Razing the Sun (Book) http://www.Writing.Com/main/books.php/item_id/1575140-Razing-the-Sun I have made a promise not to discuss details of my family life in this blog. I am going to honor this promise. This is me, trying to make things work. Thank you all for stopping by, but I think this blog is finished. Sorry. I hope you can understand. Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:47:28 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/721897 Today's schedule: 9:15 a.m. to 1pm -- Drive to Yonegawa and teach English; have lunch with students 1:30pm -- Go to bank and withdraw money 1:45 to 3 pm -- Go to car dealer with wife and test drive; pick up photos and photo album (Christmas gift) 3 to 4pm -- Teach English 4 to 5pm -- No idea! 5 to 7:30pm -- Teach English 7:45-8:30pm -- Meet ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 15 Dec 2010 18:45:05 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/713681 The Divorce Dance. If you've never done it, you don't want to do it, But you probably will, wallflower though you be. Once it's done and gone, though, it's a breeze, Until the next time. And then you have to see Your steps falter as they had before, and worse Your partner take the same missteps as you. They'll swear up a...[Read Full Post] Sun, 12 Dec 2010 18:41:54 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/713461 A few weeks ago, son began a series of drills that completely baffled me and broke my confidence in both my mathematical and Japanese ability. He is in the middle of the 2nd grade. They have started multiplication, division and fractions. (For the life of me, all I can remember of that time in my own school in America was doing addition and subtractio...[Read Full Post] Sun, 21 Nov 2010 19:44:26 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/711944 It is weird, and I am not even sure it is true: this blog seems to be getting more readers now that I've stopped writing in it so often. Don't know what to make of it. Anyway: why so long without a post? I am sorry if I kept any of you waiting. As you may have gathered, I had, and still have, some serious emotional sh#t to take care of in ...[Read Full Post] Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:59:40 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/709952 No. The bento box is still broken, and we're both tired of eating from it. Bad fight with the wife yesterday over something stupid just sent us right back to the bad place we were just a couple weeks ago. Argh. Well, at least son and I are doing well. It seems that the older he gets, the easier it is to communicate with him. I don't know ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:13:36 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/707860 Extreme schedule and scrabble today: finish and send application for university position, prepare to start teaching new course at new company for new employer tonight, teach kid's lesson at 3:30 p.m., begin writing test chapter for a series of English-learning textbooks to see if they want to pay me for writing the rest, this blog entry, and all kind...[Read Full Post] Sun, 03 Oct 2010 19:45:44 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/707586 Back into the busy days: wife off to work or school, getting son ready for school, teaching at elementary schools in the mornings then privates in the afternoon. Today, Friday, I pick up son at 4:20 and take him to his exercise class (I hate that I am doing this typical uber-parent thing, but do see the benefit of it, especially as he gets to play with o...[Read Full Post] Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:08:12 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/707357 Two days ago I was busy taking care of my own projects and doing housework because the wife was off to university for the evening. This meant, among other things, that son and I were on our own for the night. I am happy to say things went well; but, with me, there is always a catch. I picked son up from school and took him to our English lesson (I tea...[Read Full Post] Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:05:22 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/707177 Still picking up the pieces from the latest fight and reconciliation. Things are quiet in the house, but busy. This morning, I took the neighborhood kids to school (all 200 meters of the walk). Today we have to meet our financial advisor/life planner. I am not looking forward to that. After that meeting, wife goes off to university in Hirosh...[Read Full Post] Sun, 26 Sep 2010 19:59:59 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/707053 Seems the bento box is still usable. For now. Though we both agree it would be nice to get a new bento box. Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:54:02 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706847 The form sits on my desk; her signature glaring at me; her words--reasonable, delivered in voice which says we've been through this so many times before--bouncing around my cobwebbed head: "we need to divorce." "I need to think," I said. She is silent. She holds up the empty bento, the lunch box, the one son used at daycare...[Read Full Post] Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:05:21 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706697 Son's sports festival went very well. I would love to say it went fantastic, but nothing exciting happened and, unfortunately, son didn' win the races he was expected to win. Still, we all had a good time, the weather was great, and the food, despite a lingering smell wife and I were still chuckling over, tasted wonderful. The day started at...[Read Full Post] Sun, 19 Sep 2010 18:24:27 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706500 The other night, I was working late at the computer. The wife was also up, working in the kitchen, preparing lunch for the following day's sports festival at son's school. I was working on a cover letter and essay for a job application in Japan but, as is my usual lately, spending a lot of time on YouTube listening to and watching music videos, i...[Read Full Post] Sat, 18 Sep 2010 18:11:22 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706444 "When I am working and you have a steady job, there'll be no one to do the housework." My response, unsaid to wife and just come to me now: "I would rather live in a messy house with you using your talents and mind than live in a neat and tidy house with someone extremely boring." The busy days are on us again. Wife is off to w...[Read Full Post] Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:48:32 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/706185 After the horrible morning of which I wrote yesterday, the evening turned out rather nicely. I wasn't sure it would. At 3:00 p.m., I walked up the street to son's school, to wait for him in front of the school so we could go to our English lesson together. I teach a 40 minute English lesson to any kids in the first, second, or third grade supe...[Read Full Post] Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:01:17 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705965 I don't know what to do anymore. I am ready to run. I am ready to cry. My insides churn with tension, making my head slow and me worried about my health. Friends and readers give advice. They make it sound so easy. How much more complicated is the world than the flimsy words we must use to express it. Son is rebellious towards me. When I speak,...[Read Full Post] Sun, 12 Sep 2010 19:22:48 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705871 This week, most nights I've been able to pick up son from his after-school daycare. I love doing that. We walk home and talk about the day. Invariably he asks me if we can play when we get home, and I have to tell him that 1) we have to check with mama, and 2) he has to do his homework first. Two nights ago, it worked out that after dinner, we cou...[Read Full Post] Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:59:30 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705691 This morning was a bit tense, recalling the bad ol' days when wife was working and it was just son and I getting ready for school in the morning. Well, this morning was just like that: wife going off to work, and son dragging his heels, not listening to me, taking his time to do everything, reading comic books, playing in the water...you name it, he ...[Read Full Post] Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:39:22 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705569 Finished watching "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" last night with the family. Great fun. I was amazed by the imagination. Now I want to read the book. Son loved it, even though we forced him to watch in English. We'll we time, in Japanese, so that he can understand it better and I can get some extra listening practice. My Japanese studies...[Read Full Post] Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:53:37 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/705468