Flashback: Shoe shopping in Japan

This recent post by a friend of mine about shopping for women's shoes in large sizes reminded me of a story I have to share.

The women in my family all have large feet. I used to wear size 10, though strangely my feet seem to have shrunk to a 9. I don't know how that could happen, but I guess it has. Now, most stores do carry shoes in size 10, but usually there's not as big a selection. For years I used to buy men's tennis shoes, because it was just easier that way.

So one summer I went to Japan with a friend, and we had a blast staying in hostels and riding the trains all over the place. It was awesome. It was also the rainy summer season, and the Vans I had brought were not waterproof. They soaked up with water every day and didn't ever have time to dry, and after a few days of this we realized it was time to buy new shoes.

We found a shoe shop and went in. I found a style I liked, found a worker and asked timidly if he had the shoe in US size 10. He took the shoe and went over to his co-worker and whispered something to her in Japanese. They both started giggling. Then he came back to me and said, "This shoe.... biggest size.... seven!!"

So yeah... I bought some men's shoes.

Graduation Story

Graduations are super boring. I always think it shows you really love someone if you're willing to endure the boredom of attending their graduation. Well, I really love my little sister, so this past Sunday we all went down to La Jolla to watch her graduate. I didn't die of boredom, mostly because Gwena kept me busy. She decided it would be really fun to spend the entire time climbing back and forth between my lap and my older sister's.

A lot of graduates had written jokes or messages on their name cards. Things like "Mary I can't believe it's so cold Johnson" and "James Danger Smith" were read, and there were not a few "Andrew I love you Mom and Dad Chang"s.

Then came the highlight of the evening. The woman reading the cards said, "Amanda I love you Mom and Dad, die!" Yes, I know, it's probably spelled "Dai" but that's not how we heard it... there was an amused and horrified pause and then the entire audience cracked up.

Best. Graduation. Ever.