10:15 p.m. Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you all have a great year while I cope with the CMOS battery.

I've bought a litium button battery to replace the old one that seemed to be causing the date and clock trouble, and replaced the battery without so much struggling except for taking out the battery. I din't know it was attached in such a small space and pretty tightly with a plastic mounter, that I needed a tweezer to pop it off.

After I replaced the battery, I turned on the computer to check and was freaked again with the now familiar beeps. Well of course I need to set the date and time. But how come the display looks somewhat simpler than usual?

It took me a whole day to recall that my computer was running on energy saving mode because I'd forgotten to plug in the AC cable. Arrgh, have done that before.

The End

Caterpillar

9:55 p.m. Have met friends today.

We meet about once a year, and it was great talking with them since a year ago. Am finally beginning to enjoy my New Year vacation.

Though I have to admit I ate and did mostly nothing else today. Well, that's the good part of vacations anyway. Should enjoy while I can!

The End

Caterpillar

8:37 p.m. This year's first meteor shower, the Quadrantids are going to have its peak tonight from around 11:00.

Unfortunately, I can't get out on our veranda to watch them like usual, but condition seems to be very good tonight along the pacific coast of the Kanto area. That is, not to mention, including Tokyo!

The radiant point will be jsut beneath the big dipper. Find the Cassiopeia, turn 45 degrees clockwise and look above and there you have it! So don't just sit around watching TV, go out there and catch a shooting star! Don't worry, my call for the first grade race this year Kinpai, would come tomorrow.

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Caterpillar

4:14 p.m. So, I will upload my calls for the Kinpai as I'd announced yesterday.

For Kyoto Kipai, Air Spinel is inevitable. It is a question whether the horse can perform well in a mile race after Kikka-sho (3,000m), though he hasn't lost below 3rd place in this distance, so will have to buy him. On the wheel would be, Black Moon, Dantsu Prius, Mikki Joy and Astra Emblem.

Meanwhile, Nakayama Kinpaai will be run with even more lame members. I will put Strong Titan on the key, with Shiny Prince, Clarity Sky, Dreadnoughtus and Shadow Party on the wheel.

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Caterpillar

9:53 p.m. Work starts again tomorrow with my Kinpai loss as usual.

Well, at least I got the key horse right, didn't I?

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Caterpillar

6:35 p.m. A busy start this year. Haven't been able to do anything until now. Well, the last thirty minutes was because Cow had been dominating the computer, though.

Still, I ought to be thankful as this brings me a bit more income. I've enjoyed a short vacation away from home during the New Year Holidays, thanks to the slight increase. Hopefully, I can have another chance again this summer. Gumption!

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Caterpillar

1:44 p.m. Since a while ago, the mailer on our computer has been returning error logs when sending out e-mail.

At first, Cow suspected his online game software, but couldn't point out the reason for the error. Around the same time, Cow started receiving spam mail with his mail address in the sender box. So he's changed the settings of the mail server a bit to block the spam. This morning, we tried to solve this problem of not being able to send mail from our mailer and it transpired, that Cow simply hadn't typed in his new password on the mailer. Durrr! An elementary mistake.

Think I'll keep caalling the grade races like last year, just to keep an eye on what's going on. After all, I did pretty well last year, didn't I? Well, I'll review the results later when I have time. The key horse for Shinzan Kinen would be Persian Knight. He's the one who got closest to Soul Stirring. Nah. I think I'd rather go for a win for Persian Knight, as Nakayama mile often end up like drawing straws.

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Caterpillar

9:21 p.m. It was my turn to make an elementary mistake. I'd totally forgotten that Shinzan Kinen was run on Kyoto, not Nakayama. Plus, I hadn't taken the weather and track condition into account.

Mirco has ridden Persian Knight badly today, he lost his course in the last stretch because he didn't guide his horse to the outside. Though I can't put the blame only on the rider as the horse didn't make a very good start, possibly from fatigue. However, Persian Knight slipped into 3rd place which proves that the horse has got good speed and a tough mind. I'm pretty sure he will improve his performance next time given that he gets some time to pull himself together.

The End

Caterpillar

5:48 p.m. During my short New Year vacation I've reset my biological clock and became able to get up in the morning.

I've failed and failed and failed to make it a routine in the past. This time I am determined to keep it up. Well, at least until next week.

Let's be practical. I don't do well with big goals. I'm breaking things up into baby steps in order to succeed.

The End

Caterpillar

5:04 p.m. Also during my New Year holidays I've taken up crochet knitting.

It all started when I came across a movie explaining how to knit fingerless dragon-scale gloves. It seemed easy enough for me to make it too, though I didn't want to blow it up so I decided to practice knitting. I came up with another video showing how to knit a cowl-like snood. This one seemed even easier which was convenient for my practice. Thus, I started knitting.

However, somehow my tubular neck warmer became wider and wider as I knitted on. Cow has made fun of me saying I should go on right ahead, just to see what it will turn out like. I simply couldn't accept the fact that it wouldn't be what I've expected, and spent most of the past two days and this morning taking it apart and recovering. So far, so good.

The End

Caterpillar

2:34 p.m. Ever since I started knitting, I've been trying to knit at least one row every day. I was afraid I won't be able to finish it during winter otherwise.

But the troubling thing is, that one row consists of 220 stiches... Now that takes time. And it's easy to lose count of how many stiches you're knitting. So learning from my mistakes, I've developed a way to avoid losing count. I'm using those colorful plastic rings you can get at 100 Yen shops' stationery corners. Count every twenty stiches and fasten a ring on the twentieth. That way, it'll help make the counting easier and you wouldn't have to go back rows and rows when you miss.

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Caterpillar

5:04 p.m. It's cooooold. They say there's a cold wave coming. Brrrrr...

The weekly forecast says we're having a low of -3 degrees this Sunday even here in Tokyo. Aaaaargh! Not below zero, please, not below zero!

Moreover, the cold wave might bring some snow which might result in a pile... No, no, no. Don't make me spend my precious Sunday clearing away the snow in front of my house.

The End

Caterpillar

5:26 p.m. The news broke out that controll substance has been found from Apollo Kentucky, the winner of Tokyo Dai-shoten.

The substance was anti-inflammatory analgesic called dexamethasone, which is regulated by the JRA. It is not banned substance, but is considered that the usage might become the cause of unexpected accidents.

Since the substance is not banned, Apollo Kentucky is not subject to penalty of disqualification, though I wish they'd have informed me beforehand. I'd happpened to see the horse's training video and decided, that he won't improve so much as to win in 2 or 3 days. If I had known the use of this substance, I'd probably bought a trifecta with him on the 1st place too.

The End

Caterpillar

3:09 p.m. We've been having a busy start this year, and I had to spend all morning preparing for an upcoming project. Couldn't help myself from nodding off for a couple of minutes in front of the heater.

Although it's not snowing in Tokyo and I don't think it will in the next 24 hours, snow will probably be piling up by tomorrow afternoon in Kyoto. Given that condition, I would push Siacchetra for tomorrow's Nikkei Shinshun-hai. Perhaps with Mikki Rocket and Reve Mistral on the wheel.

The End

Caterpillar

9:21 p.m. Temperatures below zero really bite into your bones, don't it?

As for Nikkei Shinshun-hai, the race has been put off till Tuesday due to heavy snow in Kyoto. Ah, I should have guessed. Since all races scheduled for today at Kyoto race tracks will be postponed till Tuesday, JRA is going to have another barrier drawing tomorrow. Things could be a little different then.

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Caterpillar

3:50 p.m. Sorry, there was another ooops, elementary mistake on the barrier draw.

According to the JRA announcement released on Sunday, 15th 2017, races on Kyoto tracks were scheduled to run although delayed on the 15th, however, all scheduled races have been cancelled due to snow piling up. All scheduled races for the 15th will be run on Kyoto tracks on Tuesday, 17th January alternatively, and racing forms will be replaced with newly drawn barriers which will also be held on the 17th. All betting tickets already bought will be refunded.

That means, I can't see the new barrier until tomorrow morning.

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Caterpillar

3:48 p.m. I was going to write about the barrier of Nikkei Shinshun-hai, but it's already 3:48 which means the race has already been run.

The results haven't been uploaded yet, so must wait till they do.

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Caterpillar

2:41 p.m. Hmmm...my suggested Siacchetra seemed to have lost by a nose against Mikki Rocket.

Looks like the race was run at an average lap, meaning that Yamakatsu Raiden who took the lead could have hit the wire first, if it weren't have been for his weight gain and lack of preparation. The trouble with substitue races though, is that they usually run on weekdays that I can't watch the race on real time basis.

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Caterpillar

12:58 p.m. It's not my day today.

I left home an hour earlier than yesterday and the subway gets stuck on the way to get me only 20 minutes earlier. The temple of my glasses suddenly broke last night so have to rush off to Zoff and get a new pair. I have three meetings in a row without much time for even a potty break.

It's just not my day, I guess.

The End

Caterpillar

4:53 p.m. It's been a while since I'd got rid of chapped hands in winter, but the cold wave has brought them back on my hands.

Before I came back to live with my parents, I had cracked fingers throughout the year. It seems the tap water in the commercial district where I used to live contained more chlorine, and my fingers were almost always bleeding because of those cracks. But after I moved to a residential area, the cracks and chaps have been cured bringing my hands into a normal state. Until about a week ago when the temperature dropped down to below zero.

Luckily, my fingers aren't cracked yet, though chaps are appearing on the back of my hands. It's that cold (and dry) I guess.

The End

Caterpillar

2:33 p.m. This week I'll call AJCC that runs in Nakayama so I won't have to worry about snow.

Usually, I would choose Seewind as the key horse, but there's a chance the race will be run at a high lap. That is going to be the point for this race. Whether it will be run at a high lap or the ususla lagging lap. In the former case, Seewind might not win, though otherwise in the latter case. Hmmm... it makes sense to key him in either lap.

So my conclusion for this week would be Seewind. On the trio wheel would be, Sing With Joy (in case of a high lap), Tanta Alegria, Nasuno Seikan and Lia Fail.

The End

Caterpillar

9:21 p.m. Finally, finally, a new Yokozuna, a Japanese new Yokozuna is being born! Congrats to Kiseno-Sato!!!

It's been loooooong. As a fan of 10 years since Tochi-Azuma retired, I've been cheering Kiseno-Sato and Kotosho-giku. I felt great when Kotosho-giku won the New Year Tournament last year, though I've been let down by Kiseno-Sato countless times during these 10 years. That's why I couldn't fully appreciate the joy of his winning this year's New Year Tournament from the bottom of my heart. I was afraid that I'd be let down again. I even joked with Cow that he would lose his last match today against Hakuho and miss the chance of becoming a Yokozuna, because that was more like him.

I owe you my apology Kiseno-Sato, you've done a brilliant job everyone has been waiting for! You deserve all the congrats! And I am very happy for you!

The End

Caterpillar

4:02 p.m. The evening edition for today's papaer has been delivered a short while ago, with the photo of a smiling Kiseno-Sato on the front page.

Humph, I told you he COULD smile. He's just too shy and clumsy.

Meanwhile, the Yokozuna Promotion Council is said to approve the promotion of Kiseno-Sato from Ozeki to Yokozuna, to announce it on the 25th.

The End

Caterpillar

3:23 p.m. As I've brilliantly completed my cowl like snood and now wearing it, I decided to drop by a chain handicraft shop called Y**awaya, to get some yarn for my next task, dragon scale gloves. I've already picked which one to buy when I went there at year-end, so it shouldn't take much time, was what I thought.

As I got there, it turned out that there was only a ball left of the yarn I was going to buy. Hey, I'm trying to knit a PAIR of gloves, you know? I waited for over ten minutes just to check with the staff if they still had some in store. The answer was "No." They were sold out except for this one in the rack. That's what I feared. Come to think of it, they didn't have any studs in store either when I came last year in search for a replacement for my mouton boots. Who would come to a shop again where they don't have what you've come for in store? No wonder they're reducing the stores.

Naturally, I went down a floor on the escalator and bought eight balls of yarn at a 100 Yen shop, although it wasn't my best choice. I'd rather compromise with the color and design.

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Caterpillar

2:19 p.m. Humph. You can get cute balls of yarn at Daiso or Can Do! these days. You don't necessarily have to go to handicrafts shops. I've already made a snood with 100 Yen shop yarn and there's no problem so far, except that it's not wind-proof, but that goes for all kinds of knit I suppose.

If I scrutinize to find ANY problems, well, there is one. That the snood somehow smells animal-ish. Perhaps because the yarn I made it with is 100% wool?

The End

Caterpillar

4:03 p.m. The other day my parents' house went through the process of renewing old roof tarpaulin. Since our veranda has a fence for safety and it was secured to the roof with concrete blocks, the workmen had to break all the blocks to take off the fence in order to do their job. After the tarpaulin has been replaced, an old plasterer came to put the fence back onto the roof.

As I was out on the renewed veranda this morning, I realized some of the cement blocks on the foot of the fence had slightly shorter sides. I thought they'd just bring in concrete blocks with holes in the center, so you can just stick the fence pole in the hole, and pour in cement or something, but the old palstere has made the blocks one by one by hand.

Assuming from his age, the plasterer must have been skilled in his work so that was just a sign of manual labor. A little proof of handiwork isn't so bad sometimes.

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Caterpillar

5:36 p.m. Roger Federer has beat Wawrinka to go to the finals in the Australian Open.

I only saw the first set last night since I had to get up early this morning, and I'd thought that it might be an easy win for Federer. However, it seems Wawrinka has fought well into a full-set game.

Nadal has won up to the top 4 in the other mountain, so if he keeps winning, we might be able to see a great game of refreshed Federer against powered-up Nadal. Hmmm, intriguing!

The End

Caterpillar

2:57 p.m. I've been pretty busy this week having unable to spare time for the races.

I just took a brief look at the racing form of Negishi Stakes and decided, that Fukunaga riding the most favored horse is too risky. I'd rather push King's Guard instead. Maybe I could add Tahltan, Mr. N-jima's favorite and Best Macho, Blu Miracolo on the wheel.

The End

Caterpillar

11:58 p.m. Oh no, I can't stop.

As I finished my snood, I started knitting my dragon scale fingerless gloves. I've been progressing smoothly and it's beginning to look I can finish my right hand tonight. I'm in a "Let's go!" mode,I just can't stop here.

The End

Caterpillar

4:01 p.m. It came as a shock to me to see the news of Mikki Isle retiring, as of yesterday, 29th of January 2017.

I think I've read that the he was going to run in Hankyu-hai as a prep race, and that he was also entered in TakamatsunoMiya-hai, a 1200m sprint G1 in late March. What happened? Why? What?

The End

Caterpillar

4:16 p.m. The temperature has dropped and we're back into the now familiar cold again. But I've finished my right glove watching Australian Open, and moving on to my left.

As Federer said, I wish I could have given them both the winning prize. After the 3rd set, it looked like Federer was going to win. Though Nadal didn't give up easily (that's like him!) and it turned into a fullset match. I assume there must have been unimaginable hard work and suffering behind Roger's smile and the same goes for Raphael.

The End

Caterpillar