Tag Archives: notes

Items: Gary Snyder signed “Passage Through India”

Gary Snyder signed “Passage Through India”

Some years ago (1996 maybe), poet Gary Snyder was doing a reading at Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington. Folks are lined up with stacks of books for him to sign, including, books not by him but my other  “associated“ writers. Thought this was very cheesy.

Anyhow, I only took a ragged copy of “Passage through India”. He gave a big chuckle and says “I don’t see many of these anymore” as he signed. Told him how i’d rambled with his books tucked in my rucksack through and arriving in Japan and reading Backcountry in Kyoto waiting for a bus to make me to Mochigase and start work on a mushroom farm.

Also, I had mailed him a documentary film I made (Hempenroad), and he recognized me from that and talked for a while about hemp and ecology while others waited impatiently to have him sign some Burroughs book or something. Felt so incredibly proud that he was aware of my existence.

Continue reading Items: Gary Snyder signed “Passage Through India”

Meta Notes: Japan Travel organized + upcoming *almost finished really* riffs

If you’re curious, I put together a category in my web archive for “Japan life/travel” to round up all the various riffs, transport videos, train rolls, diaries and museum galleries i gleefully assemble. It’s an ongoing process but hey, I’m not going anywhere.

Still have a lot more museums and train stuff to share (not surprisingly) but really limit my screen time too short sessions of productivity.

So much to share with you though! Especially some sorta olden stuff about:

  • Galleries, exhibits & museums in Japan, SF, & Nepal + a visit to Subpop HQ in 2010 (not to be confused with visit in 1999 ish)
  • Ayurveda treatment in India, Lanka & Pokhara
  • Artifacts from Palau, Yap and Guam which have been on my mind again recently
  • Tour with The Matinee in Ontario, 2017 (or was that 2018?)… 

Oh, I’ve also been tidying up an archive of Vancouver Olympic “meta coverage” meaning coverage about the coverage and media about media if you know what I mean… More to say about this in True North Media and Olympics category including a live twitter coverage of an interesting CBC panel #NoteToSelf

Also tuned up a section called Transit Chronicles which consists mostly of twitter riffs while rolling around Vancouver 2008-2012 ish.

In the meantime, here’s stuff about Japan so I have somewhere to point people to want to ask me about “where I am” “what to see” “how to do stuff” etc. etc. – keep in mind, I am a “inaka/country boy” – well really I live near a sort of forgotten provincial capital city which is just perfect in my mind, and don’t really know anything about Tokyo or Osaka and very little about Kyoto… but there are loads of resources about those places.

I know more about small cities, rural/farm experiences, scenic trains, remote hot springs, fermented foods, and post offices #theusual

Japanese culture (bookbinding and literature) course via Keio University

Japanese Culture Through Rare Books

Explore the important roles that books have played in the cultural history of Japan.

 

I’ve started an interesting (and free) course from notable Keio University called “Japanese Culture Through Rare Books” in which i shall learn about bookbinding styles and their influence on Japanese literature.

Perfect for me right? (After all, you’ve likely seen my Japanese-influenced scrapjournals after all (maybe you’ve received one…).

Even better if you join in the class too – about 3 hrs a week for 3 weeks, like no big deal and… if you pay some Yen at the end, you get a certificate or something or other.

Official Blurb follow: 

Why join the course?

A book is a tool for preserving words and images. Through books, an abundance of information, including the knowledge and experiences of the people of the past, has been handed down to the present. But books are more than records of words and images. Their form, appearance, and even the scripts and styles used tell us about the fashions and technologies of the times that produced them. By studying old books, we can learn a great deal about the geographical areas in which they were made, the historical background, and the individuals and groups involved in their making.

While displaying remarkable similarities with books produced in other areas of the Sinitic cultural sphere, Japanese books also possess some unique features, starting with their sheer diversity of form and appearance. Using a wealth of multimedia content, we will take a journey through the wonderful world of traditional Japanese books.

 

Communication comes in waves…

Somehow sometimes the communication comes in waves and today was a day when I heard from so many people – some recently acquainted and others long known via and various media and channels…

Anyway, for a guy who loves to love, and loves to be loved, and loves to communicate and correspond, this is really nice.

That’s all. Peace to you and your kin. Let me know if you need a hug, virtual or otherwise.

Agape for Agape / a few post-wedding notes #DRO420

Grateful for Love

Heart so incredibly filled with love as I piece together for the last 10 days of a pure whirlwind roller coaster of excitement, joy, friendship, community, and love love love!

Just so fcking happy (“way to go” i wanna say to self 5 years ago)

I have so very much to say about all of this including replying to each and every photo, comment, post, video etc… as well as sharing thanks with all those who brought such lovely and surprising gift (many/most of which we’ve yet to open).

With my body as it is, i’m in “recovery mode“ and frankly barely functioning but my head and heart are so tremendously happy.

Note: My incredible wife just walked in the door for a lunch break in her dirty work clothes and a giant smile. She is so beyond adorable!

I am so thrilled that this is now my regular ”life” – Indeed I never thought this happiness would be possible for me and yet, I’ve fallen into the most luxurious dream.

Today’s task is tidying all the artifacts from the wedding celebrations (yes, there were 3) to savor, document, and archive as needed.

Next up is a special tea ceremony in the garden for 藤田良子’s birthday on Sunday to kick off Golden Week during which I look forward to spending time with my new parents, writing thank you cards, watching the Emperor change, barbecue with the relatives, and preparing for our Japan honeymoon ramble on slow trains to visit old friends, remote hot springs, forgotten museums, scenic trains, and local markets.

An extra special thanks to the majestic crew of renegades who made long journeys to celebrate with us and lend their creative spirit into putting everything together, and to the local Japanese friends and relatives who welcomed them so sincerely and fondly.

Plus the food and beverage providers, musicians and MCs who made the Sunday shindig such a success, and the Shinto shrine and associated people who made Saturdays so incredibly special.

Cascadia + Setouchi friendship society ahoy!

In brief: Please note that each one of your kind gestures is well noted (hence the #DRO420 tags). Everything & everybody’s regards is/are gracefully appreciated and will be acknowledged and reciprocated forthwith.

Still, daveo, Tsuchida, Okayama

PS thanks for reminding me i deserve *all of this* – been through a lot the last few years and definitely shook my confidence and at times thought i’d never find happy again and then one day…

Notebook snippets: various ink stamps in Japan (featuring Lafcadio Hearn)

Museums and galleries in Japan, as well as various temples/shrines and assorted other places of note, often offer inky stamps to collect and stamp in one’s own notebook – or if forgotten, on slips of provided paper. These are usually rather large and sometimes the ink pads are a bit worn out. Nevertheless, i seek these out and stamp in my ever-present scrapjournals.

This collection is collected on a ramble around Matsue, Shimane-ken at the Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakomo) museum and later, at various galleries around Kurashiki, Okayama-ken.

Continue reading Notebook snippets: various ink stamps in Japan (featuring Lafcadio Hearn)

Collection: Journals (variety), vol. 3

classic Field Notes by Draplin Design Co.
classic Field Notes by Draplin Design Co. (orange)

Explaining the obvious: I fill notebooks/journals of poetry, notes and musings (as well as scrapjournals which contain paper ephemera) and then transcribe (which no editing), then stash them into old-timey suitcase, which usually live in a storage locker faraway from where i physically exist.

I snap lil snaps of the covers before their hibernation to remind myself of these tomes which in turn remind me of where i was when the words were scribbled.

To prevent the snaps from vanishing into a folder (digital shoebox as it were), compilations ensue -placed into the this archive for my reference, and for you to peek at if you have a notion.

map of identified location, origins forgotten
map of identified location, origins forgotten

Continue reading Collection: Journals (variety), vol. 3

Collection: Journals (variety), vol. 2

Journal: "Steel, Steal, Still, Stir me heart", 2014 (red)
Journal: Lost Life / notes, musings, ephemera, 2014 (“Steel, Steal, Still, Stir me heart”, red)

Explaining the obvious: I fill notebooks of poetry, notes and musings (as well as scrapjournals which contain paper ephemera) and then transcribe, then send them into old-timey suitcase which live in a storage locker faraway from where i physically exist.

I snap snaps of the cover before hibernation to remind myself of these lil tomes which remind me so much of where i was when the words were scribbled. To prevent the snaps from vanishing into a folder (digital shoebox as it were), compilations ensue, placed into the this archive for my reference and for you to peek at if you have a notion.

Journal: Lost Life / notes, musings, ephemera, 2013-4 (birdcard, red cover)
Journal: Lost Life / notes, musings, ephemera, 2013-4 (birdcard, red)

Continue reading Collection: Journals (variety), vol. 2