Monday 31 October 2011

Get me to the salon on time....

Operation Hair Salon.


Gave Okaasan early lunch and chatted to her about hair salons and hair cuts to get her in the mood.
I set the departure time for 1.30 pm and kept appearing in the kitchen with my coat on at 5 minute intervals from 1 pm onwards so she got the message. 
She dressed herself and was ferreting around in cupboards and drawers a lot, but finally at 1.35 came into the kitchen with ...THREE handbags.
"Which one shall I take? Where is my key? Where is my subway card? Where is my money? Which one shall I take? Is this my key? Am I going by subway? Do I need money?".
And a million other questions.


You know the magician act with Three Cups?
This was the Three Bags version. The key/subway card/purse/purple handkerchief kept being taken out of one bag and put in another bag, and then swapped again........aggggggghhhhhhhhhhh.....


Got that sorted. Out to the entrance hall.
"I'm going to a hair salon. I should wear these shoes. But these socks look strange with these shoes. I should be wearing stockings, but I don't have any. Where are my gloves? My nice gloves were stolen by a woman on the subway, I should have stockings...."


Out of the door. Into the car. Drive downtown.
Find a parking lot, wait in line for a space.
"Have I been here before? Is the salon in that hotel? Is this near the dentist? I haven't been here before have I?".


Out of the car. Walk one block to the salon building.
"I need stockings? Is there a shop near here that has stockings? I can't wear these socks with these shoes! I should go and buy stockings!"


NO TIME! Already 10 minutes late!!!!!!


Delivered safely into the hair salon. I left as a hair salon staff was explaining the mystery of how to put on the salon gown. Somebody else's deal now.


Came home and cleaned Okaasan's room for an hour.
Looked for the "stolen" gloves. No luck.
Found 3 seperate piles of stockings.
Found more than 25 handbags/shopping bags.....why oh why oh why??? Japnese women have a strange obsession with bags-for-things and Okaasan has a huge collection of bags for every occasion. 
Cleared out another box of magazines/old food/shopping reciepts/stuff/more stuff.


Rested.
Cooked dinner for the family return.
Okaasan looks great with a cut and a perm. All chirpy.
TV. Movie. Beer.


Cute cat in MY workbag. (I have only two bags, so I am NOT Japanese). Obviously can't go to work tomorrow! Bag is balanced on ironing board...so can't iron any clothes either. 




6 comments:

  1. very well placed on top of ironing board. Hope the cat sleeps there for a week but then I guess you'll just have a huge pile of ironing to do on the weekend.
    xxx

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  2. you did it! What a palaver, I felt exhausted just reading it! You are truly patient. Love the cat in the bag. Did you let her out, eventually? sorry, bad pun.

    cheers,
    Kirsty

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  3. Chichi spent 4 hours on/in the bag...and then moved to the laundry basket and my smelly socks....
    Getting Okaasan out to go somewhere is such a palaver - perfect word. At least she can dress herself and just about get it all together...but...but...MY stress levels rise just watching her...

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  4. I just found your blog via another site. Whoa. You sure have taken a huge thing on. My grandmother had dementia and I witnessed it take my grandfather down. Kudos to you for what you are doing and take good care of yourself, too.

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  5. 222 - welcome to my world :-) It's funny, it's stressful, sometimes it's scary....and all of that on one day.

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