brainylady

Here's my favourite language spin of the day: Justin Timberlake tore the front of Janet Jackson's costume during the Superbowl halftime show, exposing her breast, and then called it a "wardrobe malfunction." (Between Kylie and Janet, that boy is an ass-grabbing, bodice-ripping menace!)

The Taipei International Book Exhibition was held this weekend. I went on Saturday afternoon. It wasn't as much fun as I'd hoped it would be; it was hugely crowded, and nearly everything was Chinese or Japanese (not very "international," if you ask me). Still, it was cool to see cover designs from other countries. There were a few novels I was interested in, but I settled on one: Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela Ribon. I think this book will follow Proust perfectly, don't you?

On Saturday night, Bill and I went out for drinks with some friends, and there was a young American woman who has been in Taiwan less than a week. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I'm not going through that again. I asked her how everything's going, and she said, "It's great! I really like it here." And I thought, "You wait, sister." (I'm not knocking Taiwan, but if you've ever done something like this, you know that it's often a rough adjustment. The honeymoon phase ends, and a point will come where you are overwhelmed; the novelty of being in a foreign country wears off and you ask yourself, "What have I done?") Hmm. That sounds really negative. I really just felt so glad to have made it past all that. I get the same feeling of thank-god-it's-not-me relief when I see a Westerner standing on the street with his or her Lonely Planet Taiwan book. (And if that is you, best of luck, my friend.)

I haven't knit since finishing my mini-ringel socks. (Thanks for all the pro–mismatched striping comments!) I have seven balls of Patons Canadiana that I bought in Canada for a sweater (nothing specific in mind at the time); I think I'll start a top-down raglan with it tonight. That is, if I don't go to see Whale Rider. Lucky me! I have to choose between something good and something good.