3:20 p.m. I was half dozing off in front of the computer, while Cow has been seeking the opportunity to regain control of it to play his online game, when Cow pushed his feet on me and said, "athlete's foot attack!"

I didn't understand what this meant except that he wanted to use the computer, but just for politeness, I returned the action saying, "PPP attack!" "What does PPP stand fpor?" asked Cow, "It stands for palmoplantar pustulosis," says me. Cow didn't seem to know whether to be sad or happy or scared about it, since he had no idea what PPP was.

Cow insists I announce here that he does not have athlete foot, for the record.

The End

Caterpillar

5:26 p.m. Another typhoon seems to be brewing.

After the previous typhoon has gone, the forecast has been predicting sunny days for the rest of the week until the day before yesterday. Though things have taken a rapid turn in the past two days and rain is expected from tomorrow to the middle of next week. Cow who didn't know about the sudden change has been pissed all afternoon, since he's been planning to wash clothes tomorrow.

Well, just be glad you're only losing the opportunity to do some washing, not your life. People are found dead in Tohoku where the previous typhoon left serious damage.

The End

Caterpillar

4:37 p.m. I was worried about the weather because of the approaching typhoon, though Niigata seems unaffected at least for tomorrow.

So my call for the Niigata Kinen. Ah, the ususal members for a G3 2000m race. It seems particular horses are taking turns winning. But this time, I'd key Phantom Light. I don't know why the crew (and the owner) suddenly ran him in a such a long distance race as Tennno-sho however, think it's about time the horse performed better back in middle distance. On the wheel would be, D'accord, Birdie Eagle, Satono Gallant one more time, and A Day in the Life.

The End

Caterpillar

7:30 p.m. It wasn't such a fast lap though eventually, the horses that went up front all disappeared in Niigata Kinen. My key horse Phantom Light was struggling vainly in the home stretch while he sank in 6th place. Albert Dog performed well, considering his damage from the previous win of Tanabata-sho together with the weight he carried, but it has been 7 weeks since then. Might as well had a second thought about the damage.

I was torn choosing between Longing Dancer and Satono Gallant, and picked Satono in the end which turned out to be a total mistake. They were both Symboli Kris S descendents that perform well on wide, spacious tracks like Tokyo or Niigata. Obviously, I should have taken Longing Dancer who was fresh back from recess. Hopefully, these little regrets will save me in the coming autumn season...

The End

Caterpillar

4:13 p.m. Well, as a matter of fact, prep races for the autumn G1 races are about to begin.

Coming up this week is Shion Stakes, a prep race for Shuka-sho newly upgraded to G3 from an open race. While the fillies compete for a ticket to Shuka-sho, older horses in short distance are running in the Centaurus Stakes, as preparation for the Sprinters' Stakes.

Hmmm... Should I start thinking about the autumn races already?

The End

Caterpillar

3:57 p.m. The predicted win odds for Big Arthur appearing in this weekend's Centaur Stakes is said to be 2.0 to 1, according to netkeiba.com.

Ha-ha-ha. That can't be. Even I can tell it would be 1.2 to 1 or even lower, cosidering the competitors. That is, unless the horse is not in shape. Well, odd things happen so will have to wait and see, though.

The End

Caterpillar

2:48 p.m. Speaking of excitement, Rio de Janeiro Paralympics is going to start! Hopefully, I can watch the game with the NHK app I downloaded befoer the Olympics.

By the way, here's a good way to calm yourself down in 5 steps when you get too excited or nervous: Step 1, remind yourself of 5 things you are currently seeing (e.g. TV, clock, computer), Step 2, remind yourself of 4 things you are currently feeling (e.g. the back of the chair, the coolness of air, the softness of cushions), Step 3, remind yourself of 3 things you are currently hearing (e.g. the sound of cars driving past, the sound of footsteps, the sound of the clock ticking), Step 4, remind yourself of 2 things you are crrently smelling (e.g. the smell of coffee in your mug, the smell of your/ someone's perfume, the smell of ink), and finally Step 5, remind yourself of 1 thing you like about yourself (e.g. I try to make myself better). This method is also said to be more effective when you say these things out loud. Why not give it a try?

The End

Caterpillar

4:58 p.m. The forecast had been repeating warnings against downpours and landslide disasters for a couple of days now, and we did have a downpour for a very short time this afternoon. But the worst seems to be over here in Tokyo.

As a matter of fact, I've been dutifully carrying my umbrella for the past two days however, I didn't have a slight chance to put it up.

Still, the typhoon season has only started with typhoons brewing on the southern seas one after another, hitting the archepelago as frequent as once a week. We must stay on the lookout.

The End

Caterpillar

5:05 p.m. The Paralympic games have started (!!) and I struggled hard to stay up to watch the qualification match of wheelchair basketball, though in vain. The 2nd quarter was as far as I got. Once again, the twelve-hour time difference is critical.

Meanwhile, Kei Nishikori has advanced to semi-final in the American Open beating Andy Murray. He played well against Murray and if he could keep playing like that, there is a chance to win his first grand slam! However, the game won't be on-aired except on cable TV (WOW-WOW). Didn't NHK learn a lesson 2 years ago when Kei went to the finals last time?

The End

Caterpillar

1:55 p.m. Cannot believe what's happening.

Big Arthur's win odds hasn't gone down, rather the contrary it has been increased to 3.2 to 1(!!) Why, why? Is there something wrong with the horses condition? Or is it because Fukunaga is riding? Either way, I can't think of any other suitable horse to key, so am holding on to it. A Shin Bullseye, Earth Sonic, Red Arion and Snow Dragon will go on the wheel.

The End

Caterpillar

5:44 p.m. Aw, that was close! If Nero and Lover's Point didn't barge in, I would have won a juicy payout. Ah but such is life and an ordinary scene in horse race.

As I'd thought, it was an easy win for Big Arthur. I didn't expect him to take the lead from start to finish, but it didn't come as a surprise since I knew he had the power and speed to do so. Besides, it was better to go up front considering the weight he carried, so I must admit Fukunaga has done a good job today.

Must also leave a word of praise for Kawada too. That's the way to ride Snow Dragon. The horse can't perform well when surrounded and blocked by other horses. Fifth place is not so bad a result for an 8-year- old sprint champion, especially after another injury.

The End

Caterpillar

4:46 p.m. And the news came in of Makahiki winning Prix Niel, a step race for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Having that said, I can almost guarantee that Makahiki will not win the Arc. JRA is going to start selling betting tickets for the race from this season, though if I were to buy, I would not bet on Makahiki's win. Why? Look what became of Kizuna? Moreover, Prix Niel was run with only 5 horses Makahiki included, and without his biggest rival La Cressonniere. It wasn't even worth a step race. Considering the distance and the gap between the runner-up, it seems Makahiki just added some fatigue and stress.

The End

Caterpillar

3:57 p.m. Forced to make sudden changes and rearrangements and my head is boiling. Am so confused.

As I sat tapping away on the computer, Cow pointed out that my feet looked sick. What do you mean sick? I looked at my feet and realized they had tans in the sahpe of my Teva sports sandals...

I knew it, yes, I knew it. It happens every summer.

The End

Caterpillar

2:54 p.m. We're having gloomy weather throughout the week and they say it's because of the autumn rain front.

According to certified weather forecasters, this is due to the high-pressure system in the Pacific Ocean pushing up the autumn rain front. As the season proceeds, the high-pressure system becomes weaker and thus brings the autumn rain front down south, which I thought meant goodbye rain, hello sunshine.

But apparently, things don't seem to work like I want them to. When the high-pressure system grows weaker, then it opens up a main street for typhoons to come up northeast. So we're in for a spell of long rainy weather, huh? Daunting.

The End

Caterpillar

2:12 p.m. Another busy day with changes and rescheduling.

However, I'm dtermined to buy another backpack today, as my current one already has a hole in the bottom corner and another threatening to follow on the opposite corner. Gosh, I didn't expect to buy two backpacks within a year...

Have written here before about wasting money on the backpack I'm using now, and this time I hope my expenditure won't be a waste. Really, I do.

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Caterpillar

5:31 p.m. It said the delivery date would be next Friday, but my new backpack had already arrived bythe time I reached my work place. What on earth happened to have it delivered 6 days earlier? No problem as long as it's intact.

With Cow urging me like a mad dog, I opened the box and took out the item. The water-resistent material look reassuring, with the zipper of the front pocket also claiming to be waterproof. I thought it might be too big when I carry it on my back, though the size seems okay. Hmmm, looks good so far. The question is, how long it will last.

The End

Caterpillar

2:09 p.m. So the time has come for St. Lite Kinen, a memorial race dedicated to the great St. Lite and also a step race for the 3-year-olds belonging to Kanto stables.

Needless to say, my key horse is Dee Majesty. I mean, who would go against him? My second choice would be Seewind, though the odds are so depressingly low that it makes me reluctant to buy a ticket. Even the exacta odds are 4.3 to 1 as of this afternoon.

It seemed the tracks were pretty fast last week, so I don't really have to do anything to choose candidates for the third place, just close my eyes and name 5 horses from the inner posts. But Dee Majesty has to be extracted, and Maitres d'Art or Peace Mind don't look so hopeful. At least, they don't look like they could beat Mt. Robson. That leaves only Mt. Robson to put on the wheel. Okay, I'll add Prophet, too.

The End

Caterpillar

7:07 p.m. It's been 2 weeks since the long spell of autumn rain started, and once again following last week I had to hang my washed clothes indoors to dry. The newspaper life hack does help to dry them faster, but still, I prefer to dry them outside under the sun. Wonder how much longer such weather will go on?

The St. Lite Memorial has ended with Dee Majesty earning an easy win. He hasn't performed with all his strenght yet, so it was a good prep race concidering his next race, Kikka-sho. Seewind came in 2nd as expected, no surprise there, though Mt. Robson was completely beaten. You can't make a horse come within 3rd place when it's 18kg overweight.

The End

Caterpillar

6:01 p.m. One of my recent concerns is not just the ever-lasting rain, but also that there might not be any 3-year-olds entering the autumn Tennno-sho.

Since Leontes has scratched off due to injury, and Satono Daiamond has announced way before that he's entering Kikka-sho while Dee Majesty and Air Spinel still seems undecided which race they'd enter (rumor says Dee Majesty would be in Kikka-sho, though).

Ifit turns out that Tenno-sho would be run without any 3-year-olds, it might become another bummer. Hoping Maurice and a fresh 3-year-old can avoid that situation.

The End

Caterpillar

3:26 p.m. A typhoon is inching up the eastern coast for the 16th time this year.

Annually, there are 20 to 28 typhoons coming up by this time of year, and as far as I remember it doesn't usually go over 30. Come to think of it, we didn't have any typhoons getting close until late August this summer, which not to mention was a rare case. After we've entered September, there ha been a successions of typhoons one after another. Wonder if the skies are trying to make ends meet? If so, we will have to bear at least 10 more of them.

The End

Caterpillar

5:44 p.m. Cow is screaming for Goeidoh who was supposed to fight against Kiseno-sato today.

I'd predicted earlier that Goeidoh would win although Kiseno-sato who is desperate seeking for the Yokozuna seat.

As I just heard a cry of "Yossssshaaaaa!!!" is seems my prediction proved right. I have lost interest since Kiseno-sato had lost in his first match of this tournament. Unfortunately, the guy is not ready to be a Yokozuna.

The End

Caterpillar

10:34 p.m. Goeidoh has won against one of the two Yokozunas in this autumn's tournament, Kakuryu and now he's the closest to the champion of the tournament.

I thought it was a chance for Kiseno-sato to become the champion and finally step up to a Yokozuna while Hakuho was away. But as he'd lost in his first match against a lower ranker, my faint hope was washed away by a huge disappointment. On the contrary, Goeidoh has been performing well without losing a match until today and he even beat Kakuryu. Perhaps he was also inspired and encouraged by the victory of Kotoshohgiku just like Kise. Anyway, he's bound to be the next champion even if he loses against Haruma-fuji tomorrow. Still I would like to see him beat the Yokozuna in what will be his last match of this tournament. As they say, all's well that ends well.

The End

Caterpillar

12:41 p.m. It's drizzling.... I wonder how much longer we have to bear this gloomy weather (we've already been bearing it for over a week)?

True, we are in the midst of the typhoon season, yet autumn in Japan is supposed to bring higher skies, fair weather and invigorating breeze that becomes cooler with every rainfall. The temperature has suddenly dropped with the arrival of this long rain and assumingly, it would probably shot up when the sky clears off if it ever will. The turbulace in temperature topped with the gloominess and dampness is too much for an old weary body as mine.

The End

Caterpillar

3:15 p.m. It's important, indeed very important to observe the prep races in order to win the autumn G1 races, boasts Cow.

Hmmm... he has a point. And I will key Curren Mirotic for All Comer. On the premise that the horse is in good condition and can go up front. Courir Kaiser's position would be of concern, though if he takes the lead, then that would be good. On the wheel would be, Satono Noblesse, Shonan Bach, Tsukuba Azumao, Gold Actor and Marialite, of course.

As for Kobe Shinbun-hai, my picks are Air Spinel, Namura Shingun, Red Eldest and Satono Diamond. Anything could happen but can't cut out Satono.

The End

Caterpillar

5:49 p.m. The rain has finally lifted, Goeidoh has won the tournament and my call has gone to waste because Daichi didn't go up front. For those who bought betting tickets cutting out Curren Mirotic, congratulations.

It seems my head has been boiling lately, with a number of things including the increasing volume of JoOusama's radio during night. Will have to listen to a lot of BL drama CDs to heal myself.

The End

Caterpillar

4:15 p.m. Cow has been trying a crossword puzzle while I go through my daily routine on the desk-top and finally discovered, that the Japanese word for P.E. is pronounced "ta-i-ku" in 3 syllables, but written in 4 characters "ta-i-i-ku" when put into Hiragana. Well well, at least you've learned something.Surely, that's better than not knowing until later?

In the meantime, I have discovered that La Cressonniere has scratched off from Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Whaaaaatttt!!!??? At this point? What do you think you're doing? It will only make it easier for Makahiki to win.

The End

Caterpillar

2:36 p.m. I thought we were finally released from rainy weather and I get hit by a downpour on my way home last night. Grrrr....

Scratch offs from Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is not rare, as a matter of fact it happens almost every year with the race often ending up with 12 horses, give or tke a few. If it turns out that way again this year, it would be a follow wind for Makahiki, since he performs better when the rider doesn't have to hit the brake while he's gaining speed on the home stretch.

Still, I can't get rid of the feeling that some horse playing dead on the inside would take hime over by a nose, or a head, or a neck.

The End

Caterpillar

3:35 p.m. Well it's still hot enough here in Tokyo that I'm wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and cotton shorts.

So there is no need to put on gloves. But these, I want! I wish I could buy a pair! Fingerless GLoves

The End

Caterpillar

4:18 p.m. Rain, not rain, rain, not rain...I feel like pulling petals off a flower to decide whether or not to carry an umbrella. Today is the 29th and it's been nearly one month since this gloomy weather has set in. I'm approaching my limit.

That is, unless it affects the track condtion to bring me a long shot. Last week's loss caused by Curren Mirotic (or in other words Daichi Shibata) has reminded me the importance of the most favored. I should have keyed Gold Actor speaking from the result.

Must bear that in mind till the weekend as the first of the autumn G1 series, Sprinters' Stakes is coming up.

The End

Caterpillar

2:55 p.m. We finally had some sunshine this morning, hooray! But the thing is, it won't last long, aw.

Yet, time does pass and seasons do change. October starts from tomorrow bringing the cold season in a flash, and I'm pretty sure I'll be whining for lost races before I know it. To make my wounds at least a little shallower, will do my best trying to win the first of the G1 series, Sprintere's Stakes. Big Arthur seems to have drawn the most inner post which sounds promising. More coming up tomorrow so look forward!

The End

Caterpillar