Is life returning to normal? I really hope not, despite the truth of this headline from The Onion:
City Enters Phase 4 Of Pretending Coronavirus Over
Weāve all gotten bored with the pandemic, so many of us have moved onto other interests in an attempt to ignore the fact that thereās still thousands of people dying, and that very few people, businesses, or governments were prepared to manage this. Itās very sad to know that the US specifically could have prevented many deaths were it not for incompetence, ignorance, and bureaucracy.
Add to that the complete fuckery of police violence and voter suppression, and itās easy to feel a sense of powerlessness. I mean, shit in the US is starting to make 1984 look like the optimistic version, and the only āsolutionsā seem to be laughably naive or absurdly disingenuous.
Does it even matter who you vote for anymore (if youāre even allowed to)?
I truly hope we take this year an an opportunity to find out.
That said, life does go on, and we still have to pay bills, buy food, clean up after ourselves, and pretend that society isnāt completely off the rails. Itās in that spirit of pretending itās all gonna be all right that I offer this update.
šļø Hereās whatās up right now:
š§Ā Listening to: The new(ish) album by ć²ć¹ć®ę„µćæä¹å„³Ā has been in heavy rotation for a few weeks now.
šĀ Reading: ForeverĀ by Peter Hamill is one I bought just on the premise, and now after a few hundred pages realize is just not my kind of book. Iām a fan of magical realism, but this tries too hard to be at least three different books. Iām gonna finish it, but Iām looking forward to startingĀ Shadow and Bone, as recommended by my friend Anny.
š„Ā Taido:Ā Now that Tokyo is gradually reopening municipal facilities, and the contagion appears to be largely under control, Iāve been meeting a small group to practice with each week. Weāre still not fully reopening the dojo, sticking with our regular online practice schedule for now, but it feels good to get on the tatami and move around some.
šĀ Thinking about:Ā Iāve been having a lot of good conversations about race and inclusivity and ways to counter the systemic biases in society. I donāt have answers, but I can say Iām further resolved against an authoritarian police state and that Iām very proud to have some very thoughtful and compassionate friends doing good work in the world.
Cycling near Kiryu. Definitely not a thing Iāll make a habit ofā¦ explanation below.
šØāš©āš§āš¦ People & Family:
š A family of six (four small kids) moved in upstairs. Pray for me.
š School is back to a regular, daily schedule in our town, which makes life easier and happier for the whole family.
š“āāļø My friend Robert owns aĀ cycling tour companyĀ and took a few of us riding around the countryside. I really donāt enjoy biking, but I still had a good time and recommend it to anyone who wants to have a unique experience in Japan.
š§° Things Iām finding useful:
š Still enjoying manual life. Iāve been doing far less digital note taking lately, and when I need to share something Iāve written, I just snap a pic with my phone and send it.
āļøĀ TravelĀ hahahaha, rightā¦
š¤·āāļø At this rate, my main concern is not being able to return to Japan if I leave. Iām confident that I can navigate my personal safety while traveling without exposing others to risk, and I hope to make a visit to the US in the next handful of months.