We still have three more years of Bush. Let's hope he doesn't alienate the rest of the world so much that all Americans everywhere become targets. Whatever version of Bush-lite the Republicans come up with in '08, be it McCain/Guiliani/Powel or whomever, will just be like fanning the flames of destruction with 40 gallon barrels rather than 50 gallon barrels. Let's work hard to bring the center back to the center and then we can work from there. When people see that half measures ain't cuttin' it, we can move again and hope that it is not too late.
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Whew! Got that off my chest.
For me personally, it was a year of ups and downs. I didn't leave the country in the winter to escape the allergy season like I usually do. That was probably a big mistake as it was one of the worst cedar pollen years in history. I ended up going to the emergency room at one point. This year is almost tolerable with only 20% as much pollen as last year. At any rate, I saved money and was able to buy an archlute and a new G5 dual 2.3G Macintosh computer. I bought MachFive and moved into the world of soft-samplers, entered the world of Skype and got a webcam.
The golden days of high paying entertainment gigs and lots of university classes appear to be gone forever. I and the other part time teachers were fired from Teikyo University in order that they can subcontract to a language school. We are tightening our belts and looking into actually implementing some of the many brilliant money making schemes I'm often coming up with. I joined a teacher's union and we've had some negotiations but they are unyielding. The next step is the Labor Board which should inconvenience them a bit.
The biggest thing for me in 2005 was staying with my commitment to compose every day. I count just mulling over what I've been working on for a couple of minutes or working on lyrics as composing, but I did at least something almost every day and that small investment of time brought several new songs and more gratification per minute than practicing the lute or any other activity I can think of. See my musical diary below for a listen.
Yukari started her own shop in November. She is making clothes and already has plenty of orders. It is just a small space and not expensive so it is an ideal opportunity for her to gain experience as a business woman. Please see the pics of her Chiyo Gallery.
Alisa is busy, as always. She went to Bali in October and Thailand in December for modeling. She will be 18 in April 2006. She has been picked up by one of the top music producers in Japan who is looking for young talent. She had the opportunity to write lyrics for several of his songs and will have her first live show April 2nd. She will graduate from high school in March 2007.
That's about it. Hope you had a great 2005 and will have a fabulous 2006.
As for me, although I lost the job at Teikyo University in 2005, I picked up several extra classes at Saitama University in 2006. I also got a new job at Seikei University from September (that is half way through the Japanese school year). This is the alma mater of the current prime minister.
I fell off my bicycle in September and hurt my wrists a little. I had to cancel a concert and reschedule it for later this month. (See the live schedule.) I find I do some of my best practicing when I am injured. One must rethink how to do things and play lightly.
I continue to write everyday. Even though my average is only about 15-20 minutes a day, I find the relentlessness of it keeps things in my subconscious and somehow progress is made.
No major purchases were made by me in 2006. I'm still feeling like the archlute and G5 are new. In fact, I've been trying to get rid of stuff. I've sold quite a lot of 'junk' on Yahoo Auction this year (Japan's equivalent to Ebay)
Miscellany of pics 2006