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I finally managed to sort through the recordings from Sardinia, as well as a few from Vietnam — quite a number of places overall. Unlike the recordings on the Tascam, these were captured with my iPhone. I plan to work on them very carefully, editing and trimming them so the format can adapt properly to the Erica Synths Drum module.

I’m not yet sure which module this one will replace, but I haven’t been getting the results I want from the Doepfer Photo phasing. It’s probably more a matter of time and deeper exploration than anything else. Some things simply require patience.

I’m also continuing my study of Shingon Buddhism, particularly the Mahāvairocana Sūtra (Dainichikyō). It’s demanding work, largely because there aren’t many accessible writings on this specific tradition. The edition I have is relatively rare, and I expect it will take me at least six months to work through it seriously. I will also be receiving an English-language book on the life of Kūkai, the monk who introduced Shingon Buddhism to Japan.

I recently published a new podcast. At the moment, however, I’m extremely tired. I’ve been experiencing occasional drops in blood pressure, and I’m not entirely sure why. It’s somewhat unusual. What is clear is that I can’t realistically take on more work right now — it exhausts me. I had a minor health concern recently; nothing serious in the end, but perhaps I overestimated it. It was more preventive than anything else, shortly after my birthday.

I’m also about to receive three recordings that I’m very fond of — one titled Chewing Gum by Polar Bear, and another by a rather underground Japanese jazz artist. I’ll speak more about them in a future post. I accidentally ordered the vinyl version in slightly used condition along with the CD; in fact, it was the CD version that I originally intended to purchase.

The move went well. The apartment is just right for me. I simply need to regain a certain physical balance. I still find it difficult to grasp that spring is already approaching. Time feels strange — different, somehow.

As for writing, I don’t have a printer here yet, but I’ve kept various sheets with drafts that I erase, rebuild, and restructure. I may eventually purchase a small thermal printer for annotations, but I’m not someone who makes impulsive purchases. I need time to determine whether something is truly necessary.

That’s all for this blog entry.

zi