This week: no scheduled hospital visits, wife super busy with work, so… trying to catch up, finish a few tasks as well as keep the house rolling as we stumble towards end of year
The “basics” means manage laundry, keep up on dishes, make tea and rice, prepare hot bath, and light a fire as needed.
And if feeling all right (plus get medications, nutrition – my weak point – and oxygen into me) i can do some creative project and/or make a phone call or two.
As for “holidays” this year canceled my usual family and friends Christmas dinner party cause I just don’t got the energy but, we still will be doing new year cards (300), presents for Ichiro of course (he wants a trumpet and/or a bulldozer, not a toy bulldozer, one he can drive around… Not sure which one is less probable), and will decorate a tree, make hot chocolate on the woodstove, sing some songs etc. (One good thing about Christmas in Japan is there’s a lot less expectation around the whole dealio).
So, to no one in particular, “please don’t mind if the posts seem a little scattershot, maybe not finely-tuned, polished and definitely random”… After all this is about fck stats make art make for the future and let the present peek over your shoulder
As it goes, left over from my #Daveo50 “personal archaeology project” as well as other sundry diaries, dossiers and whatnot, I have 380 or so posts in my WordPress “draft” folder / Plus switched from “classic“ to “Gutenberg“ which adds a step. So sort of trying to clear the deck. I’m not telling you this for any reason than to give myself an excuse to say that “not every post needs to be a complete mixed media dossier and maybe just rock them out – just make sure they follow your category naming/tagging conventions” / Reminder: Metadata is important for finding.
I really enjoy the process – especially assembling the items and then hitting “public” and floating them out into the world without any expectation – the part I don’t like is sitting and looking at a screen for more than an hour at a time. So many different topics, era & riffs.
So, instead of finishing “important” things already in the “pending folder” what follows are very basic things, photos included for no particular purpose except for my improbable, albeit somewhat inconsequential, documentation of the “usual days“.
Today, so far, recap:
Drink coffee, talked to a friend I haven’t for 3 years, hung out with Ichiro (before he & mama went to tea ceremony), took binders + stuff to kura, organized some scrapbook items, unboxed some new 7” & 10” records, ordered a 45 RPM adapter, usual dishes and laundry.
Amongst the new records is Mudhoney’s “this gift” Subpop split single (with Mr Epp on reverse) + other 7”s by White Stripes, Sebadoh, Shins more + Live 10” by Jesus and Mary Chain including one of my all-time favorite songs “head on“.
PS Still not thrilled with new phono preamp, but also not very technical hi-fi clever, need a smarter friend.
Really nothing to the usual days except for the brilliance of usual days, appros of really nothing, i annotate for amusement. Carry on in a disinter-mediated manner:
Okayama memo: The thing I really like most about is its very “usualness” {aside from being famous for the Momotaro peach boy story and being a “place you pass through to get to other places”} is also almost always sunny but not today (this Cascadian doesn’t mind the rain though).
My 1st era in Japan in the early 90s, was in Tottori (remote w/ kei-truck), later hiding out near Miasa, Nagano. When came back few years ago, found Okayama was just right / Not a hectic sensory overload city but has big hospital, Immigration etc.
Yes, we “lean heavily” into Momotaro folktale here and the image of a peach is scattered all over from statues to utility pole covers and gosh, peaches with a boy coming out of them can look really funny! And apparently it’s the sunniest prefecture in Japan.
By post: Three pack of organic oatmeal arrived. {always mean to scribble down “tasting notes“ with all the different kinds but never do and never remember which ones were “great“ but all are, you know, good enough} ~ Eat each morning with variety of nuts, berries and sometimes yogurt.
Today by post: hori hori garden tool (this one is artisan made, previously ordered for wife and mother-in-law from off-the-shelf made-in-Japan company) / this one needs sharpened up and it didn’t come with a case/holster :( feels good in the hand though.
Day in the life:
ate salad with smoked salmon for lunch
loaded our new tiny dishwasher
sent a telegram, really
attempting to remove chewing gum from a pocket of a favorite shirt with ice packs #pending
now a rest before finishing laundry
Next day: One oatmeal, three coffees, two baskets of laundry, two hockey games… Now switching to loungewear and some tax paperwork. Then maybe repair a wicker stool after lunch.
Update: some arcane tax documents prepared, stamped, notarized, faxed, ready to mail in Duplicate etc. Indian curry and smoked salmon/avocado/lettuce salad lunch with darling. Next (going to try) to put a new seat on this wicker stool with hemp cloth and upholstery thumbtacks.
It’s not a masterpiece but it’s decent. Sturdy Polish hemp cloth, rugged long tacks & see how it goes. Hooray for hexagons!
Brother Bob‘s birthday w/ pleasant convo from Diego Garcia (many topics)
Jack Kerouac birthday festivities with kindness from beat enthusiast pals
Updates from Gary Snyder, and about VW electric bus (entirely separate topics)
Wife gave haircuts to me & Ichi! (she can do anything, was basically like trimming trees)
Small tasks around the house
SxSW flashbacks (do they even bother doing this anymore without my gang of renegades on site?)
Topsy-turvyness of life in general (seemingly endless “life administration” tasks”)
An (trying to be small) “introduction to the beat generation“ video project for youths
But, Mondays are a little busy here around the cottage – rained last night which freshens up the air, spring arriving with bugs and birds, have an opened up the windows let it all into the abode – now with tea and porridge… must tend to grocery orders and grocery delivery, and trash out, and the usual laundry, dishes and compost…
I say this not to be redundant (which clearly is) but this is just me striving to be back to some kind of “baseline” – which is measured by the aforementioned household tasks coupled with bathtime with Ichiro #BestTime
(here’s a snap dedicated to brother Bob Olson featuring a knit watch-cap, (non-military regulation) mustache, his usual sorta-photo-scowl, and a blue shirt he made in Thailand, added with a tie-dye from Mac Kobayashi)
Everything else is bonus. #ImprovingTheCampsite Carry on intrepid ramblers!
What follows are simply sundry odds and ends from mostly late Nov, (bit of early Dec). 2021 with an emphasis i suppose on a few DIY projects as we continue to settle into our reno’d home, doing loads lil tasks and looking forward to each day. Pardon, brevity and repetition, this is me chronicling the usual days of a poet-storymaker+house-husband+oldish-papa, doing my best.
First off… Making fire starters in the car port with paper egg crates, sawdust & paraffin in a sorta double boiler on a canister stove.
One of these in the woodstove with no other paper or whatever and a single light and you are good to go. Works so well (though next time use soy wax and also recommended by others: dryer lint).
Also from the DIY file is persimmon and ume vinegar, freshly decanted / will filter in bottle in a few more weeks. Such natural macrobiotic goodness.
Flashback to decanting vinegar:
“& voila / persimmon & ume vinegar decanted >> In a couple weeks will filter & bottle (bottled some ume cordial & syrup while at it)
Filtering persimmon vinegar while listening to @TBeanpod / Seems oddly appropriate and glad you were brave enough for IKEA because no way I’m going there :-) if it can’t be delivered or bought at the recycle shop, it’s just off the list”
Another quick DIY project… A little rolling cart for the kitchen for fruit and serving tea and drinks and what not. Ordered used, delivered next day, total about ¥3500 ($30 USD ish). Casters on everything!
Next up, some hemp canvas panels to go over the drafty doors that were skipped over in the renovation. We hung hooks and cut bamboo poles/rods/.
We eventually need a couple of curtains for some view windows but want to get those special made by the noren makers of Katsuyama.
Memo: I just folded the laundry (yup again) and now onto dishes. Thank you for your support of my creative projects of late.
Related: Made video with books which arrived by post incl about Hunter S Thompson + Neal Cassady 50th anni (sent / signed by daughter with postcard photographs by Carolyn), and a dude in Scarborough who published letters to friends while traveling the world (sound familiar?)
Lots of videos coming out, don’t expect anyone to watch *all* but if you’re really smart, you will :-) #notaplug
Super fun/strange, got a call on not-so-secret-but-no-one-ever-uses Japan VoIP number *and* it was a wrong number asking for Etsuko-san. Replied “I’m just a regular guy named Dave”. Anyway, was my excitement while organizing supplements for next fortnight & watching hockey.
Put in another big order with @iHerb / A company which continues to amaze me with their incredibly fast (free!) delivery of unique items – although they’re definitely having some “out of stock” issues
PS Got the laundry folded (yeah i know i always say this), nursing a cold so I think going to a special event tonight is going to be off the list… was first time to go out in well, forever – however have persimmon vinegar to bottle and/or start on New Year’s cards + vids to edit > tmrw online meditation “retreat”.
(Another day) gotta get ready to go to big city hospital for a bunch of scans and tests and what not #mecfs …
Thanks for hanging out while *sorta nervously* get ready by sending out little dispatches. Wishing best days to everyone wherever & whoever you are. be your own revolution
Lost in translation and somewhat translucent but back home in bed
File under “things I love”: this new heavy duty, cast iron, small footprint, front loading, side cleaning woodstove in our cottage in provincial Japan. Cozy and safe. With an arborist wife, always have a stash of heavy hardwood to burn – hot & slow.
Stash the ash in the compost and brought in a new little stack of wood.
Anyway, getting towards the end of the year so rocking out a little projects to finish up strong. This afternoon is another doctors appointment, hopefully the last for the year.
Tomorrow is some picture framing festival and some Santa Claus voice recording, the following day the Grannys from the Silver Center are coming to clean.
Good morning and good night from our home , Tsuchida Cottage, Okayama, Japan.
Lots of action and activities and errands last Monday, makes the heart and head happy but the body can’t quite stay/catch up so went into #mecfs “crash mode” on tuesday – though I’ve stumbled through this for so many years now, it never gets easier / such pain and unrest and confusion – kinda like epic jet lag plus hangover plus flu and a kick in the head/gut/kneecap all at the same time #NonScientificAnalysis
Blanket note: Master Artist Bill Reid design / collab with canadian national history museum / wedding gift from pal Kemp Edmonds.
Slowly coming back to life on Wednesday – enough to wash the dishes and fold the laundry. I really enjoy folding laundry except for fitted sheets. I would investigate the proper technique but I really don’t need another obsession ?
Noting I am writing this annotation on Canada’s first national Day of truth and reconciliation (on which I made appropriate donations to express my solidarity in a practical manner as well as lighting incense or metaphysical support)
Tomorrow is usual check-in with the neurologist at the city hospital.
Memo: With my weird illness (though hardly *uncommon*) there’s no usual treatment path but the check-ins keeps me in the system as well as acquiring minor medication to help smooth out the edges (ditched all the heavy duty medication some years ago – more pain but more brain).
PS with the onset of “long-haul C 19” illness it’s suddenly given a lot more awareness, research, science towards my nuanced chronic viral infection which presents some of the similar symptoms
Anyhow, just wanted to share the simple pleasure of folded laundry. No big deal, I roll-on, just floating it out there in solidarity with other folks who are primarily homebodies due to physical constraints which can feel a little challenging as people are getting out and about a bit more
Possibly – no Probably – the best worst video you’ll *maybe* watch today. Likely only with lounge-y, vaguely annotated Ramones on baritone ukulele anyhow + Gord Lightfoot if you get that far.
Typhoon Weather and Usual Days
After catching up on the laundry, making tomato soup, washing dishes and tidying up the carport, Dave checks in with a bit of ukulele and gratitude for friends who pick up phones &/or send messages, books and quilts when bit blue from “the illness” which is *a challenge* – and through it all, mixing in a little bit of Ramones and Gordon Lightfoot and the usual stuff about Post offices and making fermented items while trying to be a good papa to a wonderful nursery schooler and hubbo to a delightful arborist and diligent landscaper.
Ryoko’s stone approach project #evidence serious about tomato soup and various other items
Siding into slacker summer projects at Tsuchida Station
So, the mysterious “operation turtle” is as wrapped up as gonna get The “healing ramble” project is nervously, bravely & quietly going out into the world at random intervals
Caught up on the “postcards as a service” supporters and dossier customers – a few friends to return correspondence but easy goodtimes
Rocking a plaid track suit, Dave catches up about an exhibit of postbox haiku and paintings at pal Mac Kobayashi’s goat farm and in Shibuya by dDesign and shares the story of the post box haiku and painting plus details of: Kathmandu, Nepal; Muscat Oman; The Vatican, and Olympia, Greece (including accompanying postcards of course) and riffs about importance of personal archeology and making things for future generations while drinking including coffee and jamu and digression about persimmon chutney.
Special ahoys to Gary, Beth, Arild, Jared, Erin, Sandra, Lance and especially you.
Postbox haiku exhibit corner at Rural Caprine Farm (more to come)