Sunday, January 31, 2010

Conversations and Adventures with Andrea (Czech) and Jamal (Moroccan/French)

At the night safari:

Me: “Honey, what is THAT animal?”

Andrea: “Ummm, I don’t know honey, looks like dog, only different.”

This same conversation goes on all night and then a snake slithers onto my sandal and I kick it over to Andrea, who screams like a banshee and rips her shoe off to get the snake off. All of this is happening in the dark and Jean Michel (Frenchman visiting from Chicago) takes advantage of our fear by tickling the back of my shoulder with a leaf and scaring the crap out of me. I start screaming with Andrea and the staff of the zoo has no clue how to handle us, but they clearly don’t think it’s funny.

About Facebook:

My status: “My friends are awesome and I am Batman”

Andrea later that day: “Honey, what is Batman?”

Me: “You know, like the movie.”

Jamal: “The guy in black, with the tight pants and the cool car.”

Andrea, scratching her head: “Oh, honey, you are a flying mouse?”

Me: “Yes honey, when you put it that way, it’s not so great.”

About American English:

Me: “Jam, where is my shoe from the other night?” (we were drunk, I lost a shoe)

Jam: “We have it in our hotel room.”

Me: “Great, thanks.”

Jam: “That’s so greeeeaatttt….wait, say it again.” (sly look on his face)

Me, with puzzled look on my face: “Say what again?”

He glances over at Jean Michel who is turning red with laughter and says, “You Americans say that everything is so greeeaaaatttt.”

Jean Michel: “Yea, it’s so funny.”

Jam: “Would you like fries with that burger?”

“Yes, that would be greeeaaattt!”

“Here is your receipt ma’am.”

“Greeeeaaaaatttt, thanks.”

Jean Mi Mi: “Yes and you also say “for sure” about everything.

Me: “Are you French fucks making fun of me?”

Jam and Jean: “No, no we think it’s grreeeaaaaatttt!”

Me: “Oh really? You wanna go there? How about you guys? Everything with you is always so nice, or quite nice.”

“Did you like that movie?

“Yes, it was quite nice.”

“How was your flight?”

“It was niiiiice.”

“Did you like wiping your ass this morning?”

“Yes, it was niiiiiccceee.”

Andrea and Jamal left tonight to go back to Paris…I’m devastatedL

Friday, January 29, 2010

A Message to My Friends:

Times have been tough lately and I am comforted and awed by the way we’ve “huddled” together as if some inert instinct is drawing us to each other to protect and soothe. I am constantly amazed, both by my old friends, and the new ones that I have made on the other side of the world, by their goodwill. Even as they are suffering, they still have something to give me when I need them, and each other.

Eagerly, we cling together like life rafts, keeping each other afloat and kicking the sharks away. Martinis in hand, we tearfully vent to each other through texts, emails, Facebook online chat and phone calls, (and in person when we are near), all the while giving each other small gifts and tokens of our appreciation through kind gifts, big and small, material and emotional.

Some of our problems are financial, some emotional, but they all bring us down and threaten our sanity. But we face them, together. We don’t ignore them or sweep them under the rug. We don’t dismiss each other’s feelings with some light cliché and a dismissive flick of the wrist. We don’t put band-aids on them because we know that band-aids have a tendency to fall off after a while and some wounds never heal.

Instead we do something about our situations. And we do it with the support of each other and without judging. No one cares whose fault it is or how you got to this place of discontent and struggle. We all recognize with wise knowledge that there are two sides to every story and then there is almost always something in between that is usually the truth. We just want to know how we can help each other rise above it and move forward.

And no matter how many martinis, Skype conference calls or Eat Pray Love books it takes, we always have something to give each other. And that is worth all the homes, money and loves we have lost.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

An Open Letter

Dear Writer’s Block,

Yesterday, when I had some time and inspiration, or so I thought, Mac and I locked ourselves away with a glass of wine with the intention of me stroking his keys for a few hours of blissful creativity. That was until YOU showed up, AGAIN.

First you showed up at the coffee shop, then the park on the beach, and then today you followed me to the pool. Last week, I’m not sure, but I could have sworn I saw you on the train, like some creepy character out of a sci-fi movie gazing at me with forlorn eyes that said, “What’s the use?”

Why have you been hanging around so much lately? You’re like a stalker that won’t get the hint. Even as I write this, you keep beeping in on the other line to remind me of my failures. I thought I told you to get lost in Malaysia? How many times do we have to do this sad dance? Why are you so obsessed with me? And where the hell is my muse? Did you steal it while I was distracted by the boring medical articles I was reduced to writing for a few paltry pennies?

Well, I won’t mope with you anymore! Leave me alone; go bother some other tortured soul. Try Anne Rice or Elizabeth Gilbert for a change. I hear they are both available as they are not in need of the success.

I am a passionate woman and Mac and I have history to make together. So piss off and leave me to sit around in my knickers with my wine and my tears to plug this gaping wound!

Signed,

The Frustrated Author of 3 New Poems, and Other Random Thoughts (not including the medical articles, press releases or art catalogue content I was hired to write)