David Sedaris

A few weeks ago I went to see David Sedaris give a reading / presentation downtown. It was a benefit for the local NPR station. I brought along a new copy of "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" in case there was an opportunity for an autograph. I've been a fan of Sedaris since I first heard him on "This American Life" and read "Me Talk Pretty One Day" - a very funny book about his experience of living in France and North Carolina where he grew up.

Outside of the theatre the nutty ultra-religious family from Wichita was there to hurl insults at gays like Sedaris. But their pathetic display only momentarily distracted from the event. Sedaris was his usual low key, self-deprecating wit and offered interesting observations on life in both the U.S. and France. He had some nice things to say about the downtown YMCA that he had used earlier in the day.

After the event he signed books for over two hours and took time to talk with each person at length - asking all the questions and showing a genuine interest in each individual. Since he has been living part-time in Japan lately we talked about Japan, learning Japanese, my job and my glasses. I've never seen a famous author spend so much time with each autograph seeker and so visibly enjoy it. As I left the theatre the streets were nearly empty and the protesters were gone.

Did you pick up the wrong book?

My friend Wesley sent me this photo of a unique bookstore.

Trip Home

This weekend we took a trip to my laojia (hometown) of West Peavine and surroundings. Not a lot has changed, thankfully.

Nien Cheng Passes Away

One of my favorite persons passed away this week. Nien Cheng, the author of Life and Death in Shanghai, was 94 years old and had lived an extraordinary life. After her imprisonment by the Chinese Red Guards and the murder of her daughter she escaped from China to write her best seller and to lecture widely.

Four years ago, after reading her 1987 book, I wrote to her and she invited me over to her apartment near the Washington Cathedral. I was just finishing up language training in DC and was about to move to Shanghai. I was surprised by how lively and sharp she was. She was 90 but appeared to be 70. She was very well informed about life in Shanghai even though she had been gone for decades. When I asked her if she would ever return she said she had been invited by the Chinese government but she would never return to be used for propaganda purposes. Besides, she said, it would be too painful. She loved Washington.

After living in Shanghai a couple of years I wrote to her and shared with her my view that Shanghai was a relentlessly materialistic city. She replied that she had been told by her friends that it had become a city without a soul. I offered to send her photos of the places she described in her book but she asked me not to. She didn't want to look back.

Blinding Suns and Rebates

After weeks of off and on rain Peavine is enjoying perfect weather this week with temperatures around 70 degrees and clear skies. But after the time change last weekend it gets dark before I can get home around 6 pm. The downside of having pollution-free skies is the bright sun on the horizon in late afternoon. Driving to the west is blinding and no doubt is contributing to the increase in car accidents I've seen lately. Of course, testosterone (both men AND women) probably contributes more than the blinding sun. Although the pace of life is slower (just right) here than in Shanghai it seems that many Peavinians drive as if they had something extremely important to attend to.

On the expressways I drive right at the speed limit and stay in the slow lane because everyone is passing me like I was standing still. And even with four lanes to play with there's always some fool with a pickup truck riding my rear bumper. And almost everyday our way is impeded by traffic jams caused by the accidents these jerks cause. Too bad so many innocent people are killed by these people trying to save a minute or find a release for their aggression. The problem is made worse because most Peavinians are driving large trucks, SUVs or cars. Mass and velocity and stupidity are dangerous.

I keep getting unpleasant surprises about Japanese. The verb conjugations were bad enough but when I found out they even conjugate their adjectives I thought that was just too much. Now, today, I find out they have incredibly complex rules on conjugating intransitive and transitive verbs. Whether or not the door was closed by a person or by itself completely changes the verb. Argh!

I received a nice little postcard today from Verizon informing me they weren't going to honor my rebate because the postmark date was "invalid". I didn't buy their *&^%^$ phone because of the rebate but I should have known it was a waste of a good stamp to try to take advantage of a rebate offer from a phone company. Last week I found that the cable TV company had been charging me for two phone lines instead of the one I ordered. It took a couple of hours of my time to sort out that deal.