Well, I'm standing on the extreme sidelines. But it is cool to know the people who form the focus of the film. Manny is an amazing person and I feel a real attachment to him. I am proud for him and that the Japanese scholars see him for what he is.

Remember the woman student that wandered around in short skirts and showed me the pictures of herself posing nude? Well she's still around but things have changed. Last month she brought her daughter over from Japan and enrolled her in a local private school. That wrought a great change in her personality. Also, I think Dan talked to her about her behavior and she realized we were not high school kids.

Anyway, Lieko and her daughter are visiting. Wakana invited them to see the harvest of the bananas. Elina is 10 years old and cute as a button. She's very shy and rarely speaks (to me) in anything but a whisper. She speaks no English. Right now they are outside with Wakana feeding the chicks. Earlier, shortly after they got here, she settled herself by the back door and drew a wonderful picture of a rooster in the backyard.

We cut down the two banana trees. Well, in reality, Wakana wanted to do all the cutting. I didn't get to display any testosterone at all. When the tree came down I grabbed the bunch of bananas and cut them from the stalk. I pluck one off and handed it to Elina than grabbed one for myself. Good bananas!

Later Wakana and Lieko and Elina made a banana bread pudding and we ate it hot with whipped cream. Tasty!