ホームステッド２日目

今日はホームステッドテスト２日目。と言っても自分はテストでなくて交渉ですが・・・。現場に来て話をするのが一番速いのですが、チームやマネージャー＆オーナーの都合を見計らったタイミングを見つけて話し合うのでメチャメチャ気を使うんですよね。ま〜正直に言うとあまり好きなプロセスではありませんが、長年やっていてひっつこいくらいがちょうど良いと言う事を覚えたので今は朝飯前です！？！（笑）

Today was the second day at the Open Test. Although it really is not a test for me...but more of a negotiation time to get all the details worked out. I must say that I really hate doing this because you have to pick the right time to approach the team manager and owner to get the talk moving forward because if you do pick a wrong time to talk (ie:when the team is struggling or after a shunt), the negotiations can go down south!?!

しかし、サーキットに来て色々と走ってるのを見ると早く車にのりて〜〜！！テンションがかなり上がってきました！！明日からはまたLAに戻りますが、具体的な話を決めれる様に全力がんばります！！

Nevertheless, I can't wait to get back in the car after watching all the car going out today!! I think my deal is really moving forward and I feel safe to say that there is a big announcement coming really soon!! So stay tuned guys!!

ホームステッド

今日はお昼にホームステッドに到着。ようやくIRL&CCWSの正式な合併の会見があったので、それを覗きチームなどと色々と話し合い。合併の話もこれで正式に発表されて、ようやく方向性が見えてきたので何よりです。でも、細かい事をまだまだ決める事が沢山あるので大変です・・・。明日もサーキットに行って頑張らないと！！

I went to the track today. There was finally a formal press conference about the IRL & CCWS merger today and I was surprised to see so many medias out there!! It definitely is a good thing for the sports!! It certainly have opened up a lot of opportunity for me and I feel pretty close on getting all the detail worked out. I have a lot more things to get done tomorrow so I better get to sleep early tonight.

マイアミに到着

今日はお昼過ぎにロスを出発して、デンバー経由でマイアミに到着。ホテルに着いたのは２時を回っていました・・・。眠っ・・・。そんなこんなで今から明日に備えてユックリ寝ます。

Just arrived to my hotel in Miami. I left LA after lunch...and went through Denver. It is already past 2am...and I better get to sleep so I can get some serious work done tomorrow morning.

明日からホームステッド

今日は午前中から連絡の取り合い。お昼前に車の原稿を書いて、夕方にジムでトレーニング。明日のお昼にホームステッドに出発するので、ピットを知人に預けて、猫のキャット・シッターへの段取り・・・。一人だと家を出るのにも色々と準備があって大変です。

Woke up in the morning and had to contact couple of people before I head to Homestead tomorrow. I also had to finish up an article about a car that I drove about a month a go... Than I had to drop off Pit to my friend's house who always look after him, and had to arrange a cat sitter for my cat. It certainly is a lot of work arranging everything for a trip when you are alone!?!

そうそう、掲載された記事の雑誌が届きました！色んな所に記事を書かせてもらえるチャンスを頂いて自分はラッキーだなと思います！！その分もこれからも頑張らないと！！そうそう、アメリカでは現在発売中にRoad&Trackにも出てます！！

Here is a pict of couple of articles that I wrote in a Japanese Magazine. I certainly appreciate the opportunity that I was given to write and I really hope I can keep doing a good job for the medias providing nice articles about new up coming cars. I am also in the latest Road & Track magazine but it may be selling quick so you may want to hit the stand quickly!?!

雨

昨晩は物凄い雨が降ってました。友達の家に誕生日パーティーのお祝いで行ったのですが、帰りは雨のドライビング。アメリカの道は水履けがわるいので、高速道路ではアクアプレーンしまくり・・・。ちょっとビビリながらの運転でした！？！（笑）

It rained pretty heavily last night. I was at my friend's house celebrating his birthday but the drive home was pretty miserable. The roads here aren't designed to accommodate the rain and when it rains...the freeway literally turns in to a river!?! Obviously it was a rough drive home doing some aqua plane on 110fwy but was able to get home safely with all my years of training as a race driver!?!

今日も雨はなんだか降ったり止んだり。フォンタナで行われてるレースも中断したりでなかなか終わらず大変です・・・。レースを見ながらトレーニングしようと思って行ったのですが、レースが始まる前にトレーニングは終わってしまいました！？！（笑）なんだか、雨で延期や中断になるレースってドライバーにとったらけっこう大変なんですよね。心の準備がしにくいと言うか・・・、トイレのタイミングを調整するのが大変と言うか。今日はNASCARの選手が大変だな〜って人ごとの様に思っていながら、去年のIndy500の事を思い出す一日でした。

The weather was slightly better in LA but not in Fontana area where the NASCAR race was held. It was delayed...stopped...resume...stopped...and still waiting to finish. It really is tough for the driver when you have that kind of situation because you don't know when to be ready and you certainly have to pace your self on the hydration and plan your restroom before you get back in to the car. It's probably the only time I was happy actually not racing today...seeing all the NASCAR drivers trying to figure out what the plan was. However, it definitely reminded me of the 500 from last year when we had to deal with similar weather situation.

Pitの友達

今日のLAは日中は久しぶりに天気が良かったので、その隙を狙ってピットを散歩に連れて行きました。家の隣に公園があるので、その公園に行くのが毎日の散歩コースになっていますが、今日はたまたまもう一匹チワワが居て、ピットは大興奮！！初めて会った犬ですが早速お友達になり、走り回って最近の運動不足も解消！？！

Finally...there was some sunshine today so I took Pit for a walk. Fortunately there is a park right next to my apartment...although being in Downtown, it is daily routine to walk through the park. He was able to meet a new friend, a Chihuahua, a dog more of his size and was able to run around a play together for a while.

晴れたかなと思ったのも束の間で、夕方からはまた雨が降ってなんだか微妙な天気。今週末はフォンタナでNASCARのレースが行われてますが、なかなか雨のせいでスケジュールがずれこんで大変みたいです・・・。さてさて、明日はどんなレースになるか楽しみです。

I thought the weather was going to stay nice for rest of the day....but I guessed it wrong. It is raining again and it certainly is creating a lot of problems where the NASCAR boys are racing this week end. I hope at least it will be nice tomorrow so I can watch the CUP race.

合併！

今日の夕方についにIRLとCCWSが、合併する事に合意ができたと言う発表がありました。詳しい詳細に関しては週末の間にまた話し合って決めて、正式な記者会見は近日中に行うみたいですが、とりあえず決まって何よりです！！

Just heard about the announcement of the merger between IRL & CCWS! All I have to say is "Great! Let's go RACING now!!". I think the details are still being worked out and a formal press conference should be held some time soon.

今年はインディー・カーが盛り上がりそうですね！！台数も増えそうですし、レベルも上がりそう！！なので、インディー５００のバンプ・デーもスリリングになりそう！！って事は自分も競争率が高くなるから、ここ数年の様にギリギリに出てって余裕で予選を通過するのは難しくなるかも！？！ん〜と言う事は今まで以上に頑張らないといけないな！！つまり、良いプログラムを組んでもらえる様にチームとも交渉しないと。そんなこんなで今日はアメリカン・モータースポーツにとっては歴史的な日になりました！！

Again, this is great news for the American Open Wheel Racing community, fans, and etc. We were all hoping for this to happen and although it may not be an ideal time do it considering the season opener being around the corner...it was now or never!?! Well, the competition level is going to be high this year and getting in the field for the Indianapolis 500 will be tougher than ever!! I am really looking forward for the challenge and I will have to work that much harder to get better results!! Anyhow, today is a history for American Motorsports and there should be many good things to come once everything gets sorted.

もうチョイで発表・・・？！？

今日もLAの天気は微妙です・・・。日本はまだ寒いのかな？ちなみに、電話で話をした所、インディアナポリスは雪みたいなので、LAの天気に文句は言えませんね！？！（笑）

Another weird day here in LA....it was overcast and some drop from the sky. I guess I can' complain too much about the weather since apparently it is still cold in Japan and is snowing in Indianapolis.

さてさて、今日もずっと電話とメールで色々とやり取りで終わってしまう一日。IRL & CCWSの合併話もかなり前進しているみたいで、噂では明日のお昼に何らかの発表があるみたいです！色々と噂を聞くと合併をする事は間違いなさそうです。個人的にはそっちの話が早く決まってくれないと自分の話も進まないから、“どうでもいいから・・・、早くしてくれ〜”って言いたくなっちゃう所です。（笑）とにかく明日の会見でどういう事が発表されるのか待ち遠しいです！！

It was another day at work today getting on the phone and working through the e-mails. Apparently, there is supposed to be some kind of announcement tomorrow about the IRL & CCWS merger. It better be good since we all had to wait for this for a while, and it certainly has put all the teams at halt for deciding on their program. However, I have good faith in this merger talk and I certainly am looking forward for a stronger series! Well, let's keep our ear and eyes wide open for tomorrow's announcement.

ミーティング

今日はなんだか物凄く忙しい一日でした。朝からずっとメール＆電話でのやり取り。合併話はまだ決まってはいませんが、金曜日に何らかの発表があると言う噂。どちらにしても合併をする方向で話は動いてるので、色々と考えると良い方向に話が進んでると思います。

It was a pretty busy day for me. I was working all morning going through the e-mails and making phone calls to talk about the racing program. There is no official announcement as of yet...but the words on the street is that the League is preparing for some kind of announcement on Friday morning, Either way it sounds like this merger is going to happen which is a great thing for American Open Wheel racing.

夕方はIndyJapanに関してのミーティング。この合併話で色々と遅れをとっているので、この数日間で挽回しないと！！夜もミーティングでなんだか忙しい一日でした。LAの天気も悪くて＆寒くて・・・、早く天気が良くならないかな〜〜！！

In the afternoon, I had several meetings to talk about the Indy Japan race. We are so behind on organizing everything because of this merger talk...I will have a lot of catch up work to do once we know what will happen with the series. Unfortunately the weather is not so nice and it's pretty cold here in LA....I hope at least the weather will get better for this week end since there is NASCAR race at Fontana!!

合併・・・？！？

今日は朝起きて午前中はメールのやり取りと電話で色々と話をしていたらあっと言う間にお昼になってしまいました。昨晩からIRLとCCWSが合併成立・・・と言うニュースが飛び立って早ければ木曜までに発表があるとの噂。しか〜し、色んなハチャメチャな噂ばっかりでていて、何が本当で何が嘘なのかは意味不明な状態。とりあえず、今は発表を待つしかないって状況です。

Woke up in the morning and went straight to my computer. There were rumors last night that IRL & CCWS have come to an agreement for a merger and I was reluctant to see if there would be any formal announcement to be made today. Sounds like there will not be any kind of announcement until Thurs...but since there are so many speculations out on Internet that I don't know what and who to believe now!?!

昼過ぎからはジムでトレーニング。トレーニング後にまた家でパスタを作って食べて、夕方まではまたお仕事。ん〜なんだか意味不明に忙しい今日この頃です・・・！？！

Well...so much for the gossip, I went to the gym to train during lunch time and came home and made my own lunch(Pasta) again. Than I was back on my computer for rest of the day. What really feels weird is that there are so many things I have to do while it feels like we are not getting anything done...

スパゲッティー

今日は午前中にカイロに行って、身体のメンテナンス。ここの所ずっと腰が痛かったので、見てもらったらだいぶ楽になりました！！どうやら、右足と左足に４cmちかいズレがあったみたいです！？！しかし、ほんとちょっとした事で身体の調子が悪くなるから不思議なもんですよね・・・。とりあえず、金曜にも見てもらう事になりましたが、今日の治療でかなり腰もスッキリ。

I went to see the chiropractor this morning since my back has been aching for a while. I found out that my left and right leg differed in length(almost 1inch)! I was able to get my body fixed up and my back feels much better now. I will need to go back on Fri to get another check up but it made me realize that I need to get a maintenance just like a car every now and than,

家に戻ってきて色々とチームで電話で喋って今週中に色んな動きがありそうと確認。チーム側もペンディング状態で困っている模様。早く合併話の結末がどうなるかが知りたい所です。

I came home and was on the phone for a while trying to figure out what was going on. Seems like all the teams are anxiously waiting to hear back from the two series on the outcome about the merger solution. I really hope to have some serious development by end of this week...

お昼には家で一人なのでパスタを作りました。今日はニンニクとトマトのスパゲッティーにルッコラを添えたもの。できはボチボチでした・・・。

Well...as for lunch, I ended up making a Tomato Spaghetti with Arugola. It turned out to be pretty good.

ランチを食べてからジムで軽めのトレーニング。今日からガッツリ行きたかったのですが、ペースコントロールで今日は軽め。明日はいよいよがっつり行くぞ〜〜！？！

After lunch I was off to the gym for light training, I wanted to lift some heavy stuff but I figure I will need to pace my self since I am no longer young...!?! I will definitely be doing harder training tomorrow so I better get some good rest tonight!!

Daytona 500

今日は午前中はユックリでお昼前からジムでトレーニング。久しぶりのトレーニングで身体もスッキリ！明日からもずっとハードなトレーニングを続けないと！！で、さっきまでやっていたDaytona500をテレビ観戦していました。

Had a slow start to the morning and went to the gym just before lunch. I finally was able to get some good quality time at the gym and should have an intense training program for the next 10 days. After the work out, I watched the Daytona 500 which was an excellent race!!

いや〜NASCARのレースも面白かった〜。最後の最後まで誰が勝つの〜〜って状態でしたが、蓋を開けるとペンスキーの１−２フィニッシュ。あれは、完璧チームワークですね。やっぱりドラフティングが重要なレースだと、チームメート同士の戦略も大事ってことですね！！

It was hard to guess who was going to win and I was thinking one of the Toyota may end up at the top. Well...I guessed it wrong and the two Penske cars ended up on the top at very last lap. It just showed how important the team work is at the drafting track as well as with this new COT cars.

さてさて、自分はこれからピットを預けている知り合いの家にピックアップに行ってきます。会うのが久しぶりだから楽しみだな〜。が、最近は家でプライオリティーが息子なのでピットはヘソを曲げて、他の家に居るときの方がゲスト扱いだから嬉しそうです・・・！？！（笑）

Tonight, I will need to pick up "Pit" who was staying at my friend's house for 10days. "Pit" actually enjoys being taken cared by other family since he can get all the attention...unlike being home where my son was getting all the priority!?! He may not want to come home now....

LAでまったり

今日はLAで一日中ユックリする事ができました。やっぱLAは気候がいいから良いですね！昨晩は特別遅くに寝た訳ではないのに、疲れがたまっていたせいか今朝は１１時頃まで爆睡してしまいました！？！こんなに寝たのは１年半振り・・・かな？基本的には７〜８時前に起きてしまう日課が続いていたので、なんだか久しぶりに家で一人でユックリできると思ったらグッスリ寝てしまいました！

I was able to relax through out the day today. I didn't get to bed that late last night...but was able to sleep through until 11am this morning which is odd for me. I usually get up before 7 or 8am...but I guess I must have been tired with all the travels this last 10days. Besides, I am home my self and I figured I need to maximize this time with out getting any distraction from my wife or my son!?!

今日はテレビでNASCAR Nationwideシリーズのレースを見ていました。明日はデイトナ５００ですが、TOYOTA勢は調子が良さそうですね〜。ようやくレースシーズンが始まったって感じで楽しみです！！

I watched the Nationwide Race today and I am really looking forward to the Daytona 500 tomorrow. The Toyota seems to be strong this year and would be interesting to see who will come out on top tomorrow!!

やっと帰宅

今サンフランから戻りました。今日は３時までソノマでフェラーリチェレンジのドライバーのコーチをして、空港には５時に着いてました。早目にフライとにスタンバイしたのですが、月曜はプレジデント・デーで３連休の週末なので飛行機はゲロ混み。残念ながらフライトには乗れず、仕方ないのでターミナルで夕食を食べて予定通りの８時のフライとで帰ってきました。

Just got back from San Francisco. I was done with the Ferrari Challenge driver’s coaching duty at 3pm and got to the aiport at 5pm. I was on Stand By for an earlier flight but unfortunately due the President’s Day week end, the flight was over sold and I had to take my original flight at 8pm. Heck…I was in no rush so I decided to eat dinner at the terminal so I can get to sleep right when I get home.

とりあえず、家に戻って来れてホッとしてます。週末は猛トレーニングの予定です！来週は体調をしっかり整えて、しかも平行にIRL&CCWS合併話で滞ってる交渉を急ピッチで進めないと。本当にこのお陰で沢山のチームがペンディング状態なので大変です・・・。とりあえず、今日は早目に寝とこっと。

Well…I am relieved to be back home. I can relax for a week now but will need to do some intense training during next two weeks getting ready for the season. I will also need to push really hard on getting the deal moving forward. The merger talk between IRL&CCWS is putting a lot of teams on pending mode in which making it really hard for the drivers to get the deal moving forward. Having said all that…I think I will need to get a good night rest tonight and be ready for upcoming week.

時差ボケ・・・？！？

昨日は時差ボケのせいかなかなか寝付けず状態・・・。気がついたら３時頃になってました。７時頃になってだる〜って起きて、朝からサーキットでお仕事。フェラーリチェレンジのドライバーもだいぶ自分のコーチングと息があってきたのか、去年と比べると恐るべしタイムアップ！！本人も喜んでるみたいなので、何よりです。

I am still jet lagged from the trip...I couldn't sleep until 3am last night and was up at 7am this morning. I was still sleepy but at least the weather was nice and turned out to be a good day at the track. My driver is getting better every time we work together and I am really looking forward for his first race!

しかし、相変わらずアメリカは合併話で色んな噂が飛び回ってます。どうなる事やらって感じです・・・、が早く方向性が決まらないと自分の話も進まないので困った所です。アメリカン・オープン・ホイールを考えると合併は不可欠ですが、慎重に話し合って決めないと、あとあとまた面倒な事になりそうです。とにかく来週までは動きはなさそうな感じです。

Well...the talk about the US motorsports this past week has all been about Open Wheel unification and not so much about the Daytona 500. There are lots of rumors going around and it certainly would be a great thing for American Motorsports if they can merge. However, I really hope they don't rush in to the decision since there are so many obstacle that they have to overcome and more or likely...I feel it it better off to prepare the merge for next year. Well...who knows what will happen?!?...but seems as if nothing will happen until next week.

サンフランに到着

さっき無事にサンフランに到着しました。今朝LAに着いて家に戻ってお仕事。ちょこっと昼寝をしてから、６時に家を出て夕飯を食べてからサンフランに出発。ホテルに着いたのは１２時過ぎでした。かなり疲れましたね・・・。

Just arrived to SF. I was in LA this morning and got some work done....than took a nap for a little while, had a dinner meeting and was off to SF at 9pm. It is already past 12am here...and I am pretty tired.

明日と明後日はソノマでフェラーリチャレンジのお仕事。思ったよりも暖かいので良かった・・・。って言っても日本ほど寒くないだけど、普通に涼しいですけどね！？！（笑）では、明日の仕事も早いのでそろそろ寝ます。

Well, I will be here for next two days coaching a driver in Ferrari Challenge. It is warmer than I thought here so at least that would be nice working out door. I better get to sleep now...

これから出発

今は成田でこれからアメリカに戻ります。いや〜今回の滞在はタフでした。家族を連れての帰国は本当に大変ですね。もともと、子供の頃から飛行機は一人で乗るもんだと思っていたので・・・！？！（笑）そうそう、空港でファンの方に声をかけてもらってなんだかメッチャ嬉しかったです。色々と考えて行くと茂木が楽しみです！！あっ、その前に早目に話をパパット決めてこないと！！もう１ヶ月程もうちょいと言ってますが、あと一息です。帰ってからも忙しくなりそうだ〜〜〜！！

I am at the airport now getting ready to catch my flight back to LA. It certainly was a busy trip and I am really looking forward to getting home. I usually travel by my self so arranging everything for my wife, son, a pet sitter for my dog and cat was just too much. However, the highpoint of my trip was when I bumped in to my fan at the airport who wished me the best for this season!! I really hope I can get the deal done really soon to give great news to all my fans in the near future!!

酸素カプセルで復活！

今日はもうアメリカに戻る日。１週間の滞在もあっと言うまでした・・・。昨日は滞在中の疲れ＆体調不良を治す為に午前中はエアープレス上野に行って酸素カプセルに入ってきました。１時間半ミッチリ入って、残りの２０分はマッサージチェアーでマッサージ。これ、かなり快適でそうとうリラックスができました。カプセルから出たらいきなり生き返った感じで、改めて効果の実感を得る事ができた感じです。

I can't believe I am already going back to LA today. Usually my 7day stay here in Japan feels a little bit longer...but this time it was so hectic that I never even had time to think about anything. Well, since I needed some time to recover as well as to relax, I decided to go to AirPress Ueno to get oxgynated. I was in the oxygen capsule for 1.5hr and than sat on the massage chair for 20min. I will say that I felt really refreshed after being in the capsule for 1.5hr and definitely can say that those thing work well!!

さてさて、今から午前中に数件ミーティングがあり、お昼過ぎに成田に向かい今晩のフライトでアメリカに戻ります。早く戻らないと、インディアナポリスではIRL＆Champ Car合併の話で色々と噂が飛び回っているので情報収集しないと・・・！？！

I am off to several meetings this morning before I head back to US. I better get home in a hurry since there are a lot of rumors going around about the IRL & Champ Car merger....

久しぶりにアップ

皆さんお久しぶりです。数日間ブログアップをしていなくてごめんなさい・・・。日本に戻ってきてから、挨拶回りでドタバタでした。週末は妻の実家がある岡山に行き、妻と息子はそのまま岡山に滞在して自分だっけさっき東京に戻ってきました。自分一人の行動だったら楽なのですが、今回は息子と妻も一緒でしかも移動のときは大荷物だったので、残念ながらPCは持てずブログのあっぷもできず・・・、携帯からのメール確認だけの数日間でした。

Sorry for not updating my blog for couple of days... I have been traveling the last couple of days with my family here in Japan while trying to have some meeting at the same time. It has been a hectic couple of days. During the weekend, I took my wife and son to Okayama where my wife's family live and just came back to Tokyo. My wife and son will be there for couple of weeks while I will be working hard...!?!

明日は東京でお仕事。明後日のフライトで戻り、LAに着いたらその日の晩にサンフランに移動してソノマでフェラールチェレンジにお仕事。引き続き大忙しな毎日が続きそうです・・・。

I will have multiple meetings tomorrow and will fly to LA on Weds, Than I am off to SFO and to Sonoma that night for a coaching duty for my Ferrari Challenge driver....I better get some rest tonight...zzzzz

日本も寒いですね〜・・・。

まだ時差ボケ状態・・・。でも、今日は７時前まで息子が寝てくれたので、なんとかグッスリ寝れました！昨日は実家に両国にある親父の実家に行って、親戚勢に息子のお披露目。皆と会って、息子はちょっとビックリしてましたが、最後には大興奮。本人も大喜びみたいです！！（笑）

Obviously I am still jet lagged...however, my son was able to sleep in until 7am so I was able to get some decent sleep last night. Last night I went to see my father's family relatives and had a big dinner. Today, I will have to do some work in the morning and than off to see my mom's family relative. The schedule is just as tough for my son just like all my pre race event date before the Motegi race or Indy 500!?!

今日は何カ所か挨拶回りをしてから、午後は母親の方の実家に行って、またまた息子の息子のお披露目大会。自分の茂木＆５００前の様に息子にとってはハードスケジュールですね！？！（笑）しかし、日本はやっぱり寒いですね。週末は雪・・・？！？でもLAでは見れないから息子も喜ぶかな？！？

Since I am only here until the 13th...it will really be a busy trip and there is no time to waste...but certainly enjoying the great food here!! It is definitely really cold here and it is supposed to snow during the week end which I am not looking forward to. However, it will be the first snow experience for my son and he may enjoy...but I hope he doesn't catch a cold during this stay.

日本に到着

昨日の夜、無事に日本に着きました。着いたら雪が降っていたのでビックリ！？！この間インディアナポリスに行った時に寒さに比べればヘッチャラですが、日本も寒いですね〜。

Arrived in Japan safely. I was surprised to see the snow when I arrived at the airport! Since I was in Indianapolis last week where it was much colder...this feels like nothing but it definitely is cold enough!?!

飛行中は息子も静かにしてくれていたのですが、さすがに何時起きるかわからないので、なかなかユックリくつろぐ事はできませんね・・・。息子は機内でグッスリ寝て、もちろん今は完璧に時差ボケで４時前から起きてます！？！そんなこんなで自分も目が覚めてしまい、早速メールチェックにお仕事です！！

During the flight, my son was really quite and behaved well. Although he slept through the flight so well, he is still jet lagged and was up from 4am this morning. Obviously I was up too so I figured it would be best to get all my work done in the morning so I can visit some people during the day and make the most use of it!!

これから日本

今はLAの空港に居ます。今回は妻＆息子も一緒なので荷物が大変・・・。無事にチェックインも終わり、今はラウンジに居ます。１歳になった息子も意志が強くなって、１１時間のフライとを我慢できるか不安です。何時もはフライと中に爆睡ですが、今回は寝れなそう・・・。では、そろそろ出発の時間なので行ってきます！！

I am at the airport now. Since I am traveling with my wife and my son this time, I had quite a few luggage to check in. Everything went smoothly and I am at the lounge now waiting for the flight. I usually sleep through the flight to Japan but I am not sure how my son will take the 11hr flight... I guess it will be a long journey for me! Well...it's time to fly!!

ワイン・テイスティング

明日から日本に戻る予定です。今回は家族を日本に連れて自分は１週間でアメリカに戻る予定です。妻と息子は日本で満喫して、自分はLAに戻って猛トレーニングの予定です。

I am going Japan tomorrow for a week. I am taking my family out there and my family will stay there for a month while I will be back in LA for a week and will be on to hard training regime during this month.

そんなこんなで今日は日本に戻るのに色々とお土産等を買いに街中を走り回ってました。そして、何時も行くWestLAにあるワイン屋さんで発見したのがプリペイド式ワインテイスティングマシーン。以外と良いワインをテイスティングできるのですが、もちろん銘柄によって値段が変わってきます。だいたい、$2〜$16でした。運転があったので、ティスティングはできませんでしたが、どのくらいの量がでてくるのでしょうかね・・・？！？

Well, since it is my first time for my son to be in Japan and will be meeting our relatives, I had to run around the town today to pick up souvenirs for my relatives. I stopped by one of my favorite wine store in West LA and I cam across a Wine Tasting Machine! Obviously there are varieties of wine that you can taste and the costs varies between $2-$16 depending on what you want to taste. Everything is prepaid and I thought to give it a try...but I decided not to since I have to drive. More than actually tasting the wine...I am very curious how this machine is going to serve the wine!?!

スーパーボール

今日はスーパーボール・サンデー。NFLの優勝決定戦が行われ、NYジャイアンツの優勝。New England Patriotsが勝つと思っていたのでビックリ！日本では以外と知られていませんが、アメリカではアメフトが人気１位のスポーツなんですよね。日本的にはメジャーリーグが一番・・・って思われてる方も多いと思いますが、このスーパーボールは全米中が注目するイベントです。

Since it was the Super Bowl Sunday...I decided to stay home to watch the game. My wife and my dad doesn't understand the game at all since football in Japan is not so popular so I had lots of explaining to do during the game. I was kind of surprised to see the Patriots loosing the game...

スーパーボールが終わってからは夕食前にジムで軽くトレーニング。最近はずっと風邪がひどくてやすんでいたので、久しぶりに身体を動かしに行ってきました。風邪のせいか少しパワーダウンした気もしますが・・・、とにかく２月はハードトレーニングで体調管理するぞい！！

After the bowl game, I went to the gym for about an hour for light training. I haven't been to the gym since I was trying to recover from the cold but this month will definitely need to be a good training month for me!! Good thing my wife and son is going to be back in Japan since I can concentrate on being at the gym all day long!!

ブランチ

今日は久しぶりに親父が日本から来ているので、ブランチをしにサンタモニカにあるHuntley Hotelに行きました。このホテルには以前Infiniti EX35の試乗会の時にディナーをしに行った事があり、景色も良く今日は天気も良かったので行く事に決めました。

Since my dad is in town, we went out to Brunch in Santa Monica today. We ended up going to this restaurant in The Huntley Hotel. I went there couple of month a go for an Infiniti EX35 Media Preview dinner. The place has awesome view and since the weather was so nice today, I figured that will be the ideal location to have brunch.

自分と妻、そして親父と息子をつれてランチをして、自分は本日のスペシャルのロブスターサンドウィッチをチャレンジ。よっしゃーサンドも写真でおさめてブラグにあっぷしてやら〜〜って思ったのも束の間。それまでグッスリ昼寝をしていた息子がバッチリ起きてしまい、仕方ないのでサンドウィッチは飲み込む様に食べてしまったので写真はありません・・・。しか〜し、せめて景色でもと思い写真は撮ってきました！？！（笑）

I ordered the Today's Special which was the Lobster Sandwich. I was going to take a pict and uploaded on to my blog....however my son ended up waking up just in time when the food was delivered. I must say that the Sandwich was fantastic!! I was not able to take the pict of the Sandwich but I took the view out of the restaurant which was just as tasteful as the food!?!

LAに無事到着

今日は朝７時のフライト。インディアナポリスは昨晩から雪がガンガン降り、朝起きたら１０cmほど積もってました！４駆の車にしといて良かった〜！！有り難う〜SUBARUフォレスター〜〜〜って感じでした！！（笑）空港に到着して飛行機も無事に飛び立ち、予定通りにLAに到着。

I had to catch a 7am flight this morning and was up at 4am. I was conerned about the snow that started to fall last night and by the time I got up...snow was up to 6in!! I really had to than having the Subaru Forester for my rental otherwise I would have never made it to the airport!?! The flight was on time and was able to get back to sunny LA on time.

飛行場についてからは、今年からチームを立ち上げたいと言う投資家とミーティング。まだ、３０代半ばでかなり成功しているビジネスマン。テンションもめっちゃ高くて３０分で終わるかなと思ったミーティングが３時間近く続いちゃいました。

I was due to have a meeting with an Investor who is interested to start his own team so I met with him in Beverly Hills. I thought it was just going to be a quick meeting...but that turned in to a 3hr talk!! I guess that's a good sign...or at least a good start to the relationship. Nothing is firm yet but things could develop real quickly!! That's the thing about this business (Racing)... You think you are really close to a deal only to realize next morning that you are still far away!?! However, once you stop trying, that's end of the story. Therefore I have to keep pedaling!!

インディーでのミーティング

今日は午前中にスピードウェイに行って、身体検査。何も問題なくチェックが終わり、午後はチーム等々とプログラムのミーティング。話が右に行ったり左に行ったりしつつ、前進している事は確かです。が、既に１０日間くらい遅れをとっているので、何とか話が固まる様に頑張って交渉してきました。

Went to the Speedway in the morning to do my Medical Check. Everything went smoothly and I was off to several meetings in the afternoon. The negotiations keeps going left and right....but we are certainly making progress. It always becomes a waiting game at last...however, we will have a lot to catch up with once the deal is done since I feel like we are 10days behind the program.

明日の朝一のフライトでLAに帰る予定ですが、今夜は吹雪くみたいで飛行機がとぶかどうか心配です・・・。早く暖かい所に帰りて〜・・・。

I will be flying back to LA early tomorrow morning but there supposed to be a winter storm coming in tonight...and hopefully my flight will be OK tomorrow. I am so ready to head back to the Sunshine State!!