Writing postcards, putting on stamps, typing letters (with a weird expression on my face as I try to hold up my glasses with my nose), scribbling addresses, stamping inky stamps… and whatnot in historic kura barn studio in provincial Japan with a shaky camera while listening to John K Sampson (of The Weakerthans from Winnipeg) on vinyl.
That’s it, nothing else happens, come hang out if you want.
Really, That’s it… just me in the kura studio, fiddling around making a mix cassette tape from a USB drive (weird right) with a story about the “Taos hijacking incident” – while also organizing some postcards, addressing some envelopes and that’s it… Really nothing happens but thought you might want to just come hang out.
PS longer version of the “Taos hijacking incident“ Choogle On episode
After a pleasant coffee conversation with a pal in ATX, i headed to the kura barn studio to practice a poem reading for Muriel’s Journey at Word Vancouver (which i recorded) and took a few snaps of some things that my pal (and prob you, since you are also a pal right?) might enjoy, while also making mixed cassettes (from a USB drive) and packing burned CDs (in recycled envelopes).
As it goes, looks a little computery in here but i keep it all pretty analog and purposely keep it “internet-free” zone. Shuttle creations back and forth to “basecamp” with various sneaker-net schemes.
Update:
Making mixed cassettes and burning CDs with a “DaveO variety show” of audio collages, postcard soundscapes, spoken songs, stories, and songs down in collaboration with fine musician pals. 
Typing up the tracklist/liner notes, sprucing up with inky stamps, making mailers from card stock & washi tape.
Four into the postal wormhole yesterday, couple more ready today.
Who still has a cassette deck and/or “regular” CD player?
Note: Recently dug out a “ruggedized” Olympus camera from wife’s stash, found a cord and a memory chip and put it back into service >> Lots of onboard effects and variations in settings and importantly allows me to go out and document life without my fully functional pocket robot of distractions.
“In the studio barn, anxious on account of an impending medical and other “life admin” project, Dave reads from a variety of slim-sized (mostly) books of poetry, discusses book layout, design and publishing styles and pathways, relates some anecdotes about writers & how the books came to be here. Plus a few musings and projects of his own – while trying to calm a weary head and body.”
(I will add a proper list of books and writers, soonish, not right now, but of course if you just watch you know about the books cause you’ll hear all the poems)
Continue reading Poetry & Design from Several Small-ish BooksSent some postcards yesterday before heading to the hospital / just to tell a few people thanks for sticking with me and saying kind things etc.
Haven’t done a lot of mailing this year (it’s become complicated and many get lost so a bit discouraging).
A bundle for international and a trio for domestic purposes only. After doing the check-in at the hospital, we took a little wander to put them in the mail slot, always such an exciting feeling for me. How about you?
I should mention that when im in the “giggling piglet studio” with the sturdy wooden beams overhead abs the stereo sounding great these days, making postcards and/or scrapbooks, in the cool dimness with incense burning, everything is quite wonderful. Get a little anxious before medical “stuff” so nice to spend time in here instead of fretting.
I’ve got various places to stand/sit to work and lighting combinations for various circumstances.
So very grateful to the ancestors for making this building long before foreigners, electricity, air conditioning, records were around, but there was incense.
My friend Ted came to visit – he lives in Kyoto but was doing some tour guide reconnaissance/spiels on Kyushu & our home with the waystation before heading Shikoku.
Notably, he is my first multi-time visitor to the Giggling Piglet studio besides Mac Kobayashi. Also, we went to Mac’s Goat Farm for lunch, coffees etc.
Dude is keeping up an incredible pace in an exceptionally hot and humid summer.
Overall, we discussed many topics. Thanks to my sweet in-laws for setting up the comfy room for him complete with the family altar/shrine open for o-bon. It’s a very special time of the year here when our passed away relatives can come back to visit for a while.
Thank you for visiting Ted, I really enjoy time with you.
Memo: You might enjoy Ted’s snapshots of the experience in general (snaps are stashed on facespace but this is a note to add some more here down the line // Right now I’m at the doctors office, my battery – phone & human – is/are plummeting so, you know how it goes…)
[update: photos added, mostly unannotated]
These snapshots should have captions/annotations but at this point they don’t, but *they exist* thanks to Ted. At some point I’ll add a link to his “notes from the nog” blog.
Sundry tasks:
Tended to an “important call with an official agency” about a significant life decision… Don’t mean to be vague, just floating it out to the universe, next step is visiting a consulate in Osaka, September 8.
(I really don’t like dealing with things by telephone, much prefer a written record – whether analog or electronic – and feel express myself much better when I have the time to choose words.)
So, just gonna play some baritone ukulele for a while.
Working on:
Atlantic City
Illegal Smile
Questionally
Carey
Hallelujah
Pretty good at:
Depreston
Moonriver
Monkey and the Engineer
In other news:
a box of frozen meat was delivered yesterday
also several more Nick Bantock books and a replica of Indiana Jones’s Journal showed up
wife’s industrial grade water pump also arrived
Oh, and tomorrow is “go clean the graves of the ancestors day“ / We’ll bring incense and flowers. [update: done x2]
More Items, arrived by post: various seeds, porridge, legumes and nuts.
These simple tasks of convenience thrill me and are a huge help for those who are mostly house-hermits (#MECFS) this is all, carry on with the world melting down etc
After grave tidy (incense, water, candles, flowers, prayers) Tidied up carport then hung out with Ichiro, playing with inky stamps & stationery, listening to groovy records in the slowly improving (warm!) first floor of the kura barn studio.
Disco theme from “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”? Yes you have come to the right place. Evidence follows:
While the second floor of my kura barn is well documented as a mixed media arts and craft studio, this first floor is getting rearranged to be more of a well, family style mixed media arts and craft hang out with musical instruments, record player, more books, records and CDs, as well as emergency/camping supplies, storage of tea ceremony equipment, extra supplies for pickling/fermenting, and other seasonal storage.
Here is my very important plan detailing the intentions and schematics.
UPDATE: coming along well! i’ll share a snap but the stereo is mostly working, the messes are tidied (except for the big pile of extra heaters to consider jettisoning), and shelves filling up with items. More to go but hey, we’re on the way.
UPDATE: panorama of hangout
Just adding beat related ephemera to binders, poems to scrapbooks, cards and letters too, sometimes to one scrapbook, sometimes to another, depending on the form and function, music plays in the background – a compilation for Jack Kerouac – all in a historic kura storehouse barn in provincial Japan.
No commentary, no chit chat, just ya know,… hanging out playing with scissors, glue, tape and whatnot.
Thanks Matt T. and Dan B.
Summer 2021: Glorious Kura barn 125+ yrs old got a century retrofit with heat-pump/cooler, electric upgrade with breaker box & a safety railing
For documentary purposes, these snaps show the unscathed (mostly) exterior (note how a/c does not breach the perfect east facing yakisugi wall)
Along the side is a stash of storage flower pots, crocks & roof tiles + bricks (maybe to make a bar-b-q or pizza oven in future).
See below for lousy video clip included to show the summer sort-ganize project.
Continue reading Kura barn / storehouse turned studio, consulate and lounge (round-up/catch-all)
