Tomorrow I travel downstate again, the good ol’ CA north-southerly.  I remain a student of the city and of my environment, geography and community or something to that effect, is what I wrote in my graduate school application.  But I suppose that doesn’t mean that I always need to be moving around so much.  I’ve been reading a lot of California-centric/inspired literature and non-fiction.  I just finished reading Amra Brooks’ novella, “California” and it was so so so good, like hurts so good good.  (You can get it over at Teenage Teardrops–I really recommend it!)  Also, Chris Butterick recommended I read Joan Didion’s “Where I Was From” on our December LA–>>BAY trip.  It is pretty amazing so far; I am reading it simultaneously with Mike Davis’ “City Of Quartz” essays.  I will write you some sort of comparative book report when I am finished.

Yes, tomorrow I am out of here again.  But tonight, I see High Places in San Francisco!  Their music is like California also: a magical place. See you there?   

I hope you guys love this 50s/60s Shanghai/Hong Kong superlady icon, Ge Lan, as much as I do.  How can you not???  She was one of Mama Su’s idols growing up.  (And now I finally know where MaSu gets her hip-shaking dance moves, melodrama and bong bong tiao tiaos from.)  I need to find copies of these movies.  If anyone can help, let me know!  Thanks to Cyn, Charley and Mama for the priceless rediscovery tips!

I have been hibernating. It is winter after all. I have been nesting in my bed in the comfort of my mama’s house. I decided to take a step in the direction of un-sloth by doing some laundry today. I stuffed the washing machine downstairs full with sheets and blankets and comforters and clothes, shortly after which I crawled back into my bed. And then shortly after which the laundry machine made loud noises — the fast clanking kind, which should tell me that I over-capacitated (?) the machine or accidentally threw in a hammer or allen wrench in with the pile. But I did nothing to stop the clanking, except to imagine that my laundry would overflow and explode out onto the earth and the next time I attempted to descend the stairs, I would find a perfectly flooded sea of fabrics that I could swim around in and pretend it was summer and not this darkest month of January. Or if not summer, then that I could hibernate underwater like the aquatic turtles do. The lovely polaroid above was taken by jacoplast and found on flickr with creative commons license.

Have you been following the two-headed turtle story?

Heads up: Brooklyn pet store has turtle that can disagree with itself

Missing Turtle Report

If only I had the octopus’ camouflage defense mechanism for every instance of human humiliation. It’s better than invisibility. Thanks, Sarah for the link! EDIT: Motherfuckin’ wordpress not compatible with so many way awesome flash vid applets. Go here: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/206 to view magic.

This Dem debate is making me feel crazy and apocolyptic. It’s so catty. The markets around the world pretty much crashed today…something will be unleashed tomorrow when the U.S. market re-opens. There’s something in the air.

Home for a night to see my dad off to Singapore (again). My grandfather is leaving for Taiwan on Tuesday, too. My parents picked me up from the BART station and I asked my mom if her dad was going to Taiwan because he was going there to die. She doesn’t seem to think so. He’s been wanting to go for years, and now, age 88 (or 89?), he’s decided he is well enough of mind and body to brave a 12-hour flight. Good for him, I think! Speaking of family, my nightmares continue, and this week I dreamed (dreamt?) that we had a big family gathering and Dick Cheney was at dinner because he had no where else to go and he was feeling guilty and remorseful about his life. And then he paid us for dinner, saying our food and service and compassion was covered by the presidential expense. My cousin who died this past summer was at the dinner, too, and somehow and somewhy, I was in love with him.

Also, today, going to dinner:
Mom: “Why are you parked so far from the restaurant and all the other cars?”
Me: “Because he doesn’t want to be by the people. Dad doesn’t like people.”
Dad: “I like people.”
Me: “Okay, I was just kidding.”
Dad: “I mean, I like reading about people.”