So I'm grading... and grading... and grading...

We age in different ways: physically, mentally spiritually. Fortunately for me, I think I age a bit slower than many others. I don't know if it has to do with being Asian, or if it's because I chose a profession in which I am surrounded by younger people, or simply because I allow stressful situations to slide off my Teflon-coated teenage mentality.

Still, while my aging rate may seem slower, I am aging nonetheless.

I previously wrote that I once had people tell me that I resembled Jackie Chan. My step son said so, but I thought that was mere flattery on his part. But I had other people tell me this when I came to DC. This was ten years and 26 pounds ago, a time when I worked out regularly, running 10 to 20 miles a week and lifting weights about every other day. Unfortunately, as my work increased and the number of other activities grew--altough I'm not sure if watching J drama can be considered an activity--I have been taking less and less care of my body. Yuck.

Well, this lifestyle has its consequences. While many still seem surprised when I tell them I will be 52 later this year, the gap between my real age and the age I appear to be in the eyes of others is closing dramatically. When I came to DC, I was 40 but many thought I was under 30. In fact I was carded more than a few times. This was, as you might imagine, quite an ego booster. But now, people will guess my age to be around mid to late 40s, which is not too much different than my actual age.

The othere day, however, was the last straw. I went to my bank to wire some money to my step-son in Japan--don't ask... Anyway, at the bank, I was filling out the form and making small talk with the bank officer helping me. I must have said some humorous things as it elicited a few chuckles. Then this officer strikes me with the equivalent of a punch to the belly.

"You look like that guy in the Karete Kid. You know..."

"You mean Pat Morita?" I ask.

"Um, you know, the guy who was the teacher?"

"Mr. Miyagi?"

"Yeah, yeah! Mr. Miyagi."

I laughed with her, but deep down inside me, I was floored. This was a real eye opener for me. No more can I fool myself into thinking I look younger than I am. No more can I pretend to think a youthful attitude will cover for an aging body. My physical appearance has finally caught up to me. In the span of about ten years I went from Jackie Chan to Mr. Miyagi.

Well, there is only one thing for me to do this summer. I swear...

Wax on, wax off...

Today was the last class of the semester. I have Final exams to give and grade next week, but I don't care what anyone says. I'm having a beer... As if I needed a legit reason to draw a pint.

There are moments in everyone's lives when it seems that everything is happening at once, when life seems to be so hectic that you just want to scream. So here goes...

Aaaaaaargh!

There, I think I feel better....

In any event, there are a lot of things on my plate, but the stress I feel is partly self induced. Yes, I watch too much TV. My excuse for watching J-drama--I look for things I might use in class, as well as help me keep my Japanese level up--is growing less and less compelling. The dramas do keep me on my toes with my Japanese and it allows me to stay in tune with an ever-changing language and pop culture--Did you know that you can exchange telephone and email addresses with someone else just by pointing your cell phones at each other and "sending"? Well, I didn't. Did you know that you can use your cell phone as a debit card? Well, I didn't know that you could just touch your phone on the pay-pad at the 7-Eleven or the ticket vending machines at the train station, and the money will be debited from your bank account--scary thought, don't you think? Did you know that you could not only watch TV on your cell phone, but you can also record them as video? Well, I didn't know that either. I mean, how much memory does a cell phone have in Japan? It boggles my mind.

Still, I need to "edit" my viewing habits as it is cutting into my other responsibilities. I mean, I still teach and grade--and with a degree of efficiency since I know that I have to manage my time better--but I feel exhausted all the time. I thought that J-drama would be my "down" time, a time when I can relax, but it isn't... not really, as I am always "learning" things and writing them down and looking up new words, etc.

And there are other things besides school work, too. I held a curry gathering for J majors this past Friday. That, of course, takes time to hold, about two and a half days, actually. Buy food, prepare food for more than 20 people, entertain--or try to--and the clean up, which in itself takes a whole day... as M is wont to remind me... and remind me... and remind me... So that is time away from grading and preparing for class and, of course, watching J-drama...

This is also tax time, and I finally finished and sent my taxes yesterday. Whew, one job done...

As for immigration, I had to cancel one class last week to get some more stuff done. In fact, M and I had to go to two different immigration offices last week, on Wednesday and Friday. But just to let you know, our petition to get M's Green Card reinstated was finally approved. I will talk about it later when I have more time. Thanks to those who expressed concern and offered well-wishes. I appreciate your thoughts and comments greatly.

I just wanna go to sleep....

Yes, we lost... to Florida... again... Last year, we lost in the National Championship game. This year in the semifinals. The game was last Saturday and it's taken me 4 days to recover. I'm so bummed.

But we did receive some news from immigration concerning M's green card. Yeah, that fiasco/nightmare we have been living for the past two and a half years. I should have taken Sunjun's advice much, much earlier...

It's a long story so I'll write about it later. I have to prepare for class...

On Thursday, I wondered if asparagus would make your pee smell. I didn't get a whole bunch of responses, maybe because it was too wierd of a question. Oh well. The pool of responses was too small to make any claims, but I did learn that it was just a guy thing as I had conjuctured. You live and learn. Thanks to those who shared their insights.

Anyway, I got this comment as well.

I watch my share of J movies but I'm not sure how qualified I am to answer who the "greatest" are. There are a lot of definitions for "great" but I will tell you who I think are the "best" actors, based on their ability to act. Now, acting is a craft. It is not about being a superstar. For example, Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro no longer act, in my opinion. They are themselves on screen. It seems to me that they manifest the same personality for every character they've played over the past twenty years, that being their own. But Daniel Day Lewis and Johnny Depp are actors, in my opinion. They bring something to the table, but it is their talents as actors, not some overpowering personality.

In Japan, Takakura Ken fits the "personality" actor. He is not as flamboyant as Nicholson, but his characters are always the same: the strong, silent type. There is virtually no change in any of this characters. Anyway, here are my top five.

1. Ogata Ken--He is one of my all time favorite actors. He is completely natural and convincing, whether he plays a poor farmer in "Ballad of Narayama" or an elder trying to save his little island from distinction by adopting a girl from Tokyo in the TV series "Ruri's Island"--which, by the way, is one of my favorite series to date. what makes hims stand out is his ability to do comedy, understated but definitely funny.
2. Shimura Takashi--a versatile actor and one of Kurasawa's favorites. He plays the intense Kanbei in the "Seven Samurai", the inquisitive professor in "Gozilla" and the humble, at times bumbling Watanabe Kanji in "Ikiru--To Live.
3. Baisho Mitsuko--There are very few female actors that stand out, in my book. Matsuzaka Keiko? Yoshinaga Sayuri? Attractive, yes, but not really great actors. Sakamoto Sumiko is pretty incredible, but her body of work is too limited--I don't know why she has appeared in only three or four films after her great performance as Orin in "Ballad of Narayama." However, Baisho Mitsuko--sister of Baisho Chieko who plays Torajiro's younger sister in the "Otoka wa tsurai yo" series--would qualify as a competent actor. From roles in samurai epics such as "Kagemusha" to dramas such as "Unagi", she has performed as well as any actor in Japan. She was also in :Ballad of Narayama" and "Ruri's Island".
4. Nakadai Tatsuya--For my money, Nakadai is the best samurai film star (as opposed to TV which might be Sugi Ryotaro). He has played in modern roles, I'm sure, but I can only remember him as a samurai, from the over confident gun slinger in "Yojimbo" to the sarcastic ronin in "Kiru" (Kill) to the warlord Takeda Shingen in "Kagemusha" in 1980 AND Shingen's father in the current NHK drama "Fu-rin-ka-zan".
5. Mifune Toshiro--Mifune is almost in the Nicholson category. His samurai's seem to be a reflection of himself--intense, gruff, at times a bit crazy. Even in his role as a stubborn father in one of the last "Otoko wa tsurai yo" films, he looked like a samurai out of costume. But some of his earlier works are amazing. If you ever have the chance, watch "Drunken Angel" about a young tough trying to survive in the desolation of post-war Japan. It is an impressive performance and that alone gets him on my list.

So there you have it, for better or worse. There are a lot of other actors, of course: Yakusho Koji (Shall We Dance), Yamazaki Tsutomu (Tampopo), Tsugawa Masahiko (Taxing Woman), Ito Shiro (Suupaa no onna), Katsu Shintaro (Zato Ichi), Nakamura Kinnosuke (Yabure-gasa), and Nakai Kiichi (Love Letter). The list is long. Watanabe Ken is probably better known for his roles in American movies--"Last Samurai", "Batman " and "Letters from Iwo Jima"--so I don't really count him in, although he was funny as Gun in "Tampopo".

So who's your favorite J actor, film or TV?

As usual, I have a lot of work to do this weekend. I have to read student reviews of Rashomon, directed by Kurosawa, as well as grade a batch of mid-terms that I gave the Thursday before spring break. That would be two weeks ago. Bad, bad, sensei! Of course, I will be tempted by extracurricular matters, but I will be strong. No drama, no drama, no drama. Oh yeah, UCLA is in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA b-ball tournament, but...

Well, maybe just one game...

And if they win tonight, then maybe Saturday's game. But other than that, I will not, WILL NOT, watch TV and focus on the work I need to complete. I mean, I AM the responsible sort and should take care of work before pleasure. The choice is easy, right? Grading-basketball; grading-UCLA basketball; grading-UCLA basketball NCAA tournament; grading-UCLA basketball NCAA tournament's Sweet Sixteen.

"Ha!" That's what I say... The choice is soooooo easy! Now, where's that remote control...

I think the indentation seems reversed; it seems more like the comments should be indented and your response in line with the rest of your entry... oh well.
Posted 3/18/2007 8:07 PM by TheGooberBoy

I swear, there's a critic in every crowd...

Anyway, while I watch the game... I mean, while I grade papers, I'm gonna eat a lot of asparagus. I had a student come in today with his girlfriend, who is also my student, and for some reason, we were talking about a healthy diet and the topic of asparagus came up. It is my favorite vegetable, if not one of my favorite foods, and the student agreed except that "it makes your pee stink," he said. I laughed and agreed, but his girlfriend said she had never noticed any significant difference in odor. "It might be a guy thing," we laughed.

Of course, this is not based on any scientific research. Based solely on personal experience--and corroborated by one male student--when I eat asparagus, my next pee will have a very distinct and pungent smell. M also says that there is no perceptible difference in the odor. So in the interest of science and scientific methodology, I will put it to you guys in a simple survey.

Does eating asparagus make your pee pungent? Please let me know with a yes/no response along with your gender. And don't be bashful ladies and gents. It is, after all, for science...

Obviously, everyone's got my number. Yes, the answer was number 2. I would like to go see my daughter as often as possible, but that is difficult for me. Responsibilities to my immediate family compel to stay put. The only way I would go to Japan is to go as a family and, as you all know, M's passport and green card issue have yet to be resolved. Rest assured that if and when it is resolved, you guys will be among the first to find out about it. Until then, I stay at home, wishing I could see my daughter who will turn 20-years old next week. In Japan, that is the year you become an adult. I presume she went to her seijinshiki, the coming-of-age ceremony held by every local government. I hope she sends me a photo of the event, but it was in January and I have yet to hear from her.

Oh well. I guess I'm just an absentee dad. The distance feels overwhelming and sad.

Yes, spring break has come and gone, like the proverbial flash in the pan, the blink of an eye, a snap of the finger,  a tongue in cheek... oops, wrong analogy. Anyway, I will be going back to school tomorrow and hear about all the wonderful places my students have been to--Miami, Key West, the Bahamas, Cancun. And I'll tell them that I got to go to Pentagon City, a nearby shopping mall. Of course, I really didn't go to Pentagon City. I just say that because the students will all know the place and they will laugh and jeer: "Oooh, pooooooooor sensei."

I'm not necessarily trying to garner their sympathy; nor am I trying to foster a superiority complex in them. I just want to see them smile a bit and make the last seven weeks of the semester bearable. Not that school is unbearable; it isn't. And not that my class is boring, although it can be, according to some students. But the weather is warming up and spring is here. With warm weather comes spring fever and the itch to spend time outside, not in class. Indeed, this past Wednesday the local temperature reached 79 degrees. I thought I was going to have a heat stroke. Then Friday came....

What's with the weather around here?  I went into work wearing capris yesterday and came back out shivering.
Posted 3/16/2007 10:18 PM by enygma81

You're guess is as good as mine. I swear, it was cooking for a couple of days, then... then... SNOW! Wouldn't you know it? It snows over spring break. SPRING BREAK, fer cryin' out loud. I have been forsaken by the weather gods...

responses as an entry..  what a great idea..
Posted 3/16/2007 6:44 AM by starberri92

Actually, I used to do this pretty regularly, when I wrote almost daily and had more commenters. But beware, some readers may not enjoy it, as I learned from bane_vixen once upon a time. Basically, though, its called "being lazy".

My sense of geography is totally retarded. I thought Virgina was really far from DC. And for some reason, I assumed you lived in Virgina. You do, right? O_O; We'll be in for the Cherry Blossom Festival! I think I look forward to that more than seeing the monuments. xD
Posted 3/17/2007 3:09 AM by onigiri

Nah, your sense of geopgraphy is not retarded. I never associated Virginia with DC until I actually came here the first time in 1992. We landed in Dulles Airport in Virginia, and I expected to see tobacco plantations. Instead, I found a beautifully green environment dotted with small communities from Vienna, Fairfax, Centerville and beyond. It is nothing like LA where you have one continuous urban environment from the San Fernando Valley all the way to San Diego. And yes, I live in Virginia, specficially Fairfax County just outside of Vienna. I live near the Metro--DC's train/subway system--and it takes me all of 40 minutes to get to work, door to door. And since Vienna is a terminal, I always get a seat. As for the cherry blossoms, hope you have it timed right. They bloom for about a week and then they are completely gone. Timing is everything. Check here for updates: http://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/cherry-blossom-bloom.htm Good luck. And still make time to see the monuments. I think they are worth it.

You sound horribly busy!  Hope you find some time
to relax... My friends from GW are visiting me in Tokyo at the moment,
and one of them asked, "Do you still talk to [Onigiriman]-sensei?" And I
said, "Yes, sometimes," and she said, "I miss him!" She doesn't know
you, by the way, but I guess she misses hearing about you - it was
funny anyway!
Posted 3/2/2007 2:50 AM by jcangel311

Sound busy? hahahhahaha. Busy is my middle name: Onigiri Busy Man... But I must say that I feel terribly flattered. I mean, how can a student I have never met miss me? I guess I tell enough stupid stories in class, so students talk about their stupid teacher to their roommates and others. But flattery aside, this, it seems to me, is how rumors get started. So I had better stop flappin' my mouth too much.
   Anyway, in a feeble attempt to stem any rumors about me, here's a question to see if you could detect a falsehood about the O-man.

Of the following statements, ONLY ONE is false. Choose the false statement.

1. Onigiriman won a singing contest in LA's Lil' Tokyo and got a free trip to Japan.
2. Since returning to the US in 1996, Onigiriman tries to go back to Japan at least once every other year to see his daughter.
3. As a professor of J-Lit, Onigiriman once recited and discussed the haiku of Basho on National Public Radio (NPR) for National Poetry Month.
4. Onigiriman worked in a warehouse and can operate a fork lift.
5. Onigiriman's high school GPA was so low, he barely graduated and couldn't even get into Cal State LA. He had to start at a community college.

Leave your answer as a comment, if you are so inclined...