Paying up front……….

I always loved the bumper sticker that was around in the 70’s, “Gas, grass or ass-nobody rides for free!” . It is a pretty apt description of most male-female interactions in my opinion.

Yesterday was a cloudy, cool day here. The S.O. and I had played golf on Saturday and I was in a good mood having shot a score that is nothing short of a miracle for me-(93). Today I wanted to go out and about.

On thing I really wanted to do yesterday was to go down to the ferry pier and join the line of Japanese visitors looking to take tours of the ships supporting the Pacific Security Initiative. Ships fascinate me and always have-that’s why I went into the Navy I guess. The government of Japan is hosting a Maritime Interdiction Exercise “Pacific Shield 07” in the eastern sea area off Izu Oshima, and at the Ports of Yokosuka and Yokohama, from October 13  to 15. Moored at the ferry pier were the following ships:

HMS Monmouth

HMAS Perth:

(HMAS Parmatta pictured)

FS VENDEMIAIRE

JDS Makinami:

The problem was, as it so often is, the S.O. did not want to play ball. She wanted to go pick up “her stuff from the recycle shop”. Translated into man-speak it means, “Please come with me and pay for the tansu’s I want. Then move them home.” Like we need another piece of furniture in our place.

“We are burning daylight cowboys”-gotta get going.

So I tell the S.O., “Ok-tell you what, I’ll drive you up there and then we can go do some other errands.”

Off we go. I’ve got the route and the timing planned carefully in my mind.  Get to the recycle shop. 8000 yen poorer and the car loaded I am ready to go. As the theme from Final Jeopardy hums in my mind she is still looking.

And looking.

FINALLY, she’s done. Into the car and off down the road. Gradually it begins to dawn on her. “Where are you going?”.

” I told you. I want to go see the ships-remember I said they were open for tours today?”

“No. Lets go home”.

” Nothing doing. Lets go see the ships. If you want to go home you can take a taxi from the ferry pier.”

That shuts her up-taxis cost money after all. And there was no way in hell she was walking the 3km to get home. You want it bad- you get it bad.

Now in fairness, she got into the spirit of things once we were able to get parked and got through the metal detectors and the bag searches. ( Welcome to life in the brave new world…). I wanted to go see the Japanese ship first-I think JMSDF ships look good-but she wanted to go see the HMS Monmouth. Which made sense since the British, Australian, and French ship were all moored along side each other 3 abreast.  We went to the JMSDF ship later. Interestingly enough, the British, French and Australians allowed the tour route to go inside the ship and up and out through the bridge wings. The Japanese left the herd confined to the main deck. No entering via any hatch anywhere. There  is a hidden meaning there somewhere.

The British had the best gedunk (Navy term for souvenirs for the non-initiated)-Rugby shirts, cuff links, Golf shirts, “Black Duke” T-shirts ( which I assume is the nickname of the ship) and pictures. Another 6000 yen gone in Cuff links and shirts. 

On home to unload and move “the stuff”. This in turn required several iterations of placement and moving around our place. All the while not trying to break anything which in the cramped quarters of our place is no mean feat. However in the end she seemed happy and I was looking forward to a nice quiet evening and some conjugal bliss to follow.

Which makes the fact that I ended up sitting back on the couch watching sports center all the more mystifying……………Guess that will teach me to assert my rights as a man.

Nobody rides for free.

P.S. (Ship pictures to follow as soon as I figure out how to get them out of the S.O.’s phone……..)