journal features

"I don't need Grandma!"

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Tokyo, 2010.03.06

The Boy wanted to talk to Grandma this morning. Until something even better came along.

When we first suggested to him that he could speak with Grandma, he leaped at the idea and started calling out his urgent need to see and speak to her (via Skype, as is our habit). But when 真理 tried contacting my mum (I was making breakfast) she couldn't get through. So 真理 instead played a video of one of The Boy's little kids' songs.

Naturally, my mum rang back and 真理 told Kenny, "It's Grandma."

The Boy, engrossed in his video, said, "いらない" (I don't need it). He .. didn't need Grandma! 8^(

rand()m quote

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

—Roald Dahl