Friday, July 25, 2008

Just give me the goods


Me: So I ran out again and can't make it until my next run to Canada

Him: OK how was the quality of the last stuff I gave you?

Me: Fine, fine, basically on par with what I can pick up in Canada

Him: I see, you need anything else?

Me: Nah just give the the pills

Yes another fun trip to my pill gyno today. I am such a gyno whore-I go to one for my pills if I run out and since I am still on the fence about whether I should trust him to look at my cooch, I go to another for actual examinations. I literally sat in the chair, had this very brief exchange with him and was out the door 2 minutes later. I don't know why I even bothered sitting down.

On another pleasant note I am about ready to start taking the stairs instead of the elevator up to my floor at work to avoid the uncomfortable elevator etiquette that arises whenever there are more than two people riding. Yesterday for example: two male Professionals, one secretary and myself riding up with one of the Profs on the right-hand buttons and the secretary manning the left. We are all getting off on the same floor. Doors open and are held open by P and s so I start to head out when s realizes she can also alight from the shaft-craft. This ensues in me pulling back, her pulling back, the guys getting confused and saying go ahead and eventually Amazonian I is the first one off. Behind me I can hear one of the Profs saying "it's ladies first" to the secretary who then thanks them and apologizes profusely. Made me want to smack her and remind her that she need not act like the Profs had just given her a Louis Vuitton bag instead of just letting her get off the elevator first. It has gotten to the point that I just want to avoid all the elevator baggage.

This whole "ladies first" thing in Japan is kind of a joke. As in the above situation, after the one Prof made the ladies first crack they both had a laugh about it. Many other times when I've heard ladies first mentioned it is always accompanied by snickers and snorts. It's this foreign concept that has been introduced as something that should be followed but as it is not necessarily instinctive, it is often an afterthought. Like, oh right! must remember ladies first next time. It sometimes seems like everything in Japan comes in a ladies size, ladies version, ladies price. I am a fan of ladies day Wednesday at the movies when tickets are 1000 yen for ladies only. But I'm also convinced it is a ploy to convince Japanese women that they are now treated equally, if not better, than men. Well excuse me for saying this but it's going to take a lot more than a cheap movie day and free dessert at lunch for ladies only to call things here egalitarian. This is going to turn into another post, I can feel it.

By the way, my office is on the 30th floor of a high rise.

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