tidbits
first, a story.
while waiting for a train home today at the west end station, a young man asked me whether or not el centro held classes over the summer. yes i replied, i just got out of class, actually. he comments that they probably have ged classes then. i said that if he wanted a ged he should also try contacting a local public high school that offers a night school program (such as garland). some time passes, and he makes a comment about how nice it is to be outside again. what do you mean? i ask. he says he's just gotten out of prison today after nine months. oh. he says he's trying to turn his life around. we get on the train and make small talk, but mostly just sitting in silence. he sees me pull out my phone to call a friend, and a little while afterwards asks if he can call a friend. he needs a ride home because it's late and his bus isn't running. he doesn't want to call his family because they don't know he's getting out and he wants to surprise them. he makes some phone calls, but only one person is home and that person can't pick him up.
so i kind of sat there thinking, man, i feel bad for this guy. but is it safe for a lone girl to drive a former convict home? i ask him where he lives. not too far from my way home i guess. he doesn't have anything on him. okay. so i drove him home.
here are some other things that have happened since i came home:
me: i want to see "the promise," but tan (my brother) won't want to come. it's about love.
tan: i'll come see it! one of my favorite movies is all about love.
me: ... what movie is that?
tan: "love and basketball"!
me: ...
by the way, i did in fact end up seeing "the promise" with michael, ai, and ziyad. it was cheesy, but i really liked it for what it was: a fairytale. and i finally understood the movie well afterward, courtesy of michael of all people. so i think it's worth watching (a chinese movie about princess who as a child makes a deal with a goddess to give up true love for beauty and riches--playing at the angelika)
on that note, other movies i want to see are "three times," "babel," "the science of sleep," and "volver," though i'll probably not be able to see any of those movies because dallas hates me :( hopefully they'll still be showing it in home #2.
things i have eaten that i've missed terribly since i can't find them in new york:
- chicken in a biskit
- flaming hot cheetos
- quality pork rinds/shrimp chips
!!! i found a letter of recommendation from my old french teacher, madame bullard, the other day. i have been looking for that letter for YEARS. it was the nicest thing anyone's ever written to/about me. i miss her a lot :( of course the letter reminded me of being rejected from uwc... but who cares now?!?! hehe.
what i'm up to nowadays:
daytime M-F : working for the fair housing office
evening M-Th : taking spanish at el centro (lol no, i can't get any credit)
evening F : playing indoor soccer at spectrum with friends!!
what's strange is how quickly i transitioned from sleeping at 4 am to sleeping at 11 pm because of how tired i am from waking up so early :( i'm out of my house for about 14 hours a day. my being awake right now is kind of weird.
work has forced me to purchase and wear gaucho pants in the interest of comfort even though i despise them. oh and if you eat lunch around 12 near downtown garland you should call me.
that's all, folks!
while waiting for a train home today at the west end station, a young man asked me whether or not el centro held classes over the summer. yes i replied, i just got out of class, actually. he comments that they probably have ged classes then. i said that if he wanted a ged he should also try contacting a local public high school that offers a night school program (such as garland). some time passes, and he makes a comment about how nice it is to be outside again. what do you mean? i ask. he says he's just gotten out of prison today after nine months. oh. he says he's trying to turn his life around. we get on the train and make small talk, but mostly just sitting in silence. he sees me pull out my phone to call a friend, and a little while afterwards asks if he can call a friend. he needs a ride home because it's late and his bus isn't running. he doesn't want to call his family because they don't know he's getting out and he wants to surprise them. he makes some phone calls, but only one person is home and that person can't pick him up.
so i kind of sat there thinking, man, i feel bad for this guy. but is it safe for a lone girl to drive a former convict home? i ask him where he lives. not too far from my way home i guess. he doesn't have anything on him. okay. so i drove him home.
here are some other things that have happened since i came home:
me: i want to see "the promise," but tan (my brother) won't want to come. it's about love.
tan: i'll come see it! one of my favorite movies is all about love.
me: ... what movie is that?
tan: "love and basketball"!
me: ...
by the way, i did in fact end up seeing "the promise" with michael, ai, and ziyad. it was cheesy, but i really liked it for what it was: a fairytale. and i finally understood the movie well afterward, courtesy of michael of all people. so i think it's worth watching (a chinese movie about princess who as a child makes a deal with a goddess to give up true love for beauty and riches--playing at the angelika)
on that note, other movies i want to see are "three times," "babel," "the science of sleep," and "volver," though i'll probably not be able to see any of those movies because dallas hates me :( hopefully they'll still be showing it in home #2.
things i have eaten that i've missed terribly since i can't find them in new york:
- chicken in a biskit
- flaming hot cheetos
- quality pork rinds/shrimp chips
!!! i found a letter of recommendation from my old french teacher, madame bullard, the other day. i have been looking for that letter for YEARS. it was the nicest thing anyone's ever written to/about me. i miss her a lot :( of course the letter reminded me of being rejected from uwc... but who cares now?!?! hehe.
what i'm up to nowadays:
daytime M-F : working for the fair housing office
evening M-Th : taking spanish at el centro (lol no, i can't get any credit)
evening F : playing indoor soccer at spectrum with friends!!
what's strange is how quickly i transitioned from sleeping at 4 am to sleeping at 11 pm because of how tired i am from waking up so early :( i'm out of my house for about 14 hours a day. my being awake right now is kind of weird.
work has forced me to purchase and wear gaucho pants in the interest of comfort even though i despise them. oh and if you eat lunch around 12 near downtown garland you should call me.
that's all, folks!