These past two months have been so hectic that I didn’t have a chance to write up my last monthly recap – so here it is finally!
Where I Went:
Davidson, NC (three times!)
Washington, D.C. – I took Louisa to DC so she could see a big city in the US. We did a few things I haven’t done before or hadn’t done in a long time, like go to the National Archives.
Durham, NC – the highlights were doing to Luna, a South American/American South restaurant and Cocoa Cinnamon for coffee and churros.
McGrady and West Jefferson, NC – we rented a house up in the mountains for Thanksgiving weekend to show Louisa the mountains of NC. We went hiking and went to visit West Jefferson, which is a cute little town.
Fresno, LA, San Diego, and Joshua Tree, California
On the Blog:
Not much! I’ve really been slacking on the blog because of work and travel. I really miss it – can’t wait to get back into it!
What I’ve Been Reading:
The Noodle Maker by Ma Jian – This was the beginning of what I hope is my first real exploration into Chinese literature. Even though I did a degree in Chinese studies, I never focused on Chinese literature – I was more interested in history, politics, and film. I ordered this book to start reading Ma Jian’s work. I was waiting for his new book China Dream to come out so I wanted to read some of his other popular works. I have dipped into his other Red Dust, but I will finish that in 2019. This is a really abstract book. I thought it was going to be a discussion of modern politics in China as it affects the everyday citizens of Beijing, but it was really artistic in the way it was set up – almost an anthology. It was also a lot more morbid than I was expecting, so it took me a while to get through the chapter about the man who cremated people for a living…
Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn by Jamie Maslin. Here’s what I wrote on Goodreads when I stopped reading that book: “I do not relate to this book. I’m not amused but cultural differences such as unorderly traffic and exotic tea etiquette. I don’t relate to the privilege of being able to hitchhike through Turkey, stay with random people, or put myself in dangerous situations because of being a white man. I also don’t relate to the mentality of going to a country to seek out beautiful women (and eroticize them because of their religion), alcohol, drugs, and ‘plentiful’ sex.”
Orwell on Truth by George Orwell – This was a fascinating collection of Orwell’s writings. The editor gave good context of each piece. I suspect it was released last year because of how relevant Orwell’s writings on nationalism and fascism are in today’s world. I have been meaning to re-read 1984 ever since I was in China but have been putting it off because I know it will be depressing. There were a few snippets from Animal Farm and 1984, which were chilling when put in context with essays and lectures given by Orwell leading up to WW2. I had to stop between each section to internalize some of the ideas Orwell discussed, especially about the dangers of nationalism. It seems we are already letting history repeat itself in many ways.
Citizen Illegal by Jose Olivarez – I picked up this collection of poems after being inspired by reading Rupi Kaur’s poetry. This book was on display at the Last Book Store in LA. I read it all that weekend I was there. I really loved the poem about his mom on her 50th birthday and the series ‘Mexican Heaven. I think I’m really into contemporary poetry after reading these poems.
Women & Power by Mary Beard – this manifesto is a really interesting lecture about the roots of sexism in Classical Roman and Greek culture. There were even pictures of ancient art to back up the histories/mythologies about certain figures and gods. I think it was a really good argument from a really different context than people normally cite. As a lover of Latin, I definitely enjoyed this.
The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. I actually started this before the other poetry book, but finished it later. I was sucked in when I saw a special edition hard back of this book that was also signed by Rupi herself. It was so beautiful I thought it would make a good decoration even if I didn’t enjoy it. I started it in the bath with a Rosemary and Sea Salt candle burning. It was the perfect environment to get into it. I read almost half of the book in that bath. I didn’t relate to all of the poems. I especially liked the ones that didn’t focus on the romantic woes, but rather experiences of being a woman and anything about her parents and their experiences as immigrants. I thought that was very unique and well-put.
Dayfever by Peter Deligdisch – this is an abstract graphic novel by one of the illustrators I follow on Instagram. He announced that he was getting it printed and I bought it the next day. He was selling it on Amazon, so it was super easy to get. The detail in his drawings is amazing and I really love trying to figure out how the non-sensical words and stories form in his brain. Very interesting!
Burning the Sun’s Braids translated by Bhuchung D. Sonam. This was one of the books I was given for Christmas. It was one of four books I got related to Tibet. Earlier this year, I read Old Demons, New Deities edited by Tenzin Dickie, which was a collection of short stories by Tibetan authors. It was such a good introduction to Tibetan literature. I wanted to complement that with a book of poetry by Tibetan authors. I’m not enjoying it as much, but it is a good introduction. I much preferred the collection of short stories.
TIME magazine – I picked up this volume of TIME from November because I wanted to read the article by Viet Thanh Nguyen. I have been wanting to read his books the Refugees and the Sympathizer, so I felt like this was an good short-term read. I also loved the cover art, which is part of a photography project started to update the famous Normal Rockwell paintings about the Four Freedoms in the US. This project by Hank Willis Thomas and Emily Shur resulted in well over 4 images to update the ideas on what freedom means in the US today. It’s a beautiful and important project.
Oh Please Like Me by Fran Meneses – Frannerd is another illustrator I have been following online for a while. I have read her graphic novel A Punto de Partir, as well as two of her other zines. This is the third zine of hers I have. I think she has one zine that I haven’t bought yet, which I will hopefully get at some point. She’s working on another graphic novel so I can’t wait to read that when it comes out!
What I’ve Been Listening To:
New Perceptions Ben Brown’s new podcast. I’ve been following Ben Brown as a filmmaker and a photographer for a while and he’s recently started up a podcast. I’m very excited to see what becomes of it.
I’ve bought a print of his before – it’s hanging in my room. This one is from his road trip from Cape Town to Nairobi. I think there is going to be a film about the trip in the future, and if the film looks anything like the pictures, I can’t wait to see it!
Shanghai Restoration Project – I discovered their song “Miss Shanghai” while studying in China. While looking for a song from the movie Street Angel, I found their album of songs from old Chinese movies. I really like their cover of “The Wandering Songstress.” I’ve also linked the original.
What I’ve Been Watching:
Luther – I got into Luther and immediately watched all 16 episodes in less than a week. It’s like a gritty (and arguably better than Sherlock) telling of Sherlock Holmes. I am amazed at the criminals and villains they came up with. I think the crimes are intricate and fascinating – moreso than any other crime show I’ve ever seen. It’s up there with Westworld and the Good Place for best shows I’ve seen this year.
Fake or Fortune is a show hosted by two art experts who investigate the history of paintings, find out their chemical composition, and sometimes get paintings restored, and ultimately get experts to declare a painting fake or real, often so they can be sold. There are some really funny likes from the show and it’s where I realized I’m fascinated by the restoration of old paintings. I then found this conservator who publishes his restoration work on YouTube. It’s mesmerizing to watch hundreds of years of dirt and varnish be wiped from a painting.
李子柒 (Li Ziqi) is a Chinese woman who makes videos about traditional Chinese ways of cooking, making clothes and furniture, etc. They are beautifully shot and the music is really relaxing. There are so many videos, so I’ve been watching a few here and there.
Sick Note – I started watching the show because I wanted to see what Rupert Grint was working on. I don’t actually like the show. But it’s interesting that all of the characters are horrible people. No one is really the victim when they’re all doing horrible things. I only watched the first season, but I think it’s an interesting premise and it’s done well. It’s got that gritty/grimy British thing going on like Utopia and Luther. So if you like those shows, it’s worth checking out.
NCIS – I started re-watching seasons 3 and 4 over Thanksgiving break and I downloaded a few episodes for the bus and plane journeys I had in December. It was nice to revisit the best couple of seasons (in my opinion).
Rocky Horror – When I was in San Diego, we drove to an old theater in Encinitas to see Rocky Horror live. They had the toilet paper and water guns and everything. It’s such a fun show!
Highlights:
At the beginning of November, I was really in a good place with the gym. I was working on assisted pull ups and doing some heavier lifts. I’m definitely looking to do more of that now that I’m going to be home for a few months with only small trips.
As far as people, my grandmother turned 90 in November. We had a family reunion to celebrate for the weekend. I also had my flatmate from the past year and a half, Louisa, come to visit from Scotland. While I was with her we took a trip to DC, Durham, and to the NC mountains. She stayed with us over Thanksgiving and we got to eat lots of nice food. It was my first Thanksgiving in the US in four years, so that was really exciting. In Greensboro, we also went to some cool stores, shopped for makeup and books, and went to Boxcar, which is a barcade.
To combat stress, I got really into baths. I use epsom salts to help with soreness from the gym. I also have a few essential oils, like lavender and tea tree. I’ve gotten a few candles, which I burn sparingly. My favorite one for baths is rosemary and sea salt, but Louisa brought me my favorite candle, which is Tuberose scented.
The big event these past two months was a trip to California for two and a half weeks. I presented at a conference, then spent about two weeks in San Diego, with a side trip to LA to visit friends there. I had a lot of great food, hung out with friends, and got a lot of rest in – not to mention some vitamin D!
Following that trip, we had a chilled Christmas and a big family reunion in my hometown, which was an opportunity to see extended family I haven’t seen in years and do some exploring around Greensboro. We went to Blandwood, which is the old governor’s estate, and the Greensboro Historical Museum.
Challenges:
Stress was one of my major challenges in November and December. I had to finish up my grad school applications by the beginning of December and give a presentation.
I also got a cold over Christmas, which was probably the result of being exhausted/burned out from preparing applications and for the presentation. I have generally been feeling bleh – from the need for more of a routine, more rest, going to the gym, eating better, etc. I’m sure January will bring more of that.
Coming Up:
Over the next month or so, I will be writing up my paper from the conference. At the same time I’ll be working two part time jobs. I will be waiting for grad school decisions. In January I’ll find out if I get any interviews, which would be conducted in February. Then I’ll probably hear a final decision in March. Still a lot of waiting to do…
