Tag Archives: dentist

Healing Ramble, Personal Musings

Annotations: fainting couch, fixing teeth, riding buses and trains, fading

Of late, it seems this is less of a “creative life archive” then a “documentation of survival”… Recently, obviously dental visits adding to the usual hospital appointments to decline a physical, emotional and mental well-being and vigor.

Regardless, so we go on with a few observations:

Acquired: Fetching new divan/Chesterfield/fainting couch/whatever… Looks particularly good with the rakishly thrown plaid blanket, picnic basket and power cord

Very loungeable – and at a staggering 5’9″ fitting onto a couch for an after dinner chill-out can be challenging so fortunately this allows me to stretch out :)

Somehow I think I need a Shisha and several books of poetry… Fortunately I have both at hand

And of course, the obligatory snap of me on the couch looking fantastically excited about going to the dentist, yes again…

I’ll wear my silky pajamas and velveteen robe… For starters ha ha

Seriously #PrettyWhenYouSmile

Route planning: Dentist requires a new bus route in which I switch from one of the three local regional franchisees which provide public/private bus service in the area.

A bit confusing but somehow I will survive {Previously went to a fellow closer to the house but it was antiquated equipment, grumpy staff and non-diligent dentist. We’ll see how survive the transportation…}

Next day:

My initial planned bus route was missed due to “several coffees” this morning… I’m on Plan B and I am 93% sure I am on the correct bus… It still gives me a bit of a walk to the dentist // think I’m gonna have to change dentists – this place is great but transportation is rough.

April 1 ~ May 2 (“project” started March 13)

Now: Slightly more pretty when I smile

One tiny note before I forget: I requested/used a private room, no TV, door closed, no interruptions & took noise canceling headphones, eye mask and of course my own slippers :)

I’m such a bus rider here in Japan that going to train stations still feel like a newbie (& for all the fancy /hectic commotion of the major stations, stumbling through sidestreets to shabby station run w/o humans or conveniences is always a bit surreal).

Views: 5 miscellaneous and etc observations from today

Annotations above (assign accordingly):

A train that looks like a paint job from the A-Team van

Rally point for a special scenic route train

Photo point for the same train La Malle de Bois

A tiny Shinto shrine, leaning roof, box for your coin offering

Rock monument leading to another Shinto shrine

{I don’t have a drivers license anymore (funny as I used to live behind steering wheel in a Volkswagen bus) so I savour all the public transport options. My conundrum is with my illness, I get sensory overloaded very easily so I need to keep it simple}

Following day: arrived home from train from unman station to a busy Okayama station (bought a Bento lunch and stashed in my backpack) hopped my usual city bus back home, arrived with wife’s band rehearsing in the front room, mouth still frozen, ate Bento chatting band on tea break then quite literally collapsed,… It seems so simple riding some buses and trains but completely delirious wiped out so,…

The next day, hung out with Ichiro (first day of “Golden week” holiday in Japan but Ryoko was catching up from some fieldwork mist from a rainy day) – grandma helped out loads as he whisked between our , and I hand washed some sharp shirts purchased in Indonesia.

Tidying up
I <3 laundry

Some other household tasks as well but I’m revealing how mundane… anyway, life is great except I am so blue when I’m not creating “big projects”… I want to make albums, books, pods, paintings… All of it, all of the time. And exponentially increased when I’m not sleeping well which is truthfully, all of the time.

I call friends to chitchat for my mental health purposes but don’t seem to be able to articulate a clear sentence and just ramble on about various topics.

{I’m sorry if you’re one of the friends I call and my chitchat has decreased in quality.}

The mental fatigue of *all of this* is getting to me (again) and I seem to be having a hard time getting medications dialed in as I’m crashing hard at in opportune times.

Fax me, will ya?

I’ll be all right I guess or whatever. K bai.

Personal Musings, Post'd (cards + letters)

unnecessary postcards for dentist + matcha & ramen

Today, yes another visit to the dentist… It’s a glamorous life :)

I made postcards for the dentist (27 years old) the skilled assistant (who did a homestay experience in Kamloops, BC) to thank them for their diligence and dealing with my complicated problem (some infected root conundrum)

The dentist is going to this Hot Springs town for Golden week, that’s me with the mayor of Misasa in 1993 in 1994 and in the outdoor pool with (then civilian) Cmdr Magnum in 1994 and then just me in 2018. Plus the sign on the signpost at Tsuchida Cottage

Previously: 

BTW because im chatty when nervous (also when not) i asked dentist plans for Golden week holiday

"Onsen" he said
Me "Where?"
"Tottori"
"Misasa?"
"Yes, how do you know Misasa Hot Spring?"
"I went before," (doing math in head) "before you were born"
This postcard with Ichiro Stanley at the Totem Poles at Stanley Park in Vancouver is for the dental assistant who did a homestay in province of British Columbia, city of Kamloops

Before and after was Matcha and Ramen respectively

This door is held closed by a pair of scissors. This lingers with so much metaphor which I cannot begin to explain. Perhaps in the future poem.

Personal Musings

Diary: 5th anniversary – w/ goats and ramen #dro420

It’s 4/20 so means 1 – well 2 – things:

It’s our 5 year wedding anniversary!

We’ve returned to scene of the fun // Rural Caprine goat farm for sandwiches and goat milk lattes.

Still amazed how lucky I am to catch the remarkable, multi-disciplinary, courageous, sweet & strong Ryoko Olson <3

Further Evidence (from Mac’s goat ranch):

The boss Mac Kobayashi (my pal for 32 yrs)

The dude Ichiro (turning his soft cream cone into a trumpet)

The panino (all handrafted from foccacia to pork roast)

The window (looking to the future)

Today’s listening:

  • John Prine
  • Jerry Garcia & David Grisman
  • Wilco

Oh hi goat mamas

Next Checkpoints:

Buy tickets for next weekend’s tea ceremony at Korakuen and then… Dentist! (maybe frozen mouth ramen afterwards)

Extraneous & Unnecessary:

Dentist doing serious biz on Sat. afternoon. Packed waiting room / super efficient tidy designy operation

Dentist: satoshika-senoo.com

{also no stooopid teevees in the chairs}

[regardless, not loving being here #blues]

Necessary Documentation:

I’ve heard rumors that Ramen only counts if there’s a photo of the bowl – strangely, post dentist frozen mouth Ramen has become a routine for me, 3 times in the last fortnight.

PS we purchased a vintage chaise lounge, or is a fainting couch, or divan? What’s the difference?

Since I’m here:

Usual shot of the haiku postbox (I like to track the de-evolution across years)

Personal Musings

Diary: dentist, ramen, trees, VW, Citroëns, shodo – completely usual activities

Cherry blossoms, not yet
But hooray ceremonial peach tree!

Wedding present from the city Peachtree – this one and it’s smaller friend both need moved due to impending construction

On way to dentist
First, drop Stan at school
See tree Ryoko trimmed up (with a variety of saws)
To the delight of the teachers

Ryoko trimmed this tree at the preschool to the amazement of all

Egg salad sandwich at konbini to take with medicine

Mailed a package with treasures – via Utah to Kyoto somehow, with evidence of four legends intact – from a different than my usual local post office. Somehow it felt like cheating / always remarkable how all #JapanPost employees are all so well put together, chipper & efficient

Postbox at the post office, first time at this location

Contents of the package containing evidence and artifacts from/of:

Edward Abbey
R. Crumb
Doug Peacock
Ken Sanders

(Not my photo, recent from Albuquerque, I made it into a postcard, yes the back is decorated but I can’t show you)

package via Utah to Kyoto with heroes x 4 inside
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