Monday 27 July 2009

Bees in bonnets and blurghhhhhh.

Bloody rain. Too much. Depressing.

I escaped to the gym in the morning and Yujiro came along to use the guest ticket I got when I joined. Trouble was, we only had one pair of clean/indoor sneakers between us.
I thought he should wear them as he was going to use the bike machine. I just sit on 3 upper-body expercise machines. It doesn't matter what is on my feet. I put on two layers of socks though so I was "clean".

But this is Japan. Minutes into my start the gym staff asked me ever so politely to leave! GRRRRR>>>>I did the angry, indignant gaijiin thing I'm afraid...because this kind of rule following in Japan does my head in. They say it's for safety. I say I'm only sitting on a machine....not running.

So I icily gave them back my training folder and went downstairs to swim...much less stressy. Later I grabbed the shoes back off Yujiro to do my 5 minutes of upperbody work...with Official Footwear in place.

We had lunch we Okaasan. I made the mistake of mentioning the word "gym" and it set her off on her usual whinge about the hula dance class and how they cheat her by closing for a month and how the sports center only has showers, not baths....etc etc..
(in English this is called "having a bee in your bonnet" about something).

We talked round and round - the same conversation...four? five times over lunch about where a better gym would be...and which one we'd check out for her.

Many old people repeat stories - but this is far more. She really uses the same words exactly, 2 minutes later...it's like a wheel...you know what is coming next. You can distract her for a moment, but she WILL return to the same words and comment/story.

Very trying. I can understand family murder. For me it is endless listening practice, for Yujiro it must be excruciating.

Rest of the day...just blurghh while the rain fell. Computer. TV. Telephone.
Blurghhhhh...

I demand summer right NOW!

I demand summer right NOW!

(if she can repeat stuff, so can I...)

3 comments:

  1. And I will be chanting right along with you. We have had so much rain that there was a mud slide in one of the cho's nearby. A lot of people are out of water.

    I hope the sun shines soon...

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  2. I can imagine listening to okaasan would be good for your Japanese if she was going to use the same words!! How very frustrating though.

    The rain broke here yesterday finally and we have had two days of possible washing weather. They say the rain will start again tomorrow. Awesome. can't wait.

    And god damn the shoe rule thing. How ridiculous. Did they make you get out of the pool after forty minutes for a five minute break too?

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  3. Hi Gaijin wife....(whose comments about so many leg overs gave me impetous last week to get us both in bed at the same time with energy in reserve for leg overs....just about)...so thankYOU!

    No, the pool staff didn't throw me out for a rest...but I am constantly in the way of wrinklies who are striding down the walking lane...

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