Library Loot

A successful trip to the library! And checky here what I found: an autographed copy of "Drown" by Junot Diaz! Unfortunately, someone's written in the book with things like, "ID with Rafa" and translations of Spanish words like entiendes. Things you don't necessarily need translating in the context Diaz provides, even for non-Spanish speakers like myself. Also, at some point, you have to stop translating. Per the quote Diaz introduces his collection with: "The fact that I am writing to you in English already falsifies what I wanted to tell you. My subject: how to explain to you that I don't belong to English though I belong nowhere else" (Gustavo Perez Firmat). Word. So stop it, library book writers! Gah to you. If you haven't please listen to Diaz give a lecture or two. The second lecture is his booktalk at the Google HQ... love that he starts talking before he even gets to the stadium, love that he says 'yeah?' at the end of every sentence, and the way he clarifies that he's a writer in case anyone doesn't know... just everything. I read "Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" a while back, and loved it, but when I heard him read one of his short stories on NPR, I started crushing hard. I can't link it, but search for Junot Diaz on iTunes and it'll take you to his readings.

Murakami was not in stock, but Chabon (Manhood for Amateurs), Morrison (Jazz), Dick (Valis), and Faulkner (Light in August) were all in! So excited. What I was not excited about was the $21 fine on my library card. Every time it's like this. How do I accumulate these fees??? I feel like I'm pretty good about returning books and media on time... so, why? Celebrated mom's birthday, and... got a vegan cake from Whole Foods. I ate half the cake myself :) I thought it was excellent, as did my mom, and my brothers BEFORE I told them it was vegan. Then they found out and stopped saying it was good. So, whatever. I also requested the birthday greeting be written in Chinese, and lucky for me, the cake decorator just happened to be Taiwanese!

I'm about to crash and burn on the bunk beds. It's like camp when your house is being remodeled. Only less fun and with more dust and holes in the walls. Ethiopian dinner tomorrow night! Never tried, am excited, especially about the company. I'm home, I'm home!

xx t