I’ve been so busy this past week I haven’t had a moment to stop and breathe. I think I may need to adopt Huy‘s impressionistic update method in order to get everything into an entry, otherwise I’ll just be here until tomorrow morning.
7am Monday, up we get, Erik to the airport. Drive, drive. Back to sleep. Up again. Three hours at Grauman’s to see the Trio. Dazed, too much sun, too much noise, all those excited fans. That’s a dreadful sunburn on my right side. Just drink water and rest. Shra’s back from the Grand Canyon! Let’s catch up and share goofy Harry Potter videos. There goes the afternoon. Must spend rest of evening doing work. Can’t stop watching Potter Puppet Pals, reading The Leaky Cauldron, anything Potter-related. There goes the evening. Oh, no: 2am.
9am Tuesday, up we get, you MUST write today because you won’t have a chance tomorrow. No, brain too tired. Draw. Finish Karuna drawing. Is this how I want my “commercial” artistic debut to be? No. Arrrgh. No time. Now write. Edit “Confidence”, brainstorm “Courage.” Keep cranking out words. Phone keeps ringing. Out shopping with Ying, this is surely a mistake. Oh but look, Joe’s Jeans shorts for $30! Not a waste. Quite a good decision. Oh I am a smart one. Hollywood Bowl concert, oh gorgeous, splendid, I haven’t been so genuinely awestruck in years. I am wearing shorts with spiked heels and a big necklace. I can’t believe I’m dressed like this. I have really sold out this time. I feel awesome. Home again, MUST go to bed. Harry Potter tomorrow. 11pm, bedtime. Only Harry Potter induces this kind of discipline in me. Well, I am what I am. OMG! HARRY! POTTER! HARRY! POTTER! HARRYPOTTERHARRYPOTTER!!! !! Stop it!! Midnight. MUST calm down.
9am Wednesday. HARRY POTTER! Nice leisurely shower. There’s even time for makeup. I can’t do this on a regular basis, but I can manage it for Harry Potter? I’m truly insane — there’s the phone. Someone can’t make it? Oh it’s Shra! Oh she’s going too! She also got dressed up. Heh. Madness loves company. Traffic on the 10, but that’s okay! Plenty of time to spare. Oh this isn’t like last time at all, I am ON IT this time! My Harry and the Potters t-shirt announces my allegiance to the world. “Follow her,” they giggle, “she knows where she’s going.” Beautiful sunshine, have I never noticed the Howard Hughes Center is so gorgeous? Here are the tickets, IN MY HAND. Go inside. Sit and wait. BE CALM. Pull out my writing and edit. Concentrate, there’s no point getting excited an hour early. In we go!!! Ooh, 3-D glasses! It’s really starting! Wonderful, amazing. Why do the dementors look like they have pantyhose over their heads? Luna is perfect. Fawkes is THE MAN. Oh I’m crying. Again. It’s over. Wowwwwww! It’s Huy, Ying and me. Lunch. Dessert. Sunshine. Bookstore. Harry Potter all the way through. Yes, there’s some speculation about Aunt Petunia. Yes, there’s some stuff that happens in the sixth book… no we can’t tell you, you have to read the books. Wait do you think that Snape really… ? I have to get to class! Traffic traffic. Jackie calls, more Harry Potter. I call Shra, more Harry Potter. I’m late to class. Introductions. I’m second to last. “I’m still wired from seeing the movie this morning,” and fellow Potterites erupt into discussion. The instructor joins in… oh, this will be a good class. Back home. Too tired to write, must go to bed. First some more Potter Puppet Pals…
11am Thursday. Write write write… blrghhhh this is all dreadful and repetitive… write write wriet wrtei… lousy. Still lousy. Write write riwet iretw… it’s TERRIBLE! It’s all my fault I left it till last minute, they’ll hate it… write triwe ritwe… hey what if I change these things around and stop being so wedded to my previous drafts. Write write write write write write write write hey I like it. HEY IT’S GOOD! HEY IT’S GOOD!!!
9am Friday. Oh no, much too sleepy. Arrrrgh. This day is a blur. 5pm, Aaron Brothers for frame for Karuna drawing. Damn, these frames don’t work. No, maybe this one does. Hey this works. The copper frame looks good. 8pm, out to airport to get Erik. Bugness.
9am Saturday. Going to Karuna to turn in the art. Taking it out of the car, hands shaking. Arriving at the studio, still a bit trembly. It’s my art, my first drawing I’m trying to pass off as a real piece of art, sort of. I’m handing it over. Pretend this is normal. Who’s this? “MARGARET!!! Hello and I’m all weird inside because of what I’m up to this morning! I’ll see you later!” Post office to mail out essay [for a Glamour nonfiction contest]. I want delivery confirmation on this. There it goes. My first essay I’m trying to pass off as a real piece of writing, kind of. My soul on the line twice in one morning. It’s a bit much. Children’s section of the library. OKAY now this is really too much! Someone’s checked out the GoF audio book???? And the OotP one???? THIS IS NOT RIGHT! There’s the Half-Blood Prince one. Actually that’s a better idea. 18 hours of audio, 7 more days until the book. Sure. That’ll work. Jedda kicks my ass again in Pilates. This is so weird. I can feel ALL my ab muscles when I do this. Now I can see all my arm muscles in the mirror. Weird. Whole Foods because I really need soup. Soy-cheese pizza. Rest. Shower. Walkfast walkfast it’s a madhouse at Grauman’s! Here we all are! HARRY POTTER AGAIN!!! So mad we couldn’t get IMAX this time. What is with the noisy people in this theater and their popcorn-chomping?! Oh this scene was so much better in 3D. I’m crying again. Still a good one! Margaret, Angela, Precious, Carlo. Lucky Devils, strawberry shake mmmmmmmm! What do you think will happen with Aunt Petunia? Do you think Snape really…? Oh no, not Harry, not the Weasleys! Do you really think… ? Walking home. Wow. I am really quite exhausted and I didn’t even know.
9am Sunday, up we get! Felt Club! Have to be early! Arrrgh we’re late! O M G is this the line?? I hope I’ll get… I got one! A gift bag! There’s Charles Phoenix! There’s chiffonade! Is that Jon and Naomi?!?!?! Push my way through. Good, Broken Press Studio and Posy Press are here again. Can’t… breathe… is there actually sweat dripping off my nose? We’ve got to get out of here. This is worse than the fangirls for the Trio. Ahhhh, sweet outdoor breeze. Dood, this is some SWEET gift bag. Two freaking books in here, a headband, pins, necklace, keychain, magazines. Yikes. This was worth it. Red Corner Asia. Oh, beautifully cold. Lychee drink. Crab fried rice. We’re all going to the library! Up and down the floors with Jon and Naomi. I didn’t know this gallery was here! OMG… Fred Marcellino… I bow down. I can never be an artist. I can never do this. Children’s section! Madeleine L’Engle! A book about an Ayorthaian! Leather armchairs… ah yes. Ahhh, this is how to spend a summer Sunday. 5pm. Home now. Rest.
Um. I think I am not too good at this impressionistic thing. There are too many things I want to include, and yet I don’t think I’ve really conveyed how this week felt. Can I strip it down to its essence? I’ll try…
A. So this is the life of a fangirl. I am well aware of the ridiculousness of what I am doing. Also: eeeee!
B. So this is the life of an artist. I like this. I don’t like this. Well, at least I made something.
C. So this is the life of a writer. This is fun. This is frustrating. THIS IS FRUSTRATING. This is fun.
Repeat A.
Repeat C.
Repeat C.
Repeat A.
Throughout: It is hot and I hate being hot. I miss my sisters. I love being with friends. Food is my raison d’etre, and now how sad is that?
Yop, I guess that’ll do it.
[This post was imported on 4/10/14 from my old blog at satsumabug.livejournal.com.]
satsumabug.com | Lisa Hsia 
that was fun
I felt like I was on a ride. A pretty good recap, imo. :] I got your call yesterday but Devin and I were watching a movie so I didn’t call you back. I’ll call you sometime today! I’m going to go see if there are blackberries by the creekside. Al and Mommy may be coming back on Wednesday so I’m very excited. If there are blackberries, I will make a dessert. I bought 2 bunches of flowers from the market yesterday so I could dress up the house (well, just the kitchen and living room). Daddo vacuumed and washed all the carpets and I finally set up my bed (I had been sleeping on my futon mattress on the floor this whole time). The only thing missing when they get back will be you! You should come back. I miss everybody! We’ll have to see when Al can come to Monterey with us. Sometime early August? I’ll ask Al when she comes back and you can get tickets. I’ll have to get tickets to come visit you too sometime. I’m sure I’m due for a visit. Once a summer really isn’t often enough, but I guess it’s all we can do.
I hope you’re having a nice Monday and I’ll call you sometime later today!
hugs,
Shra
Re: that was fun
I’m glad you liked it. 🙂 Of course, you did already know some of this stuff. 🙂 What movie did you see? And: blackberries! 😀 😀 😀
Wait, so are you telling me that I’m not the only grown-up who really likes Gail Carson Levine’s fairy tales? I am tempted to read her new book but afraid I am too old.
Doooood… I LOVE Gail Carson Levine. Ella Enchanted is right up there on my all-time favorites list, with The Westing Game and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler and more that I won’t bother to name. I love her reinvented fairy tales, the cute little short ones, and I just found Fairest at the library yesterday (is that the one you mean?). I read it when I got home. I *almost* loved it more than Ella Enchanted, but not quite, because the stakes are higher and therefore the humor can’t be quite as blithe. I am thrilled you like her books too. Most people for some reason don’t even seem to have heard of her.
Okay, you just inspired me to search for Fairest at UCLA’s library. Yay it’s on it’s way to my circulation desk.
I related to the main character a lot. She’s felt her whole life that she’s ugly and too big to be dainty or graceful; even though she has incredible skill in other areas, feeling unattractive always trumps them all. I feel like those of us who are the non-delicate Asian girls can totally understand this.
I hope you like it!
So apparently my request was sent to the University Elementary School library. Now I’m embarrassed.
I didn’t even know there was one!
That’s okay, your interest could always be purely intellectual — research, etc etc. 😉