Sediment Diary 4: Leisurely Luxury

May 9th.

I crawled out of bed around 7:00 AM and went for a 30-minute run while seeing my father off to work. My route involves circling the housing complex on the hill, heading down the slope, entering a park that was renovated in recent years, and doing 10 laps around the track. The habit of morning running had long been lost since I joined the high school broadcasting club, which required early morning activities every day, but I revived it starting this month. I was envious of someone I like, who wakes up early in the morning to sip tea and enjoy needlework.
In the days just after the revival, even waking up at 9:00 AM felt like a life-or-death struggle, so running at 7:00 AM was an absolute impossibility. Lately, however, I wake up bright-eyed without waiting for the alarm clock. Sometimes I start moving as early as 5:00 AM. I realized the potential of my body to greedily turn things I couldn't do just a few days ago into habits, and I also keenly felt the overly free-spirited nature of my axis, which is easily influenced, as well as the dramatic effect that romance can have.
A large dog with a rich, brown—or rather, chestnut—coat was running in the park. Its owner, who was doing their best just to hold onto the leash, followed behind like a criminal being paraded through the city. I pass people with dogs every morning, but it is rare to meet the same dog twice. There are small, elderly dogs that can barely walk, moving forward with a hopping motion, and youthful ones that seem unable to rest until they have peered into and sniffed every single flower in the green space surrounded by the park track. When I run past them, they all stare at me in unison.
I injured my left knee slightly when I failed to navigate a curve while running down the slope of the housing complex, so I returned home.

At 11:00 AM, I took the train to Sendai. While reading Hyakken Uchida's 'Aho no Torikai' and feeling my heart flutter at a reply from someone I like, I grew sleepy from the run. When I jumped up in surprise, I had already arrived in Sendai. I felt the sensation of having slept with my mouth wide open around the corners of my lips, which was embarrassing.
Since I had time until my 2:00 PM hair salon appointment, I revisited the bookstore 'Kyokusen' in Hachiman, Aoba Ward. Stepping inside with only about 1,000 yen in my pocket, I was met with a selection that made me want to grit my teeth in frustration again today. I browsed for a while, setting aside the question of whether to buy anything. The line art collection by designer Mono Homy was rich in diverse patterns woven from stippling and line work, and as I was just looking to learn new expressions that don't rely on color, I was deeply impressed. I could have bought it with the money I had, but today I chose two paperback books. Sakiko Hirano's 'Umareta Toki kara Al Dente' and Theodor Storm's 'Immensee' (translated by Yasusuke Seki). I picked up the latter because of the plot, which depicts the torment of a person in love (a hot topic for me right now), and because I felt a certain connection to the title, 'Immensee' (Lake). I had just been talking about Noriko Ibaragi's poem 'Immensee,' which depicts the source of human charm, with the person I like, and being someone who gets carried away by everything, I was inspired just by the shared title.
And the former, 'Al Dente.' It was a title and cover I often saw on Booklog, but this was my first time browsing it. The intense light emitted from the words of the author, who wanders endlessly through food, vividly highlighted my own figure—someone who has suppressed an appetite that could have been much more free-spirited, all out of a desire to save money. The song that crossed my mind was like a manifesto.

I saw 'Al Dente' as the perfect guide to remember and envision the distant horizons that food can take you to. Even if I have no money, I want my spirit to be noble.

Got a haircut at the salon 'easy' near Fujisaki.
I am currently working part-time as a front desk clerk at a certain hotel, and I schemed to get a smart-looking haircut to match. For someone like me, whose desired image is vague (even if I have one, it's just 'smart' or 'neat') and who prefers to gradually build and share a hazy ideal through discussion and verbalization, a hair salon that takes the time to engage in conversation is comfortable. 'easy' is no exception.
While I was apologizing for asking for a lecture on the touting situation in Shinjuku's Kabukicho, the manager finished the cut, shampoo, and face shave with brilliant handiwork. It had indeed turned out smart, so I leaned into the mirror to get a good look. I'm looking forward to my next shift.

When I left the shop, a roar like an angry shout was echoing through the arcade street in front of Fujisaki, and when I wondered what was happening, I saw a group of high school students who had turned into a mob, carrying a magnificent portable shrine and shouting in triumph. Perhaps it was part of the traditional event of Sendai First and Second High Schools, the so-called regular match. I encountered a large number of rioters again at the Omachi Nishi-Koen intersection, a little to the west. The colorful gust of wind, as the costume parade rushed by at a furious speed from north to south, was clearly visible even from over 100 meters away, and my legs went weak. A madam watching the spectacle nonchalantly remarked, 'Young people are nice, aren't they?' but I couldn't believe she was serious.

Next, I visited the select shop 'salon' in Ichibancho to buy sneakers.
When I visited with an acquaintance before, I had been captivated by sneakers from the Finnish sports brand KARHU. In addition to the light design based on white, they were extremely lightweight, as if I could walk forever, and the polar bear logo of the brand, featured in several places on the surface, also caught my attention. The form, simplified as a symbol, is incredibly cute. At the time, I couldn't make up my mind and just said, 'I'll consider it,' but as a result, I ended up thinking about the sneakers throughout Golden Week. By a terrifying coincidence, the person I like uses a polar bear LINE sticker, so there wasn't a day when I didn't see a polar bear. It reached the point where if I stopped by a sweet shop, my gaze would be drawn to 'Shirokuma' (polar bear) on the menu, and finally, I decided to buy them with the sharp momentum I had from the hair salon.
'Good for you for making up your mind!' I was greeted by a female clerk with a wonderful, lively laugh, and my mouth relaxed in response. It was such beautiful weather that even the plants seemed to be cheering, so I decided to wear them home right after buying them. They were the polar bear sneakers I had been thinking about day and night to an absurd degree, but when I slipped my feet into them again, I was struck by a fresh surprise. Good color, light, cute.

Heading south toward Nagamachi, Taihaku Ward. On the way, I stopped by the Hirose River.
Whether it's a day of torrential rain that makes me dodge a folding umbrella and soaks my backpack, a day of snow piled up so high that taking a single step is a struggle, a day of wind so strong that I can't keep my eyes open due to the dust and pollen, a day so hot that the tiger-stripe pattern—a symptom of heatstroke—flickers in my field of vision, a day so cold that even running frantically or chanting the Heart Sutra doesn't help, a day so sick that I can't write a single character of my thesis, or a healthy day when I want to shout 'Banzai' to all of creation, I always make sure to visit the banks of the Hirose River whenever I have free time.
Just walking by makes me feel like oxygen is being sent to my heart, but it's also fun to lie down on a bench and sleep under the blue sky, or sit on the stone steps to watch the birds and get lost in thought. Today, it's reading. I'm reading 'Al Dente'.

I started walking as the cold air began to mix with the wind blowing across the riverbank.
I looked at houseplants at the home center Kohnan between Nagamachi Station and Taishido Station. Having heard that the person I like—who has appeared in this sediment diary more times than I can count—grows many pots at home, I was deeply influenced and came to Kohnan.
There were many large plants that tempted me, such as the Alocasia with its large leaves growing from a thick trunk, but I exercised restraint, considering that I have a cat at home. So, I chose a small houseplant planted in a hanging pot, Primulina 'Little Dragon'.
The flower language is 'permanence' and 'immortality.' Like a Saison card, it's reliable.
I don't know my left from my right, but I'm relieved to hear that it doesn't require meticulous care.
My immediate goal is to make it bloom with small purple flowers. Stay tuned for updates.

Because of 'Al Dente,' I missed my train, read 'Al Dente' while waiting for the return train, and read 'Al Dente' when I got home. I'm completely hooked.
At dinner, I watched the author Hirano's YouTube channel. Come to think of it, I have almost never ordered food for myself. I might have limited food to something that mediates relationships with others. Maybe I'll try buying some for my own satisfaction, fullness, and delight.

After my bath, I couldn't stop the inspiration from Mono Homy's work, so I practiced stippling. I was overjoyed when I drew on a colored postcard with a newly purchased white pen and it had very good color development. I fantasized about making bookmarks and selling them on the sly at the storefront of a used bookstore.
On the 8th, I created a stippled work of a frog. I want to create more and more.