Normalacy

Is it normal to have an entire plate of brocoli and cauliflower and call that a meal?

Beyond that, the weekend didn't start off in my normal style - stayed in on Friday night cause I was tired and in order to write my Christmas cards. Finally went to bed at 5am and I had only done half of them. Not because I'm sending THAT many either, but because I ended up farting about on the internet and tidying my room and tons of other random things.

I also finished reading "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. It was brilliant. Got weirder and weirder, but I loved it. Some quotes:

"This was very different from the image of home that I had imagined vaguely for myself... But this was the home that I had chosen. I had had a home, when I was a child. But it was not the one I had chosen for myself. I had been born into it, presented with it as an established fact. Now, however, I lived in a world that I had chosen through an act of will. It was my home. It might not be perfect, but the fundamental stance I adopted with regard to my home was to accept it, problems and all, because it was something I myself had chosen. If it had problems, these were almost certainly problems that had originated within me."

I thought this was an interesting idea. My idea of home is a very odd one these days. Really, home is where I am. I am quite content in my tiny Korean one-room apartment, leading my life. It isn't glamourous or exciting, but it is my contented little life. However, since I am not surrounded by family or old friends, home is other places too. Those places themselves no longer feel like home for me, but the people do. Thus, my home is spread across three continents, which is a somewhat lonely thought, but also an exhilerating one.

"Reality spilled out into the alley like water from an overfilled bowl - as sound, as smell, as image, as plea, as response."

I just thought that was quite a beautiful image.

"You may not know this, Mr. Wind-Up Bird, but ducks are very pleasant people to spend time with. I never get tired of watching them. I'll never understand why everybody else bothers to go somewhere way far away and pay good money to see some stupid movie instead of enjoying these people. Like sometimes they'll come flapping through the air and land on the ice, but their feet slide and they fall over. It's like a TV comedy! They make me laugh even with nobody else around. Of course, they're not clowning around trying to make me laugh. They're doing their best to live very serious lives, and they just happen to fall down sometimes. I think that's neat."

I thought this was quite a beautiful thought too. The actions of others affect us greatly, but it is important always to keep in mind that often their actions are not directed at us at all. They are off doing their own thing, living their own lives, and not really intending to have the effect on us that they do.

Saturday was a nice, lazy day. Until my damn toilet acted up (it sometimes won't stop running, thus running up my apartment bill too). So, I got the super and asked him (well, gestered is more like what really happened) to fix it. And of course, he naturally wanted to have the bathroom lights on when he did. One small problem? They were both broken, and it wasn't that the lightbulbs needed changing either. So, several hours later and tons of wires visible, I am starting to panic slightly about getting ready to go out. It was Jane's Birthday, Part Two and I was due at La Tavola's by 9. Except that I hadn't showered and the Korean guy was still poking around in my wiring. It was quite close in the end, but I not only got to Itaewon on time, but I now have two functional lights (though the fan doesn't work now) and a mildly less dysfunctional toilet.

Saturday night was great - good food, great company. We went to Geckos and bumped into just everyone (Derek and Melissa, Lynne, Daniel, his ex-boyfriend on a date, Alex, and on and on). We hit 66 and then Jane wanted to try out Stompers and off we went. Vanessa apparently occupied her time stealing jackets and ties off of people and eventually we ended up in TinPans (bumped into Joshua and crew and Bethany, who took over my old job!), where Debbie and I managed to stay till the fat lady sang, basically.

Sunday I spent in bed, reading. I started and finished "Lazy Ways to Make a Living" by Abigail Bosanko, which I basically bought only because it was set in Edinburgh and I actually quite liked, and "On the Brightside, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God" by Louise Rennison (yep, I occassionally read fiction aimed at 14 year olds. deal.) I went to Gecko's for dinner, bringing along with me a toaster oven for Sheila which caused a bit of a raised eyebrow when the security guard asked to look in my plastic bag. Yep, it's weird. Val and the gang turned up, as did Annie and Amanda, and the Persian boys. We amusingly met Mr. Home Depot and Mr. Texas and remet Mr. Head Kisser. Took the subway home, but it ended before my stop came along, so I took a taxi the last little way. All in all, a very good weekend.

Knowing that vacation is coming is making the days drag a bit. I wanna be on a beach!!!