Japanese Surgeon's Daily Life

Long-awaited Saddlebag

　　I have been waiting for the delivery of a saddlebag for my bicycle for a couple of months. I bought one before and wrote about it here, but it didn't fit my bicycle. So, I threw it away and ordered a new one. Though I haven't attached it yet to my bicycle, it looks like it will fit well. The bag will help me carry stuff like a spare tube and repair tools.

Bifocals

　　I've never been helped choosing my glasses by others, but a professional stylist and about 30 strangers advised me this time and I took their advice. After the choice of the frames, I had to choose the lenses.
　　When I make a round in the ward, I always feel it inconvenient to write the patient's record into the chart. I have to take my glasses off every time. That is to say, I take off and put on my glasses the same times as the number of inpatients. That's why I chose the bifocal ones which are for far-sight and close-sight. Additionally I bought middle and close-sight ones for desk work. They are very useful for using the PCs.
　　However, the principal factory of the lens company is located in Thailand, which is still suffering from unprecedented flooding across the country. I have to wait for the lenses for 2 weeks. I can't wait. I didn't even imagine that I was affected by Thailand's flood.
　　As soon as they are delivered, I'll post the pictures of them here. The size of the lenses is considerably smaller than that of the ones which I use now. The arms of the frames are also elaborately designed . These glasses might make me look more intelligent. (grin)

(Vocabulary)
bifocal  （眼鏡が）遠近両用の
bifocals  《複数扱い》遠近両用めがね

With Style

　　I hardly care about how I look since my younger days. I don't bother to wear nice-looking clothes either. Even while commuting, it doesn't apparently look like I present a doctor-like appearance. I just change clothes for work in my office. It has been enough for my daily life, but my daughters came to ask me to wear something dressy as they grew up. My youngest one bought me a scent for preventing body odor of older people. They seem to want me to become a dandy.
　　In the mean time, an acquaintance who is what you call a big shot and runs a glasses shop chain, invited me to a private meeting with a noted fashion designer who helps in the choice of glasses for lots of celebrities like a former soccer player, Hidetoshi Nakata, the Kabuki actor, Sakata Tojuro and so on. A few dozen clients had an opportunity to know how to choose their best-fit glasses from her. After her short lecture, she said "May I choose your glasses?", but no one raised his hand with hesitation. So, she abruptly called on me for a kind of a model and showed people some pairs of glasses using my face as a specimen. Most people were surprised to see the change of my appearance with the glasses. Finally I decided to buy a pair following her advice because I had just been thinking about the purchase of new glasses. To be continued...

(Vocabulary)
with style  おしゃれに, さっそうと
style  [U] 風格, 品格
Her husband always dresses with style and flair. 彼女のだんなさんはいつもおしゃれであか抜けた格好をしている．
You may not like her, but she certainly has style.  あなたは彼女のことを気に入らないかもしれないけど，品がある人なのは確かだよ．
body odor of old people  加齢臭
call on sb 〈教師が〉＜生徒＞を指名する, 当てる

New Helmet

　　I bought a new helmet for cycling today. An event for cyclists, which will be held on Oct. 16th, requires all the participants to wear one during the event. It is the straightforward reason for buying one, but naturally I know it's for security. However, it looks so simple and I wondered if  it would work well in time of emergency. Anyway, it might be better than nothing.
　　This event was the cue for me to buy a bicycle last year and I'm going to attend the event this year. It's great, I think, to do something new, which I couldn't do before. Ehime Prefecture, where I live, faces Seto Inland Sea in the north. The area called this is very narrow and small from a worldwide view, but it's well-known for the awesome view. If you want to see it, google for images with the key word of "Setonaikai" or "Setouchi".
　　The participants choose their routes from three routes which are 60km, 80km and 100km in length and I chose the longest one, 100km. I'll record my route and post it in this blog with pictures that I'll take on the way as long as my physical strength lasts.

Smart Phone

　I bought a smart phone as a replacement for my second HT-03A which was made in Taiwan. My new one is an htc EVO 3D which I'll show you below. Lots of uncomfortable things in the former version are improved. I'm really satisfied with it.

Tandem

　　I went out for a long-distance cycling trip after a month today. The distance was about 80 km, longer than the last time by 20 km. The fatigue was not so severe that I was afraid. Dating back one year, I heard of the cyclists' event that was held on the islands in the Seto Inland Sea. I instantly hit upon the idea that I would be likely to join it the next year and found myself ordering a bicycle from the U.S. after a great deal of research about bicycles. I've written about this bicycle before and the offbeat idea will soon be achieved at last. I applied for the event after getting enough confidence to complete the full distance, 100 km.
　　The picture shows two tandem bikes which I saw today. The owner was kind enough to allow me to ride on it. Of course, it was my first time to try a tandem bike. Describing it in a few words the tandem pedalling was curious but interesting. The rider in the rear saddle can't control the bike and he just pedals. It's only pedalling that he can do. I imagined that he could cheat and stop pedalling behind the front rider at first. However, the gears attached to both pedals of the front and rear were directly connected and both riders have to pedal at the same cycle. It was fun to ride it.

(Vocabulary)
complete the full distance  完走する
pedal  [自] (自転車の) ペダルを踏む［こぐ］
pedal away/along etc.  ペダルをこいで去って行く［進んで行く

 

 

Miscellaneous Thoughts

　　I've done the first long, at least for me, cycling trip. It was tough for me, but comfortable. I got heavily suntanned, but I hope I'll try to ride longer next time. I had underestimated the pleasure of cycling.
　　However, I had some lessons from this cycling trip. More than a half of the cyclists whom I met were wearing their helmets. When I went downhill, I sometimes felt like toppling forward. I have to get a helmet by the next cycling tour. The jeans were terrible for riding. They stuck around both knees and hampered their free movement. The saddle was small and it caused my buttocks pain. My friends wore pants designed for cycling. They had a pad on part of the buttocks. As one of the subscribers of this blog, Shiroi-Tora, says, I need a helmet and pants for cycling.
　　The scenery passed slower than when I rode my scooter. I noticed lots of items along the way. I could see the whirlpool under the bridge. The current was so rapid. The current around Alcatraz wouldn't be able to compare with it, though I've never seen the current in San Francisco Bay.
　　I reserved a roundtrip ticket of JR transport service for Sept. 4th. I'm thinking of going farther. I'll post the route map then; enjoy it.

(Vocabulary)
topple [自] (ぐらついて) 倒れる, 崩れ落ちる
The magazines toppled to the floor. 雑誌が床に崩れ落ちた．
topple over/backward/sideways   倒れる［後ろへ転倒する，横へ倒れる］
buttock 《[C]通例複数形で》(片方の) 尻, 臀部
sth doesn't/can't compare with sth  ＜…＞は＜…＞と比較にならない, より劣る

Private Train

　　I uploaded a map which showed my cycling route in the last entry. Did you notice that a part of the trace dropped on the map. It was due to an outage of the battery of my GPS receiver which was written about in this previous entry. After one hour's interval, I found it stopped working and replaced the battery.
　　By the way, my house is 50 km away from the starting point of the "Shimanami route" and it has been a problem for me. Surprisingly however, JR (Japan Railway) started a special service once a month. That is, a service for cyclists who live in Matsuyama City. They take up to 30 cyclists to the nearest station of the "Shimanami route" along with their bikes. I applied for this service and could enjoy cycling there.
　　The picture shows the inside of the train. In Germany, the train which accommodates bikes was made for that purpose, but this car is for just normal use. Each bike is simply fixed by a rubber rope to a handrail. In this way, I was transferred to Hashihama Station which is the nearest JR station to the "Shimanami route".
　　It took an hour and ten minutes to move the distance of 50 km. This line was single-track. So, our train frequently had to stop at small stations and let other regular trains overtake or oncoming trains to pass by.

(Vocabulary)
handrail　手すり
(Vocabulary from comments)
dividend  (株式の) 配当（金）
pay dividends  役に立つ, 実を結ぶ

Fitting Saddlebag 2

　　I replaced the bag support of the placing-on type with a hang-down type as you can see in the picture. The saddlebag droops from the hook fixed to the column. It was better than before, but the bottom of the bag touched the mudguard. This bag is shaped into a rectangular solid but it has no rigid frame such as an attache case. That's why it is easily deformed.
　　Finally, I gave up using this saddlebag and ordered another one. This bag will be transferred to my friend who has a folding bicycle which has smaller tires. In the case of such bicycles, the space between the saddle and the mudguard is big enough to fit my big saddlebag.
　　In the previous entry, I wrote that the bigger the saddlebag is, the better. I was completely wrong. At first, it must fit the bicycle. I have a plan of going cycling tomorrow. The length of the course will be more than 50 km, which is the longest distance that I have ridden at one time. I have to shoulder my daypack all day long and it will feel muggy on my back.
　　Anyway, tomorrow is the day of my debut as a middle aged cyclist.

 
 

Fitting Saddlebag

　　I was wondering how the saddlebag would fit on my bicycle for the past couple of months. I ordered the biggest bag and the bag support from a British company last March. After only the bag support arrived, I had to wait for the bag for more than three months due to them being out of stock. At last the bag was delivered a few weeks ago. You can see the saddlebag here.
　　The picture shows my bicycle with only the bag support being fitted. I fixed this bag support to my bicycle in April and was waiting for the arrival of the bag. As you see, the gap between the support and the mudguard is so small that both hit and emit an uncomfortable noise when the bicycle goes on the bumpy road. So, I had to raise the saddle and it made me unable to set my feet on the ground. This height of the saddle made me feel uneasy, but I understood the reason why lots of cyclists set the height of the saddle higher than the length of their legs. You can extend your knees while riding and it helps reduce fatigue in the legs.
　　I just placed the bag on the support, but the bag was too big to be fitted on the support. It might be a misdesign.

(Vocabulary)
mudguard 泥よけ

Saddle Bag

　　A saddle bag that I had ordered from a British company last March was delivered. I'll show you below. It fits on the back of the saddle of my bike. The capacity is much more than I expected, but the larger the better. This will free me from carrying a daypack on my back.
　　I went to the small German city of Freiburg for a total of two weeks a few years ago. I saw lots of people ride their bikes at that time. I admired the riding arrangements in Germany. Especially, it's wonderful that you can utilize the train with your bike. Unfortunately in Japan we are not allowed to take our bike on the train except in a very few exceptions.
　　In such conditions, a unique service has just started. On the first Sunday of every month, you can take your bike on the train between my hometown and Hashihama, which is the starting point of the Shimanami route known for continuous bridges. The passengers are limited to 30 and required to have a reservation. However, it's fascinating for me. I'm going to use this service on July 3rd and I'll report on the day here. The bag will be of great use on that day.

(Vocabulary)
arrangement 《[C]通例複数形で》 仕組み, やり方, システム
living arrangements  生活（様式）, 暮らし（方）
sleeping arrangements  (宿泊時の) 部屋割り
security arrangements  安全［防犯］システム
seating arrangements  座席の配列［配置］

 

Erasing Data from HDD

　　I use my PCs in both my office and my home. The data is stored on both PCs' HDD and on the internet so that I can do some deskwork also in my home. It is a very comfortable working circumstance, but one of my those PCs got outdated and I decided to throw it away. The data on its HDD was erased totally by myself, I believed, but the PC experts apparently can revive the data. That was why I took the PC to the Medical Association that I belong to. The association has a data-erasing machine and this machine can make the HDD eternally unusable by strong magnetic energy. I'll show you the picture of the machine. It took about ten minutes to clear the HDD and the private data on the patients was completely erased.

Cycling

　　Since I saw lots of people riding their bike in Germany last year, I have been interested in bikes, though the environment for cyclists isn't good in Japan in comparison with Germany. Some of my friends were also addicted to the bike at that time. Naturally, cycling is good for my health. This is why I bought the bike. It would be great if the cycling path network extended across the country and trains could accommodate bikes.
　　I bought a pair of cycling gloves and shoes on my friends' advice today just before my first ride. Both are made for cycling and are comfortable. I was surprised, however, to find the holes on the sole for binding the shoes and the pedals. I just knew that there was something to connect both, but didn't know about the holes. If it rained, my feet would surely get wet naturally.
　　Anyway, I went out for cycling. It took some time to understand how to change the gears, but the bike was well designed, as to be expected. The bike was really controllable even for me though I'm just a beginner. I enjoyed riding for about 2 hours and biked nearly 20 km. It led me to know that the distance can be more than I had previously expected. I'd like to ride at least 20 km every week at first, and gradually make it longer.

(Vocabulary)
on one's advice ～の勧めで

From kind comments
unsolicited (電話・手紙・Eメールなどが) かってにかかって［送られて］くる,(アドバイス・申し出などが) 押しつけがましい, おせっかいな
swerve  (ぶつからないように) (道などで) 〈人・車などが〉 急にわきに寄る［それる］
swerve to avoid/miss sb/sth  ＜…＞を避けて急にわきに寄る
swerve from sth  ＜…＞から逸脱する, それる
stray (動物が) 迷子の, はぐれた, 帰る家のない
a stray dog/cat  迷子の犬［猫］ 偶然にそれた
a stray bullet  流れ弾
axonal 軸索の
pothole  路面のくぼみ
making a nuisance of myself by ~ing
busybody  おせっかい焼き, 詮索(せんさく)好きな人

 

Bike Delivered

　　I ordered a bike online and it was delivered. I'll show you the picture. It was made in the U.S. and was imported into Japan. I haven't thought of it much, but it's great. People who lived a century ago would never believe that an individual could do it. The bill was paid by credit card. It would also have been amazing for those people.
　　The bike is so beautiful. I like it. I just see it on my computer screen, but it is really nice. Cycling might become my lifelong hobby. I couldn't put it outside and set it just inside the entrance. I thought that I would place it in the living room as an ornament, but my family laughed at me, saying that only seeing the bike would never make me reduce weight. I talked back to them that it might be good for my mental health.
　　Anyway, I will be able to show you various pictures around my hometown from now.

Come Back Home and No One There

　　I came back home after 4 days' continuous work. There was no one but Mocha, my dog. My wife will be late due to a party after the commencement of her college. I wondered if there was something to eat? Alright! Several kinds of frozen food were stored in the fridge. I plugged in the electric kettle for my tea and turned on the rice cooker. I found ash or cement like dust (maybe dead skin) on the floor and turned the roomba on. Then, I turned the laundry machine on as I was told by my wife. I set the DVD recorder for the local news. After that, I went out for a walk with Mocha. I realized that my life is really based on the stable supply of power.
　　As I wrote the other day, the scheduled partial blackout is going on in eastern Japan. Daily life would be so inconvenient.

A Parcel from the UK

　　A part of my bicycle gear was delivered from the UK. I was delighted to see it when I came back home. It was transported from the UK all the way! What's more, the bicycle shop that I ordered my bicycle from sent me an e-mail saying that my bicycle was assembled and they had sent it to me. All the gears from the UK haven't been delivered yet, but I'm going to ride it this weekend. I'll show you pictures later.

Bicycle Pump

　　A week has passed since I ordered my bicycle, "Jamis Aurora," online. The shop personnel told me that it would take a few weeks to deliver it because they were so busy having received many orders. If their work is as previously scheduled, my bicycle will arrive next week. I'm going to enjoy cycling on a regular basis to keep fit. I'm not sure now, but I'm thinking of joining the 100 km cycling event that will be held this autumn, though I'm a beginner now.
　　I visited a sports goods shop to examine some cycling gear today. As I don't know much about cycling gears, I asked my friends to come with me and they gave me some useful advice. I examined some goods directly with both hands and compared both the prices in the shop and on the net. Consequently I bought a bicycle pump, a light, a chain lock and bicycle clips which are used for fixing the bottom of the pants at about the same or at a lower price as on the net and after getting back home I ordered online several gears from the UK to be delivered to my house at a lower price on the net than in the shop. It's amazingly convenient.
　　The picture shows the bicycle pump that I bought today. It should be stored at the entrance or out of the house, but I put it in my room and often look at it with a smile. The number of the entries classified into the category "Sports" will increase.

(Vocabulary)
bicycle pump　自転車の空気入れ
as (previously) arranged / scheduled 予定通り
keep fit 健康を維持する
bicycle clip （自転車の乗る人の）ズボンの裾留め

Internet Television

　　I had the internet television installed in my house. The biggest Japanese telecommunication company, NTT, had launched a campaign of optic fiber communication for private use until the end of January. The initial cost was almost free during the campaign and I achieved the benefit. The optic fiber allows us to send and receive a huge amount of data.
　　To my surprise, nearly 100 channels and more than 25,000 movies are available via internet in this system. I can watch movies whenever I want. I don't need to visit the DVD rental shop and also don't worry about the return-day any more from now.
　　I think it is very convenient, but it looks like I have to take care about lack of sleep.

(Vocabulary)
achieve [他] …をかちとる, 獲得する, に到達する/ [他] …を成し遂げる, 達成する

Telecommunication System

　　When I had my house built eight years ago, I had up-to-date optic fiber cable for internet access installed. The optic fiber cable has enabled me to use internet comfortably with its transfer speed. I have been able to enjoy what you call, "internet surfin", since then. The fast-pace of technological innovation is spectacular, however, and it has remarkably changed the present IT world.( <-- great sentence!)  Now, you can watch TV via internet from the progress of the quality and speed of the transmit. You don't have to visit the DVD movie rental shop any more. You can order a movie from your house via internet whenever you want to watch the movie.
　　I decided to upgrade the optic fiber cable to the most updated one the other day to utilize the internet TV and applied to NTT, the Japanese biggest telecommunication company, for installation.
　　A few days later, SECOM, the security company, and gas company called me, telling that they had to modify their own system. I have used an analogue line for my phone, but I was going to change it to a digital line this time. I could imagine that SECOM used the phone line to know how my house was, but I didn't know the gas company was using the remote monitoring of my house. They seemed to have monitored the gas consumption and kept not to be short. If an abnormal condition was found, the monitoring system is designed to inform the company. If the gas leaked, the gas consumption monitoring system will catch the unusual gas usage and SECOM will detect the leaked gas. That is to say, my house is proven protected from gas leakage accidents in two ways. It's wonderful.
　　I'll report later about the internet TV.

(Vocabulary)
reflection [C] (鏡・水面などに) 映った姿［像，影］/ [U] よく考えること, 熟考
After some reflection, I decided not to accept the job. よく考えた末，その仕事は断ることにした．

Bulk Trash

　　There are five PCs and several parts of PCs which are lying idle since long ago in my house. They are outdated. You might wonder why I hadn't done away with them. Honestly, I've wanted to throw them away, but I couldn't. The rules about garbage collection are strict and we are required to make a classification of garbage on the basis of materials. Especially, several items were rejected to be collected by the municipal collection service. PCs are one of those items. Just for your information, I wrote about such bulk trash before.
　　The system of recycling materials in Japan is thorough. I saw the plastic bottle return system in Germany last year and I thought it was good, but it was for recovering the deposit money added on the bottles. I also wrote about it before. Come to think of it, it's great for Japanese people to support the system voluntarily. Anyway, I decided finally to ask a junk dealer to collect them with a fee, though electronics emporiums receive them with the cost of disposal. Oh, I almost fogot, I have to erase their data on the HDD before passing them to the dealer.
　　By the way, modern life never avoids consuming materials and producing garbage. I think before my outdated PCs that I have to spend life with as less waste as possible for the next generation.

(Vocabulary)
bulk [bulky, big, huge] trash〔家具、冷蔵庫、テレビなど〕粗大ごみ
idle 《通例[名]の前不可》 使用されていない, 稼動していない, 遊んでいる
The factory has been idle since May. 工場は5月から稼動していない．
sit/stand/lie idle  放置されている, 遊んだままになっている
do away with  (不要なものを)捨てる
for your information　ご参考までに（申し添えておきますが）、ちなみに、後学のため◆【略】FYI　場合によってかなりキツイ言い方になる。
voluntarily  自発的に／無償で
junk dealer / rag collector / recycle service 廃品回収業者
fee（サービスに対する）手数料
an electronics emporium 大型家電店