September 13, 2005
Moving slow….but at least I’m moving. I hope.
It has been a couple of weeks, but I finally have my own space…..sort of. Looking at my previous blog, I forgot that I was planning to rent a cheap room. I chickened out. The local Y was asking $55 (US) per night for a maxim of 28 days. Beyond the Y, I got cold feet about rent a room where I would have to s hare a bathroom and kitchen. Therefore, I decided to stay at my father’s place until I was working full-time.

Problem -- I’ll skip the list that is forming in my mind. The main problem is that my father has difficulty throwing things away. He often wants to hold on to things because the things might become valuable (or useful) in the future. I am happy to say that my father has started throwing things away. Finally! Once my father was willing to part with the junk pile, my brother and I carried the junk to the curb for trash pick up. Here in New York, trash is just left on the curb, and it is picked up by the sanitation workers. In Japan, an appointment has to be made, and an extra fee has to be paid.

The room is finally empty. Now, I have to clean the room. Today, I started cleaning the windows. There was so much dirt, dust, and smoke stains, that it took me about an hour for each window to be cleaned. I needed a steel wool pad, a brush, and a rag to clean the window frames. I was so tired, that I did not clean the window glass. I will have to clean the windows at another time. Tomorrow, I will wash the walls and the floor. I brought a short bristle broom earlier today. I will use that broom to scrub away the wax buildup, and other stains on the floor. I can also use the short bristle broom to scrub the smoke stains (and dirt) from the walls.

While I was cleaning, I noticed that my father’s lady friend had not started cooking. I assumed she was still mad at my father because of the argument that they’d had yesterday. But I don’t think it was the silly argument that they’d had – they are always arguing about something silly. I think the anger had more to do with the current living arrangement. I just moved back, and my sister’s son (not the sister with the house) has also moved in – My father said my nephew had to move in because there was not enough space in his mother’s apartment, and not enough space in his father’s apartment. Hmm…I won’t make any comments. Anyway, to make a long story short, for some reason, my father will put my nephew and me on the apartment lease, but he won’t put his lady friend on the apartment lease. Sorry, I am off the topic…..

After cleaning the windows in my room, I cooked dinner. I broiled pork chops, made yellow rice, and spinach. Usually, my father’s lady friend does the cooking. I usual wash the dishes. Since I’ve returned home, I’ve seemed to have fallen into the dish washer/bathtub washer and table cleaner. I think that maybe my father’s lady friend had gotten tired of being to house keeper, so when I arrived, I think she was happy that I volunteered (!?!?) to keep the kitchen and bathroom tidied. I should be honest, no one asked me to help out. It just seems to me that if I don’t do the above things, then they just wouldn’t get done.

Until next time….