It's five minutes past twelve. I'm hungry..actually, I'm starving... We usually have lunch around a bit past one, so there's still more than an hour left till lunch. And I'm sleepy, too.

The sixth season of "24" started from the point of 6:00 a.m., and so far the story has only developed up to the point of 12:00 noon in these past two days. That's only 6 hours out of 24. That means there's still four times as much I've already seen laying ahead. Hmmnn. It may be exhausting and sometimes life-risking for Jack Bauer, but it's also tough for us viewers too. Last year, I've broken my daily rhythem completely, due to lack of sleep around this time of year.. But I just can't quit watching.

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Caterpillar

It became a clear and pleasant autumn day in a while. It's been raining all week, so it felt really crisp and wonderful this morning.

As I was enjoying such fine weather, Obaba came out and asked me to wash her laundry. Now? I was just leaving for work... Then, joOusama who happened to be near barged in saying, "Too much water would be wasted on such small amount of laundry, so ask again later when you've gathered enough." Excuse me? I thought you've been spinning the washing machine with a full load yourself until a couple of minutes ago, huh? Why couldn't you check on Obaba at that time, whether she had laundry or not? Well, eventually it was settled by convincing Obaba that I'd wash them on Sunday...

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Caterpillar

It was around evening, yesterday. Cow's family received a box of grapes from one of their relatives. So we had some for dessert after lunch today, and it was...so ggooooddd!! The fruit must be expensive! The flesh was firm and yet juicy with refined sweetness, which seemed to be an absolutely different kind of fruit from the grapes I've been recently made to eat at home instead of watermelons, the grapes sold in the neighborhood supermarket.

Since they received a whole box of them, Cow's parents wrapped me some to bring home. JoOusama who was a grape lover, has jumped for joy when she knew I brought some home. Well, it did taste like expensive stuff that cost more than a thousand yen for a bunch. After all, it tasted close to the luxury Muscat that I had in someone's wedding party or something, way back in time. You better be grateful, JoOusama.

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Caterpillar

The other day, I've fully enjoyed the Super-Sentou (a delux Sentou which is a general term for communal baths) in a while, and also my first bedrock bath experience. Though I wished it would've been better if there were any closer to my house, or somewhere along my commuting route. So I decided to do some searching.

And I found out that a plain Sentou located near the junior high school that I've graduated, actually was a natural hot spring! It's unbelievable. I knew there was a Sentou there since when I was at junior high, but I never even thought that it could be an Onsen (hot spring)...! I guess that's what they mean by "The darkest place is under the candlestick." I'm definitely gonna try it some time.

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Caterpillar

So I've been to the natural Onsen (hot spring) Sentou near the school.

It said that the spring was rich in iron and was supposed to have effect on dry skin, neuralgia, joint pain, and sensitivity to cold. The water from the tap also seem to come from the same spring, and it felt softer than the usual tap water, however! It was much later, around midnight, when I discovered the real power of this spring! Well, the inner part of my body stayed warm, hours after my body surface had become cold. Skin has become smooth, and my hair silky and shiny. I can't believe it! More over, my knee joint where I've been feeling pain these couple of years...doesn't ache! Wow, this is amazing! It's incredible Onsen power!

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There's more! This natural hot spring is a Sentou (communal bath)! That means you can fully enjoy the effects of Onsen (hot spring), smooth skin, silky hair, improve your blood circulation, and say good-bye to your joint pain with a general Sentou price which is only 450 yen! How's that sound? Isn't that what you call a good bargain?

This is really something that I've found! I never thought I could be blessed with such wonderful Onsen without taking a one-day trip down to Hakone. I don't think I can go there every day from time and economical points, but I'm sure I'll be dropping by from time to time from now on. Or shall I get one of those multiple tickets?

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Caterpillar

For the joy of discovering such a great Sentou, I couldn't hold down my desire to tell someone. So I was gonna boast a bit about it to that friend from Izakaya Yamashiroya, when she started talking excitedly instead. She said that she had met the Russian fighter, "the Russian last emperor", Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko at a Sushi bar nearby! Was it really him? She showed me the evidence cell-phone snapshot, and there in the picture were my friend and the strongest guy in the world standing together, with Fedor...smiling...!!

Seems like I got counter-attacked by a greater boast...orz

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Caterpillar

It happened again. As I got home yesterday, I noticed a postcard that arrived from the Japan Post. It was one of those sealed type post cards, and had the letters of "confidential" clearly printed in red ink, but the seal was opened...

It's JoOusama. No one else would do such a thing. She has priors, too. And it's not once or twice... However close she may be, I mean, even as a mother, there's no reason she could invade my privacy. Oh, please. Hasn't she done enough?

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Caterpillar

The day before yesterday, the news reported that Youichiro Nanbu, Makoto Kobayashi, and Toshihide Masukawa were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. I don't know if their discoveries would contribute to the development of our future, but I like to see long years of devotion being rewarded with worldwide recognition, and I offer my congratulations.

However, within Japan, it was reported that "3 Japanese Dominate Nobel Prize in Physics". Well, Mr. Nanbu seems to be naturalized in America as of 1970 in order to carry on his studies, now working as emeritus professor in Chicago University. That means he's American... Isn't journalism fundamentally supposed to tell facts accurately, objectively, and quickly as possible? The way this news is reported, seems to be far from accurate to me...

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Caterpillar

Another Japanese was awarded the Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, following the former news of the Nobel Prize in Physics. The winner was Osamu Shimomura, an emeritus professor in Bostosn University, U.S.A. As a result, half of the 4 people who earned these prizes turned out to be working in or, based in America. In Mr. Nanbu's case, he no longer has Japanese citizenship. This means that Japan is nothing else than an unsuitable environment to carry on their studies.

Isn't that a problem that could lead to the drain of such talented Japanese researchers, who have unique ideas or can make extra efforts for a long period of time?

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Caterpillar

Having been boasted about meeting and taking a picture with Fedor, I have been forgetting to write about the autumn grade one horse races, that started last Sunday with the Sprinters Stakes.

Surprisingly, I won the race for a change, and also in a while. Though it was the trio with the lowest odds so I didn't get that much returns... But still, it certainly does feel good to have a good start. I'd like to accept this as a chance to get myself into a good spiral so I could win more G1 races this year, hopefully (last year I've lost all of 'em).

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Caterpillar

I received an e-mail from an old friend, that she wanted to know the location of the Onsen Sentou if possible, so that she could tell her father about it, who seems to be a Sentou lover.

As a matter of fact, I've been torn between whether I should write about the specific location of the Sentou in this "Murmur" or not and refrained from doing so, since it's really an ordinary small town Sentou, and it might trouble other customers if many people crowded in all of a sudden. Of course, I don't think this site has that much influence, though.(^ ^;) For those who want to know the location, it would be nice if you let me know by e-mail. Thanks.

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Caterpillar

The other day, I wrote about the happening that I was made to pull out the Kotatsu (Japanese traditional heating kit) for Obaba, when I had just come home from a hard day's work. Well, it has a sequence to it. After all the fuss we've made to pull it out, we plugged it in but it didn't work. Now this was an unexpected situation. For the moment,I persuaded Obaba that I'll fix it later, though I can't just leave it that way so I've decided to fix it from now.

Sometimes I feel really sad that my little off time flies away like this...

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Caterpillar

So I've made up my mind to fix Obaba's Kotatsu that doesn't go on even after it's plugeed in. Judging from the fact we already had loose connection last year, there's a posibility of disconnection. That means, the first thing I got to do is to check and see if there are any disconnections. And to check this, what I need is a.. oh, yeah, I think we had a tester in the livingroom cabinet...

Though I couldn't find any tester at the place where it must have been...Why, oh why, can't these people complete such a simple action, to put things back to where it belong to? Guess I'll have to put off the fixing again.

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Caterpillar

Around the same time of last week, I finally received that pension coverage special notice too. I've just opened it yesterday and checked my records but...the number of months printed as my paid period is somehow smaller than my period of coverage... Does that mean there is a blank period that I haven't paid? And why don't they have this unpaid (possibly) period on this note? How am I supposed to check if they don't have such information on this note? Or do they expect me to look up all my receipts for 17 years of my coverage?

By the way, how come this enclosed pre-addressed envelope so small? I can't fit these cards in anyhow...

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Caterpillar

Since I received the pension coverage special notice, I checked them in my spare time. I wrote in red ink, to respond to me in case I have any unpaid period after looking up and indicating it, since I can't tell if there were any unpaid period only from the information on this note. Then I xeroxed it to make a copy (to make sure) and forced it in that itsy bitsy envelope. I'll drop it in the post box on my way home.

Though I'm not sure when I'd be able to hear from them. I'm not even sure whether they'd ever respond to me or not...

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Caterpillar

The League Championship Series in Major League Baseball is getting exciting. In the National League, the Phillies has already won the Championship securing the team to go on to the World Series, but the American League is still in the middle of a hard fight between the Red Sox with Matsuzaka and Okajima, and the Rays pulled by Iwamura. The Rays has put the Red Sox in check leading them by 3 wins to 1 as of yesterday Japan time, though the Red Sox has won the game held this morning, and is catching up. It's heart-thumping.

Personally, I want to let the Rays win, since thy've been fighting real hard and also good throughout this season, for their first win in the World Series. The guys in loud-colored socks, well, they've already had their share last year.

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Caterpillar

When I was riding in my commuting train this morning as usual, there was an announcement. It said that there was an accident causing injury or death at the far end of the line I was going to transfer to, and the line was holding its operation because of it. Oh, please. If they had informed me before I got on this train, I could have taken a different route. And they're telling it now... I've left my house earlier today in order to avoid being late. And the subway is not operating... Who's going to be responsible if I couldn't make it in time?

Meantime, I reached the transfer station and found out that the accident occured in the opposite direction I was bound for, and the line restarted its operation after about ten or so minutes. Good. So I barely made it on time. By the way, there are so many train-involving fatal accidents these days, don't you think?

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Caterpillar

Recently, somehow the trains and subways in Tokyo seem to be delayed, or even stop so often due to fatal accidents. I was sondering why at the subway platform when I noticed the information on the display. It said, "The operation is out of schedule due to fatal accident that occured at 6:31 pm." What?! Again?! Fatal accidents happening twice a day on the same line, isn't that what's called abnormal?

Additionally, as I was transferring, there was an announce inside the station that the JR Chuo line was holding its operation due to a fatal accident. Hey, how many fatal accidents do they need to go back into normal, huh? Though I suppose nobody's intending to cause these accidents.

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Caterpillar

Lately, the news about the case of toxic agrichemicals being detected from frozen kidney beans, that had been processed in a Chinese food-processing Company has been all over. As a matter of course, the press has picked it up sensationally since the initial report. And I happened to see perhaps a man from that company in a news program, standing in front of the camera saying in Japanese, "First of all, I'd like to apologize to the Japanese people for causing troubles and anxieties."

I was surprised. I mean, that was a word of apology. I don't remember seeing any other Chinese food-processing company handling this sort of situation as quickly as this company, or in such a manner as far as I can remember.

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Caterpillar

My lunch menu for today was salmon steak and spinach saute (^-^). So I dropped by a 100 yen shop on my way to work, to get some tartar sauce to go with it. There were two people already in line at the register, so I got in line behind them and waited my turn. As I was waiting, there came another person and also got in line behind me. When the turn came for the girl in front of me she laid on the counter, a..? A pair of false eyelashes?? Hmmnn, I didn't know girls buy things like that at a 100 yen shop. I paid for my tartar sauce and inadvertatnly dropped my eyes on the register counter, where the person behind me laid out what she was going to buy. It was.. false eyelashes again??

Is this some sort of new fashion in town? To buy false eyelashes at 100 yen shops?

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Caterpillar

Cow seems that he has been into horror stories. He's been to chiller sites and reading horror stories on the Internet all day, after he's wrapped up his work already by noon. Hey...

If he wants to read those stories and have a good time, that's fine with me. But can't he just quit making sounds of screams and moans, or those booming roars that surprise you? And I'd wish he'd just stop telling me what exactly he had just read. Geez, I'm working here man, don't put it all on me 'cause I am not that interested in those horror stories. Well, I'm just not that interested. To get this straight, I am NOT a CHICKEN. I'm not that interested, that's all...

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Caterpillar

There's this sign that I see on my way to work. It's a signboard of a confectionary shop and it says "Omochi-Pai (rice pie). But the letters are painted? displayed? in traditional Japanese writing manner, which is supposed to be read vertically from right to left towards the bottom. And perhaps because of its design, the "Omochi" part is on the first column, while the latter "Pai" part is on the next column, resultingly showing the "O" next to the letter "Pa".

Whenever I come across that signboard, I've somehow seem to be misreading it as "Oppai-Mochi" (tits cake); making my heart skip a beat...I am not especially frustrated, I mean sexually. I think...

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Caterpillar

My commuting train has been delayed again...it's a problem when it stops or gets delayed at least once every week. Fortunately, I was able to catch the train that had slipped into the platform, so I got on, found an empty seat and sat waiting for the train to start, until I found out that the train was bound for only 2 stops ahead... I jumped off and waited for the next train for about 15 minutes. When it finally arrived, I got on after confirming the destination, though there was another announcement after a while, saying that this train will change its destination due to resumption of operation in districts where it had been stopped, followed by words of apologies for the delay.

I think it wouldn't stop or get delayed so often if they really felt sorry like they'd said.

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Caterpillar

Cow's been using the computer on business all day today and I've ran out of time. So I think I'll make it short today. I've written before about a friend who was running an Izakaya, and that her place was going to go on TV. And today is the day it will be on aired. Yes, tonight's the night!

I wonder what position her place will be ranked...let's wait and see.

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Caterpillar

I've been to the off-tracks betting booth in a while today. Well, it's Kikkashou after all. However, the weather that's been told to get better as of yesterday, didn't get better at all. With overcast sky, it even started to rain around noon. How come? It should be getting better... Would there be rain in the afternoon too? As I was wondering whether I should bring an umbrella or not, there was an aid of heaven. JoOusama appeared and threw a word at me, "Bring an unbrella with you." That means it doesn't rain. Of course, I didn't bring an umbrella.

Her forecast is much more accurate than my call for the race.

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Caterpillar

It seems there have been no typhoons landing on Japan this year so far, and the situation seems to be continuing. If it goes on like this until around November 30th, which is said to be the latest date recorded in 1990 of typhoon landings in this country since observation began, it may become the 4th year in history without typhoon landings.

Looking back, I think that the typhoons this year took a westward course than usual, hitting Taiwan and then changing its course eastward and coming towards the Japanese archipelago like a boomerang. And in most cases, they have moved up north along the Pacific coast and vanished without landing on the country. I hope this is not some sort of a sign before a natural disaster or anything...

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Caterpillar

My neck hurts... Seems like I got a crick in my neck. A pain runs up along my neck whenever I try to lift it to straighten up, or turn my head to face my right. To avoid it, I have to turn the upper half of my body towards the right like a robot... Recently, I've been feeling that much physical strength is lost as you get older, while I also feel that it's getting harder to get rid of pain once you get hurt. When you hurt somewhere, sometimes it takes an unexpectedly long time until the pain is gone. Now that's a problem. In such cases, Onsen would be the most effective to relieve the pain. But too bad, I can't go until the weekend because I'm too busy...(ToT)

What? Don't call me, Cow. Didn't you hear me? I've been telling you it hurts to turn your way!

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Caterpillar

There's a lady I know who is studying English as a second language, and Cow seems to have told her about this site. It looks like she's been checking out this "Murmur" quite often, and I'm really grateful about that though it makes me feel kinda tiklish when she tells me about it. But as a matter of fact, it IS in both English and Japanese so it could be good for English learners as a resource, when learning new words or phrases. Oops, I've blown my horn...

And here I am, putting this proverb "blow one's horn" in it like a know-it-all. Now, am I digging my own pit?

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Caterpillar

It's getting pretty chilly. Well, it should be, since October would be almost over. Perhaps it should be said that it's been too warm up till now. I usually like to be in barefoot and thanks to the warm weather, I have been wearing sports sandals on barefoot till yesterday.

However, however. According to the forecast this morning, high temperature of Tokyo was supposed to be 18 degrees Celsius. Speaking of temperature, it was rather cold last night. So I've finally switched my footwear from sandals to sneakers today. Unwillingly, that is. I really don't like to wear shoes because it feels tight on my feet.

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Caterpillar

One of my clients brought me a souvenir from her trip to Korea. It was a bag of assorted Korean sweets. Well, I guess that's a piece of sincerity.(^ ^;) And in that bag, there was this chocolate that said Kimchee chocolate. So I tried this, thinking that I should make at least one challenge for new things. Hmmmnnn..interesting taste. I think the hot taste and spiciness of Kimchee goes pretty well with the chocolate, but the garlic flavor is definitely not a good idea. By the way, putting aside the Kimchee, why did it had to be combined with chocolate? They must have been dead set on putting the two together...

A candy is still left in the package. It looks like a plain white candy, but I wonder what this would taste like.

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Caterpillar