Giant spider web engulfs Texas park trail
Creepy! Even for those who aren’t afraid of spiders!
At first, I misread this as “giant spider web engulfs Texas trailer park,” which makes it sound even more like something out of a horror movie. I can add this to my list of misread headlines, which includes always reading IAEA as IKEA, and mistaking “Haiti coup plotter” for “Harry Potter.”
I hate it when people fool with my stuff. If I really care about something, I really don’t want other people to touch it. That’s a problem when someone asks to use something. It’s awkward to say no. There’s a girl I know who likes to use other people’s cameras. Today she borrowed it, and because I didn’t know how to tell her she couldn’t, I let her. She didn’t give it back right away so I got antsy. I’m always afraid people are going to goof around with it and delete all my photos. I actually told her that I am really attached to my camera, and didn’t like it when other people use it, but I don’t think she took me seriously. I think I’m going to have to send her an e-mail about it, which is really awkward, but it’s better than getting all upset at her and shouting at her later on. Why would it be okay to fool around with someone else’s stuff, especially when they told you they don’t like it when you do?
Taken on the fly this summer. A church near where my parents live had this out on the lawn.
One of the exciting things that happened when I was home this summer was that I got to see two old friends of mine. Mary Lee Huber (now Campanella, I think) on the left, I actually hadn’t seen since high school! She looked great (even glamorous!) and was as cheerful as always. She’s now teaching math at a Catholic school in Rochester, NY. Val Woj, as she was nicknamed in high school because her name was so hard to spell, is now Val Fitzsimmons. She works for Sprint. She was as gregarious and sensible and optimistic as before.
Advice from the Chinese Foreign Ministry:
So here is a rundown of what I did while in the US. I started out in Philadelphia. I’d hoped that I’d be able to use it as a home base from which to travel to Washington, D.C. to see my friend Adam, to go to Baltimore to see Rachel and Benn, and to go up to NYC to see Phil and Amanda. It turned out, though, that Adam had already left for Alaska, where he is soon to begin a PhD in Community Mental Health. Phil and Amanda’s schedules were so busy that we couldn’t make any dates work out, but fortuitously, they went to Indianapolis for their Aunt’s birthday, so I got to see them anyway. As I’ve mentioned here, I did get to visit Rachel and Benn in Baltimore, and was also able to fly to Indianapolis on a buddy pass (provided by Clara’s boyfriend Robert), where I visited the Winslows and Johnsons. While I was in Philadelphia I did a lot of shopping, mainly for books and footwear. I got a cool pair of Italian leather boots at Daffy’s – original price (or intended original price, anyway) $450, on sale for $139. That’s expensive, but it’s so hard to find boots in my size here that I got them. I got a cool pair of shoes almost fifty percent off, and Susan J’s friend Wendy introduced me to the Second Mile second-hand shops in her neighborhood, where I got a messenger bag for 52 cents. Bookwise, I scoped out used books and things on sale, getting David Sedaris’s DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM, THE DOGS OF BABEL, THE DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD, A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS, and WHEN DIFFICULT RELATIVES HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.
I got the DIFFICULT RELATIVES book in preparation for going home, which I was hoping would go more smoothly than last time, when I got so mad at my dad that I ended up cursing and hurling a portable steamer against the floor. It was his 80th birthday, so I felt honor-bound to go. Although my mom said not to buy gifts, I brought an electric fly-killing racquet (which Phil burned himself with while he was visiting here) and some sesame cookies in an attractive package. Things didn’t get off to such a good start, though. Right after I got in I was talking about the fitting model job I had gotten, and my dad said, “I guess they were looking for a fat ass.” Soon after he and my mom were squabbling about directions and where to get ice cream. I thought about telling them that I only come home once a year, so they ought to behave themselves, but I didn’t. Later – maybe it was on my dad’s actual birthday, but I don’t remember – my dad referred to me as “it.” This made me really furious, and I told him it was impolite. Later on he asked me to teach him how to do something on the computer, and I got really angry and scolded him, saying that I came from the other side of the planet just for his birthday, so how could he be rude to me. I said that I deserved respect. I went on upstairs, where I stewed, and got a really big headache. I was upset enough that I called my brother Chris and my friend Val so see if they could come and get me. Both of them were at work, though. After a while, my mom came and asked what I was so upset about. I told her, and my mom said my dad was just making jokes. I said that jokes were supposed to make people laugh, not hurt their feelings. I said it was hard for me to bear, they way they talked to each other, and my mom was really surprised, saying that they were just kidding around, and that they had good life. She’s said this before, and it always astonishes me, because she and my dad always act like they hate each other, or at least think the other person is an idiot. I also said I didn’t know of anyone who would think calling someone “it” or “fat-ass” was funny. She left, and I continued being angry, and a little sad at the same time because she was upset by this whole thing. What happened next was super embarrassing, although maybe it should have been heartwarming or something. Here’s what I wrote in my diary:
Then Dad came up and said that if I get my feelings hurt easily it’s because he does too but tries to hide it. He was sort of crying and everything and hugged me and apologized. It was strange because the whole time I felt very detached from what was going on, like I wasn’t really there or it would be really easy for me to forget it. He also said they were all very proud of me, even Andrew, and he was very happy I had come home for his birthday. Afterward I felt all odd and didn’t want to come downstairs. I felt sorry I made him upset. I’m also used to seeing him as just this mean guy. Not thinking of him that way and thinking of him as a guy with vulnerabilities is not something I’m used to. It’s funny how you want people to change, but if they do, it’s strange and awkward. I don’t know how to act tomorrow. I’m used to being emotionally closed off. I feel nervous because I’ll have to be vulnerable and sincere, so be nice.
J and Curtis’s coworker Neil took me to the computer market a couple days ago, where I found out my hard drive wasn’t broken like a lot of people had said it was – it had just popped out of its port! The guys in the shop put it back in and stabilized it with a piece of crumpled-up newspaper, which hopefully won’t catch on fire or anything as I type.
One reason I haven’t posted here in a while is that my new (although in reality it’s second-hand) computer conked out while in the US. The consensus is that it’s probably a hard drive problem. Luckily the machine is still under warranty.
Damn! Maybe I should just give up and get a new one. But all that worrying about which ones are good is really stressful.
I got back here at 6:00 p.m. yesterday. I’m feeling really tired and a little nauseous for some reason, so I won’t write much now and will reply to other people’s comments later. I’m glad to say that Kitty Mao Mao is alive and well. Alice the dog looks all mangey, though. She’s lost patches of hair, maybe because of her fleas. Luckily I picked up some anti-flea topical medicine that is supposed to last for one month.
Hi! After spending a while in Indianapolis, I’m back in Philadelphia. I managed to take a jaunt up to Baltimore, and spent an excellent day with Rachel and Benn. We got to go to Ikea, my favorite store in the whole world! I also had an ice cream sundae, my first one for at least a year. It seems my plan not to gain weight has gone by the wayside, but I’m hoping just to put on four or something so it isn’t too hard to take off once I’m back in China. A few more notes — I visited the country’s first penitentary. The audio tour was narrated by Steve Buscemi! As for Philadelphia, I really like it. People seem very polite (which doesn’t explain the murder rate). The only bad thing I can say is that there seem to be a large number of women in ill-fitting bras!
