８月も終了・・・。

いや〜もう８月も終わりですね！って今年も残るは４ヶ月・・・。あっと言う間に時間が経ちますね〜！今日は朝起きて午前中に先日のった車のインプレションの記事を書きお昼前にジムに行ってトレーニング。午後一で従兄弟が到着したので飛行場に行ってピックアップ。今は今夜のデトロイトに向けての準備。深夜フライトでデトロイトに行って早朝に着き、明日の夜のフライトで戻ってこないと行けないので、かなり弾丸です。いや〜しかし話が出てくる時はあっちからもこっちからも色々とでてくるので大忙しです。交渉も頑張らないと！！ではでは、夜のフライトに向けて少し一休みしときま〜す。

I can't believe it's already end of Aug. We only have 4 months left for this year and time just flies by!! Today, I had to get the article done for the car I drove last month and went to the gym just before lunch. Than I had to go to LAX to pick up my cousing who is visiting from Japan and just got home getting ready to go back to LAX tonight again to catch the flight to Detroit. It will be a hectic trip since I have to catch a red-eye and fly back next evening. However, I've got good propects in line that I have to negotiate with and hopefully I can get the deal moving forward. Well...for now, I better get some rest so my brain would be 100% funcitional when I meet the team owners tomorrow.

今週は忙しい・・・。

いや〜今日も忙しい一日でした。朝起きてからメールチェック。来季にスポンサー獲得やチームとの連絡の取り合いであっと言う間に昼前。昼直前にジムに行ってランニングをしてから、午後一で妻とダウンタウンでやってるフリーマーケットに行き、夕方は美容室に行って髪を切ってきました。しかもLAは今日はメチャ暑です！明日も忙しくなりそうです。明日は従兄弟が日本から来るので飛行場にピックアップして夜は一人で深夜便でデトロイトへ向かいます。忙しいのは良い事ですが、これこそ貧乏暇無し・・・ですかね！？！（笑）

It was another busy day. Got up and checked e-mails. I had to get in touch with several team owners as well as prospect sponsors for next year and that burned all the time this morning. Than went to the gym for a quick run and than went to the Farmer's Market which is held every Weds here in Downtown. They actually have real fresh fruits,veggies, and flowers. Than I had to go cut my hair...so I look appropriate during all the meetings at Detroit this Fri. Tomorrow looks to be another hectic day since I will have to pick my cousing up from LAX who will be visiting LA for 10days...and than return to LAX at night to catch a red-eye flight to Detroit. Well...it's good to be busy but you've gotta make sure that the money is rolling...!!!

ブートキャンプの次は・・・。

今日は朝起きて午前中にジムでトレーニング。先週末のレースで溜まったストレスを解放する為にがっつりやってきたら少しハッピーになりました。ジムでトレーニング中にテレビを見ていたら、どうやらビリー‘sブートキャンプの次に流行りそうなダイエット法はディスコ道場クラスらしいです！？！ブートキャンプは家でテレビを見ながらできて手軽ではありますが、アメリカ人はジムに行ってエアロビなどのクラスを受けるのがすきなので、このディスコ道場は流行りそうです！ま〜ようはダンスと格闘の動きを会わせて踊る感じで、キックボクシングやTaeboの前進ですね。でも、ちょっと楽しそう・・・。いつも黙々と一人でジムでトレーニングしてる自分からすると今度はディスコ道場に挑戦してみようかなって思っちゃいました！？！（笑）

Went to the gym in the morning. Since I was still stressed after the race this past week end, I was able to release some of that stress out by doing a hard work out which just what I needed. As I was on the treadmill, I saw a new fitness class on TV that's probably coming in after the Billy's Boot Camp. The class is called Disco Dojo, and it's basically a dance with the moves from martial arts. It definately looked like a great work out and I would love to give it a try!! I have to say that I have no talent in dancing and that strained me from joining the aerobics class...may be the Disco Dojo could be a good way to go for an interactive work out!!

週末はデトロイト＆フォンタナ

今日は午前中は親父を飛行場におくっていき、午後は家で色々と週末にできなかったお仕事。ソノマでIRLの社長と話した内容について、スポンサーやチームオーナーとの連絡の取り合い。今は同時進行にいごいてる話が色々とありますが、しっかりと具体化するまで頑張らないと！！

Dropped off my dad at LAX in the morning and came home and did some work through out the afternoon. I was able to get in touch and talk briefly with the CEO of IRL and had a talk with my sponsor and team owners about next year's prospects. There are many things that are moving forward and it's really about time to get all the deals moving forward!!

今週末は忙しくなりそう。木曜は従兄弟が日本からきて、夜のフライトでデトロイトに向かい、金曜にミーティングがあってその日の夕方のフライトで帰宅。翌日の土曜はフォンタナでNASCAR Buschのレースを観戦してミーティング。かなり忙しくなりそうですが、それに向けて色々と準備もしておかないと〜〜！！でも、こうやってちょくちょくレースの現場に行けるのは楽しいです。考えてみるとIndy500が終わってからずっと家に居ましたからね・・・。（笑）

It looks like it will be busy week for me. On Thurs, I have to pick up my cousing who is coming in town from Japan fow a week and than go back to LAX to catch a flight to Detroit that night. I will have a meeting on Fri and have to fly home that night again. Than on next day I will go to the NASCAR Busch race to see tha race and meet some people there so it will be a tough one. Although I kind of like the NASCAR schedule where you can sleep in... It's really hectic and busy but I much rather be visiting all the race track and talking to people than just staying home and working out at the gym.... I had a long off season after Indy 500 I guess so it's back to work time for next year!! It's kind of funny if you think about it because as a race driver...your real season is when you are looking for a ride during the season! Once you are in the car...it's like holiday every week!?!

買い物デー

昨日はソノマから戻ったのが１１時。ご飯を食べて寝たのが１時半で今朝はユックリすごしました。午後からは親父がアメリカにきていて明日の朝のフライトで戻ってしまうので色々とお土産の買い物ツアー。買い物と言っても自分の物は何も買ってませんが・・・。可愛い息子の顔を見てホッとする反面、昨日のレースがあまりにも納得いけずなんだか微妙な一日。ま〜気を取り直して次のレースに向けて活動を頑張らないと！！ではでは、来週末もデトロイトに色々と交渉に行かないと。移動費がバカにならないな〜・・・。（泣）

Since I got home really late last night...I slept in this morning and just relaxed through out the AM although I only did handful of laps yesterday. My dad is in town and he is flying home tomorrow so we decided to go shopping for souvenirs. Shopping is great if you are getting something for your self...but it really sucks just floating around seeing other people spend money. Oh well...I am still gutted about the week end and only thing that makes me happy is my son's smile. I guess I just have to keep working hard for the next race!! I will be going to Detroit on Fri and will have to fly home that night to make the Busch race in Fontana. It looks like it will be another busy week!!

Sonoma決勝

いや〜今週末は散々な週末でした。今日は朝からトラブル続き。朝のセッションではチームメートのTomasがセットの確認で２０分走行をして、自分が残りの１０分を走る予定でしたが、Tomasが降りた時点でクラッチが故障して走れず・・・。これこそぶっつけ本番状態でレースに挑む状況になりましたが、さらに最悪な事にクラッチ交換をしている時にエンジンにトラブルがある事が発覚。レース直前にエンジンを載せ変える事になりましたがシリーズのルールで決勝前にエンジン交換をするとピットからのスタートとなってしまい最悪の状況。色々とチームと話あったなか、最適の作戦は序盤戦の早いうちにピットに戻りTomasとドライバー交換をすまし、他車のドライバーが交換してる間にキャッチアップをして運の良いイエローを待つのみって言う事になりました。現実的にトップから３０秒はなされた時点でのドライバー交換が最適・・・、みたいな状況ですが”それってピットからスタートしてる時点で３０秒じゃ〜ん！“てな事になってしまいました。ま〜前戦もその作戦を使ってトップ１０入りしたようなので今回も同じ作戦にする事になりました。

It was a miserable day today. Everything has gone bad to worse… In the morning session, My team mate Tomas went out for first 20min to baseline the car and I was supposed to get the last 10min. Unfortunately, we lost the clutch at end of Tomas’s run and I was not able to go back out to feel the car. Than while we were changing the clutch, we discovered an engine failure that needed to replace the engine. By Grand Am rules, if you change the engine, you will have to start from the pit lane. We had a meeting with the team in regards to the strategy and we concluded that it would be best to change drivers early on if we catch several lucky yellows where we don’t have to pit and do the driver change. However, in order for that strategy to work, I needed to pit as soon as I got 30sec behind the leader!! That means…I am already 15sec+ behind starting from the pit!?! Well…obviously I just needed to bring the car safely back in order for them to finish the race and apparently the strategy worked out for them during the last race when they were able to move up to top 10 range.

そんなこんなで決勝のスタート。レース前にはわずか５周しか走ってない中、ミスを起こさないように＆車のフィーリングをつかみながら走行。だんだん車の動きをつかんだ所（凡そ１０周）でトップと３０秒開いており止む得なくピットイン＆ドライバー交換。なんだかしっくりこね〜なって感じですが、今回はあくまで助っ人としての参戦なので、代役は果たせた感じです。チームからは有り難うと感謝された物の、自分はちゃんと乗った気がしないから納得がいかないぞ〜〜！？！

After the start I was pretty conservative after what happened yesterday and took the first several laps to feel the car out. Just as I started to get in to the rythm(about 10laps)…I was already 30sec behind which is no surprise after having to start from the pit and the team called me in for a driver change. I really wished if I was able to do more laps but obviously I was only here this week end to help the team get through the race and I guess it was mission accomplished for me. As a racing driver, I was gutted because we were just not prepared enough and it’s not easy to do just 5laps and do well right in the race.

レースは４５分した所でエンジントラブルがまた起きて残念ながらリタイヤ。いや〜本当に今週末は自分にとってもチームにとってもトラブル続きの最悪な週末でした。ただ、こんな状況の中でチームからオファーがきて乗れた事は本当に感謝していますしラッキーだったと思います。また乗れるチャンスを作って頑張りたいと思います！！いや〜これこそLast Minuteって感じのレースでした。今回のレースは本当に土壇場での参戦で個人的にはまったく納得のいけない結果に終わってしまいましたが、何時も応援してくれてるスポンサー、ファンの皆さん、そしてメディアの方々にも心から感謝しています。また早く次のレースに参戦できるように全力を尽くして頑張ります！！

After the driver change, we were running pretty well until the engine broke again at 45min point which put us out of the race. I guess not only for me but a real bad day/week end for the team. The crew had worked so hard to fix the car and the engine and I was really disappointed not being able to reward them with a good finish. Nevertheless, I really want to thank the team for this opportunity as well as all my sponsor, fans, and media who are my biggest supporters! Hopefully I will get in to the car again in the near future and I sure want to perform much better!!

Sonoma

今日はなんだかもの凄い一日でした。昨日の１１時半にSAMAX Motorsportsのオーナーから電話が入り、急遽きてくれとお願いされもう寝る気満々だった所から飛行機の予約や荷物のパッキング・・・、レンタカーの予約等をして寝床に着いたのは１時近く。朝６時の飛行機だったので３時半に起きて飛行場に出発。サンフランに７時半について９時にサーキット入り！なんとか最初のセッションに走行できるかなと思ったら、ドライブシャフトが壊れてしまったみたいで走行できず・・・。色々とチームの作戦面を考えて何故か自分が予選アタッカーへと抜擢！？！“あの〜・・・、まだ１周も走ってないのに予選アタッカー”って聞きたい所ですが、１５分の予選走行時間でも少しでも走行をしなくてはいけないので止む得なく予選は捨てモード！？！１５分のうちに車も慣れてアタックなんてと思いつつ、予選中にペースが上がった所でちょっと調子をこいたらスピンをしてしまい、後ろに走っていた車から衝突されてそのままセッション終了・・・。ガックリです。しかもGrandAmのルールでは予選中に赤旗中断の原因を起こすと最後尾からのスタート・・・。まっ、ある意味作戦通りと言う事で明日のレースは頑張ります。チームメートのTomasEngeともデータ比較しても５周の間にドライビングの部分もかなりぴっくあっぷ！！このDaytonaPrototypeの車はけっこう癖があるんでね・・・。どちらにせよぶっつけ本番のレース頑張ります！！

It was a real strange day! I got a call last night at around 11:30PM from the team owner of SAMAX Motorsport and he has asked me to drive his car during this week end’s race at Sonoma. I obviously was eager to drive so I immediately said yes and went online to check for the flights and rental car reservations. By the time I got done with packing it was already 1am…and had to get up at 3:30am to make the 6am flight. Fortunately I was at the track by 9am and thought I was going to make the practice session but the drive shaft was broken and was not able to get out. Although I haven’t done any lap yet…I had to go out for qualifying to get some track time…so I was the qualifying driver for that 15min session. As the session has started, I took the first several laps to get acquainted with the car and the track and towards end of the session, I started to drive harder. And than oops…I got too greedy with the throttle and ended up spinning at turn 2. What was even worse was that the guy behind me had no where to go and ended up shoving my tail end of the car which I felt bad for that driver and my crew who have to fix the car overnight. Nevertheless, for causing yellow, we will have to start last. Oh well, we just have to play catch up tomorrow. Looking at the data, I think I know what to do when I get back in to the car tomorrow! I will do my best and hopefully we will be in top 10 by end of the day.

家の掃除＆交渉

今日の午前中は家の掃除。明日から親父が家に来るのでゲストルームとトイレのお掃除。お昼は家でサンドウィッチを食べて午後はずっと電話でチームとの連絡の取り合い。今週末のGrandAmのレースでずっとスタンバしててくれって言われてるチームにどうなってんだ〜〜って感じで話が進まずけっきょく今の所は相変わらずスタンバモード。ま〜オファーがある限りは乗りますけどね！！ん〜でも、何処のシリーズもスポンサー探しや持ち込みドライバーを見つけるので苦労してるみたいです。その中でも色々とオファーをもらえる事は嬉しいですけどね！！ぶっちあけ、個人的には乗りたくてムズムズしておりますが！！そんなこんなの一日でした。

Got up in the morning and cleaned my guestroom since my dad is coming in for the week end. After I got done with cleaning, my wife made me a sandwich and got to the phone talking to the Grand Am team for this week end. I really don't know what is going to happen since I am kind of in a stand by mode now. It really seems like every team in all series is struggling to find sponsors and drivers with funding. I really appreciate getting the offers to drive and I really hope this oppurtunity will come through!! Tell you the truth...I really can't wait to get back in to the car again in any circumstances!!

交渉でゴタゴタ・・・。

今日は午前中に妻のグリーンカードの取得に向けて、指紋を取りに行くアポがありダウンタウンの側のオフィッスに一緒に行ってきました。指紋を採るだけだったのですぐに終わると思ったら、１時間も待たされて息子が泣き出して大変・・・。自分は気合いで子供のお守りをして午前中はあっと言う間に終わってしまいました。そうこうしてる間に来季に向けてのスポンサー獲得の電話やチームとの交渉・・・とつぜん今週末のGrandAmのレースにもしかしたらスタンバイしててくれとの要望が会ったり等でドタバタ。なんだか忙しい一日でした。

Since my wife had a appointment to get her finger prints for the Green Card, I had a babysit my child all morning. Luckily the office where the appointment was booked was only couple of blocks away from my apartment, and since it was only a finger print...I though it would only take couple of minutes...I guessed it wrong and it literaly took all morning to get it done!! No suprise for the government work.... Anyhow, It was a busy day on the phone talking about next year's sponsor prospects and the team situation as well as a possible ride for a Grand Am this week end at Sonoma which is reallly last minute!?!

hanage

食事中の方はすみません・・・。いや〜今日はふと思った事があります。最近はずっとレースに出てないので鼻毛の伸びが遅いと言う事です！？！（笑）レースに毎戦参戦していた時は、しょっちゅうカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君に注意されたものの、最近はトリミングも不要なくらい。レースで前の車の排気をいっぱいすってると伸びも早いのかな？！？

I had a strange thoughts today. Since I haven't been racing full time lately... my nostrils aren't growing as fast as it used to. When I did the full season in 2003 & 2005, my photographer buddy Hiro stopped in my trailer all the time to tell me that I should get it trimmed. And lately, I don't even have to worry about it!! Well...I guess all the fumes out of the car is not doing all that well for you!?!

そう言えば高校生の時にかなり話題になったのですが、鼻毛“HANAGE"って痛みの単位だって話題になりましたが・・・。国際標準化機構(ISO)にも制定されたと言ってたので今日の今日まで信じていたのですが、よくよく調べてみたら９０年代後半にネットが普及した際にはやったジョークのチェーンメールだったみたいです。今までネタとして採用してたのにガックリ・・・。詳しい詳細はWikipedia鼻毛でご覧になってください。　

Speaking of nostrils...there was a rumor going around when I was back in High School stating that nostrils in Japanese "Hanage" will become the unit to measure pain. I thought it was all true since it stated that it has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization. It was supposed to be measured as if you pulled one nostril at 1N of force that will be 1 Hanage...Guess what...I just found out that it was just a choke chain mail that went through during late 90's. I guess it got so far, that many people including me still believes that measure!?!

今日はくらだらないネタでごめんなさい！？！（笑）
Well...sorry if you were having lunch or dinner....

Baby Safing the House

今日は午前中にジムでみっちりトレーニング。朝に妻が焼いたレーズブレッドをがっつり食べてしまったのでランチは抜き・・・。お昼過ぎにはベビーザラスに行って、子供の為の部屋の安全対策グッヅを購入。とくに、コンセント周りをプロテクトするものが必要かなと思い色々と見てみましたがなかなか良いのがなくて。とりあえずたこ足カバーを一つゲット。家に戻って取り付けてみるとよさげだったので、もう少し買いにいかないと。いや〜しかし、子供のハイハイも凄くなって行動範囲も広がって本当に心配事が増えました！！

Went to the gym in the morning and had a great work out. Since I had a pretty big breakfast, I skipped lunch and went to Babies R'Us to get some stuff to baby safe the house. My baby is crawling a lot more now, and he is able to get anywhere he wants. I am really concerned about the power plugs and the extension cords, and we ended up getting a cover for that. It's great to see him grow rapidly, but as a parent, I will have to really make the house safe before something happens.

家の方はさておき、今日はあっちこっちから連絡がありかなりドタバタ。そろそろ来年の話に関しても色んなチームも考え始めてる所で、自分も仕事をしっかり頑張らないと！！他のシリーズのシーズン末のレース参戦の話もちらほらでたりで嬉しいのですが早く話を具体化させないと！！

It turned out to be a real busy day today talking to several different teams. Obviously it's that time of the year already...can't Aug is almost over...

今日も家でユックリ

今日は日曜日。とくに予定はなかったので、お昼にターゲットに行って日用品をゲットした後に、ペットショップで犬と猫の餌を買った意外は家でユックリ。今週末はIRLのレースもChampCarのレースもなく、唯一予定されていたミシガンのNASCARのレースは雨で延期になり、珍しくレースを見ない週末になってしまいました。が、レースがないと日曜のテレビってつまらないですね〜〜〜！！まったく見るものがなくて、PCでネットサーフィンしてたらあっと言う間に一日が過ぎてしまいました。ん〜なんだかもったいない一日でした。なんだか、ダラダラな週末になってしまったな〜。日本も夏休みも終了って感じですね。自分も仕事に気合いをいれないと！！再来週からは色々と移動で忙しくなる事だし！！

It was a real quite sunday. I went to Target to buy some detergent and etc...and stopped by the pet store to get some pet foods...and that was pretty much it for the day. I was able to get some good rest but really felt lazy all day. What's even worse...was that there is absolutley nothing to whatch on TV during Sunday! Usually there is either IRL, Champ Car, or NASCAR on TV...but the only race that was supposed to be at Michigan was rained out and that left me with nothing other than surf the net through out the day. Well...I guess I can't complain too much about a nice quite week end since I will get busy with travel at end of this month.

LAも暑い・・・。

日本もめちゃ暑いみたいですが、LAも今日は暑かった〜・・・！！家の子はあまり暑いのが好きではないみたいで不機嫌。どうやら安川家の血筋が強いみたいでエアコン好きみたいです。今日は天気も良かったので、とりあえず午前中は子供と妻とショッピングセンターに行って、Farmsと言うレストランでランチ。デパートで妻が化粧品を買って帰宅。しかし、なんで女物の化粧品ってあんなに高いんですかね？！？世界の七不思議です。ま〜お肌のケアーが大切とは言えども、化粧品だけで月々３万円もかかってるのでは・・・と思っちゃうくらいです。ま〜仕方ないか。最近の夜泣きの時はほとんど妻が起きて子供の面倒をみているので、今日の化粧品を買う時には文句を言わず購入・・・。

It was a pretty hot day here in LA today. I guess not as bad as Japan...but my son definately doesn't like the heat and prefers the AC....just like me. Well, since it was a nice day, I went to lunch with my son and wife to The Farm at the Grove. The food there was pretty good and since we were at the mall, my wife asked to stop by the department store to get some make ups. I couldn't believe how expensice the make ups were. Well...I kind a had some ideas but all put together, it will be well over $300/month!?! I guess those make ups better work!?! Well, since my wife's been doing all the hard work middle of the night taking care of the baby, I couldn't argue with her and I stayed silent while she purchased the items.

夜泣き

いや〜最近の息子の夜泣きはやばいです・・・。歯が生えてきて痛くて夜中おきてしまうのか・・・、原因が不明ですがこの時期は仕方がないのかな？！？ん〜でも産まれたばかりの感じで最近は少し寝不足続きです。自分は気合いで寝てしまいますが妻は頑張って起きてミルクをあげたりするのは本当に大変そう。この時だけは本当に男に産まれて良かった〜って感じです。いやはや、早く息子が立って歩けるようになる日が楽しみだな〜！！それより、もう少ししたら子供のベッドをゲストルームに移さないと。じゃないと、なかなか親離れできませんからね〜！！そう言う所はアメリカンスタイルでいきます！？！（笑）

Lately my baby started to teeth...or at least I think and he is getting up every 2hr during the night. I guess it's bothering him just enough where he can't sleep through out the night. Obviously...I don't get up every 2hr...and I feel really bad for my wife but that's when I realize how great being born as a men!?! Still...I wouldn't mind to have at least a 4hr straight sleep. Well, I'm sure my boy will mature in a hurry but we will definately have to move his bed in to the guest room sooner or later.

４０℃・・・？

今日も午前中に家のジムでトレーニング。お昼過ぎに日系のスーパーに食材を買いに行って、家に戻ってきてからは夕方まで家でお仕事。ニュースを見ていたら日本は連日の猛暑で４０℃越えと聞いて驚き・・・。LAも暑い方ですが湿度がないだけましですね。いや〜でも日本にいたら本当に大変そう。

Went to the gym in the AM and did some weight training. Went to the Japanese Supermarket to get some groceries and came home and worked. While I was whatching the NHK news on TV...I heard that it was record hot in Japan!! It's pretty hot here in LA but nothing beats the humidity like being in Japan.

それより、最近の円高には驚きですね〜！？！１週間で１０円も差があるとビックリ。これがスポンサー交渉の時に本当に困るんですよね〜・・・。１０円の差があると、予算がえらい変わってくる場合もありますからね・・・。ん〜為替は怖いなとつくづく思います。でも、日本とアメリカの株が両方落ちてる事を考えると何に連動してるんだ〜って感じですかね！？！

Speaking of Japan...the exchange rate has been really crazy lately! Dollar is definately getting week and it's amazing to see difference up to 10yen just in 7days! It really is scary for me when negotiation with sponsor because that can fluctuate up to and more than 10% budget that you have originally quoted!! Good thing there is nothing going on with money transaction as we speak...although right now the yen is strong so it could have been good for me!!

ランニング

今日は午前中にジムでランニング。久しぶりに１０kmのランニングをしたらスッキリ。が、歳のせいか久しぶりにロングランをしたら少し膝が痛い・・・。ん〜膝の関節にオイルを注入しないとって感じです！？！お昼は妻と子供と行きつけの洋食屋さんでランチ。どうしても、ハンバーグとミートソーススパゲッティーが食べたかったので、ハンバーグミートソーススパゲッティーをオーダー。昼からガッツリ食べちゃいました。いやはや、日本はお盆休みのUターンラッシュですね。この頃の高速道路は平気で４０kmとか５０kmの渋滞・・・。あり得ないですよね〜〜〜。なんか、せっかくの休みをリラックスしにでかけるのに逆に渋滞でストレスが溜まりそう。そう考えるとアメリカは日本ほどの渋滞はないので生活はしやすいです。

Got up in the morning and went to the gym. I haven't been running long distance for a while so I decided to go fo a 10km run today. It was pretty good run for me...but I guess I am getting old since my knee hurts a bit after the run. I think I need to lubricate my knee joint with some oil!?! Anyhow went to lunch with my wife and baby and has some meat sauce spaghetti with hamburger patty...I guess I will call that meat-lover pasta!?! I will have to find a way to burn the calories this afternoon from all the food I had during lunch. Anyhow, a pretty quite day for me today...

Food Channel

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。最近は家のアパートに色んな人が引っ越してきて家のジムが混む事があるので、すこしトレーニングのリズムが乱れる・・・。まっ、仕方ないが今日は思うようにランニングができず少しイライラ！？！お昼には部屋に戻って仕事。

Went to the gym in the morning and had a pretty good work out. The apartment is getting crowded now, therefore there is always people in the gym now which isn't the best for my training program because it screws up the rythm when you have to use multiple machines at once. However, still better than going to Bally's though...

夕方は子供のお守りをしながらテレビを見ました。家でテレビを見る時は、ニュース、SPEED（レースチャンネル）、かFoodChannel(料理番組）をず〜っと見てます。しかも、最近はもっぱらFoodチャンネルばっかり見てます。美味しそうなものから、そりゃね〜べってのもいっぱい作ってて妻と二人でブツブツいいながら見ています。そうそう、アメリカ版の料理の鉄人などもかなりはまってますね〜！！そうそう、料理と言えばNHKの番組のキヨシこの夜の中のグッチ裕三のお料理コーナーのレシピはかなり活用させて頂いてます！？！（笑）

Came back for lunch and did some work and started to whatch TV while I played with my baby. I have cable program with 100's of channels, but only thing we whatch is the News, Speed, and Food Channel. My wife and I always talk about the great food and sometimes not so tasting looking foods.I still have to say that French and Japanese foods are most complex in making but obviously the rewards are tasty!! Speaking of foods, I am getting hungry now...need to plan for dinner!!

夏休み

週末はずっとお仕事だったので今日はとりあえずユックリする事にしました。いや〜しかし夏休み〜って感じですね。LAはめちゃ暑いです！！まっ、日本の蒸し暑さにはかないませんが・・・。ちょうど日本はお盆の時期で夏休み〜って感じですね。今はまだ息子は小さいから何処か行くとかはないけど、もう少し大きくなって物心がついたら夏休みとかを使って色々と連れて行かなくてはいけないんだな〜・・・。ん〜大変だ！なんせ混んでる所が大嫌いで、混んでるディズニーランドとかは絶対に行きたくない派です！？！でも子供の事を考えると仕方ないのかな？！？やっぱり休みの日は家でユックリするのが一番です！！

Since I had work all weekend, I decided to relax today. It certainly was a hot day and now it really feels like summer vacation!! Speaking of summer vacation, my kid is too small to go anwhere yet, but I figured once he get old enough...we will have to take him to place like Disneyland and will have to plan travels during the holiday season. Obviously I am not a big fan of going to a crowded place and I will try to avoid as much as I can...but I guess I will have to pleasure my kid too. However, the luxury of not having a real job is that you can do your holiday travel not during the crowded season. Having said that, I still prefer to just relax at home during my holiday since I travel quite often...

フェーラーリチャレンジ最終日

今日はフェラ−リチャレンジの最終日。自分がコーチしてるドライバーもかなり早くなって自信がついたのか、ず〜っと苦戦していた高速シケインも前回で走り抜ける事ができるようになり、タイムもかなりアップ！！昨日レースは９位でゴールしたので今日の決勝は９位スタート！作戦もバッチリで、抜群のスタートをし７位までジャンプアップ。が〜５位争いをしている時にスピン・・・。ん〜それだけ頑張ってくれたのかなと思うと何も言えませんが、レース中のラップは全体でも２位！！初日に比較すると３秒ものタイムアップ！！コーチが良かった事にしておきましょう！？！（笑）

It was the final day of the Ferrari Challenge week end. The driver who I was coaching improved a lot during the week end and was able to take flat through the corner where he was struggling, so I was really happy to see the progress. In the race he got a great start and was looking to finish in the top5...but unfortunately had a spin and ended up 10th. However, his fastest lap in the race was 2nd quick and he made a vast improvement from the first session so he was really happy with everything! I guess my coaching is working!?!

今日は子供と妻もサーキットに連れて行って子供も車・・・よりもゴルフカートを見て大喜び。何故だかゴルフカートが今日のツボちゃんだったみたいです！？！しかし、今日はメチャメチャ暑かったです！！帰りにアウトレットによって帰る予定だったのですが、あまりにも暑かったのでそれは断念・・・。そのまま帰ってきました。個人的には無駄な出費がなくてラッキーって感じです！！

I brought my wife and baby to the track and we were going to stop by the outlet on the way home. Since it was a really hot day at the track, we were all tired and exhausted that we decided to go home instead of stopping by the Ontario Mills. It ended up being better for me since I didn't have to spend any extra cash there...overall it was a good week end!!

フォンタナ２日目

今日も７時に家を出て８時にサーキット入り。午前中に１時間のセッションがあり、午後に予選＆夕方に決勝。自分がコーチを務めてるドライバーは午前中にかなりのタイムアップを果たした物の、予選はトラフィックにひっかかり１８位スタート・・・。決勝はパーフェクトなコーチング・・・、じゃなくて本人がしっかり頑張ってくれて９位でゴール！彼にとっての初のシングルフィニッシュだったからかなり喜んでたみたいです！！ん〜自分のコーチの方の才能もしっかり開拓されてきました！！明日はいよいよ最終日。午後一でお仕事が終わるので、息子とも妻も連れてオンタリオにあるアウトレットに行こうか考え中・・・！？！たまにはファミリーサービスをしないとです。

Left the house at 7am again to be at the track by 8am. We had two sessions in the morning, qualifying after lunch and race at 5pm. It was a really long day at the track, but it definately payed off when my driver had a best race of the season. I guess my coaching is working!?! There will be another race tomorrow and I hope to get him towards top5. It's always nice to see your client go faster and happy at the same time. Well...tomorrow will be the last race of the season for these guys and last day for me at Fontana. Since we get done racing by 2pm, I might have to bring my baby and wife so we can stop by the Outlet in Ontario...so I can be a good dad on the week end once in a while.

フェラーリチャレンジ初日

今日はフォンタナでフェラーリチャレンジの初日。朝６時に起きてシャワーを浴びてピットの散歩に行ってから、サーキットに出発。およそ５０分で到着。今日はメチャ忙しいスケジュールで１時間近いセッションが４回もありました！自分がコーチしたドライバーも一日で１．５秒アップして、トップ１０入り！！明日の予選と第一レースが楽しみです！！ではでは、明日も早起きなのでこれからお風呂に入って早めに寝ます。

It was the first day at Fontana for the Ferrari Challenge week end. I got up at 6am and hopped in to the shower and took Pit for a walk. I got a cup of coffee and headed to Fontana. Luckily, I didn't have to go through any traffic so I was there in 50min. It was a really hectic schedule today with almost 4 1hr sessions. I was able to help my driver improve 1.5sec and he broke in to top 10. It should be a fun race tomorrow to see and I hope he can get a top 5 finish. Well...since I have to get up early again tomorrow...I will have dinner and hit the bed soon.

明日からフォンタナ

今日は午前中に家でお仕事。午後はフォンタナに行き、今週末のお仕事に向けて下見＆レジストレーション。今週末はフェラーリチャレンジのお仕事で、ソノマでもコーチしたドライバーのコーチをします。しか〜し、フォンタナのロードコースは走った事がないので、はたしてどうなることやら〜！？！そんなこんなのあっという間の一日でした。日本もめちゃ暑いみたいですが、フォンタナもすっごく暑くなりそうです・・・。

As usual...got up in the morning and did some work before I headed to Fonatana. I went there to check out the track as well as got all the registration done for this week end. I will be working with a driver who I helped at Sonoma during the Ferrari Challenge races. Although it is my first time here coaching for the Fontana Road Course....I'm sure we will have a good week end. I just wished if I can take some laps in those F430 Challenge cars since they are really wicked!! Well...it's going to be another very hot week end.

僕のスィング

今日はピットが少し臭くなってきたので、グルーマーに洗ってもらいました。しっかり奇麗になり、いい匂いがするのですが、本人は自分の匂いがなくなってしまって少しブル〜みたいです！？！（笑）朝一にケーブル会社の人がきて、チューナーも変えてもらいベッドルームのテレビもしっかり映るようになりました！！幸先の良いスタートがきれ良い一日になりそう！？！

Got up in the morning and immediately called the groomer to pick Pit up for a wash. He really needed one badly and he came home nice and clean. I suppose he doesn't like getting puffed up since his odor goes away...and I think that's all important for the "Dog's World"!?! We also got the cable box fixed and it seemed to be a good start to the day!!

午前中はジムでトレーニング。昼過ぎに妻が産後ダイエットを始めると言いジムに行く事になったので子供のお守り。子供を遊ばせながらゴルフチャンネルを見て、部屋の中でかるく素振りの様なスィングをしたら、子供が大爆笑！！笑ってくれたのは嬉しいのだが、ゴルフのスィングに笑われてるみたいでなんだか微妙な気分。自分のスィングが今日のツボちゃんみたいで、ず〜っと大爆笑！！あまりにも笑われすぎてなんだか悔しい一日・・・！？！

Went to the gym in the morning and worked out really hard. Came home...and my wife apparently is on diet and she too wanted to go the gym so I had to baby sit all afternoon which was not bad at all since my baby boy was really good. I was whatching Golf Channel and started to do some pratice swing in the room. That's when my baby started to laugh out loud!! I was happy to see hime laughing, but it sure seemed like he was making fun of my swing!! Well...I guess I will let him laugh on my swing but he won't be laughing at my driving skills!?!

ケーブルテレビ

昨晩からどうやらベッドルームのケーブルテレビのチューナーがおかしい・・・。リビングのテレビは問題なく見れるのですが、ベッドルームはお昼から映らなくなりとうとう頭にきて夜にケーブル会社に苦情の電話！電話をすると“あ〜それはチューナーを変えないといけませんね〜・・・”との事で水曜日にきてもらう事になりました。が、頭にくるのがアポの予約が取れた瞬間にいきなり、ケーブルテレビのパッケージの売り込みやハイスピードインターネットとのパッケージの売り込み！？！自分もついに半切れ状態で“新しいもんの売り込みする前に、既に使用してる商品のクォリティーを上げろと”と激怒。以前からも、ちょくちょく画面が途切れたり、テレビ番組の内容が気になる時に切れたりする事がしょっちゅうあったので、ついに爆発してしまいしました。クレームをつけはじめたら、メッチャ電話を急いで切ろうとしている所もなんだか気に入らん・・・！？！

For some reason...my TV cable box in the bedroom is having some technical problems. Eversince Comcast and Timer Waner Cable has merged, the reception of the TV has been really crappy and I was always on the verge on getting on the phone with them to complain because we will always miss the most important part of the TV show. Therefore, I called in to Time Warner Cable to see if they can reset the box. Unfortunately that didn't work and they will be sending out a technician to my house. However, after we were done with booking the apointment, they started to sell me more service of TV package and High Speed Internet. That's when I really lost my temper and obviously had to tell them that "You guys should improve your quality of the service before trying to sell another product"!! I mean it really doesn't make any sense if you think about it because who the hell in this world would like to get more service from them if you are just calling in about the trouble you have with them already!! Once I started to go off on them...they were off the phone in a hurry!!

電話を切った後に寝るちょいまえに“もしかしたら”、と思い半信半疑でテレビをつけたら、“よっしゃ〜ついた”！！ってハッピーな気分。文句は言ってみるもんだなと思いきや、何時も見ているチャンネルに変えたらまたテレビが映らずじまい・・・。テレビも見れず、なんだか不服な思いで寝る事にしました。朝起きてもまだ映らないのでなんだか今日もブル〜な一日でした。

Well...I got off the phone and just wanted to try one more time to see if the TV will work. Than BOOM...the service was back on!! For a slight moment, I had a sign of glory only until I switched to another channel and the service was again shut down. Well so much for TV, I went to be really frustrated. Than I got up this AM, and with no suprise switched the TV on again. Yep...didn't work and was not a happy camper all day today!?!

今月のスケジューリング

今日も午前中にジムでトレーニング。足首の調子は完全回復してさっそく今日からランニング。筋トレもしっかりして気分爽快！！お昼はお家で素麺。夏だ〜〜って感じですね！！（笑）自分は葱が大好きなのでタップリ入れて食べちゃいます。午後は家で色々と仕事をして、今月のスケジューリング。週末はフォンタナでフェラーリチャレンジのお仕事。月末はデトロイトのレースの現場に行ってミーティング。９月は中旬にソルトレークシティでSkipBarberの仕事があって、月末にまたフォンタナでお仕事。

Got up in the morning and went to the gym as usual. Since it was a hot day, I had some cold So-men noodles for lunch. I really like to put a lot of green onions in my soup and makes the noodle even better. After having lunch, I went back on to my computer desk to work out the schedules for this and next month. I will be working at Fontana this week end, than off to Detroit at end of the month...back to LA and off to Salt Lake City to work for Skip Barber during mid Sept...and again at Fonatana for two days working for Skip again at end of Sept. It's great to be busy...but it's always an hassle trying to get travel plans panned out.

それより、驚きです！！ついに家の息子がハイハイを開始しました！！まだ、ユックリ匍匐前進状態ですが・・・。いや〜確実に成長してます。歩く日が楽しみだな〜〜。

Oh yeah...more important note...my baby finally started to crawl!! He will really get him into some trouble now, if I don't completely baby-safe the house!! I really can't wait to see him walk!!

ミシガン

今日は日曜日。昨日は早めに寝てしまったので、朝早くから目が覚めてしまい、最近は早起きの息子と布団の上でお遊び。午前中はごろごろしながらミシガンのレースを見ようと思ったら、雨でDelay・・・。ことしのIRLのレースは天候にやられっぱなしですね〜。仕方ないのでお昼からNASCAR Poconoでのレースを観戦しながらLAで行われてるX GameをTV観戦。ミシガンでは雨が止んでレース開始と思いきや、TVの放映時間の枠をこえてしまってテレビでは観戦できず・・・。しかたないので　PCでライブタイミング観戦。ん〜ESPN,ESPN2,ABCの何処でも放映されないのは完全にIRLは後回しになってますね・・・。今も観戦中ですが、レース内容はひっちゃかめっちゃかになってるみたいですね。ある意味きになる〜！？！ではでは、これから残り５０周！！現在コウスケが２位〜〜！！ん〜アメリカのレースも日本で盛り上げる為にも頑張ってもらいましょう！！！

Since it was a Sunday...I was going to sleep in....but like an old man, I was up by 7:30am. Since I had nothing to do, I played with my baby all morning and was going to whatch the IRL race from Michigan but it was delayed due to rain. I waited until lunch time to see the NASCAR race from Pocono while I flipped the channel to see the X Games from Home Depot Center. While all that was going on, it cleared up in Michigan and race has started. Unfortunately, I was not able to see the race because it wasn't on ESPN,ESPN 2, nor ABC. Therefore I had no choice other than to see the race on live timing through my PC. I guess it's another crash fest...but it will be interesting to see who will win the race now since there is 50laps to go!! My buddy Kousuke is running 2nd right now so I guess I will be cheering for him!!

家でレース観戦

今日は午前中にジムでトレーニング。痛めた足首がまだ完全復帰してなかったのでランニングの変わりに２０kmのサイクリングにウェイトトレーニング。自家製の食パンを使ってお昼にサンドウィッチを食べて、午後はテレビでMontrealで行われてるBuschのレースを観戦。前半戦は淡々と走っていましたが、後半戦はメチャメチャ面白い内容でした〜〜！！ん〜この面白いレースの内容をもっと日本でも伝える事ができたらいいのにな〜・・・。あれこそが、バトルって感じですね！！ん〜ぜひ機会があればBuschのレースに出てみたい！！

Went to the gym in the morning and cycled for 20km. My ankle injury haven't recovered fully so I skipped on the treadmill and went straight to weight training. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.. I came home and had a sandwich and saw the Busch race from Montreal. What an awesome race!! First half wasn't all that exciting but the last 20laps were great!! I really should work hard to find an oppurturnity to driver those cars!!

夕方から妻は友達と一緒にご飯に行くとの事で、今夜は息子のお守り＆一人でご飯です。一人の時は毎回おなじみの冷やし中華。妻はあまり冷やし中華が好きじゃないみたいので、一人の時がチャ〜ンスって感じでキュウリタップリの冷やし中華を作ってこれから食べます。いや〜しかし、一人で子供をお風呂にいれたりご飯の支度をするのは大変だ・・・。ふだん何も言わずやってくれてる妻に改めて感謝ですね。

My wife is going out dinner with her friends tonight...so I will be looking after the baby and will have to make my own dinner. It's not easy taking care of the baby....bathing him...cooking at the same time and I guess I will have to show a bit more appreciation to my wife in the future. Nevertheless, it's good to be able to spend quality time with my baby since I will be busy next week again.

Busch Race in Montreal

昨日の夜シャワーから出る時に、シャワーウィンドウを明けて勢いよく出ようとしたら、そのまま扉が帰ってきて足首に強打！モ凄い勢いで出血して、しかも軽い打撲をしたっぽく・・・今日はメチャ痛かったのでジムはオヤスミ。仕方ないのでお家で色々とお仕事。今週末はMontrelaでNASCAR Buschのレースが行われてます。　PoconoではNEXTEL Cupのレースが行われるので、CUPのドライバーはあまり出てませんが、NASCARとしては初のカナダのレース。しかも、今回はカナダでのレースと言う事もあって、カナダ人の友達でもあり良きライバルのMichael ValianteがJuanPabloの車で参戦。けっこう活躍してるので明日のレースが楽しみです。ん〜リザルトを見ると自分もBuschのレースにもぜひ出てみたいです・・・。

I took a shower before going to sleep last night...and since I was really nacked, I rushed out of the shower room to hit the bed. I guess my brain must of been dead when I pushed the door too hard and it came back to hime my ankle really hard!! I started to bleed...and it's all bruised up....and that gave me a good excuse to skip the gym today since I could not cycle or run at all. It gave me good time to catch up with couple of work that I had to get done for a while. It will be an interesting week end with Busch race from Montreal. I believe it will be the first NASCAR race in Canada and my buddy Michael Valiante is driving the #42 car which was reguraly driven by Juan Pablo, who will be racing in Pocono this week end. Looking at the drivers, I really would like to have an oppurunity to race the Busch cars in real near future!!

仲良くお昼ねzzzz

今日も午前中にジムでトレーニング。終わってから来週のフェラーリチャレンジのお仕事で色々と電話での連絡の取り合い・・・。ホッと一息ついて、ベッドルームに行ったら息子とピットが仲良く気持ち良さそうにお昼ね・・・・。ついつい、自分も寝たくなっちゃいました。が可愛いのでデジカメでワンショット！！

As usual..got up and went to the gym in the AM. Than I had to plan things for next week end where I will be coaching a driver in Ferrari Challenge. After being on the phone for a while...I went to the bedroom to check on my baby and he was having a nap with Pit. I guess they are good buddies now...!?! I wished if I could joing them for a nap, but decided just to take a snap shot and back to work.

そうそう、この間ず〜っと妻にねだられて半強制的にミニベーカリー（パン焼き機）を買いました。意外とリーズナブルな価格でゲットする事ができるのですが、さっそく昨日から妻が食パン作りにチャレンジ！！機会を買ったからには、もうパンは外で買わないよ〜って勢いで言ってしまいましたが、作ってみると実際にメチャ美味しい！！色々と分量をしっかりあわせて作るのは大変そうですが、とにかく焼きたてのホカホカパンはおいしいですね〜〜！！とうぶん、パン屋に行く事はなさそうなので、これで少し食費削減ですね！？！（笑）

Couple of days ago, I bought a mini-bakery for my wife since she has been on my tails to buy the machine so she could bake some bread at home. I told her that I will buy the machine as long as we don't buy bread at the store any more. Obviously I just wanted to put some pressure on her so the machine will not get used once a year. However, we ended up baking a bread last night and it was just great!! Nothing beats bread just out of the oven!! It is definately way better than buying them from the store and I'm sure we will be able to save some cost here and there...!?!

ミーティング

今日は午前中にジムに行って１０kmのランニング。お昼はトーランスでミーティング。今後の件に関して前向きなミーティングができたと思います。ま〜色々といま動いてる物はすぐには具体化する話ではありませんが、頑張り続ければロングタームにプラスになる話だと思うので全力で頑張り続けないと！！

Went to the gym in the morning for 10km run. I had a lunch meeting in Torrance and it all went pretty good. All these meetings that I am having now may not be an immediate deals but I think there are many prospects for the long term future/relationship that will do good for me. It may turn in to something or even nothing...but nothing will come to you if you don't keep trying.

いや〜今日でついに８月ですね〜。日本はもうメチャメチャ暑いのかな〜〜？？自分は先週末はラグーナでメチャメチャ日焼けをして、肌がボロボロ。まだ６ヶ月の息子の肌に比べるとぜんぜん艶が違いますね〜〜！！でも、本当に男で産まれて良かった〜って感じです。肌のケア〜の事なんか考えれないほど、アウトドアーの時間が長い仕事ですからね・・・！？！（笑）何時も寝る前にしっかりお肌のケアーをする女性の人達には本当に感心する限りです。

Man...I can't beleive it's already Aug!?! I'm wondering if it's really hot already in Japan. I am glad I am here in So-Cal since at least it's not humid out here. However, I think my skin is getting old after getting major sun tanned this past week end at Laguna. I have to say that I am really happy being man instead of a woman since I don't have to worry about these skin cares before going to sleep as well as putting all these UV Block when going outdoor.... Thinking about that, may be I have to show some respect to my wife when she is taking time to put make up on!?!

書類の整理

今日は午前中にジムで１０kmのランニング。お昼はカメラマンの斎藤ヒロ君とランチ。昨日からどうしてもそのお店のハンバーグが食べたくて、昨日はお店が休みだったので今日はリベンジ。しっかり食べて満足した上にヒロ君にご馳走してもらっちゃってラッキ〜〜！！帰りがけに日系のスーパーによって、食材をゲット。家に戻ってきてからはずっと書類の整理をしていたらあっと言う間に一日が経ってしまいました。これからは息子をお風呂にいれて、色々とお願いしている仕事の資料に目を通さないと・・・。ん〜なんだかやる事がエンドレスにあるな〜！？！

Got up in the morning and went straight to the gym for 10km run. Than had lunch with my buddy Hiro at this place in Gardena. I was there yesterday since I wanted to eat there Japanese style hanburger for lunch but they were closed!! I still wanted to have that hanburger for lunch and I was so satisfied after eating the whole thing today!! Stopped by the supermarket to pick up some groceries for tonight and went straight home. I had to go through many paper works today...I guess I really need a secratary for this... and just about ready to bath my baby. Than I will have to go through more paper work today. I hope this paper work stuff turns in to money maker in the near future because it sure seems like it's all endless work to do...!?!