Today I will....

[slb2]

What is the one activity that you want to accomplish today?

Return at the end of the day and tell us if you were successful.

[slb2]

Submit two poems to a journal.

[liriodendron]

Clean out my kitchen cabinets and throw out some crap!

[gailkate]

Dear slb2 sent me a craigslist posting about writing for a blog. Isn't she just the sweetest thang?

But as I google myself, I can't find many of the things I've had printed in papers that could be quickly assembled for writing samples. I thought every word we write gets cemented forever on the web, but apparently not. Of course, I've used a lot of names (trying to spare Jerry the embarrassment of being married to a leftie English major), so I don't know if I'm searching the right combinations.

Oddly, little has turned up from this board or the old CB - did they get vaporized?

[slb2]

gk, what we write here should not ever show up in a google search. It's "hidden."

[Jane]

Finish at least half of a 1000 word article on a "green" building project in Lansing.

[gailkate]

slb, I thought the old CB stuff was "out there," which is why I got so angry about some of the things that were being written. It seems to me Trusty elucidated this once, but I'll never be able to find that.
I have decided on a do-nothing, move books around day. It's raining and I'm enjoying the respite from the #%*@! garage.

So, have you two succeeded yet? Is Lirio lost in her cupboards?

[slb2]

Not yet.

[liriodendron]

Lirio has cleaned out one, count 'em, one cabinet. She has also strewn stuff from assorted other cabinets all over the counter and table tops. She has a big pile of stuff for a tag sale and a smaller pile of stuff for Goodwill. Then she took a break and got a much shorter haircut and went to the grocery store and dropped off a coat at the cleaners and mailed some letters. Now she had better get back to the cabinets or else dinner will need to be served elsewhere. (Which may not be such a bad idea, after all.)

[michael]

We are experiencing heavy rain fall today (real heavy). It’s dark outside; the temperature is lower than normal.

Emi and I will go to the public bath house today and have a nice long soak in a great big bath full of steamy hot water. After that, well probably stop by the local stand-bar for an ice cold beer.

That’s my “Today I will…”

Mike

[joew]

Today I was to finish writing the instruction sheets for funeral altar servers. Just now finished.

[slb2]

Jun 11, 2008 16:37:34 GMT -5 @michael said:

We are experiencing heavy rain fall today (real heavy). It’s dark outside; the temperature is lower than normal.

Emi and I will go to the public bath house today and have a nice long soak in a great big bath full of steamy hot water. After that, well probably stop by the local stand-bar for an ice cold beer.

That’s my “Today I will…”

Mike

Mike, would you mind sharing the specifics of a public bath house? I had an experience with something similar and I'd like to find out how other cultures view public nudity. (And maybe there isn't any bareness in Japanese bath houses, I wait for your details.)

[slb2]

I sorta messed up. I forgot that my goal for this board was the poetry submission. In a state of confusion, I spent the day trying to craft a pitch letter for my Fiddle essay, which I eventually wrote and have now submitted.

I am not kidding, I did not have five minutes of uninterrupted time to write today. Well, I take that back, when the boys were using the computer, then I could have written in peace, but I no longer write long-hand except in exceptional instances. Besides, I sent the pitch via e-mail as recommended by Fiddler Magazine.

Today wasn't an exceptional instance. It was typical.

[michael]

Jun 11, 2008 17:22:04 GMT -5 @slb2 said:

Jun 11, 2008 16:37:34 GMT -5 @michael said:

We are experiencing heavy rain fall today (real heavy). It’s dark outside; the temperature is lower than normal.

Emi and I will go to the public bath house today and have a nice long soak in a great big bath full of steamy hot water. After that, well probably stop by the local stand-bar for an ice cold beer.

That’s my “Today I will…”

Mike

Mike, would you mind sharing the specifics of a public bath house? I had an experience with something similar and I'd like to find out how other cultures view public nudity. (And maybe there isn't any bareness in Japanese bath houses, I wait for your details.)

The public bath house that I frequent is an old traditional type. The men and the woman bathe separately although young children can bathe with their parents regardless of their sex. It is quite common to see a father with his young (six years old or younger) daughter in the men’s side.

It cost 430 yen if you pay cash, or one can buy 10 tickets in a advance for 400 yen each; that’s what we do.

After entering the men’s change room, I get a big wicker basket from a stack of them and get undressed putting all my clothes in the basket. I bring all my toiletries with me from home in a plastic basket that was meant for cloths pins; this is typical of most of the patrons.

The changing room is separated from the bathing room by a sliding glass door. Because the door and the wall dividing these two rooms is made of glass, I can keep my eye on my belongings at all times; not that I worry about anyone steeling them.

The bathing room has facets and mirrors about 18 inches up from the floor along the left and right hand sides of the room and the bath is at the end of the room. There is a stack of small stools and buckets as I enter, I pick one of each and sit on the stool in front of a faucet/mirror. Common courtesy dictates that I wash before getting into the bath. So, I fill the bucket with water from the faucet and pour it over my head. Then, with soap and a small towel I scrub down and rinse off. This is done at a leisurely pace. After that I enter the bath.

The bath is big, made of cement and covered with ceramic tiles. It’s divided into two sections: one that is about two feet deep and has water jets placed along one side so that you can sit with your back to them and get a massage and there are also jets in the bottom of the bath so that you can get other parts of your body massaged. The other half of the bath is much deeper, about three feet deep, and the water is calm; this is where I like to soak.

There are some large ceramic murals along the walls. One has large colorful carp swimming, another has samurai warriors fighting with swords, and the last one has lions at a desert oasis. These murals are very old and a pleasure to look at while soaking.

The water in the bath is about 40 degrees centigrade. It’s hot enough to turn my body red. I usually alternate between soaking and doing things like shampooing, shaving, etc… that way I don’t cook in the tub and die.

This is all done with any other customers that may be there at the same time. There’s enough faucets/mirrors/stools/buckets for about 12 people at one time. When I go after work, there are usually about 5 people there; sometimes more and occasionally I have the whole place to myself. Oh, and yes, you have to get naked!

There’s a wall between the men’s and woman’s side but the ceiling area is open. I always hear the women chattering away; the men’s side is always quiet. We don’t talk, we don’t stare, and we don’t point and laugh; we meditate and contemplate all matters of importance – like how good the beer will taste afterwards.

From the time that Emi and I enter to the time that we leave is about an hour. It's all very relaxing and it's good clean fun, too!

Regards,
Mike

[slb2]

Michael, I so enjoyed all those details. I feel almost relaxed just reading your account. Thank you kindly for writing that all out. I know you are also a leisurely typist, too.

You seem to have been on throughout the past 24 hours! Can't sleep?

[michael]

These are pictures that represents the type of place that I go to.










Mike

[liriodendron]

Wow. It would have to be a cold day in hell before I would voluntarily hang out naked with a bunch of other people. Seriously. Although it was fascinating to learn about this, Mike.

[joew]

I guess it's partly a cultural thing. The northern Europeans have their saunas, and some tribes in the tropics never wear anything. When I was in high school and college showers were compulsory after Phys Ed, but people never lingered. Then there was the YMCA — as I understand it, until they went coed nobody ever wore anything in the swimming pool. But in general, group nudity isn't part of our culture.

[michael]

I would say that it’s very much a cultural thing.

In Japan, back in time, having a bath in one’s own home was a luxury that only the high placed and powerful people could enjoy. All others [the peons] went to a public bath house in the evening. As a natural community gathering place, while bathing community news and information was exchanged; somewhat similar to the barbershops of the old west in the United States.

Most Americans that go to a public bath or hot spring resort here in Japan where they share the bath with others are too self-conscious to enjoy it. Once a person can get beyond that feeling of self-consciousness, there is a wonderful world of simplistic relaxation waiting for them to enjoy.

Mike

[doctork]

I go out to Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California fairly often. They have public baths there. Clothing is "optional" but it is unusual to see someone in a swimsuit.

The baths are very beautiful, located on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In season, you can watch the whales migrating, as the indoor baths are open to the west. There are several baths outside as well.

As Mike describes, there are showers to use before and after, also open to the west with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Since the water comes directly from a natural hot springs at 107 degrees (more like 41 or 42 degrees C), it has a sulfur odor that you might want to rinse off when you leave. All the baths have a cold water faucet too, so you can cool it down from 107 if you prefer.

There is a quiet, meditative side, and a side where you can talk with the others in the tubs with you. Each tub holds 5 - 7 people, although there are also a couple of individual tubs.

The baths aren't really public, as they are predominantly for the use of guests and employees of Esalen. However, they are "open to the public" a couple nights a week, from 1 am to 3 am.

[slb2]

Jun 13, 2008 9:39:48 GMT -5 doctork said:

I go out to Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California fairly often. They have public baths there. Clothing is "optional" but it is unusual to see someone in a swimsuit.

The baths are very beautiful, located on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In season, you can watch the whales migrating, as the indoor baths are open to the west. There are several baths outside as well.

As Mike describes, there are showers to use before and after, also open to the west with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Since the water comes directly from a natural hot springs at 107 degrees (more like 41 or 42 degrees C), it has a sulfur odor that you might want to rinse off when you leave. All the baths have a cold water faucet too, so you can cool it down from 107 if you prefer.

There is a quiet, meditative side, and a side where you can talk with the others in the tubs with you. Each tub holds 5 - 7 people, although there are also a couple of individual tubs.

The baths aren't really public, as they are predominantly for the use of guests and employees of Esalen. However, they are "open to the public" a couple nights a week, from 1 am to 3 am.

_{...adding number 17 to my list of places I'd like to visit...}