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Eric's birthday is today. I feel so bad for him. I think I am the only one in his family who knows how to celebrate any thing. I wanted to rent my friends bar for the afternoon and play games, eat cake and ice cream and sing happy birthday with all of his friends..... and next year I will! Instead Saturday night Satomi, Eric and I went to a restaurant for dinner we ate and picked up an ice cream cake. Then went home. We put candles on the cake sang a quick "Happy Birthday" and then everyone returned to smoking cigarettes and watching FUCKING JAPANESE VOLLEYBALL on TV while Eric Miku and I opened his presents in the corner. After that the three of us went upstairs and played with the toys. My parents had a good size house when I was a kid and they always tried their best to make me happy, I think. When I (or my brother or sister) had a birthday they decorated the house, made a cake and cooked my favorite food for dinner and invited all of our relatives over. I don't mean about my parents giving me TOYS either cause I am honestly hard pressed to remember a birthday when I got something I really wanted, but it wasn't about that. My parents made that day mine and made me feel special. Sure there were bad times during those days like when the 2 friends my mom allowed me to invite from school did not come after they said they would. I have tried as hard as I can to impress upon my wife and her family the significance attached for Americans to their Birthday. One would think that after the SUPRISE party I threw for my wife 2 years ago that the point would sink in. Wrong. I thought I was stubborn and un-accepting of others ways. But they just seem to be ignorant. Everything I say in English or Japanese is dismissed almost immediately. Whats worst is the most dismissive person of all is Satomi. Eric's Mother. I know it might be unfair to try to get her to go against how she was raised, but come on there are ALLOT of things I was raised to believe in, that I don't any more just cause I have been around the world and seen things differently. On top of that Eric's first birthday was at our house in America and she saw how much fun it was when everyone got together for a birthday. I don't really care for myself .... I care for Eric. I keep saying things need to change but now I am convinced that if they do not I may not be able to go on like this much longer. I have been sticking to the "if you do not have anything nice to say, do not say anything" about my Japanese family but this is just too much for me. I was so tired, upset and frustrated that I had too say something. Any ways here are some pictures of Eric and him opening his presents.......

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