while in the morning for the third time these days. A morning Korean study meeting at work. Just one Reading class in the third period. The attendance was so large that I was short of handouts. Over twenty reports to check and two students to help with their reports. Made one Reading handout. Tired out at the end of the day.

Sunday, November 29, 2009 Cloudy

　Could work partly as I planned. I was kind of out of shape all day today. I did not seem to have enough energy. The female teacher who often stays on the fifth floor said that not a single student came to her class today for the first time after working for 30 years or so here. I said that could happen. Most students today tend to choose the easy way. I just try to help those who really want to study English even if they are not good at it. Such students are not many, though.

Saturday, November 28, 2009 Cloudy

　Gave my mother-in-law a ride to her doctor. My wife accompanied her. On her way home, she bought noodles and some croquettes for lunch. We overate ourselves in spite of lack of exercise today. I took a walk for some time in the evening. Today began to wear the thicker jumper. Our son is coming back home late tonight. His in-house training must have been hard.

Friday, November 27, 2009 Fair and cloudy.

　It was not warm but hot during the day. Just one class to teach and only a few reports to check. Handed out school festival money to a couple of teachers. There is only one teacher left. Made one Reading handout. Took some hours off and went back home because my wife was under the weather. Bought Hokaben on the way home. Our dying cat is still alive. She must be waiting for our son to come home from his week-long training.

Thursday, November 26, 2009 Fair

　Took a 30-minute morning walk for the first time in many days. My wife has decided to go to the nearby ladies' gym. I will get some exercise myself daily, too. One of the mammary glands of our dying cat burst last night, soiling here and there. Handed out school festival money to some teachers. There was a Student Council teachers' meeting especially for the coming school festival. Sent my homeroom students their grades for the second term. Also printed an OC�T handout. Took two hours off.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Cloudy

　Two consecutive classes to teach in the first and second periods. Walked all around the school handing out school festival money to some teachers. Will have to do it tomorrow, too. Helped a student with her OC�Treport. Checked 15 reports or so. Studied English with my Korean friend. Did a little shopping at the supermarket on the way home. Watched a Korean drama by the name of "Great Expectations" at home.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 Cloudy and then rainy.

　Been to the Korean language school in the afternoon in the rain after attending the sign language club's weekly meeting. Bought bread at the supermarket, too, on the way back from the sign language club. On the way back from the Korean language school, went to school and worked, making a handout and doing other miscellaneous work. I hate today's weather, a cold rain.

Monday, November 23, 2009 Fair

　Our first-born son went up to Kashima by the Shinkansen for his 5-day training. My wife and I went shopping for some small platic containers for use in my chest of drawers. On the way back we ate some soba again. Coming back home, we weeded the rest of the backyard and pruned the fig tree, covering that part with some anti-weed plastic sheets. Our older cat does not eat or drink much. Her death is imminent.

Sunday, November 22, 2009 Fair, cloudy, and then rainy.

　Yesterday bought two cushions and a waist pouch at the 100-yen shop near the station. My two chairs are comfortable to sit on. The new water heater was installed today. The man spent two hours or so doing his work. I weeded most of the backyard and coverd part of it with the anti-weed sheets which had been left there for nearly six months. Underneath them were found some creepy worms. Yuck! My wife helped me clean my closet and get rid of unnecessary clothing. There were three big plastic garbage bags of clothing to be discarded. I felt as if I got lighter. Now that we had this new water heater, I took a bath for the first time in three days. How refreshed I could feel!

Saturday, November 21, 2009 Cloudy

　Went to the English conversation class in the morning. There were two newcomers. For lunch my wife cooked chicken pilaff. The water heater broke down yesterday, and we had a repairman com over. We have to replace it with a new one. It is going to cost us over 1600,000 yen. The new one will be installed tomorrow. Went shopping at Kohnan with my wife for household supplies. Went out to eat buckwheat noodles at the soba shop near the station.

Friday, November 20, 2009 Cloudy

　Prepared the attendance sheets for the school festival. Contacted the clerk and the teachers in charge so that we would get the money for the school festival in time. Also checkk on the cleaning on the school festival day. There will be quite a lot of work to do. Printed another OC�Thandout. Corrected some reports. Came across the "You've Got Mail" DVD(1998) and began to watch it little by little.

Thursday, November 19, 2009 Cloudy

　There were two meetings. One ended within an hour, and the other lasted for over three hours. Being in conference for such a long time is not the job of us teachers. There seems to be something wrong. I am sick and tired of these fruitless, long conferences. I would rather do something more worthwhile like helping students with their English studies.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 Cloudy

　Thinking of starting a blog instead of this web page. It seems that the so-called "homepage" is getting out of date. The older cat now has difficulty walking because of her cancer, which has grown bigger. My wife helps her move, eat and drink. As long as she eats, she is likely to live. The while cat stopped eating and died after a few days. At work just one Reading class and HR. Over ten reports to check. There was an English teachers' meeting about the new curriculum. Also studied English with my Korean friend.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 Rainy

　The quality of the Korean language classroom is a bit of a problem now. I may quit it soon and look for a good way to learn from a native speaker. Anyway I need to think about it. I am now an advanced student. I have studied Korean enough maybe. Today a cold rain was falling-the kind of weather I hate the most. I was in no mood to do anything. Returned two library books and got an extension on one.

Monday, November 16, 2009 Cloudy

　Day one of the third term. Just two classes to take care of-English �Tand Inclusive Learning. A dozen reports to check. Made one English �Tworksheet again from scratch. In the morning studied Korean with a couple of friends as usual. Before leaving home this morning, worked on the Super Crossword and sent my answers anyway. Thanks to that, forgot to listen to the morning radio Korean program.

Sunday, November 15, 2009 Cloudy

　Reporting for work, first cleaned the English Interview Room. Today retests were being given to nighttime section students. Made one English �Thandout from scratch. Studied Korean a little and also read some other Japanese books. On the way home got an email from an ex-student asking me to teach him English. Under the present circumstances I cannot afford the time or energy. I remember writing back an emial to this effect, though.

Saturday, November 14, 2009 Cloudy

　Been to my mother's place with my friend's registerd mail containing money, his belated monetary offereing for my late father. Mom was doing O.K., but it seems that Dad's grandchildren, that is, my brother's chilldren, appeared distant now that he is dead. Well, through Dad I was related to them. In this way people get distant from each other. It is a natural process. Eating lunch and talking for over three hours with my mother, I came back home in the late afteroon. She gave me some steamed potatoes as I left her.

Friday, November 13, 2009 Cloudy

　It was rather cold outside when I left for work today. While waiting at the station, I took the sweater out of my bag and put it on. At work there were some English retests. I helped an OC�Tstudent with her report for a few hours. Made one worksheet for Reading. My wife bought me a leather jacket. I have no idea why and when she ordered such a thing.

Thursday, November 12, 2009 Cloudy

　There was a teachers' education session for two hours or so. The lecturer came from what is called a "life-support center" for childeren, a prefectural institute. Human relationships are really a sensitive matter. When you think things are going smoothly, it is the most dangerous time. You have to watch out. Made one English �Thandout. Did the Korean classroom homework. Inputted the 2nd-term exam results.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Rainy and then cloudy.

　There was an OC�Tmakeup. Just one student took it. For the English �Tmakeup, too, came just one student. Checked several reports. Made a Reading Mini Sheet for Lesson 8. Studied English and Korean with my friend. By the time it was over, the fifth floor was deserted as usual. On the way to work bought a book at the station book store. Kind of iimpulsive buying.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Cloudy and then rainy.

　Bought some bread and bandages at the supermarket and went to the sign language club. Ate lunch, took a break, and went to the Korean language school.. As I entered the station, I put my train pass into the ticket gate. Then the lights went on and I heard the warning sound. My commuter tikcet was overdue. I quickly bought a new one and reentered although I had only a little time before my train came. I barely made it anyway. On the way home took a different route than usual and used the JR Line. It is cheaper this way than by subway, although it takes a little longer. I think I will go by this route from next week on. The shopping street leading to the JR station is busy, and I like the lively atmosphere. Bought some Korean ramen and kimchi and went back home.

Monday, November 9, 2009, Cloudy

　Went to see the doctor. Looks like my writst is O.K. now. Went to work a little earlier than usual to buy some deodorant and shaving foam to send to our second son in Tokyo. At work two exams to invigilate. Marked the English �Texam papers and sent them to the students. Took me over three hours. I did it after checking over 30 reports and sending the Rading and OC�Texam papers to the students. I am totally worn out now.

Sunday, November 8, 2009 Fair

　Today was a day off for me. I was at home all day without doing anything special. I was in no mood for any work. I went shopping for bread and some other things at the nearby supermarket, though. Watched the recordings of yesterday's dramas for two hours or so. Our older cat eats only a little. She sleeps most of the day in back of the TV set. The little one is naughty as ever.

Saturday, November 7, 2009 Fair

　It must have been a summer day during the day today. I was in the sun almost all afternoon on the ground on duty at a high school in Hyogo Prefecture. It took me two hours or so to get there by train. In the afternoon there should be three on duty, but one was absent short notice and the other was late. It was only I who was on time. On the way home, although I was tired, I had to buy hokkaben for my family. I waited standing there at the shop for thirty minutes or so. A tiring full day. No energy left to watch the Korean dramas.

Friday, November 6, 2009 Cloudy

　Took three hours off and went to a doctor because I had a pain in my left wrist. It was not too painful, but a few days ago, when I was holding our younger cat up to a high place. I had my left wrist scratched by her and I may have sprained it, but I am not sure. The doctor's office was so full and I waited for more than two hours. At work marked the Reading exam papers and checked over 10 reports. I invigilated one exam and was on duty twice-at the side school gate and in the teachers' room. Tomorrow is a workday, too.

Thursday, November 5, 2009 Cloudy

　Been to Shosoin in Nara. There was an exhibition going on. My wife packed two box lunches for the two of us. The exhibits were O.K. The biggest attraction was the ancient lute. The place was full, but not too full because today was a weekday. We ate lunch by a pond called Sarusawanoike. On the way back we bought some yomogimochi and Narazuke pickles.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Fair

　Went to the library to return three of the five books I had borrowed and get an extension on two of them. While I was at it, I read a couple of morning papers there-one in Japanese the other in English. At work two exams to invigilate in a row. A homeroom kid came to see me, talking together for a while. Studied English with a friend. Checked over ten reprots to check. Did not have enough time to mark the Reading exam papers. Will do it the day after tomorrow. Oh, I almost forgot. I did the so-called year-end adjustment, too, online.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Fair

　Went shopping for bread at the usual supermarket in the morning after taking a shower. On the way home bought two sukiyaki bento udon-iri for lunch for my wife and myself. In the afternoon drove over to the nearby Konan to buy some metal fittings and wooden bar to make a ladder for our younger cat. The older one is dying now, unable to eat or drink freely. The late white one, who died last May, was like this, too.

Monday, November 2, 2009 Overcast

　First thing in the morning made sure there was no newspaper at the front door. Yesterday there was the morning paper by mistake, and I called to the newspaper agency. So there was none this morning. Today the temperature dropped sharply at night. There was a big difference in temperature between day and night, which is a dangerous thing for hypertension. I am a bit hypertensive. (I am white coat hypertensive, too.)

Sunday, November 1, 2009 Cloudy and then rainy.

　The second-term exams began today for the nighttime section. Just corrected a couple of reports and made one OC�Thandout. Read a paperback for a while. Back home worked on the Super Crossword although tired. At night watched a couple of Korean dramas on TV. We no longer have a newpaper subscription. This newspaper agency was not fair. We did not like the way they solicited newspaer subscriptions.