Movement

I moved to Niigata city on Mar 25.

Mar 22, Sunday, was a wind day. Mari, Ken and I went to Tokyo Disney Sea. Saori, Mari's little sister, joined us. The parade blew off, but we enjoyed a variety of attractions. The "Tower of Terror" scared Ken and Saori.

(Left) windy Disney Sea. (Right) Tokyo Disneyland Resort celebrates 25th anniversary.


The next morning, Monday, I carried some packages to my new lab. I drove 400 miles in about 7 hours. During the driving, I bled from my hole again. Mari encouraged me to put all my power in my ass.
At the night, I attended a drinking party of badminton club. That was farewell party for me too, and I got the "rookie of the year award". I obtained a badminton racket case, a Nike Gym Sack, and two dozens of VAAM drinks. I greatly appreciate their kindness. I will continue badminton in Niigata city.


Tuesday. I took Ken to daycare, and continued packaging my apartment. But I wasted my time over watching the final game of World Baseball Classic on TV. I admired fantastic play by Ichiro. Mari come back home at 10 p.m. and went to bed soon. I had no other choice but to clean my apartment through the night.

Wednesday. At 11 a.m., I passed movers all packages and furniture items. Then I completed cleaning, discarded trash, and had my car inspection at a garage. After that, I jammed garbage into my car, cleaned up my former lab, and left Wako city.
I needed some naps. We arrived my parents' house at midnight.

Thursday. We met Mari's parents and went toward Niigata city. At the night we stayed in a hotel in Niigata, and went to our new apartment in the next morning. We received the packages at 9 a.m. Mari held her temper because the porters broke some of her items.

I lived in Asaka city for a year. In Tokyo, it is cherry-blossom time. Niigata is snowed in yet, but there are a lot of signs of spring.

(Left) Snowing night in Niigata. (Right) Fruiting bodies of horsetail.


An interior of samurai helmet "Kabuto".
This is a kabuto replica of Naoe Kanetsugu, who was derived from Niigata region (Echigo). The letter of front crest is "愛 (love)".

The last working day

Last Thursday was the last working day for me at RIKEN. I take off and move to new working place.

In the day, I completed manuscript preparation and cleared out my desk. Then I had a coffee break at the Tully's coffee with an ice cream. Since most of other members had moved to another lab, only three members including me are remaining in the room. However, I spend the day alone because other two members took a holiday.
I went home at ７p.m. and picked Ken up. I gave Ken a haircut, but did it too short.
Mari went to a drinking party and came back home next morning.

The day was a typical day for me.

Pituitary tumor

I received an MRI last year and diagnosed as pituitary tumor. In this March, I had same examination again. The tumor size did not change but the level of growth hormone (GH) in my blood was increased. That means I have a growth hormone-secreting pituitary tumor and need surgery to remove it. I will have more detailed examination for a week at the end of April.

The pituitary gland also secretes thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which stimulates thyroid gland to secrete thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) hormones. These thyroid hormones act pituitary gland to suppress the secretion of TSH by the feedback. However, I had high levels of both TSH and thyroid hormones simultaneously, indicating a rare case of pituitary tumor, TSH-producing tumor.
The doctor said me that the incidence of the TSH-producing tumor is less than 1% of all pituitary tumors, or 1 per 10 millions persons in a year. The overproduction of GH may result in acromegaly and that of TSH causes hyperthyroidism, although the tumor appears to be nonmalignant.

I had a somatostatin-tolerance test on Mar 18. I gave a subcutaneous injection of somatostatin and had blood samplings at prescribed intervals. I will let know the result at the next examination and will have the surgeon in this summer.
I met some of my friend at the night and held a drinking party in Tokyo.

An MRI image of my brain. Arrow indicates the pituitary tumor.


Surprised (left) and smiling (right) brains.

Uranai

Last week, I went to a hospital in Tokyo to undergo an MRI on my brain.
At a shrine nearby the hospital, I took papers of "birthday-uranai", which divines one's future by the date of birth.

That for me: somewhat maverick, good for scholar.
That for Mari: amiable person, good for teacher.
That for Ken: late bloomer, good for engineer.

I agree with the divination. Ken is cut out to be a good engineer. I may wait for his flower in no hurry. Soon ripe, soon rotten.

Orita-sensei statue

Hikoichi Orita was a principal at the third-high school, which is the predecessor of Kyoto University, the second oldest university in Japan.
In the campus at the Faculty of Integrated Human Studies of the University, there was a bust of him. Since 1990th, the bust had been painted by students every spring like masquerade: angry person, kabuki actor, tower of the sun, Lenin with helmet, and so on. To stop the painting, the faculty set a signboard saying "Do not mess up this bust. Mr. Orita was one of principals of the third-high school and greatly contributed to the foundation of Kyoto University and cultivating the free, autonomous spirit." However, because the painting had continued, the faculty moved the bust to basement of the faculty in 1997.

After the removal, students have set fake busts (such as Suppa-man, Nagasawa-kun, Poko-chan, and Tendon-man) and signboards every year until now. The wit and quality of the fake bust let the faculty relent to set it in the campus.

In this February, a bust likeness of Riderman (i.e. a fictional character in the Kamen Rider V3 TV series) met and encouraged students taking the entrance exam at the campus. The free, autonomous spirit appears to be still alive in the University.

Nothing out of the ordinary

On Wednesday.

I got up at 7:30 a.m., had breakfast with Ken, took Mari and Ken to the station and daycare, respectively, and went to my lab at 9 a.m. I worked until 7 p.m. mainly preparing manuscript, and picked Ken up at the daycare. Then I did dishes, prepared supper and had it with Ken, ran water over mountain of laundry in front of the bath, took a bath with Ken, brushed Ken's teeth, opened the door for Mari, squabbled with Mari, and took Ken to bed.

Six-organ surgery

"Girl goes home after six-organ surgery"

A seven-year-old girl underwent 23 hours of surgery last month to excise a tennis ball sized tumor in her abdomen tangled around vital organs and blood vessels.

During the operation, the medical team removed 6 major organ in her: small and large intestines, liver, pancreas, spleen and stomach; and put back them except for the last three organs that had already been attacked by the cancer.

The miracle surgery was successful, and the girl is now well enough to go home. Dr. Tomoaki Kato, the lead surgeon, said that she will have a "big, long future ahead of her".

Dr. Kato is the organ transplant specialist who did the unprecedented operation on a 63-year-old Florida woman one year ago removing 6 organs to get to the tumor.
"Miami Doctor Breaks New Ground In Cancer Surgery"

I guess he is real Dr. Black Jack.

Reforming university in France

French scientists revolt against government reforms

University lecturers and researchers in France has been in a national strike since Feb 2 over a draft decree that would change their job descriptions and procedures for promotion to reform research and higher education.

According to above Nature news article, the new policy transfers responsibility to assess researchers to the university president and board. Scientists fear that cash-strapped universities might cut research time and force them to do more teaching, at a time when posts are being cut.

It says that the government's overall goal is giving universities greater autonomy. In Japan, national universities were converted into independent corporate entities in 2004. But Japan's universities are far from full autonomy in managing human resources and researches.

Curse of the Colonel

On Mar 10, the statue of the "Curse of the Colonel" was discovered and saved.

The "Curse of the Colonel" is an urban legend frequently cited as the reason why the Japan's Hanshin Tigers baseball team has failed to win the championship since 1985.

In 1985, the Hanshin Tigers won their first victory in the Japan Series. The exultant fans flipped and dived into Dotonbori canal from Ebisubashi Bridge. Here the Colonel Sanders statue (all KFC in Japan set it in front of the shop) looked like the MVP Randy Bass, so the mad fans threw that of nearby KFC into the canal.
After that, Tigers had lost championship for 24 years. Fans have referred the reason to the curse and said that Hanshin Tigers would not win the championship again until the statue to be recovered.

In the Major League, Boston Red Sox baseball team broke the "Curse of the Bambino" and won the 2004 World Series. On the other hand, Chicago Cubs could not overcome the "Curse of the Billy Goat" since 1945.

In 2003 and 2005, the Hanshin Tigers won the penant league, but lost the Japan Series. Can the Hanshin Tigers break the curse in 2009?

My friends

Recently I met two of my friends.
MS had been a student of the same laboratory. He is now working in a food company, but will soon leave there. He got doctorate and decided to focus his time on research.

Another one, HT, is working in a food company too. But he is suffering from depression. He is now out of work and is at home with his son. Sometimes he catches little fishes at nearby drain and keeps them in home aquarium. He spends all day watching them, but is enjoying his time.

I cheer both of them.

Farewell party

I will move to other University on next April. I got an email that my boss and coworkers were arranging a farewell party for me.
The laboratory that I am belonging had moved to Kobe city at the end of last year. So I went to Kobe city to attend the party held at a restaurant on Feb 23.

Here are photos in the party. I received the bouquet. Additionally, there was a message on the dish: "Be well at your new working place too".
I really appreciate them for their kindness.

Hina-matsuri

Hina-matsuri is a day to pray for the future happiness of girls. Each family having daughter(s) displays a set of Japanese dolls (mostly expensive) on Mar 3.
I have no daughter, but Ken made hina-ningyo at his daycare. See the photo. They are obina (the Emperor) and mebina (the Empress).
Mari hates any dolls. She says that she will never have hina-doll even if we will have some daughters.