"Ah So"

Dad loves the Asian culture. Of any kind. Doesn't matter which country, as long as it comes from somewhere west of the Pacific. I think I mentioned before that Dad studies Japanese. He continues to do this, launching into a blur of what sounds like Japanese phrasing at any given time, but usually when he's enjoying a meal. None of us have any idea if he's actually saying anything Japanese, but he says it with such conviction that we all just humor him, repeat back whatever he just said, and go on from there.

I would be remiss however if I did not mention one of Dad's most characteristic quirks--the "Ah so." Since his hearing is so bad and he often can't hear what people are saying he has a tried and true fallback. He simply nods, says "Ah so", and walks away. In other words, "I can't hear you, and I don't really care." It's his "whatever" equivalent.

So I was thinking the other day how ironic it is that Dad uses the phrase "ah so" when he doesn't understand/can't hear/doesn't care to understand something. Because, well, isn't "ah so" used when you DO understand or agree with somebody or something? Right?

That's all. Just thinking out loud here.