Free!

It's been a long while since I have had a consistent Internet connection. Taipei is a wonderful city, though I feel like I haven't seen far too many parts of it. That goes for the rest of Taiwan as well—though that's going to have to be another trip entirely.

The National Taiwan Library was great, with shelves and shelves of sources—though I think the librarians kind of prefer that you look at things on the computer instead. It'll take forever to go through everything (even just those that are relevant), but it will certainly be worthwhile.

Perhaps the best thing I have eaten is the cong you bing that they had at Wufenpu. Mmmmm. So oily and so crispy, just the way I like it. Like fried chicken.

(And this mysterious sign that was on the wall at Taipei 101? I looked up what the gift box meant, but I promptly forgot. My guess is that, if you follow the arrow, they will give you a free gift.)

Hidden doors, the mystery

I remember now why I dislike international flights: They are invariably long. And our flight today from LAX to Taipei brought back horrible memories of the first flight from my childhood that I remember: going from Narita to Los Angeles for the first time. Trauma, I tell you. Trauma.

But the condo where we are staying is cute—the doors have no knobs, so it's kind of like a game trying to figure out where everything is. Like looking for the stairs in the house from My Neighbor Totoro...

And, coming to Taipei confirms my Orientalism: People in Taiwan are better looking than people in Japan. They look exotic—and thus automatically more desirable. (I'm glad I don't actually mean that...)

Two Moons

I am having a baby, a baby known as a dissertation. But before I go into labor, I thought I might read the famous Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer (not to be confused with our friend...well, never mind). As in, I would like to read it in the same way I would like to read Wild Animus. As in, not really. But kind of. For curiosity.

But the story seems similar to Midnight Secretary, so I wonder: In comparison, would Twilight even be worth the mindless entertainment??

What is your dream?

I've now reviewed my notes and readings, and I am ready to really start grading this mo fo of a stack of bluebooks. Bring it on.

But before that, I want to ruminate on the show Buddy and I went to last night. Soda Bar...what a whacky venue. We saw Jeffrey Lewis (and the Junkyards)...and I learned about a folksy band called Common Rotation. Three dudes with a guitar, a banjo, and a harmonica...what is not to love?

Les Noces

I wonder if people still describe marriage as something akin to a spider catching a prey in its web. Trapping. Snagging. Getting hitched. (No, wait, that's a different metaphor...)

And if people still do describe marriage as like a spider web, then I wonder if the spider is male or female. Of course it is traditionally female—black widow, hey hey—but I wonder...if our conceptions have perhaps changed? There is that saying in Chinese—鮮花插在牛糞上—that describes a "waste," like a fresh flower being stuck in manure. Or a young wife marrying an old man. Ponder.

Ah, musings about marriage. What better way to pass the time? And to contemplate the meaning of life, reproduction, beauty, and music? On Saturday Buddy and I went to a performance of the La Jolla Symphony (and Chorus), where the evening was packed with music by folks like Bartók and Stravinsky. My favorite piece was Les Noces by the latter, and the performance of it included choreography that featured Lux Boreal Contemporanea Danza. ::sigh:: It was so beautiful, the portrayal of the wedding, the emotional torment, the drama, the tears...

But wait a minute. I am puzzled why the very suggestion of marriage and (legal) union invokes polar reactions from me. As though I feel like I should steer clear of it, or maybe I should really take a look at it to see what is so wonderful about it. Of course it's wonderful, I'm not questioning that. The beautiful choreography only convinces me more. Except...

Well, it's a good thing I'm writing that dissertation to hash out these ideas. Two nights ago we also went to a performance of chamber music through the Camera Lucida concert series. It is so great being on a university campus that offers these (hoity-toity?) opportunities... Future performances of the same series feature Beethoven pieces, so I must needs go. Especially since I'm missing LJSC's Beethoven performance...

But, alas, we must go where fate takes us, whether that is marriage or a spider web...

one down, two to go...

It's time for me to buckle down and study for this silly little exam of mine. Once I take this tomorrow morning, I'll just have to grade over the weekend, and the quarter will be done...

The season is changing as we steadily make our way toward winter. It has been cold here (I say freezing, though some disagree), but that also means we get some lovely skies at dusk...

Happy December 1st!

Several good things happened today. One, my salary for the month showed up in my bank account. Woot. Two, I (finally) turned in a revision of my prospectus to my co-chair. That is a step, even if he does not approve it. Three, Buddy and I went to see a show at The Loft...for me, the first time in a long time. Success.

Well, let me take that back. The show itself was not a success. We went to see Marco Benevento, with a opening duo that was comprised by a prof and a grad student in the music department. I...have no idea what to make of the opening duo. It's partially because I didn't stay to listen. But that's because what little I heard from them, I could not really enjoy. They were the "experimental improvisation" type, and I...yeah. I just can't do that, I guess.

Marco Benevento, on the other hand, was interesting. I think I had expected something more produced than what he performed tonight. Obviously I should not ask for music that sounds like James Figurine or The Postal Service or even Freelance Whales when the guy is playing live (with a bassist and a drummer, to boot). But...I don't know, there was something unkempt, something about it that just didn't come together enough for me. I described it to Buddy on our walk home as being "not clean," "not coalescing." Maybe an unfair assessment, but.

Regardless, I am happy for our stop at The Loft. It's such a cute venue, with drinks (and food). The interior is cute, though the music can get kind of loud, even the playlists they play during lunch. But for a kind of fancy lunch on campus (or an accessible venue), it is not too shabby at all.

四川

今天晚上，我跟我男朋友去了《巴人四川》，一起吃了晚飯...

Oh man, I really have to learn how to use my 了...that and TD (time duration). Grammar will be the death of me in Chinese...

Anyway, dinner was lovely—as always everything was delicious, though this time nothing was too spicy, so we could enjoy our meal without sweating a whole lot. But before that we had gone to Mitsuwa, and I in my excitement had bought way too much vegetables...I'm not sure if I can use them all up before they spoil. I'm going to have to look for Japanese food recipes tonight before I go to sleep...

Speaking of Japanese food, I had been meaning to write about my dad's tie for a while now. I know, it seems unrelated... (Maybe it is.) But I guess the logic is that, speaking of Japanese food, oh, right, my dad eats Japanese food too! Hence the connection.

So right, the tie. I used to have this strange thing of using ties as belts. My (now) brother-in-law begged me to stop the habit because he thought it was weird, but to be honest, ties are a lot more preferable to use as belts than actual belts. For one thing, they're soft—so they don't have that uncomfortable feeling of constricting you. Plus they often come in stylish colors and designs, which is much more interesting than your run-of-the-mill belts off the rack.

But once I moved and threw out a bunch of things, I also ended up throwing out most of the ties I used to use as belts. (Ties are a little fragile, so if you use them for a while, they start to wear and tear. Literally.) And it was only recently that my dad offered me one of his ties to resurrect my old tie-as-belt habit, if I wanted to. Dad has so many ties that he no longer wears (I guess the dress code is less strict here than in Japan), so the selection was quite exciting. But just to make sure my brother-in-law wouldn't get sad about my lapsing back into the questionable habit, I decided to start out with just one.

The tie I chose is mustard yellow, with chestnut brown and khaki green stripes. I actually wear brown and green every other day, so it works out well. Plus it matches one of the Slainte bags I have, so I could not be happier.

But to be honest, somehow I feel more hesitant about wearing my tie now than I was five years ago. Could it be that I am becoming more fashionably conservative with age? Oh geez.

Anyway, I am telling you. Ties as belts. It's a classic concept, but it's not appreciated enough. It also works perfectly if you go out to a really good Japanese restaurant with your parents and you eat too much...or maybe to the Sichuan restaurant with the too-yummy food...