Checking into Nichidai

Day one in the hospital.

Clare and I met dad for breakfast at 9 in the morning and then head off to the hospital on foot. It’s actually not that far from my apartment. A brisk 20 min walk or a slowish 30 min walk will get you there. I check in and get placed on the fifth floor. 5B08 to be exact. The bathrooms are communal and I only get to shower Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but it’s not like I’m doing anything to work up a sweat so I’m not that fussed. I get to spend most of my days in my pajamas or track suit which is great but I’m confined to the hospital grounds which sucks.

Dad hung out with us for a bit but went home cuz he had stuff to do but Clare and I talked and hung out all day. We even broke the rules and went off the property to this shopping arcade down the street where we ate a small bowl of pasta (much better than that nasty ass hospital food I tasted earlier). We saw the weirdest guy at the pasta place. He was obviously a nutjob. He was wearing white linen pants that had been cut off at the bottoms and a pink shirt and a BRIGHT YELLOW jacket on top. His feet were equally peculiar: white kimono tabi socks inside a pair of bright yellow duck shaped slippers. He was holding a doll and stroking its hair and talking to it. He must have made a run for it from the psyche ward of the hospital.

Other visitors today: Fumiko who brought me flowers, strawberries, dry shampoo, and cleansing wipes. We talked for a bit and then she left when dad and I had a meeting with the doctor about the surgery.

Kyoko and Sophie came to see me too which was so nice. They came towards the end of the evening around 7:00 when all the olds were getting ready for sleep. Our peals of laughter must have been distracting. I hadn’t seen Sophie for a really long time so it was great to catch up with her. Kyoko brought me boxes of sweets from Hokkaido and Sendai and a bunch of drinks. She is the sweetest person. We spoke at length about her upcoming “date” with this guy she was set up with who is a total loser. She said she’s considering checking into the hospital just to get away from him.

Well, that pretty much recaps my first day. I know I’m not supposed to be using my cell phone or my computer but I’m using them anyways. I gotta watch all 48 episodes of the second and third seasons of 24 my dad brought me courtesy of my sister and brother-in-law. I also brought some movies that the Train sent me so I got lots to do. I’ve got tons of books that friends have brought me along with the small library I brought with me which includes a kanji text book that I’ve threatened to start studying, so I’m pretty well set up. I still don’t like being here but there’s not much I can do about it at the moment so I might as well make the most of my time. 24 here I come!