The Risk You Take

When you send a blogger a photo, one of the risks you take is that the photo ends up on the blog, like, an hour later. The participants shall remain nameless, of course, except for Lewie, who is uber-recognizable even--or especially--behind Foster Grants.

Actually, I'm posting this photo because I didn't take a single photo today. Not one. Partly it was because Kaori and I went to Acoma Sky City and photo taking privileges are a cool $10 (so Kaori paid and took photos and I used my $10 to tip our tour guide, a lovely, funny university student named Kristin). Partly it was because I didn't have my camera. (I did have my cell phone camera, but those aren't allowed on the pueblo tour.)

I'm babbling. Because I'm tired. Really tired.

So. Okay.

Last night, Kaori and I had dinner with Kelly, Kevin, Dave, Catherine and Catherine's daughter Elizabeth. Kaori is much like me in that she is very frank and outspoken in her opinions about people. And Kaori is very unlike me in that those opinions are usually overwhelmingly positive. Not that I have negative opinions of Kelly, Kevin, Dave, Catherine and Elizabeth, I just mean that--ah, I'm babbling again. I'm tired.

So.

Kaori's opinions:

Kevin: He's "a good partner." (Naomi also said this because Kevin served Kelly at dinner and washed dishes. These actions, or in fact the husband doing any kind of domestic labor, is unbelievable to (too many) Japanese wives. The bar is low is what I'm trying to say.) Also: Kevin looks like the famous movie actor Gene Hackman. (Which I think is not true. In France, Kevin looks like Kris Kristofferson (sp?) and, to me, he looks more like Warren Zevon. But no one knows who Warren Zevon is anymore, I think.)

Kelly: She's a "good American" and would be the best mother to have. (I'm not sure about the good American part--I mean, I have a very cynical view of what constituts a good American and it usually involves an NRA membership and Wal-mart sweatshirt with a fuzzy kitten iron-on. That's my own slant though. Kelly would definitely rank in the 99th percentile in the best mother category. Which is not a cynical statement at all because as far as I'm concerned, the sun rises and sets with my own mother--who has an NRA membership and shops at Wal-mart.)

Dave: Kaori thinks Dave is very strong on the inside. (When she said this, I thought, you mean like a York Peppermint Patty? But of course there are no York Peppermint Patties in Japan. And, actually, come to think of it, no mint-flavored chocolate candy in Japan--and very few mint-flavored mints for that matter.)

Catherine and Elizabeth: (So, this is about Kaori's opinion, but I will say that Catherine looks a lot like Laura Dern. And I don't mean that in a "Kevin looks like Gene Hackman" way. I mean, Catherine really does look like Laura Dern. Both she and Elizabeth are very tall, thin, and blond. Kaori said, "They are tall, thin, blond. They are perfect."