Uneasy truce

I'm trying. I really am.

I came home from work very tired yesterday. Sitting at dinner was ok, I just sat there and ate, joined in the conversation occasionally. My brain was already in bed really.

Okaasan had been to the Snow Festival and was feeling perky. Dinner was Oden (a kind of fish paste stew), so there was nothing for her to complain about.

Some of my students (Hi to everyone at Shin-Sapporo!) suggest that maybe the fish problem is because Okaasan is from a different part of Japan and she is used to different kinds of fish. Hmm..I hadn't actually thought of that. Worth a thought I guess, but I still just think she is being fussy and rude to the people who bought the fish and cooked it.

Today was a public holiday in Japan - we told Okaasan to fend for herself for lunch, and we went out early to see TWO movies with friends and have lunch, and then to the book store so I could spend almost two hours attempting to choose books for the new classes from April. I hate doing this job. It's so hard to find textbooks for older adults. Every year this gives me a headache.

I finally finished at 6 pm and we rushed home via the supermarket to pick up food for tomorrow's lunch. Having an Okaasan is like having a pet - you have to get home at a regular time for feeding!

We couldn't face cooking, or eating much actually after a late lunch with friends. So we took Okaasan to kaiten sushi. She enjoys that. Near our new home in Minami Hiragishi is one of the popular sushi places ....I guess we'll be there a lot.

I'm managing to keep up a polite front now. But I hope she doesn't complain about the fish in front of me anytime soon - I might say something nasty.

Poor Yujiro - caught between two women.

One of our movies today was Mamma Mia. It's my 4th time to see it now, and I still cry in the scene between the mother and daughter getting dressed for the wedding. My mother died more than 10 years ago, and I never wanted a white wedding at all - but...you know...all those Mother/Daughter emotions run deep in all of us!

Meanwhile...HIS mamma is alive and kicking...and giving me a whole range of emotions! Not all of them postive.