Yes we can...

Awake in the middle of the night again. Stress.................

But I was able to see the US take its giant step forward into President Obama's time. I sat in my dressing gown, sipping tea and injecting the cat and felt so happy that finally America moves beyond 8 years of Bushshit. Americans are basically such good people, why they elected such a terrible group of people AGAIN was unbelievable. Well, fear makes people crazy.
There was something so just about Cheney being in a wheelchair. Wheel out the old and in with the new!

Anyway. Here to more mundane things.

I just had 2 days of wall-to-wall work. Busy. Busy. 7 classes Monday and 3 big ones today. Lost it a bit yesterday, when I forgot to take a whole bunch of material for the afternoon class! I left it sitting on the desk at home. I had to wing it with material the wonderful office staff found for me. Stressy, but surprisingly it worked. Sometimes I surprise myself with my inventiveness in classes. Wish I could do the same on the domestic side of life.

I met another teacher I know on the subway. She was talking about how she'd lived for a time with her husband and Okaasan. How her husband had been reluctant to step into the "mother" shoes in the situation, by trying to control what his diabetic mother ate. I am so lucky that Yujiro is willing and able in the kitchen and with laundry/shopping lists. Recently too, I feel so connected and understanding of people caring for parents/in-laws. So many people with a public face...and then a whole other life at home.

In my life Monday morning I cleaned the cat toilet box, took out the trash, shoveled some snow, grabbed some breakfast and put on the Teacher Face.

Yujiro went to the hospital (by taxi...I delegated THAT job!). The doctors say the knee ligament appears to be doing ok. But at least 3 more weeks of keep it straight/walk on crutches. Three more weeks of staying home and cooking for mother. Poor guy! We really thought we'd got all of that behind us last year - the ski accident, the operation, the hospital, the rehabilitation. Now we face weeks..months of more.

Yesterday I came home at 6 pm with some fish and vegetables, Yujiro had made the soup and rice and I put it together. But I was so tired - the miso soup boiled over while I was trying to get the foil off the fish head and tails. I actually said "Shit!" in Okaasan's presence. I wonder if she knows that word! Yujiro of course - cos he is a sweet guy - said HE was more than happy to have cooked all the dinner...but for me cooking was the easier option to sitting at the table and trying to talk to Okaasan - after being bright and friendly in my working day, I come home with no more energy to be bright and friendly to anyone.

We ate dinner quietly and I escorted Okaasan home and checked the carpets. Sapporo has had a huge dump of snow which amazes her. I showed her how it folds all over the parked car and she was touching it with wonder, like a child. I apologised to her for not being so lively, it's hard to find any more energy.

On the home front: he has found a few possible places. I was a bit too tired to show enthusiasm. But maybe today we'll take a look at them. One house in Minami-Hiragishi looks very possible...there is an Internet mapping system called Street View, which allows us to actually "walk" down a street and "look" left and right at buildings! It's amazing and so useful for home hunting as you can check out an area.

I had thought I might ski today. My day off. But I have a million things that need doing. And there is Hula dancing. So I need a day at home.