It’s hot.
It’s hot and I’m pretty sure something has crawled into my air conditioner and died because when I turn it on it smells like death. OK you’re right, it doesn’t smell like death. It smells like mildew. So that means mildew has crawled into my air conditioner and died. I cleaned the filter, but it still smells like junglefoot. Did I mention it’s hot? No? OK, it’s really hot, did you know that?
Last night there was a tornado in New York City. Or maybe it wasn’t a tornado. The scientists haven’t agreed yet. NY Times says OH YEAH BIG TIME TORNADO LOOK AT BROOKLYN IT IS HOSED. And them some meteorologist says NO CALM DOWN YOU JUST GOT A LOT OF RAIN. 17 INCHES IN AN HOUR TO BE EXACT YOU KNOW OTHER PEOPLE HAVE IT WAY WORSE HAVE YOU SEEN SOUTHEAST ASIA STOP FREAKING OUT. But you know, it’s New York. People like to freak out. That’s why I live here. For the ample opportunities to get my freak out. Anyway, the point is this: I don’t really care. Tornado or not, it wrecked the trains and I had to walk to work, which isn’t bad because I don’t live so far, but I really like the option of taking the train because I like options. Options are what makes us human and not like amoebas. Amoebas have only two options: Do I divide now? Do I divide later? Humans have at least six, maybe seven options. But apparently taking the train was not one of them this morning. So now we’re down to like five options. Which makes us just a hair better than amoebas.
And this architecture thing refuses to go away: Marc, editor over at Pidgin, tells me Abitare, some fancy high-fallutin’ (sp) architecture magazine is going to reprint my piece. I only know that it’s a fancy high-fallutin (yes still sp shut up) architecture magazine because architects tell me that. I’ve never heard of it. Because I’m not an architect. As we have already discussed. Man, I don’t talk about much on this blog anymore do I? Anyway, this means more hate for mail and love letters for me. I’ve been told it’s been translated to Italian, Hungarian, and some strange language where the c has a fancy, little hook. Portuguese? I like languages that have festive letters. Like, I totally want a c with a fancy hook in my name. It’d give me major pirate cred. I’d even settle for an ñ. That’s like an n with a festive hat. Hats are cool. I dig em.
It’s 11:44. I’m about to go eat dinner. Why? Because I was waiting for a friend to finish work. Oh you know where this is going I don’t even have to say it. We’re going to Blue Ribbon because it’s close and open, two things I value in a restaurant at this hour. Sadly it is expensive, but home to the best $12 hummus you’ll ever have.
Annie, who knew that after writing and publishing an awesomely fabulous book (that was reprinted less than a year after publication!) that you’d become famous for being pissed off at architects? You should assign some other profession as the target of your anger now. You’d become more famous than James Patterson!
Hey Grace: To be fair, it went into reprint because they first printed, like, five copies. I had no idea this letter would become this monster. As for James Patterson: any author that blurbs himself on his own ads has to be the best guy ever.
The strange launguage with the c, is French.
Camryn: It didn’t look like French to me. I dunno someone sent me a link I’ll try to dig it up.
i agree with grace… i think u should let go of them architects and concentrate on them doctors.. LOL… they seem to lead a more weird life style…(i think)
and whats ur favourite drink??
Love the architect thing… my dad is one and he has a hard hat that he wears to sites… across the front he has written (in that perfect architectural printing they all have): “It’s hard to be humble when you are as great as I am.”
Kate: Oh man that is rough justice. You should scratch off some of the letters so it says “It’s hard.”
of the options i had on wednesday, my dumb ass decided to walk from port authority all the way downtown to the world financial center. at least i got my exercise for the month.
by the way, i loved your book. it’s always comforting to read that i’m not the only one that wants to shake(really really hard) and hug her family at the same time.
Yes, yes…it’s definitley important to have options. Humans should definitley be farther up than an ameoeba at all times. Although, working in the customer service, um, ‘industry’, I’m surprised at how many people don’t care about options.
They can’t even decide whether they want to use debit or credit.
They’re like ameoebas. With Visa’s.
Anna: Thanks! The walk from PA to World Financial Center isn’t so bad if you walk down the West Side Highway. But then you have to bob and weave through all the strollers .
Emily: Seriously, you’d think their heads would explode. It’s so easy: credit, pay later, debit, pay now. Why is that hard? WHY????
Annie- I found that Wednesday to be quite frustrating. Especially for a valley girl living in the city (well queens…whatever!) I COULD have walked across the bridge to work, but I figured…why?! Bad enough I had to go at all. Then I arrive at work to find that half the office walked here from far distances across BRIDGES! I guess I was supposed to feel bad I didn’t. great…thanks OH and yes…I work for architects!!! Not sure what is worse…being one or having to work for them.
Michelle: Seriously why bother? During the blackout people in Brooklyn who worked in my office were trying to get to work and I was like, why bother? It’s some strange martyr complex. No, you don’t have to go through pain just to get to work. You don’t. Have a mojito instead.
two things:
1) I’m in a school with a lot of MArch students, and your letter made me laughed so hard that.. well, okay, I just laughed a lot.
2) I liked it so much that I found your website! I like your writing style, and I’m intrigued by your book.. the problem is, I’m a 2nd gen asian american woman as well and so I’m not sure if your book will make me go, “oh! I can identify with this–my family [and relationship with my mother] is f’ed up too! hehe, so funny” or “oh! I can relate to this, oh god, the flashbacks, the flashbacks, argh!”
Have you ever felt this way about books?
planning student:
1. Thanks. I’m glad you found it funny. I got a lot of flack for it but I got a lot of love too so what can you do?
2. Oh I think there’s plenty to relate to in the book even if you’re 2nd gen or whatever. It’s not really about that anyway. It’s about family that is annoying and neurotic and perhaps need a beatdown. That’s it. If you could only relate to writers that are just like you, you’d never read anything. I don’t know if that makes sense or not. I don’t really feel that way about books. If I see good writing I read it. Maybe I am a whore or something?
2. Oh, I think you misunderstood me: I don’t only read books just because I can relate to the writers–if I did, that would mean I could relate to a lot of older people, a lot of white people, etc. (Well, obviously I can, what with the whole “they’re a fellow human being” thing and all.) Case in point: I read many kinds of books, especially sci-fi and fantasy, and it’s not like I think I’m an elf or a witch or anything. Or a tiger named Richard Parker.
(But wouldn’t it be cool to be an a half-tiger, half-elf witch named Richard Parker?!? and then fight crime at night? hm, no? okay.)
I was really thinking about whether or not it’d be a sane thing for me to read things that could remind me too much of my family life as entertainment. Now I realize that it was a silly train of thought.
The strange language with a funny c - this ç, I’m guessing - is portuguese. I can confirm that, I’m one of “them”.
Good letter. Only a shame a lot of people have traded their sense of humor for cabbages. Maybe they’ll be better as vegetarians than they could have been as readers.
I’m curious about your book, now. I think I’ll keep on reading around here for a while. I really just wanted to clarify the “c” thing.
Kind regards
planning student: Ah I got it. I like reading about other people’s pain.
çatia: Thanks for çonfirming the ç. I am now abusing it wherever I çan beçause I think it’s a çool letter and I don’t çare if I’m using it wrong. And it’s too bad I çan’t use it all the time and make everything look super fançy like my letters are going to prom.
ahahah, great idea. But in terms of style I’m convinced that nothing beats japanese characters. But the ç thing is original - like a language in disguise.