Kush got this for Christmas from his grandparents in Japan.

He's actually really attached to it.

K: She doesn't close her mouth.
D: No, she can't close her mouth.

The other day, he took it to the Y. The nice lady who watches over Kush told us later that he needed his---

L: What is it, his "tototo?"
D: Totoro.
L: Yup.
D: ...
L: Is it an anime?
D: Yup.
L: It looks like an anime.

Our 2-yr-old loves all modes of transportations. Trains. Horses. Bicycles? Yes. And the balloons _and_ elephants! So, when I saw Around the World in 80 Days in a "Family Friendly Movies" shelf at our local public library, it was really a no-brainer.

And oh, what a treat it was. If you know the people that make up DK's core team at all, you know that traveling is a big part of us. And, if you knew us a little more, you'd know that we prefer, how shall I put it, slower modes of transportation, like trains and elephants, over cars and airplanes. This movie takes you around the world in all sorts of anachronistic modes of transportation, from hot airballoons, elephants to locomotives and steamboats. It's so damn romantic!

Of course, it is a mega Hollywood movie made in the 50s, so everything is stereotyped (including a good few slags at English culture) and borderline annoying sometimes. But it is very beautifully shot with lots of exotic locations; all the sceneries and colors tug on your romantic notion of world travels and yeaning for the exotic, very effectively, even half a century later.

Also, the movie is looong (3 hours, in all, with an intemission). But I found the slow pace rather soothing and refreshing, in this day of YouTube'd cutups and short skits everywhere. It felt luxurious.

Speaking of, it has lots of cameos by stars of the time, including the end credits by Saul Bass, a famous graphic designer. Which, to me, really, is worth the money you'd pay for the DVD, tickets for a showing at a local art theater, anything. It's amazing.

Jameson

The towels should be cleaned

Fall clothes should be reorganized

Life is very, very short

And fragile

The days are getting shorter

The baby sleeps--ahhh

Pumpkin patch--something to investigate

Did I miss anything at the State Fair

I used to want to subscribe to the NY Times and Architectural Record, interesting

Unhappyhipsters.com

New York was more interesting in 1999 than 2010

There are spaces, hidden, to go be quiet in

And that is where I'm headed...

Stuff gets shortened in Japanese, they call it "ryaku." Like "department chikatetsu (basement)" becomes depaachika. Or "Mister Donuts" is condensed to "misdo." So it's no wonder K said what he did.

D: Can you say "Japan?"

K: ...

D: ...

K: Pan!

When Akira was in Seattle for a week I got to really know K better. AND I got to appreciate all the hard work single parents really do. Kudos to single parents. Y'all are really AMAZING.

One day I took Kush down to this little panini shop I like called Toast. They have all kinds of things but the best thing is just the low-key atmosphere. It has that welcoming atmosphere like anybody at all can stroll in. So we did, literally.

Kush had to bring along his polar bear, by the way. That thing is HUGE, too. It's not like a little tiny cute thing that you tuck under an arm at night. Polar needs his own pillow. So there we are, me, Kush and Polar, having our lunch when the conversation grinds to a small lull.

D: So, hey.

K: ...

D: Where're your ears?

K points to his ears. He loves this game. Then he points to Polar's ears. Then he points to the nice lady who runs the place.

K: Eees!

D: ...

K: Eees!

And I go, "Yup, she has ears." Then he points to these two guys sitting at a table across the way from us. Two lads out having lunch, shooting the breeze, talking about ladies (I thought only women got together to talk about the opposite sex!), and confiding in one another. Kush points at their table.

K: Eees! Eees!!

The two guys stop, look over, and wave. "Cute." I, of course, had to translate.

D: He's saying, "You have ears."

 

Last night at 9pm, we're all set to tuck the boss-man in. Except, he's bouncing all over the place. Jumping up on you like a pup. Clawing at your eyelids. And generally thinking all of this is incredibly hilarious. I know that sometimes it takes a little while to get a toddler to sleep. I know! But for some reason, yesterday was a different situation. There was this sense of like, OMG, everything is soooooooo insanaaaaaaaneee!!!! WTF WTH! All these emotions. And he's only 1.

Kush has a polar bear. Actually, it was my polar bear before it was Kush's. Remember when Coca Cola ran that huge polar bear/winter ad campaign? Now you remember, right? Everyone said how cute the bear was? That was around the time Akira and I were super happy and one day he comes over and gives me this awesome polar bear. I've always loved having it around. Of course, I don't keep the red "Coca Cola" scarf on him all the time. For one, it's summer (why a polar bear is even in North Carolina now, I'm not sure). And for two, I don't really want Polar to be a big ad. Kush took him with us in the sweltering humidity yesterday while we walked all over town. Polar swang, got in the sandbox, and climbed on the slide along with Kush. So then, Akira washed him. Now Polar is fluffy as the first time I saw him.

D: Dude, you should totally take him to the Y during your time watching him tomorrow.

A: ...

D: They have games, and there's other kids, and they have snacks!

A: That's a good idea.

D: !!

A: Snacks.

D: Yup!

A: It sounds like we're not feeding him at home!

Akira and I like to joke about the time Kush was 5 months old and we took him to El Gallito down the street from our place in Capitol Hill. That was last year, before we moved back to Durham, NC. It was pretty funny because Kush was just so little, and couldn't quite sit up on his own yet, but there we were, figuring since he was "eating solids" (that's parentspeak for starting to eat regular food and not just mommy's milk), that we could order for him. So we got him a quesadilla. Of course, he took like two bites. Maybe two and a half. But we thought, wow, we are ordering off the kids menu. We are Doing This.

D: More of that?

A: Of what?

D: The quesadilla.

A: That he ordered?

D: He ordered it, hehe.

A: I mean, that we ordered for him.

K: Sir-sy.

D: Hm?

K: Sir-sy.

A: Thirsty?

K: Sir-sy.

D: Where's your bapa*?

A: I. Don't. See. It.

D: ...

A: ...

K: Sir-sy.

D: We had it at that apartment we went to see.

A: Yeah.

D: But we picked it up!

A: Yeah...

D: You brought it to the playground, to get water.

A: And I set it somewhere.

D: ...

A: ...

K: ...

D: You wanna go get it? **

A: Found it!!!

K: Sirsy!!!

 

*"Bapa" is Kush for "sippy cup."

** it wasn't really a long drive. Really. But still...