drywood termite

the young man who shows up is very kind. we usually advise you to dispose of the piece once we see wings, he explains. buang, HOM translates for me. there goes a beloved secretary. the inside shelved piece is discarded. i sincerely hope the rest of it remains free of that white sandy stuff.

getting from A to B

the trains are out today so i take the bus to work.

one word to describe it all.

sardine.

reflections on kosuke kindaichi

to clarify, these are my reflections on the translated kindaichi books:

• convoluted plots galore with firm commitment to satisfying if somewhat far-fetched denouements
• and (from my reading so far, limited by availability of translations) fresh revelations to the very end
• surprisingly up-to-date themes, for stuff written in the middle of the last century: premarital sex same-sex sex twisted sex... you get my drift
• unfortunately under-developed emotions on the part of the detectives, who barely feel anything other than rage or irritation or shock or great distress. exhausting, is wot i say. perhaps some nuances were lost in translation

but generally satisfying in a very fair-play sense.

complete the sentence

you know it's been a long day when...

...you look at the dog pooping on the concrete floor in the dark and think to yourself what a strange place to poop at and the little boy stands up from his squatting posture.

laundry day

today i do a load of laundry in the machines. because O is home on her vacation and we are dangerously low on undies. here are some life reflections:

• standards are adjustable. our current is driven by underwear inventory
• i'll only iron over the weekend is a sound time management concept, only bettered by
• i may not need to iron this, really
• wool dryer balls are a game changer in terms of static generated and time needed

the hen who dreamed she could fly - sun-mi hwang (2000)

coming-of-age fable for parents especially mothers which manages to avoid self-pitiful tropes whilst dealing with trope-heavy issues like the young flying the coop. i really like that sprout is feistily living life on her own terms and not focusing on the pain and sorrow but on the present and the enjoyable instead. the illustrations incidentally are delightful.

asian writers

it's been a good series of really pleasant reads by east asian writers translated in to english. starting with private detective kindaichi and discovering the hyunam-dong bookshop and then the kamogawa detectives. not to mention the hen who is trying to fly, which i am halfway through.

what i like so much, i think, is the light touch with the language. the sentences are not heavy and convoluted even when the ideas are. indeed, as with the most artful asian discourse, there is much that is imagined within an essay that is pitched at middle school reading level. 

and also the innate restraint and courtesy of the current selections. very much more persuasion* than bridgertons!

*still my all-time favorite novel

the kamogawa food detectives - hisashi kashiwai (2023, translated)

what a delightful collection of intriguing and delicious vignettes! oishi!

dinner for one

quite pleasant really to walk into the eatery and hold up one finger and then to settle in to order my favorites and read my book and enjoy the food. i need to do this more often.

how to be perfect - michael schur (2022)

 

exhilarating romp through some key concepts in western moral philosophy. it reads like a tongue-in-cheek primer but he still manages to cover some really tough topics and of course i feel well read and clever now but certainly it will quickly drop out again soon. a bit like revising neuroanatomy.

he covers virtue utilitarianism deontology contractualism pragmatism and even existentialism. with a gut puncher chapter on saying sorry and the difference between a real sorry and bullshit.

eudaimonia in a nutshell.

he giveth more grace

when we have exhausted our store of endurance - when our strength has failed ere the day is half done - when we reach the end of our hoarded resources...

slowly emerging from the recent distress* and today i gingerly test my memories and find they are less painful. the toothache is less sharply tender.

*relating to HOM's trip

thoughts from 2 Kings 4:8-37

the shunamite woman rebukes me with her generosity of spirit and purse even as i am supremely unimpressed by her husband who, when his son is taken desperately ill, only has this to say, take him to his mother. 

how is it that a (seemingly) discerning gracious and contented person is shackled with a clod like that?

how does a woman become/remain discerning gracious and contented living with a clod like this?

what pain she must endure to be so much and to live with so little.

uncharitable reflections

my pet peeves, riding in a taxicab:

• drivers who want to chit chat with me (i'm sorry. i prefer not to talk)
• drivers with a hand on the wheel and the other on their cellphone (is it alright if you do not text and drive please?)
• the radio on a local chinese channel (usually over-energetic d.j. interviewing well-meaning earnest opinionated members of the public)
• the radio on a local english channel (usually smooth-sounding d.j. with fake western accent rambling on about an inconsequential topic)
• air fresheners (usually cloyingly pervasive if present), or
• the aroma of oil of wintergreen (previous passenger's or - horrors - driver's)

gimme a taciturn and masked driver with accurate google map directions and no penchant for fragrance. even better if he looks normal and dresses in business casual.