Subdued Celebrations
Taiwan Fact: The former president, Chen Shui Bien, was just imprisoned for life. Corruption, accepting bribes, that sort of thing. Lots of members of his family have also been charged and some imprisoned. Also, just before the last election he won, his wife was crippled by an assassin's bullet intended for him, which is pretty interesting.
Burning money for ghost month, which just ended. The ashes were swirling up even as the rain came down.
Kiah's birthday was yesterday and we went out to dinner for the occasion. It was an exclusive event with a little gift exchange. Somewhat more rambunctious was the day before, fully six hours of which were spent water sliding and lazy rivering at a water park. A water park for big people where you can drink beers and no one hassles you about laying on your tube the wrong way.
I'm beginning to rein in my kids, but only through gimmicks and manipulation. I don't think school shouldn't be fun, but it's made me into goddamned clown. They only follow the rules when it's a game or when I'm yelling at them, both of which are tiring. Even going to the bathroom is an obstacle course of constant encouragement and reprimand. Can't you just pee and then come back so we can do an educational game instead of 'let's see who can not pee on the floor' and 'how fast can you wash your hands nicely without getting water and soap everywhere'.
Last Monday I stayed home sick, partly because of a cough depriving me of sleep, but mostly because Jordan called in. After I did, Jordan's school called her back and said her co-teacher's grandpa died so Jordan really needed to come in. So it was that I spent the day playing Warcraft and reading. With the time, I made the last major lunge at finishing Skinny Legs and All, which I enjoyed despite my reservations about Tom Robbin's showy style. I made up the lost lesson on Wednesday which made the week seem about as long as any other. I much prefer two days of work followed by a half day, then two more days before the weekend, to four full days in a row.
Jordan and Kiah have a new roommate, Adam, who Jordan knew in college. I haven't gotten to talk to him much, but he seems alright. He brought a classmate over the other day and then passed out from jetlag and beer. The friend stayed for another hour and a half and, while Jordan later reported on not finding him unpleasant, in a strange twist, I thought he was pretty damn irritating! Partly it was because Jordan and I had been sitting in the AC, she enjoying her second Maughm in a row and me with Voltaire's Candide which I'd picked up with a bottle of bourbon the day before, when I left to get us some food. After the disappointment of being unable to locate the burrito guy's jeep, I returned with some subs to two intoxicated dudes. I let some pauses, which I felt were laden with awkwardness, hang in hopes of boring the guy away, after Adam had gone to bed, but, for the night before an early excursion to the water park, he stayed later than I wanted to be up. Regardless, after he excused himself, I finished Candide. It's quite short, but I'm a slow reader and I was impressed with both it and myself for blazing through it in less than 36 hours. It moves so quickly and reads so easily; it was quite a pleasure.
While I'm on the topic of books, I also finished Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World by Murakami, half of which I read on my flight back here from home. It has some really fascinating ideas in it, though I feel that there is a pretty fundamental way in which I feel it contradicts itself. I'm trying to take a shotgun sampling of a wide range of literature lately because I basically stopped reading for pleasure once I started reading for school and am only just getting back into it. I just started an Oscar Wilde play...
Jordan and I are about to celebrate the first anniversary of our first date. We're going to go somewhere this weekend, but keep putting of making a decision, much less reservations. I feel like I've been here a really long time and haven't got much to show for it. The fact will make an interesting factoid about my life, and, of course, I fell in love here, but what good are interesting stories if you've already got a girl?
And now, your moment of Zen.
Burning money for ghost month, which just ended. The ashes were swirling up even as the rain came down.
Kiah's birthday was yesterday and we went out to dinner for the occasion. It was an exclusive event with a little gift exchange. Somewhat more rambunctious was the day before, fully six hours of which were spent water sliding and lazy rivering at a water park. A water park for big people where you can drink beers and no one hassles you about laying on your tube the wrong way.
I'm beginning to rein in my kids, but only through gimmicks and manipulation. I don't think school shouldn't be fun, but it's made me into goddamned clown. They only follow the rules when it's a game or when I'm yelling at them, both of which are tiring. Even going to the bathroom is an obstacle course of constant encouragement and reprimand. Can't you just pee and then come back so we can do an educational game instead of 'let's see who can not pee on the floor' and 'how fast can you wash your hands nicely without getting water and soap everywhere'.
Last Monday I stayed home sick, partly because of a cough depriving me of sleep, but mostly because Jordan called in. After I did, Jordan's school called her back and said her co-teacher's grandpa died so Jordan really needed to come in. So it was that I spent the day playing Warcraft and reading. With the time, I made the last major lunge at finishing Skinny Legs and All, which I enjoyed despite my reservations about Tom Robbin's showy style. I made up the lost lesson on Wednesday which made the week seem about as long as any other. I much prefer two days of work followed by a half day, then two more days before the weekend, to four full days in a row.
Jordan and Kiah have a new roommate, Adam, who Jordan knew in college. I haven't gotten to talk to him much, but he seems alright. He brought a classmate over the other day and then passed out from jetlag and beer. The friend stayed for another hour and a half and, while Jordan later reported on not finding him unpleasant, in a strange twist, I thought he was pretty damn irritating! Partly it was because Jordan and I had been sitting in the AC, she enjoying her second Maughm in a row and me with Voltaire's Candide which I'd picked up with a bottle of bourbon the day before, when I left to get us some food. After the disappointment of being unable to locate the burrito guy's jeep, I returned with some subs to two intoxicated dudes. I let some pauses, which I felt were laden with awkwardness, hang in hopes of boring the guy away, after Adam had gone to bed, but, for the night before an early excursion to the water park, he stayed later than I wanted to be up. Regardless, after he excused himself, I finished Candide. It's quite short, but I'm a slow reader and I was impressed with both it and myself for blazing through it in less than 36 hours. It moves so quickly and reads so easily; it was quite a pleasure.
While I'm on the topic of books, I also finished Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World by Murakami, half of which I read on my flight back here from home. It has some really fascinating ideas in it, though I feel that there is a pretty fundamental way in which I feel it contradicts itself. I'm trying to take a shotgun sampling of a wide range of literature lately because I basically stopped reading for pleasure once I started reading for school and am only just getting back into it. I just started an Oscar Wilde play...
Jordan and I are about to celebrate the first anniversary of our first date. We're going to go somewhere this weekend, but keep putting of making a decision, much less reservations. I feel like I've been here a really long time and haven't got much to show for it. The fact will make an interesting factoid about my life, and, of course, I fell in love here, but what good are interesting stories if you've already got a girl?
And now, your moment of Zen.