Not DC, but still a city in blackout

Mary’s House

By now you all have heard about the huge storm that hit the DC area last Friday. We all woke up Saturday morning to no electricity and the beginning of 100+ degree days. Up to this point, I had been spending my time organizing and re-decorating Mary’s home. Doing things that I know she is unable to do between working full-time and being a single super mom. Besides, I just enjoy making things nice for people. Mary is ecstatic that someone over the age of 5 years old is making a difference in her home decor. While cleaning the different spaces of her home, I was touched to note the similar hoarding tendencies between Mary and my mom. Anyhow, once the blackout hit, all that stopped as we knew it was going to get unbearably hot really fast. The girls were already planning to go to New York, they just left a day earlier. Dad and I stuck around until the girls left and we could help take care of the freezer situation. At one point, I found myself lying prostrate on the floor near the back deck, in my hot pants and tank top, with a portable fan next to me and bowl of Cheetos on my belly. It felt so “urban”. Two  days later, the power had thankfully been re-established and Dad and I started our drive.

It’s funny how I left Tokyo to get away from the heat and now I was deeply immersed in it. Next year I need to find a resort in Iceland for the summer. I’ve been without water and without electricity at different times. Being without water is definitely tougher. Let’s just say it doesn’t rank “Number 2″ in the crisis ladder.

July 2nd: Dad and I Drive to Columbia, South Carolina

If you haven’t done this before, try taking an adult 10 hour road trip with your father. We stopped at Waffle House for lunch and Wendy’s for dinner. As I looked at my Waffle House lunch: Pecan waffle, side salad, 2 eggs with cheese, and grits (when they said they were out of wheat toast, I told them I just wouldn’t have any. I’m trying to be healthy). Nothing feels like America more than Waffle House. The people there looked at dad and me like we were aliens from out of space. I guess they just don’t get too many foreigners in those parts. I don’t think my towel and napkin show did much to make me look like I “belonged” either.

Being on the road did make me miss Japan in a lot of ways. Like clean bathrooms, courteous people, clean restaurants, seeing people’s clavicles. At Wendy’s, I could barely stomach staying there because it was so filthy and I’ve been to India! I alluded to this earlier, but I have started carrying my own towel to sit on and my own napkin. Judging from my experience on this road trip, I think I need to start carrying my own toilet paper too. I know it sounds a little compulsive, but I literally feel like I need a tetanus every day.

The road trip also seemed to verify that perhaps dad’s hearing is not so good. It started back at Mary’s when we were sitting around eating Cheetos:

• Dad: I noticed you workout a lot
• Me: It helps with my sexual frustration
• Mary wide-eyed and trying to hold back laugh
• Dad blank stare at the TV

Now, I know what you are thinking. That doesn’t prove anything! But ever since I started getting this feeling, I have been purposefully talking in an audible, but very low soft tone. Kind of doing my own hearing test of sorts. It’s not looking good.

Until next time…