Roommates of Past and Present
It is my second night in Venice.
Yesterday morning, my roommate, Yao, cried at our final goodbye. I woke up in Dan's apartment and rushed down to see him before he left for work. His reaction shocked me: at both the depth and sincerity of emotion. It made me feel contemplative for a while, considering why he might feel so sad. And strangely, the memories of our times spent together extended way back. Empty days I thought lost were filled with us hanging out- the first time he smoked, me getting drunk, cooking together. The silly stupid stuff. Our chats. Some days he would write and leave messages on my door.At one point, he was dating another girl, Lu, at the time, and she spent a summer living with us. T'was all much ado about nothing, that was also all a part of everything. We had spent so much "nothing" time together that we had grown accustomed and accepting of each other's personal habits. I think that is what I learnt most from Yao: his large emotions, to always support and accept. He was a very generous and patient roommate.
//About the New Roommates:
Lucy cooked indian food for us tonight - chicken curry and rice. The rice was good. I spread it out on the plate like a pancake, and imagined that it might be good if it were cooked to a crisp in this shape and the gravy put over. I think I was subconsciously thinking of Fried Noodles and Hot Gravy. Worked in chats with Jan and Lucy at different times. Lucy has an interesting creative strategy for planning gifts out: a wall of clippings that are re-worked together, over and over. Like a battlemaster's board. Jan is going back to Australia next friday for a few weeks. He showed me pictures of the outback, near where he lived. The desolation of the area is astounding. "Sometimes, I don't hear someone for 5 days," he says casually about his camping trips. I compared the scale of their state park to the island of singapore on googlemaps. We were still significantly smaller. It depressed me and intrigued him.
After dinner we watched The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Tom, a nordic guy, has a tricked out the living room to become and indoor screening room. His movie selection is pristine: a catalogue so large that makes the sidebar slider look like a pea. All titled with thumbnails and additional information. Beautiful. Tomorrow afternoon will be my first attendance in the Garden Club.
Notes to self
//Work Schedule:
As usual, slower than expected, as usual. Ambition exceeds ability which drags down confidence. Financial issues had to be pushed a day later. Instead, I changed the wheels on the skateboard. I should have stayed on task till the end before switching, however. I doubt that mental break I "thought" I needed was necessary. However, all comments on the portfolio have been made. Having given it time to stew, I was able to cut more fat off of it. In any case, I increased my lunch period to stretch from 12 to 2 because I felt like taking things easier, which Justus and his brother filled today by cooking tacos. Morritz worked a number on the beans and a plate of scrappy leftovers: they almost tasted like a thick chilli stew. I wish I had taken the effort to do some research into cooking with beans prior. My last semester would have been a lot more appetizing.
Morritz has this treasure trove of food knowledge. "All peasant food is delicious... except for XXX" he would say. I try to follow but sometimes lose him because the words he uses brings up too many parallel associations in my mind's eye. I'm not sure if this is good or bad yet. As an experiment, I will try and tune these associations out for the weekend and respond by looking more at his facial expressions.
//Body Notes:
I cycled 12 miles to deliver a book to Bergman for the report we're writing. It felt very freeing to be back on the bike again for such long distances, with a destination and goal in mind. It makes things all very much simpler: the harder one works, the faster one gets there. In the middle of getting there, I didn't notice a pot hole the size of Vietnam on the ground. I braked too late and flipped over the bike. While the bike pirouetted in the air, I managed to launch into a comfortable trajectory to land on my feet without a scratch while the bike clanged behind. Perhaps someone might describe it as "dainty".
Afternoon fitness session was pleasant. Am mentally getting better at running without stopping. I will soon do a complete loop. Next week, I predict. The problem seems to be the journey back: I make up excuses that I am building up to it. Problem is, I think i need a definitive "build up date". My body however, is not reacting to the chinups and pushups. I think I need to change it to daily morning anaerobic exercises, and cardiovascular ones in the evening. Or find an alternative. The tedium of situps and pushups do not appeal to me. It is a pity not to exercise at the beach, however. The breeze is salty fresh and the sun feels lighter on the skin. It smells and feels a lot better, running in Venice than in Downtown.
June 4, 2011. Midnight
