Brian's Brain

Today's idiom #31

2010-07-20T08:47:00.001+09:00

"paint the town red"

To go out and enjoy yourself in bars and clubs, etc.

ex: After my final exams, I’m going to go out and paint the town red!

* Comments are welcome

Today's idiom #30

2010-07-16T10:03:00.001+09:00

"to tell you the truth"

To be open and honest with you. (Used to introduce a statement)

ex: To tell you the truth, I’m surprised that he’s done so well on his own.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #29

2010-07-14T11:35:00.001+09:00

"sign on the dotted line"

To make a legal promise that you must keep.

ex: Be sure to consult a lawyer before you sign on the dotted line.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #28

2010-07-12T10:17:00.001+09:00

"tip of the iceberg"

The smallest sign of a much larger problem.

ex: When house prices started falling in 2007, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #27

2010-07-11T09:59:00.001+09:00

"be sitting pretty"

To be in a good situation with many advantages.

ex: We’re sitting pretty because the car loan is paid off, the car is running great and it still looks like new!

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #26

2010-07-10T09:53:00.002+09:00

"caught between a rock and a hard place"

In a difficult situation, in which any choice that you make will have a bad result.

ex: Paul was caught between a rock and a hard place when his car broke down and the rent was due.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #25

2010-07-08T11:00:00.001+09:00

"one and the same" (of two things or people)

Exactly alike.

ex: These days business and sports are one in the same.

(Sometimes people incorrectly say “one in the same”)

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #24

2010-07-07T20:54:00.001+09:00

"read between the lines"

To understand something that is only suggested.

ex: She didn’t say that anything was wrong, but I could tell by reading between the lines.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #23

2010-07-06T08:53:00.001+09:00

"cost an arm and a leg"

To be very expensive.

ex: Your new car must have cost you an arm and a leg!

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #22

2010-07-04T19:05:00.001+09:00

"a dime a dozen"

Very common or easy to find.

ex: It used to be difficult to find a good coffee shop, but today they’re a dime a dozen.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #21

2010-07-02T10:46:00.001+09:00

"a party pooper"

Someone who spoils other people’s fun by refusing to do what everyone else wants to do.

ex: You never go out with us after work, you’re such a party pooper.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #20

2010-07-01T07:20:00.001+09:00

"pain in the neck"

To be very annoying or boring.

ex: The morning traffic is always a pain in the neck when I drive to work.

Today's idiom #19

2010-06-30T11:06:00.001+09:00

"sink or swim"

To succeed by your own efforts without help from anyone.

ex: When Lisa moved out of her parents house, she knew it was time to sink or swim.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #18

2010-06-29T09:38:00.001+09:00

"stiff upper lip"

Strict control over your feelings although you are very upset.
ex: I had to keep a stiff upper lip at my father’s funeral.

* Comments are welcome!

Today’s idiom #17

2010-06-28T14:11:00.001+09:00

"back seat driver"

Someone who always gives the driver of a car unwanted advice about how drive.

ex: My wife doesn't like to drive when I'm in the car because she says I'm a back seat driver.

* Comments are welcome!

Grandpa is Very High

2010-06-22T11:23:00.002+09:00

This is a cute video from my 53rd birthday in February 2009. At that time, I was trying to teach my 4 year old Japanese grandson, Yuhi (pronounced like you-he), how to say “Grandpa is 35”.

Then Yuhi stole the show…

Please feel free to share your comments!

Today's idiom #16

2010-06-22T09:26:00.001+09:00

"do time"

To spend time in prison.

ex: If you do the crime, you must do the time.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #15

2010-06-21T22:29:00.001+09:00

"get off to a flying start"

To be very successful as soon as you start something.
ex: They got off to a flying start with a 3 goal lead after 20 minutes.

* Comments are welcome!

Eikaiwa Afternoon in Aobadai

2010-06-20T08:12:00.001+09:00

Today, (Sunday June 20th, 2010), we will hold our second “Free-style Conversation” event outside of AEL. It will be at Madre Cafe in Aobadai and starts at 2pm this afternoon. All the details and map can be found on our AEL (American Eikaiwa Lounge) website.

http://americaneikaiwalounge.com

Our event last Wednesday evening in Azamino was the first time to try our ‘Free-style Conversation On the Road”. It was very successful and really fun!

We have other events scheduled this month, so please check the website.

We hope to see you soon!

Today's idiom #14

2010-06-20T08:05:00.001+09:00

"my heart skipped a beat"

You were very excited, surprised or frightened.
ex: My heart skipped a beat when he smiled at me!

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #13

2010-06-20T08:04:00.001+09:00

"get the picture?"

To understand a situation someone is describing or explaining.
ex: Politicians make all kinds of promises to get elected, but seldom fulfill them. Get the picture?

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #12

2010-06-18T20:25:00.001+09:00

"an old flame"

A person that someone had a romantic relationship with.

ex: She didn’t know what to say when she ran into her old flame at the party.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #11

2010-06-18T10:25:00.001+09:00

"tighten your belt"

To spend less money.

ex: During the recession, we had to tighten our belt.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #10

2010-06-16T09:12:00.000+09:00

"one of those days"

A day when everything seems to be going wrong.

ex: I just missed the train! It’s going to be one of those days.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's idiom #9

2010-06-15T15:44:00.000+09:00

"Murphy’s law"

If something can go wrong, it will.

ex: “Why is the traffic always heavy when I’m already late for work?” “Murphy’s law!”

* Comments are welcome!

I wonder...

2010-06-14T09:02:00.003+09:00

Since I started posting "Today's Idiom", I haven't received any comments. I wonder if anyone is reading them. I wonder if they're helpful or useful to anyone?

Today's idiom #8

2010-06-14T08:59:00.000+09:00

"fair and square"

To do, achieve or win something in a fair and honest way.

ex: Ken wanted to win his school’s writing competition fair and square, so he didn’t ask his parents to help him.

Today's idiom #7

2010-06-13T08:42:00.000+09:00

"as the crow flies"

If you travel in a straight line from point A to point B.

ex: It’s only 15 kilometers from here to Tokyo station as the crow flies, but it takes over an hour if you travel there by car.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's Idiom #6

2010-06-12T09:09:00.000+09:00

"a red herring"

Information which is mentioned in order to deliberately turn people’s attention from the real problem.

ex: The new TV commercials by BP (British Petroleum) about taking responsibility for the Gulf clean up are a red herring designed to make BP look like they are more concerned about the environment than they are about making huge profits.

* Comments are welcome!

Today's Idiom #5

2010-06-11T10:35:00.000+09:00

"if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it"

Don’t try to change the way something works or is done, when it works well the way it is.

ex: "Why change our customer service policy when it’s been working just fine the way it is? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!"

* Comments are welcome!

Today's Idiom #4

2010-06-09T19:24:00.003+09:00

"play the devil's advocate"

To pretend to disagree about something so that there will be a discussion about it.

ex: "I'll play the devil's advocate and argue that large oil companies deserve huge profits."

* Nihongo translation and comments are always welcome!

Today's Idiom #3

2010-06-08T11:09:00.003+09:00

"clean up your act"

To start behaving in a more acceptable way after you have been behaving badly.

ex: "Quit whining and clean up your act!"

* Nihongo translation and comments are always welcome!

Today's Idiom #2

2010-06-08T11:06:00.002+09:00

"a balancing act"

A situation in which someone is trying to do many different things at the same time which are difficult.

ex: "Being a single working mother is always a balancing act."

* Nihongo translation and comments are always welcome!

Today's Idiom #1

2010-06-08T08:11:00.004+09:00

"a gentleman's agreement"

An agreement that's not written down, but is made between two people who trust each other.

ex: "Bill and Thomas made a gentleman's agreement not to argue about politics."

* Nihongo translation and comments are always welcome!

AEL "On the Road"

2010-06-07T14:38:00.002+09:00

For the last 2.5 years, I've been conducting my "Free-style Conversation" exclusively at AEL. Starting this month, I'm offering "Free-style Conversation" sessions "on the road". The schedule and details are available on my website (see the American Eikaiwa Lounge link on the upper right side).
This month I'll be in Aobadai, Azamino, Chuo Rinkan, as well as our lounge here in Tsukimino. Please join us if you have a chance. It's always a fun and comfortable event for everyone at any level.

Children's Preschool English Classes

2009-03-14T17:26:00.002+09:00

One of the most important reasons for moving AEL was the opportunity to start teaching children's classes. We started with what we call our "Preschool Class" for children ranging from 3 to 5 years old. I've been teaching the class for 6 weeks now and it's great to see how fast the children are learning and speaking.

The first focus for these young children is not so much to "learn lots of English", but to learn how to listen and therefore correctly reproduce the foreign sounds of the English language to these young Japanese ears and minds.

The second focus of the class is to have fun, fun, fun! I believe that if these very young children start their "English language lives" with lots of fun, fun, fun, they will always have fond feelings and memories of English. This will become much more important in the future as they enter the Japanese school system and start their years of mandatory English study.

"Wine Bar Time"

2009-01-31T08:20:00.003+09:00

One of the services we now offer at our new AEL location is "Wine Bar Time". My wife Katy has been dreaming of opening the type of wine bar that she always wanted to find, but never could.

Her concept is very simple, but very nice. A place with no table charge or cover charge, with very nice but affordable wine. Another important point to Katy is the fact that we are there to provide friendly and interesting conversation so you never feel lonely. It's very important to her that it be a place where ladies can dress up or dress casually. Most importantly, a place where ladies feel very comfortable coming alone.

We also serve beer and soft drinks if you're not a wine lover. Smoking is not allowed in the lounge, but you can smoke outside if you must. I also do live performances during "Wine Bar Time" with no music charge. You only pay a very affordable price for you drinks, and enjoy nice conversation and free entertainment. Sounds great, doesn't it?

Click here to see this month's schedule!

Here We Grow Again...

2009-01-29T10:07:00.003+09:00

AEL has undergone even more extensive and fundamental changes. We've moved from Kohoku, Yokohama to Yamato-shi. This has been a wonderful move for me and my wife, as well as AEL itself. It was not a quick and simple decision, or an easy move. We've been very busy the last several months, but now we're very happy and optimistic about the future.

Our new facility is very comfortable and flexible. We now offer classes for children, which has been a goal and priority for AEL. It's one of the major reasons we decided to relocate AEL. We're expanding our lineup of classes and lessons. We'll have some interesting and exciting announcements in the near future.

New System, New Changes...

2008-08-06T19:24:00.005+09:00

Well once again I've been a very negligent in my blogging, but there is a reason... (maybe not legitimate, but I'll use it as an excuse anyway).

June 1st, we completely changed our system at AEL to accommodate the many requests for private and group English lessons and singing/voice training lessons. Since then, I've been very surprised at the amount of students we've signed up. So surprised, (and incredibly busy), that in fact we've had to make big changes to our "Free-style Conversation" system and schedule so we can have more time for lessons.

Today and tonight we're working at a feverish pace to update the website and send an email to our AEL family to inform them of the new changes to our "Free-style Conversation" program. I'm sorry that I have to cut back the time for our "Free-style Conversation", but at the same time I'm elated at the success of our new system for lessons.

The New AEL Website

2008-06-11T20:30:00.005+09:00

The new AEL website is here and ready for your viewing pleasure.

Endless thanks go out to our webmaster Seita-san for his professional work and artistic eye. His web design and layout makes for a much more usable and informational site than our old site (designed by yours truly)... (and I am NO webmaster, that's for sure)...

We will also include more videos soon (as soon as I can produce them)...

Check out the new site here:
http://www.americaneikaiwalounge.com

Very Special Ceremony...

2008-06-03T07:22:00.004+09:00

My friend Harumi-san was kind enough to take me to a very special local event. It was a ceremony for the renewal opening of a local temple. She explained that this event happens about every 20 years.

I was the only Gaijin (foreigner) at the event. I felt very honored and special to attend this event. I would not have had this wonderful experience without the kindness and consideration of my good friend Harumi-san.

The parade was planned to go around the neighborhood, but it was raining so they had to shorten the parade to the temple grounds only. The parade included a group of adults playing different types of Japanese flutes. They had a very distinct and wonderful sound. The parade also featured many children.

The most interesting and wonderful part of the experience was the children. They really touched my heart.

Thank you Harumi-san!

Live Performance Tonight

2008-05-30T15:10:00.003+09:00

Tonight I have a live performance in Motosumiyoshi. I think many friends and members of AEL will come to my live. This is the first time in quite a while that I will perform somewhere other than one of our AEL events.

I am very excited and I know I'll have a lot of fun. I'll be sure to write about it here in my blog.

Break a leg Brian! (That's an old saying from the stage and theater world that actors usually say to each other. It means good luck!)...

Coffee shop English lessons?

2008-05-16T14:39:00.006+09:00

I've decided to provide lessons to students who prefer to meet in their area at a coffee shop or at their home, etc. I'm not sure how to advertise for this service, other than on my website.

I would also like to do the same for singing lessons and voice training. These services are much better and easier to provide in my lounge because I have the proper music equipment.

I wonder if anyone can suggest websites that I can post an ad to offer lessons to people near their station or at their home.

I will probably start the lesson fees at ￥3,000 per hour plus transportation. Is this a fair price? What are your thoughts?

May 10th Wine Tasting Party

2008-05-11T23:40:00.004+09:00

We had our second "Wine Tasting/English Conversation/Live Music" event on Saturday May 10th. It was a slightly smaller group than our first event, but it was a very nice size.

The wine tasting was really fun, (my wife and I guessed all 6 wines correctly). Everyone spoke English the entire night. I think they enjoyed that very much. I also performed (even though tasted a bit too much wine, lol)...

We'll try to do a wine tasting type event one a month. It's a really enjoyable evening along with the English conversation and music.

"Imagine" - Singing Night #2

2008-05-05T17:20:00.006+09:00

We held our second "Singing Night" at AEL on Saturday, May 3rd. This time we analyzed the lyrics and sang the John Lennon song "Imagine". It was very similar to our first "Singing Night" last week (see the previous post for details).

This time, only ladies attended (lucky me...). All of the men who reserved their spots couldn't make it, so I was the only man in attendance. Thank you for a wonderful evening ladies! (Maybe I shouldn't tell the guys).

I was very happy that there were so many ladies at the event because in Japan, it was the weekend of "Golden Week". During "Golden Week" the country basically shuts down and most everyone uses this vacation to visit family and friends, etc.

Let's Sing with Brian!

2008-04-29T14:18:00.009+09:00

Last Saturday we held our first "Let's Sing with Brian" night here at AEL. Even though it was very short notice (less than 3 days), we had a great turnout!

Here is the basic recap of the evening:
- The event was scheduled to be 75 minutes long (it actually lasted more than 3 hours).
- We featured the Beatles "Yesterday" as the song of the evening.
- First we provided a printout of the lyrics in English, as well as a detailed Nihongo (Japanese language) translation.
- My wife explained the song lyrics and meaning to everyone in Nihongo.
- Then I explained the proper English pronunciation to the group and we practiced speaking the lyrics properly.
- I included a basic voice training lesson on proper singing posture, breathing and phrasing techniques.
- As a group, we then practiced singing "Yesterday" one lyric at a time.
- We then sang the entire song many times as a group.
- Then we separated the group into men and women to enable them to sing in the appropriate keys.
- We finished the song portion of the evening with everyone singing "Yesterday" individually in front of the group.
- We continued the evening with much beer and wine (and partied like it's 1999)...

Everyone had a great time, so we've decided to make this a weekly event.

We will begin posting this event (as well as other events) on the AEL website and Mixi, so feel free to check out our ongoing "Let's Sing with Brian" nights. Be sure to contact us to confirm your reservation!

New AEL Flyer (フライヤー)

2008-04-17T09:12:00.003+09:00

The long awaited new AEL Flyer is finally here!

Endless thanks go out to my good friend Harumi-san for her professional design and layout.

It looks great, doesn't it!

AEL's First Event

2008-04-13T22:51:00.006+09:00

Last night we had our first AEL Wine tasting/English Conversation/Live music Event.
I was so happy and surprised by the turnout of guests. We had 18 people at the event.

The wine tasting was great! My wife did an excellent job of organizing and conducting the blind tasting. She covered the bottles and prepared a list of the wines and the guests would guess which wine they were tasting.

Everyone had fun with the tasting, and two people listed all 6 wines correctly. Although it was a wine tasting, my wife made sure everyone enjoyed (and finished) all the wine. I think our guests enjoyed this part of the event very much.

I was also happy and surprised that everyone was very comfortable and talkative with each other. Although I was the only non-Japanese person in attendance, most people spoke English all night and it was a wonderful opportunity to use and practice their English conversation.

I also performed 2 stages for the event. Though I had prepared 2 stages of music, I mostly played requests. Everyone had such nice compliments, I was very humbled.
I played a few original songs, some Beatles, Sting, some classic and love songs as well.

from Brian's brain...

2008-03-17T20:34:00.004+09:00

I posted my first video clip on my Mixi. I plan to start posting video clips on my Mixi and on my AEL website soon.

Some videos will be educational while others will be musical or humorous. This particular video clip will be the intro to the humorous video clips I post.

The concept and title for the humorous video clips will be called "from Brian's brain".

Please feel free to leave any comments, good or bad. English or Nihongo (Japanese language) are both welcome.

And now... "On with the Show"...

Nihonjin Eigo Sensei...

2008-03-16T13:30:00.003+09:00

My last blog "Sending out an S.O.S." generated quite a surprising response from people here in Japan. I am thankful to all who contacted me and I hope to hear from more of you.

It has caused me to think about posting another request. Soon, I will post an ad to meet and collaborate with Nihonjin Eigo sensei (Japanese teachers who teach English) to discuss lesson programs, techniques and creative ideas.

In return, I will be happy to help you with your English pronunciation, etc.

If you are interested to contact me before I post the ad, please feel free to do so.

Sending out an S.O.S.

2008-03-14T08:55:00.006+09:00

The time has come that I must seek some help with research, marketing, scheduling, correspondence and maintenance for both American Eikaiwa Lounge and my musical performing.

Because my Nihongo skills are insufficient to maintain the tasks needed for both AEL and my musical performing, I have decided I must look for a person or persons to assist me.

I am looking for some help which would require no more than a few hours of help each week or month. I hope to find a few people of varying skills to assist me with various tasks.

In return, I would like to offer assistance to improve their English conversation and pronunciation. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please click on this link for more information.

My Mixi...

2008-03-12T08:16:00.002+09:00

I am now officially a Mixi member. For those of you who don't know Mixi, it's the largest online community here in Japan similar to Facebook or Myspace.

I also have an American Eikaiwa Lounge (AEL) mixi community. Other Mixi members can join My Mixi and the AEL community. It's a way for people to find me and AEL and also a place for me to post my online diary and other useful content.

Mixi is a bit difficult for me because it in Japanese language only, so I must rely on my wife as I am learning what I can do and how to get around the site. Soon I'll be adding some interesting content as I understand and learn to use Mixi much better.

For other Mixi members reading this post, here is My Mixi ID is "Brian_AEL". When you go to My Mixi, you can then join the "American Eikaiwa Lounge" (AEL) mixi community. (Don't forget to introduce yourself!)...

Upcoming changes at AEL...

2008-03-10T22:36:00.004+09:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I am receiving many requests from my guests for additional services, etc. Starting in April, I will change the schedule at AEL to enable me to offer new programs and courses in the near future.

Right now at AEL, I offer what I call "open conversation". My lounge is open to anyone who would like to use, practice and improve their English conversation ability with a native English speaker from the USA. But in April, I will start to offer additional programs. Here is an idea of what I will offer:

- Open Conversation: The current program at AEL as described above
- Private Conversation: One on one private conversation. By appointment only.
- Private Lesson: One on one private lesson. Based on your particular needs.
- Group Lesson: Class size will be 4-6 people with 2 different courses.
1. Pronunciation: Phonics based pronunciation. Detailed explanation of vowels and consonants usage, along with extensive listening and speaking drills designed to help you improve your English speaking skills and ability.
2. Conversation: This course will be based on understanding the usage of many different applications of words in the English language. For example, you will learn the difference, context and correct usage of similar words like see, look and watch.

Please check my website in the upcoming days and weeks as I introduce and roll out some of these programs.

New Opportunities...

2008-03-09T14:21:00.003+09:00

A few recent developments have caused me to rethink and reshape American Eikaiwa Lounge.

I have recently been hired by a professional driving school here in Yokohama to conduct English conversation and pronunciation lessons for their driving instructors. This came about after a few of the driving instructors visited my conversation lounge. They enjoyed their experience here and talked to their boss about hiring me, so they did. Tonight I will conduct my fourth lesson. I am very surprised how much I enjoy helping them improve their conversation ability. I try to make the lesson really fun and enjoyable and I think the driving instructors like it very much.

Secondly, I have been hired to conduct my first "Friends Circle" starting in April. Basically it is a gathering of young children who are 3 to 4 years old. It's a small group of 6 to 8 kids and my purpose is to immerse them in English. I am very excited about this because I love children (I'm just a big overgrown kid myself, so I'll fit in great!).

Bad Blog Boy...

2008-03-07T16:54:00.004+09:00

Well, I've been a very Bad Blog Boy...

I haven't been blogging because I'm very busy (a very lame excuse, who isn't busy?). Things have been going well at my English conversation lounge. I am having more new guests every week. Yesterday I had three new guests come to American Eikaiwa Lounge.

My original concept for AEL was to provide a comfortable and affordable place for Japanese people to use, practice and improve their English conversation skills. But the last few weeks have brought some very interesting requests and developments that will change AEL very soon. I am very excited about the immediate future.

I will explain further in upcoming blogs (I promise to post more, honest!).

6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other...

2008-01-26T18:34:00.000+09:00

My English conversation lounge has been officially open only about one month now. I am open seven days a week right now because it's the only way I can discover and understand the traffic patterns. In other words, "who" comes (men vs. women) and "when" do they come (what days and times) to my Eigo conversation lounge.

Today, I noticed a very interesting statistic that was actually quite encouraging. Including the guests that visited AEL today, the breakdown of women to men is exactly 50% of each.

It's like an old saying in America, "it's 6 of one and a 1/2 dozen of the other"...

Wonderful People...

2008-01-24T20:22:00.000+09:00

When I had the idea to start a different style of English conversation lounge, which some people may refer to as an Eigo cafe or Eikaiwa cafe, I knew I would meet some very interesting Japanese people.

In coming posts, I would like to talk a bit about some of the fascinating and wonderful people I have the pleasure to meet and chat with. I look forward to making many new friends that have very interesting stories and life experiences.

Let it snow...

2008-01-23T15:55:00.000+09:00

I was very surprised to find snow on the ground when I woke up this morning at our house. It was the first time for me to see snow since moving to Kanagawa April 1st, 2007.

It's been very cold lately, so the snow came as no surprise. It is very pretty. I wonder how easy it will be to ride my bike to the English conversation lounge today.

I hope you like the pictures!

AEL opens this Friday!

2007-12-18T18:18:00.000+09:00

Well, I've finally set a date for the official opening of AEL. I will open AEL on Friday, December 21st at 2:00pm until 7:00pm. I've been very busy preparing for the opening. I still have so much to do but I'm excited to open this Friday!

Today I emailed many friends and acquaintances and I am very pleasantly surprised to receive so many email replies within a few hours. I received many kind words and best wishes for my new venture. I was very humbled.

Maybe I will have a grand opening party after I iron out a few of the wrinkles. Stay tuned to the "Official Blog of AEL" to see when the party starts!

Finally a sign!

2007-12-17T22:26:00.001+09:00

Finally, the sign is finished and in place. I did the basic design of the sign with much help from my wife and the sign maker. The sign maker was a really nice man who did a great job at a very fair price. I am very happy with the finished product.

I built the stand (thanks to the local home center) and attached the sign. It's actually very sturdy. These pictures were taken from across the street. We'll see how effective it is very soon!

Good news, bad news...

2007-12-10T12:39:00.000+09:00

Well, the good news is that I can get ADSL at AEL. It will include a digital internet based phone, (but of course I can't get a phone number until they install it).

The bad news is that it will take at least a month for the installation, (another bummer dude).

For the first few weeks when I'm open at AEL, email and surfing the internet will have to wait until I go home after I close. Oh well, I'll live (I hope).

Internet blues

2007-12-07T08:58:00.000+09:00

Why is it so difficult to get internet service in Japan? It takes at least a week for the provider to come to your place to assess if they can provide their service. Even if they can, it takes at least another 2-3 weeks for them to actually connect you to their service.
Yesterday NTT came to AEL to assess if they can provide optical fiber cable service and they told me they cannot, (bummer dude). Now I have to start the process over again.

The couch fits!

2007-12-07T08:25:00.000+09:00

Well, I'm very happy that the couch fit through the door, (now I won't have to sit on the floor, lol). The couch is very comfortable and supports my back really well. I'm sure my guests at AEL will enjoy a very comfortable place to sit.

Yesterday I moved the refrigerator and computer table, but I have more furniture to move to the lounge. It's starting to come together but I still have much to do to open the lounge. I hope to open next week, we'll see.

Please show me a sign...

2007-12-02T23:49:00.000+09:00

Here is the view of the building from the bus stop across the street where AEL will be located. We'll be on the top floor (3rd) at the right corner of the building.

I'm trying to decide what type of sign to use and where to locate it. I'm not sure I can light the sign at night because there's no electricity outside. Maybe I can put some lettering on the side window (upper left window of the shaded side of the building). My wife suggested that and also putting Christmas lights around the window border (good idea honey)...

I think I also want something on the balcony side facing the street. Check back to see what I come up with!

So much to do, so little time...

2007-12-02T22:05:00.000+09:00

Today I've been working hard as well as thinking about everything I need to do to get AEL open. What will be the grand opening date? Where is the best place to put the sign? How should I arrange the furniture? What should I wear to the grand opening?

I have to finish the website also so I can get it hosted on the proper portals so people can find me on the internet. I must also create a basic mobile website very soon. Tomorrow the couch is being delivered. (I hope it will fit through the door)...

Oh yeah, I have to finish the flyer also! Wow, I have so much to do...

My concept for AEL

2007-11-29T19:38:00.001+09:00

First of all, let me welcome you to my blog. In another posting I will explain more about myself and also outline how and why I am here in this wonderful country of Japan. I would like to use this first posting to explain my concept for American Eikaiwa Lounge (AEL).

The basic concept for my new business AEL is to provide a comfortable and relaxing environment for Japanese people to practice and enjoy improving their English conversation skills at a reasonable and affordable price. I also believe that the majority of Japanese English speakers prefer to converse in the American style of English, which is exclusively spoken at AEL.

Another important aspect of this service I wish to provide is to structure my business and pricing in a way that requires absolutely no upfront fees or deposits. No obligation of any sort is required to enjoy your time at AEL. Simply visit AEL whenever you like, for as long as you like. My only requirement is a minimum of one hour per visit. That's just to keep the math simple.