Okaasan

My husband and I were in Vegas for a few days, business. We stayed with my mom. Her foot is healing very well. And for all you foot fetish types out there, I apologize, as I forgot to get a picture of her feet!

She can walk now, without crutches or big shoe. Although she has a slight limp. It will be 2 years before she can social dance again. What that means is that it will be that long before she can put all of her body weight on her tippy-toes.

Other than that, she is happy. She went back to work a week ago, so her ‘regular’ routine will soon be in place.

Speaking with my mom, is like Groundhog Day. You have the same conversation over and over again. What is really going on is that I am trying to get more clarity about what she is saying. She doesn’t always realize this, so I end up guessing a lot as well.

As such, when you have a mother like that, you end up doing this with other people. As they are talking, I am trying to figure out if what they are saying is what they said, or something else. With women this ‘technique’ usually works. With very straightforward men, this ‘deficiency’ becomes annoying.

Last year, my mom purchased a HDTV. Huge screen. It came with digital cable and lots of lots of channels, including NHK. A satellite fed cornucopia of Japanese television shows. Since then, I have noticed that her English has gotten worse.

She has piles of salt, all over the house. She believes it is Feng Sheu and will lead to a good life. My husband saw these and asked her if she was expecting deer. [He is soooo funny] She laughed. Apparently this type of insanity requires changing the salt every week! She admitted that she used more than the ‘recommended’ amount. For a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of self-reflection. I was waiting for her to say, “This is ridiculous… I am going to stop now” But she didn’t.

Every time I see her, I like to learn something new about her past. This time I found out that her mother’s parents owed and ran a bicycle store. Everything from repairing to selling. And because of opportunity…my grandmother could ride a unicycle. My mother purchased a unicycle for DJ’s bday. She wants me to make sure to tell him that it is in his blood, so he should be able to do it.

I vaguely remember my grandmother. She died in her 60’s. I remember she wore black a lot and almost always had a cigarette in her hand. I remember her being elegant and aloof, the way an old Hollywood starlet would be. Always ready with a smile. I have never seen pictures of her as a child, so I can’t even imagine her riding a unicycle.

We took her out to dinner. This is after dinner, at her place. You can tell because we don’t have any lipstick on. And we are glowing. It was a pretty tasty meal.

Yes, that is a hand-made-by-me Swank Librian scarf. She loves it and says she gets lots of compliments on it.


October 11, 2004	Okaasan My husband and I were in Vegas for a few days, business. We stayed with my mom. Her foot is healing very well. And for all you foot fetish types out there, I apologize, as I forgot to get a picture of her feet! She can walk now, without crutches or big shoe. Although she has a slight limp. It will be 2 years before she can social dance again. What that means is that it will be that long before she can put all of her body weight on her tippy-toes. Other than that, she is happy. She went back to work a week ago, so her ‘regular’ routine will soon be in place. Speaking with my mom, is like Groundhog Day. You have the same conversation over and over again. What is really going on is that I am trying to get more clarity about what she is saying. She doesn’t always realize this, so I end up guessing a lot as well. As such, when you have a mother like that, you end up doing this with other people. As they are talking, I am trying to figure out if what they are saying is what they said, or something else. With women this ‘technique’ usually works. With very straightforward men, this ‘deficiency’ becomes annoying. Last year, my mom purchased a HDTV. Huge screen. It came with digital cable and lots of lots of channels, including NHK. A satellite fed cornucopia of Japanese television shows. Since then, I have noticed that her English has gotten worse. She has piles of salt, all over the house. She believes it is Feng Sheu and will lead to a good life. My husband saw these and asked her if she was expecting deer. [He is soooo funny] She laughed. Apparently this type of insanity requires changing the salt every week! She admitted that she used more than the ‘recommended’ amount. For a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of self-reflection. I was waiting for her to say, “This is ridiculous… I am going to stop now” But she didn’t. Every time I see her, I like to learn something new about her past. This time I found out that her mother’s parents owed and ran a bicycle store. Everything from repairing to selling. And because of opportunity…my grandmother could ride a unicycle. My mother purchased a unicycle for DJ’s bday. She wants me to make sure to tell him that it is in his blood, so he should be able to do it. I vaguely remember my grandmother. She died in her 60’s. I remember she wore black a lot and almost always had a cigarette in her hand. I remember her being elegant and aloof, the way an old Hollywood starlet would be. Always ready with a smile. I have never seen pictures of her as a child, so I can’t even imagine her riding a unicycle. We took her out to dinner. This is after dinner, at her place. You can tell because we don’t have any lipstick on. And we are glowing. It was a pretty tasty meal. Yes, that is a hand-made-by-me Swank Librian scarf. She loves it and says she gets lots of compliments on it.
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