So I got into one of the schools I applied to – my preferred choice, yay!
That was a pretty quick turnaround. I sent my stuff in on November 1, and got the letter late last week. Also got a teeny merit scholarship that will cover like one class. But my company offers tuition reimbursement too.
Now it all feels real and I’m excited. Classes start on January 14; orientation is on January 10.
I also feel like I need to work like crazy on my book between now and then because once school starts, I imagine I’ll have a lot less time.
As for the other school, they couldn’t accept my application as it was because, get this, one my recommendations wasn’t on letterhead. Whatevs. I had my coworker reprint it and sent it again, but now I don’t even care that much.
My weekend was good. Friday night YP and I had dinner and then went to this bar where we played pool (I SUCK) and this arcade hunting game, which I found to be a disturbingly good time. Kill, kill, KILL! YP was really good at shooting down birds.
Saturday MB and I did some shopping. It’s already massively crowded everywhere. The whole thing was pretty exhausting. That night we saw Beowulf in 3D. I had no idea that it was all CGI. At first I was disappointed, but it turned out to be actually pretty good. The 3D stuff was fun, but not necessary.
Last night we saw Southland Tales, which sucked big time. There were about a million characters, three or four plotlines, and the movie couldn’t decide what it was. David Lynch rip off? Satire of action movies? Straight-out action movie? Really disappointing.
My boss is out the whole week. Whoopee! Now let’s see if I can get motivated to do actual work.
weekends
19
Nov 07
Officially a student once again
05
Nov 07
Great weekend with ES
And it’s not over! I’m here at the office just this morning, and will meet up with ES at 1 for lunch and to hang out till she leaves at 5.
She came in Saturday afternoon, which we spent mostly just chilling, chatting, and eating, standard operating procedures. That evening we went to see YP’s naked comedy show. It was pretty funny this time. YP was funny as well as the other comedian, though the improv group was dumb.
The host was somewhat funny, but he did too much audience harrassment, including yours truly since I was sitting in the very first row, and as a result of much embarrassment and uncomfortable-ness managed to totally insult the guy.
Him: On a scale of 1 to 10, how turned on are you?
NOTE: He asked how “turned on” I was, not how attractive he was, so I said: Negative five.
Him: Five?
Me: NEGATIVE five.
Audience: Groan! Low blow! blah blah blah
Yeah, fuck you all.
Then he couldn’t let it go! He made some comment like c’mon he looked like John Lennon, I could be his Yoko Ono (cuz THAT’S not offensive), and mixed race babies were cute. I just kept thinking, Please stop, please stop, please stop. I mean, I hope I’m the kind of person who can laugh at herself, but I thought he just went on too long with it.
Aside from that it was fun. A bunch of us went out for eats and drinks afterwards, and had a blast talking about outrageous things and cracking up.
The next day ES and I were up bright and early to meet her other friends to go marathon-hopping. They knew a couple of people who were running so we were basically trailing them.
It was exhausting! Next year I’ll just run the marathon and be less tired. We went all the way out to Brooklyn, saw their friends, then hopped back on the train for another part of Brooklyn, which was a challenge cuz none of us are familiar with that borough.
ES was asking a cop how to get somewhere, and this random lady with really bad blue eyeliner was like, “Where are you from?”
ES: Jersey.
Random blue eyeliner lady: Jersey! And you don’t know Brooklyn?
Um, I’ve lived in New York for nine years and I don’t know frigging Brooklyn. Later ES told me the lady was drunk. I THOUGHT I smelled cheap malt liquor. Note it was about 11 in the morning.
After our second stop in Brooklyn, we headed up to the Bronx, and hung out there for about an hour. My mom called while we were there:
Me: I’m with ES watching the marathon.
Mom: You’re watching the marathon, or are you. . .?
Me: Yes, Mom, I’m running the marathon at this very moment. I’ve been training all this time, didn’t you know?
At least she laughed about it.
Our last stop was Central Park South. After a while, ES’s friend took off for home while we tried to get to the finish line. Impossible (in a French accent)! So we ended up walking through this random car tunnel to get to the east side. Felt like we were in some zombie movie, hoofing through a place we weren’t supposed to be, creepy long shadows everywhere, marathon-finishers hobbling stiffly alongside us.
We dropped by SB’s and hung out and played with Ellie for a bit. Well, longer than a bit. ES was nice enough to help SB and Ellie with a bath. Meanwhile I sat in the next room and texted and chatted with MB, who was struggling with replacing his toilet seat. When he finally got it on, he was so happy he sent over a picture of the successfully replaced seat. So cute.
You know I have it bad when I think a new toilet seat is cute.
By the time we left, ES and I were both pooped so we just picked up burgers and chilled at my place with good episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters.
I have one meeting today at 12 – for 30 minutes! That’s the main reason I came in. I should have just had it rescheduled and taken the whole day. So disorganized lately.
31
Oct 07
Halloween is for weenies
No, not really. I’m just grouchy that I have to go to class, though apparently some people will be showing up in costume.
Finally got in my library science applications. At first I was set on the cheaper school, but after speaking with a few people, have decided maybe it’s not worth the hour commute. That’ll suck come February when it’s all cold and dark.
My company will probably pay most of my tuition so why not go with the more expensive, more conveniently located other school. Plus I’m pretty sure now I want to go into corporate librarianship (working in a museum just pays too little), and the expensive school has a program specifically for that.
Last night MB and I saw We Own the Night. It was just okay. The acting was very good, but there were plot holes. Like, hey Joaquin Phoenix – AND HERE COMES A SPOILER BUT NOT REALLY CUZ IT WAS KINDA FREAKING OBVIOUS – are you really surprised your Russian-mob-like boss would take his nephew’s side over yours?
This weekend ES is coming to visit. Yay! Saturday night is YP’s stand up show, and Sunday of course is the marathon.
So sleepy.
24
Sep 07
All vegetarians must convert now
As per my Saturday post, I had a mellow day. Was going to leave the house at 11, but then I got totally swept up in a So You Think You Can Dance marathon on MTV. Left at 1.
My goal was to walk down to the office so that I could print some stuff out. On my way, I stopped at the Gap and got some new jeans. My current favorite ones are starting to get torn up. I have another pair that’s too big, and another that is sometimes too small (they currently fit but after last night’s dinner, which I’ll get to in a minute, they might not for much longer).
Also stopped in Clark’s and got some brown boots. Yay! My old ones are really worn out and uncomfortable. I think I’ve gotten some good use out of them. These new ones should last a long time (at least I hope so given the price tag).
Wanted to run 8 miles, but I was totally pooped after 6. I think I was going a little faster than I usually do, and also it was quite humid.
Sunday I left the house early and went to write my my favorite Starbuck’s. Then In the afternoon I met up with YP to see a free taping of Showtime at the Apollo in Harlem.
It was an interesting first-time experience. I had had the impression that all of it was amateur, but the first half was an apparently well-known singer neither of us had heard of, a comedian, and this child prodigy jazz pianist.
Unlike on American Idol, all of the amateurs could actually sing, and the boo’ing from the audience seemed not so much about talent but taste (ie, the whiter the music, the louder the boos). And then after the boo’d performer was kicked off the state – by a spastic, tapping Savion Glover look-alike – the host would mercilessly make fun of said of performer.
It seemed mean to me, but, let’s face it, no meaner than American Idol or any of those shows.
Afterwards we went to dinner at Spoonbread near Columbia, a sort of hole-in-the-wall Southern place. The only real Southern food I’ve had is the spread SG’s mom made at a party years ago, and at that time I couldn’t get enough. Since then I haven’t had anything to write home about.
The Spoonbread dishes – southern fried chicken, jerk chicken, and Louisiana catfish are just a few examples – were all under $16, and came with 2 sides and corn bread. YP got a veggie spread, which was actually more like a carbalicious spread (mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and black eyed peas), while I got the “falling off the bone” short ribs. We also got the Spoonbread punch, which is light and fruity.
We sort of had to wait a long time for the food. Neither of us minded, between the view of Central Park and our waiter’s bodacious booty. (You could bounce quarters off that thing.) When our entrees arrived, bodacious booty and all, it was well worth the wait.
Everyone who is a vegetarian must convert back to meat-eating RIGHT NOW in order to try the short ribs at Spoonbread. Melt-in-your-mouth tender and subtly flavored (ie, not too salty). My two sides were the mac and cheese, which was also delish, and the collard greens. What better way to eat your veggies than with pieces of pork?
I was only able to dig through half of the sizable portion. I could have eaten more, just for the taste, but wanted to save room for dessert. Red devil’s food cake for YP, peach cobbler for me.
Again, the food took a long time coming out, prompting jokes like, “What are they doing? Baking the cobbler from scratch in there?” but they may well might have been. Piping hot, melty, fresh, and not too sweet. Just the looks of our dessert made the young girls at the next table turn around and practically bury their noses in our plates. Mmm, sanitary.
Tonight I get to relive the whole experience as I go facedown in my leftovers.
22
Sep 07
Honest Anna May
So my date on Thursday was pretty fun. The guy, BH, is rather soft-spoken and has an endearing laugh. He laughed at most of my jokes, which is a plus for me. He’s a musician/software programmer, and is from Australia, and you know I’m a sucker for that kind of accent.
I was having a good time up till the end, when he became, uh, overly enthusiastic, not in a physical way but an asking way, and I politely yet clearly said it was too soon for that. Afterwards, I was rather turned off, though I guess you can’t blame a guy for trying, and I assumed he’d go the way of the history professor (ie, no nookie = no dating).
But then last night he called. Actually first he emailed me because it turned out I had written my phone number incorrectly. (That’s what two glasses of wine will do to me.) When we spoke he said, “I was sad when the number didn’t work,” and I joked that he must have thought I gave him a made up one.
And then basically he apologized for jumping the gun. He said he tends to make up his mind about things pretty quickly, but sensed that I probably wanted to move more slowly. I confirmed that, explaining that I’d gotten into situations that were too much, too fast, (ie, H.) and that just died out, and that if I could help it, I didn’t want to go through that kind of thing again. Not that I want a guaruntee that something will last forever, but at least first get to know the other person and where they’re coming from.
Now I realize with H. that he wasn’t ready for what I was ready for, a long-term relationship. I was the first person he had a connection with after his horrible breakup, and I think he was from the beginning in the mentality that this would probably not last for very long. If we had waited and talked more, that would have revealed itself, and maybe I’d have been smarter about getting involved so quickly.
Lesson learned.
My goal here is to be honest honest honest and take things slowly, and if he doesn’t like that, then he’s not the one for me. And not just honest about myself, but to be nosy and ask lots of questions. At the right time, of course, and in a mellow way, not like a psychotic journalist. That’s part of the taking things slowly.
In the past I’ve held back and have just wondered to myself, fearing I’d offend. Fuck that shit.
We’ll be having dinner on Thursday.
~ ~ ~
I’m planning on a very mellow day today. The last couple of weekends were so busy, I’m glad for the reprieve. I was going to go to the ‘rents’, but they’re out tonight and I have plans tomorrow afternoon so it seems silly to go home for such a short time. Next weekend probably.
Try to write this morning. Shopping this afternoon? I want boots! A run around 5 or 6.
17
Sep 07
Weekend highlights
Wow, I hadn’t realized how long it’s been since my last post. I guess work was pretty busy last week.
Friday
No half-day for me, which was okay since I feel like I accomplished a lot.
After work YP and I went to his friend’s art show in Brooklyn, which was far better than the one in NJ last weekend, and then dinner and drinks afterwards.
Apparently the bar we were in was a gay bar, but it didn’t seem very gay. Maybe cuz it was virtually empty since it was so early and it’s new. It was still fun though. Had a couple of gin and tonics, and played some pool. I suck by the way.
Saturday
In the morning helped YP with a photo shoot for his flyer for his next stand up show before heading up town for my haircut. Yay, finally!
Grabbed a late lunch with SB. Ridiculously expensive dim sum. Shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, turnip cakes, and fried squid – for $50! In Chinatown we would have paid like a third of that. Last time I’m eating dim sum in my area.
Had a run in the late afternoon. Gorgeous day. Wanted to do 8-10 miles, but was kinda hungover and sleep deprived. Did 6.1 at a 8.34 minute mile.
Sunday
Was up early again for another photo shoot with YP since the pictures we took on Saturday didn’t work out. Then out to the Brooklyn Book Festival.
I almost never run into anyone I know, but as PL and I were standing in line waiting to get into an event, guess who came out of the crowd. The history professor. We totally made eye contact so there was no way to avoid each other. Like a civilized person, he did come over and chat a bit though probably for too long. It was really really awkward but pretending to be normal. Whatevs.
After the festival, PL and I grabbed some dinner near me, as well as dessert at Pinkberry.
Tonight I’m supposed to go to the movies with a coworker. When it rains, it pours!
The dating front
This super cute guy wrote to me, but his emails sucked. He didn’t ask me anything about myself, and in his very first email, he asked about getting together. That might be okay for someone else, but I personally need a little back and forth before agreeing to meet up.
Still, I wrote back with some questions for him – just making conversation – and said sure, getting together sounded like fun. He responded a couple of days later, not even answering my questions, just: “So when do you want to get together?”
Um, never.
I’ve been in correspondence with a couple of other guys. One is probably too old for me, though he looks young, and the other seems cool. We’ll see.
11
Sep 07
Such a slowpoke this week
I’ve actually been busy at work these couple of days with all this training, and I keep starting and stopping this post.
Weekend update. Friday I “worked from home,” which involved a conference call at 9 and then answering a bunch of emails. Done by 11! Managed to do a load of laundry before hanging out with SB and daughter Ellie. Had lunch at a diner nearby and then in the Park.
Ellie was cute as she ran through the sprinklers and played on the jungle gym. At one point, a whole slew of little girls in private school uniforms descended. Whenever any approached her, Ellie would get very tentative, watching them with her big eyes, but still open and friendly. I’d be scared of the big girls in uniforms too.
Later I had a 6 mile run, then was just a bum. Saturday I got some writing done in the morning at my favorite Starbuck’s, till a mom and her toddler shared my table. I don’t mind sharing but the mom and kid kept doing the same thing over and over, as follows:
Mom: “Wanna eat? Say yes.”
Girl: “Yes.”
One spoonful of applesauce engaged.
Girl (squrim squirm): Daddy!
Mom, setting girl down: Okay, go.
Girl takes one step forward, falls back on Mom. Mom picks girl up.
“Wanna eat? Say yes.”
Girl: “Yes.”
Again and again and again. Got to the point that I just had to leave. It was getting there anyway with my sore butt on the hard chair.
Sunday was packed. First thing in the morning I had the Race for the Cure. Although it’s just 5K, for some reason I was anxious the night before. Maybe I was worried about waking up on time.
Unfortunately it was kind of a warm morning, with too much sun. Waiting around is always annoying, especially since I’m processing fluids really quickly. Bathroom, thirsty, bathroom, thirsty.
But I was hydrated enough when the race started. Next time I beginning in the 9 minute mile portion. I stuck myself in the very crowded 10+ minute mile part, and when I finally started running, was held back by the slow pokes and walkers. Even had a near collision when another runner and I tried to get around a couple of walkers at the same time.
It seemed even more crowded than other years. Wasn’t till after the first mile that people started to spread out. This summer’s “training” made the 3.1 miles pretty easy. 28 minutes. Not bad I guess.
I made it to Port Authority in plenty of time. YP and I were heading out to Edgewater, NJ of all places to see this art festival his friend’s husband was participating in. Just finding the right bus was a challenge. I thought it was like a train station where you could get a ticket from any machine. But no! Luckily we were pointed to the right place and got the tickets on the bus.
But our adventure didn’t stop there. The schedule showed that our stop was third, so logically we got off at the third stop. Turns out it was way too soon. The schedule neglected to show all the piddly stops in between the main ones. We ended up walking in the heat for a billion years to get to where we wanted to get to. Luckily we did though, and ended up burning loads of calories and getting a tan in the process.
After showing our support to the art world, we stopped for something to eat and drink, and to escape the heat. Edegwater seems weird to me, either young families or super old people. Definitely not a city, but not quite a suburb either. Then we found the stop we were supposed to get off at, which was right outside where the art festival was.
But that wasn’t the end! One of our friends who’s an opera singer was giving a concert. That was at a lovely and peaceful church on the Upper West Side. It was great to sit and stuff our faces with complimentary brownies and drinks. The music was nice though I did find myself almost falling asleep a couple of times.
By the time I got home, I was exhausted, between no sleep, running the race, and all that walking the sun. Took a shower and inhaled dinner, then was in bed by eight. That’s right: eight. Asleep by 8:30.
I’m dying for a haircut! My hair dresser keeps canceling on me, the bastard. But he’s the only one who can cut my hair properly. Took me about 2 years to find him.
04
Sep 07
Naked Dinner
Beautiful weather made for an outdoorsy weekend. Of course “outdoorsy” here means running in Central Park and hanging out at various other little parks in the city, reading and writing.
On Saturday I did something out of the ordinary. YP suggested the Naked Comedy Showcase at The Pit downtown. Like literally buckwild naked. Why, you may ask? Why not?
First we met for dinner in Madison Square Park at the Shake Shack, renowned for their burgers and the seemingly endless wait. We stood in line for what must have been 45 minutes, and then another 20 after we placed our orders. We’re talking burgers and fries here people, not souffles. They need a better system. I ended up taking mine to go.
I was going to eat in the theatre, but suddenly it didn’t seem right chowing down with naked people in such close proximity. As we walked in, this old guy, whom I thought from the back was a woman, was disrobing side stage. He had an awful body, totally saggy and gross. I thought we’d be subjected to watching him perform, but he just wanted to get naked. (Audience members were free to strip down if they wanted. Clothed on the left, unclothed on the right. Wide berth around the saggy naked guy.)
Two takeaways from last night: people’s bodies can be really weird, and people can be extremely unfunny, whether naked or not. Only one guy had a decent body, this really tall Texan with a nice caboose. Toot toot!
The audience was mostly made up of friends of the performers. Then there were me and YP, two single women, and two single men. For some reason only the men seemed sleazy to me. Maybe cuz the women were well-groomed and put together while the men looked like they hadn’t seen a shower in days.
Afterwards we returned to the park so that I could eat. Even cold the burgers and fries were good. By the time I was done, YP was hungry again so we got back on line, much shorter wait this time. I got a vanilla custard, which was something like heavier, creamier soft serve.
On the train ride home, the weirdest thing happened. At my stop I got up and went to the door. Then I felt this man staring at me. I glanced down at him: disheveled white guy with bug eyes. He looked away when he realized I had seen him. But that didn’t stop his equally disheveled, redneck, bug-eyed wife from staring at me too.
I glanced at her. Stare continued. I looked at her again, this time with a WTF? expression, and she finally turned away.
Walking to my apartment, I kept thinking, Do I look weird? At home I checked the mirror: nope, still Asian. Welcome to America, land of the 45-minute burger, unfunny naked comedy, and yes an Asian American woman who will stand near you on the train.
20
Aug 07
Shouldn’t have had that gin and tonic
My brain has transformed from desert to cotton field.
So my date overall was pretty fun. When it started I was unsure. We arranged to meet at a bar downtown, and I got there super early – which I hate but can’t seem to help – so I went to the Whole Foods nearby and downed an Odawala juice since I was a little hungry and would be having a drink. By the time I returned to the bar, he was there.
The first thing I thought was that he looked rather different than his picture. Then again, his picture was kind of hard to see. If he walked by on the street, I wouldn’t turn my head, but he has the body type I like, tallish and slim, also fit.
Second thing I thought was either I’m overdressed or he’s underdressed. What I wore: jeans, cute short-sleeved button-up black top, and high-heeled boots. What he wore: T-shirt, shorts, sneakers. Hm. Whatever.
He talked a lot and a mile a minute, which was sort of a relief because I hate those silences. And he did ask me some questions about myself, and vice versa. What I liked was that he’s really into movies and has read a lot, and is not discerning in his tastes. Like he’s into both art house and mainstream flicks, as well as literature and lighter reading.
He seemed to know more trivia about movies than I do. I always feel like the one freak who knows some random fact about an actor or movie, but he seemed to be that way too.
Then somehow we started talking about children’s and young adult books, and he mentioned Madeleine L’Engle, who I LOVED as a kid, and still do now. I’ve met people who have heard of her, and maybe even read her, but not anyone who was as into those books as I was.
I mentioned that I liked the last book in the Wrinkle in Time trilogy best, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and we started talking about it in-depth. He kept mentioning characters from it – Meg, Calvin, Calvin’s mom – which cracked my shit up because again I thought I was the one freak who practically memorized the book.
“I don’t think the words, ‘Branzilla,’ have ever passed through my lips,” he said.
Branzilla was another character in the book. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it said aloud,” I said.
And we both thought a novel one of the characters writes in the book was real, and as kids both did research trying to find any info on it.
We’re supposed to hang out again, see a movie or something.
Aside from that, my weekend was pretty uneventful. I had a long run on Saturday – well, long for me – at 9.75 miles. Once around the Loop, twice around the Reservoir. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and cool, but the sun was a bit of a challenge, as was climbing stairs afterwards.
Also some writing, some shopping. Now I’m hungover, like I said. I have one short meeting and one longer meeting, both this morning. Not so bad I guess.
06
Aug 07
The weekend didn’t go quite as planned
But it was still a nice one.
ES ended up going straight to New Jersey Thursday night. Unfortunately SB got sick and wasn’t able to host her, and I had the concert. ES said she wouldn’t mind staying at my place on her own, and I said great! since SB had extra keys. Unfortunately she couldn’t find them. That’s awesome in case I ever get locked out.
The concert was pretty fun, though it wasn’t so much a concert as a 30-minute performance at the end of a long evening. Portions of it were entertaining, like the fashion show and the lip synching drag queens, but parts were tortuous, like all the awards given out and long-ass speeches. (It was a fund raiser for Pride in the City.)
En Vogue was great. They performed all of their hits: My Lovin’, Free Your Mind (my fave!), Giving Him Something He Can Feel, Hold On, Don’t Go, and one or two others I didn’t quite recognize. They’re excellent performers.
Even though ES wasn’t around, it was good I had Friday off since I didn’t get home from the concert till about 1. YP had taken to day off too, so that morning I helped him take some pix for the flyer for his next stand up comedy show. Afterwards I hung around Union Square, going to the Strand, the comic book store, and an Asian market.
Saturday I had to wait around for the exterminator. I hate it when he gets there so late (about 1 this time). By the time he finished, I had total cabin favor.
I went to the Met. Looked at the Poiret exhibit as well as the Asian Art wing. I always like checking out the Buddhas. Plus that part of the museum is icy in the summer, a nice reprieve from hot yucky weather.
Besides Poiret and the Buddhas, I had another celebrity sighting at the Met: Lucy Liu. As she walked by, I thought, That looks a lot like Lucy Liu. Then she smiled and I knew it was her. She’s a wisp of a girl. Probably not more than 5 feet tall and 90 pounds soaking wet. She was with some supercute hipster boy.
That’s the third celebrity sighting I’ve had in as many weeks. Two weekends ago it was Derek Jeter at the Starbuck’s near my house, and then Tony Danza in Central Park. Tony Danza looked kinda weird. He had his shirt off and is definitely in shape, but he seemed almost too wiry. And although he was reading, he kept smiling to himself, like he knew people were watching him.
After the museum, I headed home. I balanced my checkbook (finally!) and paid some bills, including my rent. I have $190 to last me till 8/15. Yikes! I have savings as well but I don’t want to touch that – anymore. I’ve been dipping into savings all summer and I hate myself for it. Buying that MacBook really pushed me over the edge, plus the little trips I’ve taken and the slew of running clothes I’ve bought.
Around 6 I headed out for a run. It was pretty toasty so I was a bit worried, but it was actually all right. The trees in the Park do such a good job of providing shade. I think I started out more conservatively than usual because at the Public Theatre, which is my 2/3 way mark, I thought, Already?
At the end of the 6.1 miles, I still had some energy so I jogged up to the Reservoir entrance, about half a mile, then once around, 1.58 miles. So in total a little over 8 miles. Yay! I used to run 7 or 8 miles at a time when I lived in Boston, which was almost 10 years ago and on a treadmill. To do it outside with some challenging hills felt really good.
The next day was the NYC Half-Marathon. I saw people coming out of it and really wanted to be one of them! Next year, totes. In the meantime I’m gonna look for a 10K. I have a 5K in September, the annual Race for the Cure.
As I was walking out of the Park, I saw this squirrel sitting in the middle of the pathway. Usually they run off when you come anywhere near them, but it didn’t move even when I got up close. Squirrels are fluffy-tailed rats to me, so I slowed down, wary about its next move.
It jerked towards me, which me jump, and then finally ran away. The guy walking behind me was laughing. Nice squirrel.
Sunday morning I worked on my writing, and in the afternoon went to Asia Society to see this film exhibition, which was closing that day. It’s a Taiwanese filmmaker, Chen Chieh-Jen, and the films are silent, extremely artsy performance pieces.
I understood the ones that took place in old factories, but I really didn’t get one that starred himself in a factory, making prints. Then there was one that was a live re-enactment of a photograph of lingchi, which is a Chinese form of torture. Basically, criminals were slowly dismembered till they bled to death. Nice.
Had a quiet evening in, reading and listening to This American Life. Watched more of The Two Coreys, despite myself.
Haven’t heard yet about the job. Will call HR tomorrow morning. In the meantime, my boss sent me a document that is supposed to help me justify my getting a promotion. Hmmm. . .