Back from Canada, into a hornets nest and feeling nearly faded as my everything
We returned from the “BC invasion” trip into a bit of a hornet’s nest, after loading up our Napoleonic expedition of luggage into the Kei truck and loading humans into the van (yes, two vehicles) was told there was a funeral (an auntie I never met) and of course, funerals are not to be missed.
A few hours of sleep and dutifully knocked off my magnificent beard to respectable trim – but done in haste.
A minor transformation, and enough beard hair to furnish several birds nests
Of course, with a black suit and sunglasses to hide the saggy eyes, I was my usual debonair shape-shifter, ha ha yes, “the worlds worst secret agent”.
Barely off the plane, into the suit ready for inaction
Things got even more topsy-turvy from there and the hair getting sloppy and my own job on the beard completely inadequate so took myself for some self-care at the “lost in showa” barbershop with ashtrays, faded manga, the backwards barber clock and the jovial second (at least) generation Barber.
{I mention this because every article about Japan’s rapid rate of the population mentions the amount of businesses without a successor so worth mentioning the ones which are generational.}
He’s a very enjoyable fellow
As is my custom, after a great haircut and an even better straight razor shave leaving a magnificent mustache, I asked him for a “twofer” snapshot and he readily obliged.
Brought him a present from Canada (a shot glass) and just in case I didn’t share it before, here is the photo of the trim up on the head just before the trip.
So full of hope and enthusiasm heading off on the BC invasion with a big thumbs up
And since I’m here over documenting the mundane, here is another addition to the “me and Ichiro sitting in the backseat of the van while he looks increasingly disgruntled” collection
Evidence of a passport renewal, the mustache means I’m a distinguished person to be taken seriously, right? Am I doing this right?
* two years towards forever *
There was a time when I was disappeared, when I was invisible, for reasons unnecessary to explain right now.
So much collapsed, lost, left, leading to confusion, despair and seeking… Far — I mean *all the way* — deliberately lost, comfortably lonely, finding ways and means of healing, picking up the pieces, starting again, recycling some bits, rebuilding from the foundation, working backwards from the mis-quoted Buddha koans… there were poetry, scrapbooks, letters and tears.
* reinventing to who I already was *
But what I came here to say is “it’s all about the cycles“ and as it goes… two years ago I came here to begin a new life. I will live here forever.
When I was a kid, I knew right away I wanted to “go places, make stories, share with others“ I’ve done a lot of the first two, now can do a lot of the three while still doing more of the two and maybe some of the one, but only maybe. And I’m cool with that.
Anyway, since I arrived here:
* Massive epic wedding with so many wonderful people (so great!)
* Wonderful relationship with in-laws (so incredibly grateful for this)
* Remarkable baby delivered safely in the midst of public health crisis
* One funeral (extended Buddhist social distance style) of a long-lived grandmother shortly after the baby (who shares a name – but not kanji – with her late husband) arrived
* Several museums slowly visited, getting to know the buses, street cars, villages and shrines in our local area
* Many, many bowls of Ramen & teas/coffees (extensively documented for historical research)
So much paperwork and registrations, i.e.:
* national health insurance
* pension program
* “my number” card
* foreigner registration card (& renewal)
* updating a handful of passports
(all of the above requiring slightly different sized photos)
* koseki tohon (family register)
* post office bank account
* international transfer bank
* various library cards
* several hospital cards
* a few mysterious phone numbers
* taxes in multiple countries (such a good boy Dave!)
* various government records in previous countries updated (usually by postal mail since heaven help me if I’m gonna spend four hours on hold)
* Several of the same of the above for wife’s name change & Ichiro’s various registrations and citizenship(s), often requiring certified translation and notarizations
* Add in a consulate visit for an affidavit
* Monthly hospital visits with the neurologist (no, no real progress #mecfs but well… I’m in the system) + frequent “Seitai” treatments / hard to explain but very useful + Several emergency room visit (I’ll spare you the details) + Investigations into LDN/new strategies
* Hundreds, possibly approaching thousands of postal mail items (postcards, letters, dossiers) sent out into the world
* Hundreds, possibly approaching thousands of blog posts (diaries, personal archeology etc.) sent out into the world
* An extended ramble to far-flung corners of under-known Japanese provinces to visit sensei in fishing ports and wizard hermits in mountains (also museums, hot springs, and roadside attractions)
* So many various trains and styles of accommodation utilized / several of which are documented in various forms (the trains, not the hotels/guest houses/capsules/ryokan/minshuku/retreats…)
* Relatives in Nagasaki hospitals and abacus tournaments visited / Plus atomic bomb memorial, and evidence of early Dutch trading settlements, met a noodle-making friend, saw an damaged industrial island that looks like a battleship
* Two Christmases/New Years, one raucous, one subdued
Several, but nowhere near enough, Hot Springs visits > However, wonderful new bathtub installed at our cottage
While on the topic, a couple of double-pane windows, wall repairs and other things to make the house more cozy and efficient (documentation about current construction project omitted to avoid excess redundancy)
Exhibit of my paintings of post boxes, sometimes with haiku, and Shibuya and Mac Kobayashi ’s goat farm, plus a magazine and cameos on TV
Several Mae Maes (Ryoko Olson’s band) shows (plus a YouTube channel) / i’m the proudest husband when I get to go watch her perform + Love to support her when she is organizing concerts and making postcards, flyers, pins…
Going with Ryoko to tea ceremonies at lovely sensei’s house or “out and about” to special events (e.g. ceramic town Bizen where we also visited master potter Hosokawa’s studio) – Learning the tools and the combinations and the processes and the nuance + rocking kimono
Started a sort of kind of little shop thing to sell postcards & poems (including paintings and post boxes, lomos from India,…) I mean the part about sharing the stories I mentioned above preamble
Started a project to sell some things which exist only in memories and on paper

Got some new glasses, gave up some habits, hung out at some barbershops (also wife cut hair), learned some new words, organized some archives, turned 50 years old (did a big personal archeology project about that #daveo50), wrote a few poems, tried some new calligraphy techniques, sorted and organized art supplies, tidied up a tool shed and the barn, listened to a lot of records – some old and some new (to me), books out of boxes and onto shelves, many new books ordered…
Other things & items forgotten (but likely documented elsewhere…)
Most importantly though is remarkable wife and adorable baby and wonderful in-laws and kind and thoughtful friends scattered around the world (you).
#ForeverHome
Fondly, dvo 
Photo: Evidence of a passport renewal, the mustache means I’m a distinguished person to be taken seriously, right? Am I doing this right?
Project: Upon turning 50 years old on August 16, 2020, Dave Olson (me, hello) is posting a photo (or maybe photos) a day / per year – starting with 1970 with intent of chronicling existence through various primary evidence sourced from studio portraits, class photos, ID / passport photos, or occasionally other “casual/group/random” shots when the above don’t exist in my archive (note: not “artificial intelligence,” really me, pulled from shoeboxes, journals, wallets and whatnot – diligently scanned and dated via glasses and haircuts, lightly annotated).
Embarking on meandering natural healing journey around Asia, Indian sub-continent, Arabia, Mediterranean, across Canada, US rocky mountain canyons, and to Grateful Dead anniversary shows while emerging from a fog after chronic and complex illness diagnosis resulting in lost years due to prescription meds.
Coupla renegades on a mission in the rain. Solid session with this hard-charging co-conspirator from so many clandestine endeavours. Strong squad indeed we are @invoker!
So many stories from breaking down walls (literally and figuratively), rolling out busses, sparking revolutions, acquiring frenemies and exploring new lands.
carries diplomatic passport from a failed Balkan republic
suits look Saville Row but actually Chiang Mai
speaks colloquial Greek & classical Aramaic from time in an Albanian prison for currency forgery
published thesis on Egyptian shadow puppetry amongst working class Cairo
scars and tic on left eye after crashing stolen tuktuk in Penang > 3 months hospital, left with bill unpaid taking a full grain of morphine and fled to Phitsanulok, dried out in Chennai
Alias: assumed name of “Rex Hayduke” (marine biologist specializing in marlin and other large, mercury-laden game fish)
Enjoys: Rimbaud poetry, Duras novels, and Chet Baker jams, Portuguese fado & Japanese enka music.
Prefers: fountain pens, white handkerchieves, full windsor knots, hot toddys with branch water and fresh notebooks which he fills, photographs & burns.
Whereabouts unknown, alert Interpol if spotted saying: “mahimahi is ready for grilling” they’ll understand, oh yes they will.
Delay escape by plying with mint shisha and backgammon (no wagering) .
mixed-media art library, global diary, project dossier and whole life documentation
