100% Cashmere
When my brother and I both used to live in New York City we spent lots of time together. We’d go out to restaurants and talk about our boyfriends and he’d lament the fact that although I may have decent fashion sense otherwise, I can’t choose a bag or a pair of shoes to save my life. Every Christmas he gives me a new pair of high heels and a swank purse yet I still think that a Prada dress goes perfectly fine with a Jansport backpack and some clogs. Or, I guess I don’t really think that but for whatever reason I always seem to wind up making such fashion blunders anyway. I’m accesorslexic.
A couple of years ago Jake moved to L.A. to do famous people’s makeup and I moved to Tokyo to do other less glamorous sorts of things. Since then I’ve only seen him a few times, usually when we’re surrounded by other family members and don’t have much time to talk with each other. Yesterday though, I spent the whole day with my brother and it was great! We went to lunch together where we both developed a crush on our waiter and then off to see Walk the Line.
In the car on the way to see the movie while talking about Jake’s upcoming trip to Tokyo with the Hilton sisters:
Me: So ask me how to say something in Japanese. But not something too difficult… but not too easy either. (I always try to show off by playing this game with people but no one is ever interested and without fail they always quickly become bored. This never deters me however.)
Jake: Um, I don’t know
Me: Oh come on! Ask me! Ask me!
Jake: Ok then… how do you say "Can you recommend a good prostitute for me?"
Me: Oh- Well, I don’t know the word for prostitute but I do know the word for pervert… How about "Who is the best pervert?" I can say that in Japanese
Jake: Okay thanks
Living in Japan for 2 years sure has paid off.
Later on the way home we stopped at a yarn store so that my brother who has just decided that he’d like to learn how to knit could pick out some yarn. Once inside the store he marched straight up to the counter and announced to the surprised saleslady that he wanted to knit himself a blanket in 100% cashmere and could she point him to the right yarn. This is what I love about my brother- he’s always dreamt big.
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What LYS did you go to? I want to imagine the scene in all its outrageous glory. And maybe Fabulous Brother will end up teaching anorexic heiresses to knit, and it will all be because of you! Though we all know they hardly deserve the Sacred Knowledge.
That is hilarious. I am going to recommend your blog to L. at thehomesickhome.blogspot.com because she married a Japanese businessman and lived in Japan for the past 20 years, before recently moving back to the States.
Nico is gorgeous!
Oh dear. I actually know how to say, “Can you recommend a good prostitute for me?”
I think I was in Japan too long…..
Your blog is witty and refreshing. Your son is adorable! I will definately be back to check on it again. <–The blog that is, not your son. Good lord that sounded awful huh?
I just found your blog, and I think your son is SO adorable! My mom just got back from Taiwan, where she was happy to find that after a lifetime of being considered a tiny lady, she now was one of the biggest women around! hee hee.
I can honestly say that I have no idea how to say that in Japanese and I have been here for 6 years!!! No one lets me speak Japanese, everyone wants me to speak English to them.
(sigh)
Great blog. Found you on recomendation from jen to L at homesick.
I will definitly be stoping by again.
Hi – I spotted Roger’s and Jen’s comments on L’s Blog. They all show up on mine from time to time along with Andrea who I see is here as well.
Come visit sometime.
Are there any yarn shops in Tokyo that would you recommend? I live in Okinawa, and I’m taking a short vacation to mainland Japan this spring. Yarn shops are on the top of my tour list (I can hardly find any yarn here at all. It’s tragic!)
I really enjoy your blog. It’s nice to know that I’m not knitting alone in Japan =)
Kate
p.s. Nico is adorable =D
Just stopped by and saw this post about the convo with your brother. Try the word baishunfu. We used this word probably a lot more that we should have (anato wa baishunfu!) while hanging with our Japanese foreign exchange student friends in high school. Though it wasn’t meant in the same way then; it was more of an inside joke/term of endearment. It’s silly I know. That’s why I’ll remain anonymous.