Whatever you do, if it's in Japanese, don't push the button!
I have to tell you that I have a problem. If there is a lever to be pulled or a button to be pushed, I'll volunteer. Especially if its not labeled or is in a foreign language. Its just what I do. I have an inner compulsion to push buttons and pull levers. Call it curiosity or call it a weird obsession, I have to do it. Let me expound.
Before my first was born I took time to visit my parents who lived in Tucson at the time. They lived in an adobe brick townhouse that was in a comfortable, not too bad area of town. Of course, anywhere you go in Tucson, you will see what are called security bars on windows and doors even in the best of neighborhoods. In this case, mom and dad had security bars and for me, that was a curiosity in and of itself. One day while I was talking to mom, I noticed a lever on the side of the window. Being the ever inquisitive person that I am, I mosied over there to take a gander at the oddity. As I was reaching for the lever, but not before I pulled it, mom said, "DON'T TOUCH THAT LEVER". Too late, it's pulled. When we went to reset the bars, they wouldn't reset, no matter what we did. Come to find out that the lever or something was faulty. The fact that I pulled that lever brought that out and the things were fixed. Not everything that I push or pull comes out well in the end, however. Case in point: buttons.
Note the fact that this high tech toilet has what appears to be a urinal and beside it a panel with three buttons. Yeah, don't touch those. Especially if you can't read Japanese.
I accompanied Beth into this bathroom while she was changing the baby because, well, I had to go. As I walked into the room, the first place my eyes went to were those darned buttons. I know I had a glazed look on my face, I could feel it and my fingers started twitching as well....**gotta press those buttons**. As I walked over there, I wondered out loud what they were for and why the urinal was so high off of the ground? Looking at the toilet itself, it did have some English on it, but mostly it said "sonic toilet". Wow! Of course the directions are in Japanese, but there were some drawings on how to use it (seriously??). As I was getting ready to use it, I again wondered out loud about the buttons and just as Beth started to say, "Mom, seriously, don't push the buttons", lo and behold, the pink button got pushed. What ensued could not have been scripted better by Hollywood.
At that point, I was done and washing my hands when a voice came out of the wall that seemed to be asking me a question. At the same time, Beth was screaming at me, asking me if I pushed the button. I replied to the voice that everything was fine and told Beth that I really didn't mean to, but yes, I pushed the button. And then I pushed another button...the one in the center that I figured turned it off. Another voice comes on and again I say that I'm OK...then the voice that comes through sounds just a little miffed and it can only be translated as "stupid Americans".
STOP PRESSING BUTTONS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?? I TOLD YOU NOT TO PUSH THE BUTTONS AND YOU PUSH BUTTONS? NOW THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY TO TAKE CARE OF US! WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING? I CAN'T STAY IN HERE! THEY'RE GOING TO COME BUSTING IN HERE THINKING YOU'RE IN TROUBLE!!! Of course, this yelling is going on while she's putting the diaper back on the baby as fast as she can and loading up the diaper bag at lightening speed. Me, I'm just standing there, not sure that I should laugh or I could run the risk of really needing an emergency team. So, I ask Beth, "who's coming"? THE EMERGENCY TEAM! THIS IS A HANDICAPPED BATHROOM, TOO, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! THEY THINK THAT YOU'RE IN TROUBLE! (I really was, but only verbally). OH, MY GOSH!! I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE! DO YOU SEE THAT RED LIGHT?? THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY! WE'RE GOING TO GET KICKED OUT OF HERE! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU PRESSED THAT STUPID BUTTON WHEN I TOLD YOU NOT TO!!!
Then Stephen came over asking what she was so upset about. SHE PUSHED THAT BUTTON! I TOLD HER NOT TO PUSH THAT BUTTON AND SHE PUSHED IT! So, now Stephen is upset with me and its at this point that I have to explain my obsession with buttons. By the time I explain it to him, he's mostly calmed down and perhaps understands just a little bit that his mother-in-law is a little quirky...or eccentric...or just plain odd, but he understands. Me? I'm still semi-amused with Beth's reaction but I understand her frustration as well.
By the time we left the Aquarium the incident is mostly forgotten, but even as I'm typing this I realize that I really need to learn from this one, but I'm pretty amused at the same time. It was, in hindsight, pretty darn funny, but probably not so much at the time. Anyway, I need to learn the Kanji symbols for emergency and don't touch....save myself a little fussing at in the future!
Have a marvelous day!
Before my first was born I took time to visit my parents who lived in Tucson at the time. They lived in an adobe brick townhouse that was in a comfortable, not too bad area of town. Of course, anywhere you go in Tucson, you will see what are called security bars on windows and doors even in the best of neighborhoods. In this case, mom and dad had security bars and for me, that was a curiosity in and of itself. One day while I was talking to mom, I noticed a lever on the side of the window. Being the ever inquisitive person that I am, I mosied over there to take a gander at the oddity. As I was reaching for the lever, but not before I pulled it, mom said, "DON'T TOUCH THAT LEVER". Too late, it's pulled. When we went to reset the bars, they wouldn't reset, no matter what we did. Come to find out that the lever or something was faulty. The fact that I pulled that lever brought that out and the things were fixed. Not everything that I push or pull comes out well in the end, however. Case in point: buttons.
Note the fact that this high tech toilet has what appears to be a urinal and beside it a panel with three buttons. Yeah, don't touch those. Especially if you can't read Japanese.
I accompanied Beth into this bathroom while she was changing the baby because, well, I had to go. As I walked into the room, the first place my eyes went to were those darned buttons. I know I had a glazed look on my face, I could feel it and my fingers started twitching as well....**gotta press those buttons**. As I walked over there, I wondered out loud what they were for and why the urinal was so high off of the ground? Looking at the toilet itself, it did have some English on it, but mostly it said "sonic toilet". Wow! Of course the directions are in Japanese, but there were some drawings on how to use it (seriously??). As I was getting ready to use it, I again wondered out loud about the buttons and just as Beth started to say, "Mom, seriously, don't push the buttons", lo and behold, the pink button got pushed. What ensued could not have been scripted better by Hollywood.
At that point, I was done and washing my hands when a voice came out of the wall that seemed to be asking me a question. At the same time, Beth was screaming at me, asking me if I pushed the button. I replied to the voice that everything was fine and told Beth that I really didn't mean to, but yes, I pushed the button. And then I pushed another button...the one in the center that I figured turned it off. Another voice comes on and again I say that I'm OK...then the voice that comes through sounds just a little miffed and it can only be translated as "stupid Americans".
STOP PRESSING BUTTONS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?? I TOLD YOU NOT TO PUSH THE BUTTONS AND YOU PUSH BUTTONS? NOW THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY TO TAKE CARE OF US! WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING? I CAN'T STAY IN HERE! THEY'RE GOING TO COME BUSTING IN HERE THINKING YOU'RE IN TROUBLE!!! Of course, this yelling is going on while she's putting the diaper back on the baby as fast as she can and loading up the diaper bag at lightening speed. Me, I'm just standing there, not sure that I should laugh or I could run the risk of really needing an emergency team. So, I ask Beth, "who's coming"? THE EMERGENCY TEAM! THIS IS A HANDICAPPED BATHROOM, TOO, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! THEY THINK THAT YOU'RE IN TROUBLE! (I really was, but only verbally). OH, MY GOSH!! I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE! DO YOU SEE THAT RED LIGHT?? THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY! WE'RE GOING TO GET KICKED OUT OF HERE! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU PRESSED THAT STUPID BUTTON WHEN I TOLD YOU NOT TO!!!
Then Stephen came over asking what she was so upset about. SHE PUSHED THAT BUTTON! I TOLD HER NOT TO PUSH THAT BUTTON AND SHE PUSHED IT! So, now Stephen is upset with me and its at this point that I have to explain my obsession with buttons. By the time I explain it to him, he's mostly calmed down and perhaps understands just a little bit that his mother-in-law is a little quirky...or eccentric...or just plain odd, but he understands. Me? I'm still semi-amused with Beth's reaction but I understand her frustration as well.
By the time we left the Aquarium the incident is mostly forgotten, but even as I'm typing this I realize that I really need to learn from this one, but I'm pretty amused at the same time. It was, in hindsight, pretty darn funny, but probably not so much at the time. Anyway, I need to learn the Kanji symbols for emergency and don't touch....save myself a little fussing at in the future!
Have a marvelous day!
You got a talent Lois, in that you managed to push my laugh button.
ReplyDelete