12:59 p.m. And now, th Yasuda Kinen. It's the last of the six consecutive grade one races, leaving only one more for the spring G1, the Takaraduka Kinen.

Lord Kanaloa is the most favored as of noon today, no surprise here, since his worst performance in his whole career was the 3rd place in last year's Takamatsu-no-miya Kinen, which not to mention, was a grade one race.

Everyone must be wondering if he could perform well in his second mile race ever, because the last and only time he'd run a mile was when he'd earned a 2nd placein the pre-grade class two years ago. I think he can manage the distance itself, as long as he saves enough energy till the homestretch, also provided that he doesn't get caught up and squashed in a team.

The End

Caterpillar

10:01 p.m. My key horse was Lord Kanaloa, until yesterday. I still had Shonan Mighty left on my wheel, until yesterday. I thought there was a fat chance that Danon Shark would come flying in third place at the last second, so I had him on my wheel, too, until yesterday.

What happened was that I'd somehow changed my key horse to Curren Black Hill this morning, and crossed out Shonan Mighty just twenty minutes before the race. Oh, brother.

The End

Caterpillar

3:09 p.m. I'd better quit lamenting over my unthoughtfulness and start analyzing what exactly I did wrong, and why, in order to get things right the next time. Pull yourself together, worm, and start working for the Takaraduka Kinen.

Meantime, JoOusama's computer has stopped to function. She can't boot it, seems like. Don't hear any unusual clattering sounds from the hard disk drive, so it could be that the OS is broken.

I just didn't want her to interrupt me when I was juggling preparing my lunch and washing my clothes this morning.

The End

Caterpillar

2:57 p.m. We're having the FIFA World Cup qualification match against Australia this evening.

The odds are in our favor even if we lose this game and the game after this one, though I expect our national team to win tonight, clean and simple, to get that ticket to the World Cup.

One thing am concerned about, though. It's a home game and kicks off at 7:30 at Saitama Stadium. That means I might run into post-game chaos on my way home.

The End

Caterpillar

3:25 p.m. I found this article about something called "Hate Map" on Karapia today. This map was created by Dr. Monica Stevens of Humbolt State University in the U.S. as part of a larger project, to visualize and identify the geographic origins of online hate speech, based on the ‘hate words’ tweeted across the country. I'll put a link to the map. Geography of Hate.

Well, to avoid misunderstandings, it would be better if you checked out www.floatingsheep.org and the Details About This Map link at the bottom right of the map.

I've read and learned about how this map came up, and I wonder, I just simply wonder, what if this was a "Love Map" instead of a "Hate Map"? Wouldn't it bring you up a little bit, when you see visually that lots of people are using the words ‘wonderful’ or ‘love’ or ‘thanks’ or ‘happy’?

The End

Caterpillar

3:06 p.m. Looks like the Goldship crew have finally decided to change things a bit.

They're currently training the horse for the Takaraduka Kinen coming up on the 23rd, but the trainer revealed that main jockey Uchida was scheduled to ride in the training for the next two weeks until the race, to try out some different plans for the race.

That's a step in the right direction.

The End

Caterpillar

2:44 p.m. Despite the start-of-the-rainy-season announcement, the weather has been holding for a week. There's been a light shower this morning in Tokyo, but the sky has already cleared by noon, and am suspecting that JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) must be regretting their announcement.

Am also worried that this might drive us into water shortage in the summer. I recall there was a time when we had to bring buckets and line up by the water truck. Was it the same year when we had to line up to buy rice because of poor rice crop?

The End

Caterpillar

1:52 p.m. The TV news are starting to pick up the topic of dry weather linking it to water shortage. I saw one this morning. According to that news, the storage of the supply along the Tone River is just above 50%, which is considered very low around this time of year.

Fortunately, some rain is expected in Tokyo next week. I hope the water supply doesn't run short, though I wouldn't want rain flooding the streets either.

Meanwhile, lighthearted Cow is busy choosing the design of summer Sutetekos (Japanese style pants) he'slooking forward to buy at Uniqlo some time soon.

The End

Caterpillar

12:34 p.m. No G1s today. It's been a while since I can spend a whole Sunday at home, so am using this opportunity to see what's wrong with JoOusama's pc.

9:36 p.m. Running the ScanDisk program to check and repair the damaged system files in the file allocation table. It took me a dozen tries to make the damne computer read the boot disc until I succeeded, and now, after about two hours of ScanDisk check, the old desktop has finished fixing merely 20 percent of the FAT. Great. It might take all night.

The End

Caterpillar

2:12 p.m. It's getting a bit sticky. They say there's a typhoon coming up later this week. Hmm. That's more like it.

The ScanDisk program seemed to be detecting a lot of damaged files that I had to let it run through the night. It was still checking and repairing the second from the list of six, I think, when I checked in this morning, so I left it with JoOusama giving her a task of pressing F for repair and R for continue.

Wonder what the outcome would be. I mean, I hope it's all finished by the time I get home.

The End

Caterpillar

4:04 p.m. I was crestfallen when I got home last night, after a long detour to the library to return a book I'd involuntarily extended, and found to my dismay, that the ScanDisk hadn't progressed much.

The FAT (file allocatin table) was repaired, so I took a chance to stop the program and shut down the computer using the power button. Then I tried launching the computer via safe mode.

Yes! Yesssss! The computer launched and I attempted to seize this opportunity to take a back-up of the necessary files. However, I realized that the stupid computer couldn't only read the format of my iPod's disk space, but didn't even have a CD-R/RW driver mounted. Oh, brother.

The End

Caterpillar

2:40 p.m. So I had JoOusama go and buy a USB Flash memory stick so that I could save the data onto it after I got home.

Was planning to back up the data and finish up the task once and for all, in order to move on to the big task of recovering the OS on Sunday, my only chance of getting a chunk of free time this month.

As I went up to JoOusama's room after I'd finished my dinner, I found her already sleeping with her door closed. An appeal that she doesn't want to be bothered. I have no idea what offended her, but if she wants to put it that way, fine. It's not my computer, anyway.

The End

Caterpillar

5:20 p.m. We had some trouble with the desktop in the office again. I couldn't jump from the hyperlinks.

We've found some Windows update programs that were downloaded but not properly installed, so we tried going back to the recovery point. But it didn't succeed. So we deleted the suspicious programs and the symptoms have disappeared. For now.

Though we aren't sure what exactly caused the problems. And there had been times when this computer seemed to hang up when logging off, shich might or might not be suggesting system or hardware problems. Gee.

The End

Caterpillar

3:31 p.m. Computer working without incident today. Good, good.

One thing that wasn't good was the surprising news of Orfevre scratching off from Takaraduka Kinen, with only nine days to go. According to the netkeiba news, the horse was caught with unusual breathing after his training and, medical check revealed that he has developed lung hemorrhage.

My jaws literally dropped when I've read the news. The clear wiinner in the annual Takaraduka Kinen fan poll now gone, the race is beginning to take on a dramatic look.

The End

Caterpillar

1:35 p.m. Orfevre seems to have been ridden around his stable for an hour yesterday, and nothing unusual has been observed. He's going to be sent to a stable in Shiga prefecture for refreshment today.

Well, so far it doesn't look like anything serious. Apparently, his schedule for Prix de l'Arc would be taken back to the drawing board. Hope he takes his time to get better, so that we could see him in the autumn Tennou-sho, or Japan Cup instead of in Longchamp. Yeah, leave the Prix de l'Arc for Kizuna.

The End

Caterpillar

9:51 p.m. Have been trying to rescue the data from JoOusama's pc for most of the day.

Was desperately trying to boot the computer for the fifth or sixth time, when my sister came to tell me that she had the data backed up on her computer or USB Flash or whatever. Relieved, I moved on to recovering Windows, though it seemed to be too late. The tries and retries of booting involving power button seemed to have damaged the hard disk critically by then, that I couldn't even re-format it.

All this work for nothing.

The End

Caterpillar

3:39 p.m. Aaaargh! Election campaign vans are such a nuisance. There's one just outside the office with the candidate ranting on and on through a microphone about vague promises he has absolutely no intention of keeping.

Hasn't it ever occurred to him that his ranting is merely disrupting us workers, lowering performance and efficiency? Haven't they ever thought through why turnout rates are so low?

The End

Caterpillar

5:15 p.m. Oh my god. There's only 11 horses on the entry list of the Takaraduka Kinen.

I thought there were about 17 names on the list last week. What on earth happened to six of them? I'm already losing interest with Orfevre gone, and now this.

The End

Caterpillar

2:41 p.m. Looks like there's another typhoon coming. It's the fourth this season.

I may have mentioned it before, but it is said that summer is going to be extremely hot when we have more than five typhoons by June, because there usually wouldn't be typhoons around this time of year, unless the ocean temperatures southeast of Japan is high enough to create them.

Which means we might be in for another long spell of dreadful heat, just like last summer.

The End

Caterpillar

4:43 p.m. I woke up this morning to the TV timer, with the display showing the Confederation Cup game, Japan vs Italy.

Losing the game 4-3 was a let down, to be honest, but I think Japan played well in the first half. It's just that they couldn't keep it up for ninety minutes.

Italy won the game although they weren't performing well. That seem to point out that there's a huge invisible gap between Japan and Italy.

The End

Caterpillar

1:04 p.m. It seems that some violent behavior in the sports world is gaining attention recently. The conflicts between Iran and Korea at the FIFA World Cup qualifying match, the methods of coaching in the Japanese Judo circle, are probably merely the tip of the iceberg.

It is sad and also shameful to see a grown person resorting to violence, while we humans are clearly distinguished from other animals for our abilities of complex communication using words, and our power to reason. Imagine the kids in front of the TV dreaming to play in the World Cup or becoming an Olympian some day. What if they see the athlete they look up to acting like a bully in their neighborhood? How would they feel?

There are times we lose our control or go to far caught up in the heat of the moment. I sometimes run a red light, too. But we should bear in mind, that our behavior can affect those kids and even change their life forever. Remeber, the children are our future.

The End

Caterpillar

2:12 p.m. Cow has been fretting over the odds of Gentil Donna, Fenomeno and Gold Ship for the past thirty minutes or so, wile I've been trying to concentrate on my work.

I wish he knew that I can't move on to calling the race because he'd been interrupting me trying to finish what I have to do by 3:30 p.m.

So I haven't been able to think properly, but as of this moment, I think Gentil Donna would be the safest pick coming in either first or second place. The other two horses would be largely affected by the pace. If the pace quickens, Fenomeno could be on the brink of dropping out while this would provide a huge chance for Gold Ship.

The End

Caterpillar

10:48 p.m. Cow seemed almost sure that Takaraduka Kinen would eventually finish with Gentildonna, Gold Ship and Fenomeno, orders not considered. I had a different opinion. I thought one of the three will drop out, and decided that the most likely would be Fenomeno (sorry, no offense).

That means that the pace should quicken, which automatically boosts up the possibility for Gold Ship. And since the track condition seemed rather soft from the rain, I downgraded Gentildonna a bit who'd definitely perform better on a fast track, and squeezed in Danon Ballad. The setting suited him well, the distance, the barrier, the track condition. Besides, the horse hasn't given everything he's got in the last race which was a mere G3, unlike Fenomeno who'd won his first grade one.

The smart viewers of this site might have noticed by now, but I've won myself a trifecta. WOW.

The End

Caterpillar

3:51 p.m. I can't quite believe I'd won, even after a good night's sleep. A trifecta, of a JRA grade one race, with a four digit payout.

While I was literally shivering with joy yesterday, Cow kindly informed me that he'd won trifectas several times before. Oh yeah? Shurrruuuupp.

I was glad that I've won in a while but the highlight of it was that Gold Ship had not only returned my bet but doubled it. As a matter of fact, I'd put in 20,000 yen on his place at the spring Tennnou-sho.

The End

Caterpillar

2:58 p.m. It suddenly started raining when I was leaving home today. The rain got heavier and heavier and within minutes, roads became rivers. Oh, brother.

My umbrella was furiously driiping with rain when I got on the train, forming a puddle at my feet rapidly expanding its perimeter, but as I got through the barrier of my office station, I realized no one was dripping water from their umbrellas. There weren't even many people holding umbrellas in their hands.

Must have been a local downpour. I felt way past foolish walking from the station to the office, wobbling in my rain boots and dripping water from my umbrella.

The End

Caterpillar

2:41 p.m. Are these dogs' owners invisible? Invisible Owner.

It looks like the dogs are out for a walk with their collars and leashes on, but without any sight of their owners. Well, it's a project done by +KOTA, a Mexican petshop, to find new homes and families for these abandoned dogs. Each dog has a bone-shaped tag hanging from its collar which says, "Every dog would like to have an owner."

This project seems to have found new homes for 221 dogs in just 2 months. Impressive. And I love the idea that they're letting the dogs in on the project.

The End

Caterpillar

4:17 p.m. I was going to go online to do some searching but there has been a lot of interruptions. Some visitor coming in while Cow was busy replacing his broken bedroom lamp, phone calls, etc., etc.

And now something has come up and have got to stop this and get to that. Have expected it, but not so sooooonnn.

The End

Caterpillar

3:23 p.m. Work popped up from nowhere yesterday, and I'll need to do some or maybe a lot of preparation, depending on whether or not I'll have the new assignment. Gee, I don't like uncertainties.

Meantime, JoOusama has finally decided to buy a new computer. As for the old one which I've tried desperately to save the data from, there's no use keeping it after the HDD has gone completely that it can't even be re-fromatted, so I've found a seemingly reliable computer disposal company for JoOusama and given her the details.

The End

Caterpillar

2:49 p.m. Was finally doing some searching when I heard a clicking sound behind me. A sound like nails tapping on a hard floor... I turned around to where I thought the sound came from and saw...

a Jack Russel Terrier in our office. The dog was happily enjoying its adventure in an unexplored world of his own.

True, the entrance door was opened, though I never dreamed of a dog walking right in.

The End

Caterpillar

4:00 p.m. Horse race program on TV just finished. Better start getting ready to pack up JoOusama's old pc for diposal.

5:05 p.m. Think I'll just sort my e-mail first.

7:03 p.m. I really have to start now or I'll never finish. But I've got some searching and recording to do, too.

10:20 p.m. Have finally finished packing and measuring the length of the LAN cable I need to buy. But what about my recording?

The End

Caterpillar