Canon's Diary

June 29, Sunday.
In the morning, I took a bath to warm myself up, then had a simple breakfast of a lettuce sandwich and coffee. After that, I opened my work laptop again, just like yesterday. Some technical documents were due urgently, with the deadline being tomorrow. I focused on the materials.

I wasn’t yet familiar with this kind of work, so at first I felt quite lost. But by making a table comparing the specs in the specification sheet with those in the technical documents prepared at the time of the estimate, I was able to organize my thoughts. Once I settled on a process, I took a quick lunch.
I didn’t have much time today, so it was just cup ramen with green onions and a bowl of rice topped with raw egg. Well, it was a bit of a junk meal, but green onions really are amazing. Just having them somehow makes me feel at ease. I wonder if it’s just me who feels this way.

In the afternoon, I continued working.
“Hm, for a newcomer, he’s actually doing pretty well. Not as many mistakes as I expected.”
Even so, I found some minor errors, so I documented them clearly in a table. Once the whole thing was done, I incorporated it into the official technical documents.
“Alright, next is the performance curve. Looks like the design support system isn’t working properly. If I input the data manually, I should be able to generate the drawing. Seems like I can download the data from the equipment selection program.”
I kept switching between various data files and programs, and managed to work through the documentation process. At least I confirmed I could get it all done.

Alright, that should do it for the technical documents due on Monday. But Sunday was completely eaten up by work. It was already 3 p.m. I sat at my desk, put my hand on my left shoulder, and rotated my elbow. “My body feels a bit heavy.”

But it was about time to head back to Osaka.
All the important documents for inheritance procedures — family registers, agreements on dividing assets, property tax certificates, my mother’s bankbooks and My Number card — had been in my bag all week. I carefully sorted them and placed them together in the living room.

“I’ll leave all the documents here, okay? Please put the important ones in the safe.”

“Alright, but if something comes from the bank, I wouldn’t know what to do, so I’ll just leave it as is.”

“That’s fine, as long as you keep it where I can find it. I’ll come back around Saturday, July 19. There’s a three-day weekend then.”

I finished packing up and started preparing dinner with my wife for the Shinkansen ride.
We cut some chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, lightly seared them in a pan, then poured in a sauce made of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and ginger. Stirred it all and let it steam for about five minutes. And there it was — chicken ginger stir-fry, done.
I packed white rice, the chicken, and some broccoli into a bento box. Ekiben are delicious, but they’re a bit pricey, so we went with this. Actually, my wife used to make this exact bento for me every day about three years ago. Seeing it packed into the same old lunch box brought back a wave of nostalgia.

My wife drove me to the station.
She doesn’t like it when I bring my father’s guitar back to Osaka or keep taking my tennis rackets home, so she was grumbling about it the whole drive.
I thought, “This really doesn’t concern you…” but I understood she must be under a lot of stress too. So I didn’t say anything back.

The classical guitar and three tennis rackets made for quite a load, but once I got on the Shinkansen, all I had to do was sit.
Fortunately, I even found a spot on the overhead rack for the guitar.
With a sigh, I finally felt at ease.

Through the westward window, I could see the sun setting.
I took out the chicken ginger bento my wife had helped me prepare earlier.
It was delicious—a nostalgic taste.
Her sharp words can wear me out sometimes, but in the end, I really am grateful to her.