Start the day with a bill

 I put away all the stuff Ken brought over last night, put 4 Metro Cart shelves up as a 'screen' to contain things in the part of the loft where Ken had run out of wooden lattice to put up, and had to secure them with zip ties or they'd very gleefully fell down in a big crash. 

Then I opened up the two computers Ken had brought and someone had taken the RAM and video cards but I got the CPU's, a fan or two, and, interestingly, a National Instruments card we can get at least $100 for. 

So I put out lots of stuff for the bums. And I finally got some practice in, scales up and down via long tones, and I actually got the two few notes really singing. It's so different from trumpet, which is based on air pressure, while the shakuhachi is based on air volume. 

I also got together things I want to put on Craig's List. I've got to raise more money and if I'm not busking (because I'm not ready yet) I can sell off stuff. 

I woke up at around 4:30, and checked my email. For some reason the landlord sends important emails to me rather than to Ken. Our rent's behind and we owe them almost 4 grand. I called Ken, as it was late enough for him to be awake, and he said he's talked with them on the phone, "the check's in the mail" etc. I said maybe they didn't get it today and that's why they called. At least Ken knows about it. 

Can I count on this place to hold together for two more years? Ken's on a 4-year lease so we're here no matter what. I don't know why Ken can't manage to pay the rent on time. I've never paid rent late once in  my life. 

I started my day, actually, with my Ty-Phoo tea, finishing the load of laundry and hanging it up, and cooking up 3 eggs, scrambled, with chives and a quarter stick of butter. It was great. The real secret is putting a little instant dashi in the eggs. I guess part of me will always be a starving 70s kid and to that part of me, it was glorious. 

I packed things and just in general Did Stuff. As soon as it was dark it started raining again, of course. I guess that's the norm now; once the sun goes down it will rain or pour, and clear up in the daytime. Except when it's raining or pouring in the daytime too. 

Dinner was pork soup with vegetables. That was really good too. It seems silly buying 5-packs of the fancier Sapporo Ichiban ramen just to keep the seasoning packets and donate the noodles to the bums, but when I use those packets, the soup comes out tasting good and not too salty (the noodles have a lot of salt in them on their own so by not using them I cut the salt in the bowl of soup in half and it's just right). 

 I need to put my drainer bucket idea together. A couple weeks ago now I guess it is, I bought a 2nd 10 quart "Measure Right" bucket that fits in a standard large bucket, and plan to drill holes in the bottom and put screws/bolts screwed in around the top so it won't bottom out in a large bucket but will sit higher up, and wet clothes can be put in it and at least most of the water will run out the holes. This is to not have to do so much wringing of wet laundry, which doesn't get all the water anyway. 

I need to make doing laundry easier so that if it's not a joy, at least it's not so hard to do. Even now, doing my laundry by hand here edges out the laundromat just because  I can do it here any time and I'm saving at least $30 a month, maybe closer to $40. But call it $30, that's my temple pledge. And I certainly get my money's worth too because now it means a shakuhachi club meeting once a month. 

(I kept up my pledges each month even when covid killed everything because in my book, you don't run out on a friend, in this case the sangha, just because it's hard times.) 

And on the radio they're saying there might be another big storm starting this Thursday, which means I might not make it to the bank this week. Good thing I'm building up some cash savings. 

I just don't get why saving one's money and thinking long-term is anathema to "white" or "Western" culture. When I was a kid if I saved any money at all it was taken from me so I was taught, harshly, Spend it as soon as you get it. Then being a student, to be allowed to get student loans at all, I had to show I was poor so savings was discouraged to the extent that developing a savings habit would have canceled any hope of getting a college degree. At the time I thought a college degree was actually a useful thing so this was very harsh. 

The whole ethos of "Western" culture is "use it up, eat it up, indulge yourself all you can, now." And then the consequent pissing and moaning about there being no money in the house and the rent being due and having to wipe our asses with newspaper. 

By the time I got into Ebay and started making pretty decent money, at least for me (to me, $35k a year is riches) I thought, as I'd been taught, to not worry about saving just worry about making more, and spending it quickly as more will come in. Just a higher level of hand-to-mouth. Hell Ken lives hand-to-mouth just on a yet higher level. 

Saving, thinking about the future, that's what my Asian friends were doing. The thinking was the opposite, long-term. Hell their parents would help them with their school work or at least encourage them to study, maybe send them to tutors if needed. Parents helping children is just plain weird in "Western" culture where it's everyone on their own. A good number of Asian parents will work their guts out for their kids, live in one room and sleep on the floor while the kid has the bed, go to all lengths to help their kids. And in return, the strangest thing happens: the kids actually help the parents out in their old age.