2008-12-16 - 9:30 p.m.
Moving to Shizuoka: The Reaction From My Boss
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Sadly, I still haven't gotten a reaction from my boss, though I am looking forward to it. My boss has been with her family in Canada for the last month because her grandma's in a coma. It brings me no joy to know that her grandma (or anybody else's) is sick, but I think I would feel even more sorry for her if my boss was a less disagreeable lady.*
(But really, I don't even know why I'm looking forwards to my boss' reaction as much as I am as I can already guess what it will be. She'll say, oh, that's super, and I'll find that mildly annoying because a) I think that "super" is best used as an adverb and that using it as an adjective suggests that one's vocabulary is shamefully lacking and b) she'll say, oh, that's super, in the same way most people would say, it's two o'clock, and the sincerity of this sentiment with thus be a little dubious.)
In the meantime, I've had to settle for the reaction of my boss' boss which amounted to a long and (super) difficult-to-follow monologue explaining why nobody knows exactly when I'll be able to leave Hachinohe yet.
So, I say, the earliest that I'm possibly going to move is the middle of February, right?
My boss' boss' voice becomes about thirty percent louder as she launches into the monologue again. I think that she thinks I'm annoyed that I'm not leaving sooner and I that she wants to scare me into submission (or whatever) by raising her voice in the way that she is. In actual fact, it seemed like much of the monologue got lost in translation and only wanted to clarify what seemed to be its point, that the earliest I'm possibly going to move is the middle of February. But it is a little annoying that nobody can tell me an actual date so, whatever, let her think that I'm annoyed. And when's the last time I ate? I'm hungry.
(Such are thoughts that circulated as I listened to the monologue yet again.)
OK, I said when she was, finally, done. And my boss' boss seemed surprised that I didn't want to challenge her any further. Later she presented me with a congratulatory potted Christmas tree. It's decorated with a single snowman who is wearing what appears to be a cowboy hat and sparkly purple garland. It's (super) cute and I like it.
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* Seriously, for some reason, I tried pretty hard to like this girl and it's taken me a long time to resign myself to the reality that it's never going to happen. I mean, unless they're really and truly awful, I think the only acceptable reason to dislike your coworkers is if you're often bored at work and need the entertainment of a little drama. I work in Hachinohe alone and thus have no real excuse to not like the Disagreeable One. That said, she sure is asking for it. The Disagreeable One disagrees most everything I say. I'm not even sure whether or not she knows that she's doing it. It's possible that this is simply her method of contributing to and advancing conversations. And, if this is true, I have to say that I wouldn't recommend this strategy to anyone. It's really annoying.
The following is a list of things the Disagreeable One has disagreed with me about:
-That I don't have arthritis, that my grandma knee is caused by tight muscles groups. (I decided to self-diagnose my grandma knee as the result of the problem that seemed easiest to fix. And, yes, of course I know that such logic is flawed, but I'm entitled to have my own methods of dealing with my health problems.)
-That my legs aren't slightly different lengths, which is further aggravating my grandma knee. (To which is respond, my left leg is slightly shorter. And that's a quantifiable fact. And, yes, this is a little strange, but bodies aren't perfectly symmetrical, and that's another quantifiable, indisputable fact.)
-That it snowed more in Aomori City during the winter of 2005 (when I lived there) than during the two winters since then. (Again, this is a fact. Why disagree? I forget the exact numbers involved, but there was more than five meters of snow in 2005, less than three in 2006, and less than four in 2007.)
-That mold can grow on leather. In this case, that mold grew on a pair of leather shoes I hadn't worn in kind of a long time. (The Disagreeable One maintained that mold can only grow on suede. So I guess that either I thought my shoes were made of leather when they were actually made of suede, or, I thought that mold was growing on my shoes but, even though this substance looked and smelled like mold, it wasn't actually mold.)
-The fried rice still tastes good when it's cold. (Which is a matter of personal preference and therefore difficult to dispute. The Disagreeable One, however, wasn't saying that she herself didn't like cold fried rice. She was saying that cold fried rice isn't good and later, as our stupid conversation rolled along, that salami isn't good in fried rice - both of which I believe to be untrue.)
-That it's better to try to take an express train between Aomori and Hachinohe than to take a local train. (They almost always check everyone's ticket during the trip and then everyone who bought local tickets has to pay another 900 yen. Usually "everyone who bought local tickets" amounts to me and a bunch of old ladies. And when the ticket checker comes around the old ladies and I exchange oops-busted looks and after we've all paid up the old ladies often give me snacks. To me, this is fun. Also, the local train is slow and nauseating whilst the express train is sleek and luxurious. But all of this is beside the point anyways as this is a matter of personal preference. Why disagree?)
-That I'm a good wife. (Here, the subject of conversation was me encouraging Shuhei to quit his job, which I saw as an excellent thing to do, while the Disagreeable One did not. Actually, it's strange that I never realized before how rude this truly was. Telling someone that they aren't a good wife is pretty harsh, even if it's your own wife you're talking to. When Heidi came to visit she was already on my side after I'd told her about moldy leather and cold fried rice. This is the first time I've ever really tried to think about every stupid thing the Disagreeable One has said to me at once. She's pretty terrible. Anyways, back to Shuhei quitting his job, the other Numasawas have already forgiven me, which only makes me even more sure that this was a good idea. And I know that the other Numasawas have forgiven me because the last time I went to Headquarters I left with: a bag of oranges, a bucket of potatoes, cookies, a giant radish, shampoo, conditioner, and some salmon. And to anyone who would mimic the Disagreeable One and say that presents and other material concerns do not equal forgiveness, I would say that, yes, actually they do. I doubt very much that Numasawa Headquarters would laden me with gifts if they were upset with me. Quite the opposite, as with my Christmas tree, I believe that this offering was intended to prove that they do not bear me any grudge.)
