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Mama's Chapstick

I took the morning off to go see my psychiatrist and did my usual walk down to Izumi Chuo to catch the subway to Hirosedori after sending Eri and the boys off in the car to the kindergarten bus stop.

The doc asked me his usual stoic questions. I'm learning through experience about the difference between psychiatrists and psychologists, both of which I frequent. Obviously the big one is that the psychiatric doc can prescribe medication, and today I actually got an increase in the Zoloft. The other thing I've noticed in my limited involvement in these things is that psychologists seem to be into mental health for more subjective reasons than psychiatrists; specifically, for personal or religious reasons, for atonement, as a form of therapy for themselves, and more I can't even fathom.

My psychiatrist is well-groomed, has a super professional office on the eighth floor of an excellently-located building downtown, asks his questions and types everything into his computer on his spartan desk, and prescribes medicine. He also doesn't have time for rambling so he's excellent at cutting me off and confirming what I am trying to say in ten words or less so he can move on. His waiting room is always populated.

The psychologist I see uses a steno pad and lets me ramble. In lieu of prescribing medication she loans me books and gives me mental homework.

I hopped back on the subway to go home and was heading into Selva at Izumi Chuo to get some yangnyum chicken at Puyo, but I got distracted by this along the way. 


This area by the entrance always has rotating vendors and this week it's a couple of nice ladies selling fried pork of all different varieties and flavors, and they lured me in with their free samples. 

Normally I just eat free samples and move on. Eri chides me because in her mind if you accept a free sample you are obligated to buy something. I disagree. However, today was curious. These free samples were so good that I was actually convinced to give up my yangnyum chicken run and instead go for a full on variety pack of fried pork. 

I texted Eri that I had procured my lunch as well as my dinner. Surely 1400 yen worth of fried pork wasn't just for my late lunch.

Wrong. I ate it all at my desk while I worked. It was all gone before 3 p.m.

So in the evening when the boys decided they were full and there was still oven pizza left I gobbled that down too. 

They feasted on hamburg steak with cheese on top, mama's amazing vegetable soup, and pizza.

It was later as we were cleaning up that I discovered Osamu has taken mama's chapstick and drew all over the TV screen.

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