Manners, Part1

So, I'm feeling the need to rant a bit about big-city life. I'm not sure if it's just big-city life, or life in Tokyo, or life in Japan. Mostly a bit of each, I suppose. So, I was trying to get off the Yamanote line the other day, in Takadanobaba - where I teach at Waseda. All of a sudden, I feel a sharp pain in my side. It wasn't bone-breaking, but I definitely felt it. I felt my temperature rising, and I felt the need to kick some butt. I began envisioning handlocks, arm throws, right hooks, side kicks - all sorts of way I could whoop some businessman butt. I looked over to see my nemesis, and lo & behold it was an old woman, maybe 75 - 80 years old. She had her arms raised up, in sort of a chicken-wing stance. It was suprisingly effective for getting people out of the way, especially when she rotated her hips and shoulders and put her weight into it. I started to push back (!), and then I remembered my manners - the elderly are always right. Man, she ticked me off though. I resigned my self to passively-aggressively pushing other people as soon as they pushed me... Man, I can't wait to get back to Oregon.