Red Moon Rising and What Text Message?
Today couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun was bright, the skies were clear and blue, and the air was filled with those first hints of early spring unfolding in New England. Before the start of winter we’d hung a birdfeeder in a large white maple tree in our backyard, and as I looked out my kitchen window this morning, I noticed the scarlet feathers of a pair of cardinals feeding in the tray. This month is called Yayoi which is the month of growing plants, and in a few weeks we’ll all dance naked in the woods as we celebrate the vernal equinox and usher in the awakening. Plus, there was a total lunar eclipse tonight! If you don’t live in a part of the world where you could see this, you really missed something spectacular! It was amazingly beautiful as the moon rose and 
you saw the first slivers of red begin to wash over the surface of the moon. My husband and I dragged out our son’s telescope and set it up in the backyard so we could get a better look at the celestial event. It was truly something to behold!
The last lunar eclipse I remember seeing was the night the Boston Red Sox won the world series, thereby ending the curse of the bambino forever and bringing pure joy to members of Red Sox Nation everywhere, but we’ll talk about baseball season in another couple of months, now is a time for happiness and celebrating life!
One of the cool things that comes with motherhood is that crazy “mom-radar” we all seem to get that warns us of impending doom or gold digging hussies who want to charm our sons and take them away from their mama. I never imagined that I’d feel this way, that my baby boy could be stolen away from me by some little trollop. I can’t believe this. I’m going to be one of “those” mothers, I just know it. I can see it now… nina the lazy geisha… a.k.a. monster-in-law chasing the girls away with a baseball bat.
So, okay, my son has a new girlfriend, and with this new girlfriend has come my worst nightmare; a nearly quadrupled cell phone bill. Even tho I’m as much of a geek as anyone could be, texting has never been my thing, but apparently it’s real popular with all the kiddies these days. Good lord, I feel so old now! I mean, they’re only 13! When she calls him (which she does nonstop), she keeps him on the phone for hours (thank goodness for faves!), she monopolizes his time, and insists that he says “I love you” before they hang up, and two seconds after they hang up? A text message shows up! Yes, I know, it’s cute! But I’m his mama!!!
So what happened? Well, I went to my mailbox this afternoon after I got home from running my errands and the bill from our cell phone carrier was there. No big deal I thought, it’s expected around this time every month so I didn’t worry about it. After I’d put away the groceries and made myself a cup of tea, I sat down at my kitchen table and opened the mail, starting with the cell phone bill.
I nearly fell off the chair, but quickly started dialing customer service to get some kind of explanation for the obscenely exorbitant bill.
“Hello, thank you for calling T-Mobile, how may I help you?”
“Um, hi… I just got my bill and its like, four times what it should be… can you help me?”
“Sure, what’s your phone number?”
“xxx-xxx-xxxx”
“Okay, just a moment… let me pull up your account.”
“Thanks.”
“Yes okay, your bill is two hundred and…”
“Stop right there” I interrupted. “Why is the bill so high?”
“Okay, let me take a look at the breakdown of charges…”
“Thanks.”
“Okay. This number… xxx-xxx-xxxx? Had twelve hundred sixty seven text messages last month.”
“That’s my son’s line!”
“Boy does a lot of texting does he?”
“Um, apparently so! But I put texting on his phone when I added his line to my plan!”
“Right. That covers only 400 text messages a month.”
“Is there any way to increase that?”
“Sure, for twenty two dollars a month you get unlimited texting for all your lines.”
“Well… why didn’t they tell me that when I added it?? I would have just gone with that!”
“Gee, I don’t know, but I can put that on now so it will affect your next month’s bill…it looks like you’ve already got a lot of text messages in this billing cycle now.”
“How many? When did the cycle start?”
“On the 27th, and since the 27th there have been three hundred and forty six text messages on that line.”
“Oh my God… my husband is going to kill him… okay… just put the unlimited plan on for next month…”
“Okay, you’re all set. Is there anything else I can help you out with today?”
“Know anyone in the witness protection program? I may need to hide my son…. Um, no… that’s all I need today… thanks.”
“Thank you! Have a nice day and thank you for choosing T-Mobile!”
“Yeah… give my love to Catherine Zeta Jones… bitch.”
1pile0nades
wrote on 3 March 2007 at 21:45
I just looked outside now and couldn’t see it. Looks like I missed it :( ! However, there are many pics of it on Flickr :). I like this one. It is very beautiful. I think it makes the moon look like Mars for a little while.
Love,
Gary
2nina
wrote on 3 March 2007 at 22:46
Gary,
No hon, this was early and was really visible in the northern half of the US. The northeast was a prime place to see the eclipse. Sunset was at 5:36 tonight in Boston, and moonrise was at 5:30. The entire event was 78 minutes long, so this was early.
Wow! That picture is gorgeous!! That’s exactly what it looked like! I tried to take some shots, but they all came out blurry and dark, but wow! It looked amazing!
Thanks sweetie!
xoxo,
nina
3silence up2nogood
wrote on 4 March 2007 at 2:19
LOL. My sister’s boss had the same thing happen. Her kid ran up over $200 in text messages. They were about to go on vacation so she decide to wait until afterwards to tell her husband.
Amazing isn’t it, that cell phone services neglect to tell us the ways to keep our bills cheap.
4Rhoda IV
wrote on 4 March 2007 at 2:34
Dearest Nina,
WTF is up with texting? Austin and I were talking about this a few days ago and we just didn’t understand it. WTF is the phone for now anyway? Give me a real phone conversation anytime.
Especially me I love to fucking gab and GOSSIP and none of that would be the same if it was texted! I mean how cunty would I have to be to come across as catty in a text, HA!
Anyway isn’t that what IMing is for? A typed message not on your phone but look somehow already included with your internet bill. Kids and texting, honey I wish I had an answer but honey we don’t understand it either.
Much love always,
Rhoda
5nina
wrote on 4 March 2007 at 2:49
Silence,
:biggrin: Oh all I can say is that it’s a good thing that my baby is sleeping out at a friend’s house tonight! My husband is FURIOUS! lol! But, we do have the house to ourselves and, well, I know how to make my “other baby” feel better!
So, we’re wide awake now, I’m glowing, and he has a big smile on his face!
Mmmmm, the things we have to do for our sons! It’s a tough job but someone has to do it!
(Now I’m going to get it!)
And you’re so right! Cell phone companies are the worst! First you have to try and get someone on the line who can speak English, then they never tell you things that might actually save you money! But we’ve got the cool T-Mobile family plan now, so all three of us are all set. At least calls to T-Mobile customers are free all the time, and they do have the Five Faves which you can set every month too.
My son’s phone has cost us so much money too! First it was going on the internet with the phone, then it was downloading games, screensavers, and ringtones! ugh! Those damn ringtones! Then it was IM, and now it’s texting! And we got him a cool RAZR for xmas this past December too, and now he wants a Sidekick for his birthday, and what kills me is that all his friends have them, so of course now he has to have one! One of his friends actually has a Blackberry! Now what parent in their right mind buys a 13 year old kid a Blackberry? Good grief!
The joys of motherhood indeed!
Thanks sweetie!
xoxo,
nina
6nina
wrote on 4 March 2007 at 2:58
Rhoda my darling,
Oh I wish I knew! I don’t get it either, but they all do it! The school has a policy where they make the kids shut their phones off while they’re in school (that makes sense), but they all set them to silent and sit there and text each other all day long in class instead of paying attention! GRRRR!!! This kid is going to be the end of me I’m sure! But that’s what they do. They go to the movies and text each other. They go to a restaurant and text each other. The other night I heard his phone beep at 1:30 in the morning and I got up and looked at his phone and it was a text message from that little tramp! It’s crazy!
But as I said to Silence, we got him a really cool phone for xmas. It’s a limited edition RAZR and it’s got everything, but now he wants a Sidekick so he can use all of the internet and IM and games and ugh… it never ends. It’s a telecommunications breakdown honey! I know! Give me a phone call any day!
And you my sweetest, how could you ever possibly hope to be your absolutely delightful snarky self in a text message?
Tho, somehow I’m sure you’d find a way princess! You’re just too precious!
Hopefully with this new unlimited texting plan I’ve solved that problem, but Jeffrey is ready to break his fingers. The problem here is that […] is already bigger and taller than his father so the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim. Good grief sweetie, whatever am I going to do? :biggrin:
love always,
nina
7Rhoda IV
wrote on 4 March 2007 at 3:39
Speaking of snarky gossip you need to call me if you’re still awake cause I need some gossip right now.
8Redwraith
wrote on 4 March 2007 at 20:14
hey at least he hasnt found out about sex hotlines :) (like my brother did when he was 14 … i was too clever for that , i knew they would show up on the phone bill )
You should have seen my parents once they saw that phone bill …
On the other side i should thank him cause i came home with a F that day from school … and suddenly … it didnt seem like such a huge matter ;)
But yeah phone companies are evil …
9nina
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 1:13
Rhoda my darling!
Oh babe I’m so sorry, but I was in no condition to talk on the phone! Jeffrey told me that he talked to you earlier tonight and he’s so full of shit too! I never growled at him! lol!!! I can’t believe he told you that! What a bastard your big brother can be sometimes!
Well, now you know what we were doing last night in between me writing posts! I’m a mess now tho. My whole body clock is off, I wound up sleeping most of the day (and night) and now I’m sort of awake so I’m going to try and catch up with comments, but my head feels like it weighs a thousand pounds so back to bed soon for me. I did get your emails and I’ll answer them soon too. Thank you, sweetheart…
:heart: love always,
nina
:kissing:
10nina
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 1:18
Redwraith,
:biggrin: Well thank goodness for that! That’s so funny you mentioned this because my husband told me a similar story about doing something just like that when he was around that age too, and when his mother got the phone bill she dialed the numbers and realized what they were! hahahaha! That’s too funny!
Tho kids have the internet now. They don’t need to call phone sex lines anymore (Ooops, did I mention that I used to… nevermind, that’s a post for another day), but they can watch girls on webcam now, so who needs the phone?
Well, at least you got away with your F! But yes, phone companies = very evil.
Thanks sweetheart,
xoxo,
nina
11Loving Annie
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 8:12
Good Morning Nina ! How are you today ? That is a cute story. Thank goodness they have that feature for just another twentty-two dollars a month ! but dare I say he ought to be spending time doing his homework and playing sports instead of letting her monopolize his time like that ??? Ah, young love. I remeber when you had to talk every 5 minutes or it felt like anguish !!!
Glad you cam to visit my blog, and I e-mailed you as well… There is some history there…
Cyber-hugs,
Loving Annie
12Rhoda IV
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 8:23
Sweet Nina,
When Jeff told me you growled at him I just laughed and said something like: “A totally different kind of growl from the kind she was doing last night.” RAWRRRR!!!
There is no shame in your game baby, even if you did growl when he tried to wake you. Everything that happens while you are asleep you get an instant free pass on. I am so hyper sexual I masturbate in my sleep sometimes. No fucking joke, several of my special friends who have spent the night got the show of a lifetime!
My first male lover got a real kick out of it and would watch me sleep all the time after he saw me do it teh first time. I was so embarassed when he told me about it but I figured it was better than the stuff I used to do in my sleep.
I used to be a big sleepwalker/sleeptalker, which is a trait I inherited from my great grandfather. So I guess I could’ve instead told the guy what an asshole he was, by accident and then walked out the fucking door completely asleep, HA!
So yes growl on sweet Nina, as long as you remember to purr sometimes too. :)
13Richard
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 9:57
Nina: I can’t of anything more erotic than feeling a slight movement in the bed,and your lover was bringing herself off, I would instantly want to help, but would be just soooooo turned on. What a dear you are Nina. Your son…..1200 text messages, the doays of walking to see each other is over and gone. 13 and in love,you do remember Nina?
love
richard
14Loving Annie
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 10:15
Good morning Nina ! How are you ?
Tried to e-mail you at the nina.oaki@lazygeisha address you have here, and it came back failure notice.
Will try yahoo, but here it is, just in case :
I used to read your blog (lazy geisha) all the time when I was writing my erotica blog (make my cop come) last year !
You were kind enough to exchange links with me back then, and really sweet.
I loved the way you wrote (probably still do !)
I disappeared because he broke my heart, and everything I had hoped for turned to dust…
Now I am trying to recover, and start my life over again in a different direction…
Hope you are doing well.
It would be really nice to hear from you, and again, I am glad that you visited, and liked it –
I added you as a link on my blog under ‘Nina’…
Please come again, Nina, anytime you want to.
Sincerely,
Loving Annie (used to be Anne Elizabeth from Make My Cop Come)
15Ali
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 11:59
Nina,
Thank you for the comments! I’m truly honored to have such an amazing writer visit my blog. I always enjoy your site. It is poetically profound, elgant, and beautiful.
Ali
16nina
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 16:20
Hello Annie!
Well I’m glad we got the email sorted out!
I’m very good today! It’s been busy tho, and I’ve been in conference calls more or less for the most of the afternoon and I just got a break. My son and husband should be home soon and then dinner. ugh! It never ends!
Well, my son has a lot of interests, but his main interest these days is girls! I think he considers that a sport!
Thanks for coming by and I’ll be back over to see you soon too!
xoxo,
nina
17nina
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 16:24
Rhoda Darling!
:biggrin: Oh that’s too funny! Mmmm, you’re right tho, it most certainly was a different kind of growling! lol!
Well come on! We stayed up most of the night (I think) and we fucked like teenagers, and we were spilling the wine, and then he started bugging me when I was trying to sleep it off! He’s lucky he didn’t get a backhand for trying to wake a sleeping geisha! (Hey, a ho gotta get her sleep right?)
omg! That’s so funny! You masturbate in your sleep? Mmmmm, RAWRRR! Yourself girl!
Babes, I always remember to purr!! :heart:
love always,
nina
:kissing:
18nina
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 16:25
Hello Richard!
Oh please, the days of walking anywhere are long gone! Yes, I do remember being 13 and in love, or whatever passed for love back then, so I do understand what he goes thru.
Thanks sweetheart,
xoxo,
nina
19nina
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 16:26
Hi Ali!
Oh thank you sweetie! That’s so kind of you! I noticed that we’re exchanging links too! Please always feel welcome in my home and I hope to visit you too again soon!
Thanks!
xoxo,
nina
20nina
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 16:29
Annie,
I’m so sorry to hear about what happened to you, but I’m glad you’ve decided to come back, even in a different way. And you’re right, reality is the place to be.
xoxo,
nina
21Yemanja
wrote on 5 March 2007 at 19:22
Nina,
LOL… I’m having to deal with the same ‘text issue’ with my 17 yr old daughter. She gets 2500 text messages per month on my plan. Last month she tripled that. She wasn’t very happy having to pay for it with her own money, but hey, it sure hasn’t stopped her from continuing to ‘text it’ all away! Ahhh, teenagers…you gotta love them! :-D
I love your new space Nina!
Kisses,
love,
~Y
22nina
wrote on 6 March 2007 at 12:58
Yemanja,
Good lord! 2500+ text messages?? That’s insane! lol! Just make a phone call! I imagine she wasn’t happy paying for it either, tho we haven’t gone that route with our son. It’s kind of hard to get money out of a 13 year old!
Thanks! I’m happy with how geishaland looks and works these days too!
xoxo,
nina
23Leonore S.
wrote on 6 March 2007 at 17:31
Nina, I still love you even after you mentioned the curse that was lifted. I am a New Yorker, so we sort of could bump heads, but fot your eloquent prose, I am willing to let bygones be bygones!
Every time I read you, you are just more luscious than the last time…
Leonore S.
24nina
wrote on 6 March 2007 at 19:45
Leonore,
:biggrin: Oh sweetie, I won’t hold the fact that you’re a New Yorker against you! lol! I always enjoy myself when I go to Manhattan! The only place where we wouldn’t get along would be at the ballpark!
You are so kind, thank you. I’m glad you enjoy my space and thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.
xoxo,
nina